Christian, self improvement

Restore My Soul

Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Laura L. Smith
Publisher: Our Daily Bread
Genre: Christian / Inspiration
ISBN: 978-1-64070-162-5
Pages: 264
Price: $16.99

Author’s website
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David and other Biblical heroes found comfort and strength in the Psalms, and we can also. In Restore My Soul, Laura L. Smith shares thirty reflections on these inspirational words that we can use in our own lives.

These reflections include topics such as soul restoration, pain and suffering, fear and hope, and discerning big decisions. As we explore each topic, a Psalm is offered that offers ideas on living them ourselves. Smith shares thoughts from her own life as well as her family and friends, as she guides us on our own journey through the Psalms.

There isn’t a better book to read when facing difficulties in our lives, as many of the Psalms are heartfelt pleas to God for wisdom, protection, and strength. Restore My Soul offers a deeper look into these masterpieces of wisdom.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

health

Why Am I Eating This?

Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Sandy Robertson
Genre: Inspiration / Diet
ISBN: 979-8857752715
Pages: 106
Price: $10.95

Author’s Instagram
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Dieting is challenging, and it’s helpful to have the right mindset when attempting to lose weight. But rather than focusing on what to eat or how to exercise, Why Am I Eating This? approaches this topic from the perspective of why we eat.

The first thing we’re asked to do is focus on self-awareness. We are challenged to eat mindfully, fully aware of exactly what we’re eating. We need to discover our food patterns, uncover our eating history, and focus on gratitude for all the food available to us. And then we should explore what healthy eating habits look like for us.

At the close of this book, we should have a much better understanding of exactly why we’re eating and what we expect to receive from our food. We can always make the choice to eat for pleasure rather than nourishment, but if we make this a habit, we’ll never reach out goals. This book will help us to focus on nourishing food, and to stay aware of what and why we’re eating.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, teen

5-Minute Devotions for Teens

Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Laura L. Smith
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Genre: Christian / Meditation / Inspiration
ISBN: 978-0-310-14308-6
Pages: 122
Price: $14.99

Author’s website
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Teens especially need to hear of God’s love for them, as they navigate through lives that are often stressful. Between school, friends, social media, and school activities, their lives are stretched thin, and they often feel lost and alone. 5-Minute Devotions for Teens provides a single page daily meditation for them to connect with God on a regular basis.

Each of these 100 meditations shares a Bible verse, a short meditation on the verse and life issue, and a closing prayer. They cover topics like overwhelm, temptation, disappointment, self-care, friendship, and loneliness, as well as many others. Kids can turn to the page that most speaks to their needs at any time, to find encouragement and Biblical support. Plus there is a “notes” section in the back, where they can record helpful thoughts they find in the readings.

Lots of adults have daily meditations they rely on when life is tough, so it’s great to see a Biblical meditation book just for teens. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, Christian

In the Beginning God Smiled

Bergers Book Reviews

Author: David Lahm
Illustrator: Lael Brinkley
Publisher: Divine Rhyme
Genre: Children / Christian
ISBN: 979-8-9916635-0-2
Pages: 40
Price: $14.99

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The Big Bang comes alive in this rhyming story book about God’s creation of the Universe and human beings. Lovely, playful verse exclaims with glee how God felt as he used all of his glorious creative energy to create the masterpiece of the Universe. And once his creation was almost complete, he realized he needed humans to join him in expressing their appreciation of all He had made.

In the Beginning God Smiled is a really fun read for kids to revel in God’s wonderful creative powers, and smile as God smiled on us.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

What Does Your Daddy Do?

Bergers Book Reviews

Author:Joshua Page
Publisher: Christian Faith
Genre: Children / Christian
ISBN: 978-1-68517-717-1
Pages: 44
Price: $15.95

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Ashton’s class is discussing careers when the teacher asks him what his father does. He knows his father is an electrician, but he has no idea what that means. He goes home and asks his dad to tell him about his work.

His dad then proceeds to go into a lengthy discussion about what he does and how he views his work. He is excited to share how he helps people in their homes and businesses, and that he gets to use his mind and his hands in his work. Ashton also learns that his father was trained in a trade school, not high school. He determines that he’d also like to be an electrician when he grows up.

Kids today have little knowledge of trades, so this book will open their eyes to other career options available to them. Best of all, these are highly skilled and well-paid positions that will serve them well over the course of their lives. What Does Your Daddy Do? is a great introduction for kids.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, inspiration, meditation

Bouquet of Wisdom: Reflections from the Garden

Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Deanna Nowadnick
Publisher: Rhododendron Books
Genre: Christian / Meditation / Inspiration
ISBN: 978-0983589709
Pages: 142
Price: $12.60

Author’s website
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God can speak to us in so many ways, so it shouldn’t surprise us that one of His favorite ways to communicate with us is through nature. In Bouquet of Wisdom, Deanna Nowadnick shares some of the lessons God has given her through her own experiences in the garden.

