tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859768547970128842024-03-05T18:33:35.821-06:00Window To My WorldI have created this blog with the specific intent to share great Christian Fiction with those who want something unique to challenge and entertain them! This market is so strong and vibrant now that everyone should find something they will love! I look forward to sharing great books with you!Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.comBlogger2884125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-75308656868523401532023-11-30T12:00:00.070-06:002023-11-30T12:00:00.142-06:00The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikihQZgh7wuJvNnht5jqdNNCT85ysyB9wF9V8Lo6QdVslRhjA_gPrcF0dkM_nSHi29sKWk-2I_NP3mFGN0YWW8YOgoTGtIxzMhuKM84yez_pwM-G52ABonjci35aqlhWBU_P1s2kyDXeFQRa46duaN8v8Pxbb06twwhuhN2G5WI6xSEm3h85aaayfNnudH/s440/Warsaw%20Sister.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikihQZgh7wuJvNnht5jqdNNCT85ysyB9wF9V8Lo6QdVslRhjA_gPrcF0dkM_nSHi29sKWk-2I_NP3mFGN0YWW8YOgoTGtIxzMhuKM84yez_pwM-G52ABonjci35aqlhWBU_P1s2kyDXeFQRa46duaN8v8Pxbb06twwhuhN2G5WI6xSEm3h85aaayfNnudH/s320/Warsaw%20Sister.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book: </b><p></p><p><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and resilience<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></b><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">When Antonina's beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls, along with the rest of Warsaw's Jewish population, Antonina knows she cannot stand by and soon becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Meanwhile, Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland's secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear them apart--and the cost of resistance may prove greater than either ever imagined.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">"<i>So faith is all that is left to us, then</i>." (p. 321)</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">When I reached the end of this novel, I could feel the gut punch of trauma and loss in my heart and soul. I could feel the lost desperation that Helena felt in that moment as her heart broke open under the weight of battle and loss and hopelessness. This novel revealed a battle within a battle that I was unaware existed in the broader scope of WWII. The author tells the story from the viewpoint of two sisters who, unaware of what the other chooses in the heat of battle, decide to fight for their home with the heroic bravery that breaks the reader's heart over and over again.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">War makes heroes out of ordinary people, and rips heroes out of our hearts and into eternity before we are able to comprehend the loss. Antonina and Helena are very close as sisters before ward comes to their homeland. Antonina chooses to become involved in the war effort for very different reasons that Helena, but, over time and as the war intensifies, their love for each other bears them up under excruciating circumstances. That anyone survived this experience is a miracle, and the survival of these sisters is something very tenuous...and I won't reveal anything more.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">This book is a beautiful tribute to heroes that I never knew existed. My hopes and dreams for the future was and is strengthened after reading this story. I can't encourage you strongly enough to add this to your reading list! You won't regret it, and you'll probably feel compelled to share it with others! I did! </span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWUHdRBZ57olOAqmOIz3N71sbIzlCSuCMYipq58IGs8fOW_NhyJ8v1cGb09DxzrZLAMHfqv47U9aCXJheK7wpyCjgTjEIPjtW2QFN_ukPHVdKAfV95SCTsTyvDKX8HdW23A0vVzsFJRDcif0NCcer0D_DeAsPG3MafAb4ROd9O9FB7xsCNOKxp5C50PKE/s290/Amada%20Barrett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="290" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWUHdRBZ57olOAqmOIz3N71sbIzlCSuCMYipq58IGs8fOW_NhyJ8v1cGb09DxzrZLAMHfqv47U9aCXJheK7wpyCjgTjEIPjtW2QFN_ukPHVdKAfV95SCTsTyvDKX8HdW23A0vVzsFJRDcif0NCcer0D_DeAsPG3MafAb4ROd9O9FB7xsCNOKxp5C50PKE/s1600/Amada%20Barrett.jpg" width="290" /></a></span></div><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><br /><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amanda Barratt</b><span style="font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is the bestselling author of numerous historical novels and novellas, including </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The White Rose Resists </i><span style="font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(a 2021 Christy Award winner) and </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Within These Walls of Sorrow</i><span style="font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. She is passionate about illuminating oft-forgotten facets of history through a fictional narrative. Amanda lives in Michigan. Learn more at AmandaBarratt.net.</span></span><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-29791677891363569662023-10-14T10:41:00.001-05:002023-10-14T10:43:14.276-05:00On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKJaUIm7P10svgZ6UJ8zG9j-5VVkyEazCdqEHf2sInUE6MrxphwNIsivvyUbuEjA8_FPQircob-axI832Ul97GJKU0vL2gW40STQuSCcPDc16Jq1jSc-NI72ChOJmIFtRzmOVhiXJbnf3zmr5zgBY2N96aabLBCBfbxmi6eNtn62KUuVvI34ALxmpea9U/s440/Moonberry%20Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKJaUIm7P10svgZ6UJ8zG9j-5VVkyEazCdqEHf2sInUE6MrxphwNIsivvyUbuEjA8_FPQircob-axI832Ul97GJKU0vL2gW40STQuSCcPDc16Jq1jSc-NI72ChOJmIFtRzmOVhiXJbnf3zmr5zgBY2N96aabLBCBfbxmi6eNtn62KUuVvI34ALxmpea9U/s320/Moonberry%20Lake.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>Cora Matthews's life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever "normal" is.</p><p>It certainly isn't what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family's dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance--with a surprising condition attached--Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her.</p><p></p><p>As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:<br /></b></p><p><b>"</b><i>It was amazing how, in stepping out of her comfort zone and getting to know people who live a bit "outside the box," she was discovering a new self. A better self</i><b>.</b>" (p 229)</p><p>This book was such a delight in so many ways, because it took ME outside my box, and helped me reach out to others in a new way! It was such an unexpected experience! Cora Matthews' go to answer when life because overwhelming was to leave the situation. Life intervened in a very unusual way, and brought Cora into a community and circumstance that was almost more overwhelming than the situation she was running from! Confused? Don't be!</p><p>Instead, pick up this delightful, thoughtfully written book - a book filled with the most eclectic bunch of characters - and enjoy the story as it unfolds! The character development is believable, the circumstances difficult at times, and the growth you'll experience right along with the characters in the story will surprise and satisfy you! I had a hard time putting this book down, because I came to care about Cora and her community. </p><p>This is not unlike some of my own life experiences, and I left these pages encouraged to embrace my own unique friendships and circumstances and lean into them for all of the hope, strength and joy they bring to my life! Moonberry Lake exists in each of our lives in some manner, and I challenge you to enjoy this story and use it as a doorway to enter fully into your own life in with a deeper sense of gratitude and purpose! </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50OyPjjaI4doFxjJ3zoKv9HRNlfOZ2MdqkeD4CtXAiHALNGuBiVaub-5ieKy6vRGz4SIbiNRuR-sKtlJWb-0xr9-Iag-rx_xX4_14tU7OCObv6RjoPVT6ffeNgl6_xfAZllTU9vwm4mrcMBS6fSh4Q3YbtHfeuDLYs_ve3ORgvZCs-fawTg5jzLZWaH7S/s290/Haly%20Varni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="290" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50OyPjjaI4doFxjJ3zoKv9HRNlfOZ2MdqkeD4CtXAiHALNGuBiVaub-5ieKy6vRGz4SIbiNRuR-sKtlJWb-0xr9-Iag-rx_xX4_14tU7OCObv6RjoPVT6ffeNgl6_xfAZllTU9vwm4mrcMBS6fSh4Q3YbtHfeuDLYs_ve3ORgvZCs-fawTg5jzLZWaH7S/w183-h183/Haly%20Varni.jpg" width="183" /></a></div><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Holly Varni</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> is a native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and crazy neighbors who mowed their lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. Though she, her husband, and their three sons live along the Central Coast of California, her beloved Midwest roots continue to haunt everything she writes. She hosts the </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Moments from Moonberry Lake </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">podcast where she shares more stories of her beloved characters. Learn more at www.hollyvarni.com.</span><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><div><br /></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-31681917128178482992023-09-04T14:17:00.003-05:002023-09-04T14:17:38.139-05:00He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDMj910uh_r68Q5UfEGuz331ERrwcXg7JrwQGHU03TuITSmJkKzCnrQ3fTv0dsJKnZJIdSrbkAtZpO0vXaK94FkJyiR6xuj8nxgCfNpBnpK1HKpfm-wR6mwtcNVv0Mja9Td7VTVcOfS1eEula1ThlPtg_iPDDvIq4yDUtb_RW87Rq1OD8WzU_CJ-EOEXQ/s440/Bees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDMj910uh_r68Q5UfEGuz331ERrwcXg7JrwQGHU03TuITSmJkKzCnrQ3fTv0dsJKnZJIdSrbkAtZpO0vXaK94FkJyiR6xuj8nxgCfNpBnpK1HKpfm-wR6mwtcNVv0Mja9Td7VTVcOfS1eEula1ThlPtg_iPDDvIq4yDUtb_RW87Rq1OD8WzU_CJ-EOEXQ/s320/Bees.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><b>About the Book: </b><p></p><p>Beekeeper Beckett Walsh was living her dream, until her father's death sent her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must deal with a new part owner of the family apiary--one who is looking to sell the property--and she cannot fathom why her father would put her in the position to lose everything they built together.</p><p>When Callie Peterson is named in the trust of a man she's never heard of, she's not sure what to do. Her fledgling business has just taken wing and her mother has reentered her life asking for help, making Callie's financial situation rather . . . precarious. She's sure she has no right to someone else's farm, but the money from the sale could solve her problems and give her the stability she's always craved.</p><p>With an entangled past behind them and an uncertain future ahead, Beckett and Callie must discover why they've been thrown together before all is lost. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>My Review:</b></p><p><i>"While there are some pungent smells, it smells like life here. I don't know how to explain it, but it's different." (p. 149)</i></p><p>When Callie spoke these words to Beckett, she never dreamed how truth laden those words would turn out to be! I came to love and appreciate both young women in this novel, as well as the cast of characters that Amanda Cox uses to tell their story. I never dreamed that this novel would tell the story that it did, and that it would impact my own life story is such a meaningful way!</p><p>Both Callie and Beckett struggle with having to share their lives with someone suddenly thrust into it by Samuel Walsh's untimely death. As the story unfolds, each character presents her own unique circumstances that pull at your heart strings. Neither of these young women have had an easy life experience, and when sorting through grief and loss - from very different standpoints - it was hard to imagine that any of this would or could end well.</p><p>Amanda Cox threw a few red herrings along the way that kept me guessing, and, once revealed, keep me reading! There are many layers to this story, and if you skip any of it, you'll be so sorry you missed the journey! Callie and Beckett couldn't be more different, but the similarities of what they long for in life are beautifully and almost prophetically captured in Callie's fist impression of Walsh Farm. It did smell like life to her, but she could have never dreamed how much healing those sights and sounds would bring to her life!</p><p>I encourage you to make time for this story in your life! The novel is beautifully written, and you'll be thinking of the characters long after you read the final words! You'll learn a lot about bees, the human heart, and how God weaves it all together in unimaginable ways! Happy reading!</p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3k9tA8WYyFt3hwtNSALeZzGF0cEvAF27A4avZVbHRc5aT9GWDlEmFPUKhkFsGF3eVDzQVYPXQyjzoMYZtSMFeVRpcDFMmiCxJl-MqVeguPvL1rL4fwVFLLbuI7I7Xiyhj1NMJdEfCtiw9RwE122Q1fg7PxESFrUsxzTEAKPQm4iiktlwo4tJHT_TTxSM/s406/amanda%20cox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="290" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3k9tA8WYyFt3hwtNSALeZzGF0cEvAF27A4avZVbHRc5aT9GWDlEmFPUKhkFsGF3eVDzQVYPXQyjzoMYZtSMFeVRpcDFMmiCxJl-MqVeguPvL1rL4fwVFLLbuI7I7Xiyhj1NMJdEfCtiw9RwE122Q1fg7PxESFrUsxzTEAKPQm4iiktlwo4tJHT_TTxSM/w185-h258/amanda%20cox.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><br /><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Amanda Cox </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">is the author of </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Edge of Belonging </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">and </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, both of which were the Christy Award Book of the Year in 2021 and 2022, respectively. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com.</span><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-38188250343348079222023-05-10T17:12:00.001-05:002023-05-10T17:12:35.017-05:00The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sjizbKhneHD3ZioZGhCuq2nsoixmcSXrclWhfC3X-Oqmg8zMWSm4RqgyaifwzvHRjYJzxnhlPdQqTBuEd0egDjbwzgSFzkIN9zEcqQgGrdqNcsx3b58QIpA5WYeFlHRGwOwz66NB9byBDIhaYT5C8Bca4cET-7d0X_v8sYY2_aVZhQ99YZuwoLXb6A/s438/Long%20March%20Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sjizbKhneHD3ZioZGhCuq2nsoixmcSXrclWhfC3X-Oqmg8zMWSm4RqgyaifwzvHRjYJzxnhlPdQqTBuEd0egDjbwzgSFzkIN9zEcqQgGrdqNcsx3b58QIpA5WYeFlHRGwOwz66NB9byBDIhaYT5C8Bca4cET-7d0X_v8sYY2_aVZhQ99YZuwoLXb6A/s320/Long%20March%20Home.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home is a gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope.</p><p>Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons: to get out of Mobile, Alabama, with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his high school sweetheart, Claire.