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book reviews |
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Multi-volume children’s author and dressage competitor, Michelle Path, introduces us to Cody the Pony Goes to Pony Club: Mimi has a new pony called Cody. She has had him broken in and now they are about to embark on their learning journey. Despite Cody's initial hesitation on arriving at the Pony Club - and seeing so many other horses and ponies - he soon realises Pony Club is going to be a lot of fun. Mimi and Cody throw themselves enthusiastically into learning new things, the start of many exciting adventures together. In the second book of the series, Author Michelle Path has created an absorbing short story, perfect for the aspiring young rider. Her first-hand knowledge of horses is beautifully complemented by artist Naya Ivashchuk, whose illustrations bring to life Michelle's twin passions of writing and riding, and will captivate adult and child alike.  This story might be the best from Michelle Path to date. It is the lovely story of Cody, a pony, and his young owner, Mimi. I have always promised no spoilers. Suffice to say, this is a wonderful story that will be loved by all ages of children. Cody and Mimi must work together and be patient with each other as they go through a new circumstance together learning new ways to have fun. The illustrations by Naya Lazareva are magnificent! So brightly colored and full page to boot. A marvelous example of children’s literature, I loved this book and award it 5 stars!  You can buy this paperback book:
https://www.amazon.com/Cody-the-Pony-Goes-to-Pony-Club https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cody-Pony-Goes-to-Pony-Club https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38220365-cody-the-pony-goes-to-pony-club You can follow Michelle: @mimilovesu http://michellepath.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/Michelle-Path https://www.goodreads.com/author/Michelle_Path You can follow Naya: https://www.facebook.com/bookwood.art Tags: kidlit, pony, horses Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Author Jeff Stookey introduces us to Acquaintance: As a young surgeon, Carl Holman has experienced the horrors of World War I and the loss of his lover, a fellow officer. Back home after the war, he befriends a young jazz musician who he hopes will become a companion he can share his life with. But this is Oregon: the Ku Klux Klan is gaining influence, homosexual acts are illegal, and such a relationship will jeopardize Carl’s promising medical career. Musician Jimmy Harper has his own dreams for the future and his own obstacles to overcome before he will allow himself to accept Carl’s love. Acquaintance is a deep dive into gay and lesbian history based on extensive period research of the 1920s. This is Book 1 of the trilogy Medicine for the Blues, a work of LGBT historical fiction which explores the complexities of gender and sexuality through the lens of the early 1920s. It was a time when jazz was becoming popular, Freud was all the rage, social mores were shifting, liquor was illegal, and women had just gotten the vote. The trilogy tells a touching love story set against the dramatic backdrop of this influential era.  The writing in this book is amazing! I am a fan of First-Person point of view, and Jeff Stookey has proven he knows what he is doing. Scenery, settings, dialog and action are handled flawlessly. The characters, major and minor, all breath and live in their world. Jeff has really done his homework; I believe he has captured the milieu of 1920s Portland and local smaller communities in a realistic manner. The reading experience is so much richer for his hard work. If you are a fan of music, romance, period politics or historical fiction then you will love this book. I give Acquaintance a score of 4.9 stars.  You can buy the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Acquaintance-Medicine-Blues-Book-1-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36436235-acquaintance https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acquaintance-Medicine-Blues-book-1 You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/jstookey108 https://jeffstookey.com/ http://medicinefortheblues.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Medicine-for-the-Blues-804068619770425 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-stookey-2b5357141 https://www.flickr.com/photos/153028055@N04/albums https://www.instagram.com/jeffstookey1923 Here is the link to the other two books in Jeff's trilogy: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/chicago-blues-medicine-for-the-blues-book-2-dangerous-medicine-medicine-for-the-blues-book-3-by-jeff-stookey Tags: LGBT, gay, jazz, medicine, Oregon, Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author Bozena Zawisz introduces us to Liberating Inner Eve: A Reflective Journey for Women: I wrote “Liberating Inner Eve” as a result of my encounters with female clients from a Christian background who struggle to find a sense of personal strength, high self-worth, love, and acceptance. “Liberating Inner Eve” offers psychological insight around the impact of commonly found interpretations of the teachings of the Old Testament (in particular the Genesis account of Adam and Eve) and New Testament (the lifetime of Jesus), on various themes relevant to women’s daily lives, such as how they experience their identity, self-acceptance, and self-worth. Every Chapter of this book includes simple exercises, encouraging readers to take time to review their thoughts and feelings, relating to a particular topic. Through “Liberating Inner Eve” I long to share with others how empowering the Bible can be in helping women find self-love, self-acceptance, and personal strength.  Do not let the title of this book deter you from reading Inner Eve. This is a well-reasoned book and worthy to be consumed by everybody. I thoroughly enjoyed this book personally; it is written in a conversational style I found easy to engage with. The poems, scripture selections, and questions to enhance your personal journey are quite relevant. I am not a follower of the Roman Catholic faith; I valued the comments from Pope John Paul II. I appreciate that Bozena tackled the controversial subjects forthrightly. I agree with her conclusions about a great deal of past abuse of spouses by mishandling Holy Scripture. If equality and spiritual issues are important to you, then this is a book you will want to read. I give this book 4.9 stars.