Living with Intent by Mallika Chopra

 

Live with intent. Live life on purpose. Discover who you are, not who you think you are. Incubate. Notice. Trust. Express. Nurture. Take Action.

Mallika Chopra’s warm dialogue prompts her readers to live intentionally in the moment. The book is geared toward women, as Chopra repeatedly shares her experiences as a daughter and a mother, but the lessons she shares are universal.

Chopra shows her readers how to be quiet and listen. How to look around them and see. See a need and fill it. How to do the something we’ve been wanting to do. To show appreciation, and to be our best selves—however different that may look from our own often silly expectations.

Chopra’s honesty made this book enjoyable. Her many references to her father, whom she assumes her readers are familiar with, are cumbersome to readers who aren’t familiar with him—but despite that, readers can read between the lines and see Chopra’s good intentions.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Happy Harvest by Jean Fischer

This puffy Precious Moments board book  "Happy Harvest" written by Jean Fischer will endear children to the delights of fall.

Most appropriate for kids ages 0-5, this book highlights Autumn activities: going to school, apple picking, Thanksgiving, football, camping, hayrides, etc. Each page spread covers 1-3 fall treasures. For example, one page spread includes Campfire and Roasting Marshmallows. Under each of those headings is a short rhyme written by Fischer or attributed to another poet. Each page spread includes a Bible verse that fits well with the pages’ theme, and of course, each page is decorated with Sam Butcher’s soft, sweet, happy illustrations of children, animals, families, and more.  

I was surprised by and happy with the number of pages in this book. Halfway through, I thought to myself I’m only halfway through? This book is thorough and delightful. Read in summer, it will heighten kids’ anticipation for the season, and read in fall, it will show kids all of the fun activities that the season brings.

I recommend this book to others.

http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9781400203048

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

 

Beauty Begins by Chris Shook and Megan Shook Alpha

While a book written for women with the word beauty in the title could easily have been another mundane monologue about how being obese (unhealthy) is acceptable because everyone is beautiful, this book was much, much more than that.

Beauty Begins by mother-daughter team Chris Shook and Megan Shook Alpha is an easily held hardcover gem that reminds women that beauty begins with the Creator. A beautiful woman is one who clothes herself with the wardrobe God gives us as outlined in Colossians 3:12-14.

The 200-page book is a quick read divided into three sections (“The Beautiful Truth,” “The Beautiful Struggle,” and “The Beautiful Rebellion”) each containing three chapters. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse and a quote.

The book was written with striking intentionality. Often when reading a book splattered with Bible verses I tend to skip over the verses, but each verse these women chose to include spoke to me.

The essence of the authors’ message is found on page 43: “The answer to beauty is not outer appearance, because that’s not the source of beauty.” Beautiful. This is a book I wish I had read as a teenager and is sure to be an inspiring book for woman of all ages.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Life is Better at the Beach by Christina Vinson

The 300-page book Life is Better at the Beach: Inspiration for Living Each Day Like You’re at the Beach written by Christina Vinson exudes an aroma of peace and contentment.

The book is intended to be a gift book: the first page is devoted to writing TO: and FROM: for the receiver.

Each of the fifteen chapters is a Beach Rule. Beach Rule #1 is Wake up smiling. Beach Rule #4 is Look for seashells. Beach Rule #10 is Observe the tide.

Clear, calm pictures enhance every chapter. The chapters are approximately 15 pages long and contain roughly as many pages of pictures and pictures with quotes/Bible verses as words.

The writing is smooth, gentle, and the tips are believable. Just reading the passages made me feel calm and like I should start right away to live every day like I’m at the beach.

I recommend this book to others – for themselves or to give as a gift.

http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9781400203048

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

“Night Night, Farm” by Amy Parker

“Night Night, Farm” by Amy Parker and illustrated by Virginia Allyn is a medium-sized, puffy-covered board book for ages infant to toddler.

The story is about farm animals getting ready for and going to bed – the piggies have to bathe,

the calf gets a lullaby, a little foal (especially cute in green jammies) falls asleep at his daddy’s

feet after a long day of play, and little lambs count sheep. At the end of the story the narrator

reminds the reader that God created all of the animals – and him too!

All of the pages are completely illustrated and are full of vibrant colors. The pictures are engaging – there is lots for parents to point out to their children. On each page (except one . . . you’ll see why when you read the book) there are two little mice who also seem to be watching the story. The surprise that the mice give at the end would be exciting for children.

I recommend this book to others.

http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9781400203048

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

 

Find Your Extraordinary by Jessica DiLullo Herrin

Success is happiness. Women need to celebrate the choices of other women. Achieving extraordinary requires belief in yourself (beyond reason) and includes a focus on passion, positivity, people, perseverance, and productivity.

Jessica DiLullo Herrin, in Find Your Extraordinary: Dream Bigger, Live Happier, and Achieve Success on Your Own Terms shows people—mainly women—the qualities that are necessary to shed a life of ordinary and become extraordinary on their own terms.

DiLullo asks her readers to discover what matters most to them and then she show them, with inspiring examples from her own success story and others, how to achieve a life full of what matters most to us. The book is split into easily digested sections, and the stories and quotes that DiLullo includes in her writing offer relativity and motivation.

DiLullo’s advice is reasonable and encouraging, and is best summed up by this quote that is cited at the beginning of chapter 3: “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” –Maya Angelou

More information can be found at DiLullo’s website helloextraordinary.com.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."