Book Review: Summer Up

 

Summer Up!

A Novel

by Tom Leihbacher

Pub Date 24 Jun 2022 

 Darcie Rowan PR,  Christian Faith Publishing

 Christian  |  Teens & YA 

I am reviewing a copy of Summer Up through Darcie Rowan, PR, Christian Faith Publishing and Netgalley:

The Last Day of School had finally arrived, summer break was on.  And with Summer break came the promise of two and a half months of sun-drenched, fun-filled freedom. There were summer camps, summer trips, summer sports, summer foods, and summer nights to look forward to—to say nothing of summer afternoons hanging out at the town pool or the teenage art of sleeping in. But not every day was all fun and games for Charlie Riverton and his friends. During that memorable summer of ’75, they faced a protracted battle for turf rights in their own backyards.

It wasn’t easy, they had struggles along the way But they stuck together and stood up for themselves. With helpful guidance from a heavenly friend, their shoulders grew a little broader and an unforgettable new chapter was written into Briarcliff Manor folklore.

Come join Charlie, Sky, and the whole cast from the previous bestselling book, A Gift Most Rare on a summer-long, fun-filled, coming of age adventure.

I give Summer Up five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Kid on the Green Bike

 

The Kid on the Green Bike

by Wali Mailatyar

Pub Date 25 Jun 2022

 Green Bike Publishing 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Nonfiction (Adult) 

I am reviewing a copy of The Kid on the Green Bike through Green Bike Publishing and Netgalley:

At only fifteen Wali Mailatyar had a choice to make either get conscripted to fight in the bloody civil war between the communists and the mujahedeen devastating his country or leave his home and family and possibly never see them again. 

Wali ended up escaping his homeland and embarking on a long journey that would eventually lead him to stand for election in Arizona as a candidate for governor.

In this book we learned how Wali fought against the odds to escape the horrors of war engulfing his homeland and to find the American Dream.

The Kid on the Green Bike is more than just another immigrant story—it’s part action thriller and part family drama.

This book is filled with cinematic scenes and heartbreaking stories of love and loss, this book shows all of us that the American Dream is still very much alive if you’re willing to fight for it.

If you love stories about underdogs beating to odds, the triumph of love, or the importance of family, this book is for you.

Just like coming to the United States for the first time changed the course of Wali’s life, this book will change the way you see the world and America’s role in making it a better place.

I give The Kid On the Green Bike five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Pioneering Women’s Education

 

Pioneering Women’s Education

Dorothea Beale, An Unlikely Reformer

by Sally Waller

Pub Date 30 Aug 2022 

 Pen & Sword,  Pen & Sword History

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  History  |  Nonfiction (Adult)

I am Reviewing a copy of Pioneering Women’s Education through Pen & Sword and Netgalley:

Despite being less known as other female campaigners in the nineteenth century, such as Florence Nightingale or Emmeline Pankhurst, Dorothea Beale is nonetheless deserving of wide recognition for her pioneering, and at times radical, ideas. Dorothea's work for the education of girls made just as significant an impact on the liberation of women as did that of Florence Nightingale in ennobling the nursing profession or Emmeline Pankhurst in drawing attention to women's political inferiority.

Despite being very much a woman of her times, Dorothy Beale had widespread involvement in societies promoting women's interests, Dorothea helped to show what women were capable of, providing them with greater confidence and self-belief, through her work as Principal of the Cheltenham Ladies' College, her writings, and her speeches.

Pioneering Women’s Education draws from a large range of original sources in order to trace Dorothea’s life and work.  It considers the formative influences of her youth, her response to the disappointments of her early career and examines how her own educational ideas evolved, were put into practice and came to influence schools and colleges both at home and abroad. As well as an in-depth analysis of her pioneering work in Cheltenham, her many other interests, connections and involvements, including her contribution to the suffrage campaign are also explored. However this book is not just a story of one woman's achievements, great though they were.  This book also helps to paint a picture of who Dorothea was as a person.

