“Show me the books she loves and I shall know the woman…“

L.O.V.E – Putting Your Love Styles to Work for You

Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott

Nobody else on the planet is just like you. The same holds true for your spouse. That’s why this book—and its accompanying online assessment—zeroes in on each of your personal qualities and reveals how the unique combination of your two personalities creates a “Love Style” that is unlike any other. Crack the code and enjoy the deepest love you’ve ever known.

Description:
The letters L.O.V.E. represent four personality dimensions that make up your personal “love style.” Once you know your own love style and that of your spouse, you will be able to love him or her in a way that will help you get the love you need in return. Relationship experts Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott stand on a mountain of research to show you how this single insight can draw you closer together. Never before have we had such an easy-to-use and scientifically proven tool for pinpointing each person’s approach to love. You’ll discover how much these dimensions inform your love style:

L – Leader: The Take-Charge Spouse
O – Optimist: The Encouraging Spouse
V – Validator: The Devoted Spouse
E – Evaluator: The Careful Spouse

The L.O.V.E. online assessment, in combination with this book, will show you how you are designed to approach everything from communication and conflict to sex and intimacy. This is not your typical marriage book. It’s a practical tool for learning how to express love to your spouse and feel truly loved in return.

As a woman that has been with her husband for almost 24 years…I have read many marriage books, attended numerous seminars and have participated in countless bibles studies.  Not because I have a bad marriage on the contrary…I want to discover how to make something wonderful even better.

Let’s face even if you have a great marriage and a wonderful husband, like I do, you  still are two imperfect, sinful human beings that are trying to create a working dynamic called marriage, right?

Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott have created a unique and useful book with assessment tools that accompany various chapters. You not only learn about yourself and your partner you are able to see where you fit into the grand scheme of this road called marriage.

How can you love someone if you don’t know how they are supposed to be loved? That is a great question and one that I am sure many married couple ask each other and themselves. In fact, it is the question that started this entire book. “After all, if you could accurately understand how your spouse is hardwired for love, not to mention your own hardwiring, wouldn’t it almost instantly curb the number of conflicts you encounter?” p.18

Well, of course it can…or at the very least will help. I will be placing many of these “new tools” that I have learned into practice with my spouse and plan on sharing this information with my friends.

Nothing is foolproof. People are people, attitudes are attitudes and arguments are bound to happen…that is life….but this book will help me to see things through different eyes.  I want to learn how to love my husband more and better…I want to see another 24 years together. So if learning and reading helps me to understand his hardwiring and my own better…then let’s do it!

This book was provided for review by Zondervan
Opinions are strictly those of the blog owner.

“Show me the books she loves and I shall know the woman…“

Nascar

Chicken Soup for the Soul

101 Stories of Family, Fortitude, and Fast Cars

NASCAR and Chicken Soup for the Soul join forces, with well-known NASCAR columnist Cathy Elliott leading the charge. NASCAR drivers, their families, and teams slow down enough to share their stories of family, fortitude, and fast cars. Readers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the action on and off the track. Famous drivers and those closest to them, pit crews, families, and fans all share their stories of perseverance, triumph, comebacks, and life. Fans will get a front row view, and be inspired, surprised, and sometimes amused by these exclusive, up close stories from the track, pit, and the road.

Reviewed by IE Mommy friend, Janette

Although I don’t follow NASCAR, I enjoy watching the races when I have time.  I found this book to have some truly inspiring stories, told by the drivers, TV Reporters, and Fans.  The stories were insightful and gave me a perception rarely seen directly from NASCAR. There are many different authors that have written their little tidbits on racing from today’s drivers and yesterday’s drivers, to commentators, sports writers and from fans whose lives have been touched in a special way by NASCAR. I had no idea that there are so many people with strong faith involved with this sport, willing to share their stories.

This book is the perfect gift for any NASCAR fan. It touches the heart, touches the soul, and makes you laugh and cry. These articles are not only entertaining and inspirational, they reflect strong American values. These are truly members of an elite and caring group of individuals.

One of the most touching stories is that of two men that were seated together and started as strangers on a four hour flight, and found they both were fans of Jeff Gordon. The date was September 10th, and
one of the men was a pilot on one of the planes that went down on 9-11. They exchanged cards and phone numbers, and made plans for a race on September 30th.

