Engaging Father Christmas

I was really surprised that I love this book even more than the first book of the series. At the end of “Finding Father Christmas,” Miranda and Ivan had just meant. In the second book, we find that they have been going back and forth from England and the USA to see each other.

It is not long before they fall in love with each other. There are even hints of a marriage proposal for her and Ivan.

As Miranda prepares to fly to see Ivan and her new family for Christmas, she has hopes that things will change and she can develop a real relationship between her, her half brother, and his mom.


Yet right from the start things seem to go wrong. As Ivan picks her up from the station he received a phone call and his dad has had a heart attack and is in the hospital.

This book will take you on a ride from highs to lows.
But by the end of all really good love stories, love prevails. Plus, Miranda’s relationship with her half brothers mother begins to change when God shows her the way.
Excellent read.
Rating G

After Life Agreements: A Gift From Beyone

Sunday morning, October 1st, 2000, Chris Mulligan received a call that every parent fears. Her son Zac had been in an accident and she needed to get to the hospital as soon as she could. When Chris and her husband Jim reached the hospital, they were told that Zac was on life support and would not make it. The injuries to his skull were so sever he had no chance at all.

After they called family to come to the hospital they took Zach off of life support. He fought for forty-six minutes but in the end he lost his fight to live.
This book had me crying along with Chris. Even though she believes in reincarnation, her grief process of trying to let go of Zac in this life was profound to say the least. She managed to make it through each day at work. Yet when she left to go home her grief over took her. She could barley function at all.

The author leads us through her grieving process, and tries hard to help others who have lost someone. It was through her belief process that she was able to connect with her son Zac. With Zac’s help she is able to share with others that our bodies may died, but not our souls.

Even though my beliefs are different, through research, I have found that there are millions of people who believe in reincarnation. That each of us has the option of choosing what we want to learn in each life time. Zac told his mom she needed to write about what all she had been through to help others and herself to get on with life.

This book I think, can help others who have lost a love one. It is filled with raw emotions and offers hope to others. It is well written and kept my attention span throughout the book.

This book is rated G

Christmas at Harrington's

I was drawn to this book by its cover. It shows a woman looking into a store window at a Christmas tree and toys. It is snowing and the woman has a smile on her face. Yet when I began to read the book I found this was not your normal Christmas fare.

Lena has just been released from prison where she had been incarcerated for eight years. She had gone from an over bearing father who Lena learned at an early age to do whatever he wanted, and to not question anything or else she was spanked with a wooden spoon. Into a marriage with a man who turns out to be just like her father. Only Lena’s husband posed as a minister and it was because of him that she was convicted of a crime she did not commit.

While on a bus ride to what would become her new home, Lena is befriended by an elderly lady who believes that Lena is a good person, no matter what has happened in her past.

Can Lena really begin again? Or will her past catch up to her? There is only one way to know and that is to buy this book.

Rated G

Finding Father Christmas

This is a beautifully written book. Miranda’s mother died when she was young and she has no relatives that she knows of, except a father that her mother never told her about. Whenever she questioned her about her dad, her mom always found a way to distract her attention.

Finding her father has turned into a quest for the truth. Armed with only three clues a birth certificate, a theatrical playbill and a wallet size picture of a man with a little boy. She discovers that on the back of the picture a town is listed where the photographer’s studio is, in England.

On an impulse she takes a flight to see what information she can find out about the picture, and the people in it. But what she didn't bargain for is more than she could have ever imagined.

Rated G

SPIRITUAL ENGINEERING

I was not prepared to like this book. I thought to myself, “Oh, great, another self help book.” Yet the more I read the book I came to realize it really can help people. This book begins with the author at the lowest point of his life. He searched for various ways to help himself, but could not pull himself out of the emotion wreck he was in. He even thought of suicide.

Then one day he started to think like an engineer. He came up with a plan to use his knowledge of engineering and spirituality to use. It was not an easy process but after much work he had found answers to help himself.

This book is filled with tools to help people no matter what their problems may be. Tools to help us all lived a better life. I really like the exercises that can be found at the end of the book. The author has told us about starting your day exercises, during the day exercises, and then nightly review exercises.

I especially liked page 230 and the attitude adjustment cards. You will just have to read this book to understand what they are. But they can be used to help everyone.

Excellent Read
Rated G

Spoken from the Heart

This book is so moving in many ways. I have laughed and cried while reading it. Laura Bush has gone from the small oil town of Midland, TX, to the Governor’s Mansion in TX, to the “White House,” as our First Lady. I want to emphasize Lady as she is gracious, charming, elegant, smart and beautiful. She did not use her book as a platform to knock all of those who have said such terrible things about President Bush or herself.

I had no idea how much was expected from a First Lady until I read this book. Nor did I realize how little private time they have for their family and friends. Laura Bush has worked hard to make people aware of the basic needs that everyone should have around the world. Women’s rights in Afghanistan, to literacy, both here and abroad. These are just a few of the many things she has done. To list them all would take up several pages. But she points them out in her book in hopes that others will still get on board and help.

Laura has really opened up and shared a large part of her personal life with us in this book. While there were others who wanted her to be something different than what she was; Laura Bush stayed true to who she is. She is still the girl next door and a loyal friend.

I feel honored to have had her as our First Lady, and all that she has done. Laura Bush has “true grit” and it doesn’t come any better than that.

Rated G

Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail
Rick Steber
Bonanza Publishing
Box 204
Pineville, OR 97754
1-800-399-3115
www.ricksteber.com
ISBN: 0-945134-01-0
$1.99 at B&N
58 pages


This book is an excellent book for teachers to use as a tool, for teaching young minds about our country and its beginnings. The “Oregon Trail,” tells how hard it was for early pioneers to travel to the N.W. Each little story is only a page long, which will hold the attention of younger school age children.

Even adults can enjoy some of these stories. I found it funny that ox's went crazy when they smelled or saw buffalos.

Sandra Heptinstall