Who is Santa and How Did He Get to the North Pole? by Stephen W. Bigalow

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a wonderful book that should be read every Christmas. This is the telling of Santa’s story. It goes into his very beginnings of making toys, where he lived and why he moved to the North Pole.  We learn how he met the elves and how they became such a big and important part of his life and his story.  The only question that is not answered is whether or not he sleeps with his whiskers inside or outside of the covers.  This is a very well written story. It was wonderful learning what keeps the elves going, why candy canes are red and white striped.  This book can answer just about any question your child can come up with. I am very happy I was asked to read and review this book.  The illustrations are beautiful.  This is a story that should be shared year after year. It is to be enjoyed by young and old alike.

Lord’s Hill: A Place Only God Could Save Me From Based on a True Story by Maggie Miller

Genre:  Adult Memoir

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

We all have problems. It is how we look at and handle those problems that shape us into the person that we are. Maggie Miller lived a life filled with abuse, fear and abandonment.  She lived in survival mode most of her life. Maggie kept searching for someone to help her with her problems only to find more of the same.  Many in her life truly loved her, but were stuck in the same patterns she was stuck in. She searched for and found God and a few wonderful people to help guide her. One thing that I had to really think about was forgiveness. I thought about my first marriage. I realized that even though I’ve been remarried for almost twenty-four years, as I would talk about things that happened in my first marriage I would become almost as angry as I was before. I had to ask if I had truly forgiven or just paid it lip service. There are lessons to be learned from this wonderful woman. She is not just telling her story. She is giving all of us hope no matter what our journey is.  This is one of those books you want to pass along and have them pass along. You never know who it will help.

In Love and War – Evelyn Smith

Genre: Adult, Memoir

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have reviewed several memoirs.  This one made me contemplate many things. This is the life story of a woman who fell in love with a young Navy soldier. They married before he shipped off to Korea. What was supposed to be three months turned into almost a year of separation.  From the beginning I saw how strong a woman she was.  It made me wonder why she would give in to her husband’s thoughts on everything.  Then I looked at the time period.  I wasn’t born until the late 50’s. Even then young ladies were expected to behave a certain way. Women ‘had their place’ in society.  I was surprised at how long she and her husband John were together.  I wondered how she could have been so blind to the signs that things were not well with her marriage.  Then I thought about my own first marriage and was suddenly able to identify with her.  She did find love again.  That didn’t mean things were real smooth.  I understood the “first marriage baggage”.  This story made me ponder several things.  When my son, newly married, joined the army his new wife was ecstatic.  She had all of these ideas of what army life would be like. We tried to tell her about the loneliness she would feel when he was gone, even with family to surround her.  He wasn’t even shipped out of the states when she left him.  He found another woman shortly thereafter who embraced the military life he loved. She supported him when he was shipped to South Korea. I thought about Evelyn’s concern while her husband was there. As a mother I was worried when my son was stationed there so close to the demilitarized zone. 

I felt very sad for her and the relationship she lost with her daughter. I have a relationship with my daughter, but she is closer to her father her left me and the kids for another woman. I don’t understand why her daughter treated her the way she did. However, I drew strength from her story.  The old saying that nothing is fair in love and war rang so true.  I applaud this author and the strength her story shows to women everywhere, no matter what their walk in life.  This was a wonderful story. Through heartache comes strength and hope.