Young Lisa Andersen left a troubled home at 16 determined to become a female world champion surfer in a time when it was not common. She accomplished this goal (four times, i might add). This book, Fearlessness, dives into all areas of Lisa’s life. We get a world tour as she competes and we see the sacrifices she made along the way.
We get a window into what young Lisa was thinking when she left home, we read of some of her difficult experiences along the way and we peek into her romances of the heart. The book shares some of her highs and lows without apology for the mistakes she may have made, along the way. Her focus is unwavering throughout her career.
But, what the book most illustrates is Lisa’s drive to compete and be the best. She recently remarried in May of 2008 and we wish her and her family well. Life is a journey and Lisa has had a well documented journey from young driven teen to accomplished adult. Lisa changed the face of the surfing sport and she left her mark on individuals as well as business.
With a severe back injury; Lisa transitioned to an accomplished entrepeneur. She launched a brand of surf wear for women called Roxy and she has raised children while she rode the waves. She seems to have been able to successfully blend single parenthood (until recently) and doing what fufills her heart professionally.
The book shares a bit about resolution of relationships both professional and personal and what we learn to take away from them and how we apply it to future relationships.
The pictures are beautiful and capture the spirit of adventure and competition. For anyone interested in surfing and role models…this is an encouraging guide to reaching for your goals and becoming unstoppable.
Chronicle Books was the publisher and it was published in 2007. Check out their website here: http://www.chroniclebooks.com . The book was written by Nick Carroll and the photographs are by a variety of photographers; each with their own beauty, grace, and power.
Thomas Jefferson-A Picture book biography was written by James Cross Giblin and was illustrated by Michael Dooling. Both the texts and the images help to get a vision of what life was like when Thomas Jefferson lived. It is hard to get to know someone when you can’t picture what they looked like or where they lived. This book opens that doorway to children instead of just presenting dry facts…it makes the life of Thomas Jefferson come alive.
Young Thomas Jefferson studied law and designed his own home from studying books of architecture. He was shy in school. But he loved to learn. He married and had children and grew up in a time when slavery was common in the south. He became a writer who went on to write some of the greatest writings that this country has come to treasure; such as the American Declaration of Independence. He became an important part of our country’s history.
He was a very interesting man. Some of the things he did seemed to conflict with the very things he wrote about. He didn’t believe in slavery…but he owned slaves. That is still hard to understand. Read the rest of this entry…
Butterflies have fascinated humans for a very long time. This book has some wonderful, colorful pictures of butterflies in various stages. The information in the book includes topics such as getting to know butterflies, preparing for the adventure of butterfly watching, knowing where to look to find butterflies, and making observations; it is a wonderful guide. Read the rest of this entry…
I have been wanting to read this book, since i first heard about it. I even put my name on the hold list at the library and waited weeks to be able to sit down and absorb it. Mistaken Identity is the behind the trauma story of two young college women of faith who were accidently, mixed up by the emergency workers when their van was hit by a truck…one young woman died…the other…was restored, bit by bit, by the very hand of God.
This is the story of Whitney Cerak and Laura Van Ryn. Two young women who looked very much alike…had similiar, can do spirits, that were focussed on serving God. This story is about loss, restoration, healing, faith, bonding, servitude, compassion, empathy, perserverance, grief, pain, hope and joy; and so much more. It is a testimony of families of faith and how that faith sustains them through the whirlwind that is life. Read the rest of this entry…
Iris Johansen has done it again…she wrote a page-turner. I like alot of Ms. Johansen’s books because she invariably taps into secret compartments, inside of each of us, that seek to understand just what motivates the people that she writes about. She seems able to capture a reader’s desire to know more about the characters in her books. By the time you realize that you have invested a little emotional connection to the outcome of the story…you have already reached the point of no return; in putting the book down to attend to your other responsibilities in life. I am guilty of a gluttony of the written word! 
I wasn’t personally enamored with the title of this book…but, the book itself was good.
It has action, drama, and of course, romance. There is the typically large, overly dramatic misunderstanding in the romantic relationship, between the hero and heroine…which of course, happily resolves itself before the end of the book. Knowing that this is coming in the story doesn’t take anything away from the story or away from Ms. Johansen’s writing; she writes in a way that justifies it; by making it appear as if, it too, could happen to you in one of your real life relationships. After all, we can’t read our partner’s minds in real life…and just because we can climb into the charater’s heads in the book…that doesn’t mean that the characters in the book can do the same. Read the rest of this entry…
This collection of stories by Ernest Hemingway was interesting to read for a variety of reasons for me. First of all, Ernest Hemingway had a history in my own home state of Michigan. He loved and appreciated the gift of nature in the upper reaches of Michigan. Many of the stories illustrate his love of fishing and hunting…and living off of the land.
Some of these stories have not been published previously. The stories of Nick Adams and his life very closely mirror some of Ernest Hemingway’s life experiences. It is a peek into a very complex man and his writings.
Be forewarned…this book may cause a unique reaction by igniting a desire to read more Hemingway works!
This edition was published by Scribner and was a paperback edition copyright 2003.
Polly the pig is down in the dumps…she has no one special in her life to be her valenswine. She wanders around in her world looking for that special one. All of those in her life that bring her comfort just dont fit the bill as her one true valenswine. This picture book is written in rhyme. Polly’s mother keeps assuring her to keep her eyes open for the one who loves her most of all.
Follow Polly as she discovers that her most important valenswine is right before her eyes and has been there all along. This book reinforces the bonding that occurs between mother and child.
Will You Be My Valenswine was written by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Kristina Stephenson. It was copyrighted in 2005; and published by Albert Whitman & Company. You can view there website at: www.albertwhitman.com.
Tracie Peterson has written a wonderfully layered story about a family torn apart by willful behavior and glued back together, piece by piece, with the inner working of God’s love and healing touch. The main character’s are two sisters who are reunited at a terribly trying time…their father is loosing his battle with cancer. This should be a time of sharing the caregiving load; however, the sisters have a lifetime of hurts and a lack of trust relating to one sister’s selfish, restless teenaged behavior that had far reaching consequences.
It is not all black and white….good sister/bad sister. Understanding what motivates people to do the things they do, even when it appears to be well intentioned actions, is something they must each try to see in each other; as well as, inside of their own hearts and minds. Pride and low self-esteem issues often allow people to put themselves into destructive life patterns and leaves other people bewildered about why some people leave a trail of pain and misery. Bad choices, when not corrected, tend to fester and cause more problems.
Learning to let God work out the trouble spots, and open hearts, is the underlying theme of the book. Supporting characters shine a light into the darkest recesses of the human spirit in the need to focus on mistakes and negativity from the past; rather than, to give benefit of the doubt when someone tries to make amends.
The need to love and be loved; and, to give and receive trust & forgiveness in return are the basis of most relationships; and, when those are damaged it is a long road back. This is the journey of Kathy and Amy (Sunny) and the restoration of their relationships, with God’s intervention.
Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Book Publishing Group published the book by Tracie Peterson in 2007. It is a work of Christian Fiction.