</p><p>Life in the Philippines seems like paradise--until the morning of December 8, 1941, when news comes from Manila: Imperial Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the teenage friends are plunged into war as enemy warplanes attack Luzon, beginning a battle for control of the Pacific theater that will culminate with a last stand on the Bataan Peninsula and end with the largest surrender of American troops in history.</p><p>What follows will become known as one of the worst atrocities in modern warfare: the Bataan Death March. With no hope of rescue, the three friends vow to make it back home together. But the ordeal is only the beginning of their nearly four-year fight to survive.</p><p></p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">"If we have to run - if we have to swim off this island - we're getting through this. The three of us - all home alive. that's our only aim from here on out" </i>(p. 131)</p><p>The Philippines is not a typical location that comes to mind when you think of WW II. Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee have made sure I will never forget the price many men paid to defend our country - to bravely defend each other - and fight for years to survive the most horrific circumstances imaginable. Yes, I said years. Prisoners of war were captured and held for years in the Philippines!</p><p>The Bataan Death March has been carefully woven throughout the life story of three young me - Jimmy, Hank and Billy - all from Mobile, Alabama. This is a coming of age story like none I've ever read, and, I must be honest, it was a hard read. This story brought to lives of these three young men to vivid reality - their hearts filled with such life despite many personal challenges! They did what so many did during the early 40's and served their country - never imagining what horror war would hold.</p><p>Honestly, it was only because the life experiences were interwoven so skillfully between the brutality of war, that I was able to keep reading. This story wrapped my heart around the three main characters and then ripped it out! This is an unforgettable story in every sense of the word! You will laugh, you will cry, and you will leave its pages forever changed! I am happy to recommend this book to everyone who reads!! </p><p><b>About the Authors:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcErQ4W49RSAVaHol5M1ZvR_vfJ-F_N3kc_D6lxOqn8loin3FmVxQD-imernFdHjjNmixiiA7m2NlGVdoevZP6PskW94IVdMvKyAKLPzhtE8r1YKmebCTIrGJW0rUszUF_IQPPkab_aQBzmyAYBnCrSgb9Lav9xZ-SykG8NkIXsRQuy-qAJwCUN9jkjg/s435/Marcus%20Brotherton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcErQ4W49RSAVaHol5M1ZvR_vfJ-F_N3kc_D6lxOqn8loin3FmVxQD-imernFdHjjNmixiiA7m2NlGVdoevZP6PskW94IVdMvKyAKLPzhtE8r1YKmebCTIrGJW0rUszUF_IQPPkab_aQBzmyAYBnCrSgb9Lav9xZ-SykG8NkIXsRQuy-qAJwCUN9jkjg/w146-h220/Marcus%20Brotherton.jpg" width="146" /></a></div><br /><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Marcus Brotherton</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> is the </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">New York Times</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">USA Today</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Publishers Weekly</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, and </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wall Street Journal</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> bestselling author or coauthor of more than 25 books that have been called "fascinating," "brilliantly arranged," "magical," and "refreshingly frank."</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4xNjbCzjV_PDPu0B4uK6bwhcqRjJC_OsYtm1sqjEy1a6deFy3hIEvOnPTtnl1gumQ8-K1BBg2sedpHJ3eXS4qHs-49WgbKnr8jf28dG-bIwGfkLh7JEfPw5oqdTnbHOFBYT_4IzFTpN7ddBdxUpwjwBpx072TwCZ66bdNAj4sToZLiHsDRCCOIISog/s290/Tosca%20Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="290" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4xNjbCzjV_PDPu0B4uK6bwhcqRjJC_OsYtm1sqjEy1a6deFy3hIEvOnPTtnl1gumQ8-K1BBg2sedpHJ3eXS4qHs-49WgbKnr8jf28dG-bIwGfkLh7JEfPw5oqdTnbHOFBYT_4IzFTpN7ddBdxUpwjwBpx072TwCZ66bdNAj4sToZLiHsDRCCOIISog/w217-h158/Tosca%20Lee.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tosca Lee</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> is the </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">New York Times</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> bestselling author of 11 novels, including </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Line Between</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">,</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> The Progeny</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">,</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> The Legend of Sheba</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, and </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Iscariot</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Lee's work has been praised as "deeply human," "powerful," and "mind-bending historical fiction."</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://youtu.be/cx_Htlxpc4A" target="_blank">Watch the Trailer!!</a><br /></span></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-80654687457357001562023-04-01T11:14:00.002-05:002023-04-01T11:18:09.633-05:00After The Shadows by Amada Cabot REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeGxiM0OpHvD_p0HDoJKPclBE0s5LHe3pX-z5ePUHq4Yj560ppovjgW1bOP_9Qv0nvISEYVf5e-OJbTve0HZO1Hyw9bMfoUgig2L4-4uIEg1JM_ZMNbtFCDqSESn0Gs29cxCtZqWoo09nzeQmAGGDPLqNRfd1Lv-4LqtqrcEkxgsnUCcjEpveO-zUrw/s440/After%20the%20Shadows.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeGxiM0OpHvD_p0HDoJKPclBE0s5LHe3pX-z5ePUHq4Yj560ppovjgW1bOP_9Qv0nvISEYVf5e-OJbTve0HZO1Hyw9bMfoUgig2L4-4uIEg1JM_ZMNbtFCDqSESn0Gs29cxCtZqWoo09nzeQmAGGDPLqNRfd1Lv-4LqtqrcEkxgsnUCcjEpveO-zUrw/s320/After%20the%20Shadows.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>A brighter future awaits--if she can escape the shadows of the past</p><p>Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the handsome new schoolteacher, Craig Ferguson, and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.</p><p>Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death--and to aid Craig, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. As they work to uncover the truth, they just may find the key to unlock a future neither could have imagined.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><i>"I'm trying to protect you," </i>she said. (p. 289)</p><p>This one, five-word sentence, encapsulates so much about the nuances of this story! Amanda Cabot is one of my favorite authors simply because she seamlessly weaves multiple story lines together that it takes your breath away when everything comes together! </p><p>When I first started to read this novel, I thought I knew the direction it would take based solely on the relationships with the main family - Emily Leland and her sisters - and their relationship with the community of Sweetwater Crossing. That, in itself, was going to be a great read. However, Cabot takes that one thread and weaves in in and out among the life of a grieving widower and his son, the drama of mysterious circumstances around the death of Emily's father, a new pastor coming to town to name just a few! Everyone in this town is keeping secrets, and that fact alone keeps them blind to a very dangerous presence in their midst!</p><p>I could not put this book down! Every time I thought I was close to figuring out what was going on, Cabot would throw something else in and I'd go off in another direction! The bottom line is that this novel kept me entertained from first page to last, dealt realistically with timeless issues that need never be hidden, and weaves everything together in a believable and heart-tugging way that will cause you to pause and remember the folks in your own life that are real and truly life-giving.</p><p>Thank you, Amanda Cabot, for such a GREAT novel! I anxiously await the next! </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>About the Author: </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC62COBSw4Ze0bpd4Tj177WTk-kAFfy1fb5thVLixxvVmn-9UJCYRUrd0hGD76cqBeHnDo8FlQvd2G81jdqojNg-L34cvLKMyxIWKc4UagagZj_wTYb89FwbTnPOHPAgMupVCmpcSrLLHSrFUnjiMv33asLzLC1fnw29R0bTxJdcFtanDDbky6Ogoxw/s435/Amanda%20Cabot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC62COBSw4Ze0bpd4Tj177WTk-kAFfy1fb5thVLixxvVmn-9UJCYRUrd0hGD76cqBeHnDo8FlQvd2G81jdqojNg-L34cvLKMyxIWKc4UagagZj_wTYb89FwbTnPOHPAgMupVCmpcSrLLHSrFUnjiMv33asLzLC1fnw29R0bTxJdcFtanDDbky6Ogoxw/s320/Amanda%20Cabot.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of After the Shadows, as well as several historical and contemporary romance series, including Mesquite Springs, Cimarron Creek Trilogy, Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers' Best. She lives in Wyoming. Learn more at www.amandacabot.com.<p></p><p> </p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-53823037679922425222023-02-14T17:17:00.004-06:002023-02-14T17:17:26.560-06:00The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-D0BbvO9Gt2QnaU3lYsTCNA-UNRBgDVsAOBWn874C1mLtHXGlrNeXCVZp_PHr6ZpZtA_8h7Oi5qJhElxkKy6XXhibJccFTMbs-FHcDH19OzACRvhe-kMKIGmvnrgOwmtsw1UNpzGsDmNorPCo3EAF5IiRdZBW6A9QWsaJexXGBJhSJX6wgzajbcW0w/s440/Rose%20and%20thistle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-D0BbvO9Gt2QnaU3lYsTCNA-UNRBgDVsAOBWn874C1mLtHXGlrNeXCVZp_PHr6ZpZtA_8h7Oi5qJhElxkKy6XXhibJccFTMbs-FHcDH19OzACRvhe-kMKIGmvnrgOwmtsw1UNpzGsDmNorPCo3EAF5IiRdZBW6A9QWsaJexXGBJhSJX6wgzajbcW0w/s320/Rose%20and%20thistle.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Blythe quietly awaits the crowning of a new king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.</p><p>No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with her maid in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.</p><p>In this whirlwind of intrigue, ambitions, and shifting alliances, Blythe yearns for someone she can trust. But the same forces that draw her and Everard together also threaten to tear them apart.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p>"<i>Lady Hedley would nae more agree to wed me than she would the pirate Blackbeard" </i>(p. 186)</p><p>Everard Hume becomes Lord Welderburn upon the death of his father, but Lady Blythe Headley sees naught but a prison guard keeping her locked away from life and liberty. However, the fact that her own father has placed her in hiding for her safety keeps her willing to stay on in a Scottsman's castle. She remains in willful denial that a war between Catholic Jacobites and Protestants bode ill for all that brush up against its growing tumult - up until it explodes into her own life!</p><p>Lady Blythe's world is abruptly upended, so I found it easy to believe she would barely tolerate being hidden away from the world for long. A learned scholar in her own right, her mind is quick to intuit ways to break out of her imposed solitude. Once she does, she wins the hearts of all she meets - with the lone exception of the traitor among the family.</p><p>This novel moves believably and rapidly from scene to scene - chapter to chapter! Lovers of historic fiction/romance will literally devour this book! Everard and Blythe are the perfect focal point of the story, and their relationship unfolds as tempestuously as the rebellion building in the world around them. Orin, one of Everard's many brothers, makes a sweet counterpoint to all the mystery and intrigue that swirls about him! Laura Franz never ceases to amaze me!! Bravo!!</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-E46OHsV5NloLXwW7Mm5X9OeQTB0i-q0SPZuVO6zHY6eKf0EIKG9vkG9XOgouq59Fkp8hEkSXdgwb4BXUC1gniBT-1hGkqCPRGqZ7KqAad5zvQ2PjCgF3hcFDphn4Rf2J1Mt_vZG-OK2a89Kt6uSOKZ3ciLntPwe7EYASsQRHBAUdrKss1NTBHexNw/s326/Laura%20Franz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="290" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-E46OHsV5NloLXwW7Mm5X9OeQTB0i-q0SPZuVO6zHY6eKf0EIKG9vkG9XOgouq59Fkp8hEkSXdgwb4BXUC1gniBT-1hGkqCPRGqZ7KqAad5zvQ2PjCgF3hcFDphn4Rf2J1Mt_vZG-OK2a89Kt6uSOKZ3ciLntPwe7EYASsQRHBAUdrKss1NTBHexNw/w211-h237/Laura%20Franz.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Lacemaker, and A Heart Adrift. She is a proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. A direct descendent of George Hume of Wedderburn Castle, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion, Laura lives with her husband in Washington State. Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.<p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-27966743281351627302022-10-28T11:58:00.016-05:002022-10-28T11:58:00.217-05:00Jar of Pennies by John Yearwood<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr01o6xWzjn5n8M3YGHrWxRW-JLCvpF39g8v3qg-KDrypNVSbuCqz9vmf6JB72I4mxCucKKpJkSchligvy1MDwKXTs4_5YwndOJk2xUqQRD5rFteWmLItdOc1x0f9_rQ_D3E1s8aKuQeC7ntccAdDxvumRovrO9DUoFoZxhEQaysl2Huaz5ws2jVvOw/s499/Jar%20of%20pennies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr01o6xWzjn5n8M3YGHrWxRW-JLCvpF39g8v3qg-KDrypNVSbuCqz9vmf6JB72I4mxCucKKpJkSchligvy1MDwKXTs4_5YwndOJk2xUqQRD5rFteWmLItdOc1x0f9_rQ_D3E1s8aKuQeC7ntccAdDxvumRovrO9DUoFoZxhEQaysl2Huaz5ws2jVvOw/s320/Jar%20of%20pennies.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>In the summer of 1979, the small town of Whitmire Texas—deep in the eastern piney woods of the state—is rocked by a series of murders None of the victims knew one another, none lived close by. A police chief floats to the surface of a lake, hooked on a trot line; a divorcing wife apparently overdoses on illegal drugs; the skeletons of a young mother and her three-year-old toddler are found near an abandoned barn; a Congressman is murdered in a shoot-out at his home, which also claims the lives of two drug pushers from Houston and a used car dealer. </p><p>The sleepy private town of Whitmire is terrified and the town's newspaper publisher is determined to bring the mystery to a resolution. BoMac—short for Beaufort Sebastian Maclean—is a young University of Virginia dropout devoted to journalism and committed to chronicling the life of the little community. He takes the publishing job at the weekly Whitmire Standard very seriously, pouring his life into a job that demands he not only write the news but also take the photos and sell the ads. In the fraught atmosphere of Whitmire where daily routines are thrown off kilter by the unknown terror, he keeps his eyes open and finally spots a jar of pennies: the evidence that clenches the death sentence for the killer.