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Reviews

Book Review: Carmen’s Journey of Courage

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Carmen’s Journey of Courage

Carmen’s Journey of Courage takes you into the heart of Mexico City and mysterious family secrets. Carmen is a character who stays with you, long after the last page.

Susan K. Beatty is the mastermind behind the story, and the author of more in the Faces of Courage Series. “Susan is proof you can begin a writing career after age seventy,” and what a legacy that is proving to be. Susan’s books include House of Courage: A Faces of Courage Novelette, Isobel’s Mission of Courage: A Faces of Courage Novelette, Courage for Your Everyday Life: A Faces of Courage Flash Fiction Devotional, and Faces of Courage (Book One).

I like the way Susan uses conflict to bring out character flaws. It makes them more relatable in the issues they try to resolve. Carmen’s last interaction with her aunt took place when she was a teenager and left a bitter taste in her mouth. Yet, Carmen finds new layers to the person she thought she knew.

Carmen also struggles with being compared to her successful sisters, choosing to follow her own path in the military. We feel the anguish of never measuring up to her family’s expectations.

Carmen realizes through Mateo, her aunt’s maintenance man, gardener, and driver, that bitterness takes root like the weeds in a garden. It’s hard to get out and harder to forgive.

I enjoyed the story and the lessons intertwined within. Carmen’s Journey of Courage is a great read and keeps you riveted until the end. Susan Beatty is a master storyteller!

Sally

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reviews

Book Review & a Giveaway: She Walked Before Us

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She Walked Before Us

She Walked Before Us provides a refreshing look at the life lessons we face, through the obstacles our Biblical counterparts faced. The narrative gives a background peek into how women might have responded in that day, knowing the human race has faced daunting odds across the boundaries of time. Do we struggle with hate and happiness, bitterness and in finding better attitudes? Women in the Bible did, too, and we can learn from them in this journey of life.

Jill Eileen Smith is the author of She Walked Before Us, as well as series on Daughters of the Promised Land, Loves of King Solomon, The Wives of King David, and The Wives of the Patriarchs.

In She Walked Before Us, we face the mirror of the human condition, and ask questions about motive, trust and control. The characters remind us control is an illusion, but God loves us through everything. We explore the difficulty of forgiving hurts and wounds, knowing pain rarely leaves us the same. Know this: courage to forgive is a grace God gives. You don’t have to muster up that ability by yourself!

I like the format of fictional narrative woven into nonfiction format. Jill Eileen Smith gives us plenty to process, as we study the lives of women from the Old Testament. If you’re caught between the now and the not yet, she would tell you, it will all be worth the wait.

I am giving away not one, but two copies of She Walked Before Us to two readers in the continental United States. Leave a comment on my blog (at the top of this post, under the title). You will be entered into the drawing to be held on Friday, January 22. Tell me about your favorite Biblical woman. Get an extra chance to win, when you share this post on social media (let me know where).

Sally

Disclosure of Material: I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Blog About Network book review program in exchange for a fair and honest review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Reviews

Book Review: Squeezing Good Out of Bad

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Squeezing Good out of Bad

Ever have a sour day? James N. Watkins wrote the book on it! With his characteristic pun-filled humor, Jim Watkins has somehow managed to put a lemony twist on the serious side of life and called it, Squeezing Good Out of Bad.

Jim is an author and speaker, with over 2,000 articles published. His editorial work and lecturing have opened many doors, but his biggest qualifier for writing this book? “He’s felt the squeeze of cancer, unemployment, family crises, and chronic nose hair.”

The book promises to squeeze good out of those life-puckering problems and delivers with seasoned advice, the benefits of laughter and great perspective (“Is this truly a hand grenade or is it more in the category of a hangnail?”). I love the reminders (“We don’t need to take responsibility for the things that we had no control over.”) and action steps for working through topics of forgiveness, suffering and learning to let God have complete control.

“Squeezing Good Out of Bad” is an important addition to my library, because Jim has added so many seeds of truth. It is a reference book on those days when nothing is going right, and provides insight into the issue of pain. He says Romans 8:28-29 offers a clue: the Lord works all things for good, so that Jesus may be revealed in us.

The Lord works all things for good, so that Jesus may be revealed in us. ~ Jim Watkins

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Make time for this book and receive a dose of inspiration. It includes quotes from Flannery O’Connor, G.K. Chesterton, Cecil Murphy, Henri Nouwen, Philip Yancey, Brother Lawrence, Saint John of the Cross, Watchman Nee, Brennan Manning, and many more. It highlights the servanthood of Francine Rivers and recommends works of other authors. It is not some fluff piece of work, but one with depth and courage.

Need a recipe for those lemons? You’ve come to the right place!

Sally


Reviews

Justified by Varina Denman

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Justified

Justified by Varina Denman

Reviewed by Sally Ferguson

Radiant Lit Blog Tours

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: David C. Cook

Release Date: June 1, 2015

“In a small Texas town ruled by gossip, Fawn Blaylock believes others are justified in condemning her untimely pregnancy. Stifled by guilt, she yearns for the grace she has never been willing to bestow on others. Hope stirs when the local football coach offers gentle strength to help Fawn reawaken her heart and redeem her past.”

Justified begins with an unplanned pregnancy and the sting of judgmental attitudes. It exposes religious posturing that ignores compassionate responses. Through the power of a well-told story, Fawn expresses self-loathing as she works through her need for a man to provide for her, verses a man who will treat her with respect. Her thought processes lead us through the hormonal stages of pregnancy, the roller coaster of a low self-esteem and the dilemma of a victim mentality.

Do you know someone who feels she can never be forgiven for her actions? Give her the gift of a story that shows the power of grace.

Give the gift of a story that shows the power of grace.

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Fawn finds important answers in her quest for peace and Denman takes the reader on an action-packed journey to find, in the end, God was big enough to handle life’s problems, after all.

Excellent job, handling matters of the heart!

“Varina Denman is a native Texan who spent her high school years in a small Texas town. Now she lives near Fort Worth with her husband and her five mostly-grown children.

Justified is available for purchase here from Amazon.com.

Note: I received this book as part of the Justified blog tour from Radiant Lit. I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes. Review copy provided by the publisher for Radiant Lit Blog Tours.”

Sally