Search This Blog

Saturday, November 20, 2021

 

Recorder

About the Book

Book: Recorder

Author: Cathy McCrumb

Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction

Release date: November 8, 2021

Recorder-Hi-rez FINALThe Consortium is All. But Recorder Can No Longer Obey. 

Recorder has no family, no friends, and no name. Donated to the Consortium before birth, her sole purpose is to maintain and verify the records. A neural implant and drone ensure compliance, punishing for displays of bias.

Suddenly cut off from controlling technology, Recorder tastes what it means to be human. But if the Consortium discovers her feelings, everyone she knows will be in danger.

With no name, no resources, and only an infinitesimal possibility of escape, Recorder’s time is running out.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Cathy HinkleCathy McCrumb graduated from Biola University with a degree in English Literature and a love for stories. She and her husband, whom she met while writing letters to soldiers, have five children and currently live within the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. While writing is one of her favorite things to do, she also enjoys reading, long hikes and long naps, gluten-free brownies and raspberries, and crocheting while watching science fiction movies with friends and family.

 

More from Cathy

When I was about three, my first imaginary friend, Sally from Clap-Hands-Land, threw a man’s hat in the air. At the time, I found her action uproariously funny, though I no longer remember why. As I grew older, speculative fiction—almost any variety of fantasy or science fiction—became my favorite stories to tell and read.

Once I had children, however, all I managed were practical lists on scraps of paper. I shoved down that desire to create until after my youngest was born, when a friend challenged me to write again. That first short story began a landslide of words and ideas about grace, worth, and the sometimes-bittersweet reality of daily life. Soon afterward, a story was born from a vivid dream set on a stark moonscape. As I wrote it down, the Recorder herself sprang into being, and Recorder became inextricably bound to her point of view.

For me, stories are fundamentally about possibilities. The tension between catastrophe and eucatastrophe plays out with relative safety on the page. I believe that when ideas and themes intersect, however, stories can reach deep within authors and readers. Indeed, if they do not touch the author, they are unlikely to impact anyone else. When failure, grief, and evil are contrasted with faith, hope, and love, the narratives inspire deeper connections with our own emotions, others, and God. Tales of light and dark challenge us with the opportunity to think through truths and lies without leaving home.

And yet, transformation itself isn’t safe, and therefore fiction can’t be, either. The risks inherent in change open the possibilities of growth and failure. Stories provide an exploration of becoming. They can open a divide through which we can glimpse something greater or worse than our own worlds. Fiction allows us a place where we can practice and triumph.

And maybe, perhaps, even throw our hats into the air.

MY REVIEW 

The cover of the book really caught my eye and I was already excited about reading the book. I was ready to blast off into another world where everything was different and intriguing. The Recorder is a fascinating character and one that was very important to the mission ahead. The beginning is  very creative and I was hooked on the story from then on. As the Recorder is injured the author makes you sense the pain she goes through. The crew is trying to save her, but danger waited just a few feet from them. I cringed as the creature was a big cockroach. Oh how I hate them and in this story they are vicious and determined to destroy anything in their path. 

I was shocked at how much damage the Recorder sustained  when she was finally returned to the medical bay. I could imagine the shock on her face when she realizes the damage that was done to her. Now what  was she going to do when everything she once knew about herself is different?

With the question of sabotage will the Recorder be able to figure out what went wrong and who was behind the chaos? I did like how Recorder started to have human feelings and how that affected her. All her life she has been programmed not to have any feelings.  

The story does have conflict as some are not sure Recorder can be trusted but others come to her aide and help her as she discovers what it is like to care about others and have friends. I loved reading how Recorder wanted to protect her new friends as the time drew near  for her departure. Oh this part is so good and  emotional that tears streamed down my face. There is definitely a cliffhanger at the end and I am hopeful we get another book soon. I must know what happens to Recorder . 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 20

Texas Book-aholic, November 21

Mary Hake, November 21

Inklings and notions, November 22

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, November 23

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 23

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 24

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 24

Blogging With Carol, November 25

Labor Not in Vain, November 26

For Him and My Family, November 26

deb’s Book Review, November 27

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 28

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 29

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 30

Through the fire blogs, November 30

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, December 1

Wishful Endings, December 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 3

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Cathy is giving away the grand prize of a personalized, signed hardcover copy!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/137ec/recorder-celebration-tour-giveaway


 

God is Coming

About the Book

Book: God Is Coming

Author: Maggie Philpot

Genre: Children’s books, Christian books

Release date: October 15, 2021

Image 8-3-21 at 1.19 PMIn a search for a book that presented the beauty and mystery of the advent season with elegance and simplicity meant to be enjoyed by the entire family, God Is Coming was born. This Advent Journey traces the story of God’s relentless pursuit of His children and all of the anticipation of the holiday season in simple, rhyme and meter. Children and adults alike will be touched by the reminders of the profound truths of the gospel and families will return to these stories and these iconic images year after year.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Maggie PhilpotMaggie Philpot wrote her first children’s story when she was in middle school (a story about an egg named Eggbert) and she has been dreaming up stories ever since. She lives in Fort Worth with her spectacular husband (whom she calls Husband), her two precocious children, and a rather ridiculous dog, Tucker. She is passionate about anything and anyone who attempts to make beauty, order, and meaning in this crazy world. The simple act of writing is one way to do just that.

 

More from Maggie

In a search for a book that presented the beauty and mystery of the Advent season with elegance and simplicity, God Is Coming was born. This book traces the story of God’s pursuit of His children and all of the anticipation of the Christmas season in simple, rhyme and meter. This year available in a deluxe hardback edition with full-color illustrations, offering you the opportunity to bring home a truly heirloom-quality book to be a part of your holiday traditions!

MY REVIEW 

The book is a hardcover with a beautiful cover that invites you inside the pages. I felt like I was opening a treasure as I started to read the book. This is a perfect book to use with your family as you celebrate the Advent season. It takes you  through all twenty-five days with brief poem like pages. Each one is accompanied with illustrations that are vivid and eye catching. 

I did notice that each poem ends with the same stanza in each part of the book At the end of the book there are scriptures given that references each day til the twenty-fifth. This would be an ideal gift to give to a family to use during the Advent. I do think if I was using it with children I would ask questions after each day to make sure they understood what was read. Including everyone in the discussion will help your family use this as a devotional and share what they each discovered after the day’s page is read aloud. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Lighthouse-Academy, November 17

Vicky Sluiter, November 17

Simple Harvest Reads, November 18 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, November 19

Inklings and notions, November 19

Texas Book-aholic, November 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 21

deb’s Book Review, November 22

The Adventures of a Travelers Wife, November 23

For Him and My Family, November 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 24

Labor Not in Vain, November 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 26

Mary Hake, November 26

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 27

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 29

Maureen’s Musings, November 29

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Maggie is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of God Is Coming and a hand-crafted wooden advent spiral!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/13cf9/god-is-coming-celebration-tour-giveaway


Wednesday, November 17, 2021

 

Creative Glory

About the Book

Book: Creative Glory

Author: Joshua Mills

Genre: RELIGION / Christianity/Pentecostal & Charismatic

Release date: November 9, 2021

9781641237154Creative glory is the inspirational flow of the Holy Spirit that shines God’s life, hope, joy, provision, and wisdom into any situation you may be facing.

Best-selling author Joshua Mills explains that when we are in an atmosphere of creative glory, it becomes easy to think new thoughts or receive fresh ideas because we are in the atmosphere of the Creator’s heart and mind. Wherever we allow creative glory to flow, as we embrace the realm of divine expression, we will supernaturally flourish.

Creative glory manifests to…

•    Usher God’s ideas and creativity into your life to accomplish His plans and meet your needs.
•    Bring forth what is new—what has never been seen or recognized by you before.
•    Cause self-discovery and awakening, enabling you to create, to invent, and to explore new possibilities.
•    Minister through spiritual “sound,” accompanied by healings, signs, and wonders.
•    Pour out the pure flow of heaven’s intentions, exhibiting heavenly realities in the earthly realm and helping God’s people to get back on track with His will.
•    Produce creative miracles, such as supernatural multiplication or restored or newly created limbs, organs, and more.
•    Release dreams and visions from God.
•    Supply supernatural provision.
•    Reproduce itself in our lives and others’.

