The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan

More blogging for free books! This book, "The Beauty of Broken" was a mix between an honest narrative of one woman's story and the story of her family and a book that brought truth, honesty, and encouraging words together.

Elisa Morgan, the author, shares her own story of pain and brokenness- starting as a little girl and leading up into the present days of her life as a young grandma. She talks of issues of alcoholism, drug addiction, infertility, adoption, teen pregnancy, abortion, divorce, death, and more.

Sometimes I think there is a lie that we buy into- that if we follow Jesus and teach our kids the right things- that they will be great. I'm realizing more and more that much of the way my kids turn out is not in my hands. Of course, that doesn't leave me without excuse to do what I can to help them grow but I loved this book and the encouragement and almost relief it gave me as it challenged me more to grow in my own faith in God, and to let me children come along with me and learn- rather than trying to pour my family into a certain "Christian mold." I loved the quote from Brennan Manning that summed up this book, "Anyone God uses significantly is always deeply wounded...On the last day, Jesus will look us over not for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars."  A great book that I would definitely suggest!

The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

I love blogging for free books. In the book, "The Governess of Highland Hall," in the early 1900s, missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India until her dad gets sick. They have to come back to England and Julia must take a job at Highland Hall as governess so she can raise money for the family. This means she begins teaching four kids- some which have behavior and attitude issues.

William is the owner of the estate- whose wife has passed away and he is left to care for his two young children and his deceased cousin Randolph’s two teenage girls. He becomes intrigued by Julia as she begins to transform and change the house with her faith and her spunky attitude. At the end, both William and Julia must make choices about their futures.

I liked this book, much more than I thought I would. I loved the character that Julia was- with her strong faith and strong personality. There are also other interesting characters in the book that I enjoyed. Overall- it is a book I'd suggest to others and I would definitely like to read some more novels by the author, Carrie Turansky.