Heidi's Haven

Hey guys! I'm back again already with yet another book review!  Today I'm reviewing Furthermore , a new middle grade novel by Tahereh Mafi, author of the Shatter Me series. The book is being released on September 1, 2016. This book follows Alice, who has just turned 12. Alice lives in Ferenwood, a village where magic comes from color. However, Alice is devoid of pigment in her skin and hair, so she has no color. She teams up with a boy called Oliver to travel to the strange land of Furthermore, where Oliver says her dad is, who disappeared years ago. Alice and Oliver must navigate the strange, Wonderland-like Furthermore in order to save her father. I devoured this book; I just could not put it down. The story was just so fun and creative, and I was fully immersed in the world. The story wasn't predictable, and I found myself surprised many times. The writing style, too, was so fun and made reading so enjoyable. The narrator is speaking to the reader, a...

Hello everyone! I just finished reading Outlaw Christian: Finding Authentic Faith by Breaking the "Rules"  by Jacqueline Bussie and I'm going to share my thoughts on it. This book is all about how the unspoken "rules" of modern Christianity actually does more harm than good, and can even end up pulling us away from God. Rules such as never getting angry at God and comforting using only Christian cliches need to stop for Outlaw Christians.  An outlaw Christian is defined in this book as "a new, life-giving faith for those who ache for a more authentic relationship with God and other people by no longer having to hide their doubt, anger, grief, scars, or questions", or "an honest, outside-the-law faith for those seeking a hope that really speaks to the world's hurt." I completely agree with both of definitions, and I think that's what Christianity should be about. In my opinion, doubt and questions are necessary in or...

Hello friends! Last Saturday, I turned 21. It's crazy to think that I'm already that old! I had an amazing birthday, though. I'm lucky enough to have been able to spend my birthday in Ireland! First of all, here's me at midnight right when I turned 21! I was pretty excited. I took a day tour on my birthday, and the first stop was at this beautiful castle ruins in Cashel. Next up was Blarney Castle! I got to kiss the Blarney Stone! The final stop on the tour was the city of Cork, where we did a little shopping. Once we were back in Dublin, my friend and I went for a night out, complete with tiara and "birthday princess" sash!

Book review time! I read The Spiritual Warfare Answer Book  by David Jeremiah, and here are my thoughts. As Christians, we are in a war against Satan. Though we know that God will win the war, Satan does win battles. This happens every time that he tricks or deceives us into sin, or draws a person away from God. Fighting against Satan is not something that is often talked about, though it is extremely important. Every single person who calls themselves a Christian is a part of the fight. This book includes a ton of questions about Satan, demons, and our role in the fight against it all, each one explained using Bible verses. Many of the questions that I've always had about Satan were answered. The answers are short but concise and informative. It also ends with a helpful reference guide for finding helpful passages on this subject. I really did enjoy reading this. It's something I've never learned about so I found it to be really interesting and helpful. It...

Hello again, I'm back with yet another book review! This book published by Thomas Nelson is a great little book about how to live everyday like you're at the beach. When we're at the beach, it is so easy to be relaxed and enjoy every moment. We long to go outside and see the beauty of God's creation. However, it's hard to keep up that attitude after our beach vacation is over. This book is all about how to keep up that beach mentality every day for your own health and positivity. I did enjoy this book. It's a short, quick read, filled with very small bits of text, Bible verses, quotes, and lots and lots of lovely beach photos. I would picture this book on a coffee table in a house on the beach. It would make a great gift, something for you to flip through when you feel a little down, or un-beachy. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I recommend it, I thought it was so cute! I read this as an ebook but I'll bet the physical copy is really beau...

Hello, everyone! I've just finished reading The Beautiful Pretender  by Melanie Dickerson, book two in the Medieval Fairy Tales series. This book is basically a medieval season of The Bachelor. It follows a servant named Avalina, who is a maidservant for the spoiled Lady Dorothea. One day, Dorothea runs away from home to be with the knight that she has fallen in love with. Avalina can do nothing to stop her. Then, Dorothea's father calls Avalina in to meet him. He tells her that Lord Thornbeck of a neighboring land is inviting ten Ladies to his castle. After two weeks, he will choose to marry one of them. He tells Avalina that she must go to the castle and pretend to be Lady Dorothea in order to save face and gain an alliance, but Lord Thornbeck must not choose her to marry. This book was pretty good. It's kind of a mindless read, something good when you're in the mood for something light. The book immediately started in on the action from the first pag...

The best part of the summer program I'm in at the University of Stirling is the long weekends that allow for travel. However, scheduling in travel while having to juggle coursework and course excursions is more difficult than I had expected. It's even harder to schedule travel with others who have their own coursework to handle. All of this led to me spending just 16 hours in London a couple of weeks ago. A group of friends and I took an overnight bus from Scotland on Friday night to arrive very early on Saturday morning, then to leave again late on Saturday night. Even though I didn't get much time in London, I definitely made the most of that time. In only 16 hours, I saw all of the things that I really wanted to see. I'd still love to go back, but I am extremely satisfied with my short day in London. xx Heidi