Category Archives: Book Reviews

For the Love of Reading–Book Review: Vampyrie: Origin of the Vampire

I’m so pleased to share Terri Webster Schrandt‘s 5-star review of my latest novel, Vampyrie: Origin of the Vampire …

#BOOK REVIEW ~ #Conflicted Hearts by #D.G. Kaye

Conflicted Hearts

Debby Gies‘ aka author D.G. Kaye‘s book, Conflicted Hearts, moved me in ways I can barely explain. Below is my 5-star review, which I also posted to Amazon. If you aren’t already familiar with Debby and would like to learn more about her, please visit her sites:

Website/Blog   Amazon   Facebook   Twitter   Google+   LinkedIn   

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Conflicted Hearts by D.G. Kaye reads like a personal conversation between two best friends. The level of intimacy shared by the author is second to none of any self-help book I’ve read to date; and I’ve read many.

D.G. Kaye Author

I refer to Kaye’s memoir as a self-help book because it reflects timeless struggles we all share and reveals the author’s many attempts at dealing with them – some successful, some not.

Kaye draws us into a world of deep and conflicting emotions, where she struggles to find balance and a semblance of inner peace. Her mother – demanding and narcissistic – thought only of herself and disregarded the needs of her family, especially those of her children and husband. This propelled the author, the eldest of her three siblings, to step up to the plate and act the parent. In so doing – coupled with also attempting to meet the needs of her mother and father – she forfeited her childhood. As an adult, it took many years for her to reconcile her own needs with those of her mother.

The candor and intimacy shared by the author often brought me to tears, as I reflected on the similarities in my own life. I had read a few chapters when I had to put the book down due to illness. When I picked it up again a few weeks later, I became so engrossed that I read straight through to the end.

For me, the mark of a good book is one that pulls us out of our rote way of life and immerses us in another world, broadens our imagination, heightens our level of awareness, or deepens our life experience. A book that does two or more of these is exceptional. Conflicted Hearts is one such book. It left me emotionally stirred in a very positive way.

Any book that moves me to reflection is a book I will always carry in my heart. Thank you, D.G. Kaye, for this timeless gift …

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Other books by D.G. Kaye:  

P.S. I Forgive You

Have Bags, Will TravelWords We Carry

Meno-What?

Glimpses Book Review and Author Round-Up | Second Wind Leisure Perspectives

Terri Webster Schrandt with a terrific 5-star review of Hugh W. Roberts‘ first book, Glimpses. Congratulations to Hugh on becoming a published author! We look forward to what the future holds for you. And thank you for the mention, Terri; much appreciated …

Glimpses Book Review and Author RoundUp
original cover image used by permission

Source: Glimpses Book Review and Author Round-Up | Second Wind Leisure Perspectives

If we were having coffee today, I would share with you my review of a fabulous new book from one of my favorite bloggers!

To me there is nothing like enjoying a few moments with a hot beverage while reading a good book.

Let me introduce you to Hugh Roberts, blogger at Hugh’s Views and News.

Roberts says that he chose the title Glimpses because “that is what you are about to get—glimpses into the everyday lives of people who are about to be led up a path they were not expecting.”

Not only is he a brand-new author, fellow bloggers tell me he is possibly the nicest gentleman you will ever meet in person or in the blogosphere!

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Book review, Enlightenment, empowering, spiritual, Plateau by Tina Frisco, D.G. Kaye

It was such a delight to see Debby Gies’ aka author D.G. Kaye‘s wonderful review of my book on her blog. I am honored she chose to feature Plateau on her Sunday #Bookreview series ❤ 

Source: Book review, Enlightenment, empowering, spiritual, Plateau by Tina Frisco, D.G. Kaye

Book reviews

Today I’m sharing my review of a wonderful and thought provoking book by Tina Frisco, Plateau, Beyond the Trees.

Tina is an author, singer/songwriter, RN, activist, and a student of Shamanism. Her writing is always full of compassion and offers insights to helping the world in justice, peace and harmony. Her first book, Plateau was written before the doomsday prophecies were to take place in 2012, which the Mayan calendar had predicted.

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Get this Book on Amazon!

Blurb:

The protagonist in Plateau is a 15-year-old tribal female who, through great adversity and while honoring the wisdom of her elders, discovers her strengths and destiny. Her will is relentlessly tested, daring her to face her fears and trust blindly without fully knowing why she was born the Keeper of the Crystal Heart, the key to the Great Mosaic of Life. She ultimately comes face-to-face with herself in a battle that would shrink the will of the most intrepid warrior, unaware that realizing her destiny will irrevocably impact all beings on earth and beyond. Her people inject humor and wisdom throughout this tale of mystery and adventure. Will love prevail over fear? Millions are asking this question. Plateau offers hope with its underlying message: We must keep our hearts open and act from love instead of reacting from fear; and we must practice gratitude and compassion within every moment and with every breath, so that we might help elevate the human species to a higher consciousness and facilitate both personal and global peace.

