The story behind the song : the exclusive personal stories behind 101 of your favorite songs

compiled by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Jo-Ann Geffen
Chicken Soup for the Soul Publications, 2009

The Chicken Soup brand is known for heart-warming, inspirational stories that tug on the reader's emotions. As a result of that expectation, this book disappoints. It's merely a compilation of songwriters' "hows and whys" of the hits they wrote, and many of the stories provoke no more than a yawn. Chicken Soup would have been wiser to invite submissions from writers sharing how specific songs have impacted their lives in a significant way. That would have resulted in a far more interesting book, one more in character with what the publishing company is all about.

Devotionals for Women: 101 daily devotions to comfort, encourage, and inspire women

compiled by Susan Heim and Karen Talcott,
Chicken Soup for the Soul Publications, 2009

This is a little different from the traditional Chicken Soup style. As a collection of stories designed to "comfort, encourage, and inspire women," each devotional opens with a Bible verse, includes a story that connects with the verse, and concludes with a prayer. Several cartoon illustrations are scattered throughout the book as well.

While I initially found it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that this was a Chicken Soup book, and thought, "I could write this," as I continued reading, I found many of the stories quite touching. I can't say I'd read it as a daily devotional, but with only 101 stories, it clearly isn't intended to be read that way, despite the book's subtitle.

Convenient to pick up and read when you only have five minutes to spare.