I highly recommend it as a gift for any NASCAR fan, and for anyone that would like a glimpse into the heart of the sport, the hearts of the drivers, and the fans.

Review Opportunity Provided Phenix & Phenix Literary Group
Opinions are strictly those of the blog owner.

“Show me the books she loves and I shall know the woman…“

Thanks Mom

Chicken Soup for the Soul

101 Stories of Gratitude, Love, and Good Times

A mother’s job is never done, but in Thanks Mom, she gets the praise she deserves. Children of all ages share their words of gratitude and appreciation in this new collection of stories for moms. Daughters and sons retell tales of love and learning, celebrating moms, their wisdom, and all that they do. These stories of special memories, loving and hard lessons, unforgettable moments, laughter and tears, support and encouragement will bring any mom joy, inspiration, and amusement. Mothers of all ages, whether new moms, experienced moms, or grandmothers, will feel good about the recognition they receive. Expect plenty of celebrity contributors!

This has to be my favorite Chicken Soup for the Soul book in a while. Yes, yes…I know I say that often. But "Thanks Mom" is a wonderful tribute to all moms do and everything moms are. Whether you are a first time mom or a great-great grandmother you will be able to relate to the wonderful, humorous, insightful, loving, thought provoking and funny stories within this book.

I love my mom…she is a very special person in my life. Whether we agree on everything all the time is definitely debatable but I always know there is someone that I can depend on. Someone that would do anything for me. It’s a special, unique bond that we share with our mothers. I see it developing between the twins and I.

As a mom…I cried and was touched by so many of the stories. I could completely understand the sentiment and emotion behind many of the tales. As a daughter there were a few stories that were very enlightening ot me. Maybe situations where my twins and I have not yet traveled but one in which I have traveled with my own mother.

Thanks Mom is a perfect gift to give to you mom, mother in law or someone who is special to you this Mother’s day. Make sure you have tissue near by because you will have tears in your eyes. It might be because some of the stories are so touching and it might be because some of the stories will leave you in stitches. Either way….keep the Kleenex handy.

This will be one of the Chicken Soup books that will remain on my book shelves….ready for me to read again and again. Love it!

Review Opportunity Provided by Phenix & Phenix Literary
Opinions are strictly those of the blog owner.

See My Reviews at Amazon.com

“Show me the books she loves and I shall know the woman…“

I’m Up in a Tree

Mark Alden Johnson

Climbing a tree sounded like a great idea, but it turns out that getting down is much harder than climbing up! Perched on a branch high up in a tree, a young boy must decide whether to find a way to the ground by himself or wait for his dad. All kinds of animals, from bees to birds to cats, offer him advice on how to get down (Jump! Fly! Climb!), but it’s up to him to figure out if their advice is worth taking.

Told in a lyrical rhyming style and charmingly illustrated by the author, I’m Up in a Tree is a book for kids and their parents to enjoy together.

I’m Up in a Tree is a fun, lyrical journey to take with your children and young readers. It is a clear illustration of a little boy who uses his noggin rather then going by “guts” to get out of a bad situation.

As a mom and home school teacher I enjoyed the fact that Mark Alden Johnson created a  young character that was a tad mischievous and curious (how else would he have gotten up in the tree?) but who was also wise enough to not accept bad advise no matter how well meaning. Finding himself in a very odd and somewhat dangerous predicament the young man chooses not to listen to a bee, a cat or a bird. Wise move. The book provided characters that lent themselves to dramatic vocal interpretations. Which made reading the book with my twins more exciting.

My daughters instantly related to the little boy’s situation. In fact at one point they wondered aloud “Why in the world did he bother going up a tree in the first place”?  As the cat, bird and bee gave advice on how to get down my girls were eager to offer their own opinion on the advice offered.

If you are a parent or teacher I would suggest picking up a copy of I’m Up in a Tree…it offers a great lesson in trusting what you have been taught by your parents and using the common sense that is all too often not common. A great lesson taught in a simple yet meaningful story line.

Review Opportunity Provided by Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists
Opinions are strictly those of the blog owner

See My Reviews at Amazon.com

“Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man…“

Halfway to Each Other

Susan Pohlman

The true story of a California couple on the brink of separation who unexpectedly find love again on the Italian Riviera.

