MrsK Books: Forever With You by Robin Jones Gunn

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Forever With You by Robin Jones Gunn

Title: Forever With You, Author: Robin Jones Gunn

ISBN: 9780982877218

Good Reads Synopsis:

Now that they have been married for almost two years, Christy and Todd are facing challenges neither of them expected. Everything that felt familiar in their relationship is being shaken. All they had hoped for in their future together is about to change.

When Christy shares her life-altering news with Todd, she doesn't receive the joyful response she was expecting. Aunt Marti inserts a few strong opinions about how the young couple should navigate this difficult season and when Todd's dad asks for help renovating his Newport Beach home it's clear that nothing will ever be the same for them again.

As Christy and Todd's relationship is radically altered will they continue to drift apart? Or will they come through the major shifts with a deeper love each for other and the One who brought them together in the first place?

MrsK's Review:

With great anticipation... excitement... and a dash of honor... I ripped open the shipping envelope and began a little jig of joy. I had Robin's newest Christy and Todd book in my hands. This isn't just another Christy & Todd book, oh no, this is about their first years of marriage. Once word got around that I would be reviewing this book, well let's just say I became so popular with so many Robin's fans. The waiting list may be long, their anticipation will have to wait... I will be on the porch enjoying my newest book.

In the mean time while you are awaiting your chance to read a copy... meet Christy Miller:

What a wonderful summer retreat. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Christy and Todd. Isn't it a joy when you turn the last page and you sit back as if you have just finished a Thanksgiving meal. Completely satisfied... smiling... and feeling as if all is right in your world.

To begin your visit you must know that it has already been two years since you attended their wedding. Married life is shaping into that period of challenges, changing expectations, and realizing that life isn't always following "your" outline. Christy has those moments when, as a wife, she struggles to follow Todd's lead. Todd has those moments for discerning what will be best for them, their future, and God's plan. With every decision there is a waiting period, one in which while waiting on the Lord to confirm your next step you must rely on scripture passages and your family or friends to pray with you. So as Christy and Todd walk through some tough times, we witness the power of a faith born and modeled in a very realistic scenario for so many married couples.

The strength of these characters is their natural "faith" in God's word, His ability to provide, and His plan/will for their lives. This type of strength endures due to the desire to walk out the challenges with prayer. Standing together for an answer to prayer. Being willing to be patient, loving, and supportive of each other in times of struggles. It is so refreshing to read stories in which the characters are so well faceted that you are comfortable with where the story line is going (joyously, with sorrow, or with trepidation) you trust the author's purpose.

Any of us who have survived those first five years of marriage can stand united with a witness that the road ahead will get better, that there will be joy, and that each season of life will work itself out as long as there is patience and love (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Christy and Todd is an ongoing series. Many of us have read and enjoyed their meeting, their high school years, their college ups and downs, and finally the celebration of their wedding. Robin has not disappointed her fans, this book is all about hope and strength. The storyline is so well woven between these young lives... their needs, their hopes, their foundation of friends, and their family support that you enjoy observing as their lives together begin to unfold. We are given the assurance that every season of marriage will be forth coming and that there will be so many moments to add to our Christy and Todd scrapbook.

Comforting, loving, and inspiring....

MrsK

Beautifully crafted read , excellent addition to any shelf including middle school and high school library shelves!

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MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”

FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)