A Seat by the Hearth by Amy Clipston

A Seat by the Hearth by Amy Clipston is book 3 in the Amish Homestead Series.  In this novel Priscilla Allgyer is returning back home to the Amish community that she grew up in Lancaster.  She has been gone for 8 years and when she left she knew that she was never going to return to the difficult home that she grew up.  Her father had been verbally abusive to her all of her life and she had to escape.  She found however that he was not the only abusive person and walked into another hard life of living with a boyfriend who drank and abused her both physically and mentally.  Now she was returning to the Lancaster community with her 6 year old son.  She knows that she will return to a shunning but it was the only way to protect her son from the wrath of her boyfriend.  When Priscilla returns to her home she is surprised to find Mark Riehl working for her father.  Mark was a real playboy type but Priscilla remains cool to him because she has so much on her plate with taking care of her son and trying to make her father happy.  She finds to her surprise that her son, Ethan, gets along well with her father and soon are fast friends.  Ethan is quickly learning and loving the Amish language and ways of living.  Mark who usually has girls falling all over themselves to date him is interested in why Priscilla won't give him the time of day.  Her father on the other hand wants Priscilla to find a husband as soon as possible so that he is no longer embarrassed by her having a child without benefit of marriage.  One day he catches Priscilla and Mark talking in the barn and forces them to marry.  Will these two who were forced to marry find love?  Or will they forever be forced to live a loveless marriage?

This is a book about some of the abuses that occur when a parent has too much power in the family.  It is also about some of the problems that can occur in the Amish community.  This book also brings out that people outside of the family can help if they are willing.  I enjoyed this book as I do Ms Clipston's other writings.  She is a great prolific writer that is easy to be read by any girl or woman who loves reading Amish love stories as I do.
I received this book from BookLook for this review.

Going Down to the River by Doug Seegers

Going Down to the River by Doug Seegers is an autobiography about Doug Seegers and how he wrote this song and it became a best seller.  Now I loved this book and I loved hearing how Doug found Jesus and lost sight of his goal and Jesus brought him back to the fold and along the way this song he wrote as a homeless songwriter and singer brought comfort to the author and those who heard it sang both on the streets and in concerts--but I gotta be honest I thought well this must be the man who actually wrote Alison Krauss' song, which as every one knows is 'Going Down to the River to Pray'.  Well I was a lot into this really great book before I realized my mistake but I am sure glad I read it.
 
Doug Seegers grew up with his brothers in a musical family.  His mother though never singing professionally was the most talented but gave up her chance at a career to raise the children as best she could with a hard drinking husband who dreamed of becoming a famous singer.  Doug became a hard drinker before becoming a drunk druggie.  He was very talented and many people tried to help him get off the drugs before he finally accepted the help and though he was by then in his sixties. He eventually found fame in Sweden and in the USA as a singer and songwriter as he always wanted to be.  Along the way he married a woman who was the mother of his son and daughter but he rarely saw them after he left his family--just as his father had done to him. 

This story is not a feel sorry for me book.  The author is very self honest with himself as well as the writing.  The author now mostly lives in Sweden and sometimes tours the USA for concerts.  Read this book for the knowledge of how this down on his luck finally came back to Jesus, got off the drugs and became what he was always meant to be-A child of God who sings.
I received this book from Booksneeze for this review.

Jesus Calling for Christmas by Sarah Young

Jesus Calling for Christmas by Sarah Young is a devotional for getting ready for Christmas that has nothing to do with presents (although this devotional would make a nice pre-Christmas present).  This little devotional has 50 days of devotions for the reader.  This book does not dive deep into scripture but rather has one page has a nice poem or story from Jesus to you the reader. Then the next page or two gives short little scriptures.  These little scriptures may be the familiar ones of the newborn but also includes scripture from the Old  and New Testaments which tell of His great love for you the reader.  Using this devotional could be used for the first 10 minutes of your day in Advent but really it can be used any time of the year.  It proclaims that Jesus came to the world to save both you and me but He came for always not just at Christmas.  This is the message that we all need to know.  Jesus is for all the year. 

This devotional has been made with great workmanship.  The pages are thick and glossy.  The padded binding feels nice in your hand.  The beautiful pictures are on every page.  They are of the lovely winter weather that we in the north enjoy at Christmas.  This is an easy to read book that could be read to the family during Advent.  Even the youngest child will enjoy the little short devotions. 
I received this book from BookLook for this review.