I Was Blind (Dating), But Now I See: My Misadventures in Dating, Waiting, and Stumbling into Love...

::Goodreads Summary::
Eight setups. Eight awkward dates. Eight things God tried to teach her along the way. (Some of which she’s still trying to figure out.)
Stephanie Rische was starting to feel invisible. All around her, her friends were getting married, and she found herself decidedly alone. Stephanie couldn’t help but wonder if there was something broken in her—was she not pretty enough? Not fun enough? Not date-able enough (whatever that meant)? So she started praying in earnest for God to bring the right man into her life. And instead, He brought her matchmakers. Eight of them, to be precise.

Beloved blogger Stephanie Rische debuts with this charming, vulnerable, and (who are we kidding?) often mortifying true story of a girl who tried really hard to find someone to fall in love with—even when she mostly just ended up falling flat on her face. But amid the most cringe worthy setups and awkward encounters, Stephanie found God’s grace and love meeting her there in ways she never could have imagined—once she opened her eyes to see.


::My Thoughts::
This is such a great book! It is also so much more than just stories of blind dating. This is a book that anyone can benefit from. Whether you are single or married there are great lessons within the pages of this book.
I have always been intrigued by memoirs, and this book held my interest with no problem. I was pulled right in, and felt like I was right there beside Stephanie every step of the way!
Stephanie not only is on a journey to find a true man whose beliefs match her own, but not settle for anything less than she deserves. Despite her times where she felt lonely, hopeless, or just wanted to give up she held fast to her faith and left it in God's hands. I highly commend her for holding onto her belief even through tough times, and not giving in even though she struggled with it.
Stephanie knew what she wanted, and did not give up until she found it!
This book is about community, friendship, faith, love, family, and so much more.
This book has a bit of everything happiness, laughter, suspense, sadness, faith, gratitude, etc. There is just so much you will feel taking this journey through reading.
The author holds nothing back which is amazing when you are reading a book. Every reader wants to know it all! It makes you feel as if you are close friends with the author. I definitely felt that way. I love that she even went so far as to talk about moles, personal insecurities, etc. 
As a married woman myself I believe I now understand my single friends a bit more. Not only that but I value my marriage even more than before. I also was able to see so much more of God's love, and learned some valuable lessons through this story.
I believe for single women out there it can also shed hope and renew faith.
I definitely recommend this book.


My Rating::: 5/5 Stars
Goodreads Rating::: 4.56/5 
Amazon Rating::: 5/5 Stars
Barnes & Noble Rating::: 5/5 Stars


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::Product Details::

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale Momentum (January 1, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1496404815
• ISBN-13: 978-1496404817

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Under Magnolia

::My Thoughts::
Under Magnolia is a captivating book! Memoirs is one of my favorite genres to read because I feel transported back in time along with the writer to relive their journey with them. I was sad when this book ended and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent reading it.
We travel back to Frances' roots and relive her younger years with an ill father and an alcoholic mother who doesn't seem quite know how to grow up. She knows her family is a bit different than others, and she is a stubborn willful person who won't stop until she reaches her own dreams and goals whether she realizes it at the time or not.
Frances overcame her difficult upbringing and knew she wanted more for herself than what the standards were set at the time. During her time if you could marry then you were set to go. Women amounting to anything on their own was practically unheard of in those times. Frances went on to show that no matter how many years went by, or what she did she lived her dreams. To see how wonderful of a writer she has became despite the difficult years is very inspirational, and just goes to show we all have to follow our own path.
I love the writing style and how the words just flow so easily. It was as if I was there walking alongside Frances in a time I can imagine. Very vivid details so nothing was too small, and just an all around wonderful trip! I am glad I was able to read this book! If you like memoir's then I recommend this to you.


::From the back of the book::
A lyrical and evocative memoir from Frances Mayes, the Bard of Tuscany, about coming of age in the Deep South and the region’s powerful influence on her life.


The author of three beloved books about her life in Italy, including Under the Tuscan Sun and Every Day in Tuscany, Frances Mayes revisits the turning points that defined her early years in Fitzgerald, Georgia. With her signature style and grace, Mayes explores the power of landscape, the idea of home, and the lasting force of a chaotic and loving family. 

