Looking For Terry

 

Most people know Terry Bradshaw from his football career. I knew him, mostly, from his reality show, The Bradshaw Bunch. I knew he played football, but couldn't tell you for which team. I just knew him as the goofy guy from a movie or two and his reality show. So, I was excited to read this book and get to know the m an behind the goofy laughs. 

As a child, Terry had ADHD- but no one knew. That diagnosis would be decades into the future. And while he wasn't a natural athlete, he did well in football. He even was recruited to a college for it. Unfortunately, his fear of letting people down and not being liked, went to college with him. It didn't take long for him to act as if the jokes made at his expense weren't fueling his insecurities. Those jokes would follow him into his NFL career. While playing for 14 seasons, he made many laugh playing up the dumb boy act. His early seasons were a struggle so many wrote him off. But, he stuck it out and made a good name for himself.

However, his off season time was no less of a struggle. As he tells you, he had a hard time when life wasn't busy. He would make poor decisions that were made rashly. Often, biting him in the butt later. This would occur once he no longer played football. Marriages led to divorces. Lessons learned the hard way eventually led him to key diagnoses: ADHD and Clinical Depression. Once he got the right medicines, life started to look differently. 

I have to admit that I grew bored of all the football stories, though many readers won't. I really got hooked into the book when he talked about his mental health and ADHD. Like I said earlier, I really knew him from his reality show, so I was more interested in the second half of the book. I loved reading how his wife, Tammy, was the Godsend he needed. I loved how she was different than anyone else he'd met and didn't pander to his ego. I loved how she didn't need Terry to have a complete life, she just loved him. I loved reading how they built the life they have now. And how they were partners in both of his cancer treatments. 

Within the pages of the book you'll see the humble side of Terry Bradshaw. With honesty and humility he reflects on his past with the wisdom he has now. He owns up to his faults and flaws. I enjoyed learning more about him.

Theology For The Rest of Us

 

Theology For The Rest of Us

By: Lisa Harper

Genre: Christian Resources

As Lisa Harper was studying for her Doctoral degree, she came across a whole lot of words that many of us don't know about. So, she had the brilliant idea to compile these words that are relevant to the Christian faith. This book is that compilation. It's literally a dictionary of the words she felt we should know about. Each word comes with it's origins, examples from the Bible- and sometimes her own life. 

If you are studying the Bible History or just wanting to know more about words you hear, this book is a great resource for you. She puts each explanation in easy to understand words. She breaks each word down to show you where it came from and how it came to be in the Bible. Each word also comes with a reasoning for why it's important to know and how it plays into out faith now. 

Some words I knew, but most I didn't. For example, I knew of Advent. But I didn't know there was a wreath involved along with candles to represent important concepts. That was a new revelation for me. Now I want to do this each year! Thank you, Lisa, for informing me of this.

This newest addition to her catalog is a departure from all of her previous books, but no less useful. Like I said, this is a great resource to use when you come across a term you aren't familiar with. You still get her humorous explanations we've all come to love, as well as the knowledge she's known for.  

The Munich Affair

 

The Munich Affair

By: James Patterson & David Ellis

Genre: Fiction/ Historical Fiction

Summary:

We all know of Hitler's World War 2 atrocities. History has those events well documented with the information easy for anyone to access. What if Hitler killed people who were close to him- namely young girls who were in a warped relationship with him? 

History has more than enough evidence to support the depravity of Adolf Hitler. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who would argue this fact. But within the pages of The Munich Affair, a whole new layer of depravity and disgust is brought to light. 

Geli Raubal was known as Hitler's niece. She was a young girl in her twenties who had been living in his house and in a relationship with the dictator before he ever became a dictator. According to the book, she was finished with their sick and twisted relationship. She no longer wanted to participate in the sexual activities he wanted. Instead, Geli wanted to move to Vienna to marry her music teacher with whom she was having a baby. What is factually known is that she was found with a fatal gunshot to the head. The official conclusion was suicide, but there were those who questioned that theory. And they became vocal about it.

