Stephany Writes

Categories: Books

Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

Dining with Joy was about cooking show host Joy Ballard who can’t cook. She inherited her show from her father and her executive producer knew about her lack of cooking abilities, as well as a lot of the staff. The producer then sells the show to Allison Wild, who believes she can make Joy an even bigger star. Only problem? She doesn’t know Joy can’t cook. Enter Luke Redmond. Successful chef, owner of a failed Manhattan restaurant. During one failed live cook-off, Luke steps in to help her and saves the day. They begin working together. While Luke is a master at cooking, he is terrible on screen. (Joy is the opposite.) He soon finds out about Joy’s lack of cooking ability and proceeds to help her learn, keeping her secret. But sooner or later, the cat has to come out of the bag, right?

This was a sweet love story, with Christian themes. The main character was strong and someone I could identify with. Joy had a hard time trusting people, especially men. She had a hard time defining her worth, especially as she is a fraud in the foodie world. She doesn’t exactly know what she wants out of life, but wants to make her father proud, since she never seemed to connect with him while he was alive. There was something about Joy I deeply connected with, and was just rooting for her to take a chance on love. And Luke. Oh, Luke is one of the good guys. Another strong character with his own hang-ups, but someone who strives every day to make something more out of his life. I was incredibly sad when I finished this book because these two characters wouldn’t be a part of my life anymore.

This book is centered around Christian themes, such as what God has called you to do. But deep down, it is a love story. It’s one of those sweet love stories that makes you fall back in love with the process of falling in love. Character development is strong, as well as plot. While it wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down, it was one of those that sucked me right back in when I started reading it again. Rachel Hauck is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. A part of me wishes there was a sequel, just so I could get a taste of Joy and Luke again.

Has there ever been a main character that you closely identified with?

Categories: Books

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen was a book about friendship and coming into your own. It focused on 15-year-old Halley, whose best friend, Scarlett, finds out her boyfriend, Michael, had been killed in a motorcycle accident. They had only been dating for a few weeks but she later finds out that she is pregnant with his baby. Halley becomes focused on helping Scarlett through this, especially with all the other girls in high school Michael had dated, crying over his loss. Halley also finds a new (and exciting) friend in Michael’s best friend, Macon. They begin dating, even though they are as different as night and day. Through all of this, she begins pulling away from her parents and sticking close to her friends and boyfriend.

I don’t want to give the story away, so that’s the gist of it. I haven’t read YA fiction in a really long time, so I wasn’t sure how I would like the story but I loved it. Dessen has this amazing voice throughout the entire book and the characters are so well-developed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the plot flowed along smoothly, and it was real.

There were a lot of issues brought up in the book: virginity, sex, love, friendship, rebellion, drinking, drugs, parents, and teenage pregnancy. And I have to say that Dessen did an awesome job covering them without going too over the top, or being too preachy. It was a little hard for me to read because I have cousins the same age as Halley and Scarlett and I see a lot of the same emotions in them as I saw in these friends. Many times, I just wanted to hit Halley upside the head for the hurtful things she said to her mom or the way she treated Macon as the best person she’d ever known, only because I’ve seen the way my cousins have lashed out or acted like their friends were better than family. But it also helped me to see their side. In high school, things are crazy. Emotions are all over the place and the only people who really understand what you’re going through are your friends because they’re going through the same things. They get you.

This is the first book of Dessen’s that I’ve read and I enjoyed it so much, I’m definitely going to pick up more of her books. The story was real and honest, and something I would definitely recommend for a teen or someone who enjoys YA fiction.

What was the last YA fiction book you read?

Categories: Books

Book Review: Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

I’m attending my first book club this month and this was the book on the list. Admittedly, I wasn’t excited. I don’t typically read these types of books and the fact that it has gotten rave reviews turned me off. For some reason, I end up enjoying books most people don’t like. The fact that Megan said it was the “greatest book she’s ever read” and Becky said that she was “hooked from the first paragraph” assured me that I wouldn’t like this book.

Oh. My. Gosh. I was wrong.

Water For Elephants was about a boy named Jacob who joined the circus after his parents died just because he was going to take his tests to certify him as a veterinarian. The story also involves Jacob as an older man, 90 or 93, who is living in a nursing home and reminiscing about his early days with the circus. Younger Jacob quickly becomes the show’s vet, even though he’s technically not certified, and he watches over the flurry of animals for the circus. He befriends a man named August and his wife Marlena, whom Jacob falls hard for. The book follows the progression of Jacob, as he grows up and learns the harsh realities of the world. He learns about love, about hatred, about caring for animals and the strength he has within himself.

I absolutely loved every single page of this book. I fell head over heels for both Younger Jacob and Older Jacob because they both possessed an innate strength and zest for life. Seeing how he grew up as he grew into himself was inspiring.

I thought the plot was fantastic and there weren’t any parts that dragged. Gruen kept it moving the whole time. The dialogue was great and I just loved the development of Jacob and Marlena’s relationship. I hated and loved August, all at the same time.

I can’t pinpoint what I loved most about this book, but I was a little surprised at the ending, simply because of the type of book I thought it was. Others might have thought it predictable, but I didn’t. (This is probably because I read a lot of predictable books and really don’t mind the predictability of them.)

