All Right Here (The Darlings)

I absolutely loved this book. This book made me laugh, made me cry, & made me ask myself what I would do in the same situation. I don't know if I could have dealt with it like she did. Her husband was awful to her. But in the end it all worked out for the best. Once again great book. I would recommend it to anyone.

 Ivy Darling can’t have children of her own, and her husband Nick’s resentment is forcing them apart. And while Ivy has the support and love of her large, close-knit family, Nick’s family has never welcomed her into the fold. When the three children next door are abandoned by their mother, Ivy and Nick take them in for the night. One night becomes several, and suddenly Ivy and Nick find themselves foster parents to the only African-American kids in the town of Copper Cove, Maine. As Ivy grows more attached to the children, Nick refuses to accept their eclectic household as a permanent family. Just as Ivy begins to question whether or not she wants to save her emotionally barren marriage, Nick begins to discover how much Ivy and the children mean to him. But is his change of heart too little, too late?

 About the Author: Biography Carre writes from the big small town of Portland, Maine, where she's the mom of 3 teenagers and 2 dogs she would rather not own. (Only the dogs, not the teenagers.) From 2007 to 2010, she and her family lived in Russia, studying the language and doing humanitarian work. Like most writers, Carre grew up with her nose in a book. The heroines who most informed her were smart, creative, independent thinkers like Anne Shirley, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Nancy Drew, and Cherry Ames. Nancy proved that being a girl detective might just be the coolest career ever, but Cherry taught her that nursing was more practical. Carre compromised by becoming a nurse and marrying a sleuth. Nearly every flat surface in Carre's home has books on it. The stories she loves most are those about the ordinary lives of ordinary people; she thinks of every life as a fascinating drama. Isn't each one of us the hero of our own story? She'd love for you to drop her a line and tell her yours!

 Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.

When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over

I am not going to lie. When I first started this book I wasn't very interested. It took me a bit to get into it. After Part 1 then I started to get into it. It really ended up being a great book. I would recommend it to anyone that has been hurt by people that claim to be very religious or anyone that would just like to read a good book.

 In the strange, us-versus-them Christian subculture of the 1990s, a person’s faith was measured by how many WWJD bracelets she wore and whether he had kissed dating goodbye. Evangelical poster child Addie Zierman wore three bracelets asking what Jesus would do. She also led two Bible studies and listened exclusively to Christian music. She was on fire for God and unaware that the flame was dwindling—until it burned out. Addie chronicles her journey through church culture and first love, and her entrance—unprepared and angry—into marriage. When she drops out of church and very nearly her marriage as well, it is on a sea of tequila and depression. She isn’t sure if she’ll ever go back. When We Were on Fire is a funny, heartbreaking story of untangling oneself from what is expected to arrive at faith that is not bound by tradition or current church fashion. Addie looks for what lasts when nothing else seems worth keeping. It’s a story for doubters, cynics, and anyone who has felt alone in church.

 About the Author: Biography Addie Zierman is a writer, blogger and fledgling speaker. She has an MFA from Hamline University and is the author of When We Were On Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love and Starting Over, due out through Convergent Books on October 15, 2013. She blogs at addiezierman.com, where she's doing the hard work of redefining faith in a world that is significantly less black and white than she once believed it to be. Addie is a Diet Coke enthusiast with terrible taste in TV and an endless pile of Books-To-Read. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, Andrew, and her two young sons (Dane and Liam). If you see her out, please don't say anything about the streak of snot on her shirt or All The Yelling. It will only embarrass her. 

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book by Waterbrook Multnomah Press, I was neither paid for this review nor was I commanded by Waterbrook Multnomah Press to write a positive review. This review is my own personal opinion. This disclaimer is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255[...] "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.