Fritz Gerlich was a journalist. He was a vocal opponent of Hitler and was vocal in his questioning of Geli's death. Both of which landed him on Hitler's hate list. After repeated threats (passioned visits) by Hitler's henchmen didn't stop Fritz, more drastic measures were taken. 

Thomas Bauer is the investigator who responds when Geli's death is called in. Right away, Thomas doubts the story of events he's told. Things don't add up. He and Fritz pair up to learn the true nature of her death. However, Thomas's wife and children have enough Jewish blood in them to be a target for Hitler's plans. Hitler's men have no problem using this weak point to their advantage. But, they underestimated who they were dealing with.

The Munich Affair is a hefty book- both page wise and in subject matter. While I enjoyed the sarcastic attitude of Thomas, it doesn't make the book easier to digest. Knowing most of these events may not have happened to these characters is a small consolation because these things did happen to people at the time. 

I did feel there were parts of the book that could've been taken out since they did nothing to move the plot around. For the most part, I liked the book. It wasn't always an easy read for me- most WW2 books aren't easy for me to read. Yes, I did have to take breaks to step away from the senseless hatred and cruelty. 

The book is full of tense moments and action. One of my favorites was the scene where Thomas breaks his wife out of jail. She's a feisty character I loved reading about. 

Loyal Patterson fans, and suspense readers, will be glued to this latest writing partnership how the story unfolds and to see what happens next. Not to mention how it will all play out in the end. It would be a good book to read on a road trip or flight. It really will take you out of your current life and plop you down amongst hell, though. I recommend having plenty of chocolate on hand when you read it.  

My Battlefield

 

Summary:

 Millions of people recognize her name. They've bought the books, attending a conference, watched her show. Here, Joyce tells you her story in her own words. How she built her business, her vile childhood, the losses, the heartbreaks, the betrayals. The lessons, the victories the love. And the God of it all.

I have to say that I have only read a few of her books. I've seen clips of her tv show teachings. I'm more aware of her name than the woman behind it. Which is why I wanted to read her story. I've heard the controversy involving her in the Christian community. So, here was my chance to read what she had to say. How did she become the world wide known teacher she became? Is she really a name it and claim it leader? I had questions, so I let her answer them.

Let me tell you now, reading about her childhood is not easy. Disturbed doesn't cover it. Heartbreaking doesn't do it justice, either. Joyce was betrayed by the very people she should have been able to trust the most. No one stopped what should have never been allowed to happen. No one helped her out of the pit of hell they put her in, or kept her in. But, God had a plan for all of it.

Once Joyce graduated high school, she left home vowing to never come back. At 19, she got married to a man who lied, cheated and abandoned her. By the time the 4 year union was over, her husband had stolen from her and declared to his new woman the child Joyce was pregnant with wasn't his. Joyce was back to taking care of herself by herself. However, mere months after she was divorced, God sent a man who would forever alter her life. Dave Meyer had no idea what he was stepping into when he prayed for God to send him a woman he could help fix. 

Not only did Dave stand by Joyce's side as she lived with the side effects of her childhood and ill-fated marriage, he did so as he brought God to her life. After immersing herself in learning the teachings of God, she begun teaching a Bible Study for her coworkers. The grassroots of her legacy began to grow. With Dave's help, she grew in her faith-and in her healing. Bible Study led to teaching at the church they attended. From there, they took to the radio. Conferences and books weren't far off. What started in their basement continued to grow.

As Joyce shares the evolution of her company, she also shares all it took to get there. There were betrayals, heartbreaks and losses. But there was also a firm foundation built to house the love, help and victories. She was no stranger to criticism- mostly from the Christian community. There were many who took issue with her being a female Pastor when the Bible talks against it. I've always heard her lumped in with the "name it and claim it" pastors. Having read the book, I understand her side of it more. She prayed needs that came to be after praying. Every step of her business was done through prayer. 

