Good/Angry-David Powlison-Book Review

                                                         
About the book (provided by Cross Focused Reviews)...

Good and Angry, a groundbreaking new book from David Powlison, contends that anger is more than a problem to solve. Anger is our complex human response to things we perceive as wrong in a complex world, thus we must learn how to fruitfully and honestly deal with it. Powlison undertakes an in-depth exploration of the roots of anger, moral judgment, and righteous response by looking in a surprising place: God’s own anger.

Powlison reminds us that God gets angry too. He sees things in this world that aren’t right and he wants justice too. But God’s anger doesn’t devolve into manipulation or trying to control others to get his own way. Instead his anger is good and redemptive. It causes him to step into our world to make wrongs right, sending his own Son to die so that we can be reconciled. He is both our model for change and our power to change.

Good and Angry sets readers on a path toward a faithful and fruitful expression of anger, in which we return good for evil and redeem wrongs. Powlison offers practical help for people who struggle with irritation, complaining, or bitterness and gives guidance for how to respond constructively when life goes wrong. You, your family, and your friends will all be glad that you read this book.

• Amazon
• Publisher Website
• WTS Books
• And I thought...
• This was an easy read.  The suggestion in the introduction to use
• 
  

a pen and highlighter while reading was good.  Each 

section/chapter the author points out areas or suggestions places to

 concentrate on.  Powlison provides thought provoking questions 

and suggestions to bring out get you thinking about what you are 

reading.  This was good for me.

  

The topic of Anger is powerful.  This is a powerful book and a 

good read for everyone.  Whether your struggling with real anger,

irritation or bitterness you'll find positive help and guidance.  This

book is filled with scripture reference and is biblically sound.

I recommend this book and give it 5 Stars. 

I received a Complimentary copy from Cross Focused Reviews 

in exchange for my honest opinion. 

This review will post at Amazon and Good Reads. 

This review will post at My Reading Journeys and will be linked 

at blog parties. 

House of Eire-June Gillam-Review W/ Guest Post and Giveaway

                                                                 
                                                             Scroll to the bottom of this post for information and link to the Giveaway
About the book (provided by IReadTours)...
In House of Eire, Hillary Broome, a reporter-turned-ghostwriter from Lodi, California, and her detective husband Ed fly to Ireland—Ed for a gang conference in Dublin and Hillary to research her ancestors in Galway. Hillary plans to meet up with her friend Bridget, who’s pushing a greedy developer to include a memorial museum inside his proposed Irish theme park. As Hillary travels through Ireland and learns more about her friend’s crusade, she uncovers secrets and mysterious forces nudging her to fly away home.

And I thought...
The story was good. But it took me till almost the end to get really captivated by it.  By the very end I was wanting to read the next installment of this series. 

This was a long read. Over half way through I was trudging through read it.  And, I continued in order to write this review.  I received a complimentary copy of House of Eire from the author and 
I Read Tours. 

Along with the copy of House of Eire I also received House of Cuts and House of Dads (information about both books is at the end of this post)I was not required to read either of these books.  The other books in this series were  'gifted' to me to introduce the series. 

I chose not to read the first two books before I read House of Eire.   It is possible had I read them I would have been a 'bit' more interested in this book.  But honestly I sincerely doubt it.

I enjoyed the depth of research information that June Gillam did in writing this story.  The tour through Ireland made me feel like I was really there and had me wanting to go there. 

The story about the main character Hillary going to Ireland to research her family history really didn't develop.  The sub plot about an American developer planning to build a theme park took over the story.
The mystery developed when Hillary's contact is found murdered after receiving strange voodoo type dolls.  Frankly I wasn't really surprised to find out who was behind the murder.  I was surprised along with Hillary who was involved (by association) in the scheme. 

Overall I can say I thought this was a good book.  Not one that I would call great.  I am looking forward to reading House of Cuts and House of Dads and any additional installments. 

