I’m kicking myself right now. I have been inactive on the blog for over a month, and it was my New Years resolution to get back to posting twice a week.
Truthfully, it’s not realistic for me anymore. I have been in a reading slump since maybe September last year, and I have been lacking motivation to post because of that as well as a depression flare-up. I have been a little tired lately, ever since my baby brother was born and can’t read until it’s too late at night. Not to mention, I’m turning 18 soon and I need to focus on my schoolwork and career options… getting my drivers license. Ugh, so many things to do!
So, I decided it might be best to change my schedule to posting every other week on either Tuesdays or Fridays until I know I can juggle the old one. Basically, expect a post twice a month (with blog tours as exceptions) until further notice.
Thank you so much for being patient, everyone, and continuing to follow Purely by Faith Reviews.
Grace Neunaber has finally found happiness. After struggling for years as a single mother of four, she’s thrilled about her newfound faith and her marriage to a strong Christian man. But as David is added to their family of five, her enthusiasm is quickly dampened by her older children’s open hostility and resentment toward their new father.
For Grace’s daughter, Faith, having a principal for a step-dad is only one of the downsides. Her parents are nosy, restrictive, and most of all embarrassing. But Faith’s issues with her parents are quickly shoved aside when she’s faced with a decision that will change the course of her future.
Third Blade Leith Torren never questions his orders or his loyalty to King Respen until an arrow wound and a prairie blizzard drive him to the doorstep of the girls whose family he once destroyed.
Their forbidden faith and ties to the Resistance could devastate their family a second time.
Survival depends on obedience, but freedom beckons. How far does he dare go to resist the king and his Blades?
No matter what Leith chooses, one thing is certain.
I was supposed to post this earlier today, but I wasn’t quite finished with the book at that point. Let me give you a hint: A-MA-ZING! There’s my review as well as a giveaway, so let’s get right into it!
Angel Cutler’s routine life is overturned when local ganglord Viktor Marino tries to kidnap her. When she finds out her adopted sister is back in town and working with Viktor, Angel has to run away with the protection of two total strangers. Can Angel have faith in God to protect her family when she can’t?
Elijah Davis has seen Viktor bleed once, and to save his family, he’ll make it happen again. But who is the One Eli can turn to when he realizes he can’t protect his loved ones alone?
Hiding from gangsters and gunfire, the trio struggle to seek God above all else and trust that His plan is greater than their own. Or Viktor Marino’s.
Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women is a topical devotional that uses the inspiring stories of girls and women in the Bible—such as Ruth, Esther, Mary, and Abigail—to encourage faith and confidence as well as provide insight into topics like relationships, inner beauty, and chasing your dreams.
Each day features an easy-to-read, relevant devotion paired with a scripture verse about a biblical girl or woman, as well as journaling space to help readers reflect on the day’s message. With honest, poignant, and sometimes humorous text, every page will speak to the pressures and changes girls face, giving them real-world applications to find God in their hearts and in their lives. Perfect for everyday use, Beloved will resonate with girls searching for truth and guidance. Gift givers will love this highly designed book featuring a beautiful, foiled cover, two-color interior pages, and a ribbon marker.
Guess what? Rebekah Morris and Faith Blum have teamed up for a fun Christmas Duet Blog Tour! But, why Christmas Duet? Simply because both books have titles that are related to a Christmas song! Be sure to check out all of the blog posts as well as the giveaway. Wouldn’t it be sweet to have some new reads for Christmas just in time for, well, Christmas?
Today, I’m doing something different. Instead of actually reviewing a novel, I had the wonderful opportunity to instead review three art journals by Ellie Claire! Honestly, I really love art. It’s so fun to look at, especially when I just search some up on the internet, and admire other people’s work. I’m not necessarily into doing art myself, other than sometimes drawing on envelopes, but I really do want to change that.
Note: I don’t know if this is technically a repost, but I was having HUGE technical difficulties. I was using the WordPress app on my phone to upload the photos of the journal, and I somehow managed to publish this post as well as one with photos of the journals (which I have since then deleted). The weird thing is that my app said that both said posts were simply drafts, and not published. I pretty much decided I’ll probably not be using the app again since things went kind of wacky.
The first journal that we will take a look at is Illuminate Your Story, which is below.
I really like the cover. It is so simple, yet the design really gives the impression that the journal is meant for creativity. I love the fancy ‘S’!
The first few pages in this journal discuss the history of illuminated letters, which I find to be informative and awesome! I really enjoy learning the history behind things in our world today, and that was something that really caught my eye. I really never realized how much you could history you could learn from art as well as fonts.
What I really am thankful for about this journal is that it walks you through how to write letters in a fancy way. These two pages about the first letter of the alphabet really inform you on how to draw the letter. The dotted grid really helps you to be precise as you practice. I find the walk-through to be absolutely beautiful! I like how the flower wraps itself around the letter. You also have plenty of room for writing throughout the whole journal, which is another plus!
I was surprised to find a little area in the back of the journal for your keepsakes. This would be the ideal location to store some meaningful notes that you treasure. I was slightly confused with the small elastic strapped around the book until I realized it was for your writing utensil (both a plus). I think this journal is worthy of five shiny gold stars!
I’m going to be honest. This is probably my favorite journal out of the three. I have no words for the cover… it’s so gorgeous and screams “write in me!” The introduction is helpful as well as informative. The author of the journal explains what lettering is and how she discovered it, and she goes on to explain how to use the journal.
