Why I Don't Hide My Freckles Anymore

Book Details
Editors: LaNae Valentine and Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen
Release Date: February 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

Do you ever find that in trying to be "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy"...

Seems to "twist us into self-shaming preoccupation with appearing more virtuous and more lovely than others, envying others' good reports, and feeling unworthy unless we merit the praise of" others?

THIS BOOK WILL HELP WITH THAT!

Amazingly wonderful stories of people who have...

overcome the need to be perfect~
overcome the need to compare~
overcome the need to feel shame about their bodies~

I LOVED Anna Packard's list of gratitude:

"Thank you body for allowing me to experience every day completely. Thank you eyes for the opportunity to see the beauty and majesty of the world around me. Thank you nose for the pleasure of smelling delicious food and the familiar smell of my husband. Thank you lips for tender moments kissing the soft doughy skin of my newborn daughter. Thank you mouth for allowing me to nourish myself with food and to enjoy new tastes...etc."

Can we be GRATEFUL for our bodies? Even the parts we find lacking?

Susan Law Corpany shares:

"Many years ago I was looking forward to a landmark high school reunion. With plenty of time to accomplish my goals, I started my pre-reunion diet. I tracked my progress not only on the scale but by tracking my measurements. When I proudly announced to my teenage son that I had lost a quarter-inch off my ankles--that's a quarter-inch per ankle, mind you--he put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Mom, remember that this is the part they put in the ground when you die.'" 

This book will help you:

* forget about minimizing pores and worry about the poor among us
* worry about sagging spirits and less about sagging body parts
* worry less about crooked teeth and more about having crooked habits
* worry less about thinning hair and more about thinning patience
* worry less about love handles and know that love handles about any situation you are in

"Be generous with your love, and you will never run out of it. Love regenerates itself--it grows by giving. Beauty is the same. Beauty regenerates itself--it grows by being generous with your love."

EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK!
SO MUCH TO OFFER!
IT WILL HELP OUR MINDS AND SPIRITS AND BODIES :)

PURCHASE | ADD TO GOODREADS

About the Editors

LaNae Valentine is the director of Women’s Services and Resources at Brigham Young University. When she’s not working to support, connect, and empower women she enjoys visiting family and friends, cycling through Utah’s back roads and canyons, cooking, reading, and doing yoga.

Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen finished raising seven children and is having a hard time sitting still. A doctoral candidate at Brigham Young University in marriage and family therapy, she is a managing editor of the BYU Women’s Studies Journal, serves on the board of local arts organizations, writes music with her husband, and walks every morning with her BFF.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Longing for Home: Hope Springs w/ Book Giveaway

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Book Details

Author: Sarah M. Eden
Release Date: February 2014
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Historical Romance

I've said it before...
and I am going to say it again...

I LOVE SARAH M. EDEN'S BOOKS!

I love the way she writes!
I love the stories she chooses!

While this setting is different from her other "proper romances" set in England.

I LOVE the ruggedness of this Wyoming setting.

I love the hardships.

I love the way she portrays the feud between the Irish Road and the Red Road.

I love the determination of one woman trying to bring everyone together even though her life is probably the hardest hit.

Katie gave up her dream to go back to Ireland for she believes that HOPE Springs eternal...

She wants to make her life here...but with whom.

Her heart is torn between two good men.

Both make her happy...but which one is truly 'the one that will make her complete?'

The troubles seem to be escalating...stealing property, burning building, etc.

Joseph is afraid that a life will probably have to be lost before the feud will end.

Can he be right or can Katie help soften hearts and bring the town together at last?

Shadow Mountain has graciously offered a

BOOK GIVEAWAY for MY followers :)

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About the Author

Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalists Seeking Persephone (2008, Covenant Communications) and Courting Miss Lancaster(2010, Covenant Communications). Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.

See more from Sarah M. Eden

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Pedal Forward

Book Details
Author: Trey Hall
Release Date: October 2013
Publisher: Cairn Publishing Denver LLC
Genre: Inspiration

FUNNY!
CAPTIVATING!

INSPIRING!

You will be entertained, uplifted, and simply astounded at Trey's recovery and his life philosophy.

In 1991 Trey and his friend, Ken, were riding their bikes just like they did every morning when a car going 75 MPH hit them head-on.

