Find Momo A Photography Book by Andrew Knapp

Find Momo: A Photography Book (Quirk Books; March 4, 2014; $14.95) is Knapp's collection of charming photography that invites readers to play hide-and-seek with this ever-cute, ever-patient, ever-eager border collie who is skilled at hiding in a variety of settings. With plenty of never-before-seen photos, readers will look for Momo in famous locales like Central Park in New York City and Millennium Park in Chicago, as well as in fields, snow banks, and toy stores. 

Full of striking and unforgettable images, Find Momo is part art book and part "Where's Waldo?" and it will challenge and inspire dog lovers, photography buffs, and curious readers of all ages.

About the Authors:

Andrew Knapp is a freelance interface designer and photographer from northern Ontario. Dog crazy, with a desire to make everyday routines into creative adventures, Andrew has presented a TEDx Talk, Huffington Post, Mashable, ABCNews.com, and the Daily Mail Online.

collaborated on an Instamissions project with MTV and Sony.

Momo is an adorable, brown-eyed, nearly five-year-old border collie, Andrew's BFF, and a genius at hiding. he has over 100,000 Instagram fans. Say hello at gofindmomo.com







VISIT WWW.GOFINDMOMO.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK, SEE MORE PHOTOS OF MOMO, AND TO SEE IF MOMO WILL BE VISITING YOUR CITY.

My Thoughts:

This book was so fun to look through! I loved trying to find Momo in each picture. Besides Momo being adorable in each of his hiding places, the pictures are beautiful! Momo is a talented dog who does his job well at hiding for each picture. I was thankful for the "answers" in the back of the book for those pictures that I just couldn't find Momo. Before I had seen Find Momo I had never heard of him even though he is an internet sensation. After reading Momo's and Andrew's story I signed up for an Instagram account so that I can now "find Momo" along with the thousands of other people that follow their adventures. I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my grandchildren to see if they too can "find Momo."

Thanks to Quirk Publishers for my copy of Find Momo for review purposes.

We All Married Idiots by Elaine W. Miller

The author explains that the term idiots also means "common man" so essentially we are all idiots with Jesus Christ being the only UNcommon man that ever lived and therefore not an idiot.

Each chapter is broken down into the title of the chapter(one of the ten things you can change) and then a section to Meditate, a section to Reflect and a section to Change. Each meditation section gives scripture to meditate on concerning the subject that the chapter was about. Each reflection section does a bit of rehashing what the chapter covered and each change section offers up practical questions and activities to help strengthen your marriage.

Throughout the book the author talks about the enemy(satan) seeping into our marriages ready to pounce and destroy. She offers practical guidelines and encouragement for couples to stick with their commitment to each other.

A couple of quotes from the book:

How will you run your marriage marathon--like an idiot or like a fool? An idiot stumbles. An idiot makes mistakes. A fool runs the wrong way.

We choose to loosen up, strip down, let go, hold on, settle down, make nice, cheer on, sit tight, give up, and look up(the titles of each chapter). We choose to stay and fight for our marriages. We choose to obey God's command for a husband to love his wife and for a wife to respect her husband. Every day is a choice.

My Thoughts:

Not my favorite book on marriage relationships, but definitely it has benefits and truths that apply to all of us. I like how the author compared our marriages to running a marathon. Not giving up, sticking with it and continuing on. My husband and I have been married for almost 28 years and I think that even the most sound marriages need some fine-tuning now and then. That is why books like this are so necessary. We all need encouragement to stick with what we promised. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Mental-Pause And Other Midlife Laughs by Laura Jensen Walker

This book totally made me laugh out loud! So many stories that the author told I would say, " I have had that happen to me!!" In fact one of the first stories in the book was how women in menopause can look at an object and the word for it not even come to mind. I had just gotten done trying to tell my daughter something about a box and couldn't figure out the word box!!! I was making the shape of the box with my hands, the word box was in my head somewhere, it just wouldn't come out of my mouth! Oh my! So when I read that in the book I was much relieved that other women experience the same thing. For a light-hearted look at hot-flashes, age spots and the mid-life spread Mental-Pause is the book for you!

Cast of Characters by Max Lucado

My cousin gave this to me for my birthday this year. I really enjoyed it. The cast of characters included:

Jacob
The Woman caught in adultery
Ananias and Saul
The Gadarene Demoniac
Mephibosheth
Job
The Thief on the cross
And many more!