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p>Former stringer for the New York Times, John Yearwood taught in high schools and universities for 30 years, and was an award-winning journalist for 15 years. He has published hundreds of editorials and columns and thousands of news stories, as well as academic works on the First Amendment and the extra-Constitutional powers of the Presidency during times of crisis. After retiring in 2012, he now volunteers helping elementary students improve their reading skills, and assisting refugee immigrants when he is not writing. </p><p>He is the author of The Icarus Series: The Icarus Jump, The City and the Gate and The Gender of Fire; as well as The Lie Detector App, which is set in modern California and follows the unfolding life of a genius kid who creates apps for the smartphone, and discovers there is truth everywhere if you know how to look; and Jar of Pennies, a historical and cultural crime fiction novel set in a small town in East Texas. John lives in Austin with his wife and two small dogs.</p><p>Get to know John! <a href="https://johnyearwood.com/" target="_blank">John Yearwood</a></p><p><b>My Thoughts: (Very bried)</b></p><p>I made an effort to engage with this story. However, chapter after chapter the story began to <i>FEEL</i> like pennies in a jar....totally separate thoughts piled one on top of another, filling a book with pages but remaining separate and unconnected. I could not engage. I tried. The concept appealed to me when I read the synopsis, but, for me at least, failed to deliver a cohesive narrative. </p><p><br /></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-78159777182795563512022-08-03T19:35:00.001-05:002022-08-03T19:36:52.479-05:00You Wonder all the Time by Deborah Farmer Kris Illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFoNQNttd2ckjHzZffon5k0yfAqEl9DrQ-DShzCjcJomlLa3g6fS8F8P2RwJ019WSea40LriXh8DkpGCTyy6ui3VpntvcAH0pZnuKAwxMOFvBouAc5AJcsjhuxAhOhn99i2foImmKzcXyp7qGwDnnnlAUaoIUzTxVKqf0ideNFK0YTBQeP7S_UcEDTw/s2400/wonder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFoNQNttd2ckjHzZffon5k0yfAqEl9DrQ-DShzCjcJomlLa3g6fS8F8P2RwJ019WSea40LriXh8DkpGCTyy6ui3VpntvcAH0pZnuKAwxMOFvBouAc5AJcsjhuxAhOhn99i2foImmKzcXyp7qGwDnnnlAUaoIUzTxVKqf0ideNFK0YTBQeP7S_UcEDTw/s320/wonder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>This affirming book celebrates curiosity and the thought-provoking questions children ask.</p><p>“Where do colors go at night, and why do shadows creep?” You Wonder All the Time celebrates curiosity and the thought-provoking questions children ask and supports them as they continue to learn. “Will you stay curious as you grow? It’s a brilliant part of you!” </p><p>Asking questions is an important part of learning that helps children grow and understand the world. Inspired by and containing questions from real kids, You Wonder All the Time explores and affirms all the questions children ask. The book features a series of engaging, playful, and curious what, when, where, why, and how questions from the child to the adult. “What if we rode a T-Rex and shook the forest floor?” </p><p></p><p>Its charming rhyme and heartwarming message that children’s many questions are welcomed and their wondering is loved make the book perfect for storytime, home, and the preschool classroom.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p>I was blessed to raise two very curious boys to adulthood, and I totally related to the words on the next to the last page: "<i>The world is full of questions, so I will ask one too. will you stay as curious as you grow? It's a brilliant part of you</i>!" I think every adult who is blessed to either have children of their own, or contribute to the life of a growing child is as wonder-filled as they are just to watch them discover the world and all that it holds for their imagination!</p><p>I had a Mom who read to me from the very beginning of my life, and I think books like this one add so much to a child's ability to discover and explore their world, because they learn to love books and reading. Books like this one open their minds, hearts and imagination to be free to discover and learn all about the mystery of life!</p><p>I look forward to sharing this book with the little ones in my life!!</p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13P12cR4OfJ0M4UPwDM4yt87HQTeMUlwszOfJLFF0Sh-R3Klz8pGU7CM9a6L9kMJPxyxRhOwq6vGU1KA1q5CUk0qWhZB-n_VV1XGpl1j1Nyr6OCbBvnS0SacKm2bS4wQ1gRNzCjlenMnXMusSUGV5HFWmowhq2tME65BI5T7CsgAcQlHSZpCAGIyZSA/s450/deb%20kris.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13P12cR4OfJ0M4UPwDM4yt87HQTeMUlwszOfJLFF0Sh-R3Klz8pGU7CM9a6L9kMJPxyxRhOwq6vGU1KA1q5CUk0qWhZB-n_VV1XGpl1j1Nyr6OCbBvnS0SacKm2bS4wQ1gRNzCjlenMnXMusSUGV5HFWmowhq2tME65BI5T7CsgAcQlHSZpCAGIyZSA/w256-h210/deb%20kris.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Deborah Farmer Kris is a child development expert and parent educator. She serves as a columnist and consultant for PBS KIDS, and she writes for NPR’s MindShift and other national publications. Over the course of her career, Deborah has taught almost every grade K–12, served as a school administrator, directed leadership institutes, and presented to hundreds of parents and educators around the United States. Deborah and her husband live in Massachusetts with their two kids—who love to test every theory she’s ever had about child development. Mostly, she loves sharing nuggets of practical wisdom that can help kids and families thrive. You can learn more at www.parenthood365.com<br /><b><br /></b> <p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-41078968223372567392022-07-25T01:00:00.051-05:002022-07-25T01:00:00.229-05:00The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ5mt3tuJtdw3sqHffdWlRTqvpEuV9JnvwV8f4OV6r18otTTXPPlTehhZLRgdeN2RWri7fRUleJazUgiAYBeEhK31uMZftS5Pr6hUodN2kqe-9BrFlXRQqstei-KGoieZ1i7HEIZJIFXEAn27S7fL_BLYF4wHMdQhr73gd6ofc-8nDxWMvJgPm67OPA/s440/Mrs%20Kip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ5mt3tuJtdw3sqHffdWlRTqvpEuV9JnvwV8f4OV6r18otTTXPPlTehhZLRgdeN2RWri7fRUleJazUgiAYBeEhK31uMZftS5Pr6hUodN2kqe-9BrFlXRQqstei-KGoieZ1i7HEIZJIFXEAn27S7fL_BLYF4wHMdQhr73gd6ofc-8nDxWMvJgPm67OPA/s320/Mrs%20Kip.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>A throwaway assignment is about to change two lives forever</p><p>Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she's been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who's just entered hospice care.</p><p></p><p>But there's more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she's not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it's a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that's just what Mrs. Kip will give her--but she's going to have to work for it.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><i>"We can all attest to your thousands of extraordinary deaths." </i>(p, 331)</p><p>Aiden Kelly speaks these words after an unexpected assignment from her editor to write someone's obituary. I think I was as surprised, if not more so, than the main character to discover the depth and breath of a persons life. Clara Kip became a person I'll never forget, because she represents many spiritual giants that I'm privileged to know who gave of themselves as selflessly as Mrs. Kip. </p><p>This is a story of self discovery in so many ways! Mrs. Kip is discovering what it's like to walk her final journey in her mortal body, and Aiden Kelley is learning that her life holds endless possibility. No one will leave this story unchanged, because the reader is made to pause and consider how much goes on in the lives of others that is missed if not taken time to uncover. Relationships can impact lives no matter how brief the interaction, and that is a lesson I hope never to take for granted.</p><p>I was hesitant to read this book, because my Mom passed away a few weeks ago. Her time in hospice care changed my life forever, and I was able to relate to both of the main characters in very real ways! I'm in my own season of discovery and growth just as Aiden was in the book, and My Mom and Mrs. Kip were strikingly similar in the way they loved others. This is a PRECIOUS novel, and one I will read again. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to experience an unexpected gift of relationship unfolding right before their eyes! This novel is a treasure!!!</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIMUqzRronf9dMyI21CU17ukMX8qoAeC5SCdTWHx33uxiMh3rkuiT6FPG_32nXFrccKeEqYo2UWpAA186GP-Zm2j6_-TcRG248X8Mr5pqJ4t0YcmBkJXeY69885hEi_ylXzDzeqShSFB4vYpUhxRiTzcVZT991fQs7fXf-_SWVlZ61_kLPnYZpERoLA/s290/Sara%20Bronsvold.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="290" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIMUqzRronf9dMyI21CU17ukMX8qoAeC5SCdTWHx33uxiMh3rkuiT6FPG_32nXFrccKeEqYo2UWpAA186GP-Zm2j6_-TcRG248X8Mr5pqJ4t0YcmBkJXeY69885hEi_ylXzDzeqShSFB4vYpUhxRiTzcVZT991fQs7fXf-_SWVlZ61_kLPnYZpERoLA/w235-h230/Sara%20Bronsvold.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Sara Brunsvold creates stories that speak hope, truth, and life. Influenced by humble women of God who find his fingerprints in the everyday, she does the same in her life and her storytelling. Sara's recognitions include the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction. She lives with her family in Kansas City, Missouri, where she can often be spotted writing at a park or library. Learn more at www.sarabrunsvold.com.<br /><b><br /></b><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-44868892198032018802022-06-30T19:50:00.001-05:002022-06-30T19:50:09.110-05:00Among the Innocent by Mary Alford REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNm9pF85rircHdBQ8mRUvCcZ6_qJjcZ9qAet-0HEysF9aOovEeSaei2dtxKj4OSCJPpt67h2mc4LdSj3gcVlacMNyUR6jHx1SmHuXw0v81TbCKliVZY1x-keqbwLD6bYpnf1RfxfKhVNr-FOXNEkEToyjSKREWXEK-uyYJcuvd8f5oD_Yglec5U63ng/s440/among%20the%20innocent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNm9pF85rircHdBQ8mRUvCcZ6_qJjcZ9qAet-0HEysF9aOovEeSaei2dtxKj4OSCJPpt67h2mc4LdSj3gcVlacMNyUR6jHx1SmHuXw0v81TbCKliVZY1x-keqbwLD6bYpnf1RfxfKhVNr-FOXNEkEToyjSKREWXEK-uyYJcuvd8f5oD_Yglec5U63ng/s320/among%20the%20innocent.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When Leah Miller's entire Amish family was murdered ten years ago, the person believed responsible took his own life. Since then, Leah has left the Amish and joined the police force. Now, after an Amish woman is found murdered with the same MO, it becomes clear that the wrong man may have been blamed fo</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">r her family's deaths.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As Leah and the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, work long hours struggling to fit the pieces together in order to catch the killer, they can't help but grow closer. When secrets from both of their pasts begin to surface, an unexpected connection between them is revealed. But this is only the beginning.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What will it mean for Leah--and Dalton--when the full truth comes to light?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"<i>The inevitable showdown coming had been a decade in the making. When it was over, would any of them be left standing?"</i> (p.140)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the question the reader asks the entire way through this novel! Alford's book begins with the murder of an innocent Amish girl, and spirals first one way then another, until the reader's head is spinning and heart racing as much as the main character, Leah Miller. Leah's head can barely focus on one harsh reality before she is forced to face another. Her life as a police officer began with a strong desire to protect those around her, and that includes the members of the Amish community in which she was raised. To watch innocent girls lives taken brings back her own childhood trauma, but her desire to face her fears, and her obsessed killer is stronger than her fears.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Working alongside Dalton Cooper - a man with his own fears - helps Leah navigate the chaos that flows through her community as a killer rises among them and seems to stay one step ahead of them no matter how hard they work. This story line is as fast paced as anything I've ever read, and I can honestly say I couldn't wait to pick it up and see what happened next! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I believe this is my first time reading one of Mary Alford's books, but I guarantee it won't be the last! I love it when I can't figure out what's going on, and the tension builds bit by bit until you barely stand it! That, to me, is a fun read!! You will thoroughly enjoy this novel, and you will not escape without losing few characters along the way. The killer in this book has a voracious appetite for mayhem! Buckle up for a wild ride!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbP7JdCvhW1rKfeJ0f2gPznXhFyZOVJ9B1bhfTj-F-E7Ehjp1vMi1pcISgQB7iBwDuT-gP2lxL4IliTr4b71fwAy3lIY8sabAhiSTH6S4C42IMW4TSFxnslbaU7c-Kxd977rISZWSWWzzPoRNXRNsdvsIveB6F5LjupceRmWCWWQlgglxXTvFfGq0Mw/s435/mary%20alford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbP7JdCvhW1rKfeJ0f2gPznXhFyZOVJ9B1bhfTj-F-E7Ehjp1vMi1pcISgQB7iBwDuT-gP2lxL4IliTr4b71fwAy3lIY8sabAhiSTH6S4C42IMW4TSFxnslbaU7c-Kxd977rISZWSWWzzPoRNXRNsdvsIveB6F5LjupceRmWCWWQlgglxXTvFfGq0Mw/w213-h279/mary%20alford.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Mary Alford is a USA Today bestselling author who loves giving her readers the unexpected, combining unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots that result in stories the reader can't put down. Her titles have been finalists for several awards, including the Daphne Du Maurier, the Beverly, the Maggie, and the Selah. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two cats and one dog. Learn more at www.maryalford.net.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><b><br /> </b><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-87073064649403781442022-06-21T18:42:00.000-05:002022-06-21T18:42:04.080-05:00The Friendly Mouse by Sophia R. Tyler REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaDEwD-w06l2pB1B1eHwd_9dq25sXz8UZU7-dbFefqCQNXO5c6c9WeHGHSsbeucQXJaGId91M4iQ3dYM26Ph0SGl9lJ9nrlRfspUCdz_ovgEC1jCgaPN_Mq5ZzHRLI9STYnaZKiTuaskKazlOMXOKkaYAvk2_9UaumLLHh3rBzmxK0u9n_pgKN8HPXQ/s500/friendly%20mouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="500" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaDEwD-w06l2pB1B1eHwd_9dq25sXz8UZU7-dbFefqCQNXO5c6c9WeHGHSsbeucQXJaGId91M4iQ3dYM26Ph0SGl9lJ9nrlRfspUCdz_ovgEC1jCgaPN_Mq5ZzHRLI9STYnaZKiTuaskKazlOMXOKkaYAvk2_9UaumLLHh3rBzmxK0u9n_pgKN8HPXQ/s320/friendly%20mouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> A Small Mouse with a Big Heart Changes the World One Friend at a Time. . .