Book Review: Life Without Limits

A couple weeks ago, I joined Blogging for Books... Like many other publishers, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group will send you free books to review for just a short blog review of the book. As I started my journey as a reviewer... my first task was to select a book...

What better book to begin reviewing with than the story of Nick Vujicic. I had previously seen a youtube video about his DVD, No Arms, No Legs, No Problem, and found him to be fascinating, and super inspirational. So I just had to see what he had to say!! 

Life Without Limits is Nick telling about his life, and his secrets to finding "ridiculous" joy from life. He shares his struggles growing up without limbs, his parents' struggles in raising a child without limbs, and how both overcame the "limits"! I really enjoyed reading this book. At first I was a little nervous that this was going to be a self help book, trying to encourage me to go out and take on the world, but as I read deeper into the book, Nick really opens up about his life, people who impacted him as much as he had impacted them. I loved the part of the book where he talks about meeting a little boy named Daniel for the first time... Daniel was just like him, no arms, no legs... and even had the same little stubby foot!

I really enjoyed Nick's perspective on God's role in making him... and how God has used his "disability" and turned it into his "abilities". His ability to inspire hundreds of people at once, and how he has changed people's lives is just amazing!!! He talks a lot about what he has seen throughout his travels as a motivational speaker and that joy comes from within us, not from around us.

This is a great book of encouragement for people who are struggling with self-doubt, in tough situations, or just really enjoy a good read about amazing people! Be prepared to laugh and cry throughout the book. I love Nick's sense of humor throughout the book, even when talking about very tough subjects. The book also includes pictures of Nick as a child, teenager, and as an adult doing some incredible things!

Take a look inside the book!

Note: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review". 

Book Review: The Secrets Beneath by Kathleen Fuller

We recieved our first book for review from http://www.booksneeze.com. 

The Secrets Beneath by Kathleen Fuller

This book is written for young teen females. It is a very charming book that opens the doors to the Amish culture. Bekah is an Amish girl, growing up in the countryside of Ohio with her family, when her cousin comes to live with her without explanation, and a mysterious man moves next door. Bekah tries to solve two mysteries:
1) Why is her cousin living with them?
2) Why is her new neighbor in his backyard in the middle of night digging holes?

Even though the plot/mysteries aren't too captivating, the characters are charming. At first, I found the use of the Amish terms distracting, but after getting further into the book, I enjoyed the use of the Amish terms. The book did not focus heavily on Christian beliefs except in two small paragraphs. The book does take time to talk about God answering prayers and how God's answers looks in different situations.

Even though the series of this book is called "The Mysteries of Middlefield", this book was far from the Nancy Drew Mystery classics.

This would be a great book for a young teen girl who was interested in learning more about the Amish community or going through some family difficulties, such as dealing with parents with depression, separation, divorce, etc (which are all addressed very lightly in this book).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”