Saturday, May 24, 2014

Write On Review-a-thon Wrap Up

Write On Review-a-Thon 
I am participating in the Write on review-a-thon.  Here is the blurb about it from the website:
The Write On review-a-thon is a monthly event created and hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen. It’s 2 days dedicated to getting reviews done, whether you have one review to write or 30+. This edition of the review-a-thon takes place all day Friday, February 28th and Saturday, March 1st. Let’s get those reviews done!

I was busy yesterday (Friday, May 23) and was unable to write any reviews.  On Day 2 (Saturday, May 24), I was able to review a good number of books.  Here are the reviews that I have written and the days that I have them scheduled to appear on my blog:
  1. My Name is Chloe by Melody Carlson - Sunday, May 25
  2. Chosen by Ted Dekker - Wednesday, May 28
  3. Immersed by Jennifer Stewart Griffith - Friday, May 30
  4. Deception by Stacy Clafin - Sunday, June 1
  5. Gaither Homecoming Bible - Wednesday, June 4
I also finished writing reviews on Goodreads and Amazon for the books that I have read and published reviews for on my blog.  This was around 5-8 books.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Free Ebook Offer: The Exile by Eric Buffington


Eric Buffington is offering free ebook copies of his book The Exile (book 1 in the Stones of Power series) on Smashwords.  All you have to do is follow this link and use the code: sw69s.

Even better is that he is also offering 33% off of ebook copies of the second book of the series, The Invasion.  Follow this link and use the code: uk44j.

I have not read either of these books yet, but the author offered these discounts to my followers.  His goal is to give away 10,000 free copies of Exile in the month of June.  I have received a copy of The Exile for review, but have not been able to read it yet.  Be looking for a review soon!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Bout of Books 10.0: Day 7 (Sunday, May 18)

Reading Completed:

I read a total of 107 pages.  I did not meet my goal of 200 pages.
  • Continued My Name is Chloe by Melody Carlson (pg 40-149; 107 pages)

Other Bout of Book News:

I participated in one challenge today, Retitle Your Current Read, which was hosted by Oh Magic Hour.

I also participated in a few reading sprints.

So Today I: 

  • Continued 1 book
  • Participated in 1 challenge
  • Participated in a few reading sprints

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Book Review: Thrive by Mark Hall

Book Title: Thrive

Author: Mark Hall

Publish Date: February 11, 2014

Genre: Christian Nonfiction













Synopsis (from Goodreads): Taking the Next Step in Your Faith Life to GROW DEEP AND STRONG The only way to be the hands and feet of Jesus is to love him and serve others out of our love for him. But to do that we must first be deeply rooted in our life with God. In Thrive, Mark Hall, lead singer for the popular band Casting Crowns, shows us what it really looks like to walk with Jesus. In part 1, Digging Deep, Hall demonstrates how to truly engage with the Word and a community of faith, worshiping and pursuing God wholeheartedly as our hearts and minds are transformed. In part 2, Reaching Out, we see the fruits of our engagement with the Word and the community, the grateful giving back of service and love. Using relatable stories, grounded teaching, and great application, Hall helps everyone who wants to take the next step of faith and see their life grow deep and strong.


Why I Read this Book: I received a free electronic copy of the book for review purposes from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This in no way influenced my review of the book.
 

Review 

This book is amazing.  It teaches us how to thrive through life and not just survive.  I loved the ideas that Mark Hall presents on why we should dig deep and reach out.  This book revives your spirit and reminds you to seek God and do His will.  It reminds us of God's love and urges us to learn more about God so that we can look more like Jesus.  This would be a great book for new Christians and Christians who are hoping to become even closer to God. 
 

Final Statements


Recommended Reading Age: Any Age

Overall Rating: 5/5


Write On Review-a-Thon Participation Announcement

Write On Review-a-Thon


After completing the Bout of Books read-a-thon.  I am going to have a good number of reviews to write, so I am planning on joining the Write On review-a-thon.  Here is the official blurb about the review-a-thon:
The Write On review-a-thon is a monthly event created and hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen. It’s 2 days dedicated to getting reviews done, whether you have one review to write or 30+. This edition of the review-a-thon takes place all day Friday, May 23rd and Saturday, May 24th. Let’s get those reviews done!
Below is a list of all of the books that I hope to write reviews for during the review-a-thon:
  1. Thrive by Mark Hall
  2. Chosen by Ted Dekker
  3. The Gaither Homecoming Bible
  4. Deception by Stacy Claflin
I also hope to finish a few books during the upcoming week for which I will also need to write reviews.

I plan to publish these reviews not only on my blog, but also on Goodreads and Amazon.  I might also start to put my reviews on other sites such as Barnes and Noble.  Another goal that I have for these two days is that I will go through all of the books that I have reviewed on my blog and make sure that I have reviews on Goodreads and on Amazon.  Sometimes, I get so excited about the book that I forget to publish my reviews on places other than my blog.

Are you planning on participating in this review-a-thon?  If so, leave a link to your goals in the description.  I would love to hear your plans.

Bout of Books Day 6 (Saturday, May 17)

Today was another busy day where I did not get to read very much, but I am still happy for all I have accomplished during this read-a-thon.

Reading Completed:

I read a total of 112 pages.  I did not meet my goal of 200 pages, but I think that I got a lot accomplished in the time that I did read.
  • Continued and Finished Deception by Stacy Claflin (79%-100%; 79 pages)
  • Started My Name is Chloe byMelody Carlson (pg 7-40 [book started at page 7]; 33 pages)
I am not sure how I feel about Deception.  There are things that I really enjoyed about this book and things that I hated about the book.  A full review will be coming though :)

I started My Name is Chloe by Melody Carlson.  This is one of the books that I purchased at Goodwill this week.  It is the first in a Christian YA series.  This series is written as diary entries by a girl who is going into 9th grade.  So far, My Name is Chloe is a good book and the premise is great.

Other Bout of Book News:

I participated in one challenge today that was hosted by Doing Dewey.  This challenge was entitled: Show An Author Some Love.  The goal was to promote an author that you do not think is appreciated enough or well known.  Here is my tweet:


So Today I: 

  • Continued and Finished 1 book
  • Started 1 book
  • Read 112 pages
  • Participated in one challenge