Each of these short reflections is paired with garden flowers. They open with a Bible verse, followed by a two page sharing of a particular experience in the author’s life, closing with some digging deeper questions for the reader to ponder. Topics covered include patience, mercy, empathy, and dreams, as well as many others.

Other books featured on this site from Deanna Nowadnick are Signs in Life and Fruit of My Spirit. Just as in her two previous books, Deanna Nowadnick is refreshingly honest in sharing her life stories with us. This is an enjoyable and inspiring read, and I highly recommend this book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

miscellaneous

Biolift

Bergers Book Reviews


Purchase from: Biolift website

During the afternoon energy slump, it can be difficult to maintain our focus, and it’s all too easy to turn to caffeine. But too much caffeine can increase heart rate or blood pressure, and cause the jitters. Biolift has created this delicious product with all of the energy and only a fraction of the caffeine. And it’s clinically proven to improve focus and sustain performance for over two hours, when the energy boost from caffeine normally fades.

These sparkling beverages contain guarana for alertness, ginkgo biloba for cognitive performance, elderberry for immune function, and carob as a low-glycemic sweetener. A 12 oz can contains only 50 calories and 10 mg of caffeine. Biolift comes in three flavors – mandarin orange, mixed berry, and peach mango. Light and refreshing, they will brighten your mood and your thinking. I highly recommend these energy drinks.

acting, inspiration

The Actor’s Book of Quotes

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Mike Kimmel
Publisher: Ben Rose Creative Arts
Genre: Acting / Inspiration
ISBN: 978-1953057136
Pages: 276
Price: $17.99

Author’s website
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Acting is a hard profession, so it’s helpful to have someone to lean on when the going gets tough. So even if you don’t know any professional actors to guide you, Mike Kimmel has gathered many of their quotes for inspiration. This unique book shares the best of the best on acting and life.

The topics covered are too numerous to list, but include autions, audiences, creativity, criticism, fear, hard work, individuality, optimism, and pessimism. Actors like Steve Martin, Leonard Nimoy, Sean Connery, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Fred Astaire as well as many others offer their gems of wisdom.

A few of these quotes are:

To be good, you need to believe in what you’re doing. ~ Billy Crystal

Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners. ~ James Stewart

If you let your head get too big, it’ll break your neck. – Elvis Presley

The first star of a motion picture should be its story. ~ Cecil B. DeMille

This book is the perfect addition to any actor’s bookshelf, which will always be there when facing a big audition or a huge letdown. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian

Mary’s Voice: Advent Reflections to Contemplate the Coming of Christ

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing
Publisher: Worthy Books
Genre: Christian / Advent
ISBN: 978-1-5460-0452-3
Pages: 208
Price: $24.00

Author’s website
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Every Christmas, we hear the story of the angel announcing to Mary that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. And we see Mary kneeling in front of Jesus with Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men in our manger scenes. But is this all we know about Mary’s role in this miraculous birth? If we read deeper in the Bible, we can see a lot more that Mary would like us to know.

In Mary’s Voice we visit with Mary as she experiences the angel’s visit. But we also see her as she goes in haste to see her kinswoman, Elizabeth, and hear the words they both exclaim to each other. We worship with her at the manger, and then we share in the sorrows and joys she feels, as she brings Jesus to the temple in offering to God. Throughout all of these events, Mary ponders in her heart all that she sees and hears.

I often wish the Bible recorded more of Mary’s thoughts or words, but Mary’s Voice offers us plenty to ponder in our own hearts. I highly recommend this wonderful Advent book for anyone seeking to more fully experience Mary’s role in the birth of Jesus.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

business, self improvement

The Toll Booth

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: John Feloni
Publisher: Kallisti Publishing
Genre: Business / Self-improvement
ISBN: 978-1-7359792-5-0
Pages: 116
Price: $14.00

Author’s website
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A young man timidly approaches the office of Mr. Robert Campbell, the chairman and president of his multinational employer. He has just received the company’s newsletter which asks the employees to commit to the company’s goals. But it also encourages them to dream big dreams. This young man has finally realized that he wants to pursue his own big dreams that don’t have anything to do with the company, and he’s come to Mr. Campbell for advice.

Mr. Campbell immediately senses something different in this young man, and drops everything on his agenda to speak with him. He offers an old notebook that has been filled with 40 days of journal entries, written by an anonymous toll booth operator. The young man reads sections of the entries and he and Mr. Campbell discuss what is written.

I won’t give away the spoiler on who the author of the notebook is, although most readers will probably guess it for themselves. But this notebook shows how this toll booth operator’s thoughts and feeling progress over the 40 days, as he begins to find clarity about his life and its direction. Mr. Campbell takes on the role of mentor as he explains this process to the young man.

Following our dreams when they run counter to what we’ve been raised to believe is the right way to live is downright scary. Fears of failure loom large and we need all the support we can get – both spiritual and the folks around us. The Toll Booth offers wisdom on how to tackle these challenges, believing in our own success. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger