Every once in awhile a book comes along that is truly exceptional. A perfect rating does not seem like a good enough way to commend the author. Every once in awhile a book comes along that has the reader talking back to the book while reading it; maybe with replies of, Amen! Absolutely! Finally, someone understands! Every once awhile a book comes along and makes the reader feel like they are meeting one on one with the author. Breathing Room is that book.

Often Christian books are encouraging but not always understanding. They provide an encouraging word but rarely have I found, as a reader, that they truly speak about the suffering in such a way that does not minimize it or gloss over it. Rather, Leanna Tankersley gets in the knee deep pain right along with the reader.

Breathing Room speaks wonderfully to women in many stages of life -- from a new mother to a matured wife to a new believer. With quotes from many different areas, Leanna Tankersley applies literature and wisdom to each chapter with practical understanding from real life experiences. I loved when she spoke about homesickness, being overwhelmed and just needing to breathe. She uses scripture throughout the book as well as stories from The Bible and gives them real life application.

There are so many great quotes from this book and I wish I could list them all but a few of my favorites are:

In a section where Mrs. Tankersley tells a story of Stephen King, she talks about stealing time away, Carve out a corner in this world, steal some time like Stephen King, and get to work. The world is waiting for you. Yes, small little everyday you. Yes, you, Worthy old you. (pg. 96)

Mrs. Tankersley is speaking of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood and she states, Jesus is so good like that. Saving the one. Even if, especially if, that one has been discarded by everyone else. (pg. 116)

When it was time to pull things together, I could make it work. I could be as high functioning as needed, actually. But so little came from a place of ease or centeredness. My living and this has been true of me for as long as I can remember almost always originated out of a place of stress and striving. I rarely felt comfortable in my own skin. (pg. 146)

To say I enjoyed Breathing Room is such an understatement. It is a book that I will keep on my bookshelves and one Ill gladly share. Its a book that is applicable to every age group and one that moved me beyond words and into a new area of acceptance. I recommend it, I loved it and in a rating system of five stars for the best book, Id give it 10.

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

Breathing Room is not a self -help book. It is a book, by a person's own examples in living, how to go about and "breathe". It demonstrates that there is a better way of living then existing with all of society's expectations. Leeana shares her struggles in life and all the good and bad ways she coped. I learned alot about myself(both good and bad) throughout the book. The book also is strong in showing how with Christ we can do and be anything.

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

Leeana Tankersley in her new book, Breathing Room published by Revell teaches us Letting Go So You Can Fully Live.

From the Back Cover: AN INVITATION TO BREATHE

Catastrophe or no catastrophe, if you are unhinged, disoriented, suffocating, or otherwise generally dragging, Im inviting you to pull up a chair at this table . . .

Breathing Room is a beautiful release of self-condemnation, a discovery of the rest that comes when we offer ourselves some space to breathe. Vulnerable and winsome, Leeana Tankersley shows you how to stop beating yourself up, how to be radically on your own team, and how to truly experience grace. If youve been putting on a strong front and yet are secretly coming apart, youll find in these pages a trusted friend.

Who is the biggest bully in your life? You are. Who is the person you bully? You, of course. We compare ourselves to others and continually come up short. We analyze situations we had been in and feel we could have handled things better, we even remember those situations years later and what does that accomplish? Nothing, except it locks us into a box with very little wiggle room. Ms. Tankersley tells us that if we hold our breath eventually our body will start an alarm to warn us that we must breath. According to her what the body is telling us is that we must eliminate Carbon Dioxide before we take a breath. We have to let go of all the bad before we can let in any good. That is what Breathing Room is all about. It is a tool to help let go of all the bullying that we give ourselves and allow God in to help heal us and get us going in the right direction.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell. 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 Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Too often I have approached lifes crises and frustrations like a Sumo wrestler. I am going to overcome whatever I face and continue to juggle all the plates of responsibility in my life. Of course it never worked that way and I resorted to accusing myself of being a substandard Christian, wife, mother, pastors wife. In reality, my view was not . . . well reality! I was doing it in my own strength and leaving Christ out! Without Him I can do nothing!

This book helped me look back in the past, in the present and the future, take a deep full breath, and exhale. It shed light on the fact that I am sometimes my own worst enemy. The devil doesnt have to do a thing because I will take the stick of guilt and failure and beat myself! Add to that the extra challenges we face and life can literally squeeze the breath out of us . . if we let it. By not stepping back and letting go, we not only devastate ourselves but we also drag all that baggage into the next day, and the next until we are so overwhelmed we feel like we are suffocating.

I appreciate Ms. Tankersleys being so open, transparent, and vulnerable in sharing her story. Not that I want anyone to have problems but hearing that someone else struggles makes me feel not as alone. In old movies when the woman got hysterical, someone would slap her across the face to get her attention. I guess you could say her book was a good slap in the face. It made me step back, yes breath, and really look at what I have done. Best of all she helped me turn everything back to God. To realize the love and help He is waiting to give me. He is my strength and solution. Sometimes we are so caught up in our moments that we need someone to remind us of the Truth. The scripture than came to mind, that sums up the authors message is 2 Chronicles 20:17. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

I received this book free from Revell Publishing, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Wow! What a great book! I learned so much and was so inspired by this book! Sometimes we, as women, tend to beat ourselves up and feel like we aren't good enough if we don't measure up to the so called "superwoman"! We put on a good front saying we're okay when deep down inside we are drowning and running out of breath! In this book, Leeana Tankersley show us how to stop bullying ourselves and how to breathe! She uses examples from her own life how she struggled with this area and how she overcame it. I would definitely recommend this book to all women out there. I think we all struggle, somewhat, in this area We tend to put more on ourselves than we need to and sometimes we just need someone else giving us advice on how to get over it. I look forward to reading more books by Leeana Tankersley. I received this book from bookfun for my honest opinion.