I don't know if I'll read more of her books, or not. I'm glad I read this one. My Battlefield gave me a chance to get to know someone I didn't know much about. Learning about what she's been through and had to overcome, I have a newfound respect for her. It's undeniable that she's helped millions in the span of her career and I don't know how different her life would have been had she not endured all she did. 

Making Peace With What I Can't Control

 

Making Peace With What I Can't Control

By: Lysa Terkeurst

Genre: Christian Living

 

Summary: It's not that we want to be controlling people; it's just that we want to prevent bad things from happening and bring stability to the chaos. Especially when we are afraid of what God seems to be allowing. So we come up with plans and get very intentional about trying to make everyone around us line up with what we really think is best.

We don't have bad motives. We're just desperate to prevent another hardship, more heartbreak, and all the emotional turmoil that feels so unnecessary. But this only leads to a counterfeit version of control where we believe everything depends on us- a crushing weight we were never meant to bear.--- bn.com

One of my favorite Bible Study teachers is back with, yet another, gem I felt was aimed right at me. I struggle with the whole "crossing that bridge when we get to it" thing. I'm more of an "I want to know what is on the bridge so I can be prepared for it" kind of gal. I don't like the unknown. I don't like surprises that aren't good ones. So trusting God has been a journey He has taken me on. So this book hit the bullseye with me.

If you've been through painful, shocking, unforeseeable things this book is for you. Once life has taught you to always be on your guard and to have your defenses ready to go, it's very difficult to stop living that way. Life has taught you not to. Your body has learned not to relax because another tidal wave of stuff is just around the corner you seem to be rapidly approaching.

Within these pages of, Making Peace With What I Can't Control, Lysa addresses the variations of control- what they mean and how they look in daily life. She's going to distinguish the difference between responsible and controlling mindsets. As you uncover all this, she includes examples from her own life. She walks you through the pitfalls of when control crosses over into negative territory. 

Many of us have had someone in our lives who's behavior dictated our own behavior. This hit home for me because I had a friendship like this. While it started out healthy and with boundaries, over the years I was worn down to the point of my own choices and actions participated in the unhealthy control cycle it morphed into. This person's unhealthy need for control became the main influence on what I said and did- to my utter detriment. I became someone I no longer recognized. 

Learning to trade my will for God's will has been a long, long process. I've repeatedly thought I had a given situation only to make a mess of things in the end. Had I just let God drive the bus, we wouldn't have hit so many trees along the way. I had to learn that He knows what He's doing. He sees the puzzle fully done, where I only have a few pieces of it. I exhausted myself trying to make everything go the way I felt it was best only to lose it all anyway. I fell on my face countless times because I was trying to force something to happen that wasn't meant to happen. 

I strongly recommend this book! Making Peace With What I Can't Control is a great tool to help you re-evaluate your life. It helps you see what is on your plate that shouldn't be. Lysa is phenomenal at hitting you with the hard lessons through love. Every chapter has a QR code that sends you to a bonus video. it may be a craft or further discussion on what you were reading about, but helpful nonetheless.

You deserve to live with less stress on your shoulders. I encourage you to allow Lysa help teach you a way to do this. She's an amazing teacher who brings her vulnerability to the table, but also backed up expertise with professionals.  

Paper Ghosts

 

Paper Ghosts

By: Sarah Addison Allen

Summary:

For decades, the women of Wester House have unsettled and fascinated their small, timeless North Carolina town. Their home is full of whispers, old griefs, and uncanny knowing. But when Willamena Wester reaches out to the granddaughter she once pushed away, long-buried truths begin to stir.

1976: Restless young Willamena falls for a stranded musician who brings freedom and the promise of another life to her carefully controlled world. Their brief, incandescent love story promises to escape the pull of the Wester legacy until Willamena makes a fateful choice that changes her life forever.