Each of their stories were told along with how we can relate with their lives today. I like what a paragraph on the back of the book said:


"The Bible is filled with a cast of characters who was lost. The crippled man at the Beautiful Gate. The leper. Even king David, whose colossal collapse turned him into a liar and murderer. These are the hopeless, hapless, and hurting faces that fill Scripture. These are also the faces we see when we look in our own mirrors."

I really enjoyed how Max Lucado was able to relate so many Biblical characters lives to our lives today. We may not literally be blind, we may not have committed adultery, we may not have lost everything we have, but we all were lost until we met the Savior.

The Pioneer Woman Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Have you ever seen The Pioneer Woman cookbooks? Or checked out The Pioneer Woman website? If you haven't you are missing out on some great recipes and some great real-life stories of a city gal who married a handsome cowboy. This is their love story from the time they met and fell in love through their first year of marriage. I enjoyed every bit of it. It made me laugh and it made me cry. If you like a good romance story then check this out!








Check out both cookbooks. I have made many of the recipes in both. Each filled with fully color photo's taken by Ree with step by step instructions for each recipe. These have become my favorite recipe books!

Check out Ree's blog The Pioneer Woman Cooks

The Ultimate Guys' Body Book by Dr. Walt Larimore

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Award-Winning Family Physician "Dr. Walt" Answers Tough Questions Guys Want to Know, But Don't Want to Ask.

Written especially for ages nine through twelve, award-winning family physician, Dr. Walt Larimore, offers inspirational anecdotes to help boys tackle the strange and unfamiliar areas of puberty. Topics covered in the book include:

What's happening to my body?
I've got BO-What's a guy to do?
My acne is scary! What's wrong with my face?
Diamond vs. Sterling, are body piercings bad?
My breasts are growing! What's wrong with me?

In this highly-anticipated new book, Dr. Larimore also writes with a Christian perspective, encouraging boys to consider their changing bodies as unique creations and what it means to be a "real man of God."

As seen on DiscoveryHealth.com, and "Focus on the Family's Health," Dr. Larimore is highly relatable to boys and their parents, giving great advice and information while providing communication starters to help parents connect with their sons.

As Dr. Larimore writes in the book, "THE ULTIMATE GUY'S BODY BOOK is designed to assist you in one of the most imporant and difficult jobs you'll ever have-raising and nurturing a young man to become physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually healthy."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Walt Larimore, MD, is one of America's best-known family physicians and has been listed in the Guide to America's Top Family Doctors and the Best Doctors in America. He has been a family physician for nearly thirty years, written or cowritten over twenty books (including a Silver Medallion award winnter and three God Medallion nominees), and has hosted nationally syndicated health features for radio and TV, including "Focus on the Family's Health." Dr. Larimore has appeared in interviews for national news programs such as FOX News's Health Network, CNN and "The Today Show," and notable publications like the Washington Times, Boston Globe and the New York Times. He and his wife have two grown children and live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

MY THOUGHTS:

I think this is a great book for adolescent pre-teen and teen boys. Each subject is covered factually, honestly, and to the point. At the end of each chapter the author gives biblical verses pertaining to the subject discussed. In each chapter the author assures the guy that what they are experiencing in their body is normal and that each guy is created specially by God and growing at the pace that God has for him. The author not only deals with guys going through puberty but he also touches on body piercings, tattoo's, and alcohol use. He explains the dangers of each. I also liked at the end of each chapter the author gave a fun trivial fact about real life people. I think that the author has written a book that a boy can read either on his own or use to go through with his father or a trusted adult.

Thanks to Zondervan for my copy.

The Whole Guy Thing by Nancy Rue

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Having received hundreds of inquiries from girls submitted to the popular "In Real Life" blog on her website, nancyrue.com, the author and popular speaker gets down to the nitty-gritty regarding the most common questions young women pose about guys, tackling everything from How do I get a guy to notice me? to Should I just wait for the guy God has picked out?

In her signature conversational voice, Rue helps ease the concerns of girls (and their parents) and addresses many misconceptions that arise, like All guys expect you to have sex eventually. After all, as Rue writes in the book, "Just because guys are different, that doesn't mean they're impossible to understand."

Rue offers are a set of "guydlines" on how girls can approach guys and relationships while remaining true to their faith. Here are just a few from THE WHOLE GUY THING:

• Be honest about your feelings. Do you want a guy to like you so you'll feel better about yourself? Or are there really some boys you'd like to get to know as people?

