Category: book review

book review, grammar, New book release, wormen writing, writing, writing in English

GET A GRIP ON YOUR GRAMMAR by Kris Spisak, a book review

Arlene

get a grip  Who would have thought!  Or how did Spisak ever think of writing a book on grammar and making it so entertaining that I carry it with me! It’s a pick up and read when I get a chance, great to read in a waiting room and have everyone else in the room looking at me while my laughter overflows!  This book is an absolute must read for any writer or editor or teacher or anyone who ever picks up a pen -to fill out a form or sign your name or write a note/letter. In other words, this is a book for everyone to love as I do.

Spisak gives us tips on the difference in using bear or bare, doing good or doing well. She also leads us into where to put a comma in greetings. Sounds simple, right? You may be surprised! How about cutting out unnecessary words that drag on you and don’t move your thoughts along?

All these tips are told in a breezy way that pulls your attention in, mingled with stories and examples that help you to remember the reason why or why not to use a word or a phrase, etc. I LOVE THIS BOOK! And (Is that correct?)  I never, ever, believed before that I could love a book on grammar!

PS: Attention school teachers and those who order books for students.

PS #2: More to come on this one.

book review, hauntings, Memoir, paranormal, psychic phenomena

Miles in My Shoes, Years at My Side by Patrick James Smith; Book Review

Arlene

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“I am suddenly aware that I am alone in a timeless and vast pitch black void in which there are no stars, sun, or moon.” This is the opening sentence in Miles in My Shoes, Years at My Side, the memoir of Patrick James Smith in which his strange and sometimes eerie experiences with life are enough to keep you awake at night.

He writes in journal form, accented by bible verses, chronicling moments beginning with his birth. His remarkable memory records events that will be impossible to forget after reading them. He was born in Oklahoma, but grows up criss-crossing the country.  Prophetic dreams come to him as warnings to prepare him for what is ahead. As a child he plays with poisonous snakes but doesn’t get bit, amazing his siblings. An electric shock convulses his young body while he sits in a bathtub full of water, yet he survives. And these are only a few, tiny incidents. There are so much more.

Smith holds nothing back. He reveals all that he has seen, heard, and lived to tell his readers. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the unusual, the shocking, the exhilarating. You won’t fall asleep reading it. You can find it on CreateSpace or Amazon.com.

 

book review, New book release

THE INTUITVE DANCE, Building, Protecting, & Clearing Your Enger by Atherton Drenth

Arlene

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Finally! A book recommended to me that truly appeals to those who are just discovering their intuitive abilities, who have already awakened and studied the intuitive, and to those who are fully enwrapped in intuitive knowledge. I’ve been reading this book slowly so the words soak into me, lest I forget anything. It’s a book I’ve lined with marginal notes and circled words and stuck arrows in, to draw my attention the next time I read it. I know it will be bedside for a re-read and for referencing so I keep the benefits I’m enjoying now. In other words this book has become mine and will remain close for a long time!
Drenth is a medical intuitive who uses the results of her research from thousands of patients to help us on our journey, through brief, easy-peasy exercises that made immediate changes in my life. She uses techniques that are easily adaptable, for us to tap into, and rely on, that intuition we all have but are sometimes afraid to believe in.
When we become truly aware of the people and the world around us, we also become aware of the dangers of negative people trying to influence us in ways that are not beneficial. Drenth instructs us on how to protect ourselves from them. You’ll easily recognize how important and simple this is to do.
Those readers who have a difficult time sleeping are going to love Chapter 6. Remember how refreshed you were after a good night’s sleep? You can have those nights every night again. I know because I’ve benefitted from this chapter and there is so much more! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

book review, family, fiction, genealogy, general, paranormal

THEM THAT GO by Becky Mushko-book review

Arlene

dscf4303 Appalachian high school senior Annie Caldwell talks to the animals and they talk back. She’s a quiet girl who keeps to herself until she decides that she wants to be as normal as other kids, the ones that don’t even know about the gift of being able to converse with animals of all sorts. But plans can go array as hers does when a high school cheerleader goes missing.
While she keeps abreast of all the changes going on around her, quilting comes into her life. As her Aint Lulie teaches her, she also learns much about traditions, family genealogy, being psychic, and secrets.
Them That Go is a wonderful story peeking into the mountain way of life of the 1970s. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

American History, book review, New book release, poetic narrative, Poetry, reflection, The South

LOOKING FOR ‘CUDA BROWN by Thomas Park- book review

Arlene

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This collection of extraordinary poems tells the story of vivid, African-American characters who have passed through the life of the author in a small, rural town in the South. Sometimes they entertain and sometimes salty tears burst, overflowing the eyelid wells, for the terrible tragedy of a life. Park has reached deep into his soul to let you know that these people lived and died and mattered, without any judgment from him. If these characters were not noticed in life, they will remain with the reader for a long, lingering time.
In all his honesty, Park reports on events that happened . . . and didn’t happen. When dreams blossomed with hope for a community and were taken away leaving disappointment for many who worked hard, giving their all, to bring about ideal living. The author exudes love of his community. He shows this caring by continuing to encourage the arts, the love of words and writing to anyone who wants to participate. I love this book.

book review, cookbooks, dreams, Memoir, New book release, paranormal, reflection, women, women's stories