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Book Review: Size Matters by Sally Cronin

book-sally-size-mattersPublished  15 August 2016   Amazon

Size Matters is Sally Georgina Cronin’s no-holds-barred, true-life story of her journey from near-death obesity to vibrant health.

I first was struck by the author’s willingness to share so many personal things that most of us would hold to dearly as private; things that would humiliate us; things that we’d be hard-pressed to look in the mirror and admit even to ourselves. I knew that anyone willing to bridge this gap must be someone with integrity and a deep concern for her fellow human beings.

I didn’t have to go far into the book to find the encouragement I needed. The last paragraph of chapter one said it all for me:       “What began as a painful journey into my past became an exciting adventure in the present with expectations of a much brighter future.” Above all else, I wanted a bright future. And Ms. Cronin’s approach proffered that hope.

I’m not going to detail the specifics of this book, because a peek inside on Amazon will show you the table of contents and highlight the details of the program she developed.

What I want to shine a light on is the inspiration she exemplifies and sallyoffers to all those battling a weight problem. She knew that almost any help given by the medical/scientific/etc. communities would offer template approaches to weight reduction, approaches that she and many others have tried and failed at miserably. Because her health was in such jeopardy, she needed not only to urgently change her eating habits, but also to have the results be permanent. Thus began her journey within and her search for a sustainable healthy future.

It’s difficult enough to put one foot in front of the other on a daily basis in this fast-paced technological age. Everyone is multi-tasking and running fast to stand still. So when we find ourselves faced with a life-threatening condition, fear leads us to seek a quick fix. But quick fixes are almost never permanent and almost always detrimental. The author recognized this and strove instead to find her own way back home to herself.

Although despairing and contemplating suicide, she reached deep inside and found a way to kindle her common sense, which provided the ladder needed to climb out of the pit into which she’d dug herself. Admitting her weaknesses and acknowledging her strengths, she put the totality of herself into turning her life around. Plying patience and dogged determination, she climbed out of the suffocating abyss and surfaced into the fresh air of a promising and vibrant life.

sally-10I have never been obese, but I have carried extra weight at different times throughout my life. Taking off 10 or 15 pounds is hard enough. I can only imagine the devastation one must feel when facing the necessity of a 150-pound weight reduction. And I use the word “reduction” rather than “loss,” because I think the mind always seeks to find that which has been lost.

In my opinion, this book is not only a comprehensive text for permanent weight reduction, but also a “how to” guide for breaking the shackles of destructive behavior and tenaciously moving forward.

When asked in grade school to name five people who inspire us, most children look to either their families or noted figures in the world. And yet there are so many working humbly behind the global scenes who seek neither notoriety nor acclaim. I believe they’re referred to as unsung heroes.

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This review is as much an acknowledgement of the author’s positive contribution to the world as it is of her all-inclusive approach to weight reduction in this outstanding book, which I highly recommend. Lose an ounce of weight, gain a pound of self-confidence. Sally Cronin is an inspirational example for all.

Sally’s Links:     Website      Facebook      Twitter       LinkedIn                                                          Google+      Amazon

BOOK REVIEW – Resolution: Huck Finn’s Greatest Adventure by Andrew Joyce

book-andrew-resolutionI am a big fan of Andrew Joyce’s work, and I’m here to tell you that he’s done it again! Like the author’s first two books – Redemption and Molly Lee – Resolution: Huck Finn’s Greatest Adventure is packed with excitement, humor, adversarial encounters, treacherous experiences, and yes, exhilarating adventure.

Set in the late eighteen hundreds against the backdrop of the Yukon Territory gold strike, Huck Finn asks Molly Lee to go with him to Alaska.

“I’m not quite sure what will be waiting for us when we get there, but that’s why I want to go; to experience new things, new sensations, in a new land. I want to go to where there isn’t another person for hundreds of miles.”

Little did Huck know that he would soon wish to see a human face – any human face, regardless of persuasion.

Huck and Molly leave Tom Sawyer and his lady friend, Mary, in Redemption and sail up the Pacific coast to Juneau. Wily Huck and beguiling Molly extract all the information they need from unsuspecting locals and set out for what they think might be a little gold panning along the way.

But like a collapsing house of cards, one misadventure leads to another and they find themselves dog-sledding across the Yukon tundra in order to reunite a young and newly three-legged miner with his very pregnant wife hundreds of miles away. Through blinding blizzards and seventy-below-freezing temperatures, they battle the elements and myriad antagonistic life forms – human and otherwise – to make good on their promise.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I have a brilliant imagination yet was challenged by anticipating what might come next. I read the 351-page book in one day; couldn’t put it down. And in my neck of the woods, Huck Finn, that’s the mark of an outstanding story.

COMING SOON:

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danny-the-dog-2
Andrew lives on a boat with his pal Danny the Dog, who does his best to keep Andrew in line ~ that is, of course, unless turkey slices are on the menu 😊

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew’s links:  Website    Amazon    Twitter    Facebook    LinkedIn