Monday, April 16, 2018
Mailbox Monday - April 16
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
I know it's supposed to be spring, but someone should tell Mother Nature. My friend in Wisconsin woke up to a foot of snow on April 14. Sunday night we got pelted with freezing rain and today it is supposed to be a nasty morning. How wonderful that I need to drive from one end of the earth to the other today.
No books in my mailbox this week. Maybe I can read some of The Pirate Bride before I break off to read Hot Mess.
Did you receive any good books? What are your plans for the day?
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Blogging at Christian Children's Authors
I am a founding member of the Christian Children's Authors blog. We discuss topics important to families and offer activities and book reviews. Today is my day to share and I decided to address the topic of spiritual warfare and praying when it's hard. Hope you'll check it out at http://christianchildrensauthors.com/2018/04/12/praying-when-its-hard
Monday, April 9, 2018
Mailbox Monday - April 9
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
Who is ready for spring? I am. Though technically the calendar says it's spring, this New England winter is still hanging on. We are due for some snow showers tomorrow. Looks like nice weather might finally break through next weekend. Good thing too. I have three new listings coming up.
I received a nice little surprise in my mailbox last week.
A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady
Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause. . .to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?
This is the third book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. I am reading the second one now.
What arrived in your mailbox? Hope you'll share. Wishing you a blessed week.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Book Review: How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz is a powerful and touching look into grief.
As Aptowicz grabs hold of the success she has worked so hard for, her world is rocked by the sudden death of her mother. In the year that follows, the author battles the overwhelming grief through her writing, sharing these intimate glimpses into her life with readers.
Having lost my mother when I was just a teenager, I was drawn to How to Love the Empty Air. While grief is a very personal thing, there is comfort in the understanding of someone else who has experienced the same tragedy. Apotowicz holds nothing back in this collection. She shares her joys, her sorrows, and her pain in all its rawness. You laugh. You cry. You want to hug her because she feels so close as she stumbles around searching for that new normal that may never feel normal at all. Then she reaches that major milestone--one year after the death of her mother. Not enough time has passed to eliminate the heaviness of the loss, but by the end we can see some joy, a glimmer of happiness and new beginnings.
This is definitely one of my favorite collections. It is the seventh by Aptowicz. I'll be searching out more. If you want deep, meaningful, poetry that tugs at your heartstrings, How to Love the Empty Air is a collection worth reading.
Paperback: 100 pages
Publisher: Write Bloody Publishing (March 20, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1938912802
ISBN-13: 978-1938912801
I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
As Aptowicz grabs hold of the success she has worked so hard for, her world is rocked by the sudden death of her mother. In the year that follows, the author battles the overwhelming grief through her writing, sharing these intimate glimpses into her life with readers.
Having lost my mother when I was just a teenager, I was drawn to How to Love the Empty Air. While grief is a very personal thing, there is comfort in the understanding of someone else who has experienced the same tragedy. Apotowicz holds nothing back in this collection. She shares her joys, her sorrows, and her pain in all its rawness. You laugh. You cry. You want to hug her because she feels so close as she stumbles around searching for that new normal that may never feel normal at all. Then she reaches that major milestone--one year after the death of her mother. Not enough time has passed to eliminate the heaviness of the loss, but by the end we can see some joy, a glimmer of happiness and new beginnings.
This is definitely one of my favorite collections. It is the seventh by Aptowicz. I'll be searching out more. If you want deep, meaningful, poetry that tugs at your heartstrings, How to Love the Empty Air is a collection worth reading.
Paperback: 100 pages
Publisher: Write Bloody Publishing (March 20, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1938912802
ISBN-13: 978-1938912801
I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - April 4
Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.
Things I am tired of....
Liars
Mean people
Rule breakers
Rudeness
School shootings
Domestic violence
Intolerance
Things I need to pray about...
EVERYTHING!
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Book Review and Giveaway: A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard
If there were ever a more wonderful story about motherhood than A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard, I have yet to find it.