I am really, really excited about the movie adaptation of this book. Robert Pattinson is going to play Younger Jacob, which I think can work. I’m not the biggest Pattinson fan, but he was a little of what I pictured Younger Jacob looked like. Reese Witherspoon is going to play Marlena, which I’m not quite sure about. But since I love Reese, I think she can pull it off!

What did this book teach me? I’m not sure. That I need to give popular books a second chance? 😉 I think it taught me about inner strength and that you can’t sit back in life. Cliché as it may be, you really have to make lemonade out of lemons. Jacob was on his way to becoming a Cornell-educated veterinarian and joining his father’s practice. Instead, his parents died and he joined the circus. Yet he still managed to make something out of it and found himself in the process. We don’t know where life will take us, but it’s up to us to make the most out of whatever life hands to us.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

Categories: Books

Book Review: Your Money, God’s Way by Amie Streater

I chose this book because I feel as if my finances are in a state of disarray. I want to get my hands on any book that opens my eyes to handling money and this one did the trick! I really had no previous thoughts going into it. It was the first book on money I had ever read and I was just looking for something to help.

This book was exactly what I needed. In the beginning, Streater tells you her story: how she was living above her means and using credit cards to help whenever needed. How a sermon on a CD opened her eyes to the way she was living. She, along with her husband, began taking steps to become debt-free and is now there. But it was a long process, and through it, she became an associate pastor of financial stewardship for a large church.

The book emphasizes 7 “counterfeit convictions”, alongside “timeless truths”. The counterfeit convictions are the things we tell ourselves about why we’re in debt (i.e., “It is my Christian duty to be at the beck and call of everyone who wants me to help them out of a jam.”). The timeless truths showcase how we should be living (i.e., “You have to take care of yourself first if you’re going to be in a position to help anyone else.”). The book was packed with stories of how other people got into debt and how their reasoning was wrong. At the end of the book was a great little budgeting lesson. Streater broke the budgets into three groups: Level 1 (people with debt who can’t afford to tithe 10%, save 10%, and use the 80% for living expenses – which is the formula Streater says is best.), Level 2 (people not in too much debt and can live out the 10-10-80 plan), and Level 3 (the most fun level – no debt at all!) Streater also mentions writing out a Level 3 plan, even if you’re at Level 1, to give you something to look forward to. She emphasizes that you have to constantly go back to your budget and rework it to account for pay raises, bonuses, and other expenses.

After reading this book, I am now even more focused on getting out of debt, saving money, and beginning to tithe 10% again. I need to know exactly where each dollar of my paycheck is going and stop lolly-gagging around with my money.

I also want to reference two quotes from this book that really stood out to me:

“In Luke 16:10, Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in least is unjust also in much.” In other words, if you can’t budget, plan, save, and give on $35,000 a year, you won’t be able to do it on $350,000 a year either.” (p. 118)”

“…[W]e didn’t talk much during dinner, which was Mexican food capped by chocolate sundaes for the kids. The kids were just picking up their spoons to dive in to the gooey goodness when Addision, five, demanded, “Hey, shouldn’t this sundae have a cherry on top? Where is the cherry?”…I wonder how often God watches me and has the same reaction I had to Addison. I wonder if He ever thinks, Hey woman! Look around you. So, things aren’t perfect. How about expressing a little gratitude for the sundae? Not everyone has a sundae, you know.“

If you want a faith-based answer to why you are in debt and how you can be free from it, I would recommend picking up this book. I’m so glad I picked this book because now I’m even more excited to work on my budget.

Have you ever read a book about money? Did you get anything out of it?


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am diclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising“.

Categories: Books

Book Review: Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

The tagline for this book is “You were made to make a difference.” Honestly, it’s not a new concept and there was no ground-breaking information in the book. The book talks about how we can make a difference, be it on a grand scale in other countries or a smaller scale right in our homes. The book is chock full of biblical and modern-day examples of how powerful our actions can be if we just take a step out of our comfort zones and show love to the world.

I was a little wary about the book because I’ve read books with the same type of message before and am always left feeling like I don’t have enough money, time, or resources to truly make a difference. Max Lucado does something totally different with this book. He gives big examples and small examples, biblical and modern-day. Things that can help a tiny village in Africa and things that can help a single woman, alone in a brand-new city. Instead of feeling like the problems are too insurmountable for me to fix, I am left feeling like there are numerous ways I can make a difference that doesn’t include shoveling what little money I have at an aid organization.

Instead, I can pray. I can volunteer. I can invite a friend to coffee and let her have a listening ear if she needs it. I can make people feel valued and loved. I can pool all my talents and resources that I already have (such as compassion and a big heart) to make a difference. Maybe it’s not on a large-scale and maybe I’ll only affect a small minority of people. Maybe I’ll only affect one person. But it’s still making a difference because that one person is just as important to God as an entire village.

So, no. The message isn’t any different than others I’ve read. I don’t have a bigger itch to do missionary work, or even to start volunteering at a soup kitchen. But I do realize that I can make a difference now. It can be as small as praying for a lost friend, or as big (to them) as inviting them over for dinner. And I will make a difference. I was made to.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about the message of Jesus, what He stands for, and seeking opportunities to make a difference. The examples will amaze you and sometimes may bring tears to your eyes. It’s proof that there are still good people in this world and we have plenty of opportunities to show those less fortunate what it means to be loved.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising“.