As you can see from the photos, you are able to practice your lettering with the different techniques. In the first picture, you can see that the first thing you practice with is San Serif. It’s a common font, often seen on the internet as well as on many graphics and items, is a great place to start! This comes from a beginner, and although I don’t have much experience with lettering as of yet, I know enough to tell that San Serif wouldn’t be the hardest font ever to start with.
The pages later feature more complex designs. The one featured in the second photo is a verse from the Bible, Ezekiel 36:26. This type of thing to practice sort of terrifies me because I would have no clue to begin (lol)! I can see these longer and more eloquent designs as something practice a little later once I have more experience.
There are beautiful pieces of artwork throughout the journal, and there are plenty of areas to practice your lettering as well as write about your day. The dotted grids are extremely useful, and give you the perfect advantage as to design the perfect quote design. This journal is five stars for sure!
Lastly, we have The Illustrated Word Coloring Journal.
The cover matches the journal completely! I just noticed, after uploading the photos, that areas of it are colored in while others are blank, kind of like a coloring book. That was very clever, along with the title. Literally, the first page in the journal is one you can color! I love that verse, and the artwork that goes along with it is simply unique! The pages are thick enough that, even if you use a sharpie, they do not bleed through so you can color the pages in any way you choose.
The one thing I really wasn’t certain about was some of random pieces of artwork spread throughout the journal for you to see. I’m not sure if it was just me, but it was really off-putting and a little creepy. I think that they’re supposed to portray something, and maybe the first one is from the Bible, but I’m not that educated in specific portraits… I don’t know. Honestly, this journal is probably my least favorite due to the pieces I’m supposed to color in, but I do really like the ones with verses attached to them (such as the fourth photo above). I’m rating this journal three stars.
Am I the only one who had their tree set up on Thanksgiving day? 😛
I like these journals overall, and I’m rating them four stars altogether.
Seriously though, they would be perfect Christmas gifts for this upcoming holiday season, depending on if it fits the person’s interest, and I know I still need to do some shopping. I can see some of my family members loving these journals, especially The Faith and Lettering Journal, and these journals could be perfect for yours! The journals do use multiple versions of the Bible, including ESV and NIV, just in case you’re curious.
If you’re looking for something creative to do, then one of these journals ought to do the trick for you and satisfy the cravings!
For so many people, reading isn’t just a hobby or a way to pass the time–it’s a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can’t imagine life without them.
I’d Rather Be Reading is the perfect literary companion for everyone who feels that way. In this collection of charming and relatable reflections on the reading life, beloved blogger and author Anne Bogel leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today. Known as a reading tastemaker through her popular podcast What Should I Read Next?, Bogel invites book lovers into a community of like-minded people to discover new ways to approach literature, learn fascinating new things about books and publishing, and reflect on the role reading plays in their lives.
The perfect gift for the bibliophile in everyone’s life, I’d Rather Be Reading will command an honored place on the overstuffed bookshelves of any book lover.
Right now, the wonderful Rebekah Morris is hosting Five Fall Favorites over at her blog, Read Another Page. I recommend you check it out because there are freebies, a huge giveaway, and lots of book recommendations. Can’t say I really need more books on my to-be-read pile, which is kind of glaring at me right now and becoming a mountain, but I really can’t help it!
I decided to share my Historical Fiction favorites that I have enjoyed discovering this year, and you may have seen my reviews for them over the course of the year. 😉
I’ve read the first two books in the series so far (but I do have access to the third one in ebook form from my library), and they have been absolute gems! The characters are extremely lovable, and it’s set in the 1900s. Pretty much a little before WWI. I’m sorry, but who can resist reading something based in that timeline? This was the very first series I’ve read by Roseanna, and I have decided she is one of my top favorite authors of all time.
I got the chance to review this novella earlier this year, and I just loved this. It’s a Cinderella retelling set in WWII. That is pretty much all it had to be for me to want to read it! You know what? Anything by Jesseca Wheaton is good, especially her Questions of War series.
I started reading this when I was at my Grandparents house, the night I returned from summer camp to stay over at their house for a few days. I got to be honest, it really drew me in and I read it almost in a days worth before having to travel back home. Although I liked this, I’m not sure this would be the thing for everyone. Maybe a little slow and a bit flat at times, but the story just really makes up for it, at least to me. I’m looking forward to reading the next books that I borrowed from my Grandmother!
This was the bomb. It’s about a woman who suffers with social anxiety, and Victoria handled it well! I think this a wonderful read that everyone would like because the character is so realistic, and the ending is so satisfying! So hard not to spoil!
This was my first time reading anything by Sarah Sundin, which I’m surprised about because I had heard so many good things about the author’s books, and it did not disappoint! This one is also set in WWII (uh, a trend here… anyone? 😉 ) and I really did enjoy it. It’s a romance that was written well, and completely draws you in, which makes you lose track of time. Once you are finished, you realize it’s somehow been the whole day. Yep, my special-and-very-rare experience.
Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who stayed in Springfield, Kentucky, when anyone with means had fled. A man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She’s determined to find a way to buy Louis’s freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she’ll face an uphill battle.
Based partly on a true story, Ann H. Gabhart’s latest historical novel is a tour de force. The vividly rendered town of Springfield and its citizens immerse readers in a story of courage, betrayal, and honor that will stick with them long after they turn the last page.
