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Mother's Day Roundup
Mothers are among the most compassionate and unselfish of people. They are constantly putting the needs of their children ahead of their own, and their love is unconditional. A mom is also one of the best teachers a child can have, as she instills in her offspring a value system that hopefully will be carried into adulthood. The books we have assembled for this special roundup are a fitting tribute to these hardworking, dedicated, and persevering women. Some are nonfiction titles that lend support and encouragement to mothers as they raise their children to be spiritually, physically, and emotionally healthy individuals. Others are fiction selections that will allow moms to enjoy a good story amid their busy schedules.
Nonfiction
 BREATHE: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life
Keri Wyatt Kent
Revell
Christian Living
ISBN: 0800730607
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Multitasking is becoming the norm for many women who consistently find themselves trying to juggle kids, errands, church activities, jobs, and relationships. For women who have become caught up in the hectic pace of everyday life, this new book from MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) author Keri Wyatt Kent offers help and hope. Based on Jesus's call "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," BREATHE shares true stories and practical examples of how to find the rest Jesus promised.
 CALM IN MY CHAOS: Encouragement for a Mom's Weary Soul
Elisabeth K. Corcoran
Kregel Publications
Devotional
ISBN: 0825423880
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Elisabeth Corcoran, a busy mother of two, offers more than thirty engaging devotions full of humor, encouragement, and meditations on God's Word. This is an honest look at a mother's world and practical advice on common experiences.
 DAILY WISDOM FOR MOTHERS: A 365-Day Devotional
Michelle Medlock Adams
Barbour
Devotional
ISBN: 1593101759
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Award-winning writer Michelle Medlock Adams offers dozens of brief, relevant, biblical, and often humorous reflections in DAILY WISDOM FOR MOTHERS. Each reflection shows mothers how Scripture applies to their everyday lives and equips them to be the best moms they can be.
 DEAR LORD, I FEEL LIKE A WHALE! Knowing God's Touch Throughout Your Pregnancy -- and Beyond
Jane Bullivant
Monarch Books
Self-Help/Family Relationships
ISBN: 0825460662
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This delightful manual for Christian moms-to-be provides a humorous perspective and practical advice on motherhood. Included are suggestions for coping with hormone swings, overcoming frustrations and fears, praying for your unborn child, and avoiding tension in the home.
 THE FRAZZLED FACTOR: Relief for Working Moms
Karol Ladd and Jane Jarrell
W Publishing Group
Self-Help/Family Relationships
ISBN: 0849945356
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Authors Karol Ladd and Jane Jarrell introduce seven simple steps for the busy working mother who wants to spend more time with her family. Presented in a concise format with easily-skimmed graphics, encouraging quotes, and revitalizing scriptures, these tips can easily be slipped into daily routines, restoring sanity to overscheduled, chaotic lives. Working mothers themselves, the authors have made a practice of sharing their creative, positive parenting perspectives through their work with Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS), in magazine columns, as well as radio and television appearances.
 GIRL TALK: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood
Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
Crossway Books
Christian Living
ISBN: 1581345100
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Blending biblical wisdom with their own mother-daughter experiences, Carolyn Mahaney and her daughter, Nicole Whitacre, discuss the responsibilities and roles that God expects mothers and daughters to fulfill in this critical relationship. They show how mothers can cultivate biblical qualities in their daughters and how daughters should respond to their mothers in obedience and love.
 HOW TO START YOUR OWN MOM TIME
Lisa Whelchel
Tyndale House Publishers
Parenting & Families
ISBN: 1589971299
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Moms burn out because they're constantly giving. Lisa Whelchel knows all about this burnout syndrome, which is why she has created Mom Time. This mother of three shares the four ingredients for successful Mom Time --- food, faith, friends, and fun. A DVD that accompanies the book explains how any mom can start her own Mom Time.
 THE INVISIBLE WOMAN: A Special Story for Mothers
Nicole Johnson
W Publishing Group
Christian Living
ISBN: 0849918294
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Invisibility is inflicted upon mothers. By the nature of the job their faces disappear and their work is anonymous. They become hands, building and shaping, fashioning and carving. But what if mothers saw their role like a builder working on one of the great cathedrals? THE INVISIBLE WOMAN is a moving story --- a sketch performed by Nicole Johnson at the Women of Faith conferences --- that affirms women in their often unseen daily chores for their families.
 JUST GIVE ME A LITTLE PIECE OF QUIET: 60 Mini-Retreats for a Mom's Soul
Lorilee Craker
Revell
Devotional
ISBN: 0800759966
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Most mothers with young children struggle to find a little peace and quiet for themselves in the midst of their hectic days, and setting aside time to spend with God can be even more difficult. They need devotions that fit their busy schedules and meet them where they are. Lorilee Craker, who has three children of her own, lends her engaging writing style to personal stories that moms will find encouraging, often funny, and oh-so-familiar. Each reflection is related to a biblical truth and bookended by a verse at the beginning and end.
