The book is full of interesting aspects of Amish life (including a few recipes in the appendix!) and the descriptions of life in Montana are beautifully written– I could almost feel the icy cold winter weather. I can’t wait to read the third book in the series and see who Marianna ends up settling down with and how her walk with the Lord continues to mature and deepen.

I feel like I’ve come to befriend Marianna, which is a sign of a good story in my opinions. Despite her shortcomings, she is a strong woman, a complex and realistic character who I feel many readers will relate to (Amish or not!).

About the book:

All she wanted was a simple Amish life . . . But now Marianna Sommer finds herself depending on Englisch neighbors. Although proud of living apart from the world, she and her newly relocated Amish family have discovered that life in the remote mountains of Montana requires working together.

As Marianna begins helping those different from herself—and receiving their help—her heart contemplates two directions. She’s torn between the Amish man from Indiana whom she has long planned on marrying and the friendly Englischer who models a closer walk with God than she’s ever seen before.

Who should have young Marianna’s heart? What is God asking her to sacrifice? Her traditions? Her community? The answer is found along the wooded paths.

Read an excerpt.

About Tricia:

Tricia Goyer is the author of thirty books includingSongbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home inLittle Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife.

For more about Tricia and her other books visit www.triciagoyer.com

go here to sign up for the Live Author Chat!

I’m linking up with the other reviewers from the Litfuse Nest in this blog tour. Thanks, Litfuse!

I’d never read any of the Amish novels out on the market, so when a chance to review Tricia Goyer’s new Amish book Beside Still Waters came up, I decided it was worth a try. I knew that Tricia was a great storyteller and the story of Marianna Sommer was no different.

I loved the insights into in Amish culture; if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Tricia from reading a few of her books and following her on Facebook, it’s that she does her research thoroughly and through relationships with real people. This shines through in Beside Still Waters as with her other historical fiction books.

The most unusual part of this book review was getting to read an unedited, early copy of the book (complete with editor’s notes, which made me feel like a real insider!). I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

About Tricia: Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough (which I’ve been able to read and review). She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005.

In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more info.

About Beside Still Waters: Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she’s ever known.

When Marianna’s family moves from Indiana to Montana she discovers life and faith will never be the same. As she builds an easy friendship with local guy, Ben Stone, Ben not only draws her heart, he also gets her thinking about what loving God and living in community is all about.

As Marianna struggles to find “home,” she also encounters God in intimate ways. Click here to watch the book trailers.

About Beside Still Waters Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of the first book in the Big Sky Amish series, Tricia is giving away 10 copies of Beside Still Waters and a pair of super cute antique Amish salt & pepper shakers.

Details at Tricia’s blog, It’s Real Life.

BONUS! Each person who enters the giveaway will receive a FABULOUS Montana Amish Calendar. Hurry, it’s only available while supplies last!

Thanks to Litfuse for the review copy. Be sure to check out the other blogs on this blog tour!

Now that our Gigi is almost four, she loves “reading” her Gigi books, and naturally is quite taken by the whole princess phenomenon. I love Sheila’s take on princesses because her books area all about how the character Gigi is a princess because she’s a daughter of the King.

While I don’t always like the Gigi character’s representation in the movie adaptations (she’s a little literal about the whole princess thing, and the feather boas and tiaras worn everywhere can be a little over the top), the books are classy and cute with a super sweet message.

I was so excited about Sheila’s newest book, which goes beyond the Gigi books, and is geared towards a slightly older audience, the tweens. How To Be God’s Little Princess is a modern guide book on “manners, etiquette and true beauty,” that takes into consideration all that culture is throwing at our girls at such a young age.

It’s a great tool for preparing them to not only embrace traditional manners and etiquette, but also showing them how to be strong as one of God’s daughters through it all. Sheila weaves in encouraging Bible verses along with her fun and useful how-tos, quizzes, checklists and guides.

Here’s a little more information:

About the book: How to Be God’s Little Princess: Royal Tips of Manners and Etiquette for Girls

What does it take to be a princess? Sheila Walsh has some important answers to share for every little girl. This trendy design features black & white line art and a two-color pink and black interior. The art will tie to each how-to topic in the book-how to make the best pink cookies, how to wear a tiara, how to earn money at home, how to care for a royal dog, how to be respectful, how to use good manners, how to help Mom, how to follow Jesus, how to act like a princess when things go terribly wrong, and many more.

