Blog book tour: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me clue you in: I tend to do these book reviews a little differently. I’m not much for saying if a book is good or bad and why. I do go with that traditional approach occasionally; especially if I have issues with a title. I much prefer to write about how a book has affected me, how it makes me think (or perhaps not think.)

That’s the beauty of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller. It’s a book slap in the side of the head to challenge my thinking.

Ouch! That hurts. Ouch! That hurts. Slap. Oh, man. No pain, no gain, right?

Oh, how I wish you we could dialog about it together just like in a real book club!

This is the sort of book you want to re-read once a year just so you can get the kick-in-the-pants feeling that comes with it. I didn’t get Donald Miller when I first read him. Then I tried again.  Brilliant move on my part, because I so enjoyed Through Painted Deserts. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is about…

Right. I’m not much for that. Must know? Go over to Amazon. The only thing you need to know from me is two words:

Book slap.

Ouch.

Go read it. And come back here to engage me in conversation.

Blog book tour: Boy-sterous Living

Boy-stereous Living by Jean Blackmer

I am a mom of two boys (two girls, too, but this book isn’t about the fairer gender, so I’m not going to mention their antics. To be fair to the boys, my girls have their moments of bizarre behaviour.) These sons of mine – let me show you recent pictures so we’re all clear as to whom I speak:

The First Boy (alias Peter)

a boy

and Second Boy (alias Edmund)

boy 2

See? See what I’m dealing with? These two rapscallions are BOYS among mere wanna-be boys. My boys could win prizes for boyish behaviour (don’t you like the way I keep typing the British behaviour rather than the bland American behavior? Maybe there is an English mother of boys blogging about their behaviour who thinks she’s so clever with her use of the American spelling?)

In honor of Ms. Blackmer’s book of how to thrive with these goofy, messy, loud, muddy, make-you-wanna-pull-you- hair-out boys, I’m linking to my all-time favorite post about mothering boys. It’s at New Jersey Moms Blog. Here is a tease:

My boy peed on the gas grill.

That’s a true story. If you have more time to read, here are more real-life boy posts.

I love my boys. Really! I swear I do. Life would be rather dull without them.

And I will have my revenge.

They’re called grandsons.

Click here for more of the Boy-sterious Living blog book tour.

Click here to enter a contest based on the book.

Book tour: Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer

Woohoo! Time to giveaway another book. Aren’t you excited?

The book: Blue Like Play Dough. Author: Tricia Goyer, whom I happen to follow on that crazy time suck machine Twitter. Trisha is always tweeting mundane bits of her life, how she hates to cook and go to Walmart.

Er.. Monica those are your tweets. Tricia lives to shop at Walmart, is a great cook and has three teenagers, so her life isn’t boring. In fact, she’s like a Super Woman – she’s a teen mentor, novelist and missionary. Why can’t you be more like her, huh? Huh?

Oh, shut up.

That’s lovely. Tricia Goyer would never say shut up. She’s a PERFECT CHRISTIAN.

Wait a minute, Crazy-Monica-Voice-in-My-Head, I’ve read Tricia’s book and she’s not a perfect Christian! I have the proof – her book, Blue Like Play Dough – very encouraging to folks like us. You know, Christ follower, wife, mom, home schooler, and writer. Sometimes she screws up, but she keeps on going, letting the Lord mold her like a lump of play dough.

You do love those dashes, don’t you? You need an editor. Maybe you could hire Tricia.

ARGH!!! Go away, Crazy Monica!! I just want to tell my friends about Tricia’s book, how encouraging it is and to leave a comment if they want a chance to win a copy.

Whatever. Aren’t you going to start dinner? I bet Tricia can cook, write a smashing good blog post and lead an expository Bible study all at the same time. And her kids would never interrupt.

You’re not listening to me, Crazy Monica. Weren’t you paying attention when I read her book?

Uh. What book?

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Leave a comment to win Blue Like Play Dough. Use the Tweet This for an extra chance (and because you love me!) Then go follow Tricia on Twitter cause her tweets are really much more entertaining than mine.

Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer