Sunday, December 29, 2019

Rest for the Justice Seeking Soul by Susan K. Williams Smith


About the Book


Book:  Rest for the Justice Seeking Soul
Author: Susan K. Williams Smith
Genre: RELIGION / Christian Living/Devotional
Release Date: November 12, 2019

Susan K. Williams Smith is a minister and activist who has been on the front lines of social and racial justice for many years. As she has marched shoulder-to-shoulder to resist systematic oppression, she has heard the same question over and over: “How are we going to get through this?” Rest for the Justice-Seeking Soul was birthed out of those cries.

Here is a soul-care manual for social justice-seeking believers who stand in constant vigilance against all forms of racial, class, and gender oppression. The fight for justice and equality is an exhausting daily grind—and the work is never over. That’s why it is incumbent upon all who speak and advocate for the less fortunate to practice self-care. You can’t fight when your tank is empty.

In response to the many calls and emails she has received from friends, clergy, and strangers who are in utter despair and even deep depression, she has created ninety daily devotions to provide a daily spoonful of hope and encouragement, a healing balm to “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” (Hebrews 12:12). Lift your gaze upward toward a better future by allowing God to restore harmony and focus in your soul and justice in your community. Our God is bigger than whoever is oppressing you. As the old hymn states, “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”



Click HERE for your copy. 





My Review

Would I describe this devotional book as restful? No I wouldn't. I would call it more like a Call for the Justice-Seeking soul because that was the vibe I got from reading it. The book was equal parts Scripture and social activism which isn't necessarily  a bad thing, it just wasn't what you expect. I'm not certain I agreed with all the theology inside, but I will say the author brings about a lot of reality of racism in our world that if we don't experience is easy to turn a blind eye to. I do think the church does not emphasize caring for widows, orphans, immigrants, refugees, the oppressed, and the poor as we should which is a clearly stated command in the Bible. Unfortunately, we allow our politics to decide our religion instead of just taking the Bible for what it says sometimes. Unfortunately, I felt this book was somewhat divisive, when I feel like unity is what is needed in this day and age in our churches. A lot can be said for tone even if you're speaking truth, and I feel like that's where the author may have been rather harsh- the opposite of restful. Overall, I would probably recommend this book for Christian social activists whether clergy or not as a devotional, or perhaps those looking to get involved in social justice, but I can't say it lived up to its' title.




I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own.


About the Author


Susan K. Williams Smith is an ordained minister, musician, writer, and activist living in Columbus, Ohio. She has written for the Washington Post and Huffington Post, as well as her blog, Candid Observations. She currently serves as one of the tri-chairs for the Ohio Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. She also serves as national scribe for the African American Ministers’ Leadership Council (AAMLC), and communications consultant for the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference. The founder of Crazy Faith Ministries, she is a graduate of Occidental College and Yale Divinity School, and earned a D.Min from United Theological Seminary. Her previous book, Crazy Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, was published by Judson Press.  


More from Susan

In response to calls and emails from friends, clergy, and strangers who are in utter despair and even deep depression in these political times, I’ve created ninety daily devotions to provide a daily spoonful of hope and encouragement, a healing balm for justice-seeking believers and social activists.



Blog Stops

CarpeDiem, December 20
Artistic Nobody, December 21 (Author Interview)
Just the Write Escape, December 22
Simple Harvest Reads, December 24 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, December 25
All 4 and About Books, December 26 (Author Interview)
My Devotional Thoughts, December 28 (Author Interview)
janicesbookreviews, December 29
A Reader’s Brain, December 30
Through the Fire Blogs, December 31 (Author Interview)




Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card and a finished 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.
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Wings Like a Dove by Camille Eide


About the Book


Book:  Wings Like A Dove
Author: Camille Eide
Genre: Historical fiction/romance
Release Date: December 1, 2019

Can the invisible walls that separate people ever come down?

