God, Faith and Reason

"What you will see in this book are snapshots of God, not a complete film. This book is presented in an omnibus style and does not have to be read in precise, sequential order. What you will see is one man's glimpses of God - images along the road of life. It is a scrapbook of the highest power through dreams, memories and stories, much like the ancient texts. I know a lot of people who are not religious but say, "You know, it's terrible. We were once a great Christian nation, and the churches are empty and the mosques are filling up. They always wanted someone else to go to church. People who don't go to church don't' really believe in God. They want someone to believe for them. They cry, "Oh, why are the churches empty?" To which I reply, "Well, why don't you go?" They aren't religious, but they wish other people were. Well, you are the other people."

As I have said many years ago, we've gone from St. Christopher medals to dream catchers in one generation. When I was a kid, it seemed as though every other car had a Catholic owner. They had little St. Christopher's statues on the dashboard. Myself, I didn't have one, but I liked that there were people who believed in God. And one day, I woke up, it was post-Obama and there were dream catchers hanging off mirrors. There are so many things hanging off mirrors, I don't know how people can see through their windshields. Mirrors and beads and voodoo. There is voodoo paraphernalia hanging off automobile mirrors and the country is melting down. It's total anarchy." (God, Faith and Family Preface).

God, Faith and Reason is a hard hitting book from Michael Savage, who doesn't hold back blunt honesty. If you are looking for a candy-coated rainbow colored book on what has happened to this once great nation that was founded on Christian principles, you might want to find another book. Michael Savage is about taking the hard hits and giving readers the blatant truth of his own opinion on where he believes this country was headed and how we might hope to get back the same foundation it was once built on. But it is going to take people to stand up for what is right, regardless of the costs. We need to stop building more laws and put the old laws back into place. Our country was built on the Constitution the way our founding fathers wrote it, not reinterpreting it to please our latest mood at the moment. When did people start becoming so offended anyway? Do we all have to agree? Can we not all have differences of opinion any longer? Must we all be forced to get along even when we don't agree with the way things are going?

I received God, Faith and Reason by Michael Savage, compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups. I LOVE his books because he doesn't hold back the punches that need to be addressed. For the last 8 years, we have had leaders in this once great nation, completely rewrite and reinterpret what our Constitution has meant. Almost reading between the lines as it was. Now bakeries are being sued because a gay couple wanted a cake baked to their standards even if it didn't agree with this particular bakeries standards and beliefs. In fact, they had turned down other orders for the same reason, but now, it seems like everyone is lawsuit crazy instead of merely taking their business to another baker, they sued based on what? Their feelings being hurt. Seriously, that is what is wrong with this country and it is time to take back the country from the children who were running it based on what certain people felt. In my own lifetime I never thought I would see it coming apart at the seams but thank God in His mercy, He has allowed us a chance to possibly get this country back on its feet and earn the respect it once had. Something people could be proud of. We just need to get rid of those in office that are making that difficult. Hopefully some of the things Michael talks about in this book might help us do just that. All it takes is one person at a time, doing the right thing. For me, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. Check it out for yourself and I hope you LOVE what you find tucked inside.

For more information about God, Faith and Reason , Michael Savage or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

God, Faith and Reason by Michael Savage

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Rhinestones on My Flip-Flops

In this life, we are bound to have difficult days, most of the time whether we want them or not. I find that humor can often help us get over some of the really difficult days and I want to ensure that everyone single woman I know reads, Rhinestones on my Flip-Flops by Jane Jenkins Herlong. Think of her as a bit of Erma Bombeck coupled with a southern Lady and you might just have touched the ice berg of what you will find tucked behind the covers of this wonderful book.

The reason why I would recommend it to every woman alive is that there are things only women can relate to being a woman that is, from our periods, which Jane refers to that should be renamed as exclamation marks instead. Just reading that, I knew I found someone I could relate to and thus the adventure into this book begins. Using examples of both her own life's humor married to those classic examples we find in the Bible are woman, Jane refers to as WOW, women of wisdom. Sometimes those might come in the form of a mother, sister, best friends or just people you might make that connection with in the world. It unites us and makes us all look at life through a different perspective at times, and we all definitely need those when we feel we are at the end of our rope and its unwinding quickly.

