Children’s Corner (+Giveaway!) — That Grand Easter Day!

5 Feb

An engaging picture book about the first Easter Day, with a fun cumulative story structure.

That Grand Easter Day! is a cumulative story that begins with the stone in front of the tomb and ends with a new beginning — the Resurrection of Christ. The lively narrative builds as it progresses, adding people, objects, and animals that may have witnessed the events of that day long ago. Little ones will love the repetition, which adds a pleasing level of predictability and helps to make the story of the first Easter more memorable.

The upbeat, reverent story is accompanied by luminous illustrations which bring the story to life. This engaging picture book will be a read-aloud favorite at Eastertime and throughout the year. Ages 4-7.

 

Jill Roman Lord is a wife, mother of three amazing kids, runner, author, writer, nurse anesthetist and Jesus lover. She is an author of Christian Children’s books. It is her desire in her writing to draw children closer to Jesus and to provide books that parents (or grandparents or caregivers) can enjoy reading with the kids snuggled on their laps.

Jill is a Christian and loves Jesus to her core. He is her all-in-all. She tries to follow His lead but messes up a lot. She looks forward to all God still has in store for her in this journey called life. Charlotte, NC is home to Jill and her family, and you can find her running, hiking, and golfing.

Connect with Jill on Facebook, Goodreads and also on her Amazon author page, Jill Roman Lord.

Alessia Trunfio is an Illustrator, Background Artist and Animator based in Rome.

 

My Impressions:

Does anyone under the age of 50 remember the poem The House That Jack Built? It was a favorite of mine while growing up. I loved the repetition and the fun associated with this beloved nursery rhyme. In the same vein of cumulative story structure, Jill Roman Lord retells the most important story in the world, the story of Jesus’ resurrection. With the beautiful illustrations, the rhyming structure, and the message of the gospel of Christ, That Grand Easter Day! will soon become a favorite with your family. Unlike the old English nursery rhyme, the story that Lord tells changes as the miracle of Easter Day unfolds. You and your child will meet the many people involved in the story — the Roman guard, the women who came to anoint Jesus’ body, the disciples, the angel, and finally Christ Himself as He appears alive! The story begins and end with scripture promises of eternal life — a great way to introduce the story and begin discussion. A great addition to a family library, That Grand Easter Day! will become a perennial family favorite.

Recommended.

Audience: children ages 4-7.

To purchase, click HERE.

(Thanks to Worthy Publishing for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

 

Giveaway!

A big thank you to Worthy Publishing! They are generously giving away a copy of That Grand Easter Day! to one of my readers. Leave a comment letting me know who you will share this book with. The giveaway ends February 19th.

First Line Friday — Little Month; Little Stories

2 Feb

This week the folks at Hoarding Books are celebrating the shortest month of the year by featuring short stories, novellas, children’s books, titles with small or short in them, etc. — basically all things little! I searched my shelves for just the right thing to share and came up with Favorite Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton. This little book features 6 of Chesterton’s short stories starring Father Brown. Great for lovers of British mysteries!

Please leave a comment with your first line. For other small offerings, check out Hoarding Books!

 

My featured first line comes from the first story in this collection, The Blue Cross.

 

Critic, author, and debunker extraordinaire, G. K. Chesterton delighted in probing the ambiguities of Christian theology. A number of his most successful attempts at combining first-rate fiction with acute social observation appear in this original selection from his best detective stories featuring the priest-sleuth Father Brown.

A Chestertonian version of Sherlock Holmes, this little cleric from Essex — with “a face as round and dull as a Norfolk dumpling” and “eyes as empty as the North Sea” — appears in six suspenseful, well-plotted tales: “The Blue Cross,” “The Sins of Prince Saradine,” “The Sign of the Broken Sword,” “The Man in the Passage,” “The Perishing of the Pendragons,” and “The Salad of Colonel Cray.”

An essential item in any mystery collection, these delightful works offer a particular treat for lovers of vintage detective stories and will engage any reader.

 

(From Wikipedia) Gilbert Keith Chesterton, (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936), better known as G. K. Chesterton, was an English writer, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, lay theologian, biographer, and literary and art critic. Chesterton is often referred to as the “prince of paradox. Time magazine has observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out.”

Chesterton is well known for his fictional priest-detective Father Brown and for his reasoned apologetics. Even some of those who disagree with him have recognised the wide appeal of such works as Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man. Chesterton routinely referred to himself as an orthodox Christian, and came to identify this position more and more with Catholicism, eventually converting to Catholicism.

 

What’s your first line?

Help Me Clean My Shelves!

2 Feb

My dear husband believes that I should get rid of one book for every one that comes into our home. Bless his heart, I think he is serious! 😉 Seriously, I do try to keep the book hoard mountain collection under control by giving away books I have read to my friends and family and to the readers of this blog through giveaways. But it is not easy. For every book lover out there, you know my pain.

So in the spirit of home organization and contented married life, I have three books that I would like to find a good home. I have loved all the books in Penelope Wilcock‘s The Hawk And The Dove series. I still have the last three books in the series on my shelf. Would you like them? Just leave a comment to enter the giveaway. The giveaway runs through February 14.

The Breath of Peace

William and Madeleine are deeply in love ― but love may not be enough to win the day

Madeleine Hazell and William de Bulmer have been married a year. She is a healer, a wise woman, practical, intelligent, and blunt. He is not only an ex—monk, but an ex—abbot, a man accustomed to authority, a gifted administrator, at home with figures―but less capable in matters such as shutting up chickens for the night.

They are deeply, irrevocably in love. And every conversation may become a battlefield that leaves both of them wounded and resentful.

When William’s former abbey, St. Alcuins, suffers the loss of their cellarer, the current Abbot Father John doesn’t know how to handle the rents and provisions. He is a gifted physician and a capable leader, but estate management is beyond his competence. With a sense of rising panic he turns to his friend, the man who renounced his vows for love, the former Father William — only to find that his own pastoral skills may be required in matters matrimonial.

The Breath of Peace is the seventh novel in The Hawk and the Dove series and explores themes of mutual submission found in Ephesians 5:21–33.

The Beautiful Thread 

Abbot John has to face the consequences of his previous good deeds — and none go unpunished

In this eighth novel of the Hawk and the Dove series, William, has returned to St. Alcuins at Abbot John’s request to help his replacement learn the ropes. But William’s return coincides with a bishop’s visitation, a regular event.

The bishop, a zealous churchman with a large entourage, has heard rumors of St. Alcuins having had in their community one William de Bulmer, who is said to have attempted suicide and left the order — attempted suicide is a felony and breaking monastic vows is a grave sin. The bishop wants to know where this man is so he can be arraigned before an ecclesiastical court, and wishes to discover what happened and what part Abbot John played in those events.

As the story unfolds, the beautiful thread of the gospel weaves quietly through the contrasting colors of human frailty, religious zeal, and social pretension.

A Day And A Life

The monastic rhythm of life at St. Alcuins means that all is peaceful on the surface, but beneath there are strong currents as each monk contends with his own hopes, fears, challenges, and temptations.

Not every monk is settled and secure. Sadness permeates the monastery when it is discovered early one morning that one of the novices, Brother Cedd, has disappeared. It quickly becomes clear that disturbance in the life of one can impact many. As the day goes on, the question looms: will Brother Cedd return? And what will be the consequences if he doesn’t?

In this moving conclusion to The Hawk and the Dove series, Pen Wilcock describes a single day in the life of the community weaving a deeply touching, frank, and witty tapestry of monastic life.

 

Penelope (Pen) Wilcock is the author of over a dozen books of fiction and poetry, including The Hawk and the Dove series. She lives a quiet life on the southeast coast of England with her husband and is the mother of five adult daughters. She has many years of experience as a Methodist minister and has worked as a hospice and school chaplain.

February’s Book Club Selections

1 Feb

I have already read (and reviewed) both of my book clubs’ selections this month. They are both wonderful! If you haven’r read them yet, I highly recommend you do! If you have read them, we would love to know your thoughts.

By The Book — Missing Isaac by Valerie Fraser Luesse

There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse’s stunning debut, Missing Isaac.

It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople’s reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it’s all over, Pete — and the people he loves most — will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.

 

Page Turners — On This Foundation by Lynn Austin.

When news that the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire, Nehemiah, Jewish cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Persia, seeks God’s guidance. After fasting and prayer, he’s given leave to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the city wall, not anticipating all the dangers that await him on his arrival.

The leaders of the surrounding nations become his fierce enemies, plotting to assassinate him and halt the work. A drought, meanwhile, has left the country impoverished, many families resorting to selling their children as bondservants just to keep from starving.

Capturing the rebuilding of the wall through the eyes of a number of characters, On This Foundation is a powerful exploration of faith in the midst of oppression, and hope that, in spite of appearances, the gracious hand of God is upon those who believe.

 

Won’t you join us?

 

Children’s Corner — Jesus Loves You!

31 Jan

God’s only son, Jesus, wants you to know that He loves you. He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He watches over you to make sure you are okay and knew you even before He created you. That’s how special you are to Him. Won’t you spend some time with Jesus today? Jesus Loves You is the 2017 winner of the CSPA Book of the Year for Children’s Gift Book.