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Liberating-Inner-Eve-Reflective-Journey-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liberating-Inner-Eve-Reflective-Journey-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35904315-liberating-inner-eve You can follow Bozena: https://twitter.com/BozenaZawisz https://www.bozenazawisz.com https://www.instagram.com/liberatinginnereve/ https://www.facebook.com/BozenaZawisz/ tags: self-help, Christian living, equality, spirituality, spousal abuse, spiritual abuse, abuse, counseling, women’s ministry Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Duane Simolke introduces us to The Acorn Stories: The Sky Is Always Falling in This West Texas Town! These tales explore the humor, drama, secrets, and scandals of a small town. From romantic comedy to razor-sharp satire to moments of quiet reflection, Duane Simolke’s award-winning tales transform a fictional West Texas town into a tapestry of human experiences. ˃˃˃ The Individual Stories: “Acorn”: When we arrive at the fictional West Texas town of Acorn, the narrative keeps shifting between Regina and Dirk, who both seek control over their relationship. “Flip, Turn”: A different scene from the narrator's amusing but unproductive life comes to him every time he turns to swim in the opposite direction. “Keeping A Secret”: A little boy wants to shield his mother and his little brother from a dangerous situation. “Survival”: A young high school teacher, deaf and gay, clashes with a popular football coach. “Paying The Rent”: In this politically incorrect tale, an inarticulate young man hopes to marry a rich woman so he can pay the rent, but he finds her repulsive. “Morgana Le Fay”: A widow finds her new romance disrupted by her Siamese cat's strange behavior. “Your Daughter”: Gretchen's approach to raising a daughter and maintaining a marriage requires ignoring problems and carefully orchestrating conversations. “Knock”: A father sees his daughter abandon her Mexican heritage, and he now fears other types of abandonment. “Come With Me”: The conflicting influence of her overbearing sister and her supportive husband forces Becky to re-evaluate her ambitions. “Dead Enough”: Farcical look at English departments, tabloid TV, the publishing industry, and America's superstar culture. “Mae”: Standing by her husband's grave, an elderly woman looks back at the joys and challenges of marriage and motherhood. “Timothy Fast”: In this satirical retelling of the Faustian myth, a Jewish businessman finds himself pulled into small-town politics. “Mirrors: A Blackmail Letter”: The owner of an art gallery becomes the target of a “family values” witch-hunt, spear-headed by Acorn's closeted (and supposedly “ex-gay”) mayor. “Echoes”: A time of unexpected changes for Becky and her husband. “Oak”: Julie Briggs can only talk to her mother by leaving messages on her answering machine, but she refuses to give up her voice. “Acorn Pie”: An unusual weekend in the life of an unusual town.  I found this wonderful collection of related short stories to be fully engaging! I was completely drawn into these true-to-life vignettes of a fictional small town. I grew up in a small town and found so much to relate to in these stories. While the setting of west Texas is Duane’s choice, these people could really fit in a small town anywhere. I really enjoyed the structure of the book, the way Duane had characters popping in and out of different situations. Some of these made me laugh, some of these brought tears to my eyes. I found the common thread of acceptance flowing in and around each of the stories. My first thought after reading the book was to read it again, so I could have greater appreciation for the intertwined relationships! One read is not enough. I loved this book so much. You will love it too for the regionalism and the glimpse into life in a small American town. Acorn Stories gets a score of 4.7 of 5 Stars.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Acorn-Stories-Texas-Book-ebook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/acorn-stories-duane-simolke https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3181397-the-acorn-stories You can follow Duane Simolke: https://twitter.com/DuaneSimolke http://DuaneSimolke.Com https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/73451.Duane_Simolke http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=1777 Tags: humor, Texas, small town, relationships, gay, Americana Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author, Diamond Wilson introduces us to Bring Your MICCC-Money: This book is the first in the series designed to help young people successfully transition into adulthood. This interactive book on money provides activities for young people to prepare themselves through work and volunteer experience, practice interviews and thank-yous, ask for letters of recommendation, create a budget, consider credit, and learn about the role of money in special situations such as travel, dating, and getting an apartment. This is a workbook designed to provide a skeleton of information that each young person can customize in order to fit their specific needs. It requires careful consideration and mental practice on the part of the reader. The book is designed to guide the reader through the experience so that at the end, each person has a unique portfolio of their skills and the first steps in a life plan as they transition into adulthood.  I love this book, it will prove to be so valuable to new adults who are willing to put in a little work now to reap big rewards later. I wish this had been available when I was a new adult, it would have been so helpful and it would have made me stronger in areas of financial weakness. The areas covered in this first volume are of critical importance, it sets the tone and permits a new adult to build a foundation for future success. I give this first volume Bring your MICCC-Money 5 stars!  Tags: how to, advice, money, YA, new adult, NA, social issues, job interview, financial planning, easy, #selfhelp #youngadults #transitions #adulthood #BringYourMICCC #freebook #workbook #WednesdayWisdom #finances #youcan #empowerment You can get this book:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/786918 FREE https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38243103-bring-your-miccc-money FREE https://www.bookbub.com/books/bring-your-miccc-money-the-young-person-s-guide-for-successfully-transitioning-into-adulthood-by-diamond-wilson FREE https://www.amazon.com/bring-your-miccc-by-diamond-wilson Here is a link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVahCqf11dQ&feature=youtu.be You can follow Diamond Wilson: https://twitter.com/DiamondEWilson https://www.diamondwilson.com/ https://www.facebook.com/diamondwilsonbooks/ https://www.instagram.com/diamondwilsonbooks/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/diamond-wilson-96515164/ Bonus: Diamond gave a TEDx talk in April of 2016, I think it is genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Diamond Wilson Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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