She labels these women by their own chapters like Deceived Eve, Domestic Diva Martha, to even Whiny Naomi and more. There are things we can learn from these women of the Bible even though we have read about them more times that we can recall. We all know that Eve was the first who didn't read Apple's Terms and Conditions thoroughly. Sound like you? I can relate, if I am being honest. So what might you learn from Eve besides learning that her husband would point the finger of blame at her when God asked, what happened? We have to remember that the crafty serpent was initially to blame and even though he tickled her ears with wanting to know everything like God, he failed to specify the consequences that might go along with those seemingly innocent choices she made. Do you know of anyone in your life that might be playing with a little fire themselves or maybe you are dealing with a moral dilemma.

"I bet that serpent in the garden had Eve so mixed up that she could have been convinced to count Adam's ribs just to make sure that there was not another woman around. The enemy's greatest tool is deception and many, beyond reason and common sense, fall prey. Eve truly had it all and didn't even have to wish for world peace. If there had been a label to read it would have said 'perfect.' Did Adam wear the "plants" in the family? When God questioned him, he blamed Eve. Then Eve blamed the serpent. What else could she do? There was plenty of blame to go around, so God said to both Adam and Eve, "Sorry, out you go."

I received Rhinestones on my Flip-Flops by Jane Jenkins Herlong compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups and I am so glad I got this book. It would be such a fun study for women to work through this book together at church. I can imagine the friendships that would be made providing us with more WOW to hang out with, pray with or even cry with at times in our own life. The small section above it just a few short paragraphs of the wonderful eye opening humor and life lessons you will take away from this. I think at times reading this that Jane is my relative, we just don't know the connection yet or perhaps we are related by God's wonderful bloodline. If you know of someone going through a tough time, consider picking this book up for them as a huge encouragement and even a way to bring a smile if not a laugh back into their day. For me, hands down a 5 out of 5 winner in my opinion.

For more information about Rhinestones on my Flip-Flops, Jane Jenkins Herlong or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Rhinestones on my Flip-Flops by Jane Jenkins Herlong

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The Chalk Man

When I finish a book the hardest thing might just be how to rate it. From a Christian perspective, I have always LOVED thrillers, mysteries, and the occasional horror novel because it is what led me to Christ in the first place. So with that being said, how to rate The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor, her first novel. Knowing how I have set up my personal rating scale this would garner a 3 out of 5, based on sexual content and profanity, but rating it as the world would I would give this a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I always ask myself the same question when novels are lowered on my own rating scale based on the subject matter that most people don't know about going into a novel. Will there be profanity, will there be adult or sexual content or will this be something dealing with violent graphic matters? Most importantly I ask myself, could the story stand alone on its own merits without those things being added for flavor perhaps.

In this case, the profanity could have easily been left out and the sexual content could have been toned down in a different way to enhance the warped sense of one character who really is evil personified, and in both cases a yes, helps me to rate a novel in a well-rounded manner. So if you're the author reading this, the answer is yes, in my opinion, profanity and sexual content did not need to be added to move this story line along. While I had my own guesses at the beginning of who I thought the chalk man was, I was sadly mistaken. To me, that is a sign of a brilliant writer's ability to carry the reader along a different perspective that has been there all along, only you simply didn't see it. Kinda of like The Sixth Sense, it isn't until you get to the end to see the revealing that has been there all along. Maybe we simply didn't want to see it.

The Chalk Man is a thriller based on two different time periods, one in 1986 and the other in 2016 both involving the same group of kids who grew up together and thus like most, have those found coming of age stories. Only in 1986, Eddie, one of five kids witnesses a terrible accident at a fair, that inevitably changes him without ever realizing it. He was forced to help deal with the outcome of a young girl who could have died without his help. It also bonded him to a mysterious new school teacher who dealt with an albino skin condition that rendered him a bit odd looking. The kids have an unusual method of communicating with one another, stick figures drawn in chalk of various colors to send secret messages. Only those same figures is also a way for a killer to move the children to discover a dismembered body and the possible killer, twenty years later. This is unlike most thrillers you've read before and one I thoroughly enjoyed because it definitely kept you wanting to read more to know if your guess is correct.

