Review and Giveaway: Amish Proverbs by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Amish Proverbs is a peaceful and inspiring book, perfect for reading when you need a little pick-me-up, when you want a quiet reality check, or when you simply need to sit down and relax.

The book is a perfect gift book, as it is a small hard-bound book with a beautiful glossy color cover. It contains numerous full-color photographs like the one shown on the cover (I found them all to be peaceful and very enjoyable to look at), and is filled with wonderful Amish proverbs that fall into the following categories: Time, Money, Faith, Children & Family, In Word & Deed, Work Ethic, Handling Adversity, Education, Community, Character, and Just For Fun. Each section begins with a touching story from real-life people that illustrates just what the section is all about. The story is then followed by Amish proverbs that are appropriate for that section.

Some of my favorite proverbs from the book:

~ Don't hurry, don't worry, do your best, leave the rest. (p. 14)
~ When I have nothing left but God, then I find that God is all I need. (p. 55)
~ Parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes. (p. 73)
~ Those who fear the future are likely to fumble the present. (p. 105)
~ The secret to getting ahead is getting started. (p. 120)
~ Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. (p. 137)

Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

Part of the fun of this book is thinking back about some of my own family's proverbs, like:

~ Treat others as you want to be treated
~ If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all
~ Winning isn't everything, it is important to have fun

Want to win a copy of this beautiful and inspiring book? Good! The publisher sent me an extra copy to share with one lucky reader. See details at the bottom of this post for how to enter...


Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life
by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell (August 1, 2010) ~ 205 pages
Non-fiction / Inspiration

Edition Reviewed: Hardback - Review and giveaway copies received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

About the Book:

Simplify your life with Amish wisdom

Through firsthand research and personal relationships, Suzanne Woods Fisher has collected more than 200 proverbs that uncover the rich heritage, folklore, faith, values, history, and essence of the Plain People. These proverbs serve as teaching tools and maxims for practical living--but they're not just for the Amish. They're for anyone who seeks God's wisdom and truth for everyday circumstances.

Ranging from the simple to the profound, from the serious to the humorous, these sayings will stick with you through life's joys and sorrows. With beautiful full-color photos throughout, Amish Proverbs is the perfect gift for any occasion.

From the Book Tour:

Simplify Your Life with Amish Wisdom
Insights into the Amish lifestyle of peace, simplicity and contentment
Spend enough time with the Amish, as author Suzanne Woods Fisher has, and you’ll hear them repeat a catchy turn of phrase or short words of wisdom, like “Good character like good soup is usually homemade,” or “Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.” Suspended in these phrases are age-old lessons about how to live wisely and please God. Reiterated day after day, the proverbs are learned by heart and help guide the lives of the Amish, reminding them of what’s truly important.

Fisher has spent a great deal of time with the Amish and has collected more than 200 proverbs that uncover the rich heritage, folklore, faith, values, history, and essence of the Plain People, which she shares in her new book
Amish Proverbs.

These proverbs cover all aspects of life, from finances to faith to family, as well as overcoming life’s frustrations. Serving as teaching tools and maxims for practical living, they're not just for the Amish. Proverbs help point us all toward wisdom, toward good judgment, toward God’s teachings. They're for anyone who seeks God's wisdom and truth for everyday circumstances.

Some of the proverbs that readers will find in Amish Proverbs include:
o "It is better to give others a piece of your heart than a piece of your mind."
o "You are only poor when you want more than you have."
o "A child can read a parent’s character before he can read the alphabet."
o "Bibles that are coming apart usually belong to people who are not."
o "Those who fear the future are likely to fumble the present."
o "Kissing wears out, cooking don’t."
o "If you sense your faith is unraveling, go back to where you dropped the thread of obedience."
o "You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough."
o "A smile is a curve that can straighten out a lot of things."

Ranging from the simple to the profound, from the serious to the humorous, these sayings will stick with readers through life's joys and sorrows and bring some of the Amish wisdom to everyday life.

With beautiful full-color photos throughout, Amish Proverbs is the perfect gift for any occasion.

About the Author: (from the book tour with Revell)

is the CBA bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.


Giveaway Details:

1. Share one of your own family's proverbs. (1 entry daily, must leave a different proverb per entry!!)

2. Post a link to the giveaway on your blog and/or Facebook and report it here (1 entry each)

3. Become a follower on Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook and/or Networked Blogs (links are on the right hand sidebar) and leave a comment here (or "remind" me you are already a follower so I know you want to be included in this giveaway) (1 entry each)

The drawing will be held September 12th. Winner: I will send you an email, please reply with your address so I can send you the book!