The best part about House of Eire was that it was a clean story.  There were a couple discreet bedroom scenes.  The mayhem was not graphic at all.  I would recommend this book for
any audience. 

I received a complimentary copy from IReadTours

This review will post at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and
Good Reads.
                            Buy the Book:  Amazon  ~  Barnes and Noble

About the author...

June Gillam teaches literature and writing at a Northern California Community College. She describes this series as psychological suspense novels in which Hillary Broome, reporter and ghostwriter, fends off complex villains of many kinds: a berserk butcher, a demented daughter and a haunted theme park developer.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~Facebook

Thoughts from June Gillam...
We all take many kinds of journeys. Some last for just a day and others for a lifetime. My writing journey started out with poems and journals—lots of them. Years and years of them, amounting finally to a creative writing Master’s degree from Sacramento State University in 1983, with a collection of poetry as my culminating project. Some of them were published and even won a few prizes—I still love writing poetry and that moment when the poem “arrives” into my heart and soul and I have to run catch it on paper so it won’t vanish in the midst of everyday practical business. Sometimes I’ve had to pull off the freeway to write it down. My poem “Shameless Hussy Looks Back” was published in the Winter 2015 Peregrine Magazine through the Amherst Artists & Writers Press. https://www.createspace.com/5357673

Back in the summer of 1990, though, it had come as a shock to realize, while I was a student in a teacher’s writing workshop, that I didn’t know how to write a family story. I explored that problem over the years and finally came to understand that ours was not a storytelling family. My poems started to sound to me as if they wanted to become stories, but I had been raised in a sort of goodie-two-shoes home, where conflict was kept hushed up under our rugs. Of course, stories are nothing without conflict, so I began the long and expensive project of teaching myself how to gather what I needed—courage and companions—to learn to write stories that held the tension of conflict. That ended up being the subtitle of my dissertation: Women writing stories containing conflict.

It was published by an academic press, but they priced it way too high, and I couldn’t get them to lower the price so regular folks could afford it. So I started a new journey: becoming the publisher for my own works. Now I’m Gorilla Girl Ink—bold black and white words on the page. I’ve published a book of poetry, So Sweet Against Your Teeth, and three novels in the Hillary Broome Series—where I indeed show I’ve learned to create conflict on the page!

I love the journey of life and the gift of expressing the many pathways it can take on the pages of my writing.

What others are saying...Praise for Hillary Broome Novels

House of Cuts

A maniacal butcher, a journalist/teacher with a shameful secret, and a cigar-toting detective set the stage for this psychological thriller, the first in a series of Hillary Broome novels. Set in California's Central Valley, House of Cuts involves suspense, intrigue, and a burgeoning romance. My favorite things about this novel include the dialogue, the wonderful details, and its sense of place—from the lush walnut orchards of Morada, CA, to PriceCuts, what Gillam terms the "24/7 machine," the kind of superstore familiar to any modern reader. I also enjoyed the fact that eight of the fifty-one chapters are told from killer Melvin's point of view so that I was able to get a first-hand glimpse into his demented, mother-obsessed mind.

~Candace Andrews, author of High Tides: Wading Through Depression—Every Day

House of Dads

One of Gillam's strong virtues as a writer is her ability to enmesh you, the reader, in the many layered action of the story until you become that close and helpless bystander who must live every unspeakable thing out with the characters. Too bad about the hundred things and obligations with their gummy fingers on you. Too bad until the story is finished, for you are not free to return focus to your own life, not yet. When you close the book at last, it is with a sigh of relief and gratitude and satisfaction that YOU don't have to live out such things yourself as you and the characters have experienced together. Oh, but all will linger in your mind. And at the same time, you will already have an eye out for the next Hillary Broome adventure!

