Death on the Nile book review

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
My rating = 5 stars (Gibbee!!)

Goodreads:
Poirot, on vacation in Africa, meets the rich, beautiful Linnet Doyle and her new husband, Simon. As usual, all is not as it seems between the newlyweds, and when Linnet is found murdered, Poirot must sort through a boatload of suspects to find the killer before he (or she) strikes again.

My review:
I love reading Agatha Christie. The mysteries are full of drama and suspense. It's always so hard for me to figure out whodunit, but it's always so much fun! This story had so many twists and turns. I thought I had figured out who the murderer was, but of course I was wrong. This book had not only a murderer, but a jewel thief, a crooked lawyer, a love triangle, an international criminal in disguise, a drunken romance author, and a royal lord in disguise as well. So much drama jampacked into one story. It was terrific!

Wine to Water Book Review and Giveaway

My rating = 5 stars (Gibbee!)

(Goodreads review)

Doc Hendley never set out to be a hero. In 2004, Hendley- a small-town bartender- launched a series of wine-tasting events to raise funds for clean-water projects and to bring awareness to the world's freshwater crisis. He planned to donate the proceeds through traditional channels, but instead found himself traveling to one of the world's most dangerous hot spots: Darfur, Sudan. There, Doc witnessed a government-sponsored genocide where the number-one weapon wasn't bullets-it was water. The Janjaweed terrorists had figured out that shooting up a bladder containing 10,000 liters of water, or dumping rotting corpses into a primary water source is remarkably efficient for the purposes of mass extermination. With limited funds, Doc realized that he couldn't build new wells costing $10,000 a pop, but he could hire local workers to restore a damaged well for a mere $50 each. He'd found his mission. Today, Doc and Wine to Water continue to help stricken peoples repair and maintain water-containment systems in places like Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, and Haiti.

I can't say enough good things about this book! First of all, it is written and organized very well. It grabs your attention immediately, and holds it throughout the entire story. Hendley's plain-spoken style is easy to read and relate to. Second, this book is so inspiring! That is the reason I am giving away my copy of this book. Usually I keep all of my Gibbee books because they're so good I want to have them always. But it doesn't seem right to keep this one all to myself. 

As I read Hendley's story of bravely working in war-torn Darfur, it inspired me to find ways I can help in my community. Being a stay-at-home mom of four young kids, it's not the easiest thing to do to find free time and money to volunteer anywhere I want. It's easy for me to make excuses and stay in my own little 'bubble.' This book made me reassess my situation and excuses, and look for opportunities that fit my schedule and resources. 

I hope everyone enters this giveaway, because this is a book not to be missed! It may even change your life, and that is what Gibbee is all about!!!

Happy reading, everyone!

Bean

My Dream Home

I made such an awesome discovery today, I just had to share!!!

When I was little I lived in Des Moines, near Drake University where my dad was a student. We always lived in old houses, old bungalows, probably because they were cheap and close to campus. I particularly remember the last house we lived in. It had a large front porch, a big kitchen (well, it was big to a five-year-old), and the staircase had its own doorway. I had lots of fun playing in that house. I remember helping my mom take the laundry from upstairs all the way down to the basement. She would put the laundry in pillowcases, and then my sister and I would pretend we were Santa, dragging the pillowcases down the stairs and saying "Ho, ho, ho!"

If I could choose the exact house I wanted to build and live in forever, it would be that house. I also loved my gramma's house, another old bungalow with lots of character, but my house was the best! So tonight I was playing around online, looking at bungalow floor plans (yes, I am quite weird). Suddenly, I came upon this picture:

THIS IS MY HOUSE!!!! I looked over the floorplan meticulously and was so amazed to find it was exactly the same! My house was painted white, the roof was red-shingled, and we didn't have a fireplace. We also didn't have flowers strewn all over the place, but I sure would have loved that. Isn't it just darling?? Someday, maybe in heaven, I will live in this house once again. I guess you could say this is my Gibbee house.

The Secret Life of Bees book review

My rating = 5 stars - Gibbee!

From the book cover:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina - a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna.

When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it much. It seemed like just another story about an abusive father and his rebellious daughter. But it soon turned into so much more than that. The heart of this story lies in the relationship between Lily Owens and August Boatwright, a beekeeper who takes Lily and Rosaleen in. August is the embodiment of pure love. She is nonjudgmental and very patient with Lily, and becomes a second mother to the girl. Lily has a lot of anger towards her father she needs to resolve in her heart, and unanswered questions about her mother she needs to face. August gives her the time and space to do this, wrapping Lily in a sweet blanket of acceptance, kindness and love. Within this "nest" August creates for Lily, the girl is able to successfully accept difficult lessons for any teenager to understand, and evolves into a more mature character by the book's end.

The one part of the book that was a little - well, weird for me - was the character of Black Mary. She's not a person in the story, but a statue that represents the Virgin Mary, and comes to be the embodiment of motherhood and personal strength to Lily. This statue is something of a religious idol for August, her sisters, and their circle of friends called the Daughters of Mary. Every Sunday August holds religious services in her home for this group of women, and the services center around the statue, with singing, dancing and touching the statue in very worshipful ways. It was hard at times for me to see more into these scenes than plain physical idol worshiping, which I am personally against. Throughout the book, Lily comes to find great personal meaning in Black Mary, which helps her character evolve into a more mature, accepting and forgiving young woman. But the physical worshiping of the statue was, again, just weird.

World Book Night

If you haven't heard about this event, World Book Night is "a celebration of reading and books which will see tens of thousands of people share books with others in their communities across America to spread the joy and love of reading." This annual event is being held on Monday, April 23rd.

Now for the really good news -- I've been chosen to be a book giver for World Book Night!! Woohoo! I will be distributing copies of The Poisonwood Bible by to non-readers or infrequent readers at a location of my choosing.

This book is about a family that moves from their comfortable life in the US to preach the gospel in Congo. The father is a hard-line minister who insists everything in the entire world, from religion to gardening, must be done his way. His wife struggles to humbly follow her husband's rules and requirements. The four daughters learn about life, love, happiness and tragedy as they live their childhood in an undeveloped country amidst the beginnings of a civil war.

I personally loved this book the first time I read it. Now that I think about it, I would say this book is one of my gibbees, since I insist the book always have a home on my bookshelf. Lots of drama, family dynamics, humor, and even a little romance. This book has it all!

Heaven is For Real book review

My rating = 5 stars (Gibbee!)

After reading the illustrated children's book, Heaven is For Real for Kids, I knew I would love this book, and I was not disappointed. It's a fascinating book about a three-year-old boy's near-death experience, and how his family and community was affected by it. 

Colton Burpo was hospitalized for a ruptured appendix. During the surgery, Colton later told his family, he went to heaven and saw Jesus, met his great-grandfather and a sister his mother had miscarried before Colton was born. Colton also descried the throne room of God, the gates of heaven, and a view of the world's future, among other things.

This book is very uplifting and inspiring. I truly enjoyed it. It brings reassurance to those of the Christian faith, regardless of church affiliation. The story brings to mind a scripture from the Book of Mormon — 

"And it came to pass that [Jesus] did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter." 

— 3 Nephi 26:14

Happy reading everyone!

Bean

"Happy Birthday Bean!" Book Giveaway

It's the new year, which means my birthday is just a few days away. To celebrate, I am having my first ever giveaway!!! I have chosen four awesome books that will be given away to four lucky followers of my blog.

I decided to pick books that were made into movies in 2011. I must say, there were TONS of books to choose from for this giveaway, and I couldn't pick everyone's favorites. I also didn't want to pick the biggest blockbusters (*ahem* Harry Potter and Twilight fans), because this blog is all about finding your Gibbee in new and possibly unexplored literary genres. (I did include one of my own personal Gibbees :)

This giveaway ends January 21st. The four winners will be announced on January 23rd. One entry per person, please! You must be a follower of my blog via GFC, Networked Blogs, or Google+ to enter. To follow, just click on one of these links on my sidebar.

*****And now, the Final Four!!!*****

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See






Good luck everyone!
Bean


This giveaway has ended

Book review -- Heaven is for Real for Kids

My rating = 5 stars (Gibbee!)


I received this beautiful little treasure from Book Sneeze this week. It is an illustrated children's version of the bestseller Heaven Is For Real. In this book, Colton Burpo acts as narrator of his own afterlife experience, explaining in a very childlike and simple way how wonderful and beautiful heaven is. The story is told strictly from his own 4 year old point of view.

When reviewing a children's book, my rule is to read it to the target audience - children! In this case, I read this book to my own children (ages 11, 7, 6, and 3) for bedtme. As we read, my kids got more and more excited about the things Colton described in his story. They loved it so much that When my kids eventually shuffled off to bed, I heard my 7 year old saying, "I wish I could go to heaven right now." My 11 year old said, "Heaven is just like earth, but happier!"

A couple of my kids favorite parts:

Colton's description of playing with any animals you want-- all of my kids LOVED this part!! My 3 year old especially liked the pictures of the white horse with rainbow hair. He said, "I would want to feed him his carrots!"

At the end of the book is a short Q&A list, and the question of angels having wings is discussed. Colton's answer is "You get to choose if you want to walk or fly." My oldest thought this was very very cool!

The illustrations are beautiful - full of rich color and vibrancy. They help convey the feelings of love, peace and happiness Colton describes in the story. The language is simplistic, which makes potentially confusing points of doctrine quite easy for children to understand. I feel this book would be a blessing to any child's library, but will be especially beneficial for children who are dealing with terminal illness, or who have lost a loved one. It completely takes away any confusion or fear about what heaven is like, and helps children become very comfortable with the idea of going there.


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is such an amazing book! I could not put it down, and when I HAD to put it down, I kept thinking about it nonstop. Whenever my husband called me from work, I would always start telling him about what I had just read. Such a powerful book that stays with you for a long, long time.

The Help is about white women in Jackson, Mississippi, and the black women who work for them. It takes place during the civil rights movement in the 1960's, and tells of one woman's efforts to show society what life is really like for a black woman working in a white woman's home. She works very hard at befriending the maids in her friends' homes, and getting them to trust her enough to share their experiences with her.

Stockett does such a wonderful job at showing this topic from all angles and perspectives. She does this by frequently changing narrators throughout the book, so we can hear from several main characters and take in all of their memories and experiences at once.

Stockett gently and carefully explores the themes in her book, showing not only the ugliness and inhumanity of segregation, but also the love and tenderness many of these women felt for each other, regardless of race, age, or background.

View all my reviews