 

 

Christine Topjian (M.Ed.,B.Ed.,B.Comm.) is first and foremost a committed Christian.  She has also been a Certified Teacher in both Canada and the US and has been working as an intermediate school teacher for over a decade and also enjoys managing real estate, being a published author (2 books so far with many more to come), running a popular socio-political website (prosperingarmenians.com), in addition to being a media producer. She calls Toronto home and loves to travel and to cook.  She is an avid lover of good quality coffees and lattes.

 

My Impressions:

Don’t let the kid-friendly illustrations fool you! Jesus Loves You! may be a children’s book, but it delivers an important reminder to everyone that Jesus is right in the midst of your life. I have to admit, I expected a book suited for kids preschool to early elementary when I first saw this book. But as I read it, I realized Jesus Loves You! is relevant for all people — from toddler to senior. The book takes a child through his growing up years, through all the life changes (joys, stresses and sadness included) to a conclusion of a life spent walking with Jesus. Yes it is a kids book, but parents (and grandparents) will find themselves treasuring God’s promises. Perfect for multigenerational reading time, Jesus Loves You! will spark sharing of just how much Jesus does indeed love us.

Highly recommended.

Audience: kids of all ages 😉

To purchase, click HERE.

(Thanks to Book Publicity Services for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

If you liked Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman . . .

31 Jan

My book club’s first discussion of 2018 is  a wrap. We loved Imperfect Justice by Cara Putman, a romantic suspense novel with a good dose of legal drama thrown in. Cara gets it right — she is a lawyer after all! Did you read and love it? If so, check out these books also written by lawyers. You may find another you will like as well.

Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales by Randy Singer 

Landon Reed is an ex-quarterback convicted of organizing a points-shaving scheme. During his time in prison, he found forgiveness and faith and earned his law degree. Now he longs for an opportunity to prove his loyalty and worth. Be careful what you ask for.

Harry McNaughton is one of the founding partners of McNaughton & Clay—and the only lawyer willing to take a chance employing an ex-con-turned-lawyer. Though Landon initially questions Harry’s ethics and methods, it’s clear the crusty old lawyer has one of the most brilliant legal minds Landon has ever encountered. The two dive into preparing a defense for one of the highest-profile murder trials Virginia Beach has seen in decades when Harry is gunned down in what appears to be a random mugging. Then two more lawyers are killed when the firm’s private jet crashes. Authorities suspect someone has a vendetta against McNaughton & Clay, leaving Landon and the remaining partner as the final targets.

As Landon struggles to keep the firm together, he can’t help but wonder, is the plot related to a shady case from McNaughton & Clay’s past, or to the murder trial he’s neck-deep in now? And will he survive long enough to find out?

Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan 

In the biggest case of her career, attorney Kate Sullivan is tapped as lead counsel to take on Mason Pharmaceutical because of a corporate cover-up related to its newest drug. After a whistleblower dies, Kate knows the stakes are much higher than her other lawsuits.

Former Army Ranger turned private investigator Landon James is still haunted by mistakes made while serving overseas. Trying to forget the past, he is hired by Kate to look into the whistleblower’s allegation and soon suspects that the company may be engaging in a dangerous game for profit. He also soon finds himself falling for this passionate and earnest young lawyer.

Determined not to make the same mistakes, he’s intent on keeping Kate safe, but as the case deepens, it appears someone is willing to risk everything — even murder — to keep the case from going to trial.

Deeper Water by Robert Whitlow

In the murky waters of Savannah’s shoreline, a young law student is under fire as she tries her first case at a prominent and established law firm. A complex mix of betrayal and deception quickly weaves its way through the case and her life, as she uncovers dark and confusing secrets about the man she’s defending–and the senior partners of the firm.

How deep will the conspiracy run? Will she have to abandon her true self to fulfill a higher calling? And how far will she have to go to discover the truth behind a tragic cold case?

 

Fatal Trust by Todd M. Johnson 

Ian Wells is a young criminal defense attorney struggling to build a Minneapolis law practice he inherited from his father while caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s. Nearly at the breaking point, everything changes for Ian when a new client offers a simple case: determine whether three men qualify for over nine million dollars of trust funds. To qualify, none can have been involved in criminal activity for the past twenty years. Ian’s fee for a week’s work: the unbelievable sum of two hundred thousand dollars.

Ian warily accepts the job — but is quickly dragged deep into a mystery linking the trust with a decades-old criminal enterprise and the greatest unsolved art theft in Minnesota history. As stolen money from the art theft surfaces, Ian finds himself the target of a criminal investigation by Brook Daniels, a prosecutor who is also his closest law school friend. He realizes too late that this simple investigation has spun out of control and now threatens his career, his future, and his life.

