Reviews and Opinions

Move Review: 'Courageous' from Sherwood Pictures

2011-10-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

"Join the officers protecting the town of Albany, GA as they work to keep the streets safe. It's a tough job, but they do it willingly. Now if they can just preserve their own families as well..."

"The Widow's Walk League" by Nancy Lynn Jarvis

2011-07-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

"REALTOR® Regan McHenry is at it again, much to the chagrin of Tom, her husband and business partner, and the delight of mystery readers everywhere!

For her latest adventure into murderers and mayhem, author Nancy Lynn Jarvis sends Regan into the clutches of a group of women known as The Widow’s Walk League. The women walk together; their routes vary, but the walk ends when someone spots a house with a widow’s walk. At that point, the group adjourns for lunch. This innocent sounding activity seems to be a link for serial murder, as the women lose their husbands one after another."

Read more here.

'LIve Loved' by Max Lucado

2011-05-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

"Love comes in a myriad of incarnations. We can love parents, siblings, children, extended family, friends, spouses, teammates or those with a similar interest. Author Max Lucado looks at the various forms of love in a series of short essays entitled “Live Loved.”

Each essay includes scripture references and prayer thoughts. Lucado lends his “over the back fence chat” style to a series of snapshots on love. His powerful images touch readers with the commonality of the situation. "

Book Review - 'Did the Resurrection Happen...Really?' by Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett

2011-04-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

"Christian apologist Josh McDowell displays a deep commitment to bringing the message of Jesus Christ and salvation to young people. In 'Did the Resurrection Happen…Really?' he approaches the mission from a fictional standpoint.

On a modern college campus, a debate between an instructor, representing the historical Christ, an atheist and an agnostic leads to tension and questioning among the student body. The school hosts an atheist club along with faith-based groups and seems an unlikely place for violence. Yet a shooting occurs and the survivors search for answers."

Read more here.

'Daughter of the Caribbean' by Norma Jennings

2011-04-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

"Olivia invites you to visit Jamaica and her childhood home, Twickenham, in Norma Jennings’s debut novel, 'Daughter of the Caribbean.'

A young girl of mixed race parentage, Olivia spends much of her childhood in Jamaica in the company of her grandmother, Edith. Miss Edith, known to locals as Sedith, has known good times and difficult ones. As custodian of the family history, she passes the information down to her grandchildren. Little Olivia takes in the information even as it helps to shape her."

Read more here.

Placerville Hardware, Inc. -- Home Improvement in Old Hangtown Comes with History

2011-04-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

"When I received an assignment to write an article about a local home improvement store, I didn't have to wonder which store to use. I fell in love with Placerville Hardware the very first time I stepped through its doors. Join me for a visit and see if you feel the same way."

Read more here...

'The Pirate Queen' by Patricia Hickman

2011-04-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

"How does one go from a suburban matriarch to a pirate queen? Saphora Warren makes the transition in Patricia Hickman’s contemporary novel 'The Pirate Queen.'

Saphora has what might be considered 'it all' by some. Her husband Bender has a thriving plastic surgery practice. Her three children are grown and on their own. She lives in a magazine showplace of a house in an upscale lakefront community. Yet she plans to leave because there is one aspect of her life she can no longer tolerate: her husband is a philanderer and many of his women are in her own social circle."

Remembering Elizabeth Taylor - Amazing Talent in a Petite Package

2011-03-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

"As long as I lived in or just outside of New Orleans, my mother and I had subscriptions to the stage productions at the Saenger Orleans. In September of 1981, we were treated to an unforgettable performance by Elizabeth Taylor in Lillian Hellmann's 'The Little Foxes.' Up until that time, I was more familiar with the lady as fodder for movie magazines than as a performer. But oh, that changed in a hurry!"
For more on Elizabeth Taylor's impact on me, click here.

"Mine is the Night" by Liz Curtis Higgs

2011-03-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

"Scotland, spring, 1746 has proven to be a dangerous time for those with Jacobite leanings. Elizabeth Kerr knows only too well how deadly the world can be. Her husband, Lord Donald Kerr and his brother Andrew have perished in battle, fighting for the Jacobite cause. Lady Marjory Kerr, her widowed mother-in-law, has been stripped of title, land and income. Now Elizabeth and Marjory flee Edinburgh, seeking sanctuary with a distant cousin in Selkirk.