As long as you are carried by creative glory, you always have hope because creative glory cannot fail. It will guide you to find the right solution to any difficulty or need. The flow of creative glory will lead you in a process of deep growth as you learn to see circumstances and problems in a new light to fulfill the present and future that God desires for you and the world around you.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Joshua-Mills-on-the-set-of-Sid-Roths-Its-Supernatural-ShowJoshua Mills is an internationally recognized ordained minister of the gospel, as well as a recording artist, keynote conference speaker, and author of more than twenty books and spiritual training manuals. His recent books include 7 Divine MysteriesPower Portals, Moving in Glory Realms, Seeing Angels, and Encountering Your Angels. He is well known for his unique insights into the glory realm, prophetic sound, and the supernatural atmosphere that he carries. For more than twenty years, he has helped people discover the life-shifting truths of salvation, healing, and deliverance for spirit, soul, and body. Joshua and his wife, Janet, cofounded International Glory Ministries and have ministered on six continents in over seventy-five nations. They have also been featured in several film documentaries and print articles, and have ministered to millions around the world through radio, television, and online webcasts. They have three children: Lincoln, Liberty, and Legacy.

More from Joshua

Wherever you allow creative glory to flow, you will supernaturally flourish.

Blog Stops

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 16

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 17

Texas Book-aholic, November 18

For Him and My Family, November 19

Inklings and notions, November 20

Fiction Book Lover, November 20

deb’s Book Review, November 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 23

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 24

Artistic Nobody, November 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 26

Simple Harvest Reads, November 27

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, November 27

Cats in the Cradle Blog, November 28

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Joshua is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card & copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/137e8/creative-glory-celebration-tour-giveaway


 

Murder at the Empire

About the Book

Book: Murder at the Empire

Author: Cathe Swanson

Genre: Christian Historical Mystery, Fairytale retelling

Release date: October 5, 2021

Murder at the Empire CoverGayle Wells is a killer organist, but does a killer have her in his sights?

They call him the Emperor.  John Starek fills his theater with fine artwork and treasures. He’s particularly pleased to have one of the country’s first female organists – and he thinks Gayle Wells is the bee’s knees.

Despite pressure from her social crusader mother, Gayle isn’t interested in changing the world. She just wants a car of her own – and a career playing the organ at the Empire movie palace would be especially ducky.

Then the Empire’s treasures start disappearing and employees start dying. Are a few pieces of art really enough motive for the string of murders? Will Gayle be next?

Murder at the Empire brings the Nightingale into an elegant movie palace in the roaring 20’s – but the real excitement is all off-screen.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

6-20-2016-1000After 40 years of wandering (but always in lovely places and not in a desert), Cathe Swanson has recently returned to her childhood home and family in Minnesota.  In the summer, she and her husband enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and being outdoors, gardening, hiking, birdwatching, and kayaking. The long winters are perfect for writing books, playing games, reading, and indoor hobbies. Cathe’s been a quilter and teacher of quiltmaking for over 25 years and enjoys just about any kind of creative work, especially those involving fiber or paper.

Everything inspires new books! A lifelong love of quilting, Cathe’s Swedish heritage and an interest in genealogy led to The Glory Quilts series, and The Hope Again series is inspired by her life in the Midwest and experiences with the elderly, the military, and inner-city ministry. As a child of the sixties, she’s having fun writing about hippies and the Jesus People movement in the Serenity Hill series.

 

Cathe writes books with creative plots and engaging characters of all ages, to glorify God and entertain and bless readers. Her heartwarming stories will make you laugh and make you cry – and then make you laugh again.

 

More from Cathe

The 1920’s is a fascinating era. Women had recently won the right to vote, and America adopted the Volstead Act – Prohibition – which led to the growth of underground clubs and organized crime. Women were forging new paths in social reform, politics, science, medicine and every other career. America became more urbanized, building suburbs and developing a large middle-class population. The affordable automobile changed the entire culture! It was a time of innovation and rapidly expanding technology. Synthetic fabrics, convenience foods, electric appliances and other inventions made daily life easier. People had more free time, money and access to a variety of entertainments than ever before.