They each sustained traumatic injuries.

Yet, they didn't let those injuries get them down.

They saw the miracles, worked hard to overcome, and gained insight in how to move forward.

Ken had:
*Concussion
*His helmet was in five pieces
*Two open compound fractures of the right lower arm
*Two fractures of the upper right arm
*Severe nerve damage to the right shoulder and arm that allowed no use of these extremities
*Lacerations and nerve damage around the right eye socket
*Compound fracture of the right leg (femur)
*Three compound and open fractures of the left leg (tibia/fibula) and one simple fracture
*Three fractures of the pelvis
*Significant blood loss
*Road rash literally from head to toe, with severe lacerations and open wounds requiring multiple skin grafts, hundreds of stitches, and staples
*PCL tear in the right knee

Trey had:
*Two fractures of the pelvis
*Six broken and dislocated vertebrae
*A nearly severed right foot held to his body by only the Achilles tendon
*A complete dislocation of the left knee that included an open compound fracture of the left patella and complete tears of the PCL, patella tendon, and both the medial and lateral collateral tendons
*ACL tear of the right knee
*Collapsed left lung, with the right one working on half volume
*A left hand split in two pieces
*An open compound fracture of the left elbow
*Significant blood loss
*Road rash, lacerations, and open wounds literally from head to toe

Here they are only 6 months from the time of the accident~
Their competitive nature with each other to heal the fastest pushed doctors and therapist to find new and better ways to help them overcome.

In 2002 Trey was elected to run the Olympic Torch for the Salt Lake City Winter Games...

I love how he tells about this:

My part of the relay was to be run in the small town of Kenilworth. The morning that I was to run, I met with the relay officials and other runners. As we waited, the runners were all asked to tell their stories of why they were there to runt the torch. heroes--folks who had saved people from burning buildings, individuals who helped the homeless, veterans who had been wounded serving our country--surrounded me. Then there was me, who was there because I fell off my bike.

Both Trey and Ken have "pedaled forward."

And Trey shares with us 10 Life and Business Lessons he has learned while riding his bike...and they are AMAZING!

A couple of my favorite quotes in the book are:

The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing~

Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain~ 

Come what may and love it~ 

Following their example we can each "pedal forward."

About the Author

Trey and Ken~ 21-years after the accident

Trey Hall is a twenty-eight-year business veteran who has worked at world-class organizations PepsiCo, Boston Market, Quiznos, Smashburger, Consumer Capital Partners, and TGI Friday's.

Trey is currently president of Denver-based Consumer Concept Group, a  restaurant-centric direct development firm that creates, opens, and operates modern signature restaurants.

He has also helped nonprofit organizations Millennium Promise (dedicated to ending extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa) and America's Road Home (dedicated to ending family homelessness in the United States) build their consumer infrastructure.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, Trey went on for a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where he was recently inducted into the Hall of Achievement.

He has shared his bike stories and the lessons he has learned from them in university, business, and church settings.

Trey lives with his wife of thirty ears in Denver, Colorado. He is dedicated to his family, his friends, and his bike.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Consider the Blessings

Book Details
Author: Thomas S. Monson
Release Date: September 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

One of the things I love most about hearing President Thomas S. Monson speak is the experiences he shares.

Now 50 of those beloved TRUE accounts have been brought together in this beautifully illustrated book.

True, personal experiences of love and devotion and faith.

Encounters that will warm your heart and give you a greater desire to be more like the Savior.

Some of these experiences you might be hearing for the first time and some you will remember hearing in a General Conference or other meetings.

But as you read you will definitely hear President Monson's voice in your head and rejoice in the spirit that each account brings.

Re-read the telling of the pigeons, or the baseballs, or the stick of gum.

Feel once again the love of President Monson and the love of the Lord in this truly treasurable book.

This book makes a perfect gift for any occasion!

AMAZON | GOODREADS

Deseret Book has graciously offered 

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About the Author
President Thomas S. Monson was set apart as the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. He had previously served for twenty-two years in the First Presidency of the Church, after having been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since October1963.

Five years after his call to the Twelve, he was given a special assignment for the work of the Church in Europe, requiring many visits with members behind the Iron Curtain. He was instrumental in the construction of the Freiberg Germany Temple and in advancing the Lord’s work in other eastern European countries that were part of the communist bloc. 