So opens “Mine is the Night,” Liz Curtis Higgs’ follow-up to “Here Burns My Candle.” The gripping story spins the story of the two women as they struggle to survive under the constant threat of exposure as traitors to the Crown. Such an event would lead to dire punishment, possibly even death. With no income and no trade, how can two gentlewomen make a way under such conditions?

Read more here.

An Interview with Author M.E. Kemp: Bringing the Puritans to Vibrant Life in Her Fiction

2011-03-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

"For Marilyn Kemp, pre-revolutionary American history is every bit as interesting and bloody as any medieval story. She proves it with her series of mysteries based on New England Puritans and their lives. Beginning with 'Murder, Mather and Mayhem' in 2004, she has delivered murder in the colonies with an arch attitude under the pen name M.E. Kemp.

Why does she choose this setting? She wants to correct the myth of Puritans as being boring old sticks-in-the-mud and reveal them as the lively, sensory-oriented people she has discovered through her research."

Click here for more on the amazing Marilyn Kemp.

"The Dangerous Edge of Things" by Tina Whittle

2011-03-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

"Tai Randolph has a problem-she’s found a body in a car across the street from her brother’s driveway. Add to that the unexpected presence of representatives from a local security firm pushing her around, and she’s definitely having a bad day.

Tina Whittle takes readers on a thrill-ride through the underside of corporate Atlanta in 'The Dangerous Edge of Things,' her debut novel from Poisoned Pen Press. Her heroine possesses strong opinions about a lot of things, not all of them based on fact. Tai has many lessons to learn along the way to the solution of the murder."

Book Review - ‘Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings’ by Margie Yee Webb

2011-03-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

"Is there any animal that better demonstrates the concept of Zen enlightenment than a cat? They glide through the world, slightly aloof, as though in possession of a secret the no one else knows. Author Margie Yee Webb taps into this mystique in an elegant gift book based on photographs of Cat Mulan.

Cat Mulan entered Webb’s life in 2004 via the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services. Webb describes Cat Mulan’s present situation as the “pampered life of a spirited feline.” Even as she provides for her bewhiskered friend, Webb draws inspiration from her. The result, “Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life,” offers smiles and wisdom through a combination of beautiful photos and sayings."

Click here for more about this delightful book.

‘Tree Craft: 35 rustic wood projects that bring the outdoors in’ by Chris Lubkemann-Book Review

2011-03-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

"From the lumber in our buildings to the food on our table and the landscaping on our property, trees play a big role in human life. Now woodworking craftsman Chris Lubkemann offers a way to use fallen trees in additional ways to dress up our world.

Lubkemann’s book, ‘Tree Craft: 35 rustic wood projects that bring the outdoors in’ from Fox Chapel Publishing, features projects using parts of trees to create beautiful and useful furnishings for home, yard and office.

The beauty of this book rests in the open-ended plans for each item. A novice will find ways to enjoy working with tree parts to create a simple item, while a more experienced woodworker can adapt and enhance the projects to finish with a highly personal piece."

Click here for more on this fascinating book.

A Toast to 'A Deadly Draught' by Lesley A. Diehl

2011-03-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Upstate New York offers beautiful terrain and interesting niche businesses. Lesley Diehl takes full advantage of both in her mystery, 'A Deadly Draught.' Focusing on the world of microbreweries, Diehl leads us through a world of friendly competitors, secret recipes and murder.

Master Brewer Hera Knightsbridge carries on her late father’s work of creating excellent specialty brews in her small brewery. She battles financial woes, potential water rationing and competition from her neighbors for the weekend tourist market. But those problems pale in comparison to the murder of one of those competitors. Hera’s discovery of the body draws her into the case."

Read more here!

Book Review - 'The Mountains Bow Down' by Sibelle Giorello

2011-03-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

"An FBI agent on vacation on an Alaska cruise sounds fairly ordinary. Until you realize that this is a working vacation and special agent Raleigh Harmon is riding herd as “consultant” to a movie crew filming a story about an FBI agent. When a female American passenger goes missing somewhere in the Inside Passage and later turns up dead, her working vacation turns into serious work, indeed."

Click here for more on Giorello's book.

Book Review - ‘Lighthouses: A Close-Up Look’ by Alan Giagnocavo and Historic American Building Survey

2011-02-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

"Why do lighthouses touch us so deeply? Is it the idea of a light piercing the darkness to guide us to safety? Perhaps the image of a strong sentinel rising against the sky inspires us. Whatever the reason, lighthouses capture our imagination, a symbol of an era before GPS and other electronics directed our travels.

