Every Day A Friday (How To Be Happier 7 Days A Week)

Author: Joel Osteen
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: FaithWords (September 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0892969911

Book Description:

The title comes from research that shows people are happiest on Fridays. Pastor Joel Osteen writes how we can generate this level of contentment and joy every day of the week.

Known as a man who maintains a constant positive outlook in spite of circumstances, Osteen has described this message as a core theme of his ministry. Combining his personal experiences with scriptural insights and principles for true happiness, he shows readers how every day can hold the same promise and opportunities for pure joy that they experience at five o'clock on Friday.

My Thoughts:

When I started reviewing Every Day A Friday, it was my intention to read it all the way through like any other book, but once I read a page or two I decided to use it as a devotional. I would read a chapter or so each day. I got so excited about the universal truth of it that every morning after my reading I would post something about it on my FaceBook status! I couldn't help shouting about what a wonderful life this is. Joel Osteen just brings that out of the reader. I couldn't help it.

If you are looking for something uplifting, this is it! I could almost hear Joel's voice while I read his words. I could hear his laughter and imagine his bubbly personality. His message of positive thinking is infectious. The book is all about setting your mind on happiness and not letting negative people and feelings take over. It's about laughing at life, celebrating yourself, and living as Christ intended. I HIGHLY recommend it!!

(Thank you goes to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

Right From The Heart: Turning Your Day Toward God Devotional

Author: Bryant Wright
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Gift edition (August 9, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1404190023

My thoughts:

Right From the Heart is a devotional book written for busy people who have limited time to devote to daily reading of the Scriptures, etc. It can be read in small inspirational doses and would be appreciated by both men and women alike. It helps the reader focus on the word of God and how it applies to life today. It is brief and each devotional can easily be read in a matter of 5 minutes or so. It is perfect for reading before going to sleep or in the morning hours before starting the day. Right From the Heart inspires us to live a life for Christ and to follow his example.

Right From the Heart is beautifully bound and would make a lovely gift for anyone, especially someone who is going through a rough time at the moment. After perusing my review copy, I gave it to my husband who is going through a difficult period. He tells me that he has enjoyed it very much and reads it daily.

I absolutely believe that Right From the Heart can possibly be a life changer for the person who is struggling with their health, faith, or any difficult life situation. Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for my review copy.

Burnt Mountain

Author: Anne Rivers Siddons
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
(July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446566950

Book Description:

From one of our most acclaimed writers comes this dramatic tale of a well-born Southern woman whose life is forever changed by the betrayal of her mother and by the man she loves

Growing up, the only place tomboy Thayer Wentworth felt at home was at her summer camp - Camp Sherwood Forest in the North Carolina Mountains. It was there that she came alive and where she met Nick Abrams, her first love...and first heartbreak.

Years later, Thayer marries Aengus, a Irish professor, and they move into her deceased grandmother's house in Atlanta, only miles from Camp Edgewood on Burnt Mountain where her father died years ago in a car accident. There, Aengus and Thayer lead quiet and happy lives until Aengus is invited up to the camp to tell old Irish tales to the campers. As Aengus spends less time at home and becomes more distant, Thayer must confront dark secrets-about her mother, her first love, and, most devastating of all, her husband.

My thoughts:

Thayer Wentworth, beautiful, independent, mischievous, and talented has always felt like the black sheep of the family. After her father's death, the only person she is truly close to is her grandmother, until she meets Nick Abrams, a love she will never truly forget. After Thayer and Nick's break-up, Thayer meets the eccentric Aengus, a professor of Irish lore, marries him and moves into her late grandmother's lavish home. Is Aengus the man Thayer is hoping for?

This is the story of an undying love and the tragic betrayal by one's own flesh and blood. It has elements of the supernatural and is a feast of lyrical pleasure. From beginning to end, the tale is told with elegance and power by an author who knows how to pull us in and make us feel as if we are a part of Thayer's story. I'm giving it 5 stars*****

Thank you to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.