Tough Guys and Drama Queens

"Tough Guys and Drama Queens" by Mark Gregston is a book devoted to helping parents navigate the difficult teen years with their children. The book is divided up into three parts - one that discusses today's culture, on that discusses detrimental parenting practices, and parenting practices that really work. Each part has several chapters, that elaborate on the topics. What I liked about this book was the relevance to today's culture and society. I liked the book's focus on connections, trust, and independence and how to build those characteristics in our teens. I think that it is so important to raise young adults who are confident, and have good morals, and this book definitely gives a lot of helpful information in avoiding potential landmines in the teen years. I would recommend this book to anyone who has children headed to their teen years. I would give it a 5/5.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

John Locke : Philosopher of American Liberty

"John Locke: Philosopher of American Liberty" by Mary-Elaine Swanson is a biographical look at famed theologian, philosopher, and educator, John Locke. What I found to be really interesting about this book is the sheer amount of impact that John Locke had on the founding principles of the United States of America. You hear so much about founding fathers, but to see one of the figures that really molded their ideals was really fascinating. This book is a biography of John Locke, from birth onward. This book is quite long, nearly 400 pages of reading, but it is genuinely interesting. I would say that this book is a wonderful addition to the bookshelf of history lovers. I would give this book a 5/5 - well written, interesting, and historically accurate. Great read!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookCrash.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

Jackson

Paul Vickery's "Jackson: The Iron-Willed Commander" is one book in the series of "The Generals". After reading the book on General Grant, I had really high expectations for "Jackson", and this book did not disappoint. I wasn't sure that the "Jackson" book would have the same type of whole life story as "Grant", but as soon as I opened up the book, I knew I was in for a treat. This book traces the entire life story of Andrew Jackson, from childhood in South Carolina, through his Presidency of the United States, and the legacy he left behind. What is interesting is that even though each of the books in this series have different authors, they all tell an interesting and thoughtful story of the life and career of each person they profile. "Jackson" includes so many interesting facts about the man who is known as a great military leader, and President, like that he chose to begin studying law at age 17! I loved this book, and will definitely recommend it to anyone who loves history. Great read!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

Implosion

"Implosion: Can America Recover from its Economis & Spiritual Challenges in Time?" is the latest book by Joel C. Rosenberg (author of "Epicenter"), that attempts to answer the question of whether American can recover from the economic and spiritual downward spiral it currently faces. What I liked about this book is that it not only draws on historic references, but it uses those references and connects them to Biblical reference and prophecy to draw the whole picture of what has happened in America, and how the future could play out if things do not change drastically in the near future. The book discusses topics like whether there could be a Third Great Awakening on the horizon in America, and whether or not American could once again be the city on a hill. This book also discusses the possibility of the Biblical Rapture as a possible ending to the economic and spiritual turmoil that has overtaken our land. I thought this book was very thought provoking, and I really liked that it was so well researched - the historical facts check out, and Rosenberg uses direct quotes from Scripture in his Biblical references. I think this book is a great read for anyone who is concerned about the direction that America is headed. I would highly recommend this book - I would give it a 5/5!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

To Heaven and Back

"To Heaven and Back" by Mary C. Neal is an absolutely fascinating book about life, death, and eternal life. Mary Neal wrote this book as a sort of autobiography of her amazing experience when she died in a tragic kayaking accident. After she technically died, she describes her interaction with angels and in Heaven before she is returned to her Earthly home. I thought that this book was written beautifully - Mary tells the honest story of her life, the accident, her experiences as her spirit left her body, and her life after she was sent back to her life. What I found most interesting was her descriptions of Heaven, and her memories of that experience. She describes the great hall she saw with such beauty and energy, and then she felt such great sadness at having to be returned to her body because her time on Earth was not yet over. I thought this book was interesting, and I really enjoyed it, from cover to cover. It is very well written, and I would recommend this to anyone - man, woman, student, Christian, non-Christian.. I believe that anyone could benefit from Mary's story. I would give this book a 5/5!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Water Brook Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

Grant

"Grant" by Mitchell Yockelson is one of the books in "The Generals" series. This particular book follows the life of Ulysses S. Grant, and it absolutely fascinating. This book begins with his early years, showing us what a young Ulysses would have looked like. The book follows Grant through his training at West Point, as well as the earlier years of his career. The book chronicles Grant's battles of the Civil War in a way that makes you feel as if you are watching it happen. From Belmont to Shiloh, to Vicksburg we see Ulysses S. Grant forge ahead in battle. What I really loved about this book was that it gives insight into the life of one of the most famous generals, and this book really gives him more of a human element, rather than thinking of him solely as a soldier. I thought this book was very interesting, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in history - great writing coupled with a very interesting man.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

The Book of Common Sense for a Successful Life

"The Book of Common Sense for a Successful Life" by D.L. Dennis is a book that focuses on ways to live a successful life. Many of the points that are raised in this book are more common sense than anything, like having six months worth of salary saved, be debt free, and know your net worth. This book primarily focuses on being financially successful, but does briefly touch on some social and spiritual angles as well. While the book was thoughtfully written, I felt like I really didn't get much out of it. As I mentioned, most of the advice and guidelines that Mr. Dennis presents in this book is common sense principles. There really wasn't any new earth shattering advice in "The Book of Common Sense for a Successful Life". I would give this book a 3/5 - well written, but mostly recycled information that I've heard many times in other places.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookCrash.com in exchange for an honest review.