Increasingly, we see tween girls of today embracing the prevalent “anything goes” spirit of our culture. Sheila seeks to combat that spirit and reinforce God’s standard in their lives. She takes a holistic approach by not just focusing on behavior but also addressing the heart.

About Sheila: Sheila Walsh is the creator of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess® brand which has sold over 1.5 million units. Sheila is also a powerful communicator, Bible teacher, and best-selling author with more than 4 million books sold. As a featured speaker with Women of Faith®, Sheila has reached more than 3.5 million women by artistically combining honesty, vulnerability, and humor with God’s Word.

Giveaway!

The publisher has provided me with a copy of How To Be God’s Little Princess for one lucky reader!

Here’s how to enter:

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Faith, you’ve been notified as the winner!

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me who you would love to win this book for.

2. Extra entry: Tweet about the giveaway or post about it on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you did.

Good luck! Giveaway will end on Saturday, April 16th, at midnight, PST.

Thanks to Litfuse for providing the review copy of this book. To view the rest of the blog tour, click here!

Deadly Disclosures (Dinah Harris Mystery)by Julie Cave

Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of Godby Brent Curtis and John Eldredge

Mansfield Park* by Jane Austen {I was glad this was on Jessica’s list because I like to reread at least one Austen novel a year}

Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanaticby {fellow Dodger fan} Alyssa Milano

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day* by Jeff Hertzberg

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground* by Donna Otto

The Pilgrim’s Progress* by John Bunyan

The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompanimentsby David Lebovitz {considering the connoisseur I am, it’s sort of sacrilegious that I haven’t checked this out yet!}

Dancing with My Father: How God Leads Us into a Life of Grace and Joy* by Sally Clarkson

The Help* by Kathryn Stockett

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life by Shauna Niequist

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald

Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods by Nina Planck {I’ve read parts of this already}

Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Livingby Tsh Oxenreider {working through Part 2 now}

*books from the Booking It list

As someone who’s been through my fair share of storms in the last year, I can tell you that this sweet little book will be an encouragement to all who read it. Full of inspiring quotes, scriptures and beautiful poetry, it reminds its reader of the love of God and of His control of all situations.

Reading an open-page spread per day has been a lovely little addition to my quiet times with the Lord.

This ninety-six page gift-book combines heartfelt poetry with powerful quotes and Scripture verses to speak to the heart and soul of anyone going through difficult times. The beautiful fabric binding with foil stamping makes this the perfect gift for anyone seeking comfort.

Author Cheryl Ricker reaches into the depths of human suffering from the perspective of Christ speaking to the reader in soothing poetic words.

This elegant gift book will reach the heart and soul of anyone facing difficult circumstances, leading them through their suffering into the arms of a faithful loving God.

Each two-page spread includes a poem, as well as reflections written by Christian leaders, along with healing Scripture verses.

About Cheryl Ricker:

Cheryl Ricker has a degree in creative writing and has written columns and articles for various magazines and newspapers. She’s been writing poetry all her life and her poems have won awards in fine arts and literary magazines. Cheryl lives with her husband and two sons in Rochester, Minnesota

Please check out Cheryl’s amazing website for more information. www.cherylricker.com

Cheryl Ricker is hosting this great contest over at her website during
the blog tour for A Friend in the Storm, Zondervan’s latest innovative gift book of quotes, Scripture
and poetry that leads to lasting hope!

Since this book covers matters of the heart, Cheryl wants to hear from YOUR heart! In the midst of any type of loss, grief or crisis, A Friend in the Storm takes you on a healing journey where you experience Christ’s love in a fresh, memorable way. Now she invites you to submit an original poem, story or snippet about a time when someone was a friend in your storm… and she’s giving you the opportunity to win a KINDLE to do it!

Head on over to her Contest Page on her website to find out how to enter!

