Friday, July 28, 2017

Seven Threads: A Book of Short Stories

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Book Details:

Book Title:  Seven Threads: A Book of Short Stories
Author:  Jason Atkinson
Category:  Adult Fiction,  151 pages
Genre:   Thriller and Suspense
Publisher:  Mascot Books
Release date: July 4 , 2017
Tour dates:  July 10 to 28, 2017
Content Rating:  PG

Book Description:

In this collection of seven short stories from Jason Atkinson, follow a man accused of murder, a runaway girl on a train, a scientist at the heart of a government conspiracy, and more! Full of twists and turns, Seven Threads offers a selection of fast-paced stories full of heart and excitement.
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Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Books-a -Million

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Meet the Author:

​Jason Atkinson lives in the Midwest with his wife and son. With a love of writing, this is his 3rd book, but first book in the fiction category. Short stories are easy to digest, and yet, this book still provides all the joys for the long haul reader. Jason write for everyone in mind when creating this piece and hopes you will enjoy it as much as he did when writing it.

Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Facebook  

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

A Spoonful of Grace: Mealtime Blessings in Bite-sized Pieces ​by Annette Hubbell

A Spoonful of Grace by Annette Hubbell
Book Details:

Book Title:  A Spoonful of Grace: Mealtime Blessings in Bite-sized Pieces
Category:   Christian Living; 444 pages
Genre:  Family devotional, Children's devotional 

Publisher:  Credo House Publishers
Release date:  Feb 2017
Tour dates:  Aug 7 to 25, 2017
Content Rating:  G

Book Description:

Just 2 minutes each day can change your family meal time for a lifetime.

A Spoonful of Grace is a collection of 366 evening meal graces taken from all 66 books of the Bible and designed to provide meaningful exposure to prayer and the Bible at a most opportune time: the family evening meal. ​

The Scripture/grace devotions are inviting, can be grasped at several levels, and are brief enough (about two minutes) to hold the attention of hungry kids. Here's why:

  • Each day has an application section called Grace Notes: ideas and quotes to further illustrate the message and stimulate conversation.
  • Sundays are for Story Graces. These 52 devotions are a bit longer to afford the suspenseful, engrossing reading of stories such as David and Goliath, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Jonah and the big fish.
  • Special Graces are celebrations such as  Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays.
  • Each grace:
    • Supports discussions of God’s attributes and of faith-based values, offering moral examples like forgiveness, friendship, honesty, trust, even table manners.
    • Creates curiosity about the Bible and ways in which Scripture can be applied to today’s issues.
    • Demonstrates how the act of praying together lifts one’s own spirit; fosters praise; and increases mutual feelings of appreciation, gratefulness, and accountability.
    • Teaches without overt instruction, similar to hiding extra veggies in the spaghetti sauce.
    • Remind us that our food, as well as God’s countless other daily blessings, is a gift.

Endorsements for "A Spoonful of Grace": 

“The dining room table is a key place to connect with your children.  It's time to put down the phones and pick up this book instead.” --Arlene Pellicane, speaker and author of “31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom”

"...beautiful, winsome and creative...will spark meaningful discussion and thoughtful reflection. This book will nourish both heart and mind.”--Dr. Mark L. Strauss, Vice-Chair, The NIV Committee on Bible Translation and University Professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary

"Annette Hubbell has made this powerful family life rhythm and tradition SO MUCH EASIER!  Give your family the gift that will last for generations to come—‘A Spoonful of Grace!’” --Pam Farrel, author of 45 books including best-selling “Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti,” “10 Best Decisions a Parent Can Make”, and “Couple’s Journey with God.”

"Wonderfully composed and chock-full of wit and wisdom. I wish I’d had this book when my husband and I were raising our four children.” --
Susan Meissner, Award-winning author of “Secrets of a Charmed Life”


Watch the book trailer:

Meet the Author:

Annette Hubbell earned her undergraduate degree in Marketing from San Diego State University, her M.B.A. from Cal State University in San Marcos, and a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University.  She has been featured in over 160 performances, and starred in the DVD, “Witness to Gettysburg” edited by 33-time Emmy Award winner, Robert Gardner. She was awarded Presenter of the Year twice at the Civil War Round Table of San Diego, and is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Hubbell lives in San Diego, California with her husband of 33 years, Monte. They have a daughter, Amy. She and her husband Scott live in Los Angeles, California. For more information, visit www.AnnetteHubbell.com or www.SpoonfulOfGrace.com.

Connect with the Author: Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Youtube

Monday, July 24, 2017

Thank You for Arguing

A master class in the art of persuasion, as taught by professors ranging from Bart Simpson to Winston Churchill, newly revised and updated. 
The time-tested secrets taught in this book include Cicero's three-step strategy for moving an audience to action, and Honest Abe's Shameless Trick for lowering an audience's expectations. And it's also replete with contemporary techniques such as politicians' use of code language to appeal to specfic groups and an eye-opening assortment of persuasive tricks, including the Eddie Haskell Ploy, the Belushi Paradigm, Stalin's Timing Secret, and the Yoda Technique.    

Whether you're an inveterate lover of language books or just want to win a lot more anger-free arguments on the page, at the podium, or over a beer, Thank You for Arguing is for you. Warm, witty, erudite, and truly enlightening, it not only teaches you how to recognize a paralipsis when you hear it, but also how to wield the weapons of persuasion the next time you really, really, want to get your own way.


My Review
This was an interesting book to read as it focused on the psychology of arguing in order to argue and win. I liked how it did not just focus on simple arguments, but instead focused on techniques used to win. The writing style was well chosen and made it very easy to understand the topic and become interested in it. This is a must have must read for anyone looking to argue or persuade to win!

