Bloom

Bloom: finding beauty in the unexpected by Kelle Hampton

My Rating - 4 out of 5 stars

Kelle Hampton had a pretty good life. She has a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, is expecting her second girl and is an amazing photographer. Kelle was extremely ready and prepared to finally hold her little girl in her arms. But that all changed as soon as her baby girl, Nelle, was born. Nelle has Downs Syndrome. Now Kelle is mourning the life she had planned for her little girl and gearing up for the difficult life that lays ahead. This true story follows Kelle and Nelle during Nelle's first year and is such a beautiful story.

What a emotional read! I definitely could not sit down and lose myself in this book, but it was good all the same. It definitely reminded me how truly blessed I am to have two healthy kids! And I absolutely loved the pictures! All the pictures helped break up all the emotion in the book.

Heaven is Here

 Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson

My rating - 4 out of 5 stars

I am rating this a four because of what a remarkable story this is. This is the true story about Stephanie and the plane crash that burned 80% of her body. She tells us about her life before the accident, a little about the accident itself, and then about the road of recovery and accepting her new life. She truly is a remarkable woman and mother! I have to say though that I had a really hard time connecting with her. I just felt like I couldn't relate to her in any way. Her life seemed so perfect before the accident. I found myself skimming most of the beginning third of the book. I was more inspired by the actual event and how she kept on going afterwards. I enjoyed how she talked about her faith and how it carried her through. I just wish I could have connected with her a little more.

Happy Reading!

I Will Cary You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Wow! What a incredibly sad book. Literally every time I picked this book I would soon be in tears. But I absolutely loved the faith, hope, love and relationships in this book. I can not imagine going through something like Angie did and I truly admire her strength, courage and faith during such a heartbreaking time.

In this true story, Angie and Todd discover when they are 18 weeks pregnant with their 4th child that the child is not compatible with life. This tragic news throws them through an emotional whirlwind but their strong faith carries them through. They continually look at God and know that He has a plan. Although this plan is not what they want, they have faith in Him. I found it very refreshing to see that even though Angie had a strong faith, she definitely had times with doubt and hatred. How could this be happening to her? I am definitely inspired by this story and even though it is extremely depressing, it is also uplifting.



Heaven is for Real

 Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

Wow! What a great, uplifting, remarkable story! But let's backtrack a little. I was a little hesitant to read this book. I don't read a ton of non-fiction, and I haven't had much experience in this genre. I am Christian but I have a hard time with "preachy" books, etc. So it took a couple of people recommending this book before I decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did. I didn't love the writing and actually found myself skimming some parts but overall the message is amazing.

This story is about Colton Burpo who at three had a appendix rupture. While in surgery he visited Jesus and had a remarkable experience. The story is told by Colton's dad, who also happens to be a preacher. I didn't love how he told the story, and got somewhat bored when he would talk about his own health scares and such. I just wanted to hear about Cotlon's experience! Colton's parents gradually asked Colton about his brief stay in Heaven over 5 years, which I found a little odd. Why didn't they just keep the conversation going once Colton brought it up 4 months after the surgery? Anyways, I loved hearing about what Colton saw and how he explained it in his own words. I don't know how a 3 year old boy would know about this stuff without experiencing it for himself. I am so glad I read this! I can't wait to talk to my husband about the book!

Happy Reading!!!

Funny in Farsi and others

Funny In Farsi: A Memoir Of Growing Up Iranian In America by Firoozeh Dumas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a fun little read. Firoozeh did a great job pulling us into how it was to grow up Iranian in America. I absolutely loved hearing about her dad and definitely laughed out loud a couple of times. I do have to say that this was not a book that I was able to breeze through in a day or so. Although it is not very long I just felt myself get distracted after reading a few chapters and would have to put it down for a little while. It was a great book especially to give me a break from all the young adult reading I have been doing.


I also just finished:

So Much Closer by Susan Colasanti. I did not care for this young adult book and rated it 2 out of 5.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. This is the second book in the Infernal Devices Series. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments and have raved about them enough in previous posts so I don't think I need to say much about this one. I rated this book 4 out of 5. I enjoyed the first book in this series a little more than this one but still feel like I like these a tiny bit more than the Mortal Instruments series.

Happy Reading

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Against Medical Advice

Against Medical Advice: A True Story by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Okay so I guess I am on a medical kick right now. I actually picked this up at the library without really knowing what it was about. I just know I like James Patterson and was in a mood for that type of a book. Well, this wasn't his typical book. It definitely is not a murder/mystery, detective like book. But it still was really good!

James Patterson partnered with Hal Friedman for this book. Hal's son, Cory, has been suffering from Tourette's, OCD, and severe anxiety for 13 years. Hal decided he wanted to tell Cory's story and the difficulties that he and his family have had to face. This is a true story and is told in the son's voice. I can't even imagine the things he went through. Not being able to control your body, what you do or say. I just felt for this little 5 year old boy when he felt the need to spit in his sisters and then father's face. He felt so bad and didn't want to do it, but he had to. His parents had so much patience and faith in Cory. And I can't believe how many medicines and treatments he went through.

Anyways, this is a really good book. And a pretty fast read. The chapters are super short (I love this about James Patterson), and the story is really interesting.

Happy Reading!



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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If I could I would probably rate this a 4.5. This was such a fascinating book! I never really new about HeLa cells, never really given medical research much thought. This book tells the story of Henrietta, a woman whose cells taken without her knowledge have made some important and life changing advances in medicine. She has been dead for more than sixty years, yet her cells are still alive. They were vital in research for the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, and cloning, and has helped us learn more about cancer, virus's, and much much more. I really enjoyed how this book was written because I tend to get bored with books that just list facts after facts. But the author has tied in the interesting story of Henrietta, her family, and politics surrounding her cells. I definitely learned a ton reading this book and am very glad I know about this now. I think it brings up a lot of issues that thankfully the medical field have realized and have taken steps to fix and address. I would definitely recommend this book! If you are interested in history, racial issues, the medical field, research, or anything really, you will enjoy this book.

Have you read this book, what did you think?

Happy Reading!



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