On October 3rd, she will randomly select one winner to receive a brand-new KINDLE! She’s also choosing 5 more names at random to receive a signed copy of A Friend in the Storm! The winners will be announced at her Facebook Party on October 4th. The party will take place on Cheryl’s Facebook “A Friend in the Storm” Page – go here for all the details.

The Facebook Party will be a blast!  Not only will she be announcing the Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway winners, but she’ll also be chatting with party goers, hosting fun trivia contests, and giving away even more prizes every 10 minutes – including signed copies of A Friend in the Storm, and gift certificates to Amazon.com and Starbucks.com!

Oh, and check this out – Cheryl is also giving away a $50 Amazon gift certificate!
Simply help her spread the word about the contest; Facebook Party. Interested? It’s easy to enter! Here’s how:

Share this on FACEBOOK: Want to help someone who’s hurting? “A Friend in the Storm,” Zondervan’s latest gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry, is helping thousands find lasting Hope! Go here http://ow.ly/2BYiN to enter to win a KINDLE!

Post this on TWITTER: A Friend in the Storm by @cherylricker heals hearts in tough times. Enter 2 win a KINDLE http://ow.ly/2BYiN here! #litfuse (You must use hashtag #litfuse to be entered.)

Share this as many times as you like – just email amy@litfusegroup.com by October 4th and let her know how many times you tweeted/shared on Facebook, twittered or blogged about the contest. Each ‘sharing’ represents one entry into the contest.

Thank you to Litfuse for providing this book for me to review.

Here is a mini archive of all my old posts over at Gidget Goes Home on reading, including book reviews. My forthcoming book reviews will be here on Gidget Loves Language.

• Tending to Eden {Book Review}
• Songbird Under a German Moon {Review}
• Double Trouble {Review + Giveaway}
• The Swiss Courier {Review+ Twitter Contest}
• Pearl Girls {Book Review}
• Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie {Review}
• Susan May Warren’s The Great Christmas Bowl {Review + Giveaway}
• A Silly Poem From Memory
• Tricia Goyer’s Blue Like Playdough {Review}
• Mark Driscoll’s Religion Saves {Book Review}
• Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World {Review + Giveaway}

I’ve read all of Ms. Austen’s completed novels at least once, and her incomplete works are on my to-read list, too {Thanks, Moondoggie, for buying me her complete works one Christmas}. Off the top of my head, I’d have to say Pride and Prejudice is my favorite, but in order to sound like I’m just picking the most popular, I think I’m going to commit to rereading all of her novels in 2009 in order to make sure that choice still holds true.

I’ve loved every movie/miniseries adaptation that I’ve seen (even though, naturally they don’t do the actual novel justice) and I also have enjoyed some “sequels” or modern-day Austen-like tales like Elizabeth Aston’s series that starts with Mr. Darcy’s Daughters. I don’t know quite what it is about the regency era that I love so much… but here are a few of my favorite (and somewhat generalized) things about Jane Austen’s works.

• Happy endings~ this is always a big one for me, and I find it especially meaningful when you consider that Jane herself did not have her own happy love-story ending), not to mention there is often a very real tension in her love stories that I love.
• The heroes~ they’re amazing men–while flawed, they still always have many virtues and I imagine them to be as handsome as the men that play them in the movies. They’re passionate, chivalrous, often literary, but still very manly.
• The heroines~ all of the heroines are strong women, in their own way. They have their (realistic) imperfections to be sure, but they’re not superficial or overly-flawed characters (which is something that bugs me). They love passionately, are dreamers & fighters, they have integrity & good morals, but they know how to have fun.
• Feminism~ I don’t tend to call myself a feminist by modern-day standards, but I love how Austen criticizes the society she was a part of, while portraying women that also just did what they had to do. They may long for “more,” they may consider whether marriage should be their only means of making something for themselves or their family, or even complain about their situation, but they don’t rebel against the society completely– they still embrace motherhood, marriage, and of course true love.
• Details~ the stories are intricate, and the cultural details are apparent, really bringing to life an era that would otherwise be dead to my modern mind and understanding.
• Conflict~ Ms. Austen was an absolute genius when it comes to creating conflict and therefore, viable plots, in her novels, always knowing exactly what horrible things to do to her characters and their love lives (although, thankfully, always rectifying everything, very passionately, in the end).
• Lanugage~ I get lost in the language, words like felicity, and mischance, and thither… okay, that line’s not mine, I stole it from You’ve Got Mail, but I’ll too admit that there’s a lot of romance in reading a novel from that era and getting caught up in the vocabulary.

