Tag Archive for books

College

by  on  in Books, Camera, Life, Me, Myself, and I, my opinion, Story • 0 Comments

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Another lovely photo from my mind’s second home: France. (A personal library of old books stored throughout a chateau – how could I not fall in love?)

College.

Student-athlete.

Biochemistry major.

Living away from home.

Wow.

Honestly, I usually still think I’m 17 when people ask me my age. It’s hard to comprehend the fact that I’m in college, that I have already had to deal with a lot of things I never had to before college, that I’m actually not even going to be a teenager next year, and that, at some point relatively soon, it’s going to be expected of me to be fully independent. Some people my age have already been married for a year and may even have a kid. Some people my age are already living on their own or traveled to a different country for school. That is just crazy to me – how can my preference of being home and my dislike of large social settings compare with that?

I used to look at college students and think that they had their lives together. Even if they weren’t doing well in school or something, I figured they must have a backup plan, that they were always calm about what they would do. Since starting college, I’ve realized that no one has it together, even the people who are like what I described above. Even those people are worried their backup plans won’t work – no one can be sure. Oftentimes, the future seems terrifying because I’ve realized that I’m never going to feel like I’m invincible in the path my life takes. And it’s true, I won’t ever be invincible in what I do.

But, honestly? I still find peace. I really only have that peace because of knowing the Lord. I do not have to worry about the risk of failing in something. I don’t even have to worry that I will let someone down because the Lord has got me. If life plans have to change, it’s not because I’m not good enough, it’s not because I don’t have value, it’s because I’m needed somewhere else. I will be a thousand times more useful in a place He has picked out for me than in a place that I am trying to make work for me. There is no comparison between any one life and another: all have a need for Him and all will better glorify Him while following what He chose for them. He has His plan and all I have to do is try my best to follow Him and every smooth path or rocky cliff will be used for His glory.

 

Random odd things accomplished thanks to college:

  • had my number requested by a fourth grade boy touring campus
  • successfully sneaked out of a park I got locked into with a friend
  • applied for a job as a snake handler (the snake left campus, but not to worry, I have two other jobs instead)
  • went to Georgia (for swim nationals but I was delirious with a fever)
  • dyed my hair with temporary dye for the first time for a day (blue, and then dyed it again for a day a purple/red color)
  • experienced a demonstration of stunt driving skills
  • made a turkey hat with kindergarteners
  • drank 3-5 cups of tea every day for a whole week (sick before finals week this last semester)

 

All in all, it’s definitely been an experience.

xx

Your Sacred Yes // Book Review

by  on  in Bethany House Review, Books, Jesus • 0 Comments

Hello everyone!

Here is July’s book review:

23583854[1]Your Sacred Yes by Susie Larson

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ –

four out of five hearts
(picture from GoodReads)

GoodReads Summary:

Popular Author & Speaker Equips Women to Live Focused and Free
Women today are stretched thin, worn weary, and tired of living hurried lives. And nothing drains us more than signing up for things God never asked us to do, even if they are well-intentioned. Yet, all too often that’s exactly where we lose our way.
In “Your Sacred Yes,” Susie Larson shares personal stories and biblical insights to help you:
– Learn how–and when–to say “no” without guilt or shame
– Say “yes” to “life-giving,” not life-draining, activities
– Find joy and abundance, fulfillment and freedom, each day
When we can’t, or won’t, say “no,” we become captive to our commitments instead of free to respond to God’s invitations. Here is your chance to say no to others’ obligations and yes to the One who will rejuvenate your weary soul. Will you say “yes”?

 

My Review:

Pros:

I really liked this book, it was telling me something important, but the whole book was encouraging. Even though the book was telling me I might be spinning my wheels and wasting energy on something I didn’t need to be doing – it just pushed me to figure out why I’m doing what I’m doing and if I should be doing those things. I never felt like Ms. Larson was criticizing me for getting into that situation or for doing something I’m not called to do. That’s a really critical point for me, because self-help books don’t work well for me if they are only negative.

This book has a lot of scripture, proving points Ms. Larson makes, as well as quotes from different people and even stories from her own life. Oh my goodness, and that bonus chapter! It includes spiritual and physical challenges, I encourage all readers to consider doing the challenge because it’s a great why to move forward and change your life based on what you’ve read. This book was fantastic, giving great suggestions on how to change your life and reasons why you should.