Alan Giagnocavo and the Historic American Building Survey tap into the mystique of lighthouses in a volume that goes beyond the typical picture book and explores the inner workings of these intriguing structures. Working with archival documents and photographs, “Lighthouses” gives a depth of information often overlooked."

Click here for more on this enlightening book.

Book Review - 'Jewelry Fix-Ups' by David McLoughlin

2011-02-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Professional jewelry designer and restorer David McLoughlin offers his expertise and experience in a user-friendly journey into the world of jewelry. More than care and repair, McLoughlin turns 'Jewelry Fix-Ups: How to Clean, Repair and Restore Your Jewelry' into an education into materials, jewels and jewelry.

McLouglin works in London and has been designing and repairing jewelry for 30 years. He features many reclaimed pieces in his shop, made from substances salvaged from older jewelry pieces.

Click here for more on this beautiful book.

'Lioness Arising' by Lisa Bevere

2011-02-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

"Lisa Bevere wears many hats: conference speaker, author, advocate and pastor's wife, among others. With the publication of “Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World,” she adds student of wildlife to the list. In her new book, Bevere compares today’s Christian women to the lionesses of the wild and calls on them to be even more like their jungle counterparts."

Click here for more on this great book.

Book Review - 'Acadiana: Louisiana's Historic Cajun Country'

2011-02-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

"Think you know about Louisiana's Cajun Country? The truth is even more fascinating than the stories. A new book from Louisiana State University Press gives an in-depth look at the region."

Don't let the simple cover fool you - this book is filled with beautiful photos.

Click here for more on this beautiful book.

Book Review - "Pleasing the Dead" by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

2011-02-08T21:44:00.000-08:00

"Paradise isn’t always perfect for attorney Storm Kayama. She has a habit of attracting murder and mayhem, no matter which island she visits. In “Pleasing the Dead,” she runs afoul of powerful Japanese mobsters, a temper tantrum-prone client and mysterious relationships that threaten lives all up and down the social strata."

Click here for more on this intriguing mystery.

Book Review - 'Angel Lost' by F.M. Meredith

2011-02-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

"Come to the shore, but don't expect to relax - not if the town is Rocky Bluff, California! F.M. Meredith takes us into the inner workings of the Rocky Bluff Police Department and the lives of its officers and their families in her upcoming release, 'Angel Lost.' And Rocky Bluff has its share of issues."

Cover art of "Angel Lost"

Click here for the rest of the review.

Movie Review - 'What If'

2011-01-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered 'What if...?'

"'What If' stars Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson and John Ratzenberger in an inspirational story of the road not taken. GMC, formerly known as the Gospel Music Channel, debuted the television release of the movie, which was produced by Jerry B. Jenkins, best-selling Christian author."

Click here for the review.

Book Review - 'The Fire in Ember' by DiAnn Mills

2011-01-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

"Christian novelist DiAnn Mills takes us back to the beauty of 19th century Colorado in her latest work, 'The Fire in Ember.' A Western romantic adventure, the book combines faith, hope and love within an intense story of rustlers, relatives and secrets."

Click here for more...

Book Review: "Always True" by James MacDonald

2011-01-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

"James MacDonald, senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, IL, writes powerful, Bible-based books. “Always True: God’s 5 Promises when Life is Hard,” the latest title from MacDonald, offers a study of God’s character and dependability. Rather than focusing on a single book of the Bible, MacDonald weaves back and forth between the Old and New Testaments, creating a tapestry of verses to show readers an in-depth portrait of God."

Click here to read more about Pastor MacDonald's new book.

Book Review: "Buying Murder" by Nancy Lynn Jarvis

2011-01-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

A key, a house, a dead body...

Successful real estate agents pay great attention to the details of the transaction. Steps must occur in the proper order, paperwork must be completed in a timely manner, and nothing can be taken for granted until everyone walks away from the closing table.

Mystery writers need the same attributes. Clues must be shared in a timely fashion, in the proper order and the identity of the guilty party can’t be taken for granted until the final chapter of the book.

Author Nancy Lynn Jarvis packs a double punch with her mysteries. Jarvis is both a successful REALTOR© and skilled mystery writer. Her heroine, Regan McHenry, just happens to be a real estate agent in Santa Cruz, California. Like Jarvis, McHenry works in partnership with her husband.

Click here to read more of the review.