 

 

Top 10 Tuesday — Unbelievable Books

30 Jan

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday theme is books I can’t believe I read. I don’t think that any book I’ve read I regretted or was astonished I finished. Some I loved more than others; some are a bit forgettable (see last week’s post). So I tweaked this week’s theme a bit and came up with books that were part of a self-imposed reading challenge of classic mysteries. I title this Classic Mystery/Crime/Detective Novels That I Can’t Believe I Did Not Know About Before I Read Them. Die-hard fans may yawn at this list, but I loved discovering books from the early days of mystery fiction when authors were trying out all the devices, plot twists, and tropes that are standard today. Next week I promise not to monkey around with the theme. 😉

To find out what books other bloggers cannot believe they read, click HERE.

 

Top 12 Classic Mystery Fiction I Can’t Believe I Didn’t Know About

Bat Wing by Sax Rohmer

The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill

The “Canary” Murder Case by S. S. van Dine

The Deserted House by E. T. A. Hoffman

The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley

The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes

The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton

Midnight in Beauchamp Row by Anna Katherine Green

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

The Window at The White Cat by Mary Roberts Rheinhart

 

What book can’t you believe you read?

 

Book Review (+ Giveaway!): The Melody of The Soul

30 Jan

Anna has one chance for survival—and it lies in the hands of her mortal enemy.

It’s 1943 and Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost nearly everything. Most of her family has been deported, and the Nazi occupation ended her career as a concert violinist. Now Anna is left to care for her grandmother, and she’ll do anything to keep her safe—a job that gets much harder when Nazi officer Horst Engel is quartered in the flat below them.

Though musical instruments have been declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to play the violin. But Horst, dissatisfied with German ideology, enjoys her soothing music. When Anna and her grandmother face deportation, Horst risks everything to protect them.

Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart. But what he reveals might stop the music forever.

 

Best-selling novelist Liz Tolsma is the author of several World War II novels and prairie romance novellas. She also works as a freelance editor. She lives in a semirural area of Wisconsin with her husband and two daughters. Her son serves with the US Marines. All of their chidlren came to them through international adoption. Her other passions include walking, gardening, camping, and reading.

Find out more about Liz at http://www.liztolsma.com.

 

My Impressions:

Both man’s inhumanity and man’s compassion are revealed in Liz Tolsma’s latest novel set in WWII Europe, The Melody of The Soul. In this first novel in the Music of Hope series, Tolsma’s characters attempt to survive the soul-crushing cruelty of the Nazi regime in Prague and Terezin. This novel is a moving account that I just could not put down. Highly recommended.

Violinist Anna Zadok loves her family, Prague, and music. All three have been integral parts of her life for as long as she can remember. But with the occupation of the Nazi’s she loses one after the other as the Final Solution decimates the Jewish population of the city. Faced with either boarding a transport train or trusting a Nazi officer, Anna and her grandmother take a risk that God is really protecting them.

I loved the historical details that Tolsma effortlessly wove throughout The Melody of The Soul. The beauty and cultural richness of Prague is contrasted with the desperate conditions of the transition center the Nazi’s called Theresienstadt. She somehow portrays the horrible conditions of Terezin and the depraved actions of the Nazi occupiers without being too graphic. But the story still makes the heart break for all those lost in the Holocaust. The characters are very complex. Anna and Nazi officer Horst Engel struggle with their place in the drama that is unfolding around them, as well as what God is doing in their lives. Resistance fighters Particie and Georg place others above themselves. And the villain of the story, Stephan Jaeger, is a man of contrasts. Despite the hopelessness of many of the characters’ situations, they find themselves depending more and more on God and finding that He can indeed be trusted.

Music plays a major role in the characters’ lives. Anna’s brother David finds himself performing during his stay in Terezin. This is what it did for him — And then the music enveloped him, carried him far from this place. He sailed above Terezin’s confines, peering down on this miserable lot. He soared above green fields, majestic mountains of blue, shimmering turquoise oceans. Away, far away from the misery of his soul. The terrible ache in his heart over the loss of his parents, of his family faded. But music can only take you so far — only God can bring real salvation.

The Melody of The Soul displayed the human experience at its worst — grief, despair, fear and impotence, and at its best — sacrifice, faith, and perseverance in trial. While not always an easy read — there are many scenes I wished I could have looked away from — it is definitely a beautifully written and thought-provoking one.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

To purchase, click HERE.

(Thanks to Litfuse and Gilead Publishing for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

 

Giveaway and FB Party! 