Saturday, July 15, 2017

An Interesting Read of: The Physics of Everday Things

I personally found this book to be a very interesting read as it offered explanations about physics in relation to everyday situation. This made it a lot easy to understand as I was able to get examples that actually made sense. The author clearly had a good understanding of the topic

NIV Kids' Visual Study Bible, Hardcover, Full Color Interior Explore the Story of the Bible—People, Places, and History By Zondervan

Book Description

The NIV Kids’ Visual Study Bible, for ages 8–12, brings the Bible to life in four-color illustrated splendor. This study Bible includes a spectacular full-color interior featuring over 700 illustrations, photos, infographics, and maps on every page that visually represent key Bible information. Each page also features important facts located near the relevant verse. Intriguing facts; colorful, engaging maps; photographs; and illustrations make this a Bible they’ll want to explore.




Features:
Over 700 four-color photographs, illustrations, infographics, and maps throughout
Full-color design
Book introductions, including important facts and an image to orient the reader
One-column format with side bar study notes for ease of reading
Presentation page
The complete text of the New International Version (NIV) translation of the Bible
Beautiful cover featuring gloss

My Review
I have recently begun to explore and review the different options available in children’s bibles. I have seen bibles for little kids, toddles, pre-teens, and young adults. This bible would fall into the pre-teen category in my opinion because it has illustrations to keep the child interested, yet the bible stories are much more realistic then the toddler bibles. The word choice is also more geared towards someone who knows how to read. That is not to say that someone who could not read could not understand it just that an adult would need to read it and maybe explain a few words here and there.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Infinity by Tabitha Lord

Saturday, July 8, 2017

God Bless My School By Hannah C. Hall

God Bless My School By Hannah C. Hall

Book Description

God Bless My School, the next book in the bestselling God Bless line (with more than 450,000 books sold), introduces young children to all the exciting things that school will bring. Perfect for starting daycare, preschool, and kindergarten, this padded board book helps children view school as a fun, cool place to go.

My Review
God Bless My School By Hannah C. Hall was a very cute children's book with very cute pictures. This is the perfect book for a young child who is in school and learning to read. I loved the animal characters as it made the book so much better for children than human characters would have.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Boardwalk Summer

Boardwalk Summer (Berkley Sensation) by [Fisk, Kimberly] 

Inside the Book

Title: BOARDWALK SUMMER
Author: Kimberly Fisk
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Romance
In the town of Tranquility Bay, summer is the season of second chances…
Single mother Hope Thompson has built a happy life for herself and her twins in beautiful Tranquility Bay, Washington. She doesn’t dwell on her painful past—especially not on the man who broke her heart all those years ago. But when Hope’s beloved son needs help, she takes a desperate chance and reaches out to her children’s father.
Nick Fortune lives life in the spotlight as a champion race car driver. He’s shocked to hear from Hope and even more surprised to learn that he’s a father. He immediately heads to the Pacific Northwest to confront the past—and the woman he once loved.
There, on the quiet lakeshore, Nick and Hope must work together to save their son—even if it means facing their complicated past—for a second chance as a family.
PRAISE FOR BOARDWALK SUMMER
“It was late. I only meant to take a peek but ended up reading BOARDWALK SUMMER in one delicious gulp, and I’m still thinking about the characters. A terrific read. Page turning and deeply emotional. You’ll fall in love with these characters who have so much at stake. Highly recommended.”
Susan Elizabeth Phillips

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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Kimberly FiskMeet the Author

A past recipient of Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Award, Kimberly Fisk is the bestselling author of Lake Magic. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, and too many four-legged critters to count.
Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Boardwalk Summer.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

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My Review
Boardwalk Summer by Kimberly Fisk was the book I chose to take with my on my Key West vacation. I figured it would be something of an easy read that I could easily walk away from. I have never been more happy to be proven wrong the book may have been an easy read, but it was a real struggle to put it down. I felt like I could have easily spent half of my vacation in the pages of this book.

The characters had such a realistic feel to them and the romance had an authentic feel. There was none of that Disney love at first sight love. Instead this was the story of a couple who reconnected due to a mother's love for her child. I had nothing, but the deepest respect for Hope Thompson when she made the choice to reach out to Nick Fortune. I really felt for her as she was a single Mom looking to save the life of her child. The fact that she got a second chance to rekindle a wonderful relationship made me so happy for her.


When I finished the book I was left wondering a bit about the grandmother's relationship with her daughter. The book showed that the two did not get along at all, but after I was left wanting to know more about her as a character especially at the end of the book. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I really hope Kimberly Fisk decides to write a sequel!  

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Horizon by Tabitha Lord

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Colored Pencil Portraits

Colored pencil painter Alyona Nickelsen reveals how to use the medium to push the limits of realistic portraiture.
Colored Pencil Painting Portraits provides straightforward solutions to the problems that artists face in creating lifelike images, and will prime readers on the intricacies of color, texture, shadow, and light as they interplay with the human form. In this truly comprehensive guide packed with step-by-step demonstrations, Nickelsen considers working from photo references versus live models; provides guidance on posing and lighting, as well as planning and composing a work; discusses tools, materials, and revolutionary layering techniques; and offers lessons on capturing gesture and expression and on rendering facial and body features of people of all age groups and skin tones.

Colored Pencil Portraits was an interesting book to read, I am by no means an expert at drawing, but I found the book interesting as it showed me how the experts truly make such works of art with just color pencils. I personally did not have much luck with getting my art to look anything like the pictures, but that is more of an indicator of my skill level than the directions provided.