Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

   All of us need to have personal boundaries. None of us should be left with a sense of no limits.
When  a person is allowed to touch  you in a way that he or she shouldn't, a boundary has been broken or was never set in place. Everyone has the right to say no. When it comes to your skin, for example, no one but you and those who you allow to touch you has the right to do so.
   A boundary is how far you let a person go, A boundary is a limit.
   In this book Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend help you see and set up boundaries. Boundaries also limit our actions. You have to know when to say yes and when to say no and take control of your life. Boundaries help in this process.
    Boundaries are not just physical. They are also emotional and  spiritual. The complete person.
    The problem is that we are afraid of hurting someone if we say no. That should be the most distant thing from our mind. We must see ourselves as being important and also an individual. It is our right to be on one hand free and on the other hand to have limits to our action. Just as we are an individual so is the other person.
     I recommend this book for everyone.

Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey

     I stated as the purpose of this blog that I was going to look at books that I thought were important. I didn't state that they were all going to have the copyright of the present year.
    This is a book worth revisiting. In fact, Dave Ramsey even has now put his seminars on video tape for organizations that want to buy the program and go through the nine weeks, now it is nine weeks, it used to be thirteen.
    The essence of the program is here.
     Ramsey takes you through the program in twenty two chapters and an appendix. The appendix has the paper work you will need to do to follow the program.
     You start with the budget. You should be aware of where your money is going. You need to know where you are to start with and just how much you are going to allocate to each area. He also suggests you use an envelope system where you label each envelope (Food, Gas, Education, etc) and put money in each. When you need food money look in the food envelope. When it is all gone you can spend no more on food.
     When he takes about savings I wonder what he is looking at. He seems to think you can put away money in an account giving you 12% return. I don't know of any bank that is giving 12% interest on my savings. Maybe .01%
      He does that in his seminars also.. saying if you put away money in a saving account that yields 12% over time you can make x amount over time. In this I feel he is a bit out of touch. But if he is using exaggeration to make a point, than that is different.
      Ramsey wants to help people and I think this is a good addition to the genre of financial planning. I would recommend this for all.

Reunited by Pamela Slaton with Samantha Marshall

  Have you ever wondered just what a person who is looking for their birthparents is going through?

  Pamela Slaton is the person to ask. She is an adoptee as well as one of the people who makes a living looking and locating the birthparents.
   They first must want to be found. Some of the stories in here  are just that way. Some birthparents don't want to be found. Others are looking but don't know what to do.  Slaton tells both stories.
    I found this book to be very informative. There is a lot you don't know about the process. Some adoptees want to keep it quiet. Others actively seek. Some hide it because it is a family secret. Some just want to forget it happened. But for those who seek and find there is a form of completeness achieved.
    I recommend this book for everyone.

Jackson-The Iron Willed Commander by Paul Vickery

          For people who like history, especially history that covers the early days of our nation , this study of one of our great leaders should satisfy.

            Andrew Jackson was truly a man of the land. He could be said to be a self-made man. That term is overused, I realize, yet Jackson did build upon his reputation. He was a strong military leader, known as Old Hickory , a superior court judge, and Indian fighter, a congressman, a senator and finally our seventh president. All through life he carried two bullets in his body.

            He was a mans’ man. He could be rough but fair. Compassionate but not a  milk toast. People wanted to follow him. He was  a leader.

            I enjoy history especially American history. I found this to be an interesting study of a man who molded the America we have today. The emphasize is on the journey of Andrew Jackson more than on the destination. Only one chapter is on the presidency. Then rest is on the formation of the man.

Vickery does a good job of research and has an easy to read style of writing. I would recommend this book for collateral reading in middle school.

 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 expressed are my own and don’t reflect the views of the publisher. I am disclosing this in accordance with  the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR  Part 255. .

Authors Wanted

   I realize that this is basicly a blog that covers books. But there is a need out there for writers.  I mean think about it, if there were no authors there would be no books and there would be no My Life With Books.  And if there were no books , well, it isn't anything that we need to concern ourselves about.
   There will always be books.  There will always be young adult  books. There will also be writing jobs   enough to go around. It is not a disappearing field. 

    There is even E-Book authorship if you so desire. But remember those who write for cyberspace aren't often read. Although I have in the past reviewed a few, it was hard for me as it is easier to read print than pixels.

What You Need To Know About Bible Prophecy by Max Anders

       At last an easy to understand and follow explanation of one of the  basic doctrines of the Christian belief system.. eschatology. And not just eschatology but the subgroup of prophecy. It is laid out in twelve chapters  which can be used as discussion aids in a small group setting.

            Anders carefully presents the viewpoints that are around when it comes to the understanding of the subject of prophecy. He points out that none of the viewpoints keeps a person from heaven. They just act as grids to the understanding of what God says.

            My reaction is that Anders  walks the line between divergent views  on the meaning of prophecy in a way that allows the discussion to continue without major fist fights over small points. As he points out whether we hold to literal or symbolic  interpretation we can all agree that Jesus is coming back someday. Anyone reading this book and thinking about it will be challenged in his application of the truths. He will also be a little more understanding of those who differ in the minor points of prophecy.

            I feel the information was present in a nonjudgmental manner. I recommend it for small study groups who enjoy discussion.

        This book was given to me free by the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The viewpoints held are my own and not those of the publisher.

Illusion By Frank Peretti

What we have here is a space time distortion story. Peretti handles time lines in a suspenseful manner. Holding in mind that this is not a polemic on reincarnation or mind transmigration helps.

 The previous paragraph is because Peretti  is a Christian writer who has penned in the past stories of spiritual warfare. In fact the first stories I have read of his were the ones he is best known for, “This Present Danger” and “Piercing The Darkness” Therefore my first reaction to someone reappearing younger and still retaining memories of a former life was one of  appearance of  error. Christians are warned against any appearance of deceit. Yet if you realize Peretti is trying to tell a story using science fiction techniques you can suspend your disbelief long enough to get a good read.

            The title "Illusions" has to do with  stage magic where illusion is the purpose of the entertainment. Add to that a computer that can manipulate time streams- another illusion, and a race to set things right and you have the template.

            I feel this book should be approached with caution. Don’t buy into the eastern philosophy that threads through the book. It is a dangerous area for a Christian to be in. Peretti ventures in and will no doubt leave you wondering did he write this book for money or what? 

            I don’t recommend this book unless you are firm in your faith. Even then I would say approach with caution.