• Make sure you know the difference between "romance" and "relationship."

• Take stock of your current relationships with guys. Think about who's a friend, who's a crush, who's somebody you could see yourself with five or six years from now.

•  Take an honest, serous look at your relationship with God. Do you feel close to God? Do you talk to God and sense his divine presence?

Relatable, fun, and sincere, THE WHOLE GUY THING is the perfect handbook for teenage girls. It is written to help them form healthy relationships built on love, honesty, and devotion to God. Rue, author of more than 100 books for girls, proves once again with this book why legions of teenagers have turned to her for dependable guidance on how to celebrate being a young woman of God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nancy Rue is the author of 110 books, including 17 for teens and 60 for tween readers, as well as 2 parenting books and 32 non-fiction books for tweens and teens. She's also the editor of Faithgirlz! Bible. Her ability to relate to a wide audience has made her a popular radio and television guest and an in-demand speaker and teacher for writer's conferences across the country. She has been a regular keynoter for "The Young Writer's Institute" and Virtuous Reality Ministries, and now anchors Zondervan's "Beauty of Believing Tour" for Faithgirlz, which draws thousands of tween girls and their moms. Nancy is also the founder of the "Writing for Children and Youth Conference" in Colorado. Her latest titles include her Christy award-winning Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book for teens, her bestselling Lily series, which has sold over one million copies, and That Is SO Me, a year-long devotional for tweens. She and her husband have raised a daughter of their own and live near Nashville, Tennessee. www.nancyrue.com

MY THOUGHTS:

Filled with great advice for young girls about how to behave around boys and how to have a better understanding of the opposite sex. Each chapter has an evaluation quiz, a section on how to apply what was learned in the chapter, what God says in His Word about the subject being discussed, and tips on discussing the topic with parents. As a parent I especially appreciate that the author always pointed out that the parent is the final authority and deserves respect and obedience, but also gave practical scenario's on how to broach a tough subject in a rational and non-confrontational/rebellious way. I think that the advice offered in each chapter was very practical and offers great insight into the relationships between boys and girls.

The Secret Life of a Fool by Andrew Palau-Blog Tour-GIVE AWAY

Blurb from the back of the book:

Like many of us, Andrew Palau spent his growing -up years immersed in a selfish and self-centered life, numb to God and to the letters his evangelist-father wrote him. In The Secret Life of a Fool, Palau recounts his years of rebellion and reckless living--and the moment when the shame of his life collided with God's relentless grace, changing everything. 

It's an unforgettably gutsy story, packed with honesty and hope for us all. 

 (from the final published copy, which is much better than the blurb on the back of the ARC copy that I received first)

My Thoughts:

The book started out with Andrew and his family in a plane crash in Jamaica. One of the questions he asked himself was, “Was I living a life that, if snuffed out in a plane crash, would give a sweet aroma representative of what matters most?” that question kind of stuck out to me because I have been asking myself that a lot lately. Andrew then goes on throughout the rest of the book explaining about his lifestyle before he encountered relationship with the living Savior. From partying with drugs, alcohol, and women, Andrew’s life was on a downward spiral from what he had been taught while growing up in his parent’s home. 

What was refreshing about Andrew’s story is that not once in the entire book does he blame his parents for his choices in life. He credits them with being present in his life, of valuing him, of loving him unconditionally, of being great parents. He never once plays the blame game. He makes it quite clear that he chose his lifestyle because of a persona that he wanted to portray to the world.

He goes into detail about his emotional conversion encounter with the Lord and how it has changed him. He says, “Everyone…needs to come to God the same way.” Meaning we don’t all have the same backgrounds, but we all must repent. “Repentance is the rebel’s only way to God. And we all are rebels.”

The Secret Life of a Fool was a fast read and is sure to touch many lives.

Thanks to Worthy Publishing for sending me an ARC copy for review. They also were kind enough to send me a final published copy that I will be donating to my church library. 

Here is the book trailer:

And now it is GIVE AWAY time! The publisher will send a copy of The Secret Life of a Fool to one winner. If you would like a chance to win leave a comment along with your email address. I use Random.org to choose winners for contests. Winner will be chosen one week from today on April 12, 2012. US and Canada residents only please.