He also served as chairman of the Scriptures Publication Committee and supervised the process that resulted in the new editions of the scriptures. 

His ministry has been characterized by his compassion for the needs of individuals and his gift for one-on-one service. 

President Monson and his wife, Frances, are the parents of three children, grandparents of eight, and great-grandparents of eight.

President Monson knows how to share an experience to bring across a specific point. Now LDS Living Magazine has put together 5 ways in which you can bring experiences to life 
in your teaching methods:

1. Use a true experience. The spirit testifies of truth, so beginning with a true story is always best. True stories are more powerful and relevant to your audience. Remember that President Monson often tells stories from the lives of other people, so if you don’t have a relevant experience, look for another’s. One great resource is a collection of 50 stories President Monson himself has shared during his 50 years as an apostle, available September 27: Consider the Blessings: True Accounts of God’s Hand in Our Lives.

2. Ask, “How does this experience illustrate my main message?” If you’re speaking on tithing and the story you want to tell is about prayer, forcing a connection can confuse your listeners. The more on-point your story is, the easier it will be to explain and fit in to the rest of your talk. Never will you find an irrelevant or tangential story in any of President Monson’s addresses.

3. Keep it short and sweet. A single story should not comprise the majority of your talk. Even though most people are naturally interested in narratives, if a story’s too long, their attention will wander, and they will wonder what the point is. Remember your purpose and cut any details that don’t directly support that message. President Monson often does this by using phrases like, “tears were shed,” or even simply, “time passed,” to gloss over unnecessary details.

4. Specify and then repeat the moral. If you’re speaking to a room of 300 people, there will be 300 different interpretations about what your story meant. Specify your intended message very clearly. Do this often. Preface your story by stating what it is designed to illustrate, and end by restating this purpose. In one example, President Monson started by sharing, “We need God’s divine help. I testify that His help is but a prayer away.” A personal experience about the power of prayer followed, capped off by the moral, “Once more I felt the resolve to provide place for prayer.”

5. Connect your experience to scriptures. To really drive your message home, finish your story by relating it to scripture. This takes your story from a fun recollection to a doctrine-based example. To transition from a  story to a scripture, President Monson uses phrases like, “the words of the Savior come to mind,” or “I reflected on the message of the master, recorded in John 8:12.”

Try adding a story to your next talk. Don’t worry if you’re not master storyteller like President Monson; nobody expects brilliant oratory from a sacrament meeting talk. Instead, remember that a well-told story can illustrate your point and help the congregation remember what you’re teaching more easily. This makes you a more engaging speaker, and more importantly, a better conduit for the spirit.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Written On Our Hearts w/ Book Giveaway

Book Details
Author: Emily Freeman
Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

Emily Freeman is one of my most favorite scriptural authors.

She has a way of explaining scriptures and helping me see how they apply to my life right now that resonates within my heart.

I know that she has personally gone through some very trying times and it is through those times that she turned to the Lord and to the scriptures and gained the insight she has.

How blessed we are that she is willing to share that knowledge and love with us.

All of us have challenges, trials and adversity!

We may "face obstacles, danger, oppression, and injustice."

There will be times of sadness, anger, fear, and despair.

Of one thing we can be sure...the Lord will deliver us!

We can learn to trust in the Lord like Gideon, Nehemiah, Hezekiah, Micah, and Moses and others from the Old Testament.

We can "draw strength" and courage from their stories that are found and explained in this amazingly wonderful book!

We can have the love of the Lord "written on our hearts"

This book is a treasure to be studied and pondered especially as we study the Old Testament in Sunday School next year.

This book will help you find your deliverance!

Deseret Book has graciously offered to do a 

BOOK GIVEAWAY for MY readers :)

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About the Author

Emily Freeman took her first creative writing class in high school and has loved writing ever since. She finds great joy in studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Her deep love of the scriptures comes from a desire to find their application in everyday life. She is the author of several books, includingThe Ten Virgins; 21 Days Closer to Christ; and Love Life and See Good Days.