I give Pioneering Women’s Education five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Evangelical Anxiety

 

Evangelical Anxiety

A Memoir

by Charles Marsh

Pub Date 14 Jun 2022 

 HarperOne 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Christian  |  Nonfiction (Adult)

I am reviewing a copy of Evangelical Anxiety through HarperOne and Netgalley:

Charles Marsh suffered panic attacks and debilitating anxiety for years.  As an Evangelical Christian, he was taught to trust in the power of God and His will. While his Christian community resisted therapy and personal introspection.  Marsh eventually came to know he’d need help.  

Marsh tells the story of his struggle to find peace and the dramatic, In this riveting spiritual memoir, inspiring transformation that redefined his life and his faith.  He examines the tensions between faith and science and reflects on how his own experiences offer hope for bridging the gap between the two.  Marsh is honest and revealing as he traced the roots of shame, examines Christian notions of sex, faith, and mental illness and their genesis, and chronicles how he redefined his beliefs and rebuilt his relationship with his community.

If you’re looking for a unique portrayal of an Evangelical Christians struggle with anxiety, and depression.

I give Evangelical Anxiety five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Elysium Tide

 

Elysium Tide

by James R. Hannibal

Pub Date 07 Jun 2022 

 Revell 

 Christian  |  Mystery & Thrillers 

I am reviewing a copy of Elysium Tide  through Revell and Netgalley:  Dr. Peter Chesterfield is one of the Royal London Hospital's top neurosurgeons, he also happens to be a workaholic.  He is ordered by his boss to take a week off to attend a medical symposium at the luxurious Elysium Grand on the island of Maui.  While he is there Peter pulls a woman with a skull fracture from the water.   Though he is able to revive her briefly, she dies in his arms.

Peter becomes entangled in an ongoing investigation of a brazen luxury auto theft, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with discovering the cause of his patient's death. He also quickly becomes an irritation to detective Lisa Kealoha, who has jurisdiction over the case.  But when the two join forces, they begin to uncover a destructive plot that runs far deeper than either of them could have imagined.  If they aren’t careful they maybe the next victims of this plot.

I give Elysium Tide five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Free Fall

 

Free Fall

by Nancy Mehl

Pub Date 14 Jun 2022

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  Mystery & Thrillers

I am reviewing a copy of Free Fall through Bethany House and Netgalley:

As she gets closer to the truth, the deadlier her chase becomes.

Alex Donovan an FBI Analyst and her colleague, Logan Hart have been called upon to write a profile for a missing woman, but a little digging quickly turns up more disappearances in Virginia with the same physical description. 

Alex is racing against the clock, to rescue the missing victims, so when the UNSUB makes demands of her in exchange for information, Alex takes the bait. But when her life is put in jeopardy, Logan must do whatever it takes to track them down before time runs out.

Alex is working to find to think one step ahead of the suspect, but the more Logan and the BAU learn about the serial kidnapper, the more they fear Alex may not make it out alive.

I give Free Fall five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: What if It’s Wonderful

 

 

What If It’s Wonderful?

Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, and Find the Courage to Celebrate

by Nicole Zasowski

Pub Date 08 Mar 2022 

 Thomas Nelson--W Publishing,  Thomas Nelson

 Christian 

I am reviewing a Copy of What If It’s Wonderful: Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, and Find the Courage to Celebrate through Thomas-Nelson and Netgalley:

Nicole Zasowski  Is an author and marriage therapist who knows what it's like to take a blow that makes it difficult to look to the future with expectation and ask herself these questions. Yet, as she found the courage to celebrate, she discovered God is as present in our joy as He is in our pain.   

God’s purpose is worked out for us in our struggles, that’s true.  What if God’s Purpose is also worked out in our dreams and delighted joy? In What If It’s Wonderrful Nicole helps the reader t is also worked out in our dreams and our delighted joy?   Nicole challenges you to let go of the habit of practicing disappointment and fully embrace joy, beckoning you to ask yourself a new question, with both spiritual and psychological cases for celebrating.

If you are looking for a book that reminds you the importance of finding the courage to celebrate I highly recommend What if It’s Wonderful five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!