The Souls of Lost Lake - A Review

                                    

The Souls of Lost Lake

by

Jaime Jo Wright

A Review

Two women living 90 years apart are searching for their past. They both reside in Tempter’s Creek, a rural community located near Lost Lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Both are victims of serious crimes and almost become victims of a more serious crime except for the grace of God.

This faith-based novel intertwines two mysteries, two romances, and two complex lives, into a interest-holding story that was difficult to put down. We see God working in the lives of broken people and the results when those people rely on God and they reject that grace and mercy offered to them during the dark times of their lives. The reader also sees the cost that people will pay for making difficult choices.

The result is a book that is perfect summer reading around the campfire or in the days leading up to Halloween. Though Ava Coons may still be roaming the woods around Lost Lake (as the rumors say), the book receives 5-stars from this reader.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Heart of American Poetry - A Review

 

The Heart of
American Poetry

by

Edward Hirsch

A Review

Edward Hirsch has compiled an eclectic collection of poetry written by Americans, some well-known and some less so. The poems are accompanied with essays which help the reader understand the environment within which the authors were writing.

Though I only recently found a new appreciation for poetry, I think if this book had been the first I had stumbled upon to refresh my exposure to this genre, I would have said, “No, thank you.” There is little to unite the pieces included except (as indicated in the title) it is American Poetry. As I read, I felt as if I were back in my very unsatisfying freshman literature class. As I did, so many years ago, I would walk away and say, “No more!”

Some of the poems were engaging, but many were not. The result is a collection, a book, that receives only three stars from this reader.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Mining for Murder - A Review

 

Mining for Murder

by

Mary Angela

A Review

Spirit Canyon SD was located in the middle of a tourist destination surrounded by Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devil’s Tower. It was also an antique hunter's dream. That is what brought Zo (aka Zoelle) to Mountain View Manor and Vera Dalrymaple’s estate sale. Vera had been a professor at Black Mountain College before her passing. Zo’s interest was in the trinkets she had collected over the years, but the most exciting item was an extremely rare book, My Journey West. Though it sold for $16,000 at the estate sale, it was worth so much more - maybe even a man’s life.

Zo’s interest in the book was two-fold. First, she did want to find the person responsible for the murder. She also wanted to see what the book might say about her own heritage. But with the murder, the book had disappeared.

The result is a nice cozy mystery that occasionally had this reader searching for the very real history that lay beneath the legends that provided a foundation for this work of fiction. I give the book 4-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Quest 52 - A Review

 

Quest 52

by

Mark E. Moore

A Review

Quest 52 is a year-long look at the person of Jesus using a set of 52 devotions including daily readings for throughout the year. The book divides itself four groups of 13 studies based on four different themes:

1. The Person of Jesus
2. The Power of Jesus
3. The Preaching of Jesus
4. The Passion of Jesus

Each of the 52 studies consists of an extended essay (ca. 10 pages), 5 daily devotional exercises, and a collection of “bonus material” available on-lkine. These include videos and PDFs of helpful resources.

The book stands out for a variety of reasons. it is fully grounded in scripture. Scripture permeates both the essays, the daily devotions, and the bonus material. The reader will find himself or herself seeing Jesus in the Old and New Testament. This reader was also appreciative of the interactive nature of the study. The reader is guided as he or she takes a journey through the person and work of Christ - though the author does provide some explicit lessons, the reader is provided questions and material to work through on their own. Finally, the author recognizes that different people learn in different ways. There are plenty of opportunities for the reader to practice visual, aural, and tactile learning styles during each weeks study.

The book could be used as a stand alone study by an individual or as the basis of a small group or classroom study. The resulting volume is well worth the five-stars I am awarding it.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Dark Angel - A Review

 

Dark Angel

by

Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson

A Review

Andrews & Wilson have taken the common concept of spiritual warfare and embedded it into the physical realm where demons are fought by former military special forces and adolescent “watchers” who have the unique ability to enter into the minds of humans and/or demons, The result is a faith-based fantasy that weaves the world’s spiritual life into a real-world context.

Though the genre is not one I especially appreciate, I did find myself increasingly wanting to see how the story ended the further I read. Not coming to this story with a military background, I appreciated the appendix that included a glossary of terms used within the book. This may not have been my favorite book; but I did find it hard to put down, wanting more and more. The book ends with a brief glimpse of what future volumes hold as the authors continue to write pieces of this story.

I give this book 4-stars while looking forward to what is to come.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Six Word Stories - A Review

 

Six Word Stories

Edited By

Doug Weller

A Review

Review:

Six Word Stories -

Imagination Starters

Doug Weller has provided a fun collection of stories - each six words long. The first half of the book contains 200 (?) stories consisting of six words each. Some are funny, some are serious, some are thoughtful, all are current - with one exception. The oldest story included in this collection comes from William Shakespeare, “To be, or not to be.”

The book is divided into three main sections:

1. The first section is a collection of stories written by and submitted to the author.
2. The second section is a tutorial on writing six word stories - included are more examples of this new art form.
3. The final section is an invitation and instructions for entering a contest with prizes (including publication) for submitting original six word stories.
   
   

I enjoyed reading the many stories included in the first section - coming from around the world, they represent many of the details of life - from childhood to death. Several picked up the very modern theme of the COVID-19 virus. Each was a complete thought (though not always a sentence) that further inspired this reader's imagination. Section two serves as a set of instructions on writing six word stories. It could more easily have been offered as a web page or site, rather than occupying one-half of the book’s pages. It would seem that its purpose was more motivation, rather than instruction. The third section was an invitation for readers to submit their own stories for inclusion in a future volume of this series of books. The current book is the third in the series.

Many of the stories could stand alone, others served as open doors to the reader’s imagination. The result is a five-star book that I enjoyed sharing with my wife and son.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.