 KISSES OF SUNSHINE FOR MOMS
Carol Kent and Ellie Kay
Zondervan
Inspirational Short Stories
ISBN: 0310247659
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Offering heartwarming stories from women, for women, the "Kisses of Sunshine" series --- compiled by the energetic and humorous speaker, Carol Kent --- is a devotional gift-book that will delight its readers with its wit and wisdom. Co-authored by Ellie Kay, KISSES OF SUNSHINE FOR MOMS is a collection of inspirational stories that mothers can relate to on the joys, challenges, and frustrations of being a mom.
 A LEGACY OF LOVE: Things I Learned from My Mother
Ruth Graham, with Stacy Mattingly
Inspirio/Zondervan
Inspirational
ISBN: 0310804396
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Ruth Graham, third child and youngest daughter of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, shares sentimental insights, stories, and lessons learned from her mother through her childhood and into her adult life. We discover the principles Graham has picked up from her mother on parenting and making a home, on living with an awareness of legacy, and on modeling grace in the latter years.
 THE MIRACLE IN A MOTHER'S HUG
Helen Burns
Howard Publishing
Parenting & Families
ISBN: 1582294143
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Helen Burns confides that "every prayer I prayed, every bedtime story I read, every tear I kissed away, every encouraging word I spoke, every promise I kept, every memory I made --- all of these things truly mattered." Written in what she refers to as the "reward stage" of motherhood --- when all the seeds she has sown are reaping harvest in the lives of her now-grown children --- she rejoices that she can "fully understand the why behind the what in everything we do as mothers." Female readers will no doubt embrace this gentle yet strong exploration of the power of motherhood.
 MOM...AND LOVING IT!
Laurie Lovejoy Hilliard and Sharon Lovejoy Hilliard
Bethany House Publishers
Family Relationships
ISBN: 0764200399
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Two real moms --- with six kids between them --- inspire women to find purpose in nurturing their children and cherishing the present with the families that God has given them. Fresh voices in the mom department, Laurie and Sharon, who happen to be sisters, share how you can find joy in even the most difficult circumstances and offer practical help to lift the weight of motherhood. Discussion questions, which appear in each chapter, make this book ideal for groups as well as individuals.
 MOM PhD: 6 Steps to Mastering Leadership Skills for Mom
Teresa Bell Kindred
Howard Publishing
Parenting & Families
ISBN: 1582294240
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Most moms don't think of themselves as leaders. In reality, though, they are among the most important leaders in the world. This simple, six-step course will equip mothers to be the Positive Home Directors who God intended them to be.
 THE MOMMY MANUAL: Planting Roots That Give Your Children Wings
Barbara Curtis
Revell
Parenting & Families
ISBN: 0800759826
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This encouraging book will give moms the tools they need to plant a firm foundation from which to raise spiritually, physically, and emotionally healthy children. Barbara Curtis, who has 12 children --- including three adopted sons with Down Syndrome --- teaches readers six essential keys to successful parenting. Among them: help little ones develop gratitude, respect, and generosity; teach children how to "play nice" and find contentment in everyday routines; and help kids establish self-confidence.
Personal stories, sidebars, and practical advice make THE MOMMY MANUAL the ideal book for moms looking for helpful ways to raise happy, confident kids.
 THE MOTHER LOAD
Mary M. Byers
Harvest House Publishers
Parenting & Families
ISBN: 0736915028
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Motherhood is an intense, around-the-clock job. To stay healthy and happy, moms need friends, laughter, solitude, balance, and an intimate relationship with the Lord. THE MOTHER LOAD offers down-to-earth suggestions, spiritual truths, and real-life advice from moms to help women survive and thrive in today's active families. Included are questions for group discussion and personal reflection.
 THE ONE YEAR DEVOTIONS FOR MOMS
Ellen Banks Elwell
Tyndale House Publishers
Devotional
ISBN: 1414301715
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This One Year devotional provides the spiritual nurture that every mom longs for. Each day contains a devotional application that reveals truth and encouragement for their daily walk. In this One Year book, moms will find a devotional oasis where they can meet with God each day.
 ORDINARY MOM, EXTRAORDINARY GOD: Encouragement To Refresh Your Soul
Mary E. DeMuth
Harvest House Publishers
Devotional
ISBN: 0736915001
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ORDINARY MOM, EXTRAORDINARY GOD is a devotional aimed at the deeper issues of the heart. Writer, speaker, and stay-at-home mom Mary DeMuth creatively focuses on the gift of motherhood, using personal stories integrated with scriptural truth and probing prayers to help everyday stay-at-home moms remain connected to the most amazing and extraordinary Parent of all.
 THINGS MY MAMA TOLD ME: The Wisdom That Shapes Our Lives
Olga Samples Davis
WaterBrook Press
Inspirational
ISBN: 1578568196
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There is no substitute for the sometimes gentle, often hard-hitting, always loving wisdom of a mother. As children, we sometimes rolled our eyes or deliberately tuned out our mothers when they shared their colorful bits of common sense. Yet, as time wore on, we discovered the undeniable truth: Our mothers' favorite sayings hold profound insights concerning the ways of the world.