In 1933, Anna Leibowicz is convinced that the American dream that brought her Jewish family here from Poland is nothing but an illusion. Her father has vanished. Her dreams of college can’t make it past the sweat-shop door. And when she discovers to her shame and horror that she’s with child, her mother gives her little choice but to leave her family. Deciding her best course of action is to try to find her father, she strikes out…hoping against hope to somehow redeem them both.

When Anna stumbles upon a house full of orphan boys in rural Indiana who are in desperate need of a tutor, she agrees to postpone her journey. But she knows from the moment she meets their contemplative, deep-hearted caretaker, Thomas Chandler, that she doesn’t dare risk staying too long. She can’t afford to open her heart to them, to him. She can’t risk letting her secrets out.

All too soon, the townspeople realize she’s not like them and treat her with the same disdain they give the Sisters of Mercy—the nuns who help Thomas and the boys—and Samuel, the quiet colored boy Thomas has taken in. With the Klan presence in the town growing ever stronger and the danger to this family increasing the longer she stays, Anna is torn between fleeing to keep them safe…and staying to fight beside them.

 Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest…




Click HERE to get your copy.







 

 








My Review



Wings Like a Dove was so much more than a mere historical fiction romance! The themes of justice and prejudice for the time towards Jews, Blacks, and even orphans and unwed mothers came through loud and clear and were portrayed accurately for the time. What a complex character Anna was trying to find her place and purpose amidst rejection and challenges that were certainly life-altering. The plot was rich and steady paced, and the romance really just was icing on the cake in this richly written fiction. I also appreciated the Jewish culture and how much the author educated us on this in a seamless way that was natural to the storyline. I felt inspired and moved by this well written fiction/romance.











I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own.











About the Author









Camille writes poignant, inspirational love stories some call “more than a romance.” She lives in Oregon with her husband and is a mom, grandma, office admin, lead foot, cinnamon roll baker, and a bass guitarist. She’s a fan of muscle cars, tender romance, and Peanut M&Ms.

 




More from Camille

If Only I Could Fly Away…

“Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” -Psalm 55:6-8

What do you think of when you read this passage from Psalms? Does the idea of escape tempt you? Have you ever cried out for relief from life’s storms?

In Wings Like a Dove, Anna faces growing difficulties in her life. Psalm 55:6 is brought to her attention and she ponders it more than once, especially as the difficulties in her life steadily increase.

As Polish Jews in the early 1900s, Anna’s family lived in constant upheaval, so fleeing danger is nothing new to her. The problem is that Anna craves connection and community. While she was often uprooted, at least Anna enjoyed the security of family—until now. As the story begins, she is turned out of her home and must journey across the country alone, a heartache that only intensifies the persecution she faces as a Jew, an immigrant, and an unwed woman with child.

But her journey is temporarily delayed out of necessity, and she quickly falls in love with those who have taken her in. The idea of leaving them is as painful a prospect as leaving her own family, but because of the troubles that follow her, it seems she has no choice.

Psalm 55:6 isn’t tempting Anna to leave her surroundings; it tempts her to escape the negativity that robs her joy.

For Anna, and for the rest of us, we can’t flee trouble any more than we can grow wings and fly. The desire for relief is understandable. But what if there is a purpose in the difficult situations we face? What if we are called to more than simply outlast life’s storms? What if our weakest moment is exactly what God wants to use to show his power, love, mercy, and grace?

What if God is waiting for us to stop fluttering our wings and find joy in knowing that we are in the very place we need to be, for a purpose, for such a time as this?

Quote from Anna:

“If these past months have taught me nothing else, they have taught me that though I am only a seed blowing in the wind, I must still be fruitful wherever I land. I have learned that wherever we find ourselves, we must have the courage to stretch out roots and produce something useful, even in times of difficulty. We must bloom boldly in whatever field our seed has fallen.”

 May you find the sweet spot of joy and purpose in the midst of your storm!