As believers we know we are not saved by our acts, but sometimes we end up doing so much extra work that we can’t stop and rest in Him. Ms. Larson was the first author I’ve come across who really explained and assured me of the importance of resting in Him. I knew it was important, but I guess I kind of thought that God would just be pleased that I wasn’t being lazy. I realized through this book that He wants me to have the time to come to Him and not just pass out at 11 every night. Your Sacred Yes had a message saying to me that life is short and so we should make sure that we’re sure that we’re doing the work He calls us to do.

Cons:

I have none!

Overview:

I cannot wait to go back and dissect this book to pieces! I would suggest this to anyone, but especially those who reply, “Oh, I don’t have enough time to read a book right now…” 🙂

I received a free copy of Your Sacred Yes from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a 100% honest review.

 

xx

Hearts Made Whole // Book Review

by  on  in Bethany House Review, Books • 0 Comments

Hello there, everyone!

I’m sorry for the lack in posting. I was going to post much earlier, because I had some great news, but something happened and my life got kind of crazy for a bit. I will share more about that after this. So, anyways, I read another book for review today, this one is called Hearts Made Whole. Hope you’ve been enjoying the fiction lately. 😉 Friend me on GoodReads, if you haven’t already because I’m reading a crazy amount right now – finishing books all the time.

23411532[2]

Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

♥ ♥ ♥ – –

(three out of five hearts)

GoodReads’ summary:

After her father’s death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren’t supposed to have such roles, so it’s only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper–even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He’s been given the post as lighthouse keeper, and the isolation where he can drown in drink and hide from his past is appealing. He’s not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who’s none-too-pleased to be giving up her position. They both quickly realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but Ryan’s unwilling to let anyone close, ravaged by memories and guilt. Caroline’s drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope…and possibly love?

Characters:

I really liked Caroline’s personality. She seemed really down to earth and realistic. I love how she argued for her job and tried to keep the lighthouse together even when it technically wasn’t her job anymore. I would say the only thing about her that I didn’t care for was her easy fall into love with Ryan. They acted too close too soon. They barely knew each other, but they acted as if they had known each other for forever. I would also say that their first kiss was wayy out of personality for both Ryan and Caroline.

For Ryan, I found him to be a pleasing character, but not all that interesting. He didn’t capture my attention the way he captured Caroline’s heart. His friendliness with the twins was cute though. I was unhappy with the lack of thought put into marriage by Caroline and Ryan though! Their relationship went really far and at that point they were surprised and seemingly put off by the thought of marriage. About Ryan in general though, he was sweet, but I wish his drinking/drug problem had been wrapped up a little better.

Plot:

I have to mention Tessa, even though technically she should fall under the characters topic. She was horrible! Supposedly she got along with Caroline sometimes, but every scene with her in it inside the book was just her fighting with Caroline. I wish she had had a few scenes with her in a good and agreeable mood towards Caroline.

The plot all in all was really good! I loved all the intense scenes because they were gripping, but never too scary. The writing style in this book is great, it lends itself towards a quick-read but keeps you interested the whole time.

Overall:

I liked it, I found a few reactions/scenes a bit cliché, but so many others were unique as well. A few things made the characters seem inconsistent, but I liked all of them except the bad guys (and perhaps Tessa). I would suggest this book to anyone who likes clean, Christian romances or mild intense action. The funny thing is though, even though this book is classified as Historical Fiction, I wouldn’t recommend it for that just because not a large amount of history was mentioned. All the same, as long as the reader wasn’t set on getting a lot of history, I would suggest it anyways.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

xx

Quote // From the Start

by  on  in Books, Quote • 0 Comments

Hello all!

First of all, I’m going to explain the last few weeks very shortly! This weekend is going to be busy so I may not get the chance to post, but I will explain my accidental blogging spring break that just happened to occur on my school spring break. Today, I wanted to assure you I’m alive and share a favorite quote (or two, or three) from the book From the Start. You may have read my review, (I posted it just before this post) but if not – it’s just a cute story about an ex-football star named Colton, and a struggling writer named Kate, who happen to meet. They meet at hard times for both of them, both are trying to restart their lives, but something draws them together. The two of them find that they will have to choose between their original plans for their futures or each other. On to the quotes…

Colton brushed past Kate, reached for the drink, and handed Megan a ten. “Keep the change.” He turned back to Kate.

“Trying to buy her off?”

“What are the chances she spit in this?”

 

“Kate, this is where I’m going to need you to remember I’m your sister and you love me.” Suspicion plunked in.

 

“I’m serious. You can write them off if you want, be your own harshest critic. But they’re pieces of you. They’re something you created, and that gives them value.” He dipped his head toward her. “Plus, from what I hear, they’re pretty great stories.”

“They’re love stories, Colton.”

