This is a beautifully illustrated book, which I received as an Early Reviewer and read to my 5-year-old son. We both enjoyed the illustrations, and my son understood the connection the Lakota have with nature, that they feel "they are part of the same family", in his words. A very nice addition to our children's library.

A Rose for the Crown is incredibly long and detailed, however, it is an excellent example of the historical fiction genre. The author's research is outstanding.

I am a Christian and while it is my hope that atheists come to know Jesus, I'm not certain that reading the words of Ray Comfort is the path to take.

I think the problem is that I just don't like his tone. I understand the book was taken from his blog but that doesn't excuse poor writing. Much of it seems sarcastic, and I imagine him saying these words with a big passive-aggressive smile on his face. His statements are too cheerfully black-and-white, which is an unwise method of discussing religion.

I would much rather have read the answers to the atheists' questions from someone with more intelligence or with a more moderate, less heavy-handed approach. Billy Graham, Nicky Gumbel, C.S. Lewis, or even the Pastors at my church would have provided more meaningful answers, I suspect.

While the author definitely has her favourites (and pushes some of them more than once), this is ultimately a valuable resource for finding inspiring children's books with Christian values, stories, etc. within. I look forward to checking out numerous titles listed.

A helpful little book that likely appeals to teens the most. Contains a balance of humourous takes on situations like how to stay alert in church and funniest stories in the bible with truly useful information such as a chart comparing Christian denominations, important parts of the bible, and common Lutheran practices.

I am so thankful I happened upon a review of Lydia Davis and that I picked up this book on a whim. I love, love, love these stories! I have never read anything written in a style quite like hers. The stories in this collection range from less than one page long to dozens of pages long, and even though they are short, I was able to read only 3 or 4 in one sitting so as to savour and understand as much as I could. Some stories are symbolic of a much deeper meaning and some, I think, are simply just a story told in a unique way. I like her run-on yet coherent style. I like how each story is a little glimpse into a character's inner life, and how they evoke such interesting feelings in me.

The Year We Left Home is one of the best books I have read this year. It is an engrossing story of a family over several decades and a sort of lament about American life and coming of age centered around a small Iowa town. Some characters are trying to get away from the town, some want to stay, some are forced to stay. I really agree with one of the blurbs on the book jacket that said after you are done reading, it will be hard to remember that these are not real characters. How true! I have found myself wondering what some of their reactions to current events might be.

Overall, an excellent, well-written novel that makes me want to read much more by Jean Thompson.

The most interesting aspect of Conquistadora for me was learning about Puerto Rico's history, something I previously knew nothing about. The novel itself was average, kind of glossy, a quick read.

This is a masterful collection of short stories, and I think it will make my top 10 reads of the year so far. The stories have a slightly mesmerizing readability and I like how the characters are not so much as connected, but rather how their lives kind of brush up against each other. Every family is different and deals with the same set of circumstances in a different way, and these stories were so realistic and well-written, I had to keep reminding myself they weren't true. This is a fantastic book, and I appreciate the glimpse into a segment of society (military families) that I normally wouldn't know a lot about.

This book was an absolute chore to read, and I only picked it up because at least three people have recommended Alexander McCall Smith to me over the years. Perhaps I should have started with something from his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, because this book was quite underwhelming. Boring and dull, in a nutshell.

Overall, I enjoyed this book; however, I found some chapters wandered around too much and I lost track of what the author was trying to say. That said, there were several thoughtful and meaningful sections, mainly at the beginning, and, of course, a wonderful collection of the prayers she discusses at the end of the book.

I enjoyed this peek into the lives of a group of women in the U.K. over the course of several decades. How fascinating it would be if I could read about the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of my own female relatives such as my grandmother or great-grandmother. After reading this collection of letters, I feel as if I know all of the women personally. This book reinforces my thought that "ordinary, average" people are often quite fascinating, that everyone has a compelling story to tell if given the opportunity or right forum, and that women especially are deep wells of experience and wisdom.

I enjoy reading fictional accounts of biblical stories, and this novel was an adequate example of the genre. It is very easy to read, mainly because of the breakneck pace the author takes, especially toward the end. I think my main complaint of this novel is that too much of it is focused on Sarai's pre-Abram life (which is largely imagined) and less on Sarah's actual experiences with her long-awaited pregnancy. Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac is covered in about two pages, rushed toward the end. I still didn't mind reading the story, however, and I will try the others in the series.