There is nothing Emily enjoys more for breakfast than a bowl of vanilla ice cream, raspberries, and chocolate chips. Other favorites include parades, vacations, firework displays, and going for a long walk with a good friend. Emily and her husband, Greg, live in Lehi, Utah, with their four children, whom she adores.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Mile 21 w/ Book Giveaway

Book Details
Author: Sarah Dunster
Release Date: October 2013
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Genre: Drama

This book pulls at your heart-strings and makes you wonder...what would you do if you lost your best friend, your soul-mate, your spouse? And how fast would you be able to move on?

Written with such raw emotions this book is one you just can 't put down.

SO. SO. SO. AMAZINGLY. GOOD! 
LOVED it from the very first page!

Lots of very interesting questions are brought up throughout these pages....and are given as a great book club discussion at the end of the book.

Abish has had a very hard year!

First her husband expectantly dies...so she is dealing with that grief.

Then she is kicked out of her apartment, has to move into a "single's apartment," AND a "single's ward."

Finds herself in some really awkward positions and places.

She is back in school and training for a marathon

And all the while she keeps asking "What did I do to earn this?"

Can she really find her way? Can she trust "that the plan is a plan of happiness?"

This is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page!

Amazon * Deseret Book * GoodReads

Sarah has graciously agreed to do a 

BOOK GIVEAWAY for MY readers~

She even said US or INT addresses :)

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About the Author
I am the mother of seven children, age ten and under. They are adorable and they bring light to my life. Writing is what keeps me sane.

TEN FUN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SARAH

1) I make my own sushi. Because I'm addicted to it and live in Idaho.

2) I have seven (soon to be 8 children) and they drive me CRAZY! And make me HAPPY. Two of them are adopted from Ethiopia.

3) I love to cook international food. I'm pretty good at Indian and Ethiopian food. Most of my kids love anything spicy.

4) I get really shy at book signings. Sometimes I feel like I'm just shoving bookmarks in peoples' hands for no reason. But I actually do really like people.

5) I love fishing but have never caught a keep-able fish in my life.

6) I love board and card games but I think I can count the number of times I've won on one hand.

7) I have lived in Idaho and Utah, but I grew up in California, right around the area where my ancestors settled. I'm actually an 8th generation Californian, and I have a great grandfather whose nickname was "wild bill." (not Hickok, another Wild Bill. There were probably a lot of them...)

8) One of my far-fetched dreams is to buy an old building in town, refurbish it, make it into a stage/auditorium and start a small acting company. Completely far-fetched because I can'tact to save myself, and I have never directed in my life.

9) My husband is a fantastic dancer. Was on a university team for five years. Every wife's dream, right? However, I can't dance to save myself... (fully plan on learning, however. Once my last baby is old enough to be home long enough for us to be gone long enough to take lessons.)

10) I love my family! They're big and often disorganized and our house is sometimes not too tidy, but I wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Family Size

Book Details
Author: Maria Hoagland
Release Date: February 2013
Publisher: Sisters Ink Publishing
Genre: LDS Women's Fiction

This book is AMAZING at bringing out the fact that we never truly know what someone else is going through...therefore....we need to be careful how we judge.

It is easy to say things that can be taken wrong...
And it is easy to misunderstand things that are said...

We need to have unconditional love and try to see the best in others....as these three women finally do.

Jessica is struggling with having a baby so close after her last one especially after finding out that the growing fetus has some complications...people question her decision to be pregnant again so soon.

Maya is struggling with a husband who is gone all the time while she is trying to deal with abdominal pain...pain so strong she is has to take pain killers to even function. And on top of that people keep asking her if she is ever going to have another baby.

Sloane has prayed for years and gone through many medical procedures just to have a baby...and all find out it didn't work yet again. Now she is going through the trial of adopting...and being turned down at the last minute. Will her righteous desires ever be fulfilled?

What is the right family size?
Can anyone make that decision for you?
What if your decision isn't the decision the Lord has planned for you?

Read as these women find friendship and faith through their fertility trials.

A really tender read!
Worth every word!
This book would be PERFECT for a book club!

About the Author
When Maria Hoagland is not working at her computer, she can be found walking barefoot in soft grass, remodeling houses with her husband, or enjoying campfires with their three children. She loves crunching leaves in the fall, stealing cookie dough from the mixing bowl, and listening to musicals on her iPod. Maria earned her degree at Brigham Young University, and although she adores mountain resorts near her Idaho home, she is no longer a fan of ice skating.