<p></p><p>Mouse is a field mouse who loves living in the country, but works in the city. This leaves him with a major problem: he is constantly late for work. In the face of losing his job, Mouse makes a bold, faith-filled choice that could cost him everything.</p><p>An unexpected story about how a little mouse overwhelmed with his own struggles finds himself to be the miracle prayed for by another.</p><p>For more information, go to:</p><p>TheFriendlyMouseBook.com</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><b>"</b><i>I decided to choose kindness, no matter what anyone else does." </i>(p.29)</p><p>Mouse reminds me of something I easily forget sometimes...be kind always. This is a picture book that kids will easily relate to, because they all always watching and listening and know when their parents are struggling. This book also holds powerful truth reminders for the adults reading to the children in their lives...model the behavior you want to teach them!</p><p>Mouse also reminds us that others - adults too - are always watching the behaviors we model. Kindness doesn't always result in generous gifts from others, but there are many intangible gifts that kindness brings our way - like friendship! Every adult I know has difficult people in their lives, and if we choose to react with kindness, we are often surprised at the way God meets our needs, both physical and emotional!</p><p>I love this picture book and can't wait to share it with the little people in my life!! Enjoy!</p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSCsg97bXcQtpZy-_WfPeS-GlzTMFLjy63wcXPzhATBVTryYQl7rBbJReMS-OSvI5Iynwung_hzwaSU372a-jwjKAutUwCu7ImZEeSuJqW1KMcj2FuvXZ6lECvrSPu0MzGJ8dANnVKBKETWN2W2MeUh2Z889cPfNtfvwM5vCGmbqQkc9V8XDGqjkkYA/s450/Sophia%20Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSCsg97bXcQtpZy-_WfPeS-GlzTMFLjy63wcXPzhATBVTryYQl7rBbJReMS-OSvI5Iynwung_hzwaSU372a-jwjKAutUwCu7ImZEeSuJqW1KMcj2FuvXZ6lECvrSPu0MzGJ8dANnVKBKETWN2W2MeUh2Z889cPfNtfvwM5vCGmbqQkc9V8XDGqjkkYA/w218-h218/Sophia%20Tyler.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Sophia R. Tyler </b>thinks back on the countless nights spent with her mom and sisters, reading books before bed. Ending the day by escaping into books with her sisters and mom, brought her feelings of warmth, safety and coziness. And ever since then, books have had that same effect. She hopes that the Jesus-inspired morals resonate with readers and brings similar feelings to those she felt as a kid.</p><p>Sophia likes to think about times people have shown kindness to her in times of need and how much that meant to her. The Friendly Mouse is a sweet reminder of how acts of kindness can go a long way. A comedian and actor named Robin Williams said it best: "E<i>veryone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, so be kind, always</i>.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-73952332001921396212022-06-01T11:25:00.047-05:002022-06-01T11:25:00.211-05:00The Barabbas Legacy by M.D. House REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfNfKPKjkfDMYGEQpwsRaYupm9YCKQS1HfAGnPQKhVcZO8KXjht5jv6_7kEPRfhz1JGLksSWzIKIl8Uq9wydBSG6eLGiMVAzWwsmMlJuTAlD2iba924aq1-S9BiRYlEAjKiavjfKiYApVic8_b1RcAhgc_RmKSGKlQd_d5i8VFj0EeJ-pd-N30P1tgw/s499/Barabas%20legacy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfNfKPKjkfDMYGEQpwsRaYupm9YCKQS1HfAGnPQKhVcZO8KXjht5jv6_7kEPRfhz1JGLksSWzIKIl8Uq9wydBSG6eLGiMVAzWwsmMlJuTAlD2iba924aq1-S9BiRYlEAjKiavjfKiYApVic8_b1RcAhgc_RmKSGKlQd_d5i8VFj0EeJ-pd-N30P1tgw/s320/Barabas%20legacy.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>In this poignant capstone to the trilogy, the man called Barabbas—infamous former thief, murderer and prisoner turned Christian—and his wife Chanah continue their mission of spreading the gospel across the known world as cauldrons of political and military chaos boil across the Roman Empire. Nero is increasingly erratic, and it’s only a matter of time before the sharp knives of imperial politics finish him off. Various successors vie for position. Who will strike first, and who will come out on top?</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the rebellion in Judea has intensified, the Jewish zealots exerting great influence over the minds of the people. General Vespasian and his son Titus aim to put a permanent end to the insurrection. How many lives will ultimately be sacrificed on the great altar of Jerusalem? Can the Jewish nation survive the fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecy? What will become of the Jewish Christians and the apostles and sisters who lead them? And where will Barabbas and his family find lasting peace?</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><i>"If any of you came here thinking this would be easy, I hope you realize now it will not."</i> (p. 313)</p><p>Establishing the first churches within the Roman Empire and the known world was anything but easy, but it is what the apostles and disciples dedicated their lives to after Jesus commissioned them before ascending back to His Father. In this third installment of Barabbas' story you get a front row seat to the intense labor involved in every aspect of this journey. The travel alone makes me exhausted. I can't imagine the time and labor involved in getting from one place to another.</p><p>Barabbas and his family answer their call to become leaders in the early church. They must leave family and loved ones behind, knowing they may never see them again this side of heaven. Relationally, this is a very realistic story. The disagreement between the apostles, between believers and non believers is real and sometimes intense. It's not so very different from today, sadly. Human nature, without the transformative power of the Holy Spirit remains unchanged throughout time.</p><p>My only criticism of this book, is that establishing the church seems too focused on temples of worship and statues in memorial. In one passage the apostle talk about the "regional headquarters " and I'm not sure that was even the point. I wouldn't have paid it any mind, but it kept being referenced, and I personally didn't like it. Maybe Barabbas' faith needed concrete things to see and touch (beautiful temples and statues) but it detracted from the depth of faith I wanted to believe he possesses. </p><p>If you want to experience the establishment of the early church in fiction, the Barabbas story is a good place to start. It was not an easy or quickly established network, and many times it cost folks everything - life itself. Enjoy this installment of the Barabbas story!</p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGl6TdZ-8kdtaw7pYeTn7GzDrOEH98TJKLpF0lAhe3QDRGrHYiEMyXYOE0J3eznelqFh6OgkcvUzZg7ALTTvnNji3Noupp9A4fHkEMlWwHzFvcSTa8oZHzQp39uc59bUkJ_ys42OA33qbmTtbbpYjI3-glFfGxVLyqB45AE5pfsVZfK593eVRZt3Yxg/s230/MD_House.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="230" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGl6TdZ-8kdtaw7pYeTn7GzDrOEH98TJKLpF0lAhe3QDRGrHYiEMyXYOE0J3eznelqFh6OgkcvUzZg7ALTTvnNji3Noupp9A4fHkEMlWwHzFvcSTa8oZHzQp39uc59bUkJ_ys42OA33qbmTtbbpYjI3-glFfGxVLyqB45AE5pfsVZfK593eVRZt3Yxg/w193-h220/MD_House.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><p></p><p>M.D. HOUSE is the author of The Barabbas Legacy, as well as the first two books in the series, I Was Called Barabbas and Pillars of Barabbas. He also wrote the science-fiction novel, Patriot Star, with a sequel coming in 2022.</p><p>Before beginning his second career as a writer, he worked for twenty-five years in the world of corporate finance, strategic planning, and business development. Now, he lives in the mountains of Northern Utah with his wife, where he spends his time writing and enjoying his children and grandchildren.</p><p>Learn more about M.D. House and his work at www.mdhouselive.com</p><p><b><br /></b></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-59701527194335985582022-05-30T01:00:00.060-05:002022-05-30T01:00:00.236-05:00All That Fills Us by Autumn Lytle REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyLlFk1bdApugWP0umBy-m4UkQRJTdu9lJVDQUo_aATiQJlMV69j0C-aLjl_QxNJNL_wRJHdcAw6g4rQwfrtF_Oe93wRMU4duOLX6pIf5y1DB63DnWPwS5L2-2HKySKCYNUZheSCcMvVib0or48fNP6MIwDFwN-ASCM8tipUvkn83W1OnDr1z6bX_nw/s440/All%20that%20Fills%20Us.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyLlFk1bdApugWP0umBy-m4UkQRJTdu9lJVDQUo_aATiQJlMV69j0C-aLjl_QxNJNL_wRJHdcAw6g4rQwfrtF_Oe93wRMU4duOLX6pIf5y1DB63DnWPwS5L2-2HKySKCYNUZheSCcMvVib0or48fNP6MIwDFwN-ASCM8tipUvkn83W1OnDr1z6bX_nw/s320/All%20that%20Fills%20Us.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>The journey toward healing starts with a single brave step--but it is never walked alone</p><p>Mel Ellis knows that her eating disorder is ruining her life. Everyone tells her rehab is her best option, but she can't bring herself to go. Broke, broken, and empty in more ways than one, Mel launches one last-ditch effort to make hers a story worth telling. She will walk her own road to recovery along the lesser-known trails of the North American wilderness.</p><p></p><p>Though she is physically and mentally unprepared to face the difficulties that lay ahead, she sets off on foot from Michigan. Her goal? Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. During the long journey, she meets strangers with their own stories, as well as ghosts from her past who can no longer be ignored. But though the land she travels threatens her success at every turn, it's her own dark thoughts she'll have to overcome in order to find peace in the life and the body she has been given.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><i>"One day, after all this is over, we'll sit down together and I'll tell you all about this. And you'll look at me like you did when you first saw the Grand Canyon, and we'll both know that I finally made it." (p. 115)</i></p><p>This is the story of Mel Ellis' unique and seemingly impossible journey to overcome a problem that has consumed her entire being - literally to the point of almost dying. I got to know Mel and relate to her in a very personal way through the pages of this precious novel. This is not exactly a light read, but the way Lytle tells Mel's story brings you in as a friend, and keeps you engaged. As you read, you'll learn a lot about eating disorders and the behaviors that surround and confound the people who struggle with this particular emotional demon.</p><p>Mel chooses a path that is rather extreme in the "real" world, so some level of suspended disbelief is required. I love the way the author inserts her life into the lives of other she encounters along the way. I love the way she is able to reconnect with the very person whose life choices so unknowingly and profoundly affected Mel's path. It really made me want to be more self-aware so that I don't inflict my pain onto others who are, always, dealing with their own stuff.</p><p>I highly recommend this novel! For me, it was an opportunity to examine my own life and the way I relate to others who may need encouragement along their life journey. As always, God divinely appointed the timing of this story - He knows how to get my attention! I will come back to and share this story with others, because it it a beautiful way to illustrate that only God's presence in our live can ultimately heal and feel the deepest longings of our heart!</p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9fFgBBBLn6y0T1FkLZ0LUtQPmEF79Z07fa6WfGRLQB7gp1Ph-ql1eaC4xRxgcmcBJrHmerpR4Tpg0SSdoVpmJh6gKhaLULTeclB2339IYeI9MKCGZ19GrzEcxRBGiIQMrBbJ8O39_EgGCJqLQT7M0UIcK85daJcaUPyaszwwCWGqzVh_j9_Ci4eJiA/s290/Autumn%20Lityle.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="290" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9fFgBBBLn6y0T1FkLZ0LUtQPmEF79Z07fa6WfGRLQB7gp1Ph-ql1eaC4xRxgcmcBJrHmerpR4Tpg0SSdoVpmJh6gKhaLULTeclB2339IYeI9MKCGZ19GrzEcxRBGiIQMrBbJ8O39_EgGCJqLQT7M0UIcK85daJcaUPyaszwwCWGqzVh_j9_Ci4eJiA/w224-h224/Autumn%20Lityle.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>Autumn Lytle identifies with a strange group of humans who enjoy running long distances and writing even longer books. Along with being a forever-recovering anorexic and exercise addict, she is a weirdly good checkers player and finder of four-leaf clovers. She spends her days thinking up stories and trying to figure out this whole parenting thing with her son. She can often be found out exploring her hometown of Seattle, Washington, with her family in tow. Learn more at www.autumnlytle.com.<br /><b><br /></b><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-85224349562887072042022-05-11T00:00:00.072-05:002022-05-11T00:00:00.218-05:00The Master Cratsman by Kelli Stuart REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayjzU7FnTpMbrMWZL0kUq8mqlXxXxragrXDtJ4oDWnHq6pCIlWBjQgbvBfgiPwjcPvWAKX3NJLUKVYEoEv4sJ7H67Kn1apUrwv9WGy3ePgqQ-8_FfhJi310M1QkGQJNIVN3Ym45G3i7TDRZQ8YqqZndIE8_E9Kqjngcj_6A6MrkC-twTUWoJCFeNgYQ/s440/Craftsman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayjzU7FnTpMbrMWZL0kUq8mqlXxXxragrXDtJ4oDWnHq6pCIlWBjQgbvBfgiPwjcPvWAKX3NJLUKVYEoEv4sJ7H67Kn1apUrwv9WGy3ePgqQ-8_FfhJi310M1QkGQJNIVN3Ym45G3i7TDRZQ8YqqZndIE8_E9Kqjngcj_6A6MrkC-twTUWoJCFeNgYQ/s320/Craftsman.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial tsar's family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Three generations later, world-renowned treasure hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face. As the stakes are raised, Ava is forced to declare her own allegiance--and the consequences are greater than she could have imagined.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>"Mrs, Andrews,....I believe you just made your first big breakthrough." </i>(p.265)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's hard for me to believe that there are folks who thrive, chase and even capture the lifestyle of a treasure hunter, but I've watched enough reality television to know that such people do exist. Kelli Stuart builds an entire novel on the premise that all of us seek treasure in this lifetime...and some are fortunate to realize what that treasure is, long before others. Stuart weaves present day and history into a very realistic, and somewhat tragic tale of a family caught up in a treasure hunt that takes them far beyond the goal they thought they were headed toward.