One Call Away by Brenda Warner

I have to say that before reading this book, One Call Away, I had never heard of Brenda or Kurt Warner.  I’m not really a big football fan.  I was drawn to this book because of the synopsis on the back.  My life, as well as most everyone else’s, has involved many difficulties and raw deals so when I saw a book about someone that has been through unimaginable difficulties and yet stayed strong and emerged on the other side better off than the were before, I knew this was a book I wanted to read.

Throughout this book, Brenda Warner shares candidly about her past and the things she has had to deal with, not mincing words or minimizing the pain and tears.  She had to deal with a son with permanent brain damage and blindness that never should have happened, a divorce, being betrayed, two miscarriages, and losing her parents in a tornado without getting to say goodbye.   Brenda did not just roll over and play dead when trouble she had to control over knocked on her door; she fought and walked through it leaning heavily on her faith in God.  Things did not get better immediately but she did find the man of her dreams and have seven children and together they are using their influence and money to help others that are in the same shape Brenda was in a few years earlier.

 I did like this book but I won’t lie. Not too far into it, I was tempted to just set it aside and not finish it, her problems were too terrible, they hit too close to home. But I forced myself to continue reading and am so glad that I did because not I know that if Brenda Warner could turn her life around and help people after what she had been through in life, then I could too.  My problems seemed so small compared to hers. 

You can buy this book here.

Love You More by Jennifer Grant

Hey there again fellow readers! I have just finished reading yet another book!! This book is called Love You More by Jennifer Grant.  It is the real life story of Jennifer Grant and her husband as they wade the legal water of international adoption.  After already having three children of their own, Jennifer and her husband felt the hand of God nudging them to adopt a baby girl from Guatemala.  So they ventured out into unknown territory and took it one step at a time. 

Through all the smiles of meeting their daughter for the first time and the tears of having to wait over a year to have her safe and sound in their home for good, Jennifer and her family walked through the emotional and legal hoops required to make Mia a member of their family. 

This book is written in a very down to earth way that everyone can identify with.  If you are considering or may consider adoption in the future but have never weighed the pros and the cons, then this book will open your eyes to some truths about international adoption. In this book, Jennifer explores issues like adopting a child from another race and the ramifications for both the child and their family.  She also explains some of the traditional ways of thinking in regards to international adoption.  In her words in the book, “you may not save the world through adoption but you may save one life and the life you save may be your own.” 

If you are considering adoption or open to the idea of learning more about the subject you should check out this book!

You can buy this book here.

The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner

Recently my sister purchased an original 1933 edition of the first Perry Mason novel by Erle Stanley Gardner for me. Its called The Case of the Velvet Claws.  This is a classic murder mystery involving murder, blackmail, trickery, and deception.  For anyone that is unfamiliar with the character of Perry Mason, he is a lawyer that will do just about anything to protect his client.  He is not afraid to stand up to the bad guys and dig around to find the truth no matter how ugly it may be. 

The Case of the Velvet Claws starts out with a lady coming and asking Perry Mason to help her with a blackmail situation. When events turn and a murder is committed, Mason finds himself as one of the main suspects in the police investigation.  He has to work twice as hard to not only clear his client but also himself.

I loved this book by Erle Stanley Gardner! He intertwines murder and law with good dialogue conversations giving the reader the ability to picture the conversations as they happen and keep the reader wanting to turn the page and know what is going to happen next.  I would recommend any of the Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner to anyone that liked reading a good murder mystery.

You can buy a reprint of this book here.

Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper

I loved Stumbling into Grace, Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman by Lisa Harper! It caught my attention on the first page and I didn’t want to put it down.  Lisa Harper is a wonderful storyteller! In the stories she shares in this book I could actually picture what was taking place at that moment in my mind.  One minute I was laughing so hard and the next I wanted to cry with her all while reading about the goodness of our kind and loving God.  This book was not one of those dry theological books that are just one verse right after the other with no explanation or real life lessons.

She goes through and shares her heart and then backs it up with a scripture from Jesus’ ministry about how he handled a similar circumstance or problem.   This is a very down to earth book, easy to read and easy to learn from.     

                                                                                                                                                                      All of us have been wounded or hurt at one time or another and we all had to deal with it and forgive or hold onto the anger and die on the inside.  But Lisa Harper points out that even wounded people can be used by God to do great things.  We do not have to be perfect to further the kingdom of God but we do have to be willing to open up our wounds and lay them out before God and let him work in us to change us and make us more like him. 

I would recommend this book to anyone! 

You can buy this book here.