Ashley Boulais

2008 was a good year. The year I felt the most beautiful in all my life.  The year I read Harry Potter for the first time and wore skirts and lived in the Taij and rode my bike to class.  The year I studied film and listened to classical music and monastic chants just because.  The year I worked at camp and spritzed myself with the perfume in the pink bottle that smelled SO GOOD.  The year I flirted with a cute boy via text and went to Hawaii and told my crush I loved him... (so maybe 2008 wasn't totally perfect, but for those occasions I had Taylor Swift and "Almost Lover" to play on repeat.)  I felt like a free spirit, excited for life.   I felt adventurous, joyful, flirty, fun, and confident.  Gosh,  it was a wonderful feeling.  I want to feel that way again. Today I have 3 beautiful sons and a doting husband who tells me every day how much he loves me and how beautiful I am.  No need for Taylor Swift here. But I am 100 lbs o...

Written by internationally acclaimed author Stuart Neville under the pseudonym Haylen Beck, Here and Gone is a mystery, a thriller, and will keep you turning pages long after you say, "just one more chapter." In a nightmare situation, a mother fleeing her abusive husband is pulled over for a routine traffic stop, framed for possession, and her kids are kidnapped by the people meant to protect them. In the remaining chapters we meet many different characters- some good, some bad, as we follow Audra in her attempt to pursue justice and reunite with her children. I found Neville's writing style engaging and detailed without being overly wordy. The story is realistic but heartbreaking because trafficking is a real issue.The ending was mostly satisfying but still left me with questions that I wish had been resolved. I would recommend this book if you're looking for something suspenseful to add to your reading list. I received a complimentary copy of this book from ...

Becky Thompson is a wife, a mom, a blogger, and now the author of two books. Her most recent book,  "Love Unending" is subtitled "rediscovering your marriage in the midst of motherhood."  This book is designed as a 21 day challenge for wives to rediscover how to love their husbands well.  It's based around one principle - remember what love felt like in the beginning and love every day like that.     Each day includes a challenge, examples from Becky's life,  a space to process with question prompts, and a prayer. "Love Unending"  is for all married women in the throes of motherhood.   It's a practical and hands-on way to express love to your Love.  I like that it includes space to write out and process the experience.  Even if your marriage is amazing, it never hurts to be intentional and review how you're doing.  I would recommend this book. I recieved a complimentary copy of the book from bloggingforbooks.com i...

"Think Friends with a heavy Russian accent." This is how the Wall Street Journal describes the novel titled Still Here . I love it. What a perfect description! Author Lara Vapnyar no doubt draws from her experience moving from Moscow to New York to write this novel. It's the story of four Russian friends who relocate to America with dreams of wealth and love. Social media, they believe, is the key to both. This novel is well written, a little bit erotic, and has perfect pacing. The characters are not necessarily the most likeable, but they're interesting and well developed. I found myself rooting for them. It is always difficult for me to recommend a book with sexual content or language, and this book has both. Read with discretion if these areas are problematic for you. I received complimentary copy of this book from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for writing this honest review.

This is one of those books that one should read with pen in hand. There is so much to learn, so much personal reflection required, and a few things to be challenged. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., author of "Democracy in Black" is currently a professor of Religion and African American studies at Princeton University. From all that I could glean from this book without actually doing any fact checking, he seems to be extremely knowledgeable and experienced on this subject. He often references historical events or presidential policies while throughly discussing their effects on the black community. It's candid and honest. If you're white, read this with an open mind, and read it carefully. It is difficult to have the finger pointed at you for the racial inequality in America. It is difficult to acknowledge that we're privileged because frankly, we are so accustomed to it that we don't even recognize it. I found myself feeling defensive a lot. ...

Steven Furtick makes Biblical truth applicable, relevant and accessible. By studying the last words of Jesus from the cross, Furtick guides readers through the Believer's experience -- all the way from forgiveness and salvation to victory with Jesus. Timing is everything, and this book couldn't have been made available at a better time. As we look ahead to Easter, the time during which we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is only appropriate to reflect on the last words He ever spoke. Words of forgiveness, salvation, relationship abandonment, distress, triumph and reunion. Steven Furtick looks at each "word" as a mile marker in the Christian's walk with God. It ends with HOPE. As someone in the process of grieving a close friend's death, I both took comfort in this book and call to hope, but also felt like the pain was trivialized. I do NOT think this was his intention as we SHOULD have hope. We have every reason to hope! But the pa...

Author and pastor Andy Stanley writes a compelling and practical guide for "discovering and maintaining vision in his book, "Visioneering." Though written for everyday Christians, I found this book to be best suited for those who already have a sense of their God-given vision but need need a bit of encouragement to persevere. It is peppered with true stories and illustrations and is meant to be and can be applied to any type of vision (marriage, parenting, business), but it definitely felt like a book for Pastors who are trying to sell their vision to a church. And it makes sense. Andy Stanley is a pastor of a HUGE church and leadership requires him to communicate the goals and trajectory of the church to the congregation. That being said, this book still a great tool for anyone in leadership. Topics that he covers include going public with the vision, dealing with criticism and distractions,and maintaining moral authority, all the while using Nehemiah as an example...

Becky Thompson is a wife, a mom, a blogger, and now the author of two books. Her most recent book,  "Love Unending" is subtitled "rediscovering your marriage in the midst of motherhood."  This book is designed as a 21 day challenge for wives to rediscover how to love their husbands well.  It's based around one principle - remember what love felt like in the beginning and love every day like that.     Each day includes a challenge, examples from Becky's life,  a space to process with question prompts, and a prayer. "Love Unending"  is for all married women in the throes of motherhood.   It's a practical and hands-on way to express love to your Love.  I like that it includes space to write out and process the experience.  Even if your marriage is amazing, it never hurts to be intentional and review how you're doing.  I would recommend this book. I recieved a complimentary copy of the book from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for writi...