Present day: Returning home is the last thing Bailey Wester wants. Yet as she reconnects with Willamena, the grandmother she feared, Bailey begins to understand the love, heartbreak, and impossible choices that shaped the women in her family and realizes the past may not have been trying to haunt them after all. A luminous novel filled with Sarah Addison Allen’s stunning prose and signature blend of romance, Southern charm, and wonder, Paper Ghosts reminds us that in order to have the future we really want, sometimes we need to live with the past, and not let go of it.    ----bn.com

Get ready for another whimsical, mystical book from one of my favorite authors!! I've been a fan since her debut book, Garden Spells, came out so I was ecstatic to read her newest novel. I was all set to get cozy and be putty in Miss Allen's creative hands. And I wasn't disappointed. I will say, Paper Ghosts, was a little different from her previous works, but I enjoyed it still. Elements and characteristics I've loved from each book is found in Paper Ghosts. 

WIllamena was from a wealthy family. Her grandmother had her entire life planned out for her- right down to the wedding dress to be worn whenever the wedding was to be had. And though Grandma is known around town for knowing things she shouldn't, she was the last to know about Willamena's love for Jack. When the young couple don't get grandma's approval, they decide to run away one night. But tragedy comes knocking when grandma confronts them. Willamena's life is forever changed that night. 

So, when Willamena's own granddaughter, Bailey, moves into the same house she quickly meets a stranger from the past. As Bailey struggles with events in her own life, her stand-offish grandma starts to open up. By the time the book ends, you learn grandma was a force to be reckoned with in more ways than one. 

I loved this book. I love how seamlessly Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of two women from different generations. The way she does it with a handful of whimsy, a dash of mystery I never get tired of. This book is the perfect book to start your fall reading with. 

I listened to this book on audio. The narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life. I enjoyed it. I was able to listen to the whole book in a day and I didn't get confused as to which character was which. So, if you're an auditory reader, you're going to enjoy Paper Ghosts.

And now... the countdown for her next book has begun.

Sea of Charms

 

Sea of Charms

By: Sarah Beth Durst

Genre: Fantasy

Summary:

Betrayed by love, Marin lives and works as a supply runner, sailing from island to island, delivering an array of goods with Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub as her crew.

On one of her routine trips to the capital, Alyssium, Marin finds a revolution underway—and her friend Dax in the line of fire.

What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a member of her crew if he pretends to be her boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.

But against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile—and realizes that perhaps she isn’t saving him. Maybe it’s the other way around  ---bn.com

You Guys!!! The way a yelped for glee and was so excited to review this book!! Not to mention the audio version of this book! I was blown away and couldn't wait to jump right into the next installment of the delightful SpellShop series.

Sea of Charms introduces you to Marin. Depserate to pay off the debt her parents took on Marin's deceitful former fiancé. She kicked him to the curb when she learned he was trying to bankrupt the business her parents have, but it came at a price. So, now she's a runner taking any job she can to pay back what they owe. In the beginning of the book you'll meet her sidekick- a sea serpent named Perri. She also adds a sailor shrub, Ree, to her crew and they set off.

As the story unfolds, you meet Dax. He's a friend of Marin's who is caught in the revolution Alyssium is embroiled in. She saves him, he acts as her boyfriend during a festival back home. It's a win, win. Or is it? 

As with the previous books in this series, you are in for adventures and travel. You're going to get caught in a magic storm. You really travel all over the place while Marin runs her and there with supplies. And while all this happens, love sneaks up along with loss and heartbreak.

As I said earlier, I had the privilege of listening to this book. I have to say, it's my favorite way to read the series. The narrator really brought everything to life. She gave each character a distinctive voice so you didn't really get confused. I loved hearing the story while I envisioned in my  mind what I was hearing. 

Sea of Charms is the third installment to the Spellshop series, but you don't have to read them in order. There were characters from the previous books in this one, but you didn't need their backstory. This book holds the same fun and adventure the other books hold. I do think this one had more since you travel all over. 

So add this cozy fantasy book (series, really) to your TBR this summer!