Leah Otto has always admired Jude Shetler's good looks and talent as an auctioneer. When the widower asks her to marry him, it's like a dream come true. Despite the reservations of family and friends, the two enter their marriage with joy and optimism.
A few months later, Leah's twin step-daughters are acting out, her step-son keeps her at bay while mourning the loss of his mother, and Leah is struggling with running a household. Then a baby girl is abandoned on their doorstep and Leah must pull her family together, with Jude's support and God's will, to create a life filled with love, faith and unexpected blessings.
Every time I read a book by Charlotte Hubbard, I swear it's the best she could ever write. Then comes a new book and it's even better than the last one. This is an author who knows her genre well, but continues to keep it fresh every single time. Not every author can do that, so I admire Hubbard's ability to continually deliver top-notch stories that tug at the heartstrings and inspire a deeper more meaningful kind of love and faith.
In A Mother's Gift you have a woman who has never been at ease with housework. Leah is happiest tending to her goats and chickens. She's not prepared for all that goes into being a wife and mother. Jude doesn't care about that. He likes her non-traditional skills. That doesn't mean life will be easy for them. And it's not. This truly is a story where a husband and wife must stand strong in their faith as they deal with the challenges that being a new family entails...along with a few unexpected obstacles along the way.
A Mother's Gift is a story of love and faith. It is a story of one woman finding her place within her new family. It's a story of one man's dedication to the woman he loves. It's a story about blending families and having faith it will all work out. There really are so many elements to this story that you can't help but love it. Hubbard brings these characters to life in a special way and you'll be captivated by Leah and Jude's journey from the first page to the last. If you only read one book in this genre this year, it should be A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 27, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1496712188
ISBN-13: 978-1496712189
I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Excerpt:
As Lenore Otto sat on the bed with Leah, wistfully watching the dusk of late November fill her daughter’s room, her heart was torn. The two of them had shared this evening ritual of talking and praying since Lenore’s husband, Raymond, had died last year. It had always brought her a comforting sense of peace, along with the certainty that she and her daughter would move forward with the plans God had for them. After all the cleaning they’d done and the preparations they’d made to host Leah’s wedding festivities the next day, she was ready to relax—but she needed to speak the words that weighed so heavily on her heart.
Tomorrow, when Leah got married, their lives would follow separate paths. Lenore knew she would be fine remaining on the small farm alone, making and selling her specialty quilts. She supposed some of her qualms about her daughter’s marriage plagued every mother . . .
Lord, I wish I could believe my Leah’s reaching toward happiness rather than heartache.
Before God’s still, small voice could respond to Lenore, Leah let out an ecstatic sigh. “Oh, Mama, it’s a dream come true,” she murmured. “Starting tomorrow, when I marry Jude, my life will finally be the way I’ve always wanted it. My waiting is over!”
Not for the first time, Lenore sighed inwardly at her daughter’s fantasy. As she returned Leah’s hug, savoring these precious moments in the room where her little girl had matured into a woman of twenty-eight, she didn’t have it in her to shatter Leah’s dreams. No mother wanted her daughter to forever remain a maidel, yet during these final hours before the wedding, Lenore thought she should try once again to point out the realities of marrying Jude Shetler. Jude was a fine, upstanding man any parent would be pleased to welcome as a son-in-law, but as a widower he carried a certain amount of . . . baggage.
Please visit Charlotte online at www.CharlotteHubbard.com.
CharlotteHubbard.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1
Order Ebook
Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073NPM8G8/
iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-mothers-gift/id1254897917?mt=11
Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-mothers-gift-charlotte-hubbard/1126683560?ean=9781496712196
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-mother-s-gift-8
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Charlotte_Hubbard_A_Mother_s_Gift?id=MI0qDwAAQBAJ
Order Print
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1496712188/
Barnes & Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781496712189
Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781496712189
Chapters Indigo http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/a/9781496712189-item.html
IndieBound http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496712189
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Leah Otto has always admired Jude Shetler's good looks and talent as an auctioneer. When the widower asks her to marry him, it's like a dream come true. Despite the reservations of family and friends, the two enter their marriage with joy and optimism.
