Mama Bear Reviews

The Come Back Effect: How Hospitality Can Compel Your Church's Guests to Return by Jason Young and Jonathan Malm is a helpful guide. It not only will benefit those that are trying to be most hospitable in the church environment but those that are trying to increase customer service in any environment. I was really impressed by this book because the authors go above and beyond in identifying any problem areas that guests may find. They walk the reader through all aspects of the church going experience and problems that can be found at every step. For example, a mother with young children may have difficulty with getting inside the church by herself or a new member may feel overwhelmed by visiting. This book discusses different ways to get in the mindset of the guest so that problems are not only prevented but that the guest is treated so well that they are blown away by their experience. Though this book does focus on the church setting, this would be a good book for anyone in b

When I first started reading Minding The Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher, I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this story as I had a hard time adjusting to the language that is used. The book is set in Nantucket in the 1800's. Along with nautical language, there is also the difference in speech that is used by the characters of this time period. The author actually provides a glossary in the beginning to help explain some of the terms that are used. Despite the bit of transition that was needed, I found myself drawn into the story and found myself loving the characters and the community. This was the first book that I have read set in the whaling community and this was a great backdrop for a novel. It was so interesting to think about such a different way of life where messages are so hard to pass on and family members may not be seen for years. I also really enjoyed the strong female characters that were displayed in the book in the characters of Daphne, Jane and their ance

I read a lot of self-help/self-improvement books and often find myself disappointed when a book has the same message that I have read time and time again. Shift Your Thinking For Success: 77 Ways to Win at Work and in Life by Dean Del Sesto is a self-help book that stands out from the crowd . As the title implies, this book is split up into the 77 different tidbits of advice. These ideas range from healthy living to being successful in all parts of our life. What I love about this book is that the author gets personal with his message and is honest in the lessons that he has learned and how they have helped him. I found myself wanting to highlight multiple sections to check back on them when I am needing inspiration. One of the sections that really stood out to me was on the topic of integrity. In this section the author has a list of 25 different ways in which we can show integrity in our daily lives. Some of these ideas, such as showing respect to the clerk at the store, seem so

I finished The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham yesterday and I absolutely loved it! This is truly such a beautiful story. I found myself in tears at multiple parts of the story and it has stayed on my mind. I have the urge to pass this book on to everyone that I know and insist that they read this wonderful story. The Hope of Azure Springs is set in 1881 in Iowa. A young woman named Em is found injured and brought into the town of Azure Springs where she is taken in by a family. Em has had a difficult life since becoming an orphan 7 years prior and has many mental wounds to heal along with the bullet wound that she has suffered. Caleb is the local sheriff and is determined to find the person that has injured Em as well as learn more about the mystery of where she is from. Em forms relationships with the people that she encounters and starts to work towards her personal goals. This is a story about endurance and healing. It is also about finding love and seeing the true beau

If you are in need of an inspirational book to help get you out of a rut, Battle Ready: Train Your Mind To Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt, and Live Victoriously by Kelly Balarie may be the solution. As the title claims, this book is full of tips and scriptural direction to help change habits to create a more positive lifestyle. The thing about this book that made me look more closely at my own life is that the author talks about how much of our lives is controlled within our own minds. We can choose to have positive thoughts or we can choose to dwell on the negative. She has good tips for working towards changing the way in which we respond to situations and events. I know that I have had days where I feel like everything is miserable and that I can't help but dwell on everything bad that has happened. This only helps to increase my negative thinking. I look forward to embracing tips from this book on these types of days so that I can be reminded that I am only having a bad m

Justice Betrayed by Patricia Bradley is the third book in her Memphis Cold Case series. This is the first book that I have read from this series but believe that it worked well as a stand alone novel. I also believe that this is the first book that I have read that featured Elvis impersonators err tributes. Rachel Sloan leaves her career as a lawyer to become a police officer in hopes of being able to find out the truth about her mother's murder. While working as a homicide detective, Rachel is approached by an Elvis impersonator that would like her to look into a cold case that just may be connected to the murder of Rachel's mother. I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was interesting, the antagonist was completely crazy, there was a good dash of humor and there was also a good bit of love story included. All in all, there was a lot to keep me hooked from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more books from Patricia Bradley. I received a copy of this book fr