 

So much happened in this brief, exciting decade between the end of WWI and the Great Depression! It’s always interested me, so I was flattered and thrilled when Celebrate Lit Publishing invited me to participate in The Ever After Mysteries, a collection of 1920’s mysteries inspired by fairy tales. I’m a great fan of mysteries from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, and I read at least a thousand fairy tales as a child.

 

To be honest… I set about it backward. I knew I wanted to write about a young woman playing the Mighty Wurlitzer organ to accompany silent films at a glamorous movie palace, so I Iooked for a fairy tale to match it!

 

I chose The Nightingale, an old Chinese story about an Emperor with a beautiful palace. Everything in it was exquisite and fragile, and people came from all over the world to admire his palace. He loved to show it off and even tied little bells to the prettiest blossoms in the garden, to make sure no one missed them. When the emperor heard rumors about a bird that sang more beautifully than anything else, he sought it out and brought it home to live in the palace, where it could sing to entertain him and his guests.

At that point, the fairy tale and my story diverge. In the fairy tale, the nightingale lives in the palace singing for the court until the Emperor of Japan presents the Emperor of China with a bejeweled mechanical bird – so much prettier than the plain brown nightingale. The Chinese emperor abandons the real bird and enjoys the mechanical one until it breaks. He falls into a deep depression and is only restored to health by the return of the real nightingale.

 

None of that happens in Murder at the Empire, but there’s lot of other fun, jazzy excitement as the John Starek – the “Emperor” – fills his magnificent movie palace with fine artwork and beautiful things – including Chicago’s first female theater organist, Gayle Wells. He thinks she’s the bee’s knees, but she’s a pretty independent girl, busy working and saving money to buy her own car.

 

And then things start falling apart… with murder at the Empire. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it!

MY REVIEW 

The series is set in the 1920s where prohibition was going on. I loved reading  about the speakeasy clubs and how they tried to go undetected by the police. The author does a good job of incorporating the speakeasy era into her story with details that fascinated me. I am always excited when a new book comes out in this series because I can’t wait to see what fairytale the author has chosen to retell. 

I am not familiar with the fairytale this story was based on but I did read the authors notes about it. I have to say she did an excellent job of making the story of a theater cone to life with similarities from the story of the emperor. I enjoyed the tour of the theater and was quite intrigued with how it operated. I had no idea that live music was played during acts. How exciting it must have been to be in the audience.

Gayle is thrilled to get a job as an organist in the magnificent theater. It was decorated with valuable artifacts which certainly attracted many. It did seem odd that these valuable pieces were in the open unguarded. I wonder why they weren’t behind locked cases where they would have been more secure? Perhaps the owner didn’t think anyone would steal them in the open. It just bothered me that a detail like that was not addressed by the owner. 

I did have a bit of trouble keeping  up  with so many characters in the story. There were quite a few that made me confused at times. The mystery was good but I knew that our main character would somehow become a suspect. Gayle does try to help as much as she could but I think the police were focusing too much on her at times. 

Set against a setting of entertainment during the 1920s the book has some interesting historical facts that place you right in the action. The author did grab my attention at the mention of  Capone.  That really intrigued me and that for  me was where the story became interesting. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to spoil the ending. If you are  looking for a good mystery grab a copy of this book and travel back in time to the 1920s. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 16

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 17

Blossoms and Blessings, November 17

Texas Book-aholic, November 18

Blogging With Carol, November 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 19

deb’s Book Review, November 20

Sodbusterliving, November 20

Inklings and notions, November 21

For Him and My Family, November 22

Simple Harvest Reads, November 22 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 23

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 24

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 24

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, November 25 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, November 25

Connie’s History Classroom, November 26

Genesis 5020, November 26

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 27

Connect in Fiction, November 27

Back Porch Reads, November 28

Through the fire blogs, November 28

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 29

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Cathe is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/133b9/murder-at-the-empire-celebration-tour