Maria has two published novels: Nourish & Strengthen and Family Size. Her poems have been published in small magazines, and her short story "Diagnosis & Treatment" won first place in the Linda Hunter Adams writing contest at Brigham Young University.

The Ten-Day Daughter

Book Details
Author: S. Michael Wilcox
Release Date: August 2012
Publisher: Eagle Gate
Genre: Drama

This book is one of the most tender books I have ever read!
Filled with urgency, love and hope for understanding. Questions of WHY and HOW play throughout the book. Answers seem to be held back. Knowledge never given.

Only the thought of "Be still and know that I am God" AND "is not the giving enough?"

Continual seeking for understanding and hoping for acceptance.

Based on true events Brother Wilcox tells of two individuals that come into his life.

Both are transients.
Both have troubled past.
Both seek for help.
Both seem to lack the ability to stay.

Adam sought help in the past. He comes in and out of the Institute directors life.

When a pregnant young girl needs help, Adam suggests she go see the Institute director.

The story that unfolds is reverent and heart-touching.
So many conflicts within one's soul.
So much love offered, yet never fully accepted.

Sometimes we need to do what we can and then turn it over to the Lord.

Above all we need to remember that "giving, no matter what the results, can be its own reward."

About the Author

S. Michael Wilcox was an instructor at the institute of religion adjacent to the University of Utah. A frequent speaker at Brigham Young University Education Week, Michael also conducts tours of the Holy Land, Church history sites, Europe, China, and Central America. He received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Brigham Young University, a master’s in media from the University of Arizona, and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in educational philosophy. He is the author of House of Glory and When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered.

(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Face to Face

Book Details
Author: S. Michael Wilcox
Release Date: July 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

This is a book that needs to be read...
and then pondered...

and then read again...
there is SO MANY AMAZING thoughts in it!

If we want to talk with God face to face then we need to change from "saying our prayers" to "pouring out our soul to God."

"We (need to) always pour out our spiritual and emotional needs, but also our adorations, gratitudes, and loves."

When we "pour out" it leaves us empty so God an "pour in" the blessings.

If we want to talk with God face to face we need to be reaching through wrestling just like Enos. Instead of saying "I must go and pray" we must we willing to "go and wrestle before the Lord."

If we want to talk with God face to face then we need to be willing to "reach."

Reach through Believing
Reach through Acting
Reach through Desire
Reach through Knocking

Filled with many stories, including personal and scriptural, this book is a treasure that everyone needs to read.

Listen to this very touching story from the book...



Click HERE to read the 1st chapter~

About the Author
S. Michael Wilcox received his PhD from the University of Colorado and taught for many years at theLDS Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah. He has spoken to packed crowds at BYUEducation Week and has hosted tours to the Holy Land and to Church history sites. He has served in a variety of callings, including as bishop and counselor in a stake presidency. He has written many articles and books, including House of Glory, Sunset, 10 Great Souls I Want to Meet in Heaven, andFinding Hope. He and his late wife, Laurie, are the parents of five children.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Longing For Home w/ Book Giveaway

Tour Schedule
Available FREE with Bookshelf Plus

Book Details

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Release Date: August 2013

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Genre: Regency Romance

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Sarah Eden's books!

I have read EVERY ONE of them!

I LOVE her strong female characters!

I LOVE the sweet and tender romance she includes!

I LOVE reading about the "proper way" in which one had to conduct oneself during that time.

I LOVE how positive her books are!

I just LOVE her writings!

In the past she has always had the setting be during the 1800's in England

In this book it is still 1800's, but the setting is in Wyoming, USA

A time of struggle.
A time of poverty.
A time of feuding.

Katie Maculey has traveled from Ireland to Wyoming in answer to a housekeeping job post.

She has been working and saving since she was 8-years-old in hopes of returning to her Irish roots.

When she arrives in the small Wyoming town of Hope Springs she finds herself in the middle of an ongoing feud between the Irish and the American frontiersmen.

Katie finds herself in not only a love triangle between two wonderful men, but also caught between her hopes of returning home OR staying and being the HOPE of the Irish people.

Sarah has included some "book club worthy" questions at the end of the book!

