Free Books!

Time for a quick interview!

Can you read English? Oh,  you're reading this? Great!

Do you enjoy reading? Again, another self-answering question. Alrighty, then. Moving right along.

Do you blog? Because everyone's doin' it these days!

If you answered, "Yes," to all three of these questions, then I have a proposition for you. I benefit zero from whether you act on this or not, but I just wanted to get this information out to you, in case you weren't aware.

You see, if you enjoy reading and have a blog of some sort, then you can receive free books! It's any book-lovers dream!

The process is simple, really. I'm currently enrolled in three book review programs. These companies allow you to pick a book to review, and in return, you promise to review the books you're given on your blog and on a website like Amazon. It's simple, really. If you've ever seen my Book Reviews page, you can see that even a monkey could do it - unfortunately, none of the companies offer bananas for blogging, so the monkeys haven't joined in... yet.

The first book review program that I'm a part of is called Blogging for Books, through Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. I have done the majority (actually, all) of my book reviews so far through this program, and it's wonderful. Some notable authors that I've reviewed books from: David Platt, Bruce Wilkinson, and Leonard Sweet.

The second book review program that I'm a part of is Book Sneeze, through Thomas Nelson Publishers. I just recently received my first book from them, and their process is as simple as Waterbrook's. However, I will note that the first time I applied, I was rejected (I wasn't given a reason why), so you might have to apply more than once. It's a simple process, though. The main author that I may have a chance to review from this program is Ted Dekker, though there are many other great authors offered through this program.

The third book review program that I'm a part of is the Tyndale Blog Network, through Tyndale. So far, I'm still waiting for my first book from them, which I ordered long ago. Their system is a bit more confusing than the other two, but a free book is a free book, so if you want to check them out, I wouldn't stop you.

So there you have it - free books! And I benefit directly from you signing up for these programs in no way. Check them out and sign up for 'em if you're interested!

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Questions: Do you enjoy reading? What is one of your favorite books/authors? Do you review books for a company not mentioned here?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading!


image credit - mazwebs - sxc.hu

Keep Your Friends Close & Keep Your Enemies Closer

Today's post is another review that I wrote for the Blogging for Books program. Enjoy!

I chose to read Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart for a number of reasons:

1. It had a nifty looking cover.

2. I’ve heard of Andy Stanley, which means the book has to be good, right? (Don’t mind that I’ve never read anything written by him.)

3. It was available on Kindle, which is always a bonus.

4. I was actually interested in the topic of the book.

And though I’ve been prone to delivering rather cynical and negative reviews as of late, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It was one of those books I actually wanted to read in my spare time, instead of feeling obliged for whatever reason. And it actually made a few good points.

The premise of the book is that we don’t look at the condition of our hearts nearly enough. Instead, we fix our behaviors and then wonder why we blow up at people and are unsure of why it happens. Stanley proposes that if this is the case, there’s a “heart” problem.

The book is organized well, addressing the four sicknesses of our hearts that Stanley has concocted: anger, guilt, greed, and jealousy. Without a doubt, we’ve all experienced each of these things at some point in our lives or another. Stanley does well to examine why these sicknesses exist and then proposes tangible solutions to those problems, not just clichés such as “pray more” or “trust God.”

After the what, the why, and the how are examined, Stanley wraps up the book by touching on leaving a legacy and leading by example for our children and addresses lust, another heart condition that is a little different from the other four (but important nonetheless).

Ultimately, though, this book is well put-together, well thought out, thorough (yet concise!), and it makes you think and moves you to action. What more could you ask for?

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.) 

An Order of Shallow with a Side of Cliche

Today's second post is a book review of Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory as a part of the Blogging for Books program. Enjoy!

Sometimes you pick up a book and you're excited to read it. You're excited to dive in and see what the author has concocted. And sometimes, you pick up a book and rejoice that it's only around 100 pages because you know it'll be over with soon enough. Unfortunately, David Gregory's Dinner with a Perfect Stranger falls under the latter category.

I was initially wary of this book because of its premise of having dinner with Jesus. I figured that the author was some lunatic who truly believed that he had encountered Jesus at McDonald's and that the book would be a detailed recollection of said insanity. Fortunately, Gregory's book is fiction, with a capital F.

You enter the conversation between Gregory and Jesus excited. Who wouldn't be excited to hear what Jesus would have to say over a nice meal at a restaurant that most can't afford? Unfortunately, the most interesting part of the dinner is the meal, as Gregory goes to great lengths to give us a vivid picture of the food he partakes in and the details concerning the restaurant. I suppose something needs to fill our minds, as the dinner conversation is rather shallow, cliche, and leaves something to be desired.

I knew from the moment I opened the book that what I was getting into would be rather brief and shallow - after all, how much can truly be said in 100 pages? Length is not the concern here, though. The topic of dinner conversation is rather uninspired, as if Jesus had simply read the first paragraph in each chapter of Lee Strobel's Case for Christ and failed to study the evidence behind the claims. Something tells me, though, that Jesus would have been a bit more thorough in his research. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Gregory.

If you're looking for a book that reminds you of the rich (though fictional) conversation that William P. Young's The Shack provides, look elsewhere .All you're going to find here is an order of shallow conversation with a side of cliche retorts. Nothing too fancy and nothing too earth shattering. Simply another book to line the bookshelf.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)

Everybody Loves a Good Cheeseburger

Today's post is a book review that I'm doing as part of the Blogging for Books program. Enjoy!

On the day that I received Bruce Wilkinson's You Were Born for This in the mail, I also received a McDonald's cheeseburger for free. And though I didn't see it at the time, God was probably laughing at me as I bit into my burger and opened my book. You'll understand why shortly.

You see, when I opened this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw somewhere that Wilkinson had written The Prayer of Jabez, so I figured this couldn't be that bad. Unfortunately, I hadn't read Wilkinson's best-seller (which he was very adamant to plug for the first 50 pages of this book), so I had no clue what I was getting myself into.

The "Far Country" is Not So Far Away

I'm very excited to be blogging today about an amazing opportunity I have - to review a free book I received from Blogging for Books! If you're an avid reader and have a blog to share reviews on, this is definitely a program you'd be interested in! Check out Blogging for Books here and get started reviewing your free books today!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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There are a couple of things that I don't like to discuss. When these things come up, I usually make up some sad excuse about my dog and leave.

For one, I don't like talking about "girl stuff." Unfortunately, I'm currently working in a pregnancy crisis center.

In addition, I shy away from discussing controversial topics, such as abortion or homosexuality. Again, the abortion issue is unavoidable where I work. However, people can't have a "crisis" pregnancy if they're engaging in a homosexual relationship, so I've been able to avoid that... until now.

After you read Out of a Far Country by Chris Yuan and Angela Yuan, you'll know what I mean. You can't get away from it. You realize very quickly how real the pain of rejection is for someone who is homosexual. The authors put together a great video trailer for the book that you can check out here: