Shoshana and Aaron Tie the Knot: A Pike Logan Thriller

Pike and Jennifer are on a case in Jerusalem. There is a rumor that a terrorist cell is planning an attack on the West Wall. However, that’s not the reason they’re there. They’ve been hired to look into the illegal sale of artifacts and attend the wedding of Shoshana and Aaron.

The action is non-stop with an Israeli agent trying to use the terrorist attack to get the Arabs out of the holy city. However, the best part for me was the view of Shoshana as a bride. She’s happy and although she hasn’t lost her skills, she shows us her gentler side.

The big question is will the wedding be a factor in pushing Jennifer and Pike closer to matrimony. I wouldn’t hold my breath.

This is a great short read. The action is fast paced and the characters are delightful. I highly recommend this short novel if you’re a Pike fan, or just curious about the series.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Techno-Thriller with Drone Technology

Marshall Hail, a Physics Nobel prize winner and billionaire, was devastated when his family was killed in a terrorist attack. In retaliation, he turned to using his assets to fight terrorism, planning to kill all the terrorists on the FBI’s most-wanted list.

His primary mode of attack is a group of advanced drones manipulated by young gamers, they allow him to target his enemies anywhere in the world. The story opens with one of these drones operating over North Korea.

The plot involves someone selling nuclear warheads to North Korea. The plan is to destroy these weapons before they can be used to devastate the free world.

In addition to Marshall, one of the main characters is a beautiful CIA agent who joins him in the quest to keep the government informed about his activities. The characters are basically stereotypes, the brilliant scientist and the beautiful spy. This doesn’t matter too much in a thriller where the action is more important than character development, but I found the characters flat, and it didn’t add to the enjoyment of the book.

The best part of this novel is the description of technology. The descriptions are detailed and very well done. The drone technology is particularly current and fascinating. The only problem I had was that they tended to become somewhat repetitious slowing the action.

If you like thrillers with a heavy dose of technology, you may enjoy this book.

I received this book from the author for this review.

Chip Gaines’ Philosophy

Chip Gaines thinks clearly about what’s important in his life. This includes his wife, children and businesses. Other things are great to have, but not if they cause you to sacrifice the first three. This led him and Johanna to give up their TV show, Fixer Upper. Chip describes in detail how much he loved the show, but also why they had to leave.

The book is not a business book. It’s Chip’s story, but it has valuable information for the would be entrepreneur. The major advice is be ready for hard work. Take risks, but be ready to deal with failure not as a setback, but as a learning experience so that you can do better the next time.

Chip has excellent principles and a serious work ethic. He also knows how to give young people a chance to shine in the workplace. People need to learn things for themselves. Being spoon-fed doesn’t build the resilience you need to succeed in business.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for advice on how to view becoming an entrepreneur. The gains can be substantial, but it’s important to have an outlook that lets you grow from all your experiences. If you fail, get up, figure out what went wrong, and try again.

This book is also great fun, if you’re a fan of Fixer Upper. The behind the scenes look at keeping up with four kids, a television show, and several businesses is well worth reading.

I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.

A Slower Way to Connect with God

In our culture, we love fast food, social media, anything that gives us instant gratification. As Chole points out, this may not be the most effective way to connect with God. Conferences and spiritual retreats are great for the quick fix, but we need something on a daily basis that connects us to our Savior.

This book consists of 52 chapters. The format is a devotional followed by exercises. One exercise focuses on how your heart responds to the reading. The other is a more in depth exercise that encourages you to look at your life by filling out a Life Scroll. I found both exercises useful. The scroll is more demanding, asking you to take a person inventory of your life.

I highly recommend this book. Too much in our lives are brief not giving us time to meditate on the things that are important to us. This book, if followed, opens the way for you to find a calm way to connect with your life and God, and see his plans for you.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.  

IQ Tracks His Brother’s Killer

IQ idolized his older brother, Marcus. When Marcus was killed by a hit-and-run driver, his grief was overwhelming. When he recovered, he stopped searching for the hit-and-run vehicle. Then, by chance, he finds the car and deduces that Marcus death was not an accident, but a hit. Now he’s on the trial of the killer.