From her years as a spirited, secretive child, through her university studies—a period of exquisite freedom that imbued her with a profound appreciation of friendship and a love of travel—to her escape to a new life in California, Mayes exuberantly recreates the intense relationships of her past, recounting the bitter and sweet stories of her complicated family: her beautiful yet fragile mother, Frankye; her unpredictable father, Garbert; Daddy Jack, whose life Garbert saved; grandmother Mother Mayes; and the family maid, Frances’s confidant Willie Bell.

Under Magnolia is a searingly honest, humorous, and moving ode to family and place, and a thoughtful meditation on the ways they define us, or cause us to define ourselves. With acute sensory language, Mayes relishes the sweetness of the South, the smells and tastes at her family table, the fragrance of her hometown trees, and writes an unforgettable story of a girl whose perspicacity and dawning self-knowledge lead her out of the South and into the rest of the world, and then to a profound return home.

::Product Details::

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Broadway Books (March 31, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307885925
• ISBN-13: 978-0307885920

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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a Blogging for Books reviewer in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

It Was Me All Along ~ Book Review

📖About the book📖

A heartbreakingly honest, endearing memoir of incredible weight loss by a young food blogger who battles body image issues and overcomes food addiction to find self-acceptance.

All her life, Andie Mitchell had eaten lustily and mindlessly. Food was her babysitter, her best friend, her confidant, and it provided a refuge from her fractured family. But when she stepped on the scale on her twentieth birthday and it registered a shocking 268 pounds, she knew she had to change the way she thought about food and herself; that her life was at stake.
It Was Me All Along takes Andie from working class Boston to the romantic streets of Rome, from morbidly obese to half her size, from seeking comfort in anything that came cream-filled and two-to-a-pack to finding balance in exquisite (but modest) bowls of handmade pasta. This story is about much more than a woman who loves food and abhors her body. It is about someone who made changes when her situation seemed too far gone and how she discovered balance in an off-kilter world. More than anything, though, it is the story of her finding beauty in acceptance and learning to love all parts of herself.



📖My Thoughts📖

This is a very raw, in your face, uplifting memoir. I am so happy I got the chance to review it.
It is unusual to find such an honest book. Andrea takes us through her weight loss journey from beginning to end. You get the good and the bad, happy and sad, and everything in between. A book that doesn't just talk about diets or losing weight but rather delves into the more complex areas of it.
And it shows readers, who may also be on the weight loss path, there is definitely hope if you just stick with it. Set realistic goals, take baby steps, want to change, and realize it isn't going to be easy nor instant.
I love that the author takes us from her early childhood, through parental issues, through relationships, and is just real about it all. It makes her much more relatable and you feel as if you are right there with her. This is definitely an intense book. While I loved it, I did find myself irritated during some points. I felt as if Andie had a lot handed to her and often took those things for granted. Such as plastic surgery, business opportunities, etc. When those things were brought up throughout the book there seemed to be little emotion from the author. However, it didn't irritate me enough to distract from my enjoyment of the book overall.
Eating disorders are a very real issue, especially in this day and age when so much is put on body image. Honest memoirs like this are great for those who struggle because it can bring hope, and possibly even change.
I give this book a five star rating and highly recommend it.


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::Product Details::
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Publication date: January 6, 2015
Language: English
Book length: 240
ISBN-10: 0770433243
ISBN-13: 978-0770433246



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book, as a Blogging for Books member, in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely ny own.

Miss Brenda & The Loveladies Book Review

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (February 18, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307732177
• ISBN-13: 978-0307732170

About the book

This is a memoir written by Brenda Lovelady Spahn. A successful businesswoman who has everything she could ever want and then some she was quite surprised when faced with the threat of possibly spending prison time. Terrified and losing everything quickly she makes a plea to God to help her out of this situation. In her plea she promises God that she will do something to help others in a Christian manner if only He will spare her.