This book is hilarious; I had so many laugh-out-loud experiences, I'm sure my husband thought I was going crazy. Kate's description of how her husband had dressed the baby to go out to a party once literally had me laughing in tears. My only complaint was the repetitive comparisons between working mothers and stay-at-home mothers: you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. But overall a very funny read.

Sometimes a movie suffers from what must be bad directing - even though it has superb actors, a great script, etc., it is still missing that certain something that is good direction. So it is with Secret Daughter for me. As a novel, all of the elements for a great book are in place: a moving story, interesting characters, the amazing setting of Mumbai. Unfortunately, there is something lacking in the writing; it is too light and glossy for me.

This novel has been on my "to read" list for quite some time, and I am SO glad I finally picked it up. This is absolutely the best coming-of-age story I have read; it's perfect, really.

I treasure this book and am so thankful that I found it. As a mother of two young children, this is exactly the sort of insight and inspiration I am looking for. Read this if mindful, rather than mindless, mothering is your aspiration.

I like the idea of a Rapid Read series of books; I think they may prove to be very popular. The Middle Ground is an interesting story with quite a lot of action for just 119 pages, but still also enough character development to make for a compelling story. I always admire writers of short stories or novellas because they employ the same parts of fiction the full-length writers do but with much less room to develop them.

My review for this novel I received as an Early Reviewer is very late because I lost interest soon after starting it and have only recently decided to give it another go. Overall, I find this book enjoyable, but because I didn't feel compelled to finish it and because there are so many other excellent books to read first, I can't give it very high marks. For me, this was average.

One of the better books I have read in recent memory. It is fleshed out, full of realistic and memorable characters, and quite heartbreaking. An interesting point for me is that I had to keep reminding myself that the story takes place in the 1960s--the attitudes and even language seem so backwards it could have taken place decades earlier.

This was a joy to read--quick, funny, and meaningful. I feel as if I know Kelly Corrigan's children, even though I have only read a scant 83 pages about them, and I am now interested in reading her other book to immerse myself more in her world. I think my favourite line from this book is "I am your mother, the first mile of your road."

This is an invaluable collection of essays for any mother who has ever wished life could be slower, less complicated, or more meaningful. I loved every essay here, and will read them many times over as I journey through motherhood. In particular, I found the essays on reconnecting with nature, cutting out TV, storytelling, and surrendering a bit of control to be the most interesting and useful for me. I recommend this book to all mothers (and even fathers).

Little Bee was not particularly memorable for me other than the folly of the character Sarah. Really, what a shallow and foolish character! Somewhere in the middle of the story, I stopped caring what was going to happen to everyone involved but kept going to the end mainly because I had already invested so much of my time reading. It wasn't a terrible novel, but it also won't make my top 10 of the year.

Dan Brown has firmly established his formula with these Robert Langdon books, and even though this makes for predictable reading, The Lost Symbol is still interesting and compelling. I mostly enjoyed reading this one, but found the writing pretty clunky.

I like The Shack for it's enlightening view on God's place in our lives, and I also appreciate the lengthy explanations of the trinity. The most powerful section for me is when Mack "reunites" with his father, which is perhaps symbolic of the author forgiving his own father for the abuse he suffered as a child. The book is not well-written, but it's not intended to be; rather, it is the author's way of working through the grief in his own life.

This is an extremely comprehensive, definitive, and engrossing telling of the tragedy at Columbine High School. Gripping and compelling reading.

I was primarily interested in reading this book to find out exactly how Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar tackle the day-to-day logistics of parenting 18 children (I'm thinking naps, potty-training, etc.), and I found my answer. In simple terms, comparing this family to any other is like comparing apples to oranges. What really sets the Duggars apart from "normal" families is that the older children are available to care for the younger children, and that the entire family lives an extremely Christ-centred life. They are an interesting family to observe, but not really a practical example for me, a mother of two.

I received an Early Reviewer copy of this novel and forced myself to read it to write this review. I found The Angel's Game to be extremely slow-moving and uninteresting, and it took me far too long to read. I am disappointed I was not as enchanted as I had hoped I would be.

This is a great collection of essays by Canadian women, but I think I preferred Dropped Threads 2 a bit more. Some of the essays in this collection are funny, some sad, some shocking, and some are a bit boring, but overall, it is a wonderful read.

I did not enjoy reading this book, not because such a serious topic is treated so lightly, but because, honestly, it was a bore to read. I did not find it funny or interesting (perhaps it's a cultural difference?), and actually ended up skimming large chunks. I am grateful to have received it through the Early Reviewer program, but, for me, it was a dud.