Another relationship from the past comes back to haunt IQ. His brother’s girlfriend, Sarita, calls and asks to see him. He’s had a crush on her for years, but fears his social skills aren’t up to attracting her. Sarita has a problem for him to solve. Her half-sister, Janine, and her boyfriend, Benny, are in serious trouble. They’re in hock for their gambling debts to loan shark who specializes in violence to collect his money.

This is a good followup to the original IQ book. Many of the same characters, Dodson, Deronda, TK and others are featured in the story. IQ now has a pit bull which adds a nice element to the story. As with the previous book, the action is non-stop.

The story is set in LA, but IQ travels to Vegas to try to resolve Janine’s issues. Both setting are realistically portrayed. The two story lines, IQ’s search for his brothers killer, and Janine’s gambling problems, are interwoven throughout the story. The author cleverly brings them together at the end.

IQ is a very likable character. He knows he has problems, his lack of social skills, and trying to reconcile to his brother’s death, the book shows him trying to rise above his problems and presents his struggles in a realistic light.

If you enjoy a fast moving thriller with good characters, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Mulholland Books for this review.  

Fates and Traitors Available in Paperback

Fates and Traitors, the novel of John Wilkes Booth and  the women in his life, is available to day in paperback. I reviewed the book last year. Here's a link to the review. 

http://nancyfamolari.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-lincoln-assassinations-effect-on.html.

 I enjoyed the book. I hope you do, too.

Rediscovering the Joys of Home

Eva at forth-five is a successful advertising executive in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up in Oxford, Mississippi surrounded by her mother’s perennial gardens and the history and literary background of the beautiful Southern town.

However, not everything was peaceful in her family. Eva’s older sister, Bitsy, was rabidly jealous constantly accusing Eva of telling lies. Bitsy finally drove Eva away. She stayed at home, married an account executive, and took the position of good daughter.

It’s the parents’ fiftieth anniversary. Eva’s parents call begging her to come home for the celebration. She’s reluctant. A major project is about to launch, but her father is insistent to the point of buying an airline ticket, so Eva finds herself back at home having to deal with all the unresolved issues she left behind.

The book is filled with lush descriptions of the Mississippi landscape and Eva’s mother’s gardens. I loved the historical anecdotes about the area and particularly the information about the gardens.

Eva is a character you can sympathize with. If you’ve been bullied for your whole childhood, you’re not anxious to go back and repeat the experience. From her phone conversations with her sister, she knows that Bitsy will be sniping at her again.

What I didn’t like about the book was the attitude of the parents. They knew that Eva was being bullied by Bitsy, but they retreated behind a wall of wanting peace in the family and let it continue. I think this is a bad message for parents. Eva managed to survive, but it tainted her whole life.

The book is worth reading if only to linger in Oxford, Mississippi for a few hours.

I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.

Pain and Hope Shape Our Lives

Our lives are filled with loss, pain, memory and hope. Beuchner writes poignantly about each of these emotions in his life.

Perhaps the hardest part to read is the first chapters on pain. Beuchner’s father committed suicide when Frederick was a young boy. For many years he couldn’t grieve, pushing the memory down. Because the memory was pushed down so hard it haunted him until finally he was able to talk about it. Now he writes beautifully about it. If you’ve lost someone under difficult circumstances, his story will resonate with you.

The other painful story is of his daughter’s struggle with anorexia and his difficultly coping with it. He recalls a friend coming to sit with him during this trying time. It reminds us how sometimes just being there for someone is enough.

At the end of the book Beuchner focuses on memory and what comes next. He conjures up memories of his grandmother. Although she has been dead for many years he feels close to her and has wonderful imaginative dialogues about the meaning of life and remembering.

If you struggle with loss, this is a good book. I particularly enjoyed the section of reflections at the end, short musings that give you something to meditate on.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.

Thoughts about Finding God in Your Life

Frederick Beuchner writes as though he were having a friendly visit with you, sharing his views on God and reflecting on his own story. It’s a wonderful way to spend a few hours.

