Book Review:Leo in Little Pieces

 

Léo in Little Pieces

by Mayana Itoïz

Pub Date 25 Jan 2023 

 Europe Comics 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga  |  Romance 

I am reviewing a copy of Leo in Little Pieces through Europe Comics and Netgalley:

Leo in Little Pieces is a unique graphic novel style memoir.  Leo was Mayana Itoiz's Grandmother.  

During the Second World War, Leo worked as a waitress in the family inn, which had been requisitioned by the occupying German forces. She was both cheerful and carefree, dividing her days between her work at the inn , her friends, and her secret love affair with Felix, a young German soldier. 

After Tim's passed Leo became a mother, then a grandmother. Toward the end of her life, she told me about her past, which I present to you now in the form of these little pieces of her life.

I give Leo In Little Pieces five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: In Spotlight and Shadow

 

In Spotlight and Shadow

by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Pub Date 01 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 28 Feb 2023

 Barbour Publishing,  Barbour Fiction

 Christian  |  Historical Fiction  |  Romance

I am reviewing a copy of In Spotlight and Shadow through Barbour Publishing and Netgalley:

In this gem of a novel, mystery takes center stage.

Elsie Malvern has a way of letting people down.  She let her former boyfriend down who hoped she’d be his bride.  Her grandfather wanted her to take over the family's auction company.   But mostly she has let herself down.  What’s the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there’s more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar Pierson Brooks. Pierson and Elise share a history; one she doesn’t care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.

A century prior Sophie Walters longs to take center stage her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined.  She had spoiled her chances at Hollywood and returned to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.

I give In Spotlight and Shadow five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Weight of Air

 

The Weight of Air

by Kimberly Duffy

Pub Date 07 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 19 Mar 2023

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  History  |  Romance 

I am reviewing a copy of The Weight of Air and Netgalley:

The year is 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life.  But after her Father died unexpectedly , she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.

Isabella Moreau, is America's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

As Mabel and Isabella's lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.   

I give The Weight of Air five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: I'm Still Writing

 

I'm Still Writing

Women Writers on Creativity, Courage, and Putting Words on the Page

by Virginia Ann Byrd

Pub Date 28 Feb 2023 

 St. Martin's Press,  St. Martin's Essentials

 Nonfiction (Adult) 

I am reviewing a copy of I'm Still Writing through St Martin's Press and Netgalley:

I'm Still Writing shares thoughts and inspirations from some of the greatest female writers of the past and the present!

In this book, some of the most beloved female writers of the past and present , share their thoughts on the joy and struggle of writing. Their words will nurture and challenge your writing, inviting you to dive deeper into your creativity and find power on the page. 

Author Virginia Ann Byrd, has taken the time to gather the words and the wisdom of generations of female writers from different backgrounds, traditions, and times pairing them with thoughtful reflection questions and inspiring writing prompts. From Jane Austen to Toni Morrison, Isabel Allende to Virginia Woolf, 52 authors offer their wisdom on every facet of writing from finding inspiration to the nuances of craft and the particular burden faced by female artists.

This book is divided into weekly chapters, and is a beautiful chorus of women's voices to guide your own writing journey.  If you are looking for a book to nourish your creativity, I'm still writing definitive fits that bill.

I give I'm Still Writing five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: You Will Feel it in the Price of Bread

 

You Will Feel it in the Price of Bread

A Love Letter to Ukraine

by Katya Hudson

Pub Date 23 Feb 2023 

 Muswell Press 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Nonfiction (Adult)  |  Politics 

I am reviewing a copy of You Will Feel it in the Price of Bread through Muswell Press and Netgalley:

You Will Feel it in the Price if Bread is a diary of memories.  A record of the turbulence of the last couple of years in the Ukraine as well as a prayer of hope for the future.

This powerful and beautifully written memoir, full of heart, is Katya Hudson's memoir of home and heart, despite the turbulence of these times.  It speaks of the love of home, but also of the reality of war.

I give You Will Feel it in the Price of Bread five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Orphaned Believers

 

Orphaned Believers

How a Generation of Christian Exiles Can Find the Way Home

by Sara Billups

Pub Date 24 Jan 2023 

 Baker Books 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Christian 

I am reviewing a copy of Orphaned Believers through Baker Books and Netgalley:

Following the Culture wars f the 1980s and 1990s, many young evangelical Christians found themselves untethered, disillusioned, and ultimately orphaned as they grappled with the legalistic, politically co-opted churches of their youth.  Maybe you are one of the ones who ended up with feelings of disillusionment.  Perhaps, like Sara Billups, you have felt alone, misunderstood, and maligned in the American church, longing for a more loving, more biblical expression of the faith and discipleship taught by Jesus.

Orphaned Believers is part spiritual memoir of an apocalyptic childhood and part commentary on growing up as an evangelical kid during the culture wars.  Orphaned Believers follows the journey of a generation of Christian exiles reckoning with the tradition that raised them and searching for a new way to participate in the story of God. Because for all the baggage, we still belong, and a bigger, more beautiful story awaits.

I give Orphaned Believers five out of five stars! 

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Rich Mullins

 

Rich Mullins

An Arrow Pointing to Heaven

by James Bryan Smith

Pub Date 07 Feb 2023 

 InterVarsity Press,  IVP

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Christian  |  Religion & Spirituality

I am reviewing a copy of Rich Mullins and InterVarsity Press, IVP and Netgalley:

In James Bryan Smith's books Rich Mullins, you will get to experience Rich Mullins's Legacy of Joy and Real Compassion.  Rich Mullins, a beloved Christian musician  lived his life with abandon for God.  Leaving the music industry to teach music amongst the Navajo Community.

In 1997, an accident cut Rich Mullins life short.  his songs and ragamuffin spirit continue to teach many. In honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Rich's homegoing, this edition of Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven delivers an intimate look at the experiences that sparked praise hits and the values behind his Christ like candor. 

James Bryan Smith captures just what Rich wished for when he said, "I hope I would leave a legacy of joy—a legacy of real compassion." You can see the layers of his story through reflections from friends and family, an afterword by Rich's brother David Mullins, and Smith's own bond with him. And in remembrance, be inspired to enjoy God's world as Rich did.

I give Rich Mullins five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!