~Zoe Keithley, author of The Calling of Mother Adelli

And now for the Giveaway...   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Simple Sunday

                                           
                                                                          Source

Love At First Fight--Book Review

About the book (provided by Amazon)
Love at First Fight is a book that will give your marriage encouragement and hope if you find that the once endearing, charming, and distinct qualities that once attracted you to your spouse are now a source of stress and conflict. In sharing humorous, personal stories from both the male and female perspective, husband and wife writing team Carey and Dena Dyer will help you discover that a fun, resilient, fulfilling marriage can be realized through hard work, forgiveness, God’s grace, and a sense of humor. Learn how to strengthen your marriage with these fifty-two conversational meditations that begin with scripture, end with prayers, and include practical action steps to develop a deeper connection with your spouse.

And I thought...

What a delightful resource for couples.  I loved that the 

book is set up for couples to study together with 52 

Meditations.    Allowing couples to spend a year together 

strengthening their marriage.   Each devotion includes 

prayer scripture and action steps to work on together. 

Also included are Tips from Pro's.  A very short section at 

the end of each devotional.    I enjoyed reading the tips from

various sources.  

This is a great and helpful book for all couples.  Even if 

you've never done a study or devotional together this is a 

good place to start.  

I recommend Love At First Fight for all 

couples.

I received a complimentary copy from Barbour

Publishing in exchange for my honest review. 

This review will post at Amazon, CBC, 

Barnes and Noble and Good Reads.  

Love At First Fight--Book Review

About the book (provided by Amazon)
Love at First Fight is a book that will give your marriage encouragement and hope if you find that the once endearing, charming, and distinct qualities that once attracted you to your spouse are now a source of stress and conflict. In sharing humorous, personal stories from both the male and female perspective, husband and wife writing team Carey and Dena Dyer will help you discover that a fun, resilient, fulfilling marriage can be realized through hard work, forgiveness, God’s grace, and a sense of humor. Learn how to strengthen your marriage with these fifty-two conversational meditations that begin with scripture, end with prayers, and include practical action steps to develop a deeper connection with your spouse.

And I thought...

What a delightful resource for couples.  I loved that the 

book is set up for couples to study together with 52 

Meditations.    Allowing couples to spend a year together 

strengthening their marriage.   Each devotion includes 

prayer scripture and action steps to work on together. 

Also included are Tips from Pro's.  A very short section at 

the end of each devotional.    I enjoyed reading the tips from

various sources.  

This is a great and helpful book for all couples.  Even if 

you've never done a study or devotional together this is a 

good place to start.  

I recommend Love At First Fight for all 

couples.

I received a complimentary copy from Barbour

Publishing in exchange for my honest review. 

This review will post at Amazon, CBC, 

Barnes and Noble and Good Reads.  

God Made the Sun/Moon-Children's Books Review

About the book (provided by Amazon)

An engaging die-cut board book that introduces little ones to the concept of sunlight and daytime

God Made the Sun is a celebration of God's gift of daytime to the world. Beginning with the first rays of sunlight and moving through the day, this book reminds little ones that God's love shines on us just as the sun shines on the earth. With its lyrical rhythm, sweet illustrations, and novelty die-cut feature, the book will serve as a welcome reminder of God's presence in our lives.

 

About the book (provided by Amazon

An engaging die-cut board book that introduces little ones to the concept of moonlight and nighttime

God Made the Moon is a celebration of God's gift of nighttime to the world. Beginning with the first sleepy yawn and ending with a bedtime prayer, this book reminds little ones that God's love shines on us just as the moon shines on the earth. With its lyrical rhythm, sweet illustrations, and novelty die-cut feature, the book will be a welcome addition to any child's bedtime rituals.

And we thought...

                           

A thumbs up!  These were great books for little ones! 

                      And even not so little ones! 

The little sun and moon is a die cut on each page making it 

fun and interesting for tiny tots.   The story is a sweet telling about God's gifts of the sun and the moon to us!  

A perfect little book for reading to your children.  The 

recommended audience is 1-5.  My 8 year old loved it!

I would recommend these books for families and churches or preschools.

This is a good one for a gift for a new baby, a birthday gift or add to your Christmas shopping list. 

