Book Review: At the Table With Jesus

 

At the Table with Jesus

66 Days to Draw Closer to Christ and Fortify Your Faith

by Louie Giglio

Pub Date 29 Mar 2022 

 Thomas Nelson--W Publishing,  Thomas Nelson

 Christian  |  Religion & Spirituality  |  Self-Help

I am reviewing a copy of At the Table With Jesus through Thomas Nelson and Netgalley:

At the Table with Jesus is a sixty six day devotional that invites readers  to sit at the table with the Good Shepherd, building a habit of living life with him. The journey starts in Psalm 23 but takes the reader throughout all of Scripture to build a stronger relationship with the God of the universe.

If you are looking for a devotional thar invites readers to sixty six days of rich engagements with the Good Shepherd, providing deeper truths, power, and connection to walk through life’s troubles. 

If you are looking for a good devotional, to add to your personal Bible Study regime I recommend At the Table With Jesus.

Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

 

Book Review: Beautiful Courage

 

Beautiful Courage

The Story of Corrie ten Boom

by Sam Wellman

Pub Date 01 Apr 2022 |

 Barbour Publishing,  Barbour Books

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Christian 

I am reviewing Beautiful Courage: The Story of Corrie Ten Boom through Barbour Publishing and Netgalley:

Beautiful Courage is an easy to read biography of Corrie Ten Boom, allowing access to readers of all ages who would like to know more about this remarkable woman, a woman of great courage, and even greater faith.  A woman who loved Jesus so much she was willing to risk her life.

During World War 2 Corrie Ten Boom and her family, seeing and hearing of the plight of the Jews built built a secret room—a hiding place—into their home in Haarlem, Holland. Discovered by the Nazis, the ten Booms were sent to notorious concentration camps. By God’s grace, Corrie would survive to become a “tramp for the Lord,” sharing in more than sixty nations the thrilling message that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God’s love. Readers will be inspired by her story, celebrate her legacy, and learn that God can use His women to do mighty things. . .if they have courage.

If you are looking for a beautiful story of courage in the face of great adversity, and the power of God’s love, I highly recommend Beautiful Courage.

I give Beautiful Courage five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: To Walk About In Freedom

 

To Walk About in Freedom

The Long Emancipation of Priscilla Joyner

by Carole Emberton

Pub Date 08 Mar 2022 | Archive Date 28 Feb 2022

 W. W. Norton & Company 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  History  |  Nonfiction (Adult) 

I am reviewing a copy of To Walk About In Freedom  through W.W Norton & Company and Netgalley:

To Walk About In Freedom highlights the remarkable life of Priscilla Joyner and her quest—along with other formerly enslaved people to define freedom after the Civil War.

Born in 1858 in North Carolina Priscilla Joyner came to age at at the dawn of emancipation. Raised by a white slaveholding woman, Joyner never knew the truth about her parentage. She grew up isolated and unsure of who she was and where she belonged, feelings that no emancipation proclamation could ease.

Priscilla Joyner’s story was candidly recounted in an oral history for the Federal Writers’ Project, captures the intimate nature of freedom. Using Joyner’s interview and the interviews of other formerly enslaved people, historian Carole Emberton uncovers the deeply personal, emotional journeys of freedom’s charter generation, the people born into slavery who walked into a new world of freedom during the Civil War. From the seemingly mundane to the most vital, emancipation opened up a myriad of new possibilities: what to wear and where to live, what jobs to take and who to love.

Despite being educated at a Freedmen’s Bureau school and married a man she loved, slavery cast a long shadow. Uncertainty about her parentage haunted her life, and as Jim Crow took hold throughout the South, segregation, disfranchisement, and racial violence threatened the loving home she made for her family. But through it all, she found beauty in the world and added to it where she could.

