Beautiful Uncertainty is not a how-to and does not give step by step instructions on how to lead the single christian life as women, but encouragement and help towards figuring out those next steps. The exercises are doable, with a bit of introspection, and a decent amount of space is given at a few points for completion of an exercise within the lined pages of the book.  Prayers included are heartfelt and have a natural feel.  

The book itself is divided into seasons, and those seasons broken up into a total of 31 segments with titles like 'Coffee with Jesus' and 'If an Ex Pokes You on Facebook and You Don't Respond, Did Anything Really Happen.' As I read, I made small notes like 'waiting/weariness/contentedness,' 'do exercise on p.52,' and 'look into app - She Reads Truth.'  

I found much of this book to be interesting, encouraging, sometimes funny, and quite quotable.  While it started with the 'date with Jesus' idea, and bogged down a bit for me when talking about her prior books (not a reading prerequisite) and speaking engagements, it was the fourth season, Fall, that really turned this book into a keeper with sections like 'A Lesson in Gratitude,' 'What (Most) Women Really Want' and the final section, 'God's Heart for Single Women.'

I received a free review copy from the publisher through Booklookbloggers.com, in exchange for an honest review.  My full review can be read at http://wp.me/p5Tcfi-G0

Take the story of the birth of Jesus and skip to the evening when Mary is attempting to lull her (in this version) fussy baby to sleep while animals and visitors are causing various levels of chaos, and you have the premise of this hardback picture book.  Written in verse and illustrated in earthy tones, heavy on the orange, this is the most visually active bedtime storybook I have ever seen.  The only real criticism I have (well, other than the fact that Mary is having a pretty bad hair day) is the depiction of the angels.  

I think this would be a great bedtime choice for the holiday season, and a fun supplement to the traditional telling of the Nativity story.  If, however, you prefer your Nativity story to always be completely serene and reverent, this is perhaps not the best choice.  

3/5 stars for well done rhyming text and dynamic illustrations.  Had the angels been depicted in a less "Godspell" way, I would have rated this as 3.5 or 4 stars.

An expanded version of this review can be found on my Wordpress blog at http://wp.me/p5Tcfi-7X

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”