By Nicole

My most recent book from Waterbrook Multnomah is Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity  by Mark Batterson.  It has taken me a long time to get through this book.  Mainly because it wasn't what I expected, and the introduction put me off a little bit.  While I can't explain why, I have a negative connotation of the word "primal", and I struggled with that through the introduction.  Yet, because I agreed to review this book, I have forged on through.  And I am very thankful that I did.  This is a book that really caused me to stand back and think.  Really examine myself and my spiritual walk with God.  Batterson's book has caused me to want to give more, to feel more, to spend more time in silent wonder with God. He has a knack for explaining the basic precepts of Christianity clearly and then peeling back the layers of religiousity and ritual that we have somehow added to make ourselves "better"....

(photo from Amazon.com) The hook at the beginning of the summary of Kim Meeder's book , Fierce Beauty , was what drew me in when I selected it to review for Multnomah.  "True beauty is not about how you look but how you live."  There were many segments in this book that brought tears to my eyes, if I wasn't already full on crying.  Kim is so honest and open in her writing.  She also has an incredible talent of painting such a vivid picture in her descriptions.  So often I felt like I was right there with her.  Without any pretense or sugar coating, she gets right to the heart of every lesson.  Her illustrations and comparisons are truly inspired by God and cut straight to the quick.  The book is divided into three segments:  The Problem, The King and The Warrior.  Each segment has five or six chapters that provide real life stories and examples that delve deeper into God's purpose for our lives, as women of faith.  This world ...

Ahhh, just the words "financial freedom" have this exciting ring to them!  I recently received The 60 Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Groups Blogging for Books Program.  The book advertises financial transformation in just one hour a week.  Hard to believe.  And I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know if it is true or not.  I was hoping that Kay would give me a solution that would help me only spend one hour a week on EVERYTHING finance related.  Bills, checkbook, planning, etc.  It doesn't quite work that way, and this book certainly doesn't offer a solution to laziness (which I have).  What she does offer is a very rigorous and structured approach to every facet of finances.  There are 14 chapters that cover topics ranging from creating a spending plan to travel and fun to college planning to retirement planning.  Each workout on the different topics is designed to be completed (by one ha...

After reading through As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur, I cannot get that song out of my head... "Refiner's fire... My heart's one desire... Is to be holy... Set apart for you, my Master... Ready to do your will..."  I hummed this all through the beginning of the book as she told a beautiful story of the ancient process of refining silver.  I almost cried as I pictured God peering into my soul... looking for His reflection and most likely not yet finding it. Kay Arthur does a brilliant job of explaining God's true purpose in allowing us to go through struggles and difficult times.  She is fully transparent in sharing her past and ways in which she did and didn't allow God's refining fire to work in her life.  She also has a calm and thorough way of explaining each concept.  I have never understood meekness and how important it is in the life of a Christian until now.  Not only does she provide multiple examples of how Jesus portrayed meekness in His li...