To Walk About in Freedom  weaves together illuminating voices from the charter generation, giving us a kaleidoscopic look at the lived experiences of emancipation and challenges us to think anew about the consequences of failing to reckon with the afterlife of slavery.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a realistic recounting of what it was like to live through the Emancipation Proclamation, the struggles, as well as the joys.  

I give To Walk About In Freedom five out of five stars!

Book Review: An Extravagant Life

 

An Extravagant Life

An Autobiography Incorporating Blue Water, Green Skipper

by Stuart Woods

Pub Date 07 Jun 2022 

 PENGUIN GROUP Putnam,  G.P. Putnam's Sons

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Nonfiction (Adult)

I am reviewing a copy of An Extravagant Life: An Autobiography Incorporating Blue Water, Green Skipper through Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley:

Stuart Woods has written more than ninety novels of suspense and intrigue, over the past forty years.  Starting with his the award-winning Chiefs. Featuring iconic crime-fighting and jet-setting leads, the plots are masterfully conceived and wonderfully escapist.

What readers aren’t often aware of is Woods's very own life was filled with similar stories of adventure. Born in Georgia, Woods worked in advertising in New York, served in the US Air Force, and had a short stint as an advance man.  When he was thirty seven he found himself in a transatlantic sailing race, and pursued writing as a full-time career shortly thereafter. Along the way, Woods has lived all over the world, from New York to London, Santa Fe to Ireland. Incorporating his iconic sailing memoir Blue Water, Green Skipper, this is the story of a life well-lived, and a special inside look into the beloved author’s many exploits.

I found An Extravagant life an intriguing and fascinating read worthy of five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Refresh Your Prayers

 

Refresh Your Prayers

Uncommon Devotions to Restore Power and Praise

by Lori Hatcher

Pub Date 01 Mar 2022 | 

 Our Daily Bread Publishing 

 Christian  |  Religion & Spirituality 

I am reviewing a copy of Refresh Your Prayers: Uncommon Devotions to Restore Power and Praise through Our Daily Bread Publishing and Netgalley:

Refresh Your Prayers reminds us of the common questions we ask especially when our prayers feel stagnant or stale, the questions include How do I pray? Does God hear me? Are my prayers working?

With Refresh Your Prayers fuel your desire to connect with your heavenly Father with Refresh Your Prayers. This 60 day devotional equips you to experience powerful moments when you pray and praise the Lord. No more tired, nervous, or unsure prayers! Discover a reinvigorated passion for prayer and confidence in communicating with God every day.

I give Refresh Your Prayers five out of five stars!

Book Review: Sleep Deprived

 

Sleep Deprived

by Therese Heckenkamp

Pub Date 25 Jan 2022 | Archive Date 27 Feb 2022

 Ivory Tower Press 

 Christian  |  General Fiction (Adult)  |  Mystery & Thrillers

I am reviewing a copy of Sleep Deprived through Ivory Tower Press and Netgalley:

 An odd encounter in a cemetery. A baby in need.

Every mom’s worst nightmare.

When sleep deprivation, affects her judgement, Mae, a grieving young Mother risks everything to save a baby—only to wind up accused of a crime.

Now Mae’s freedom and her life are at stake..  She fights to clear her name but can’t do it alone. Her husband is the only one she can turn to. But with their relationship crumbling, even he may not be on her side.

Will their love be killed by the  struggles or will it survive?

If they don’t work together to overcome past wounds and current danger, Mae might finally end up resting in peace. Permanently.

Riveting suspense with a thread of romance.

I give Sleep Deprived five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Poems Of Faith

 

Poems of Faith

Inspiring Verse for Strength and Comfort

by Dover Publications

Pub Date 12 Jan 2022 |

 Dover Publications,  Ixia Press

 Poetry

I am reviewing a copy of Poems of Faith: Inspiring Verse for Strength and Comfort by Dover Publications and Netgalley:

Poetry has been a  long time source of comfort and inspiration in times of trouble and celebration, and this carefully curated selection of nearly 100 American and British poems offers readers a profound collection of verse for those who are steadfast in their faith or those who are looking to renew it. 