Join Olga Samples Davis as she reflects upon, embraces, and celebrates a mother's everyday inspirational lessons in living, inviting us each to rediscover the powerful truths revealed within THINGS MY MAMA TOLD ME.
Fiction
 THE DWELLING PLACE
Elizabeth Musser
Bethany House Publishers
Fiction
ISBN: 0764229265
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Ellie, the twenty-year-old daughter of Mary Swan and Robbie Bartholomew, knows all about dashed dreams and waiting. Because of a childhood accident that left her disfigured, Ellie has never been able to embrace the God of her parents. Though Ellie doesn't understand the significance of the place, nor the mystery that seems to surround it, she agrees to travel with her mother to a site in Scotland known as the Dwelling Place. But when illness strikes, Ellie instead reluctantly moves back home to care for her mother.
As she and her mother struggle to reconnect, Ellie begins to wonder why Mary Swan wanted to go to the Dwelling Place. Is there a dwelling place for Ellie as well? And does she have to travel halfway around the world to find it?
 A GARDEN IN PARIS
Stephanie Grace Whitson
Bethany House Publishers
Fiction
ISBN: 0764229354
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The untimely death of Mary Davis's husband creates even more distance between Mary and her daughter Liz, who had always been "Daddy's girl." As they each grieve in their own ways, Liz becomes heavily involved in the family business to honor her father's memory, while Mary privately struggles with untold past secrets and regrets. After two years of widowhood, Mary discovers a framed motto at an antique market. It seems to offer her a ray of hope for the future, and news of an old flame in France prompts her to write a letter. In a rare act of independence, Mary follows her heart to Paris.
 GARDENIAS FOR BREAKFAST: A Women of Faith Novel
Robin Jones Gunn
Westbow Press
Fiction
ISBN: 0849944473
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Robin Jones Gunn Answers The Faithful Fifteen
Abby is raising her own family in Hawaii. It may seem like paradise to some, but it's nothing like those idyllic days Abby remembers in Louisiana, sitting with her grandmother, learning about the beauty and mystery of life. So Abby has just one wish: that her daughter Hannah might be touched by the beauty of her 92-year-old Grand Lady's stories, before it's too late. But when Hannah finally does spend time with her Grand Lady, the old woman crushes her tender spirit.
A mother-daughter journey "home" becomes an adventure of discovery --- about the importance of family and the healing found in forgiveness.
 LIZZIE'S WAR
Tim Farrington
HarperSanFrancisco
Fiction
ISBN: 006056234X
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Elizabeth O'Reilly, the wife of a career Marine Corps officer and mother of four children (with one on the way), finds herself at odds with just about everything in her life. Having seen her husband off to Vietnam, she's left to contend with her own desires and yearnings --- trying to care for her children while longing to resume the theater career she abandoned for the demands of motherhood. It is also at this time that Liz strikes up an unlikely friendship with Father Ezekiel Germaine, a war veteran himself.
 LOVE THE SINNER: A Gracie Lee Mystery
Lynn Bulock
Steeple Hill Café
Mystery
ISBN: 0373785399
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Gracie Lee Harris knows three women who could have murdered her two-timing husband, Dennis: his devoted but delusional mother, who gave him her life savings (which he squandered); his disillusioned daughter, who gave him her college fund (again, squandered); and his pregnant almost-fiancée, a young woman he'd left with empty promises and unpaid bills. With the help of some new friends at the church she discovered, and the Lord she has returned to, Gracie hopes to find the killer --- without becoming the next victim!
 LOVE'S HAVEN
Catherine Palmer
Steeple Hill
Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 0373785380
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Mara Rosemond blames Brock Barnett for her husband's death, even though Brock had been his best friend. The bond that grows between Mara and Brock is unimaginable --- yet undeniable --- and as Mara struggles to overcome her bitterness, she realizes that Brock is fighting a battle with his own emotions. Though Mara fears forsaking her late husband's memory, she knows that for her baby the future is everything….
 SAVANNAH FROM SAVANNAH
Denise Hildreth
WestBow Press
Fiction
ISBN: 0849944554
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Though first place in a fiction contest guarantees that Savannah Phillip's novel will be published, she soon discovers that her mother --- Victoria, Georgia's most charming if diva-like citizen --- is behind her literary win. A mortified and furious Savannah resolves to give up her dreams of literary fame and moves home to prove herself to her mother, her city, and herself. Following in the footsteps of her career hero, a columnist for The Savannah Chronicle, Savannah gets a job at the paper. Her very first assignment is a quest for truth, investigating what appears to be a rigged beauty pageant.
Readers will journey with Savannah as she forges new dreams, uncovers the heartache of loss, and comes to terms with her unique calling.
 TIGHT SQUEEZE
Debbie DiGiovanni
Howard Publishing
Fiction
ISBN: 1582294259
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Having an overachieving super mom for a neighbor is a source of constant struggle for Becca Joy. Meanwhile, her household seems little more than organized chaos. Even with a supportive husband and great kids, she is relentlessly weighed down by questions of adequacy. But when her best friend from high school comes to town, the two women embark on a series of adventures that ultimately bring Becca to a new place of contentment.
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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