An AMAZING story that will enthrall everyone who reads it!

See more from Sarah M. Eden
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Shadow Mountain has graciously offered to do a Book GIVEAWAY for MY readers :)

(US address only please)

offer end 8/31

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About the Author

Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalistsSeeking Persephone (2008, Covenant Communications) and Courting Miss Lancaster(2010, Covenant Communications). Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.

(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)
* This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate with Amazon.com and the Deseret Bookshelf Plus Services Affiliates Program. Both of these help me without any extra costs for you. Thank you!

Butch Cassidy and other Mormon Outlaws of the Old West

Book Details
Author: Kathryn Jenkins Gordon
Release Date: 2013
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Historical

What an amazingly fascinating book!

So who are these Mormon Outlaws?

Orrin Porter Rockwell was sometimes the law, and sometimes an outlaw.

Robert LeRoy Parker joined the cattle rustlers and became the well-know Butch Cassidy; and twenty of the sixty in his gang of bandits were Mormons.

Willard Erastus Christianson, while walking home from a Church dance whacked a rival on the head with a rock and feared he had killed the guy so he ran away from home and became the outlaw, Matt Warner or "The Mormon Kid."

John Tomas McCarty was raised a Mormon. He later married Matt Warner's sister and mentored Matt in the ways of crime. "On March 30, 1889, Tom joined his two buddies -- Matt Warner and Butch Cassidy-- in pulling off one of the largest bank robberies of the day!

Learn about these men and more who were considered Mormon Outlaws.

Learn about the legendary Outlaw Trail and some of the most famous outlaw hideouts.

So how does a good Mormon boy would turn to a life of crime?
Here is an article from the March 10, 1898 Salt Lake Tribune:

David Lant is a boy born and raised here and who has failed to accept good advice from his father by the same name, and who greatly mourns for the actions of his wayward son. Nothing has been allowed to creep into the press news from here on account of Lant's respectable relatives. David is not, or rather was not, considered a bad young man. He gradually strayed from the path of rectitude by one small petty crime then another, until his associations led him so far he could not return. He went lower and lower into crime until the penitentiary was reached, from whence he made his escape and joined the outlaws. It is still hoped that he will not be lynched before he has a chance to be the prodigal son and return to his glad father, repent and abandon such a reckless life. 

Grab a copy of this book
Then sit back and enjoy the tales of the 
Wild West and the ways of the outlaws
A VERY FASCINATING READ!

About the Author

The managing editor at Covenant Communications, Kathryn Jenkins Gordon has had thirty-nine years of professional experience in corporate and internal communications, public relations, media relations, marketing communications, and publications management. She has been a press secretary for a US Congressman; vice-president of a Salt Lake City publishing company; manager of strategic communications for Novell, Inc.; director of public relations at a private college in Salt Lake City; and has held communications management positions at a variety of national and international corporations.

Her interest include reading, writing, cooking, traveling, and doing family history. She has met five presidents of the United States, sailed up the Nile River, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, eaten tempura in Tokyo, and received a dozen long-stemmed red roses from a stranger on the street in Athens.

She and her husband, Glenn, parent a combined family of ten children and five grandchildren.

(A digital copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

The Burnout Cure

Book Details
Author: Julie de Azevedo Hanks
Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Self-Help

Julie is doing a giveaway of 5 prizes!

$100 Amazon Gift Card, a signed book, a signed book on CD boxed set, and a phone consultation

Click HERE to enter

Have you ever felt weary in well-doing?

Have you ever felt less than someone else?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and under appreciated?

Now you have 6 Emotional Burnout Cures in this WONDERFUL book!

Cures that will help you meet your emotional needs, accept your limitations, let go of the guilt and perfectionism, and help you learn to lean on the Lord.

Filled with personal stories, scriptural quotes and clinical stories this book dispels the myths that leave women feeling that we are 'never good enough.'

There are some REALLY GOOD HELPS in this book!
Every woman can benefit from reading this book!

Watch this AMAZING music video from Julie de Azevedo Hanks

You made wine from water
And raised up Jairus's daughter from her bed
Filled the empty fishing nets
And with some loaves and fishes fed
A hungry crowd
Make enough of me to go around

About the Author

Julie de Azevedo Hanks, MSW, LCSW is a self-care evangelist, relationship expert, media contributor, blogger, speaker, songwriter, and licensed therapist with 20 year experience counseling women, couples and families. In addition to owning Wasatch Family Therapy, LLC and serving as executive director, Hanks is an emotional health and relationship expert on TV and radio.