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ava and Carol have built a life without including Nick Lavine - father to Ava and husband to Carol. The life of a treasure hunter didn't allow the luxury of a family. Although world renowned, Nick's fame and fortune do little in the face of terminal disease. What begins as an attempt at a final reconciliation turns into the adventure of a lifetime for this estranged family. As they look across time into the lives of the Faberge family of royal jewelry fame, they begin to seek a jeweled egg that may or may not exist.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Existing or not, this unlikely team sets out on one last treasure hunt that spans the globe in search of a jeweled egg with a history they couldn't begin to imagine. Stuart masterfully weaves the past with present-day and tells the tale of two families seeking much the same thing - relationships that ground them in truth, love and meaning. The journey is both dangerous and rewarding, but in ways the reader cannot possibly anticipate!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This was not an easy book to lay aside! I encourage anyone who likes a healthy mix of history and mystery to pick up a copy of this book today!! You will be well satisfied in all the ways that matter!! Enjoy the search!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WzVT9Yipiwp9lkieSgvXQt5a8FR65suPAPppFMdprpozNA4FHtm6m9Yrni4XCkVQp7dG6ZDEEP23mnmKIT_FFXXybe4SGZTrJP2-y2SHA631Th8f4VqItxMIMPtQy9RjZYm8vrrEViMGEyNHnfrlzbBBZbkJkCPJmA0wjnyqm_3QT27G8cHOyGdgLw/s290/Kelly%20Stuart.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="290" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WzVT9Yipiwp9lkieSgvXQt5a8FR65suPAPppFMdprpozNA4FHtm6m9Yrni4XCkVQp7dG6ZDEEP23mnmKIT_FFXXybe4SGZTrJP2-y2SHA631Th8f4VqItxMIMPtQy9RjZYm8vrrEViMGEyNHnfrlzbBBZbkJkCPJmA0wjnyqm_3QT27G8cHOyGdgLw/w251-h206/Kelly%20Stuart.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>Kelli Stuart is the author of the Carol Award-winning Like a River from Its Course, as well as A Silver Willow by the Shore and Life Creative: Inspiration for Today's Renaissance Mom (with Wendy Speake). Stuart has written for The Huffington Post, 5 Minutes for Mom, Tonic.com, Disney, American Girl, The MOB Society, Extraordinary Mommy, God Size Dreams, Short Fiction Break, and (in)courage. Kelli is a storyteller at heart, fluent in the Russian language, and has spent the last two decades studying the Russian and Ukrainian culture. Kelli lives in Tampa, Florida, with her husband and five children.<br /><b><br /></b></div></div><p><br /> </p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-59033761906159064692022-03-10T04:00:00.064-06:002022-03-10T04:00:00.218-06:00The Prince and the Prodigal by Jill Eileen Smith - REVEIWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEBWsqYp2qKRVTVJq2TCPSR4cd9mb-mA01eIVBrG-WODtA2LGqiCUQv1AfIreVOHQNRv1J82DK-8WxoZPDBv-9I_ki181TxnMbloX1Ems4haAavEvd9iaTvH4K_mlaj_zeasphKBqCBawdJ6XF3HH8Q0hiVPDd4xRhIP2CR4HHoj42EIlh-yJeP_Ll7w=s440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEBWsqYp2qKRVTVJq2TCPSR4cd9mb-mA01eIVBrG-WODtA2LGqiCUQv1AfIreVOHQNRv1J82DK-8WxoZPDBv-9I_ki181TxnMbloX1Ems4haAavEvd9iaTvH4K_mlaj_zeasphKBqCBawdJ6XF3HH8Q0hiVPDd4xRhIP2CR4HHoj42EIlh-yJeP_Ll7w=s320" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>Two brothers. One betrayal.</p><p>The patriarch Jacob has made it no secret that young Joseph is his favorite son. Growing up as the pampered heir to his father's legacy, Joseph thrives under the praise of his father but struggles with the disdain of his older brothers, especially Judah. When a chance comes along to rid themselves of Joseph, his brothers sell him to slave traders and deceive their father about his fate.</p><p>Joseph, now serving the captain of Pharaoh's palace guard, is imprisoned after being falsely accused of rape. Back home, Judah leaves his father and builds a new life in Canaan, attempting to flee the memory of his complicity in the betrayal of his younger brother.</p><p></p><p>Decades later, the brothers will come face-to-face, and this time Joseph has the upper hand. Will forgiveness or vengeance win the day?</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><b> "</b><i>They had no idea how great was the God they denied and did not know. Perhaps one day they would see." </i>(p, 170)</p><p>Jill Eilleen Smith brings biblical characters to life so realistically, so naturally, that any time I see her name on the cover of a book, I don't hesitate to read it! Joseph is the main character in her latest novel, and although he is both prince and prodigal in this story, she writes another layer that echoes this same theme in the life of other characters in the story. </p><p>Joseph's character struggles mightily with his faith throughout most of the story, but he remains faithful to God, because he has received God's grace and mercy in such a personal way, he cannot help but follow wherever He leads. I love the way Jill makes his emotional response so heartbreakingly realistic. I realize the struggle he faced on so many levels! The social restraints placed upon different classes and genders plays a mighty role in Joseph's circumstances! I'd never considered that before!</p><p>There is another character who fulfills both prince and prodigal in the story -Judah. The time and story line runs between the two brothers in a way that will make your heart very aware of the duplicity that lies within it. Judah wrestles with his own demons in this novel, and his is a heartbreaking tale. Jill doesn't stray from the biblical narrative, and the way she fleshes out this character alongside Joseph is convicting and very poignant!</p><p>I daresay you will read the story of Joseph in the Bible in a new and deeper way. I know I did! Don't hesitate to read this story! It will be a story you can share in a book club or just among friends! Thank you, Jill Eileen Smith for reminding me that I, too, have been both prince and prodigal in my own life story!! What an amazing journey!! </p><p>I</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8x_3Kfe4K49T7GjW5OZeLNu6xH_w1YvaUEp3cGm8TatWkcOEsmur6qEzLy2HdTfLdrmt0d82zVfDDHtm1pvhT3Qoz9OqboYkhvAv8_1dnjoSKRoSPRvNI0ebEvlAUB05Qu4bHCiiVgVII0MfVkdwYscc2hzHJnzB-J1w2hT-pYasP6bWeablPRTEGUA=s387" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="290" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8x_3Kfe4K49T7GjW5OZeLNu6xH_w1YvaUEp3cGm8TatWkcOEsmur6qEzLy2HdTfLdrmt0d82zVfDDHtm1pvhT3Qoz9OqboYkhvAv8_1dnjoSKRoSPRvNI0ebEvlAUB05Qu4bHCiiVgVII0MfVkdwYscc2hzHJnzB-J1w2hT-pYasP6bWeablPRTEGUA=w186-h248" width="186" /></a></div><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><p><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></b></p>Jill Eileen Smith</b><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"> is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Heart of a King</i><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Star of Persia: Esther's Story</i><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">, and </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Miriam's Song</i><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">. She is also the author of the nonfiction books </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams</i><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"> and </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">She Walked Before Us</i><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.</span><br /><b><br /></b><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-65296299878861889112022-01-31T11:52:00.057-06:002022-01-31T11:52:00.230-06:00The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUTEGz6jQtFxEgcZkb8PihpsUxLXO760lATQSPyqz5seh-lZlBzk9yAhW-k2eI9kE93VwyE8QPm-M727QsEZje9U8ZwLgllb8nXqHA7u1MvpYTVPbXKHP3XzDq-XQBF-eVwflekQASiuDSfW0AYtWe4r5IRPG6S-NOULfYPfXQchdXnaMO5M0mJEyZAQ=s440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUTEGz6jQtFxEgcZkb8PihpsUxLXO760lATQSPyqz5seh-lZlBzk9yAhW-k2eI9kE93VwyE8QPm-M727QsEZje9U8ZwLgllb8nXqHA7u1MvpYTVPbXKHP3XzDq-XQBF-eVwflekQASiuDSfW0AYtWe4r5IRPG6S-NOULfYPfXQchdXnaMO5M0mJEyZAQ=s320" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p> <b>About the Book:</b></p><p><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The best fiction simply tells the truth.</b></p><p><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But the truth is never simple.</b></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">When novelist Kendra Brennan moves into her grandfather's old cabin on Hidden Lake, she has a problem and a plan. The problem? An inflammatory letter from A Very Disappointed Reader. The plan? To confront Tyler, her childhood best friend's brother--and the man who inspired the antagonist in her first book. If she can prove that she told the truth about what happened during those long-ago summers, perhaps she can put the letter's claims to rest and meet the swiftly approaching deadline for her next book.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">But what she discovers as she delves into the murky past is not what she expected. While facing Tyler isn't easy, facing the consequences of her failed friendship with his sister, Cami, may be the hardest thing she's ever had to do.</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">Plumb the depths of the human heart with this emotional exploration of how a friendship dies, how we can face the unforgivable, and how even those who have been hurt can learn to love with abandon.</span></p><p><b>Review:</b></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">But novels are about looking through someone else's eyes, seeing what someone else sees when they look at the world and realizing, perhaps for the first time, that other people are jest as real and alive and hurt as you are. </i> (p. 277)</p><p>This novel is a wrestling match between people who are successful and well-loved on the surface - in the lives the world around them observes - and the real, heart-felt woundedness that lives on the inside. In this story Kendra Brennan returns to a familiar childhood homeplace after a decade that has brought her great success as a first-time author. She retreats to a place from her childhood that holds precious memories and anchors her to her truest self.</p><p>What she did not expect to find in the deepest part of her heart was a terror that is keeping her heart frozen in place. As Kendra faces her own difficult journey through an impossible writer's block, she discovers that those people that are such a part of her DNA from childhood are also wrestling with their own terrifying demons. Life on the surface is often a placid lake while a churning river of emotional trauma lies underneath the surface.</p><p>This book turned out to be deeply personal and provided a mirror to my own soul's wrestling matches. I was deeply moved by the bravery of this story and found healing within its pages. I highly recommend this journey. It will change your life!! </p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhB3Ls1fcyoKgRGTBOBzUIhlBoWx0EMdxojeokKTLMxe2NfXD0JYgWyiVyx-5EUaHSYNKReUL7YL6E0GpvhW8dyGMtUQBo7rWljQwtXrBJE12mNMoToby6hG5VqkZrQvHQcMQ2r-D1I2HezKb2hSFGh1gaDwKjX8YvH9K9xjFHZ7tYKbPIbMg-kbPg5KA=s290" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="290" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhB3Ls1fcyoKgRGTBOBzUIhlBoWx0EMdxojeokKTLMxe2NfXD0JYgWyiVyx-5EUaHSYNKReUL7YL6E0GpvhW8dyGMtUQBo7rWljQwtXrBJE12mNMoToby6hG5VqkZrQvHQcMQ2r-D1I2HezKb2hSFGh1gaDwKjX8YvH9K9xjFHZ7tYKbPIbMg-kbPg5KA=w239-h159" width="239" /></a></div>Erin Bartels is the award-winning author of All That We Carried, 2020 Christy finalist The Words between Us, and We Hope for Better Things, a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, 2020 WFWA Star Award-winner, and 2019 Christy finalist. A publishing professional for nearly twenty years, she lives in Lansing, Michigan, with her husband, Zachary, and their son. Find her online at www.erinbartels.com.<br /> <p></p><p> </p><p><br /> </p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-82172654015250165862022-01-24T05:00:00.085-06:002022-01-24T05:00:00.222-06:00A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4kRuC_PcQv0z5LtRVe7mUJK40HfgPI9bpvswSMCt1PmpblrKcw-h1abuCtaGzCOzzFjtLubPOqTVetG7U_ZGAAv1y4mlrEMCaqtzpkcjrjO2ESPYF7QnXT2PjB68WAnylIlfjUmgPCQl30wq7EKPFRT7REc_t4ebyGRs5iGiLv4CjXdRYJyHjVHnpMA=s440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4kRuC_PcQv0z5LtRVe7mUJK40HfgPI9bpvswSMCt1PmpblrKcw-h1abuCtaGzCOzzFjtLubPOqTVetG7U_ZGAAv1y4mlrEMCaqtzpkcjrjO2ESPYF7QnXT2PjB68WAnylIlfjUmgPCQl30wq7EKPFRT7REc_t4ebyGRs5iGiLv4CjXdRYJyHjVHnpMA=s320" width="207" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmée Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmée. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">Can Esmée and Henri's shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past and reunite them?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><b>Review<span style="font-size: 14px;">:</span></b></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i>"Her fervent prayers went the way of her hopes and dreams and became floating wreckage." </i>(p, 69)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">Esmee Shaw's inner dialogue regarding her failed relationship of the past collide with a reality that takes she and her family to the brink of war. This is a story that draws your heart in and refuses to let go. Laura Frantz drops breadcrumbs all along the path to lead the reader into a story that far surpasses what they could ever imagine! Romance, history and intrigue combine in the most unexpected ways, and you will be hard pressed to lay the book aside!</span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">As I write this, it's been a few days since I finished the book, and, as I thumb through its pages, I recall the characters and their relationships vividly! Esmee's family became dear to me as did Captain Lennox and his lighthouse. There are elements of relational conflict that work themselves out in sometimes painful ways. The point is, that they work out as they need to, and not without consequences. This book wove a close family dynamic into the story in a way that really appealed to me, and it worked to make the historical context all the more poignant.</span></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I don't want to give away the plot, but I will say that I was thrilled over and over again with the personal integrity of the main characters and their selfless love for one another. Their relationship had far reaching effects on everyone else in the story!