Chicken Soup:

Nothing is more comforting than a cup of Chicken Soup. It warms the body and soul and makes me feel like a little kid again. Well, Chicken Soup for the Soul is just the same. The books are comforting, uplifting and tear jerking. I have just received four New Releases and want to share them with my readers.

Count Your Blessings

101 Stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings

This follow-on book to Tough Times, Tough People continues Chicken Soup for the Soul’s focus on inspiration and hope in these difficult times. These inspirational stories remind us that each day holds something to be thankful for — whether it is having the sun shine or having food on the table. Power outages and storms, health scares and illnesses, job woes and financial insecurities, housing challenges and family worries test us all. But there is always a silver lining. The simple pleasures of family, home, health, and inexpensive good times are described. These stories of optimism, faith, and strength will make a great start to 2010.

My Thoughts:

You’ve heard of the power of positive thinking right? If you believe you that a positive outlook on life will make every day brighter then this is the book for you. It is filled with a lot of very small quick reads that will uplift you, make you smile or giggle. Here is one that comes to mind, it’s only two pages long and it’s written by Jennifer Oliver. The title of the story is This is the life, in her account she goes over quite a few different stories about her family where they had, This is the life moments. I look forward to tons and tons of those moments with my own family.

The Story Behind the Song

The Exclusive Personal Stories behind 101 of Your Favorite Songs

Ever wondered what inspired your favorite songs? What was going on in the songwriter’s life at the time? Who those lyrics were really about? Did he really write the song on a napkin? Many of music’s most famous names reveal the stories behind their best-known songs. Many of these exclusive stories are told for the first time. Photos and lyrics are included too. You will never listen to these songs the same way again. A great gift for anyone who loves music, any age.

My Thoughts:

This is a nice fun book with a lot of information about the songs we know and love. These are some great stories about the authors of popular songs and their inspiration that lead to that song or their story that led them to writing music in the first place. Take for instance Christina Aguilera, she was quite disappointed with her very first album. The reason? The record label made her follow the current popular trend of pop music. She did what she was told and became famous, but thanks to her success she was then able to write about what she wanted. She now is on her own path and is quite responsible for a music artist of this day and age. She doesn’t lead the scandalous magazines. She talked about her past and how her music is her outlet for that past.

Devotional Stories for Women

Throughout time, women have shared their joys and sorrows, thoughts and feelings, experiences and life lessons with one another. The tradition continues in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women with 101 stories of friendship, faith, and comfort that affirm God’s unconditional love and His wisdom. Women will find encouragement, solace, and strength in these personal stories and prayers that cover everyday trials to tests of faith, to marriage and parenting, to service to others and self-esteem.

My Thoughts:

I’m excited to review this one. Since one of my New Years Resolutions is to bring myself closer to God I’m going to start off with some light reading. I think that by spending some time every day reflecting a one piece of bible passage then I’ll grow closer in my walk with the Lord. Devotional Stories for Women are real stories and reflections from real women. I hope that as I read more of this one that I can share my devotions with you every now and then. It is through the courage and strength of women like Jennifer Sands that this book came together. She read the book and liked it so much that they let her add to additional blessings at the end of the devotional.

What I learned from the Dog

101 Stories about Life, Love, and Lessons

Dogs have always been considered companions and playmates that brighten and enrich our lives but they are also wonderful and amazing teachers.  The lessons we learn from our canine friends come in all shapes and sizes, just like they do.  In this book, dog lovers share what they have learned from our greatest heroes and healers.  Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog will delight readers with humorous, heartwarming, and inspiring stories about lessons our canine friends and family members have taught us.

My Thoughts:

The must have book for dog lovers. Jack used to make us laugh so hard, I imagine that anyone that owns dogs has been sent into a fit of laughter by their often strange behavior. Some of the stories are sad, like the one where the lady had to decide to put him to sleep. She talked about how she came across the dog, loved the dog and then knew exactly when it was the right time to say good bye. We had a dog once that we knew it was time to say good bye, but other family members made us feel guilty for our decision so they took the dog from us. It was wrong of us to let them prolong her life, because she had no dignity left. But do not dismay because most stories are heartfelt and happy lessons that we all learn from our dogs.

Enter to Win one of each book.

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Visit Chicken Soup for the soul and tell me what book there you would want to purchase

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The contest will run until January 15th  11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

I was provided one of each of these books for review and Chicken Soup for the Soul is also providing one copy of each to the winner of the giveaway.

About Chicken Soup for the Soul:

Chicken Soup for the Soul was released on June 28, 1993, and became a holiday favorite by the end of December. What drove initial interest was not media attention or celebrity endorsement, but rather word-of-mouth promotion from ordinary people around the country who bought the book and loved it. Many would return to the bookstore to buy five or ten copies for friends and family. Thanks to that groundswell of popularity, by September of 1994, Chicken Soup for the Soul was on every major bestseller list in the U.S. and Canada. Although the media may not have led the charge, they soon caught on. Chicken Soup for the Soul received coverage from just about every major media outlet in the country, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Today Show,” “Larry King Live” and thousands of others. The series quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, receiving mentions on television programs like “Friends,” “The Sopranos,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” plus several movies.