This giveaway is open to residents within the United States, no PO Boxes.

~ Wendi

Fracture: A New Way To Display Your Photographs!

I have just learned about a very interesting new way to showcase favorite photos... printed on glass! As described on their site (www.fractureme.com) it is a photo and frame in one. They claim it is three easy steps, and it really does look easy: 1. Upload photos, 2. Customize it, 3. Hang it up (should have an order step in there too!).

Why am I telling you about Fracture? First off, I think it is a really neat concept, especially as I LOVE taking pictures of my family and finding creative ways to show them off. Also, if I am among the first 100 bloggers to post about it, I may be chosen to receive a free Fracture to review here on Wendi's Book Corner!

So what exactly is Fracture?

Looks:
* Vibrant, rich and glossy colors
* Perfectly flat glass surface
* The "HD-TV look but for photos"

Customization:
* Because the entire frame is printed digitally, there are potentially limitless ways you can make your Fracture unique
* While we offer a variety of border options to add depth and flavor to your photos, keep your eyes open for an ever-growing list of options in the future

Safety:
*Safer than an ordinary glass frame and more shatter-proof
* No sharp edges

Economy
* No need to go to multiple stores to print, frame and hang your photos - a Fracture is the economical one step solution.
* When you buy a Fracture, you don't need anything else - not even screws to mount it with.

Mounting
* Arrives ready to be mounted with everything you need

Life-Span
* Images won't fade
* Guaranteed to last even under the worst conditions at least 3-5 years (continuous exposure to full sunlight)
* Because the print is actually on the backside of the glass, it is never vulnerable to scratching so you can windex as much as you like

About Fracture: (from their site)

How did all this silliness start? During the summer of 2008, Alex and Abhi were doing non-profit work in Swaziland, a tiny little country on the south eastern edge of Africa (seriously). During much of their down-time, they got to thinking about things they cared for the most, things like art, entrepreneurship and peanut butter. While pondering these deep thoughts, they realized that the concept of art and art display had pretty much remained the same for hundreds of years. Then Abhi said to Alex: "…and we shall call it… Fracture!". Ok, so we skipped a bunch of details, but eventually after lots (lots) of brainstorming and a bit of action, we were sold on the idea and scrambled to make it a reality. We stuck with the name because it really embodied the sense of surprise, irony and story-telling that went hand-in-hand with our vision for the future. Since then, Fracture has grown and changed in dozens of ways as we learn and try to adapt to the real needs of our customers and our market. Thats a philosophy we strive to keep alive - even when it means reinventing the company for the third time. Today, Fracture's vision is clear: to make printing as customized and personal as the pictures themselves and to make decorating as easy and exciting as taking the picture was.

Check out Fracture online:

Website - http://www.fractureme.com/

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/fractureme

Blog - http://www.fractureme.com/blog/

Posterous - http://fracture.posterous.com/

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post in response to a TwitterMoms RAMBO alert, making me eligible to get a Fracture picture frame for review. You can learn more about Fracture at http://www.fractureme.com.

Toddler Time: Busy Beetles Never Ending Puzzle

What a great teaching toy! The colorful and crazy Busy Beetles help children learn different things like math, colors, sorting, etc. While the package says the puzzle is for ages 6 and up, my 3 1/2 year old has had a great time sorting the colors and counting the pieces. He also loved helping me put them in colorful patterns... we also had a lot of fun simply connecting ALL the pieces together.

While this is great for kids, I plan to spill the Busy Beetles onto a large wooden tray and put it in the middle of the coffee table at our next gathering to entertain the adults as well.


Busy Beetles: Never-ending Puzzle
by DaMert Company
Ages: 6+ (I'd say 3+)
Toys / Games / Puzzles

Edition Reviewed: Used container I picked up for $1.99 at a local thrift shop!

About the Puzzle:

From the Container:

How Many Can You Connect?
* Link them into wild patterns or endless chains!
* Eight different puzzling shapes snap together!
* Try to connect just 10, then 20, then all of them!
* Includes 60 interlocking beetles!

From DaMert:

Busy Beetles™ is a unique form of tessellation, or tiling with mosaic patterns. How many can you connect? Kids learn about symmetry while having fun. For ages 6 & up, but challenging for all. 64 colorful pieces in a great storage jar.
Ages 6 & up.

About DaMert Company: (from their site)

The DaMert Company was founded in San Rafael, California in 1973 by Fred DaMert. After returning from Vietnam and as he was finishing his undergraduate degree in Humanities & Philosophy at San Francisco State University, he bought a prism at a local science museum and was captivated by the intensity of the colors it projected.

Knowing it would be enjoyed by many people, Fred set out to produce a large hand-crafted prism. Quite by accident DaMert bent a partially cured bar prism into a crescent shape and found that it projected an amazing curved spectrum. His first product, The Spectrarc Window Prism, was born.

After spending two years perfecting an esoteric production process and patenting the optic, he wandered into what was to be his first account. It was a small new shop on College Avenue in Berkeley, California called The Nature Company. The Spectrarc was an immediate best seller, and success quickly followed with sales to museum, specialty gift and toy stores and to prestigious national catalogs.

DaMert Company now has a collection of over 100 products and is a leader in the specialty market. Its innovative product development department and outside collaborations has earned it a reputation for providing unique, top quality products. DaMert Company works with many outside inventors and artists to provide creative partnerships for new product development.

One such partnership has been with internationally acclaimed nature artist Dan Gilbert. When he came to DaMert Company with a concept for a triangular matching puzzle it was a jewel in the rough. Product Development worked closely with Dan to refine the concept and the Triazzle was launched. DaMert Company and The Dan Gilbert Art Group continue to maintain a dynamic relationship enabling them to produce exciting, innovative products for adults and children of all ages.

DaMert Company's marketing and overall business strategy is based on creating excellence in its niche, being an innovative product leader, and providing affordable quality products that entertain, educate and endure. The company currently provides its collection to over 5,000 retailers nationwide and to distributors in 43 countries.

For a Good Cause: Snap4Kids Celebrity Cookbook

Please Read This!! Here is a chance to support a great cause and get some great recipes (over 125) that were contributed by over 100 romance authors!

This morning, I received a wonderful email from Jennie Morey, one of the first author's I interviewed here on Wendi's Book Corner (her book The Secret Soldier was also one of my first book reviews)! She shared with me that she had the opportunity to contribute favorite recipes to a great charity called Snap4Kids.

Snap4Kids has created a Celebrity Cookbook called The Heart Of Cooking:

Some of the best ROMANCE authors in the business have been kind enough to contribute their very own, personal recipes to our celebrity cookbook, entitled, "The HEART of cooking." Each recipe is accompanied with a short blurb about the author. Many of the recipes have personal stories as to how they came about.

"The HEART of Cooking," contains over 125 recipes from over a 100 of your favorite authors and compiled them into an attractive keepsake cookbook.

Snap4kids will begin shipping their one-of-a-kind cookbooks on November 1st for $8.50. To purchase visit our Celebrity Cookbook page.

All proceeds will go to children with special needs, especially the physically challenged, for medical and therapeutic equipment, as well as assistive technology, not covered by health insurance, or in the case of no health insurance.Order your copy today, as only 3,500 will be printed this year.

The Heart of Cooking
Compiled by
140+ Recipes
Celebrity Cookbook / Romance Authors

About Snap4Kids:

Our Mission is assisting families of children with special needs, especially the physically challenged, in helping their child reach his/her maximum potential through information, referral, education, and modest grants for medical and therapeutic equipment, not covered by health insurance or in the case of no health insurance. By helping children with special needs in reaching their maximum potential, we are giving them the greatest gift that we can.

Contributing Authors:

Below you will find some of the authors that have contributed their very own personal recipes to our celebrity cookbook fundraising project. (Click on an author's name to be taking to their website.)
AlTonya Washington

