Book Review // Romance God's Way

Hey all! I hope that you all have had a great weekend to re-coop! :) Bek and I are off to a busy day to start off our week, so I thought I'd do a quick stop-in to recommend a book to y'all! I've had many people (especially young girls) in the past as me if I was familiar with Eric and Leslie Ludy's books. I'd comment back to each of them, saying that I had, but never took up one of their books personally. Until around six months ago. Well, I'm here to tell you a bit about just one of their wonderful writings that I know will strum on your heart's strings. :)

Bekah's Book Reviews // Si-Cology 101

Hi all! Today will be a book review about "Si-Cology 101 ONE!"      You've most likely all heard of the TV show (Even 'isolated homeschoolers' like us have!  ;-P )  'Duck Dynasty', and the family it's about, the Robertsons.  What you probably don't know is that Louisiana's favorite redneck uncle has written a book to tell us all about their life before it became a hit reality show. 

Filled to the brim with Si's exciting (and sometimes comedic) adventures it was just what I needed to cheer me up in this week of being practically snowed in! So - on with the review!
The following is the preface from the book.

As you read this book, there are a few things you have to understand: 95 percent of my stories are truthful. Every member of the Robertson family has the God-given gift of storytelling. Hey, when you've sat in a duck blind for more than half of your life, you have to figure out some way to pass the time! It's better than looking at Willie and Jase for six hours! Many of the stories I like to tell happened when I was a young boy or when I was in Vietnam. At my age, a few of the details are cloudy, but I'll recollect the coming stories as best I can. Hey, just remember it isn't a lie if you think it's true! It's up to you, the reader, to figure out what's truth and what's fiction. Best of luck with that, Jack! May the force be with you.

Hey, another thing you have to know: my stories are kind of like my vocabulary. You might have noticed I like to say hey quite a bit. Hey can mean anything. It can mean yes, it can mean maybe, and it can mean no. Hey, it could mean next week.The bottom line is, you have to understand to understand me.

And if you know anything about Silas Merritt Robertson, you know I'm a hard rascal to figure out.

 One of my favorite stories from the book is about when he was on tour in Vietnam, he and another soldier were guarding a brand-new truck engine and they heard some noise coming from inside the building where it was stored. After investigating, they assumed it was just some animals scavenging about.        Can you guess what it really was? I'll let you read it right from the horse's mouth.

One day we had a brand-new deuce-and-a-half diesel engine come to us in a metal box. New engines were like gold in Vietnam. Most of our vehicles were pretty out-dated, so it was rare we acquired new equipment... 

That night, my buddy and I were on guard duty. We had to cover a pretty big compound so we started the night walking the fence in opposite directions. About an hour later we hooked back up again for a cigarette break. "You see anything?" I asked him. "Nah, I didn't see anything," he said. "Me either." Suddenly, we heard a noise coming from the motor-pool. I called the watch tower and told them to shoot a flare over the motor-pool. They fired and it lit up the whole area- we quickly scanned the area and did not see anything unusual. I called watch tower again and told them to send a flare up over the pond (Where we dumped all of the old vehicle frames we stripped), wanting to make sure there weren't any Charlie swimming back across to the South-Vietnamese military compound.

When a flare lit up the sky again I looked out at the pond and saw the brand-new deuce-and-a-half engine floating in the water.

There was a Vietnamese person swimming on either side of it. The two men were swimming with one arm and holding the engine up with the other! They were stroking their free arms kind of like Olympians do in the butterfly stroke. You have to understand, this was a 478-cubic-inch engine that probably weighed close to 1,650 pounds!
I looked over to my buddy. "Do you see a raft?"  After picking his jaw up off the ground, he answered.
"Nope."

You'll have to buy or borrow the book to find out how this army escapade turned out!  The rest of the book includes how he got through college, met and married his wife Christine, lived out his faith in God, and had his two kids, Trasa and Scott.
 I really enjoyed reading 'Si-Cology 101' and I'm sure you will too!

Thanks for reading my post!  