In the first part of the book Beuchner focuses on the arts, music, painting and literature as a way to become attuned to your life. Music is a particularly good way to be present in the moment. In music we can feel time. It helps us focus on being in the world.

In the second half of the book, Beuchner tells stories from his own life. I particularly liked the one about Maya Angelou. They were featured on the same program each telling their story. When he introduced Angelou, he spoke of the differences between their stories, but Maya focused on the similarities. Beuchner concludes that the justification for telling your own story is that it will resonate with others.

Some of the stories are poignant. Beuchner talks of his father’s suicide. It took many years for him to come to grips with his feelings. I think that’s why he so often tells the story.

This is a lovely book. It gives you much food for thought, a book to be savored not taken at a gulp.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.

 

Blessings from a Struggle with Mental Illness

Sheila Walsh has struggled with thoughts of suicide. When she was a child, her father committed suicide and like many small children she was afraid she was responsible. For years Walsh struggled alone, not willing to let others into her deepest secrets.

Then she collapsed on stage with a mental breakdown and was hospitalized. This enforced hospitalization and a confrontation with her mother finally started her on the road to embracing her problems and coming closer to God.

The basic message of this book is that God loves us, and he’s there to support us in both small problems and big tragedies. Through meditation and prayer Walsh encourages us to be truthful and not hide our deepest problems. God is there for us. She found that when she was able to confront her problems and suicidal tendencies, she became closer to God and could more easily feel his presence.

I think one of my favorite scenes in the book is when during a speech, she feels the urge to tell people about her struggles and to invite those who face similar problems to come to the stage. She was emotionally humbled when not one or two women headed for the stage. Most of the audiance came. Too many of us struggle alone and try to hide our problems even from God. I recommend this book is for anyone suffering alone.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.

Friendship and an Escape to Regency England

Mary Davies, a talented design engineer, works at WATTS, a high tech company in which she was one of the first employees. She loves her job, but her current project, Golightly, is not going well and Mary can’t seem to involve others in giving her help.

A very attractive management consultant, Nathan, tries to help her through the difficulty. He’s obviously interested in her, but Mary can’t let him in. In fact, she pushes him away although she’d like nothing better than to chase him.

With her job going sour, Isabel, Mary’s childhood friend, invites her to a two week trip to England to stay in a gorgeous Regency estate for a Jane Austen costume party. Each person will adopt a character from Austen and dress the part of a Regency lady or gentleman for the week.

Mary doesn’t want to go, but her father, who considers Isabel a second daughter, convinces her that Isabel needs her and she needs to get away. As the week progresses, Mary realizes in a frightening way how correct he was.

This is a lovely book. The start is rather slow, introducing us to Mary and her work problems, but when the two girls get to Bath, the action picks up. The descriptions of the house, Braithwaite, the grounds, and the wardrobes for the girls are delicious. They make you want to take the same holiday.

The characters, particularly Mary, Isabel and Nathan, are very well done. You may not like Isabel all the time, but her character is perfect for her difficult childhood. The other guests staying at the house are wonderful, particularly the child, Clara, and Helene, on a holiday with her much loved eighty-year-old husband. As the characters play their roles in the Austen party, they learn about themselves and become more accepting of each other.

I highly recommend this book, particularly if you’re an Austen Fan.

I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.   

Devotions for Young Women

Although this book is aimed at young women, I think it could be enjoyed by all woman. In today’s world, young women face many challenges from dating and social pressures to bullying and friendship. The devotions in this book address these issues and others in easy to read language that brings the love of God to the young woman.

The book is structured for a full year of devotions. Each page contains a scriptural message and a devotion that focuses on an aspect of the message. In addition, there are lines at the bottom of the page for making notes.

I love the design of the book. It feels solid in your hand. The pages are thick giving it a feel of permanence. This is a book that you can use for years. The art on the pages echoes the cover design and gives the book an attractive artistic appearance.

I enjoyed the devotions and highly recommend the book. I think while they are designed for young women, mothers and grandmothers would also like the book. It gives insight on how to deal with some of the issues facing their daughters and granddaughters.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.