She is quite thrown for a loop when she finds herself creating a system that will help released women inmates get back on the track with life after prison. Not quite prepared for what she is about to face she finds herself quickly wondering what she got herself in to. Many of her friends and even family members strongly disagree with her choice of helping others, but Brenda stubbornly sticks with her decision knowing God has is right by her side in the matter.

She finds herself learning along with the ladies she is helping, and together they all come to deeper understanding of God and His Love. Instead of creating another of many half-way houses Brenda creates a whole way house, and with it builds it to something more than anyone could have imagined.

My Thoughts

I was first drawn to this book because it is a memoir, and I do enjoy learning about others. The fact that it also deals with helping others, and gives an insight into something very few of us know anything about (women's prisons) was an added perk.

While never being faced with any threat of prison time or anything of the sort I admit I learned quite a bit from this book. Like Brenda was at first I guess I always feel like inmates have the choices to make when they get out and should make the right ones. I've always felt like it is almost their own fault if they don't. But I didn't know half of the things that they have to face once being out of prison. If you ask me prisons have a poor set up sending the inmates back to where they came from or only giving them a few weeks in a half-way house which is not enough time to even begin to get their stuff back together. It's not even barely enough time to get a job and a first paycheck! It's just another example of how we should not judge others because unless we have walked in their shoes we know nothing about their struggles.

I was honestly blown away at Brenda, she is such a witty, strong, and honest person. I loved that about her immediately that she isn't like so many other people who just keep to themselves. I know she didn't expect to have much of a hand in her Lovelady House, but she kept her promise to God and fully immersed herself into it. I love that she didn't get swept away by anyone else's negative comments and stood strong with her ladies. Because of her strength and wonderful personality she gave these women trust, hope, and perseverance. I was extremely blown away and it warmed my heart to read this book.

I would definitely recommend this book to really all readers out there, especially Christian readers. It is just another example of God's love, and what we can accomplish with Him by our side. 

Brenda took a rather small organization that serviced only about 30-40 women at a time and built it to something that now services hundreds of women and children alike. 

Brenda applied all of her business intelligence into creating something that surpassed even her own wildest dreams.

This is truly an inspiring story and one I promise you won't soon forget. It's also a quick lesson in remembering never to judge others. You can feel God's hand in this story, and you can feel His love just coming off the pages. A wonderful book indeed!

This book is available in:   Print   Kindle   Nook

The Website for The Lovelady House > CLICK HERE

Disclaimer: I received  a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Our Southern Breeze book review

Paperback: 326 pages
Publisher: Third Chapter Press (December 14, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0983012962
ISBN-13: 978-0983012962

In this beautifully written memoir by Daphene Jones we learn all about her triumphs, down moments, heart aches, trials and tribulations, etc. It is definitely a bare all book and you will find yourself feeling almost every emotion imaginable when reading this book. It tells all about how her fraternal twin Deborah Hall affected her life, and how she was led to God.
I was riveted by this book. It was written so well, and I just didn't want to put it down. I love how Daphene tells all about her depression, her life as a twin, failed marriages, up and down career, etc. And the fact that through all her trials and tribulations she never gave up on her family, her twin, her older sister, or herself.
It was so encouraging, and even though I found myself so mad during many parts of the story at many of the people mentioned you can see unfold right in front of you how God changed bad situations to good later in life.
Daphene and Deborah are true proofs of what forgiveness and love is all about, no matter how long it took each of them to uncover that fact themselves. The fact that each of them endured what they did throughout their lives together and separate and was still able to love their family, stand by them, and care for them is just something amazing. After experiencing all kinds of abuse that is just unimaginable by a troubled father they rose above it, forgave and still respected their father in many ways.
Daphene seemed like she was always kind of the black sheep. Having an older sister that liked neither one of the twins and having a twin who clearly rooted herself in another world leaving Daphene behind, Daphene was left to find her own way. In doing so she made some bad decisions, experienced tearful depression, but still the twins were brought back together later in life by God. By being brought back together they were each able to strengthen not only themselves, but their personal relationship with God. And the transformation and events that occur in Daphene's life as a result is just so uplifting. It's definitely a book you want to read and I highly recommend it!

