Though Waters Roar

This book was fabulous!


Lynn Austin ties together multiple generations and their struggles with slavery, prohibition, and women's suffrage. Don't let the idea of those heavy subjects scare you away. It was tastefully done and thought provoking. It made me consider how the choices of past generations can make ripples for ancestors. If you knew your grandparent were instrumental in prohibition, would it change your choices? Would it create pressure on you? What about regret? Is there ever regret associated with activism?

Lynn Austin weaves beautiful writing with compelling themes. Definitely a book to add to your must read list!

Lynn Austin, a former teacher who now writes and speaks full time, has won five Christy Awards for her historical fiction. One of those novels, Hidden Places, has also been made into a Hallmark Channel movie. Lynn and her husband have raised three children and make their home near Chicago, Illinois. Visit Lynn's Web site at www.lynnaustin.org


This book was provided by Bethany House publishers for review. The opinions are all MINE.

Winner of "The One-Day Way"

Mama H wins a copy of "The One-Day Way" by Chantel Hobbs. If you need an encouragement, check out Chantel's website or Mama H's blog Losing 120 to gain it all. Mama H is on her way to a healthy lifestyle too.

The Male Factor (giveaway)

I only spent about 5 years in "workplace america" before I started staying home to raise my growing family, and I worked in a predominantly female office structure for half that time. The office atmosphere changed when the company was bought out and restructured and there was an influx of new male employees.

At the time I really didn't give much credence to the simple fact that the atmosphere changed because of the difference in men's and women's views of the workplace.



Reading Shaunti Feldhahn's book, The Male Factor, shed a lot of light for me on differences in men and women's viewpoints on the workplace and how men view women and their actions. I appreciate the time and effort that she put into research, polls and personal interviews of men in the workplace across all types of companies, from the small business to the conglomerates. The book is NOT a male-bashing tool and isn't a book trying to shame women into being something they are not, it is simply stating the way the workplace is viewed by men and women differently.

I learned a lot about how men expect confidence, expect coworkers to go the extra mile, and equate complaining to a victim mentality that undermines their perception of the person's confidence level. I know the old adage about "statistics never lie, but liars use statistics"....but I also think that in well-structured studies (which it appears were used in writing this book), statistics are a good meter of public opinion.

If you are in a workplace, or have been, or hope to be someday, this book is a good resource to shed light on the difference between men and women and their attitudes toward work and each other.

Shaunti Feldhahn is a nationally syndicated columnist and the bestselling author of For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men and For Men Only, which together sold one million copies. She holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard, worked on Wall Street and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Buy it here.

I also have a copy to give away. If you are interested, leave a comment by next Friday, Jan 22 and I'll randomly select one winner.

The One-Day Way (Giveaway)

Before you all groan about another diet book and another fad, reserve your judgment on this one, okay?. While so many "diet" books I have read in the past may have me inspired for a while (we did South Beach for 4-5 months last year), I believe that lifestyle changes are much more important than "diets".

This book IS NOT a ONE Day diet fad. Let's just get that out of the way now, because you may from the title be misled that this is a fad book. You may think - "I'm all for easy and doing it in a day!" I have news for you, becoming healthy has nothing to do with easy! Bringing that kind of thinking to ANY book about a lifestyle change is going to lead to failure.

The One-Day Way by Chantel Hobbs IS about transforming your thinking. It IS about removing old and unhealthy practices from your life. It IS about being your best every day. It isn't about being pathetic. It IS about taking control and being worth every minute of it!

What is your biggest challenge to being healthy or losing weight? One of mine is guilt and regret when I don't have what I perceive to be enough "willpower" and in turn, I have a "setback". Chantel tries to change our thinking to living for today. What can I do TODAY to make a better choice for my health and the person I want to be? Yesterday is gone and living for tomorrow all the time becomes a mode for discouragement, especially if we are always looking at JUST the BIG picture. Celebrate the small victories (not with hot fudge sundaes), and build on those victories. When you fail, know that tomorrow is a new day to make a better choice, pick yourself up and don't dwell in the past.

Hobbs also incorporates ideas for fasting, menu planning, exercise and indulgences as well as stressing the importance of faith on the journey. She lost over 200 lbs and kept it off, so she speaks from experience.

The author of Never Say Diet and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer, Chantel Hobbs is a motivational speaker, life coach, personal trainer, marathon runner, wife, and mother of four whose story has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, the 700 Club, and the covers of People and First magazines. She appears weekly on two fitness-themed radio programs and promotes her One-Day Way Learning System on television. Visit Chantel at ChantelHobbs.com for fitness updates and coaching tips.

Provided for review By Waterbrook/Multnomah.

I have a copy for someone who needs the motivation and change it might bring to your life. Leave a comment here by Friday, January 15 for a chance to win.