SNAPSHOTS: Memories and Recipes by Sandra Martin -book review

Arlene

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These SNAPSHOTS are indeed as varied as the photos that lay in your own drawer at home. Martin’s snaps are words from the life she lived growing up on a Bracey, Virginia farm to Virginia Beach to Manhattan, New York to time spent across country, around the world, and back to holding events in the Dairy Barn on the farm. Her adventures in the big cities as a literary agent and executive producer for television are balanced between recipes from her passion of cooking for friends.
As her spirituality grows, so does her intensity of life. Dreams play a major role as she executive produces the series of The Power of Dreams for the Discovery Channel, interviewing names that every household recognizes.
Martin is a woman who has lived a fascinating life by making things happen, by following her intuition, listening to her dreams, and doesn’t mind talking about it. This is a fabulous read that will inspire others to go ahead, step out, and take a chance on life. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

book review, living with ghosts, paranormal, Uncategorized, women's stories

PROMISED BY HEAVEN A doctor’s return from the afterlife to a destiny of love and healing by Dr. Mary Helen Hensley

Arlene

promised heaven      This book begins with a punch and ends with a punch, and in between is a story that is nearly impossible to put down. Be prepared to sit up all night reading.

The story opens with Mary Helen Hensley in a hospital coming back to life after a fatal car accident. She was nearing her 22 birthday. I began marking the paragraphs and underlining sentences on page 5 and continued until the end.

Hensley holds nothing back. She doesn’t make herself out to be a hero, just a woman trying her best to do good and to get through life, being loved and loving. She tells us how difficult that can be. Her pain when life hits low points, are not hidden, but laid out there for you to understand. Her metaphysical experiences are clearly explained, so you can understand those, too.

Her writing about her life and metaphysical experiences has led me to understand many of my own. This is a book to keep and read again and again, learning more from it each time. Thank you, Mary Helen Hensley for writing this book.

book review, women, women's stories

THE MUNICH GIRL by Phyllis Edgerly Ring book review

Arlene

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THE MUNICH GIRL by Phyllis Edgerly Ring

Over the years many books about WWII have landed in my lap. I thought there couldn’t possibly be another avenue to look at this war. Until now. This is a hard-to-put-down book, giving another viewpoint of the well-known, but not much known about person, Hitler’s wife, Eva Braun. (She is rarely, if ever, referred to as his wife.)

Yet, she is only a small part of the story, the part entwined with Anna and her mother, the every day part that we all live. The story blends those who were inside Germany, but not followers of Hitler, and the Allies who came from outside Germany to defeat him.

There is so much going on in this fictional story that reads like it is true, probably because of all the detailed research the author conducted and the personal feeling she brings to the page. There are surprises to unwrap. Nothing is predictable, which makes the story even better. I LOVE THIS BOOK! And it’s a book that I will re-read.

book review, New book release, Uncategorized

CASSANDRA AND THE GI P.I. vol. 3 by Meriwether Shipley

Arlene

DSCF4228 The saga moves along in this Dupont Circle mystery, as does the Cassandra/Harry relationship. We learn a bit more about Harry’s background, the youth and childhood that gives him the foundation he thrives on now, as they continue to prepare for the Big Day. . .the wedding.

In the meantime, we step back into the Civil War period as Cassandra, Harry, and best buds, Chris and Mother, drive to Cinque Terra to help a wounded warrior. The mental wounds seem to be more difficult to heal. This is what Harry does, helping to heal those who suffer like he does.

Harry is a busy man. He also has this new interest in the theatre he bought. Cousin Bill is helping him with that, along the way of falling in love. There is a possibility of an explosion in that area, since an art expert has stepped into the arena.

Really, what’s all this about Panama? It’s connection to Washington, D.C.? I anxiously await for Volume 4.

book review, books, general, Uncategorized, women, women's stories, writing

CONSULTATION WITH CHRIS HEIVLY COMPLIMENTS OF LISA HAGAN BOOKS. . . . GIVEAWAY WIN!

Arlene

me, chrisDSCF4111   What’s more exciting than winning a 2-hour consultation with Build the Fort author Chris Heivly? Actually having my consultation with him, at his headquarters on W. Main Street in Durham! That’s what.
Always aware of my surroundings, I was especially delighted in the set-up laid out before me. It is like a bee hive with all the different pockets of work spaces filled and everyone in them happily busy at work. This is a cheerful place, full of bright colors that instill confidence at first glance. It’s a place where dreams are confided and fulfilled. I’ve read the book (review posted already) loved it and now I am here to fill in the blank spaces. That’s with Chris’ guidance, of course.
The time has come to branch out, to make a plan to learn what avenues I need to travel in order to offer my talents and services to those who will benefit from them on a business level. I’ve been volunteering for many, many years now and it’s time to spread my wings and fly.
Chris is fabulous! He’s easy to talk to, immediately understands all my inadequate feelings of not knowing, how and where, to proceed next. We talked with comfort like I’d known him since he was born. That is very cool. He was also very helpful in getting me on my feet. I came home with a notebook loaded with ideas and scribbles that will direct me with confidence. I’m ready to set out and set the world aglow!
Thanks to LISA HAGAN BOOKS! For this great opportunity in winning this champion of wins!
A bunch of thanks to Chris Heivly, instructing me on how to Build the Fort! I’m on my way!