This beautiful gift edition includes two of John Donne's "Holy Sonnets," Ben Jonson's "To the Holy Trinity," Christina Rosetti's "Wrestling," Emily Brontë's "Last Lines," and other poems by Andrew Marvell, Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and more.

I give Poems of Faith Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Gathering Blossoms Under Fire

 

Gathering Blossoms Under Fire

The Journals of Alice Walker, 1965–2000

by Alice Walker

Pub Date 12 Apr 2022 

 Simon & Schuster 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Nonfiction (Adult) 

I am reviewing a copy of Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, 1965-2000

I was more than excited, when I was accepted as a reviewer through Netgalley And Simon and Schuster for Gathering Blossoms Under Fire, and I can say I was not disappointed, where I can’t say I agreed with every aspect of the journals, I can say I enjoyed the book immensely, and read it over a period of several days, drawn into the life o this remarkably talented woman, and writer.

For the first time we get an intimate look into Alice Walker’s life from the period of 1965-2000 through her journals.  The critically claimed author of A Color Purple gives us an intimate look into her thoughts and feelings over different aspects of her life, her thoughts, and her feelings as a woman, a writer, an African American as well as a wife, a daughter, a mother, a lover, a sister, a friend, a citizen of the world.

In a singular voice these journals allow us to get an understanding of her thoughts and feelings as she explores an astonishing array of events, she took part in from marching with the  other foot soldiers  of the a wife, a daughter, a mother, a lover, a sister, a friend, a citizen of the world.

I give Gathering Blossoms Under Fire five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: To Disguise the Truth

 

To Disguise the Truth

by Jen Turano

Pub Date 18 Jan 2022 

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  Humor  |  Romance 

I am reviewing a copy of To Disguise the Truth through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Eunice Holbrooke realizes her past has finally caught up with her, when a man arrives at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, anxious to hire them to find a missing heiress.  And it brings her to the realization that she may no longer be able to hide under the disguise that has kept her safe for so long. 

Arthur Livingston's has a goal in life, to make his mark on the world as a mining industrialist, but after the man who could help him achieve his goal is murdered.  Arthur is compelled to seek justice for the family but he's left with more questions than answers after the eccentric Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency refuses to take on his case. 

In desperation to hide her identity from Arthur, Eunice takes on a different case that requires her to go deep undercover and entangles her in one troublesome situation after another.  When other secrets come to light, Eunice has no choice but to confront her past, hopeful that it will set her free but knowing it could very well place her life and the lives of those she loves in jeopardy.

I give To Disguise the Truth Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Doll House

 

The Dollhouse

by Sara Ennis

Pub Date 01 Jun 2021 

 Sara Ennis 

 Mystery & Thrillers 

I am reviewing a copy of The Dollhouse through Sara Ennis and Netgalley:

After Peter Baden’s daughter Olivia was abducted nearly a year ago, he left his career as a respected journalist to find her.  Now he spends his days searching for Olivia, and helping other families of abducted children survive the emotionally and physically exhausting experience of finding a missing child.  

Angel and Bud are twins who are used to making do.  There dad is in prison, and mom won't win parenting awards. Bud thrives on neglect, but Angel isn't so strong.  

Now they're captives in a place called the Dollhouse, and things have gotten far worse. The Dolls are forced to re-stage old photographs, but satisfying Alfred is not easy. He has a twisted sense of humor and a violent temper that explodes when things don't go his way  and  even when they do at Tim’s.

Alfred needs Dolls. Blonde, blue-eyed human dolls that will help him rewrite his past and change his future.

Angel knows that if she and the other Dolls are to survive this warped playtime, she can’t  be needy and afraid. She must prove how strong she can be  and. She must do so fast.

But there aren't many photos left ..