She is a regular contributor on KSL TV’s Studio 5 and has appeared nationally on TLC, Discovery Health, and FOX News Channel. Her down-to-earth advice has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, CNN, Women’s Day, Women’s Health, Real Simple, Parenting, and others. Hanks writes for Answers, Sharecare, DailyStrength, and PsychCentral websites.

As an award-winning performing songwriter, “Julie de Azevedo” has written dozens of songs, contributed to numerous projects, and produced 10 solo CD’s over the past 25 years. Her most recent CD “Masterpiece: The Best of Julie de Azevedo” is a collection of her best-loved songs.

Hanks most valuable experience has been “in the trenches” of family life as a wife to Jeff Hanks and mother of 4 children. In her “spare time” Hanks is earning her PhD in marriage and family therapy, taking long naps, and eating a lot of chocolate.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Rising Sun, Falling Star w/ $25 Amazon OR PayPal GIVEAWAY

Tour Schedule

Book Details
Author: Vickie Hall
Release Date: June 2013
Genre: Historical

The thing I love most about books is that they can take you to a different time and a different place. And this book does just that in such a heart-wrenching, yet most amazingly wonderful way.

So beautifully written you will relive the time and the place.
You will cry for the people and wonder how this could have ever happened.

You will embrace their journey and make it your own.
And in the end you will pray that something like this will never happen again.

Kenji and Aiko Onishi are living in California when Pearl Harbor is bombed.

Because they are of  Japanese descent they are ripped from their home and placed in an internment camp.

Life will never be the same.

Based on true and tragic events during WW II!
This book will touch your heart!

Excerpt from the book:

“Mama, what’s wrong?”

“Come with me,” she ordered. “Hurry.”

Meri pulled hard against her mother’s tightened grasp. “Mama, what’s happened? Where are we going?”

“You see,” she said, breathless with her quickened steps. She made a beeline to the telephone pole by the post office. Meri followed, a look of dread splashed across her face as they came to a stop in front of the sign. “Tell me what say,” she said, pointing.

Meri cradled her books in her arm and stared up at the sign. She began to read and her eyes widened. “Mama,” she gasped, “we’re being evacuated!”

Aiko’s stone-like face never flinched as she absorbed the news. “What else it say?”

Meri spun toward her mother. “Where are they sending us? What’s going to happen to us?”

Aiko lifted her chin toward the sign. “Read more.”

Meri blinked back tears and turned to face the sign. “A responsible member of the family must report tomorrow to the Civil Control Station for further instructions between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.”

Aiko motioned to Meri’s books. “Write down what it say.”

“Mama—”

Aiko touched her daughter’s arm. “We be fine,” she said, adding a soft smile. “Write down.”

Meri’s hands were shaking as she took out a pencil and opened her notebook. She wrote down all of the instructions posted on the sign in careful detail. When she had finished, she looked at her mother with beseeching eyes. “Oh, Mama . . . this is horrible. It’s not fair!” Meri exclaimed, coming alongside her mother. “It’s just not fair!”

                Aiko could see the desperation in her daughter’s expression and brushed Meri’s cheek with the back of her fingers. “Meri, fallen blossom cannot return to branch. We pick up pieces and wait for new blossom.”   

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About the Author

Vickie Hall lends a new voice to the market.Her characters fill the pages with depth and emotion while the riveting plot keeps the pages turning to the very end. Her love of writing is evident in her masterful blend of story-telling and deep emotion. Readers will be richly satisfied and left wanting more.

Vickie is also a musician and composer. She has been writing music since she was 13 years old. Her music has been recorded by the Westminster College Women's Choir.

(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

The Mark of a Giant

Book Details
Author: Ted Stewart
Release Date: May 2013
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Inspiration

If you had to name just 7 people to represent the giants among men, who would you choose?

I am SO IMPRESSED with Ted Stewart's choices!

And his explanations for WHY he chose these 7 are so enlightening!