                                                           Have you ever heard of the Robertsons?
                                                                      Do you have any Duck Commander products?

                               ~Rebekah,the second-oldest    

p.s.
The photo-a-day series will begin next Friday instead, for those of you who remembered, Cassie said I would post it today but I did not have the photos yet!  ;-P

Go To Work With Mom Day // A Book Review

        Hey y'all! Right now I am at our town's library helping out with re-arranging some books! My Mom fills in every once in a while so we kids get to see everything "behind-the-scenes" in the library business!

   Seeing as how I am surrounded by books, what better a time for a book review!   The book I am choosing to tell you about is by Lynn Austin, one of my all-time favorite authors!  (I have even met her!)   ;-)   The novel is named "Wonderland Creek" and I believe, is her newest.

Okay! On with the review!  Well, the story is about a girl who is 'addicted to books', and works at a library, leaving her very little time for real life.  Here is the consumer report, then I will share my personal account of this exciting and romantic tale!

  Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression. Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal. But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated--not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and mystery--and especially romance--are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

I really loved the fact that it is set in the 1930's, very nearly my favorite era!  (Hmm, how can I share with you my thoughts without revealing too many of the secrets??)   Well, another thing I liked about this story (And all of her books) is how she weaves Alice's journey towards greater faith in God in with all of the other 'plots' included.   Below is a photo of Lynn and a link to where you can buy the book, otherwise, find out if your local library has it on the shelf- it's so worth looking into! 

             Buy the book!

I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I have! Well, time to get back to the book carts! Cassie and I will be posting again later on this week, see ya then!  

                                                                           Have you ever read an Austin novel?
                                        What is the most memorable book you've ever read?
                                                          Have you had the chance to meet its author?

                           ttfn,
                                    ~Rebekah

Book Review

 

Recently (last week) I found a book in our 'private library' which immediately caught my interest. I picked it up and started reading, only stopping to eat dinner and do the evening chores.  I finished it by the next morning. Though I am an avid reader, the real reason it took me such a short time to get through it was because of the mind-claiming topic.....  The title, "23 Minutes In Hell".  It is NOT a fictional story. It is about the author, Bill Wiese, and his journey to the home of the Devil. (For those who are light of heart and can't stomach the thought of eternal damnation, keep reading. You are going to face it sooner or later. Personally, I would rather go to Heaven. Especially after reading Bill's account.)

 Now, before this, we (Cassie and I) have mainly kept to light-hearted subjects, but the fact remains, Hell is real and the world needs to know about it. Even if you don't believe that Mr. Wiese (Or anyone) has ever experienced Hell before death, this is still an excellent read.  Though, most people who have heard of Don Piper or Colton Burpo fully believe that they went to Heaven and came back with full memories of it.  So why is it that 1/2 of the world (Just a guess) does not believe in Hell?  This book answers that question and hundreds of others you might have. All of his statements are fully supported by Bible verses.  Here is a link to his full website where you can purchase the book and learn more about him and his family.  If you are not a Christian and want to learn more about becoming one, ask us any questions you have in the comment section below or go HERE... I hope you look into buying this book or seeing if your local library has it. Even if your eternal destiny is already settled with God and you are serving Him,  I still encourage you to read this. It contains a lot of facts and opinions formerly unknown to me.  

   Here is a list of a few questions covered and the answer given:

• Is Hell literal burning place?     -Yes-
• Where is Hell?    -*The center of the Earth (You do not have to believe this, but Mr. Wiese gives Bible references which clearly suggest that is the location)-
•  Are there degrees of punishment in Hell?    -Yes (Bible references for this also)-
• Are there children in Hell?     -No. (Matthew 18:3 says,"Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of God", suggesting there is an age of accountability)-
• Can 'good' people go to Hell?    -Yes (Ecclesiastes 3:17 states," God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.")

                                                                                               Have any questions?
                                                                                                    Anything to add?
                                                                                                            Have you read this book?
We love hearing from y'all! 

                                                                                       ~Rebekah