Monday, February 13, 2012

What's Really Important

I recently had the opportunity to read the book When Work & Family Collide by Andy Stanley. With the busyness of our lives now, more people are having difficulty finding enough time for both their careers and families. They may think that they are working so hard at their careers so they can provide the best for their families. However, some people work so hard at their careers that in the end they may lose their families.

One of the stories in the book is about a woman who traveled for work a lot and her husband did freelance work from home and watched the kids. Even though he kept telling her he was fine with the arrangement, eventually one day out of the blue he told her he had had enough and wanted out of the marriage.

In other cases, they may tell their families that they are their priority but their actions indicate otherwise. I think this book is very timely and would be a helpful reminder for many people. It is a quick and easy read, just over 100 pages. There is a discussion guide in the back of the book if you want to use it as part of a book club.

Click here to read Chapter 1 of the book.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Bittersweet Surrender

Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt

I ended up enjoying the book, however it took awhile for it to get interesting. The beginning of the book was slow moving and difficult to get into. There were a variety of story lines and characters that took time to make sense of.

The book is a story of the main character, Carly who is attempting to heal from having a mastectomy, her husband leaving her and her best friend/business partner passing away unexpectedly in an accident. She starts communicating via email with an old crush from high school. Since she owns a chocolate spa, she is slightly overweight but had sent him an old photograph showing her slimmer. Carly finds out that he and his daughter are planning on moving back.

Towards the end of the book a variety of things come to light to change the way you think the book is going to end.

The book is only available as an E-book download.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an electronic copy of this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."