I have never thought about not only the world-wide, but also, time-wide differences these 7 amazing people made in order for our lives to be better today.

This book gives you greater understanding and appreciate for:

Abraham or Ur

Pericles the Greek

Paul-Apostle to the Gentiles

The Incomparable Mr. Newton

Madame Marie Curie

Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr.

Mother Teresa

These 7 giants "individually and collectively altered the way that we are governed, the way that we think, the way that we act, the nature of our aspirations, the priorities that we pursue, what we understand, and the comforts that we enjoy."

They have made our lives, and us, better!

DON'T JUST READ THIS BOOK...
LET IT CHANGE YOU INTO A GIANT!

HOW?
Truly love those within your home, school, work, community.
Reach out to someone who is lonely, depressed, or in need of help.
Take on the curse of pornography and the degrading of American culture.
Fight those forces and influences that are destroying America's family.
Fight against racism and bigotry.
Study the sciences...cures for diseases still need to be found.
Give generously to a charity.

About the Author

Ted Stewart was appointed as a United States District Court Judge in 1999 by President Bill Clinton. Prior to that, he served as chief of staff to Governor Michael O. Leavitt, as executive director of the State Department of Natural Resources, as a member and chairman of the Public Service Commission, and as chief of staff to Congressman Jim Hansen. He has been a visiting professor at two state universities, teaching courses in law and public policy. He is the New York Timesbestselling author of The Miracle of Freedom: 7 Tipping Points that Saved the World.

(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Spirit of the Revolution w/ eBOOK GIVEAWAY

Book Details
Author: Debbie Peterson
Release Date: May 2013
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical Romance

WOW... SIGH... WOW!
This book is BEYOND WORDS AMAZING!

When I was told that this book was paranormal I was a little hesitant. I don't do a lot of paranormal.
BUT WOW! SIGH!
I am SO GLAD I read it!

I fell in love with it!
I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!

From the very beginning until the very end...sighing all the while! This book is one of the best books I have ever read! So well told!

Amazing insight to the Revolutionary war and the war heroes of that time.

And the romance...oh...the romance...clean...good...breath-taking!
BIG SIGH!
WOW!

I can't seem to find enough good words to describe this book!

Jolena has put her heart and soul and many hard hours into restoring the old house....only to find out that the neighbors think it is haunted.

Mathias and his Revolutionary War Ranger friends find that someone is living in their house they set out to do what they always have done...haunt them until they leave.

But when they see the house and the beauty that has been restored they have second thoughts.
And when they meet Jolena, they know they want her to stay.

And the story that unfolds is SO. SO. SO. GOOD!
Truths will be revealed.
War secrets will be brought to light.
Family history will come alive.
Historical sites will be visited
And divine intervention will bring it all to a wonderful, amazing, breath-taking end!

OH. THIS. BOOK. IS. GOOD!
I will DEFINITELY be reading more from Debbie Peterson!

Debbie has graciously agreed to do an 

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for MY readers :)

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About the Author:
Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. Stories of love and make believe filled her head for as long as she can remember. However, it was her beloved husband who encouraged, cajoled and inspired her to take up a pen and write some of them down. Her journey to published author could fill quite a few pages, but in June of 2010, she submitted her debut novel, “Spirit of the Rebellion” to her wonderful, patient, editor at The Wild Rose Press. A few short months after Rebellion’s release, her second novel, “Shadow of the Witte Wieven” was published through InkSpell Publishing. Her third novel, “Spirit of the Revolution” was released May 31, 2013, through The Wild Rose Press. Other books are waiting in the wings, so stay tuned.


When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, Debbie spends time with the members of her very large family. She also pursues her interests in family history, mythology, and all things ancient and historic.

Ten fun things to know about Debbie:

1. She has been delving into her family history since she was sixteen years old.

2. She has been teaching genealogy classes for well over a decade.

3. Books...she has more than one thousand of them in her personal library.

4. And she is now running out of space to house those books...

5. Debbie has actually seen a ghost.

6. If you ask her about it, she just might tell you.

7. She collects swans, elephants, and wolves.

8. She loves dusty, old antiques stores and it is best if she avoids them altogether.

9. Debbie loves the rain, and will play in it like a child whenever the opportunity manifests itself.

10. Shoes... she only wears them when it is absolutely necessary.