Amanda McIntyre

Amy J. Fetzer

Anita Bunkley
Ann Roth
Anne DeFee
Barbara Delinsky
Beverly Barton
Beverly JenkinsC J Carmichael
Cara Colter
Carrie Turansky
Cheryl St. John
Cheryl Wolverton
Christina Hollis
Christine Merrill
Christine RimmerClaire Baxter
Curtiss Ann Matlock
Dana Marton
Deanna Raybourn
Deb KastnerDiane Chamberlain
Elaine Overton
Elizabeth Lane
Ellyn Bache
Fionna Lowe
Gail Barrett
Gail Martin
Gayle Wilson
Helen Brenna
Holly Jacobs
Hope Tarr
Irene HannonJ. T. Ellison
Jacqueline Diamond
Jane Toombs
Janice SimsJean Brashear
Jenness Walker
Jennie Adams
Jennifer Greene
Jennifer Morey
Jill Sorenson
Joanne RockJulie Cohen
Kara Lennox
Karen Gatt
Karen Harper
Karen Rose Smith
Karen van der ZeeKat Martin
Kathleen O’Reilly
Kay ThomasKimberly Lang
Kristan Higgins
Laura Wright
Lauren Nichols
Lee McKenzie
Leigh Bale
Linda Conrad
Lindsay McKenna
Lisa Harris
Livia J. Washburn
Lois Greiman
Loree Lough
Lori Foster (L. L. Foster)
Lorna Michaels
Lucy Monroe
Lyn Cote
Lynn Isenberg
Mallory Rush
Margo Maguire
Marin Thomas
Mary Connealy
Mary Jo Putney
Megan HartMelanie Milburne
Meredith Efken
Merline Lovelace
Merrillee Whren
Michelle Douglas
Michele Dunaway
Michelle Styles
Natalie Anderson
Nicola CornickNicola Marsh
Patricia McLinnPeggy Webb
Rachelle McCalla
RaeAnne Thayne
Rebecca York (aka Ruth Glick)
Roberta Gellis
Sarah ElliottSarah Mallory
Sarah Morgan
Sheree WhiteFeather
Stacey KayneStaness Jonekos
Stephanie Draven (Stephanie Dray)
Stevi Mittman
Susan Hubbard
Susan Lyons (Fox)
Susan Mallery
Susanna Carr
Toni Blake
Victoria Bylin
Victoria Chancellor
Virginia Smith
Wendy Corsi Staub

Updates on My Disney's Wonderful World of Reading Book List: Can You Confirm Any Titles For Me?

For about 5 years I have been working on collecting the Disney Wonderful World of Reading Books for our family's library.  The boys LOVE the bright colorful pictures and the fact that they know a lot of the characters.  Plus, they are a perfect length for reading at bed time.

Today, I spent a few hours updating my original post.  I found two other sites with fairly complete lists, I copied my list and theirs into Excel and proceeded to organize and cross-reference all three to get the most accurate one I can find.  

I'm still missing around 90 books (listed below), and would love to hear if you can confirm any of the titles.

101 Dalmatians Treasure Hunters
A Scare for Mr Toad
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Aladdin and the Sly Magician
Aladdin and the White Baby Camel (aka Aladin and the White Camel)
Bambi 2
Basil the Great Mouse Detective
Beauty and the Beast - Enchanted Chrstimas
Bolt
Brave
Brer Rabbit and the Pot of Gold
Brer Rabbit Plays Some Tricks
Cars 2
Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales
Cars: Look Out for Mater
Country Mouse, City Mouse
Donald at the Seashore
Donald Duck and the Magic Stick
Donald Duck's Bad Day
Donald Duck's Big Surprise
Donald Duck's Birthday
Duck Tales: Christmas at the North Pole
Dumbo and the Circus Train
Dumbo on Land, on Sea in the Air
Farmer Mickey
Ferdinand and the Robbers
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo: Bruce Breaks Loose
Fool's Gold
Goofy and the Enchanted Castle
Goofy and the Magic Fish
Goofy and the Miller
Goofy and the Pirate Treasure
Goofy in the Wild West
Goofy On the Hillside
Goofy the Gardener Makes Up His Mind
Goofy's Book of Colors
Goofy's Gags
Goofy's Neighbor's
Henny Penny and the Big Bad Wolf
Hiawatha and the Big Flood
Hiawatha the Brave Hunter
How Cinderella's Mice Tricked Lucifer the Cat
Ice Age
Ice Age 2
Jungle Cubs: Bee a Friend
Lady and the Tramp II - Scamps Adventure
Li'l Wolf and the Three Wishes
Little Hiawatha
Meet the Robinsons
Merry Christmas Uncle Scrooge McDuck
Mickey and the Magic Cloak
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Mickey's Counting Book
Mulan II
Peter and the Wolf
Pinocchio & the Isle Of Fun
Pocahontas and the Baby Eagle
Pumbaa Runs Away from Home
Quasimodo the the Rescue
Return to Oz
Robin Hood Wins Again
Scamp & the Kitten
Sinbad the Pearl Diver
Sinbad the Sailor
Snow White & the Messy Dwarfs
Snow White Helps the Seven Dwarfs
Tall & Short a Book of Opposites
Tangled
The Black Hole
The Hare & the Tortoise
The Haunted House
The Love Bug
The Mice and the Circus
The Mickey Mouse Birthday Book
The Mickey Mouse Magic Book
The New Adventures of Mr Toad
The Princess and the Frog
The Princess Who Never Laughed
The Rescuers Trouble in Devil's Bayou
The Runaway Wolf Cub
The Small One
Tinker Bell
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
Tinker Bell's Secret Adventure
Toy Story 3
Up
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh and the Birthday Expedition

I currently have a bunch of duplicate titles, and may start a page somewhere to list them in case anyone wants to buy them.  :)

In the mean time, I will continue my Disney's Wonderful World of Reading quest...