A few months later, Leah's twin step-daughters are acting out, her step-son keeps her at bay while mourning the loss of his mother, and Leah is struggling with running a household. Then a baby girl is abandoned on their doorstep and Leah must pull her family together, with Jude's support and God's will, to create a life filled with love, faith and unexpected blessings.
Every time I read a book by Charlotte Hubbard, I swear it's the best she could ever write. Then comes a new book and it's even better than the last one. This is an author who knows her genre well, but continues to keep it fresh every single time. Not every author can do that, so I admire Hubbard's ability to continually deliver top-notch stories that tug at the heartstrings and inspire a deeper more meaningful kind of love and faith.
In A Mother's Gift you have a woman who has never been at ease with housework. Leah is happiest tending to her goats and chickens. She's not prepared for all that goes into being a wife and mother. Jude doesn't care about that. He likes her non-traditional skills. That doesn't mean life will be easy for them. And it's not. This truly is a story where a husband and wife must stand strong in their faith as they deal with the challenges that being a new family entails...along with a few unexpected obstacles along the way.
A Mother's Gift is a story of love and faith. It is a story of one woman finding her place within her new family. It's a story of one man's dedication to the woman he loves. It's a story about blending families and having faith it will all work out. There really are so many elements to this story that you can't help but love it. Hubbard brings these characters to life in a special way and you'll be captivated by Leah and Jude's journey from the first page to the last. If you only read one book in this genre this year, it should be A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 27, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1496712188
ISBN-13: 978-1496712189
I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Excerpt:
As Lenore Otto sat on the bed with Leah, wistfully watching the dusk of late November fill her daughter’s room, her heart was torn. The two of them had shared this evening ritual of talking and praying since Lenore’s husband, Raymond, had died last year. It had always brought her a comforting sense of peace, along with the certainty that she and her daughter would move forward with the plans God had for them. After all the cleaning they’d done and the preparations they’d made to host Leah’s wedding festivities the next day, she was ready to relax—but she needed to speak the words that weighed so heavily on her heart.
Tomorrow, when Leah got married, their lives would follow separate paths. Lenore knew she would be fine remaining on the small farm alone, making and selling her specialty quilts. She supposed some of her qualms about her daughter’s marriage plagued every mother . . .
Lord, I wish I could believe my Leah’s reaching toward happiness rather than heartache.
Before God’s still, small voice could respond to Lenore, Leah let out an ecstatic sigh. “Oh, Mama, it’s a dream come true,” she murmured. “Starting tomorrow, when I marry Jude, my life will finally be the way I’ve always wanted it. My waiting is over!”
Not for the first time, Lenore sighed inwardly at her daughter’s fantasy. As she returned Leah’s hug, savoring these precious moments in the room where her little girl had matured into a woman of twenty-eight, she didn’t have it in her to shatter Leah’s dreams. No mother wanted her daughter to forever remain a maidel, yet during these final hours before the wedding, Lenore thought she should try once again to point out the realities of marrying Jude Shetler. Jude was a fine, upstanding man any parent would be pleased to welcome as a son-in-law, but as a widower he carried a certain amount of . . . baggage.
Please visit Charlotte online at www.CharlotteHubbard.com.
CharlotteHubbard.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1
Order Ebook
Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073NPM8G8/
iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-mothers-gift/id1254897917?mt=11
Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-mothers-gift-charlotte-hubbard/1126683560?ean=9781496712196
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-mother-s-gift-8
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Charlotte_Hubbard_A_Mother_s_Gift?id=MI0qDwAAQBAJ
Order Print
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1496712188/
Barnes & Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781496712189
Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781496712189
Chapters Indigo http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/a/9781496712189-item.html
IndieBound http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496712189
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win
a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, April 2, 2018
Mailbox Monday - April 2
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
For the record, I should have been in bed an hour ago. It's late Sunday night and I am gearing up for the Amos Faces His Bully virtual book tour. You can check out the schedule here if you want to follow along.