Tired, empty, and disillusioned with married life, Susan Pohlman was ready to call it quits. As soon as she and her husband, Tim, wrap up a business trip in Italy, she planned to break the news that she wanted to end their eighteen-year marriage.

During their last day as they walked along the Italian Riviera, Tim fantasizes aloud that, perhaps, they could live there. Susan initially dismisses the notion as nonsense but is inexplicably overwhelmed with a desire to give the marriage another try. Defying all logic, the couple find a school for their children and sign a lease for an apartment. Maybe a life in such a charmed setting could help them find their way back to each other.

Together with their fourteen-year-old daughter Katie and their eleven-year-old son Matt, they trade in their breakneck Los Angeles pace for adventure and a slower, more intimate lifestyle slipping out of the constraints of the traditional American Dream into a dream of their own.

Instead of seeing each other for fleeting moments in the mornings and evenings, the family starts to spend their days together rediscovering the simple joys that bring texture and meaning to all our lives. Travel with them as they stumble upon new customs, explore medieval alleyways, browse street markets, befriend neighbors, learn to cook, and try a new language.

Halfway to Each Other is the remarkable story of an ordinary American family that inspires and offers hope that all of us who find the courage to listen to our hearts and follow our dreams can experience a new beginning.

Have you ever had a very close close friend? One that you could call at all hours of the night? Someone that you have been able to share your deepest hurts and victories with? Who has known  you inside and out …since what seems like forever?

If  so then you will instantly be drawn to Susan Pohlman. She reminds me of “that” friend. The one where you can share your deepest thoughts with but know they will be safe.

Only “In Halfway to Each Other” she is the one sharing her deepest thoughts and fears as her family tries to salvage what is left of life “together”.

As I read the book I was drawn toward Susan’s honest opinion of herself and life with her husband. Living in Southern California I could relate to the demands that she experienced living so close to the “Hollywood” lifestyle.

Halfway to Each Other is an inspirational memoir and Susan quotes various versus from the bible and faith filled insights that she learns throughout her journey in Italy.  Quoting verses and speaking of her interaction with God made her journey even more real to me and one that I could relate to on multiple levels.

I was not sure what I would initially  think of the book…as I am not usually a big fan of memoirs…but Halfway to Each Other was written delicately and expertly. It was not a high suspense novel but instead read as if you were reading a letter from a dear friend.

Laughing at their stumbles and wobbles at they learn about life in a new country, without friends, without the hustle and bustle of everyday life…left me longing for a more quite time with my family as well. Knowing that they were victorious toward their goal and allowing God to lead them on was inspirational.

Grab a cup of coffee, a warm blanket and snuggle into this book. It’s a journey you will long remember.

*See my review at Amazon.com

Review Opportunity Provided by Phenix & Phenix Literary Agents
Opinions are strictly those of the blog owner

Thomas Nelson

Rick & Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

Rick Burgess & Bill “Bubba” Bussey

Synopsis: The only thing funnier than marriage is Rick and Bubba talkin’ about it!

Oh my goodness! Rick and Bubba are right on in so many ways. I have to admit that I had never heard of them before (sorry guys) but they are hilarious.

Their take and view on the way marriage and women work is hysterical yet deeply accurate.

I found myself quoting their book to my husband and for the record not just the parts about husbands. There were times I so clearly saw myself in Rick and Bubba’s descriptions of wives that I would bust out laughing. Clearly a weird moment when you do so at the doctor’s office.

My favorite concept of the book is that it is written by two men that love the Lord, their wives, their family and humor. No wonder they are considered the sexiest “fat” men alive.  What can be more attractive then men that love God and “get” their wives?

This book contains an extra added book…The Book of Blame with contains many amendments to the laws of marriage. My personal favorite was: Article XXXVIII
“If you hit a pothole in the road, it’s your husband’s fault. He should have warned you about it…on the cell phone..from his office!”

Don’t laugh! That really happened to me just recently and cost me $400 to get a new tire for the front of the car and I WAS on the phone with my husband which is why I hit the silly thing in the first place.

Rick and Bubba have a few decades of marriage under their combined belt but even more experience being men so it was an incredible insightful read.

Lighthearted, straight to the point and very informative. Give your sweetheart a chuckle and read the book together…it will definitely give you a lot of points to discuss. It did for my hubby and I and we are still married!

Great job boys!

**See The IE Mommy Review on Amazon.com