If for some reason you cannot leave a comment email me and I will add you to the drawing. For some reason some of you have been unable to comment. I don't know how to fix that problem :(

My email address is: gravesok (at) gmail (dot) (com)

Good Riddance Showing Clutter the Door by Susan Borax & Heather Knittel

A book of 101 articles of CRUD(Completely Ridiculous Useless Debris) that a person can eliminate from their home. Good Riddance is full of helpful instructions on how to eliminate the clutter that we seem to gather as the years go on.

At first when I started reading I was thinking to myself, "Oh so-and-so needs to read this" or "I need to pass this on to so-and-so". As always when a person starts pointing fingers at others they forget about those 3 pointing back at themselves! The first thing that struck me personally was the spare room chapter. Uh oh! Practically everything the authors described that happens to a spare room described our spare room exactly! When I read, " Ponder what might be occupying your extra bedroom. Could that be the room where your grandmother's antique furniture resides?" OUCH! That hit me hard, because the answer to that question for me is a resounding YES! Eeep!

A few other things that stood out were:

Keeping old LP records. Now this is not a problem that I have. If it were up to me I would get rid of that box of records. But my husband has the misguided idea that someday those records are going to be worth something. Ummm, NO! Technology today has made records obsolete and they are not worth anything to anyone. Especially if they have damage in any way. Termites got hold of ours years ago so a lot of the wrappings are ruined. But this is a losing battle in my household so I guess I better turn that finger back to my own self.

Christmas decorations. I have to say that I am pretty good about keeping my decorations to a minimum. But there is definitely some room for improvement. Getting rid of those ornaments that are not used anymore, or that are falling apart would sure add more room to the tubs that contain the decorations.

Old Textbooks. Ack! People, sell those things back at the end of the semester! Nobody is going to want them years down the road! You can use that money to help purchase the next round of books for the next semester. This is one that I have never understood about some people. Hanging on to textbooks like you would ever crack one open again. I'm glad to see that the authors agree with me there...or is it that I agree with them?

Hanging on to things to pass on to our children when they are grown also is impractical. The authors say that our children don't want that CRUD either. They are accumulating their own CRUD. ha! 

Good Riddance offers reasonable and practical ways of de-cluttering your home. Interspersed throughout the book are little snippets of people's excuses for hanging on to some thing in their home. I found those quite humorous. I thought I was doing well in keeping the clutter to a minimum, but as I was reading this book different places in my home were calling out to me to be cleaned out. Places like the craft closet(just cleaned a year ago, but in need again since it is cluttered again), the kitchen(again, just cleaned out but I find that there are still things that I can whittle away at), the attic(shudder), my clothes closet...and the list goes on!

As always it is so much easier to take care of other people's lives than it is our own...does anyone have any ideas on how I can get my husband to get rid of those records?!

If you would like a chance to win my copy of this book leave a  comment and I will have a drawing on Wednesday March 28th.

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman

Peggy is a secretary at the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington D.C. When she receives a phone call at 4:00am from her home town of Otuam in Ghana telling her that she is their new king. She thinks that the person is joking, but they are not, she truly is the new King.

When Peggy arrives in Otuam she finds that her town is poor. Children have to walk for miles to get drinking water for their families. Not many get to go to school because of the expense. She also finds the palace in shambles. It turns out her elders have been pocketing the money from the townspeople and using it for their own pleasures.

Peggy immediately begins to set things right much to the disappointment of her elders. She lets them know that just because she is a woman she will not be pushed around by them or any man.

Because of her love for her people Peggy is able to improve their lives by stopping the corruption, bringing in clean drinking water, repairing their beloved palace and giving them something to be proud of. It isn't an easy job. Peggy still has to work her job as a secretary in the United States. So she is gone the majority of the year. Her elders do not make it easy for her either by still going behind her back with their thieving ways. Add to that the disgruntled children of the former King who insist that their father does not deserve a decent burial. Peggy finds that her dreams for Otuam are very expensive for a secretary.

This true story follows the first 2 years of Peggy's kingship. Her frustrations and triumphs. I really enjoyed this strong woman's ability to take on the male leaders in her town, stop the corruption and gain the love of her people. I felt her frustration while dealing with these corrupt men who were set in place to help the people, but have only helped themselves. Peggy is able to uphold the customs of the people while maintaining the dignity and power of her Kingship. 

Thanks to Doubleday for my review copy