Category Archives: News and Fun

What Makes Me Love Authors

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Goodreads lists over 1400 YA novels published for the first time in 2013. In order to cover them all, I’d have to review nearly four novels each day. While some of those novels aren’t a good fit for this blog and some of those authors probably aren’t interested in having reviews posted here, I still receive more requests each month than I can commit to review.

What makes requests memorable? What can authors do to stand out as savvy and professional? As a review blogger, here are my thoughts on what makes for a fabulous working relationship between author and blogger:

Reads My Blog

When I get a request email that specifically comments on a post I’ve written or mentions an aspect of the blog the author finds useful or appealing, I’m more inclined to pay attention. Why? Because this tells me that I’m not just getting a form email … Continue reading →

Review: There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

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There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. JonesThere You’ll Find Me
Jenny B. Jones
Thomas Nelson
Published October 3, 2011

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Embattled by grief over her brother’s murder, eighteen year-old Finley Sinclaire embarks on a journey, hoping to encounter the God he so powerfully sensed in the beautiful Irish countryside. Though God seems to elude her, she can’t seem to escape the attentions of teen heart-throb and actor Beckett Rush. With mounting pressure to perfect her audition composition for the New York Conservatory, win over her assigned adopted grouch – er, grandmother – and avoid being caught in the web of girls falling for Beckett, Finley’s life spirals out of her control. … Continue reading →

The Blessing of Books with Colleen Shine Phillips

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KidsAppreciating the Little Things

While thinking about how to start this blog post, something popped into my mind: how it’s so part of our nature to take things for granted. We expect the sun to rise every morning. If we have running water, we expect it to come out of the pipe when we open the spigot. If you live in the Western World, you might add driving to work every day, obtaining the latest technology, or ordering anything you want from Amazon. But after living in Chile for thirty-seven years, I’ve learned to be grateful for little things. Amazing as it might sound, one of those little things is books.

What if New Books Weren’t a Few Clicks Away?

Here, having a book is a commodity. … Continue reading →

Support Children in Chile and Get Great Books!

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There’s still time to bid on the book boxes listed on eBay. All materials for the boxes have been donated and proceeds will go directly to the Christian World Mission for use in their school programs in Chile.

Christian World Mission Faces Great Need

The newest school, located in La Serena still faces great need in terms of building and construction materials. Steve Phillips, an administrator over all ten schools operated by Christian World Mission in Chile says, “We still need two more classrooms and to finish an assembly room. The support and roof structure is built, but we lack the walls, bathrooms, and kitchen. The total cost is about $40,000 dollars…”

Bid on Boxes Today for a Chance to Win a FREE $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Each bid on any box will count as one entry for a free $50 Amazon gift card. Place four bids and earn four … Continue reading →

Support Christian Schools in Chile and Impact the Lives of Thousands

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Kids2In yesterday’s post, I introduced Christian World Mission, a group responsible for administering ten schools and over 6,000 students. Today, Steve Phillips shares with us some more information about the students who will receive financial support from the Book Box Auction taking place now on eBay:

“If these 6,000 students I mentioned did not study with us, most would have to plug into the public school system which, in the past 30 years, has continued to crumble, offering a very poor and valueless education. This leaves most students without hope of college education and only minimum job opportunities. Of central importance, they would not get a Christian Education and the opportunity for them and their families to know and follow our Jesus.

On the … Continue reading →

Standing in the Gap: Ministry Offers Hope out of Crumbling School System

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From Planting Churches to Cultivating Schools

More than 35 years ago, Steve Phillips and his wife Colleen moved across the globe to Chile to follow the call of ministry and leadership and plant Christian churches. Ministering to families through opening a school wasn’t something the family had really considered.

But as their own children reached school-age, Steve and Colleen began to worry about their own educational opportunities.

“In 1982, after having made Chile our home for five years, our two boys were beginning their school experience… At that time, only a handful of Christian schools existed, all private and expensive—out of our financial and geographical range,” says Steve Phillips of Christian World Mission, administrator over ten Christian schools in Chile. “Even though I have a degree in Christian Education, our original commitment was to plant churches. God had granted amazing growth in just a few years. But we began to … Continue reading →