Here is a bit of a description taken from the back of the book::
As the fraternal twin of Deborah (Short) Hall (from Same Kind of Different as Me), I knew her like no one else could. And the inspiring story I share in Our Southern Breeze is like no other story that could be told: From growing up forever in transition as our family moved from one Texas oil camp to another, to cheating in school to try to win the approval of my parents...from facing all kinds of abuse of a troubled father as a child, to the disappointment of a failed marriage as an adult...from the deep pit of depression to suicide attempts, my life was a series of bad situations, poor choices, and worse consequences. My sister saw this, and after years of estrangement, held out a hand for me to hold...once again. It was at the Anaheim Vineyard conference in 1990 that God, through the words of a man, promised to send a southern breeze over Deborah and me. Neither of us could have ever imagined what that would look like and how many people would eventually be touched by it.

This book is an honest proof to everyone that no matter what hardships you experience in life, no matter how many obstacles present themselves right in your path, and no matter how bitter or depressed you may become; God can work in mysterious ways. He will never forget about you and even when you think He has, He is just waiting right there for you to accept Him in your heart.

To learn more about this book and the author visit this website: http://oursouthernbreeze.com/

This book is available in:  Print   Kindle   Nook



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a member of BookCrash in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Call Of A Coward book review

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Reprint edition (August 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849947308
• ISBN-13: 978-0849947308

::From the back of the book::
Moses never wanted to be a leader. Jonah ran away from his missions call. And when Marcia Moston's husband came home with a call to foreign missions, she was sure God had the wrong number. His call conflicted with her own dreams, demanded credentials she didn't have, and required courage she couldn't seem to find. She promised to follow where God led, but she never thought the road would lead to a Mayan village on a Guatemalan mountainside.
From the treacherous road trip to their new village home, to learning to navigate a new culture, to a stateside mission field in Vermont, Moston's journey reveals that God leads just as clearly today as he did in biblical times. Her candid account tells a story of learning to trust and obey when faithfulness seems foolish.
Written with humor and insight, Call of a Coward is an engaging reminder that with our very real God in control, cowards become courageous and ordinary people find great purpose.


::My thoughts::
This book amazed me! Those are really the best words I can say to describe the impression this book left upon me. Not only is this memoir so well written that you will feel as if you are on the journey with Marcia, but you will feel closer to God. I laughed aloud, I was speechless, and I was just downright impressed. This is one Christian memoir that I won't soon be forgetting. It's so easy for us to follow the road we have planned, but what if you followed the road God planned? Just throw caution to the wind, and follow wherever he leads you no matter what. Marcia, as a pastor's wife, did just that and went along with her family to several different places God led them. They took themselves out of the comfort zone that we are so used to, and by reading this book they will challenge you to do the same! This book is completely honest, and very unpredictable. This is one brave family, but one that I can't help but to admire.
Sometimes, as Christians, we can do all we can to help our church, loved ones, those in need, etc. But what if one day suddenly all that your doing as a Christian just isn't good enough and you find yourself being called to do more? That's exactly what happens to Marcia the housewife who finds herself ripped away from all that she's known and called to carry out God's missions.
During her journey she only becomes closer to God, and finds a deeper love with Him than ever she thought possible. By trusting Him through all the rough and tumble times she finally found her true calling. Through the hard and easy times God was there, and she never gave up on Him.
Now I will forewarn you that this novel is not all about Guatemala, as the family is also led on other various missions, but just the same it is never dull.
Call of a Coward is the perfect title for this book. We are all afraid to take ourselves out of our comfort zones, lay our entire lives in God's hands, and just follow wherever he leads us. But this is one family that courageously followed His journey for them.
Marcia writes in such depth that once you start reading, there is no going back. I recommend this to anyone who loves memoirs, or even Christian novels. You will fall in love with this family and find yourself admiring Marcia with all the admiration you have. You may also find yourself more deeply rooted in your faith after reading this novel. I sure did, and I have to admit that I have never read such a memoir quite as this. Definitely one of my new favorites.


I rated this book 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon

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DISCLAIMER: I was provided this book for free through Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review. Opinions expressed are mine alone.