Are you a Jane-ite? What’s your favorite novel?

Oh, and here are a few fun sites to check out if you are a fan:

• AustenBlog
• Jane Austen Quote of the Day
• Austen-tatious (no longer being updated, but still cool)

I was privileged to have been contacted by Oxford University Press to review the children’s picture book, First Spanish Words, illustrated by David Melling and compiled by Neil Morris. For those of you who are teaching your children other languages, there is also a French and a German edition in the series. According to the press release,

each volume takes the reader on a picture-book journey through a child’s typical day. There is a bird’s eye view of an early morning at home, the journey to school, inside the classroom, at a birthday party and even a trip to the museum and the beach. Aside from the useful everyday items, these books also incorporate many children’s favorite things: airplanes, dinosaurs, and even fairy tale characters. Over 400 foreign words and their English translations are given on the side of each ilustrated page. These books also include supplementary material– a picture/word matching game, a learning to count page, indentifying shapes, opposites, the weather, time, and a comprehensive index.

I love the Where’s Waldo?-esque feeling to this book; on each page spread there are vocabulary words with small pictures of the items going down the sides, and then the items can be found in the large illustration that spans both pages. The book is colorful and the illustrations are full of life and energy. {I will insert here the only thing I found odd which is a strange dinosaur-like animal that appears randomly in the scenes throughout the book. I couldn’t quite figure out what it was or why it was in there, but hey, I’m sure little kids will like it just fine. }

From a language learning stance, I love that the vocabulary words are taught in context, within the child’s daily activities, and found within a picture of a somewhat familiar scene. Probably my favorite part about the book is the supplementary material in the back; that is what sets apart this book from your average children’s Spanish vocabulary book, in my opinion.

As the press release states, you’ll find a wide range and large amount of words to be learned in this book, which makes it pack a lot of punch for a fun picture book. I highly recommend First Spanish Words!

Now comes the fun part! Oxford University Press was generous enough to give me a second copy of the book to give away to one of you lucky readers!! I think this is the perfect first giveaway for Gidget Loves Language!

Here’s how to win:

Winner will be chosen randomly; you get 1 entry for each of these things you do with a total of 4 possible entries per person. Make sure you leave a comment for each of your entries (i.e. 1 telling me you subscribed, 1 with the link to your blog, etc.). Giveaway will end midnight, mountain time on Thursday, November 6, 2008.

1. Leave a comment telling me why you’d like to win this book.
2. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed to my blog via RSS or via email (if you already subscribe you can post a comment telling me that).
3. Leave a comment with a link to your blog, where you mention this giveaway.
4. Leave a comment saying you Stumbled or gave a thumbs up to any page at language.gidgetgoeshome.com via StumbleUpon (post a link to your SU profile in the comment to verify your thumbs up).

¡Buena suerte!

Here are my current books… not too many as I’m getting geared up for NaNoWriMo which starts in just a few days (!!).

1. Praying God’s Word Day By Day by Beth Moore~ I’ve been reading this daily devotional since the beginning of 2008 and I really like it.
2. No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty~ I’ve returned to this book to use as a guideline for some basic outlining for my WriMo novel. I like Baty’s suggestions for getting prepped for the month of writing a lot.
3. I heart bloomberg by Melody Carlisle~ I’m about halfway through this one and it’s pretty cute (and I love that it’s the 1st of a series). I wanted to read a couple more Christian chick lit novels to get me fired up for WriMo.
4. Love Starts with Elle by Rachel Hauck~ I’m super excited about this one; I hope to read it, too, before starting my novel. I loved the prequel to this, Sweet Caroline~I borrowed it from my friend Ashley and she said she liked Elle’s story even better so I can’t wait! Oh, and thanks to Amy @ Litfuse I won a free copy, too!

This post is part of 5 Minutes For Books‘ monthly carnival; be sure to check out the other links by clicking the button below!