             The illustrations are bright and cheerful!

 Visit the author’s website    https://marymanzsimon.wordpress.com

I received complimentary copies of these books from 

Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review. 

This review is posted on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CBC

and Good Reads. 

This review is linked at my favorite blog parties:

The Art of Homemaking,  Share Your Cup, Create With Joy,

 Make It Pretty Monday,Thrifty/Vintage Finds, 
No Place Like Home Party, Tuesdays At Our Home Inspire Me Tuesdays, The Scoop, Lou Lou Girl's Linky Party, Tips and Tricks Linky Party, You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays ,Tuesdays with a Twist , Brag About It Tuesday Linky Party , Wonderful Wednesday @ One Heartsie Girl, Talk of the town @ Knick of Time,   Homestead Hop

The Wish Rider-Book Review w/ Giveaway

                                        
About the book (provided by IRead Book Tours)

Seventeen-year-old Dara Roux and her two best friends, Mackenzie Yarborough and Jennifer Torres, the three collectively referred to as the F.I.G.'s (Females of Intellectual Genius) because each has an intelligence quotient in the genius range, have just returned from Frascati, Italy. It was there that their much loved teacher and mentor, Carolina Lovel, discovered that her birth parents were gypsies, and that she had a connection to the Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document in the world.

Now, with graduation from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women behind them, Dara asks her friends to help her locate her birth mother when she learns that she might be living in New York City. Relying on Dara’s gift for speaking and understanding foreign languages, the black and white images that stir musical cadences in Jennifer’s mind, and Mackenzie’s mathematical calculations that normally provide numerical solutions and answers to life’s most difficult questions, the determined young women tirelessly go from one address to another in search of Dara’s mother.

Their determination turns to desperation, however, as they encounter a dark hidden society more dangerous and terrifying than they could have imagined. It is there that
Dara hopes to find out why she was abandoned in a candy store all those years ago.

                                    A link to the Giveaway follows my Thoughts.

And I Thought . . . 

This was a charming book about a group of teenage girls with a 

huge bond of friendship.  They work together to solve a mystery. 

Their friendship is one that many of us wish we had.  

This being book 2 of a series I didn't feel a huge need to have read book 1 but I think if I were purchasing I would buy both to have a complete set for the young reader.   This book can be purchased for the young reader with complete faith in it's content as appropriate for all ages.  

I received a copy of The Wish Rider from IRead Book Tours in 

exchange for my honest review.  

This book review is posted at the following retails sites . . . 

Amazon, Barnes and Noble

This review is posted at My Reading Journeys and Good Reads.

Click here for a chance to win. . .

Win one of three copies of The Wish Rider (choice of print or ebook). One winner will also receive a $25 Amazon gift card (open internationally)

Three Autumn Love Stories-Book Spot Light

Just got this in the mail.  Looks like a fun Fall read! 

Here's what it's about...

They’ve helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples. Now twelve new couples will find themselves in the wedding spotlight in the second Year of Weddings novella collection.

Love Takes the Cake: A September Wedding Story by Betsy St. Amant

Charlotte Cantrell is always the baker; never the bride. When Will, a regular at Charlotte’s bakery, catches her attention, she can only hope that he is the reliable man this single mother has always hoped to find. The problem is that he’s regularly stopping in to buy cookies for another girl. But when Charlotte is hired to bake a host of wedding goodies for a difficult bride and finds out Will is the best man, she has the perfect opportunity to get to know him better—and find out how serious Will is about this other girl in his life.

The Perfect Arrangement: An October Wedding Story by Katie Ganshert

Amelia Woods is a small-town wallflower and the proud owner of Forget-Me-Nots, a quaint flower shop. Her love life has always been a bit lackluster—until she ends up in an embarrassing fender-bender with handsome Nate Gallagher. Meanwhile, Amelia’s younger brother, William, has proposed to his girlfriend. Amelia would be excited except she has evidence that the fiancée is not who she says she is. It seems Nate is the only one available for any advice-giving, and he’s good at it—and pretty fun to talk to too. As Amelia works to craft the perfect flower arrangements for other people, she begins to wonder if real love is better than the dream. And if it is, will Nate still be interested when he learns who she is?