~ Wendi

Review: Desperate Deeds by Dee Davis

I simply love this series, and book three did NOT disappoint! Quite the opposite - I couldn't put it down, and Desperate Deeds literally kept me up at night (not only could I not stop reading, but I thought I heard noises in the house, and I was just certain that someone was going to jump out of the closet at me!). Not only was I captivated by the ongoing story of the A-Tac team, but I got to continue learning more about the lives of the team members. This was Tyler's story, and we meet Owen, who isn't quite what he seems... or is he?

Tyler is the team's munitions and demolition expert - she is great at building and disarming explosives. She is also the daughter of a retired General, has had multiple step-mothers, and has a half-brother she is still close to. She is also the A-Tac team member involved in helping with the transport of some prototype parts for nuclear weapons and the sole survivor when the transport is ambushed.

With the knowledge that Tyler survived the ambush and that there is a mole in the team, Tyler becomes a suspect. Feeling bruised from the ambush and grilled by the powers that be, Tyler has a passionate one-night-stand with the handsome Owen Wakefield, the teams contact from the British team's MI-5. Little does Tyler know that the one-night-stand is going to become a temporary partner in her upcoming adventure in stopping a possible nuclear disaster and finding the mole within the A-Tac team.

Owen has a troubled past with MI-5, and after his one-night-stand with Tyler, he is unexpectedly assigned to provide assistance to the A-Tac team, and to uncover the mole within their group. All the evidence points to Tyler, but as he works with her and finds himself becoming more involved, he finds it harder to believe that she is a traitor.

As numerous attempts are made to kill Tyler, she and Owen must fight for their lives as they fight against the clock to stop a disaster from happening. Their growing relationship is threatened when the team finds out that Owen may not be all that he appears to be, but Owen vows to stay and complete the mission he began.

One thing that I thought was super: the continuing undercurrent running through the entire series is that there is a mole in the team who is sabotaging the missions, and YES, you find out who it is in book three... and boy was I surprised! Of course, it made complete sense when I look back, but I thought for sure I knew exactly who it was, so it was really fun to have a few more twists and turns to keep me on my toes while reading. Not only do we find out who the mole is, the team finds out that there is a much bigger threat out there, and as of the end of the book, they are only one step closer to knowing exactly what that threat is.

This was the third book in the A-Tac series, and I loved it just as much as the first two, and I love that each book picks up right where the one before it left off. Note - it can be read as a stand-alone book... but then you'd miss out on the great story of Nash and Annie in book one, and Drake and Madeline in book two. Lucky for us, it sounds like three more will be joining the series in 2011 and 2012, can't wait!



Desperate Deeds (A-Tac, Book 3)
by Dee Davis
Publisher: Forever (August 2, 2010) ~ 400 pages
Fiction / Romantic Suspense

About the Book:

As the demolitions expert for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Tyler Hanson has two great loves: literature and explosives. She lives by the motto “duty first” and doesn’t have time for personal attachments . . . until a steamy one-night stand turns into a professional partnership.
BURNED BY BETRAYAL

When Tyler meets Owen Wakefield, a handsome British operative, she seduces him with no intention of ever seeing him again. But then the sexy Brit is brought into A-Tac, and despite Tyler’s efforts to keep her distance, she finds herself falling for him. Trusting him.

Owen seems too good to be true—and he is. He’s hiding his true motives and identity, and no matter how he feels about Tyler, he can’t keep her secrets. One of A-Tac’s members has turned traitor and helped terrorists to hijack a shipment of nuclear weapons. As witnesses start dying and evidence starts disappearing, Owen and Tyler must race to find the mole—and prevent a final, cataclysmic act of destruction.


Enter A-Tac and find out more about the special forces team and their missions!

Excerpt:

About the Author: (from the publisher's site)

Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.

Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has sold eighteen books and three novellas, including Chain Reaction and A Match Made on Madison.

She’s lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Manhattan she still calls Texas home.

Edition Reviewed: ARC - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!