I have a week off of doctor appointments for my father-in-law, so I am hoping I'll be able to catch up on some housework. Honestly, I don't feel like doing any housework, but the place is a mess and the family is coming for Greek Easter on Sunday. Maybe by the following week I can get my exercise back on the schedule too, but spring market is gearing up to be crazy so we will have to see what life brings.
My mailbox held some great gifts this past week. I ordered the first two and the last one is from a friend who wrote a lovely devotional. I'm part of her launch team.
What You Don't See Might Hurt You
Every year, residents of the small Amish community in Monte Vista, Colorado, look forward to the Ski Hi Stampede, the state's oldest professional rodeo. The rodeo is always good, clean entertainment for the hardworking farmers of the San Luis Valley. But this year, the Stampede turns deadly for one Amish man. Did rodeo fans see an unfortunate accident? Or something more sinister?
Amish bishop Henry Lapp is known far and wide for his uncanny ability to draw and remember the smallest details of anything he's seen, skills that have served him well in past investigations. He was at the rodeo that day. The problem? He didn't see Jason Scott's death.
With a murderer on the loose and members of his community being threatened, Henry must act fast. But can he solve a crime he didn't see? This time around, Henry will have to rely on his keen sense of human character and observation, skills he's honed in his role as bishop, if he hopes to crack the case.
What the Bishop Knows is a story of accepting our talents, putting one another first, and trusting that God will care for His children.
A visionary new master class in cooking that distills decades of professional experience into just four simple elements, from the woman declared “America’s next great cooking teacher” by Alice Waters.
In the tradition of The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything comes Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, an ambitious new approach to cooking by a major new culinary voice. Chef and writer Samin Nosrat has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle school kids to author Michael Pollan to cook using her revolutionary, yet simple, philosophy. Master the use of just four elements—Salt, which enhances flavor; Fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; Acid, which balances flavor; and Heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food—and anything you cook will be delicious. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time.
Echoing Samin’s own journey from culinary novice to award-winning chef, Salt, Fat Acid, Heat immediately bridges the gap between home and professional kitchens. With charming narrative, illustrated walkthroughs, and a lighthearted approach to kitchen science, Samin demystifies the four elements of good cooking for everyone. Refer to the canon of 100 essential recipes—and dozens of variations—to put the lessons into practice and make bright, balanced vinaigrettes, perfectly caramelized roast vegetables, tender braised meats, and light, flaky pastry doughs.
Featuring 150 illustrations and infographics that reveal an atlas to the world of flavor by renowned illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will be your compass in the kitchen. Destined to be a classic, it just might be the last cookbook you’ll ever need.
Perhaps the journey in the waiting is the goal, rather than the actual finish line.
Sometimes while waiting for situations to change, we discover that perhaps what God is waiting on is us. That’s exactly what Lynne set out to discover when she was in a journey of waiting, during a wilderness season of her own. She discovered that perhaps she needed to unbecome everything she had framed her life around because in the process of building a life in this world, we often become consumed with everything other than The Word.
Becoming Unconsumed is an invitation to open the door to the possibilities that exist for us as women when we let go of what the world thinks and build a better relationship with ourselves, each other and, ultimately, God. This book is written for all women. Women who might not know God at all, women who have known Him all their lives, and women who aren’t sure what to think. Organized through reflection and response, Lynne invites us to consider the relevancy of the Word in 2018 and beyond as our faith is energized and confidence is strengthened. It is possible for you to make space for your daily Grace and your daily relationship with God. Lynne is the first to admit she is just a regular woman who decided to listen to God and make it happen.
What was in your mailbox? Hope you have a blessed week.
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