For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn

To quote the back of the book:

“What's going on in there? Ever been totally confused by something your man has said or done? Want to understand his secret desires and fears, his daily battles that you know nothing about? In a woman to woman conversation you'll never forget, Shaunti Feldhahn takes you beneath the surface into the inner lives of men. This book is about the things we just don't “get” about guys. With findings from a ground-breaking national survey and personal interviews of over one thousand men, For Women Only, is full of eye-opening revelations you need to not only understand the man in your life, but to support and love him in the way he needs to be loved. Grounded in biblical hope, you will discover how to love your man for who he really is- not who you think he is.”

Ms. Feldhahn delves into parts unknown and does with such loving words. She lays it out honestly as well but never in a harsh tone. She wants to help women do better and it was all inspired by writing a male character in one of her Christian novels. I was blown away by a lot of what I read. I knew some of it but not quite to the depth shown in the book. It has changed how I want to be not just around my husband as well as other men in how I react, dress, and my appearance. Dress just has to do with my clothes.

I am so glad I picked up this book. I made sure to give it lots of time to take in what was presented in the book. It definitely is one I highly recommend to all women to read whether you are single, dating, engaged, married or even divorced. We are around men all the time and this will help us better to honor those men in our lives. I am definitely wanting to read her other works and may even pick up her fiction books. This woman truly wants to make sure things come across well. I found that this is one book I will want to read again to refresh my memory every year.

Shaunti Feldhahn/ Non-fiction/Practical Life/Women/ 208 pages/ 5 out of 5

Having read a lot of negative comments about this book, please be kind and constructive. I do approve all comments and if it comes down to it, I won't allow comments on this post.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

Siddalee Walker loses her energy for life and decides to go away for awhile. She's not sure how long that will be but life is just seeing her off balance. Between a nasty article that pisses off her mother and trying to put her touches on the play “The Women”, things just don't feel right. Postponing her wedding to Conner, she takes the cabin belonging to an old family friend. There is a journey she must go on but will she come out on the other side?

Ms. Wells tells a wonderful story of four best friends seen through the eyes of one of their daughters. There is tragedy, love, celebrating, and loss told throughout the whole story. These four women find their ways to cope on their own and with each other. Their friendship affect their children as well.

Sidda has a lot to deal with. Things in her past were bugging her and making her wonder if she could really love anyone. Vivi, Sidda's mom, Necie, Teensy, and Caro were great friends growing up. They share so much that the scrap book Vivi puts together is sent to Sidda. Just to help her regroup, it's not till later on that the other Ya-ya's show up that things might finally come into perspective.

This is a wonderful book and now I definitely want to watch the movie. Women have great friendships and depths that sometimes we ourselves don't even understand. I found this characters invigorating!

Rebecca Wells/New Author/ Friendships/ Women/ 383 pages/ 4 out of 5


With hours going up and down, I finally got this one done. Off to read a chunkster. :)

The Friday NIght Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Georgia Walker never thought she would do much with her life. But having her daughter Dakota changed all that. She loves owning her own yarn shop Walker and Daughter. Her friends that help her run the business are fantastic people. They may have faults but know how to be good friends. She looks forward to her Friday Night Knitting Club, where a lot of fellowship happens but not always so much knitting. It is her one escape that she will not let go.

Ms. Jacobs has a fantastic story on her hands. Empowering woman is always a good thing. I loved watching each character step up in their own way. They certainly were not perfect but it was interesting to watch and a joy as well. It was all these women from all walks of life. Just doing what they do best be friends and to follow their dreams.

Georgia did her best on her own every day. She just hung in there and enjoyed getting help from her friends so she could run her shop. Her daughter Dakota was always the life of the party with the food she created for each Friday night meeting. Anita was a widow who was learning how to start over. How much well you’ll have to read the book. Peri was a woman who wanted to design something. She loved working with yarn and maybe she could find a way to connect the two. There are so many more women from Darwin Chiu, Lucie, and Cathy. They all had a role to play.

This is one series that I hope to pick up the next one soon. And with the third one coming out this month, I am certainly curious with what they are going to do next. The women in this book take you through so many things in their lives that by the end you feel like you’re old friends. Definitely a must read for anyone who loves stories about women whether you like to knit or not.

Kate Jacobs/ Women/ Friends/ Knitting/ 384 pages/ Adult Fiction/ 5 out of 5

I tried knitting but could never sit still. Now I am able to sit if I am reading or writing or sewing. Guess it just was not my cup of tea but this book certainly was. :)

Charley's Webb by Joy Fielding

Charlotte Webb has had an interesting life. Her family is on the odds again and she is stuck picking up the pieces or so it seems. Her career as a journalist is not so glamorous but still warrants an occasional threatening email. She likes writing about things that are controversial. Her children keep her busy and she loves them dearly. She always makes sure that she is there for them even though she never married the fathers. Getting a letter from a woman in jail who wants her story told makes Charley curious. So she decides to meet Jill Rohmer to at least find out the details. The woman had killed three small children and oddly enough Charley had wrote a column about it. She has no idea that it will lead to some nasty things down the line and it might even put her children’s lives on the line.