I received The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor compliments of Crown Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing Group. This is definitely going to be a writer to watch and can easily see this being made into a movie for the big screen. So many movies are being remade simply because they lack original ideas like this one. Think if it like the Goonies but only a bit darker with a sinister side that not all things are as they should be. Be prepared to look at things a bit differently because this writer is definitely a talent to watch. In my opinion, I would give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

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To read more reviews on The Chalk Man, please visit Penguin Random House's website. 

Sunday Silence

Sometimes when you book up a novel, anticipating it will be a really good one, and immediately get so lost, you backtrack and try reading it again, only to get to the same place you did the first place and question what are you doing wrong? Why are you connecting with this book? What are you missing? This is the case I encountered with Nicci French's novel, Sunday Silence. Seeing as this is a series, and this is the 7th novel, I questioned if that is where I was getting lost. Perhaps. Then I do what I usually do and see if I am the only one feeling this way, by reading previous reviews. I found I am not alone in my assessment.

I have NOT read the previous novels in this series, and I have no backstory to go off of except to dive into this novel and hope for the best. The novel opens with a gristly discovery found beneath the floorboards of Frieda Klein's home. The body of someone she knows and therefore, has to explain to the local police how she knows this man. While it appears the man has been dead for some years, the decomposing of the body shows it is a recent murder. Is Frieda guilty or is someone setting her up? I found it interesting that the police merely questioned her and she was immediately let go. I mean how many people wind up with an unexplained body beneath their floor? Wouldn't you detain that person until you verified she was innocent?

Guess like me, you'll have to read further into the novel. It appears as if Frieda has been the victim of a serial killer who finds putting Frieda and those she is close to at risk based on just having a connection with her. It seems like a game of cat and mouse until one discovers that there are two cats each with their own motive and she is now doubly in danger and must stay a step ahead to avoid being the victim of either killer. While I was hoping for more than this one delivered, I guess each reader will have their own opinion of what they think of this novel. For me, the connection point of truly caring for the main character, didn't just pan out and I was actually hoping that this would end and thus put me out of my misery of trying to find something salvageable about this novel. I didn't unfortunately and have to say I give this one a 3 out of 5 stars.

I received Sunday Silence by Nicci French compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. I may have to go back and read this series from the beginning in hopes of garnering support that this is an exceptional series as some have claimed. I truly LOVE good mystery books that really keep the reader engaged and for me, this just never happened. It fell flat for me of what I expected but I hope that others will have a different opinion than I did.

For more information about Sunday Silence, Nicci French or where you can pre order a copy of this novel due out in January of 2018, please click on the links below:

Sunday Silence by Nicci French

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To read more reviews on Sunday Silence, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Atomic City Girls

Can you imagine a story based on historical facts that takes small town city girls and gets them to work in a secret city in Oak Ridge, Tennessee? All the girls know is that it is a job, will help them earn a living while the men are serving overseas in the war, and that they are helping their own country. They are required to sign documents that states they are not allowed to share anything that goes on within the Oak Ridge city limits and to do so might just get you jail time, a hefty fine, loss of your employment or all three.

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard is the novel that takes place in November of 1944 when a young 18-year old girl, June Walker begins what will be a defining moment in her career working in someplace she can't even talk about or write about. She struggles to understand her own role in things, when she marries a man she doesn't love only to have him killed in the war. Now she faces coming to terms with her widowhood at such a young age, while other girls around her are more than happy to benefit from the movies, dances and social activities that abound after they leave their monotonous jobs.

All she does with every other girl is work in a cubicle all day watching dials, and when they deviate from their norms, she dials them back in. She questions what this might all be, but she knows she also can't afford to lose her job by talking about it either. Spies are literally everywhere who would be all too happy to report anyone from breaking any of the strike employment guidelines they were all required to sign upon their first day of work. It appears there is more than meets the eye where she works and one day, a young girl makes the mistake of wearing hair pins to work only to have them ripped violently from her head. What does this secret city have to do with magnets and the war effort? You'll have to read this novel for more inside information.