“I like love. Most people I know kinda do.”

 

Hope you enjoyed those! Those are all direct quotes from the book From the Start by Melissa Tagg, I do not own any of it nor did I change it in any way. Enjoy your day!

xx

From the Start: Book Review

by  on  in Bethany House Review, Books, my opinion • 0 Comments

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From the Start by Melissa Tagg

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ –

(four out of five hearts)

 

Synopsis: (from GoodReads)

Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn’t kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays…until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.

Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend’s hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he’s lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he’s never really done normal before.

While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it’s like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn’t part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that’s ever happened to them?

 

My thoughts:

Being honest, at first I was unimpressed with From the Start. I was excited to read it, but once I started it, the characters were too typical, I could predict scenes, and the characters’ reactions. I felt that Kate was a bit cliché, because she had been hurt but was obviously going to fall for the ex-football star who was also struggling. As I kept reading the book though, the characters all became deeper and a little more complex too. I was happy with the ending too, which is sometimes the hardest part to please me. Going into details…

 

Characters:

I liked Kate once I felt like I knew her better, she was a little quirky, but very funny and dedicated to her family. I think she was a little shallow in certain scenes, but I think her character was supposed to grow a lot during the time the book covered. Colton was funny, the humor between the two of them was great. Colton struggled with his past and present situation, but he was not so involved that he chapters weren’t interesting. I think he really owed Kate an apology at the end of the book, but I don’t want to give anything away. Surprisingly, my next favorite character is Megan, she was kind of sassy and closed, but I like that she opened up a little. (I do wish that everything regarding her hadn’t been so mature, but it was okay.)

 

Plot:

I liked the romance between Colton and Kate, they were in denial a lot of the time, but they cracked me up. One thing though – the rest of the book’s plot was sort of just about one bad thing happening after another. I felt like the disasters were just piling up.

 

Writing:

I loved the way the book was written. It was told from the point of view of both Colton and Kate, but it was almost in third person so I never felt like I needed to know what the other character was feeling. The book was an easy read and the plot moves quickly, there are almost no down moments.

 

I received a copy of From the Start from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

xx

Facing the Blitz : Book Review

by  on  in Bethany House Review, Books, Jesus, my opinion • 0 Comments

23411543[1]

Facing the Blitz by Jeff Kemp

♥ ♥ ♥ – –

(three out of five hearts)

 

Overview:

Facing the Blitz was written by an ex-NFL football player and the whole book explained it’s three strategies for overcoming trials. Each strategy is thoroughly explained in several chapters, it’s divided up enough that it’s easy to understand and doesn’t skim through important topics. Mr. Kemp writes with many different life examples – ones such as in football, his home life, marriage, in fellow teammates’ lives, friends’ lives, as well as outside sources.

Pros:

This book was fantastic. I really can’t wait to go back through it and mark passages that really stood out. Even if you are not currently facing a blitz, this book goes into morals and tips for assessing your own life. Early in the book, Mr. Kemp writes that in times of hardship you can’t tell people to just stop being upset, but instead he writes to you when you need to move on and when it’s okay to be struggling. The strategies are like close friends, comforting you, but pushing you forward and towards Jesus. If you don’t know that much about football, it’s okay, because the examples are all pretty easy to understand. (Even if you don’t catch one or two examples, you will still get the idea/purpose.) Football does not dominate the suggestions/conversation more than it should. Facing the Blitz supplies tips to people who aren’t facing problems just by giving exercises that require you to check your morals and motives for the way you live.

Cons:

I really did like nearly everything in the book! I would say the only few things I would change if I could would be: a few more examples aimed towards home life. Just because I felt like we got to know more about the teammates than his own family in some chapters. Certain chapters were also mildly mature, so the book is probably best for adults and possibly young adults based on the individual case – I would recommend this book to any adult though, it’s a great book.

I received a free copy of Facing the Blitz from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

xx

What I Am…

by  on  in Books, Food/Cooking, Life • 0 Comments

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reading:

-The Opal Crown (Jenny Lundquist)

-The Battle for WondLa (Tony DiTerlizzi)

-Alice in Zombieland (Gena Showalter)

-The Pleasure of His Company (Dutch Sheets)

 

making:

-Chocolate cookies with a peanut-butter filling

-Pumpkin Pie (it’s pi day for real this year, 3-14-15)

-Monkey Bread

-Macaroni Salad

 

wishing:

-for cooler weather

-for my friends to arrive soon

-that my homework could do itself just this once

-that I could eat some pumpkin pie sooner than tomorrow 😉

-you a wonderful day! <3

 

xx