Goodnight Hawaiian Moon

My husband recently signed reenlistment papers, so we are scheduled to move to Hawaii later this year. In an effort to prepare my children for the move and the new location, I have started buying books on a variety of subjects, including airplanes and Hawaii. One of the books I have purchased is Goodnight Hawaiian Moon by Dr. Carolan, illustrated by his wife Joanna F. Carolan.

Goodnight Hawaiian Moon is a picture book that will help your child gain a better understanding of what life would be like while living in Hawaii. The story is filled with goodnight wishes to much of the plant and animal life that inhabit the islands.

To read more of my review of Goodnight Hawaiian Moon, go here, to Wives of Faith.

A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther by Joan Wolf

"...The business of the court was not the business of women, and that was that. Yet Mordecai believed that it was the will of God that had made her Persia's queen. In the deepest part of her own soul, Esther wondered if her uncle was indeed right. There was no other way she could find to account for the incredible events that had befallen her."


When I first began reading this book, I was taken aback by the author changing some of the Biblical facts in the novel. After some outside encouragement, I decided to give the novel another chance. I am so glad I did.

The story of Esther is one of my favorites in the Bible, probably due to the hero actually being a heroine. In the novel, A Reluctant Queen, the author Joan Wolf has created a fictional account of the Biblical story of Esther. At first glance all you many notice is the changing of some Biblical facts. But if you look more closely, you will see the author has done some thorough research. I actually learned some new things while reading the novel, because I did my own research in the Bible and on Persia to see what facts matched up with the novel. I don’t have time to list everything here, but I will give you some examples.

In the novel the Royal family takes a journey to Ecbatana, the capital city of Media. In the fictional story it is a long journey taking many days. I have looked at Biblical archaeological maps, and Ecbatana is an actual city that lies within a mountain range and it appears to be accurately portrayed as to the length of time it would take to arrive there by foot and by horse.

Also, Hatach in the novel is a eunuch assigned to attend to Esther. In the actual account in the Old Testament, Hatach is a real person and is referred to as chamberlain in the King James Version of the Bible. In my research I found out that the word chamberlain would be more accurately translated “eunuch.” This is another example in the novel of an accurate Biblical fact. I had never noticed Hatach before I believe because so much attention is always given to Hegai. These are just but two examples and for brevity’s sake, I won’t go on.

This novel turned out to be my favorite book I have gotten from Booksneeze so far. It was romantic, yes, but there was so much more to it than that. It is a fictional account, without a doubt, but the author did such a beautiful job with the story that it draws you to the scriptures. The character of the king is warm and wise, and I don’t know how she did it, but she developed him to such a point that she made him almost Christ-like. It made me wonder who the savior is in the actual account. Esther? Mordecai? Or was it Ahasuerus (Xerxes), because the Biblical account’s main objective is the salvation and preservation of the Jews?

Usually, I give a list of people I recommend this book for. Not this time. This time I just want to simply say, I recommend this book.

Many blessings to you and Happy Reading!
~Beth
Jeremiah 29:11



*Disclaimer: I received this book from Booksneeze as part of a free books for bloggers program. I am not required to give a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Hawaii

Hawaii by Christine Taylor-Butler is part of the Rookie Read About Geography Series. This series is composed of all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The pages are made up of beautiful photographs and include fast facts about the state of subject. In Hawaii, the reader will learn about the state flower of Hawaii, the meaning of Aloha, animals that inhabit the islands, as well as a lot of other fun filled facts for the explorer heart within your child.

You can read the rest of my review, here, at Wives of Faith.

Praying for Your Future Husband:Preparing Your Heart for His by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer

"Dear Lord, I know there may be times in my future husband's life when he doesn't understand what's going on. There may be relationships that bring him hurt. There may be situations in which he doesn't know what to do or where to turn. I pray that in those times he will turn to You, and You will give him direction and peace."

-Excerpt from Chapter 5, "Pray for Understanding"


Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His is a book I wish I would have had as a teen and in my single young adult life. I believe it would have given me some direction and purpose while I was waiting for my future husband.

There are so many great elements to this book. The chapters are organized by prayers for different areas of the future husband’s life, but also spend time in focus on the girl/woman too. A few titles include “Pray for His Heart,” “Pray for Patience,” and “Pray for Trust.” Authors Gunn and Goyer also share their journey towards marriage with some of their choices AND mistakes along the way. We also get to hear from other women, and their stories as it relates to their future husband.

I really enjoyed this book. I am already married, but there are many scriptures and prayers that will be useful to me too. Prayer should be a lifelong endeavor to strengthen and help the marriage grow, as I am sure both authors will tell you.

I highly recommend this book for teens. It will help them focus and give them a tool for direction and guidance as they endeavor to fulfill God’s plan for their life as they wait for their future husband. But teens are not only the ones that will benefit. Women who are considered young adults will also benefit exceedingly. I know there are many women out there of “non-traditional” age who would like to get married. I was one of them. This book will be helpful and bless them as well. There is a chapter entitled “Pray for Contentment” that will help retain focus until the time of meeting the future husband. Additionally, this book would make a great Bible study on the subject of singleness and marriage.

This book is not for perfect women. This book is for young ladies who want to follow God and receive His best for them. Many blessings to you on the beautiful journey God has for you and happy reading!

Beth
Jeremiah 29:11

You can buy this book from barnesandnoble.com , amazon.com, and christianbook.com.

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of a program for free books for bloggers from Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to give a favorable review. The opinions given here are entirely my own.

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It by John Maxwell

Often people do not know where to begin in achieving their dreams. They might feel incapacitated by low self-esteem or just inability to get a sense of direction. Put Your Dream to the Test by author John Maxwell will give such a person some practical ways to get going. This book is filled with stories of real people who have achieved and/or are on that road to success. Chapter titles include: The Ownership Question, The Passion Question, and The Fulfillment Question. The reader will also find quotes that inspire among the purposeful stories. One of my favorites is “Reality….is the enemy of fantasies but not of dreams.” This quote came from Rudy Ruettiger and is the intro to the chapter, “The Reality Question”, which was a very beneficial chapter for me personally.

Once I heard a teacher say something to the effect of, “There are always two sides to a mountain.” I think that is an accurate description of this book. I enjoyed this book. It has helped me. But for me, it is one side of the mountain. I think this a very practical book in helping people with their part in God’s plan for their life. I would like to have seen more of God’s side of the mountain. (But I think maybe that is another book!) I don’t want it to be left unsaid however that I think John Maxwell is brilliant and fulfilling his plan for his life and is a man committed to God.

I would recommend this book for anybody who needs help getting started in the right direction. There is so much practical advice on steps you can take to ensure you achieve your dream(s). I would suggest however to buy a paperback copy. I read this book in e-book form, which was not the best idea for a person like me, and for this type of book. I would like to have been able to underline and make notes in the margin. Pastors and missionaries will benefit from this book. There is a chapter entitled “The People Question” which discusses how to place the right people around you to fulfill your dream. Many blessings to you as you endeavor to fulfill the dreams God has placed in your heart and happy reading!


Disclaimer: I received this book from booksneeze.com as part of a free books for bloggers program. I was not required to give a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.