Join Liz Tolsma and other bookworms for a Facebook Live event on February 6, plus enter to win Liz’s prize pack giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

Enter today by clicking the HERE. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 6. The winner will be announced at Liz’s Facebook Live Party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Liz and other readers, as well as for a chance to win other prizes!

 

 

Book Review: In This Moment

29 Jan

Hamilton High Principal Wendell Quinn is tired of the violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancies, and low expectations at his Indianapolis school. A single father of four, Quinn is a Christian and a family man. He wants to see change in his community, so he starts a voluntary after-school Bible Study and prayer program. He knows he is risking his job by leading the program, but the high turnout at every meeting encourages him.

A year later, violence and gang activity are down, test scores are up, and drug use and teen pregnancy have plummeted. The program is clearly working — until one parent calls the press. Now Quinn faces a lawsuit that could ruin everything.

With a storm of national attention and criticism, Quinn is at a crossroads — he must choose whether to cave in and shut down the program or stand up for himself and his students. The battle comes with a high cost, and Quinn wants just one attorney on his side for this fight: Luke Baxter. In This Moment is an inspiring, relevant story about the nuances of religious freedom and how a group of determined people just might restore the meaning of faith in today’s culture.

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty-nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

My Impressions:

Relevant is the one overwhelming word to describe In This Moment, the latest Baxter Family book from Karen Kingsbury. With the increase in drug overdoses, gang violence, and broken families, many believers are calling for a return to the values that once set our nation apart. Main character Wendell Quinn, a high school principal with a heart for his students, takes extraordinary measures to bring his students back from the brink — a voluntary Bible study and prayer club. Kingsbury’s novel explores the results and consequences of one man brave enough to buck the system and cultural prejudices to help his students.

Fans of Kingsbury’s Baxter Family series of books will enjoy the interaction of the family with the main story thread of the school Bible study club. Luke Baxter is involved with the ensuing court case that embroils the principal. But for me the characters of Wendell, his family and friends, and the students that are reached with this revolutionary program were the best part of the story. Real, relatable, with real doubts and fears, these characters were ones I would love to know in real life. The themes of the novel, religious liberty and the presence of God, are thoughtfully woven throughout the book. This one is definitely Christian fiction — the characters pray, scripture is read and relied upon, and God’s voice speaks to many of the characters. While the book ends well, it is not before loss and heartache touch all of the characters.

One of the things I found unusual was the belief among many of the characters that reading the Bible and prayer in public places would get you in trouble or sent to jail. Now don’t get me wrong, I know that the attack on religious liberty, especially when it comes to Christians, is alive and well in America. But my small town deep in the Bible Belt has not experienced much of that  . . . yet. I think that is the most important take-away from In This Moment. The events depicted in the book may seem the norm or the exception to you, but be assured at some point in the future you will be confronted by those who would seek to shut down religious freedom. We need to be ready. Here is one great quote to remember — In addition to the lawsuits, people didn’t need to be forced into silence. They were silencing themselves out of fear and a lack of knowledge of their rights. (p. 75)

A great read to get you thinking, In This Moment would be an excellent choice for a book club discussion for adults or teens. It gets a recommended rating from me.

Recommended.

Audience: older teens to adults.

To purchase, click HERE.

(Thanks to Howard Books for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Children’s Corner: Very Veggie Bedtime Prayers

27 Jan

A collection of bedtime prayers featuring favorite VeggieTales character

This new VeggieTales book of bedtime prayers is perfect for easing the daily transition from playtime to sweet dreams. These rhyming, toddler-friendly prayers will help teach little ones the importance of talking to God every day. Colorful illustrations of familiar VeggieTales characters accompany the short, easily understood prayers. This collection is designed to help children reflect on their day and anticipate the day to come, with requests and gratitude for God’s guidance. With its soft padded cover and convenient size, this book is the perfect way to teach children about prayer and the ways God cares for us through the day and as we sleep. Ages 2-5.

To purchase, click HERE.

My Impressions:

Colorful illustrations will get your child interested, but the easy, rhyming conversations with God will help foster a love for prayer. All the VeggieTale characters are involved in the day to day prayers that help in all situations. Besides those specific to bedtime, you’ll find prayers for sick friends, gratitude for family and pets, help for scary times, and praise for the Creator. Sprinkled among the prayers are scripture passages from the Psalms that even the smallest of children can memorize. You may only want to read one prayer a day, but I bet your child will want you to keep going. A great addition to the family library, Very Veggie Bedtime Prayers would also be make a wonderful gift for a new baby.

Recommended.

Audience: children ages 2-5.

(Thanks to Worthy Publishing for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)