</span></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This is a beautiful, exciting, historically intriguing novel that will appeal to a large audience! I am happy to recommend it to you!!</span></span></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><b style="color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">About the Author:</b></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div><b style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4gD7nwdvOC3t4p0zf2-RXaIPGZ-9pBYcFn_x-XsEL2lGt4Z0OFs7GIILor59nje1GLNbAb59EGzq1WRaZxkx6JPueFgrduJrh4Qj42lzzxCzeuu9VY9C5JclSP6YjrfRz5UdvlgcTRbK5vzbpO8XFr_D_YToaOEmVSiqO8wx6rDLrUoH2j2H9PkIavA=s326" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="290" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4gD7nwdvOC3t4p0zf2-RXaIPGZ-9pBYcFn_x-XsEL2lGt4Z0OFs7GIILor59nje1GLNbAb59EGzq1WRaZxkx6JPueFgrduJrh4Qj42lzzxCzeuu9VY9C5JclSP6YjrfRz5UdvlgcTRbK5vzbpO8XFr_D_YToaOEmVSiqO8wx6rDLrUoH2j2H9PkIavA=w200-h225" width="200" /></a></div><br />Laura Frantz</b> is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of a dozen novels, including <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">An Uncommon Woman</i>, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tidewater Bride</i>,<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"> The Frontiersman's Daughter</i>, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Courting Morrow Little</i>, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Colonel's Lady</i>, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Lacemaker</i>, and <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Bound Heart</i>. She is a proud mom to an American soldier and a career firefighter. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State. Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.</div><p></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-434851063137429932021-11-18T08:02:00.002-06:002021-11-18T08:04:19.487-06:00The Saving I Need by David Tensen and Friends - REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEKOdNVu-Yr1Ws8O30E4gglIx3lLSQMUfVO1xMjd_g0p6YnbUxWrmPK8hKchjBxH1fZ_A54ZAblv4ze82v9dWjuzyIYf8VWNRH5_rIlKqgkF0G1vW1o4rLrmALoZrCwtS2DRBu8ZZ8fTP/s1080/saving+I+need.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEKOdNVu-Yr1Ws8O30E4gglIx3lLSQMUfVO1xMjd_g0p6YnbUxWrmPK8hKchjBxH1fZ_A54ZAblv4ze82v9dWjuzyIYf8VWNRH5_rIlKqgkF0G1vW1o4rLrmALoZrCwtS2DRBu8ZZ8fTP/w439-h423/saving+I+need.jpg" width="439" /></a></div><br /><b>About the Book: </b> <span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">From the bestselling author of</span><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Wrestle</em><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">comes another memorable poetry collection. </span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Saving I Need</em> brings readers over forty new poems penned by David Tensen, accompanied by a generous selection of carefully crafted poems from fourteen emerging poets chosen and mentored by David himself. From its breathtaking opening piece 'Birthing God' through to its end, this anthology invites readers into a poetic meditation through beauty, tragedy, hope and spirituality. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">Acclaimed by theologians as a prophetic Psalter of these times, Tensen continues to write with expanding wisdom, love and empathy, echoing the silent cries of his lifetime and the Christian tradition. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">This book also features poetry from: Andrew Adair. Abigail Bucks. Brian Bucks. Carly Caprio. Kara Chidlow. Nicole Fisher. Matthew Hardy. Kaelan Kiernan. Victoria Kuttainen. Franki Maglaras. Jessica Mussro. Jessica Stevens Nicole Walker. Tineke Ziemer.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">From the collection:</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">'Cracks'<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />by David Tensen</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">it's the cracks <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />on the road to wholeness<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />you have to watch for</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">the novice avoids them,<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />scuttling with speed <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />across the bitumen</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">hoping to reach<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />a promised land <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />without tripping</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">but the wise slow down<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />knowing the road<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />has no end</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">the wise have learnt<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />the cracks are <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />the way forward</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">going down <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />into the narrows<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />where seeds fall</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">I discovered David Tensen's work last year, and I have been touched deeply by his poems. When I heard there was to be a collection of work by a group of poets, I became curious. I'm SO GLAD I did!! This book has served as a healing touch to my soul, and I encourage everyone to be open to receive its words! You'll meet folks from around the globe from a variety of backgrounds, and you will gain a book that you will be able to revisit again and again!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">I am grateful for the collection and look forward to reading it for years to come!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">BRAVO!!!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Avaiable EVERYWHERE!!</p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-78040124901969497962021-10-08T00:00:00.099-05:002021-10-11T12:54:39.425-05:00The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady by Sharon J. Mondragon REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhi7tqdyOOUngNnw0wgK0N0wAwaEREFzPaLBG7yYz3H_noovObvRuMumKzbhP55Iv-6XHNcm1OzcZB4jouQ0VQvsS7KuUytDGcfKj_Ej7kZVdBno9vLzAprlXYT0PxjUdrR_q6Qz0RND30/s874/Unlikely+Yarn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhi7tqdyOOUngNnw0wgK0N0wAwaEREFzPaLBG7yYz3H_noovObvRuMumKzbhP55Iv-6XHNcm1OzcZB4jouQ0VQvsS7KuUytDGcfKj_Ej7kZVdBno9vLzAprlXYT0PxjUdrR_q6Qz0RND30/s320/Unlikely+Yarn.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /> <b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>A knitting group’s change of scenery changes lives in unexpected ways </p><p>Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran had a good thing going: meet every week in the quiet of their peaceful chapel and knit prayer shawls. No muss, just ministry. That is, until their pastor boots them out of the church in his last-ditch effort to revive the dwindling congregation. </p><p>Uptight Margaret isn’t having it. Knitting prayer shawls where people can watch is the most ridiculous idea she’s ever heard of, and she’s heard plenty. Prayer belongs in the church, not out among the heathen masses. How are they supposed to knit holiness into these shawls if they’re constantly distracted by the public? But with no choice, the others embrace the challenge. They pack their knitting bags and drag Margaret—grumbling the whole way—to the mall with them. She can’t wait to prove them all wrong when it fails miserably, and show the pastor that she always knows best. </p><p>Without the familiar mold the group has been stuck in, their own losses, pain, and struggles rise to the surface. And the people and situations they encounter every time they try to sit quietly and knit are taking them a lot further out of their comfort zone than they ever imagined. Can they find the courage to tackle the increasing number of knotty issues they learn about in the community--or will the tangle be too much to unravel? </p><p>Sharon J. Mondragon’s debut is warm and delightful, full of real laughter, grief, and personality. It beautifully illustrates the power of women across generations to reach people for Christ. </p><p></p><p>To read an excerpt of The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady <a href="https://www.kregel.com/books/pdfs/excerpts/9780825447020.pdf" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p><p>WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!!! <a href="https://facebook.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=312d9c42859d078a024ef39aa&id=ee1f26ac88&e=ead83010d3" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>!!</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><i>"You're right, God <b>is</b> orderly. But people are messy. They have problems and wounds and fears and besetting sins. Isn't that what prayer shawls are all about, though? Trying to give people the comfort and strength they need to face and get through those things?" </i>(p. 64)</p><p>These words, spoken by Father Pete to Margaret as he tries to tell her that the prayer chapel will, indeed, be unavailable to the prayer shawl knitting group while being painted, did nothing to calm her anxiety. Sharon Mondragon's book,<i> The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady</i>, spins quite the tale as she follows the four ladies that meet in the prayer chapel to knit prayer shawls as they go out into the community to knit while the chapel is undergoing renovations. You would never BELIEVE that a group of knitting ladies could be so blessedly used of God, but let me tell you this story will convict a heart to open up to the most unexpected circumstance!</p><p>From the moment the women enter the bookstore café in the mall, it seems to attract the attention of everyone. When they get kicked out by the manager and settle on the couches outside Macy's, they not attract attention, but they begin to gather people and prayer requests in droves. Life does get messy, and the ladies of the Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry go to the gates of heaven with the most unlikely and unusual prayer requests you can imagine! They learn, albeit reluctantly, that their own lives are not devoid of messes, and that when they join hearts and hands in prayer, God not only hears but answers in very amazing ways!</p><p>I could not put this book down!! It seemed as though every chapter the hearts of the characters broke open a little more toward all that God was doing in the lives of the people they interacted with in the mall, and in their own hearts as well! Talk about transformation! God is in the business of reaching people where they are, even if He has to kick you out of your comfort zone to do it! You will come to love all of the characters in the book, and it will be a bittersweet but satisfying ending when you reach the last page. Please, bless yourself by reading this book, and then, find a way to reach others right where you are! BRAVO!!! This is a fantastic book!!</p><p></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_UOZ1drL32M4mdqskZK241zApYNcr2FhmsaQHGAEpWxsbLiHJ8Rl7zTKGg3uJj02U0VEu6kR4JyhYUH68Ry4KFQjJvCZKjfFVX_UBylwh8eLeUS6r5mIhCF8AQkPCHjD04PYP5f_MBmv/s400/Mondragon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_UOZ1drL32M4mdqskZK241zApYNcr2FhmsaQHGAEpWxsbLiHJ8Rl7zTKGg3uJj02U0VEu6kR4JyhYUH68Ry4KFQjJvCZKjfFVX_UBylwh8eLeUS6r5mIhCF8AQkPCHjD04PYP5f_MBmv/w207-h207/Mondragon.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Sharon J. Mondragón</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> writes about the place where kindness and courage meet. Her debut novel, </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">(originally titled </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">) was the 2017 winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis award in the Short Novel Category, and she has also been recognized by </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">The Saturday Evening Post</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> where her short story, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” was an Honorable Mention Awardee in the 2014 their Great American Fiction Contest.</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Mondragón has been active in prayer shawl ministry since 2008 and currently serves as facilitator for the prayer shawl ministry at her church, St. Paul Episcopal in Waxahachie, TX. She also knits with the Circle of Healing at Red Oak United Methodist Church. She is a Level 2 Certified Knitting Instructor through the Craft Yarn Council and teaches beginning knitting at a local yarn store.</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Mondragón is the mother of five grown children and has four grandchildren. After 26 years as an Army wife, she has settled in Midlothian, TX with her hero/husband, her laptop, and her yarn stash.</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Visit Sharon Mondragón’s website and blog at </strong><a data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="7" href="https://facebook.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=312d9c42859d078a024ef39aa&id=5ea4ac11ef&e=ead83010d3" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #007c89; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">www.sharonjmondragon.com</strong></a><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> and follow her on </strong><a data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="8" href="https://facebook.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=312d9c42859d078a024ef39aa&id=5b6e09410c&e=ead83010d3" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #007c89; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Facebook (Sherry Mondragón)</strong></a><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> and </strong><a data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="9" href="https://facebook.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=312d9c42859d078a024ef39aa&id=9d4ae1704b&e=ead83010d3" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #007c89; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Twitter (@SJ_Mondragón)</strong></a><strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">.