Love in the Details: A November Wedding Story by Becky Wade

When Josh returns to his hometown of Martinsburg, Texas, to help his best friend get married, he didn’t intend to run into church wedding coordinator—and ex-girlfriend—Holly. He can’t help but pine after the girl he never got over. Holly broke up with Josh years ago in an attempt to ensure his future success. But she loved him then and still loves him now. As she helps him plan his best friend’s wedding, she longs to be with Josh but doesn’t feel worthy of his big-time lifestyle when she is more comfortable in her smalltown world. Will Josh and Holly be able to keep things as they are when their true feelings threaten to surface at every turn?

                       Check it out on Amazon.  Click Here.  

Linking with my usual parties.  Check out my parties page.
Linking at The Fabulous Fall Party

Starving Hearts-Debut Novel-Janine Mendenhall

                                                  

                                


About the book (provided by Litfuse)

Starving Hearts (Heritage Beacon Fiction, May 2016)

Since her assault, Miss Annette Chetwynd has been plagued by nightmares and worries about an arranged marriage.

She yearns to find her anonymous rescuer. Unfortunately, her health and intellect prevent it. Both repel suitors and cause Annette to doubt God's existence, at least until He answers her prayers in an unusual way. . . .

Mr. Peter Adsley is joining the clergy, and he desires a godly wife by his side. After a failed attempt to obtain one, he engages in a clandestine meeting with the bewitching young woman who keeps crossing his path. But she is so unsettling.

Destined for disappointments, Peter and Annette both endure disgraceful situations. Will Peter's faith sustain him through overwhelming setbacks? Can Annette overcome her doubts? Or will their starving hearts yield to the machinations of a mad man?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/28OtflH

About the author...

Janine Mendenhall teaches teens English, of all things! Sometimes she sleeps, but most nights she reads, writes, or watches movies like Pride and Prejudice and claims she's researching her next book. Splickety Love and Splickety Prime have published her flash fiction. She and her husband, Tom, live in North Carolina where they and their two golden retrievers help gratify the needs of their five children and two cats.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

And I thought...

Don't think this is just a sweet romance.  It is and much more.  Yes.  The romance is sweet.  

But the story is full of twists and turns and suspense.  I caught myself wondering what was going to happen next.  

Although it was a long read.  The print is small which I guess is good because otherwise it would be a large book.  It seemed long; but it was worth it.  

In some ways the storyline was long.  I did catch myself wanting it to move along.  But mainly because I wanted to know how it would end!  Is that a bad thing?  

I am not normally a reader of historical romance.  I've never read Jane Austin (insert gasp) I have developed an interest from other authors recently and now from 

Miss Janine Mendenhall.  

I enjoyed the characters.  The main characters were heartwarming.  Annette' character was sweet.  She was headstrong and knew what she wanted.   Peter's character was strong and steady.  He was devoted to God.  Even the villian character was endearing in his own weird kinda way.  

I enjoyed how the story ended.  With the main plot and subplots coming together with a good ending.   

As I write this review I realize that I did really enjoy this book.  And I can honestly give it a 5 star rating.   I look forward to reading more works from Miss Mendenhall.

I received a complementary copy from Litfuse.

There is a Giveaway scroll to the bottom of this post for the link.

This review is posted at My Reading Journeys and Good Reads.  

It is also posted at Amazon,Barnes and Noble 

and CBC.  

                               
One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Starving Hearts
• A bottle of essential oils
• An essential oils diffuser necklace
• A chiffon scarf
• A shoulder handbag
• A copy of Jane Austen's World

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on September 12. The winner will be announced September 13 on Janine's blog.