I give The Dollhouse five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Lumberjacks and Ladies

 

Lumberjacks and Ladies

4 Historical Stories of Romance Among the Pines

by Jennifer Lamont Leo; Naomi Musch; Candice Sue Patterson; Pegg Thomas

Pub Date 01 Feb 2022 

 Barbour Publishing,  Barbour Fiction

 Christian  |  Historical Fiction  |  Romance

I am reviewing a copy of Lumberjacks and Ladies through Barbour Fiction and Netgalley:

In All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson we are transported back to 1851 Maine where we meet Winifred who finds herself having to run the family lobstering business when her father and brothers join the California gold rush. Will she stubbornly reject help from a local lumberjack?

In Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas we are transported back to 1865, Michigan where we meet Elizabeth who cooks for a logging crew, but she is determined to escape that life for something better, until reoccurring gifts capture her attention. Will she follow her dreams—or her heart?

In Not For Love by Naomi Musch we are traveled back to 1881 Wisconsin, where we meet Maggie a Widower who is seeking a husband in name only from the logging camps, but the man who answers her letter is a surprise. Can she open her heart to love again?

And the final novella in this collection is Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo, which takes us back t0 1890, Idaho we will meet Carrie who refuses to sell her timberland and allows the banker’s nephew to sign onto her logging crew to ferret out the reason she is losing money at an alarming rate. Will truth be revealed to her forlorn heart?

I give Lumberjacks and Ladies five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review, Reader, I Buried Them & Other Stories

 

Reader, I Buried Them & Other 

by Peter Lovesey

Pub Date 01 Feb 2022 |

 Soho Press,  Soho Crime

 Mystery & Thrillers 

I am reviewing a copy of Reader, I Buried Them & Other Stories through Soho Press and Netgalley:

Peter Lovesey published a short story in an anthology, more than fifty years ago.  

That short story caught the eye of the great Ruth Rendell, whose praise ignited Lovesey’s lifelong passion for short form crime fiction. 

While working on his one hundredth short story Peter Lovesey has assembled this devilishly clever collection, eighteen yarns of mystery, melancholy, and mischief, inhabiting such deadly settings as a theater, a monastery, and the book publishing industry. 

The collection includes that first storythat launched his story-writing career as well as three exclusive new stories. In addition, Loveseyfans will delight in a personal essay by the author about the historical inspirations—and in an appearance by the irascible Bath detective Peter Diamond, who has, in the author’s words, “bulldozed his way” into this volume.

I give Reader, I Buried Them & Other Stories five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Restless Devices

 

Restless Devices

Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age

by Felicia Wu Song

Pub Date 30 Nov 2021 |

 InterVarsity Press,  IVP Academic

 Christian  |  Religion & Spirituality

I am reviewing a copy of Restless Devices through InterVarsity Press and Netgalley:

Unfortunately in this day and age we are being formed by our devices.  Today's digital technologies are designed to captivate our attention and encroach on our boundaries, shaping how we relate to time and space, to ourselves and others, even to God.

 Our natural longing for relationship makes us vulnerable to the "industrializing" effects of social media. While we enjoy the benefits of digital tech, many of us feel troubled with its power and exhausted by its demands for permanent connectivity. Yet even as we grow disenchanted, attempting to resist the digital "powers that be" might seem like a losing battle. Sociologist Felicia Wu Song has spent years considering the personal and collective dynamics of digital ecosystems. 

In this book Felicia Wu Song combines psychological, neurological, and sociological insights with theological reflection to explore two major questions: What kind of people are we becoming with personal technologies in hand? And who do we really want to be? Song unpacks the soft tyranny of the digital age, including the values embedded in our apps and the economic systems that drive our habits. She then explores pathways of meaningful resistance that can be found in Christian tradition especially counter-narratives about human worth, embodiment, relationality, and time and offers practical experiments for individual and communal change.  In our current digital ecologies, small behavioral shifts are not enough to give us freedom. We need a sober and motivating vision of our prospects to help us imagine what kind of life we hope to live—and how we can get there.

I give Restless Devices five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!