</strong><br /><b><br /></b><p></p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-28418190920656757622021-09-27T00:00:00.046-05:002021-09-27T00:00:00.349-05:00The Secret Keepers of the Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16n5sm5FaBkRDFk-RdlpuxWpLhJDVM2GgdiiVuoSmla-Ljl3g_2m_Rf-1yXt5-LYaB_KCqscXMoz1TvqV0BEtvNn-stRAUfqbwZXysY6mKxI3WqOSfFcPUBbfVihnkjmZxVl_MqSQTpHt/s440/secret+keepers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16n5sm5FaBkRDFk-RdlpuxWpLhJDVM2GgdiiVuoSmla-Ljl3g_2m_Rf-1yXt5-LYaB_KCqscXMoz1TvqV0BEtvNn-stRAUfqbwZXysY6mKxI3WqOSfFcPUBbfVihnkjmZxVl_MqSQTpHt/s320/secret+keepers.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><b>About the Book:</b><p></p><p>Present Day. Sarah Ashby returns to her childhood home, determined to finally follow her dream of running the family business alongside her mother and grandmother. So when her mother, Rosemary, announces to her that Old Depot Grocery is closing, Sarah and her grandmother, Glory Ann, make a plan to save the store. But Rosemary has worked her entire life to make sure her daughter never follows in her footsteps. She has her reasons--but she'll certainly never reveal the real one.</p><p>1965. Glory Ann confesses to her family that she's pregnant with her deceased fiancé's baby. Pressured into a marriage of convenience with a shopkeeper to preserve her family's reputation, Glory Ann vows never to love again. But some promises are not as easily kept as she imagined.</p><p>This dual-time story from Amanda Cox deftly explores the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship, the way the secrets we keep shape our lives and the lives of others, and the healing power of telling the truth.</p><p><b>My Thoughts:</b></p><p><b>"</b><i>Maybe all their paths were lettered with mistakes and secrets that never should have been kept, but Sarah had faith that in the end, the truth would set them free.</i>" (p. 293)</p><p>Amanda Cox weaves a multigenerational tale in her latest novel, <i>The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. </i>For me, the generational nature of the secrets kept made sense, because I grew up in a generation that kept those same secrets. Familial appearance was everything in a small, rural setting, and moral failings of any kind were kept shut away, when possible, in very dramatic ways.</p><p>This story tells the outcome of generations of secrets kept, and the residual fallout that naturally occurred over time. I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that one's own perception of any given circumstance shapes how we interpret life changes in our future. Glory Ann, Rosemary and Sarah's life intersect during a perfect storm of circumstances that could have very well destroyed them all. There are moments in the story where I saw no way around certain annellation! </p><p>God's grace is the only explanation I can give for the way these women find the truth about themselves and their "secret" circumstances that sets them free in ways they never imagined possible! I was totally captivated by this story, and was a bit heartbroken when it came to an end. I encourage everyone to take a dive into this story! There is room for growth and transformation all along the way!! </p><p><br /></p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6WWN139YL0db8Nyce8Pkl9yKG444eBLvEcbyprvTwNptnfUViDgb__oMAS0MTeCeY9GyKk0-SU3U2Tg7CFdRHYLogdFHrPmGr-rjUKv4_ZpS32Ko4XN136UqVBxKBzeqvQgUxEXk7kYv/s435/amanda+cox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6WWN139YL0db8Nyce8Pkl9yKG444eBLvEcbyprvTwNptnfUViDgb__oMAS0MTeCeY9GyKk0-SU3U2Tg7CFdRHYLogdFHrPmGr-rjUKv4_ZpS32Ko4XN136UqVBxKBzeqvQgUxEXk7kYv/w179-h269/amanda+cox.jpg" width="179" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Amanda Cox </b><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">is the author of </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Edge of Belonging</i><span face=""Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14px;">. A blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, she holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com.</span><p></p><p><b></b> </p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-56492577986086667532021-09-06T10:03:00.002-05:002021-09-06T10:03:21.178-05:00Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTi4sC8Dj4YWikTjwRb-wpvjKQcbgRDbGizBqAmtaNPSZxNf7p6f5qOUBNN_jyPc0VL64X5tqhPNimvoRi6BX_pEeEMQtq2YAEqm2mzikUPCwptgXx-7_t83RAkaHSaaJRflmrQMkZ2VCK/s440/underbayoumoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTi4sC8Dj4YWikTjwRb-wpvjKQcbgRDbGizBqAmtaNPSZxNf7p6f5qOUBNN_jyPc0VL64X5tqhPNimvoRi6BX_pEeEMQtq2YAEqm2mzikUPCwptgXx-7_t83RAkaHSaaJRflmrQMkZ2VCK/s320/underbayoumoon.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country in 1949, she knows her life will change--but she could never imagine just how dramatically</span><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their unique culture, most of the residents come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher, and she's soon teaching just about everyone, despite opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. Yet it's the lessons Ellie herself will learn--from new friends, a captivating Cajun fisherman, and even a legendary white alligator haunting the bayou--that will make all the difference.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Take a step away from the familiar and enter the shadowy waters of bayou country for a story of risk, resilience, and romance.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>"Maybe you crossed over something when you went through the tunnel. Now you can see something yyou couldn't see before, but at the same time, you can't go back." (p. 155)</i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Something magical and unforgettable happens between the first and last pages of this novel. Truly. Ellie Fields decision to leave her safe place of comfort and </span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">privilege that her familial home offered seems a non-event at first. Many women have made that choice over time. It is her entrance into the bayou community facing unjust laws that threaten their unique way of life where the magic begins to happen.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Ellie leaves her heart open to be changed and challenged, and she is richly rewarded because of her openness. The people of the community are suspicious and closed off to Ellie's presence at first, but, over time, she wins the heart of both the community and one very special Cajun fisherman.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">As the story develops, it becomes clear that there is, in fact, a real threat to the community, and some lose much as the threat becomes visible. There are many difficult choices to be made for both Ellie and her new community, and their journey....well, it's magically transformative if you leave your heart open to receive the life lessons lived out through the relationships within this story!</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I'm sure you will too!!</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjIw7yVIGlW4hytlPajOXs5ecWVgw0BxB4xA8WIHZdp78qwsvd2U4CO7hVOmMLLrwkiQ98a6uUnfD8EG0gwH0b1YfUWKve8GSIsH7zsrny66LUq_Nrld7YUSs3kgCN2tibsDsiXMocPH3/s435/valerie+luesse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjIw7yVIGlW4hytlPajOXs5ecWVgw0BxB4xA8WIHZdp78qwsvd2U4CO7hVOmMLLrwkiQ98a6uUnfD8EG0gwH0b1YfUWKve8GSIsH7zsrny66LUq_Nrld7YUSs3kgCN2tibsDsiXMocPH3/w187-h281/valerie+luesse.jpg" width="187" /></a></div><br /><b>Valerie Fraser Luesse</b></span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;">is the bestselling author of</span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;">Missing Isaac</i><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;">,</span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;">Almost Home</i><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;">, and</span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;">The Key to Everything</i><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;">, as well as an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in</span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;">Southern Living</i><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;">, where she is currently senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse received the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society for her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana. A graduate of Auburn University and Baylor University, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave.</span></div><p></p><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;"><br /></span></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-69046109115075741692021-08-01T18:07:00.001-05:002021-08-01T18:07:29.304-05:00The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner - REVIEWED<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxTu1hdYJVit_55C_Ir3YSEdAF9k7jWCqcX6KjSLiXz2bgCJcaSeyNy0TtLNwrRxfcrPH540eizCA-e2knrfweYIcxQ_gZT1J7FOBqEQbSSBiztV7j0r3gnzhyphenhyphenIeEk8Uvlsmbs6SlzM5M/s440/small+birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxTu1hdYJVit_55C_Ir3YSEdAF9k7jWCqcX6KjSLiXz2bgCJcaSeyNy0TtLNwrRxfcrPH540eizCA-e2knrfweYIcxQ_gZT1J7FOBqEQbSSBiztV7j0r3gnzhyphenhyphenIeEk8Uvlsmbs6SlzM5M/s320/small+birds.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In 1975, three thousand children were airlifted out of Saigon to be adopted into Western homes. When one of those children announces her plans to return to Vietnam to find her birth mother, her loving adopted family is suddenly thrown back to the events surrounding her unconventional arrival in their lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mindy's father grapples with the tension between holding on tightly and letting his daughter spread her wings. Her mother undergoes the emotional roller coaster inherent in the adoption of a child from a war-torn country, discovering the joy hidden amid the difficulties. And Mindy and her sister struggle to find the strength to accept each other as they both discover who they truly are.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Told through three distinct voices in three compelling timelines, The Nature of Small Birds is a hopeful story that explores the meaning of family far beyond genetic code.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>"</b><i>It's the nature of small birds to sing their little hearts out.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i> It's the nature of God to hear them." (p. 323)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is the first time in a very long while I must say that the synopsis doesn't begin to TOUCH the depth and breadth of all this story contains. Yes, the adoption of a Korean baby in operation Babylift plays a major element, but the layers of this story cover everything from sacrificial parenting, to coming of age teens, to family rifts over political views....there is a LOT to enjoy in this story!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The different points of view covered through different points in time is the magic that ties this story to the deepest places in your heart. You feel the fear in a parent's heart over bringing an adopted child into a family. You feel the anger of a parent who has lost a child to war. You feel a teenager's angst over first crushes, and summer jobs. There isn't much that you don't see through the eyes of this precious family that you can't relate to on some level.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My heart stayed engaged from first page to last, and I cried at different points along the way. This author tapped every emotion multiple times, and I came to love this family. Oh how I hope the author continues their story! Then again, I hope I'll just carry that last image in my heart and let my imagination tell me the rest of their story! This book is such a treasure!! The author has captured the nuance of family in a real and poignant way! Bravo!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiuUeVSgpx4IBXx1nkQ0vtIlgxUdJANkz1yFWCY_cqRHjVVpzYhK7xLvf9HF_DbUUy4oJVjcI78A7UAq5_-u8t7OXdm0ZvCXN87IzcQHcRkG2KesluwLawBPuylhceKkJsS1p7X_XVOfL/s435/susie+finkbiener.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWiuUeVSgpx4IBXx1nkQ0vtIlgxUdJANkz1yFWCY_cqRHjVVpzYhK7xLvf9HF_DbUUy4oJVjcI78A7UAq5_-u8t7OXdm0ZvCXN87IzcQHcRkG2KesluwLawBPuylhceKkJsS1p7X_XVOfL/w133-h200/susie+finkbiener.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div><p>Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, and Stories That Bind Us, as well as A Cup of Dust, A Trail of Crumbs, and A Song of Home. She serves on the Fiction Readers Summit planning committee, volunteers her time at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and speaks at retreats and women's events across the country. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan.</p>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-76652785008203228402021-07-28T01:00:00.003-05:002021-07-28T01:00:00.293-05:00Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8iJCVoLtbwNQ95pV5GSNLEuJz-g7hIZLWVcfwJ-7ZDHopDs0uhPwXnG-XVBfvlexRICivF4QRD-dq8642r6_3snWHAGW5bY79Fyk-GKE7aFb2J49DBAiwaCMgl-n8naxPtWH_vFCsJcb/s2000/mystery+of+the+messiah.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8iJCVoLtbwNQ95pV5GSNLEuJz-g7hIZLWVcfwJ-7ZDHopDs0uhPwXnG-XVBfvlexRICivF4QRD-dq8642r6_3snWHAGW5bY79Fyk-GKE7aFb2J49DBAiwaCMgl-n8naxPtWH_vFCsJcb/s320/mystery+of+the+messiah.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Are you settling for half the story? Highlighting connections that have been hidden from non-Jewish eyes, Rabbi Jason Sobel will connect the dots between the Old and New Testament, helping you see the Bible with clarity as God intended</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p>Most people—even people of faith—do not understand how the Bible fits together. Too many Christians accept half an inheritance, content to embrace merely the New Testament, while Jewish people may often experience the same by embracing only the Old Testament. But God has an intricate plan and purpose for both the Old and the New.</p><p>In Mysteries of the Messiah, Rabbi Jason Sobel reveals the many connections in Scripture hidden in plain sight. Known for his emphatic declaration “but there’s more!” he guides us in seeing the passion and purpose of the Messiah. Mysteries of the Messiah:</p><p>Uncovers connections between the Old and New Testaments</p><p>Connects the dots for readers with details about Jesus, the Torah, and biblical characters</p><p>Written with the unique perspective of a rabbi with an evangelical theological degree</p><p>No matter how many times you have read the Bible, Mysteries of the Messiah will bring fresh perspective and insight. God’s Word, written by many people over thousands of years, is not a random selection of people and stories. Rabbi Jason Sobel connects the dots and helps us see with clarity what God intended.