Ms. Fielding is a fantastic writer who gives the best goose bumps. I have only read one other book of hers but I am so intrigued to pick up the one I have in my ever-growing book pile. She writes characters that question beliefs so much that I even started wondering about mine. Yet the thrill ride you are taken on will leave you almost breathless. She plots things out very well that I was shocked to find out a few things that were talked about in the book.

Charlotte just wanted her family to get along. But since her mom left them when all four children were very young, they are not so forgiving including her father. Now she tries to settle into a life well done except threatening emails shock her. She does her best to keep her children safe. She loves them too much to want anything to happen to them like any mother really. I just felt compelled to follow along with her journey to see what happens.

This is a book full of tough issues and tests the boundaries of truth. I would definitely thing this would make a good book club read. I thought the book was well written and the characters very realistic. People just want to find their place in life and they also want to make money. There is nothing wrong with that it is just how you acquire the money that is often wrong. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is not squeamish. It is not for the faint of heart and the details did get quite gruesome. It is the only way to retell things that happened to truly understand what was going on in the mind of a killer. This is one author that I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next as well as I am planning on reading the other book on my shelf very soon.

Joy Fielding/ Women/ Journalists/ Thriller/ 448 pages/ 4 out of 5

I am working on a review book but hope to get another one of my own in soon!

Four Wives by Wendy Walker

Four friends live a life most women achieve for. Yet behind it all, there is self-doubt, marital problems, and personal integrity. They may have it all but it is something that they fight for every day. Love, Marie, Gayle, and Janie are good friends and they rely on each other for help. Well as much help as one can get without being truly honest. They figure someone wrong is going on each other’s lives but can never prove it. Each woman has to figure out how to be true to herself first before anything else can happen.

Ms. Walker has a compelling story in this book. She tells it straight for each character and I felt I got a really good glimpse into each life. She puts characters that are easy to believe and problems that almost everyone is affected by. I really liked that and I also liked how you got to see everything from each character’s point of view. It made the story that much more believable since these four women were fairly close.

Love Welsh is a prodigy child who has let her past sit and fester. Marie is a divorce lawyer and normally helps out the father in the situation. Gayle is pretty much a stay at home mom but she comes from a wealthy family, which her husband resents. Janie is struggling in her marriage because she wants adventure and her husband likes what they have now. They all have children that they take care of in some aspect. Gayle wants to be more involved with Oliver but her husband wanted a nanny. Love wants to keep snuggling her 7-month-old son but other mothers say to toughen up. I felt for all these women. They did their best at expressing themselves but felt like they were going in circles.

This is one book that any woman can relate to even if we do not share their problems. These four women are doing their best to find their place in their own world and want to be fulfilled whether they have a job or not. Ms. Walker really gets her point across that you have to be happy where you are even if that means you have to move out of the world you are in and into another. This is a good debut novel and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Wendy Walker/ Women/ Family/ Adult Fiction/ 368 pages/ 5 out of 5

I read this one last month but wanted to wait till the month of it's released to post to the review. Definitley a book to check out. :)

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss

If you are working on reading this book I don't recommend reading it. I also hope I am not giving too much away. :)


Katie Hollis wanted to get the closure she never got with her ex-boyfriend Jake Sharpe. Problem is that he is a famous rock star and she can’t get near him. Until she gets a phone call from her best friend Laura to say he is back in their hometown. So Katie hops on a plane to see him one last time. She has no idea what kind of a circus she will find when she gets there.

Ms. McLaughlin and Ms. Krauss show us that nothing ever turns out like we hope but it is still worth it in the end. Friends are what truly matter because family can’t always be relied upon. These two women authors give us every girl’s dream by showing an ex-boyfriend what he is missing out on.

Katie had this dream life of being with Jake. She was finally seeing the reality of it. She is a sweet person but was always curious about how life would have been with Jake. Jake sold out on his friends, which really made me want to throttle Katie because she never saw it at first. Jake was a sweet guy but got caught up in the fame and popularity not realizing what it would cost him. Laura put up with a lot from Katie but was still a true friend. She really wanted Katie to be happy so that is why she called and told her about Jake being back.

I liked this story. I also appreciated the flashbacks because I got better feel for what was happening in present day life. Ms. McLaughlin and Ms. Krauss are quite the team. I was impressed with how the story flowed. The ending was good because Katie did get a glimpse of real life. It was not easy for her to see but she had to make a decision about what her life was going to be. She was not selfish wanting a real life yet she felt horrible for having to do what she did. I hope to read more by these two because it sounds like they have some great books that they have written and I would love to see more of what they can do.

I give this book a 4/5 because it was well written. The characters drove me nuts but I never threw the book across the room. Jake was not selfish but used to the fame while Katie didn’t know what to do with it. She just wanted quality time and never seemed to get much of that. She wanted to know the feelings ran deep more than just a roll in the hay from the past. I can emphasize with her because I had to deal with some of the same feelings at one time or another. I never had the roll in the hay but wanted to be liked for who I was and my deep feelings about things. Not just to have someone roll his eyes at me and tell me I have completely lost my mind.

278 pages/New Authors/ Chick Lit

Now off to send the review to Simon and Schuster as well as off to bed. Been a long day. :)