I received The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. What I LOVED about this novel is all the historical photos that a placed throughout the novel, from the elaborate signs being placed all over the city, to the plain boring work stalls each girl had to work in. How they managed not to go crazy from boredom is beyond me, but at a time where each was assured they were all helping the war effort, things begin to change once the first of two bombs fell on Japan and soon enough things began to be discovered and wondered how dangerous were their jobs if this was the result. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Atomic City Girls, Janet Beard or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today due on February 2018, please click on the links below:

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard

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For more reviews on The Atomic City Girls, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

Last Christmas in Paris

One of my fondest memories as a child growing up was during one summer, a friend and I, picked out anonymous names and became pen pals since seeing each other as often as we wanted was out. It was the best summer I can remember. I have a profound respect for men and women who served during our great wars, WWI and WWII. All of the WWI veterans have passed away and we still have a handful of the veterans from WWII but not for long. The stories they still hold is as relevant to them as my summer of being pen pals. There is just something about sharing memories and stories that needs to be treasured.

In Hazel Gaynor's latest novel, Last Christmas in Paris, readers are given a behind the scenes look at how a trio of siblings and friends found a way to survive the war. For Evie Elliot, she watched as her brother Will and best friend to both Evie and Will, Tom Harding went to war for England. The book parallels to different time periods both in 1968, where our story both concludes and begins, but also the formation of hope, faith and love that is shared as the letters between the three are shared in this novel. It shows the progression of optimism that the war will be over by the first Christmas, it shows the loss that comes when war raises its ugly head, and the love that can be found by never giving up, of dreaming of a better future than the current one.

As a reader, I felt guilty as if I had happened upon these letters by chance and was given an insider's look at the lives of both the authors and recipients. Sometimes the things we want to say but can't can be conveyed in writing better than if we spoke them in person. There isn't a fear of what might be said in response because one must wait to hear the outcome in another letter. I have read most of Hazel Gaynor's novels and have to give her credit for taking the reader right into her novels. There is so much detail in her writing style, you can hear and smell the things as they are being described like the Zepplin's nightly air raids on the small towns and of Evie and Tom's promise that one day they will visit Paris for Christmas when the war is over.

I received Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. Readers will enjoy a bit of historical fact woven into the story line and for fans of history like myself, will truly enjoy and appreciate this novel. I hope more will pick this novel up and join me in preserving a bit of history by doing so. War is hard enough, but it is the love that outlasts all the evils that will always prevail. For me, this one garners a 5 out of 5 stars in this readers opinion.

For more information about Last Christmas in Paris, Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

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To read more reviews on Last Christmas in Paris, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Two of Us

I am so glad I held off reading The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin til the Christmas season, because this one is just so good, I didn't want to rush it and take my time enjoying the relationship that is played out between Mia Robinson and Jake Tanner. The two meet in Las Vegas where they are best man and maid of honor to their siblings without realizing it. They meet in a small cafe, where Jake wins a stuffed Hen that he gives to Mia. This is their meet-cute! They won't discover how closely they are about to be related until the day of the wedding in just a few hours. Mia has vented a bit to Jake, that her sister Lucy is making a bad decision in getting married so quickly just because she is pregnant.

When they meet up again at the Vegas wedding chapel, Lucy has started spotting and fears she is going to lose the baby. Mia thinks this might not be such a bad thing, since it was what initiated such a quick marriage to begin with, but puts aside her own personal feelings and takes over with her nurse training and manages to get Lucy to a hospital where she learns that baby is safe for the moment, but Lucy will be on strict rest until the doctor feels the baby is well enough that she can go back to normal life again. This doesn't sit well for Lucy who wants her marriage and honeymoon to Sam to be picture perfect, but Sam is more than willing to wait.

Mia is planning on leaving soon to head off on a Missions trip where she will take her medical training and help children in third world countries, but insists that she will stay and help Lucy until that happens. Jake insists on Sam and Lucy moving to the Tanner ranch where there is plenty of help and support to help not only Lucy, but Jake's mother Claire who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. This also gives Jake and Mia time to explore their own feelings for one another even though they agree remaining friends is the best thing knowing where they both envision a future for themselves. But does God have other plans? Find out by picking up this wonderful heart-warming romance! I received The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin, compliments of Baker Publishing Group and Net Galley and easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Two of Us, Victoria Bylin or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin

You can find Victoria Bylin on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews of The Two of Us, please visit Baker Publishing Group's website.