</p><p><b>My Review:</b></p><p><b>"</b>We can experience God's lovingkindness because He gave us His Son, the Messiah, and His seed is established forever - from creation to today and eternity." (p.188)</p><p>Rabbi Jason Sobel makes this statement with utter and complete confidence, because He knows it is true. After you read all that he has uncovered about his Messiah, you will be forever grateful, because you will see Jesus revealed in all His glory in every facet of the universe - throughout time! Rabbi Sobel frames all of his knowledge on extensive research that is meticulously footnoted in the back of the book. </p><p>But this is SO MUCH MORE than research!! This is a record of miracle after miracle performed throughout time, using the very language of Jesus' people, the Jews, to tell the world over, and over, and over again who He is, and Whose He and who we are as His children! This makes the Bible come to life in an entirely new and exciting way, and I encourage you to take your time, using pen and highlighter, and read it alongside your Bible. This is truly a rich resource for anyone!</p><p>I love the way Jewish culture is totally enmeshed with all of Jesus' life work and ministry! Sobel clearly explains to everyone, in ways that are undeniable, that Jesus is Who he had always been throughout time. This is truly a rich resource for believers and non-believers. As a matter of fact, with prayer and careful conversation, this could be a mighty tool in ministering to anyone who doubts Jesus is God's Son.</p><p>I'm excited to share this book with you, and I hope you will consider buying a copy and sharing it with friends!</p><p>You can read and excerpt <a href="https://facebook.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=312d9c42859d078a024ef39aa&id=7df9721172&e=ead83010d3" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</p><p><b>About the Author:</b></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="x_mcnBoxedTextBlock" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: #201f1e; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; min-width: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="x_mcnBoxedTextBlockOuter" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><tr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><td class="x_mcnBoxedTextBlockInner" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="x_mcnBoxedTextContentContainer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-collapse: collapse; font: inherit; min-width: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><tr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SLU2vNFTi-AqNi6_DitVx_RwXpUrfCzosXUO7cGUa7WntdI6c2xinDCbxrUiR5wNhnkj1SyuR4uNX6z4TjqkN4Sbqmg7vQlm50E59ib_LHIRaDR_VZEPQRqDgKRufK5EcblVN5uueDfr/s1200/Sobel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="854" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SLU2vNFTi-AqNi6_DitVx_RwXpUrfCzosXUO7cGUa7WntdI6c2xinDCbxrUiR5wNhnkj1SyuR4uNX6z4TjqkN4Sbqmg7vQlm50E59ib_LHIRaDR_VZEPQRqDgKRufK5EcblVN5uueDfr/w228-h320/Sobel.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div>Rabbi Jason Sobel is the founder of Fusion Global. This ministry seeks to bring people into the full inheritance of the faith by connecting treasures of "the old and the new." Rabbi Jason's voice is authentic, being raised in a Jewish home, and qualified by years of diligent academic work. His voice is prophetic-touched by the life of the Spirit. He has a radical testimony of his supernatural encounter with Yeshua-Jesus This moment awakened him to his calling and destiny.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rabbi Jason received his rabbinic ordination from the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) in 2005. He has a B.A. in Jewish Studies (Moody) and an M.A. in Intercultural Studies (Southeastern Seminary). He is a sought-after speaker and has made multiple appearances on national television, including the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Daystar Network, and the Dr. Oz Show. Rabbi Jason is the author of Breakthrough: Living a Life That Overflows, Aligning with God's Appointed Times, and he is also the coauthor of New York Timesbestseller The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi with Kathie Lee Gifford.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyAU5paQX9C5PIkF8IylcQkZramYiuUZUAUh7eSHYqXLL1q23_9L9yldi64UY7Cn8GqUqqsGX1PRzTmSKCGvin5CnPfnDKi_jdXdj5F6lC0qfFDK0VtoiGzdrDTl8MNsbndBTGidkTMoi/s1200/tour+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyAU5paQX9C5PIkF8IylcQkZramYiuUZUAUh7eSHYqXLL1q23_9L9yldi64UY7Cn8GqUqqsGX1PRzTmSKCGvin5CnPfnDKi_jdXdj5F6lC0qfFDK0VtoiGzdrDTl8MNsbndBTGidkTMoi/s320/tour+graphic.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><a href="https://youtu.be/q8rku5Lt-0I" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/q8rku5Lt-0I</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-15423297529530356672021-06-12T16:48:00.004-05:002021-06-12T16:48:54.041-05:00Along a Storied Trail by Ann H Gabhart REVIEWED<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIuPxMYRqYogFLyKhFW6geVwi222gKNCJcsJHqczRPe2rsoxdlapoMp5pfuXbblCoirHGISldB57v63TJ088pB4byinwBGsYL9RoDQPfY0sVjBk8pXBa3XcdG0gb8Pf4uLYQOO4YUqNKs/s440/storied+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIuPxMYRqYogFLyKhFW6geVwi222gKNCJcsJHqczRPe2rsoxdlapoMp5pfuXbblCoirHGISldB57v63TJ088pB4byinwBGsYL9RoDQPfY0sVjBk8pXBa3XcdG0gb8Pf4uLYQOO4YUqNKs/s320/storied+trail.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"></b></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b></b></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kentucky packhorse librarian Tansy Calhoun doesn't mind the rough trails and long hours as she serves her Appalachian mountain community during the Great Depression. Yet she longs to find love like the heroines in her books. When a charming writer comes to town, she thinks she might have found it--or is the perfect man actually closer than she thinks?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Perdita Sweet has called these mountains home for so long she's nearly as rocky as the soil around her small cabin. Long ago she thought she could love, but when the object of her affection up and married someone else, she stopped giving too much of herself away to others.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>As is so often the case, it's easier to see what's best for others than to see what's best for oneself, and Perdita knows who Tansy should choose. But why would anyone listen to the romantic advice of an old spinster?</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Saddle up for a heartfelt story of love--love of family, love of place, and the love of a lifetime--from bestselling author Ann H. Gabhart.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>My Thoughts:</b></div><div><i>"A fool's errand. He looked off at the trees. "I guess we all set off of one of those sometimes." </i>(p.209)</div><div><br /></div><div>The mountains of Kentucky was a place that had little to offer during the Great Depression - well, at least not a lot of material comfort and conveniences. However, Tansy Calhoun was able to do something she loved for the community she loved as she served as a packhorse librarian. She was able to delivery friendship and fellowship along her route, as well as keep in touch with some folks that were struggling just to have food and shelter.</div><div><br /></div><div>While Tansy is busy sharing her books and stories, there are other job programs that deposit other people into the community - one is returning home from serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps, and one is gathering facts and stories for tourist guidebooks for the government. Tansy's life gets a tad complicated as she gets torn betwixt and between some very strong emotions and hopes and dreams for a brighter future.</div><div><br /></div><div>Perdita Sweet, an elderly and native local, takes a front row seat at Tansy's social/romantic quandary while finding herself in one of the most difficult situations of her life. Gabhart ties the lives and the stories of these two very different women together in a way your heart and mind is not soon to forget! </div><div><br /></div><div>You will enjoy riding through the hills of Kentucky - truly along a storied trail - and your heart will be thrilled and satisfied along the way! Gabhart always chooses the most fascinating historical eras and scenarios to build her stories around, and the packhorse librarian experience is one of my favorite!!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>About the Author:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFS8UBssXAsgAm9dy2Drpl6muDEnjjmGE_RqhMsX2QFX88nbw-3eANX__Vmu2lx2MD_cAAaarNuT9Yu9xKc3SUVEmo9fbf_E7BYD1B-yh1zLUyggB2vNQnQaabuuhnFgA09j4IXHY-OvM/s435/ann+gabhard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="290" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFS8UBssXAsgAm9dy2Drpl6muDEnjjmGE_RqhMsX2QFX88nbw-3eANX__Vmu2lx2MD_cAAaarNuT9Yu9xKc3SUVEmo9fbf_E7BYD1B-yh1zLUyggB2vNQnQaabuuhnFgA09j4IXHY-OvM/w177-h266/ann+gabhard.jpg" width="177" /></a></div><b>Ann H</b>. <b>Gabhart </b>is the bestselling author of several Shaker novels--The Refuge, The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, and The Gifted--as well as other historical novels, including Angel Sister, These Healing Hills, River to Redemption, and An Appalachian Summer. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm's fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. Learn more at www.annhgabhart.com.<br /><b><br /></b></div></div><div><br /></div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485976854797012884.post-18090846630438776012021-06-07T15:06:00.000-05:002021-06-07T15:06:18.697-05:00The Sound the Sun Makes by Buck Storm REVIEWED<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU69_SU2dNKHO0j_XLiPpuX0xqPH0Ns8ycKgjvMcFSy1xDuv2U6LBHz9vQTkBHa7rNTtUJC5xJNzfCTJgA9zoDBic_DPmvFiFMdyuqijbQfEYaTXJwhC4GV_Uqh_ng6kDKPyHTOZZergwc/s2048/sound+the+sun+makes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU69_SU2dNKHO0j_XLiPpuX0xqPH0Ns8ycKgjvMcFSy1xDuv2U6LBHz9vQTkBHa7rNTtUJC5xJNzfCTJgA9zoDBic_DPmvFiFMdyuqijbQfEYaTXJwhC4GV_Uqh_ng6kDKPyHTOZZergwc/s320/sound+the+sun+makes.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Book:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Detective Early Pines loves his southern Arizona desert, often thinking he could stare at it all day long. But now that he's forced to do just that, the truth is the view from his back porch is getting old. He's on mandatory leave from the police department, simply for punching a wife beater who had it coming. Early is in dire need of a distraction from his own loud thoughts. So when an old friend invites him to tag along to a rodeo down in Old Mex, it seems like just the ticket.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But if there's one constant in the world, it's that life always throws a guy curveballs. With a flat tire, a roadside bar, and a beautiful woman with trouble on her hands, Early's distraction takes a hard right turn--straight to Los Angeles, six hundred miles west.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Hammott Lamont is waiting there in his own personal hunting ground. The reclusive filmmaker is a veritable cult leader to Hollywood stars--and he's sure his latest project will redefine art history in his image. He's got a plan for a brutal, modernized version of the Christ story, and he's ready to trample anyone who stands in the way of his colossal vision. That is, until big, loud Early Pines hits the coast for a clash of two titans who never saw each other coming.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>My Thoughts:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i>"Out there, in some forgotten valley, God breathes....Do you believe in God Detective Pines?" </i>(p.304-305)</div><div><br /></div><div>I really don't know where to begin praising this book! This is the most fun, most literary poignant, humous blend of raw emotion, mystery and action that I've ever read!! The characters hooked me from the beginning, and Early Pines...I can't get enough of him!! The blend of lone wolf (pun intended), tragically flawed and strong independence applies to most every character in this novel. At first, I thought is was going to tell a particular story, but I never dreamed the direction this book would take me!</div><div><br /></div><div>Early and his entourage traipse across many miles of uncertain territory in pursuit of truth and family. The truth they are trying to unearth is buried beneath the most bizarre character - Hammott Lamont. This guy takes crazy to a whole new level!! The great thing is, that the author, Buck Storm, knows how to keep the reader guessing the entire way through the novel, and in the end, you never see the twist coming!! I LOVE IT when that happens!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Prepare your heart to race, relax and race again, as Early attempts to find answers to more layers of riddles than you've tried to dig through lately! I cannot recommend this book enough!! I dearly hope this is only the fist of many Early Pines adventures!!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>About the Author:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eyq-Hg8A3YoQlHQxViDFYsyMJeqil1_cAlVftkzPfxUxRFK_6rxudTqPRKkuILEU4FhC0EmROHadQaAM1Lvl5NHeOdlYZczVzaqHFYdkM-P5RrFjyXZdtBpf8825tanNUikomfr1kA1r/s200/buck+storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eyq-Hg8A3YoQlHQxViDFYsyMJeqil1_cAlVftkzPfxUxRFK_6rxudTqPRKkuILEU4FhC0EmROHadQaAM1Lvl5NHeOdlYZczVzaqHFYdkM-P5RrFjyXZdtBpf8825tanNUikomfr1kA1r/s0/buck+storm.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Buck Storm is a singer and songwriter in Hayden, Idaho. He's also the author of several books, including <i>Truck Stop Jesus</i>, <i>Through the Holy Land on the Road Less Traveled</i>, and <i>The Miracle Man</i>. Find out more about Buck at buckstorm.com.</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></div><br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02101345724592651458noreply@blogger.com0