 

-Camille












Blog Stops





KarenSueHadley, December 17





Mia Reads, December 18




Genesis 5020, December 19



Emily Yager, December 20




Betti Mace, December 21




Christian Bookaholic, December 22



April Hayman, Author, December 22




For The Love of Books, December 23






For Him and My Family, December 25








janicesbookreviews, December 28



Pause for Tales, December 29



Texas Book-aholic, December 29



A Reader’s Brain, December 30



Inklings and notions, December 30

















Giveaway















To celebrate her tour, Camille is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon card & a signed book!!



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











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The Wedding Dress Christmas by Rachel Hauck










 












About the Book



Book:  The Wedding Dress Christmas

Author: Rachel Hauck

Genre: Romance, Christmas

Release Date: October 22, 2019






December covers quaint Heart’s Bend, Tennessee with a blanket of white and the glitter of Christmas lights.







For JoJo Castle there’s no place like home. It’s her safe place. Her one-time love of adventure ended when life in the big city shattered her hopes and dreams. Now that she’s returned to Hearts Bend, she never wants to leave again.







Buck Mathews, the biggest country singing sensation in decades, has the world on a string – his guitar strings, to be exact. However, when news of his mother’s illness sends him back to Hearts Bend for the holiday season, he remembers how good it can be to live among family and friends.







Working with her cousin Haley in The Wedding Shop, JoJo has no aspirations of love. Leaving home, surrendering her heart again, is just too risky.







When she runs into her friend and high school crush Buck Mathews, she discovers Love might have other plans for her[BV1] .







Buck’s career is on the verge of an momentous leap. But seeing JoJo awakens feelings he’d buried long ago. Falling in love is easy, but winning her heart will take more than one of his melodic tunes and clever lyrics.







JoJo and Buck want opposite things for their lives, leaving no room for compromise. Can love, especially the kind that touches hearts at Christmastime, overcome her fears andhis quest for greatness?







When a very special gown – the wedding dress – begins to make its presence known, JoJo and Buck’s hearts bend in a way neither ever thought possible.







Click HERE to get your copy.

 














My Review



I loved how this novella was not all rushed like novellas tend to be and the depth of even this short story. I loved being transported to the small town and loved our hero and heroine and the creative way the wedding dress was incorporated into the story. While the hero wasn't really my type, I think his type was well described and developed. I always enjoy stories of unlikely romances finding away through any number of challenges. The Christmas setting just was the icing on the cake of a nice, well developed plot of a romance. I think this book is ready for the Hallmark channel movie screen! Check it out.







I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own.



















About the Author







Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times Book Reviews. She is a double RITA finalist, and a Christy and Carol Award Winner.

Her book, Once Upon A Prince, first in the Royal Wedding Series, was filmed for an Original Hallmark movie.

Rachel has been awarded the prestigious Career Achievement Award for her body of original work by Romantic Times Book Reviews.

A member of the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers, she teaches workshops and leads worship at the annual conference. She is a past Mentor of The Year.

At home, she’s a wife, writer, worship leader and works out at the gym semi-enthusiastically.

A graduate of Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) with a degree in Journalism, she’s a former sorority girl and a devoted Ohio State football fan. Her bucket list is to stand on the sidelines with Ryan Day.




She lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat.















More From Rachel





Hello Royal Rockstar Readers!



I’m thrilled to share The Wedding Dress Christmas with you. I’ve heard from so many how much The Wedding Dress has touched them, and as I noodled over new story ideas, my thoughts drifted toward the wedding dress and Christmas. What’s more romantic than a Christmas wedding?



This novella is set in Hearts Bend, Tennessee, the fictional town ofThe Wedding Chapel and The Wedding Shop. Even if you’ve never read one of books inThe Wedding Collection, you’ll enjoy this story, the mystery of the dress, and the women whose lives it changed.



I love weddings. They remind us of the purity and the hope of love, the power of commitment. Something powerful is released when two people pledge to spend their lives together, loving and serving one another in both good and bad times. Every wedding I attend reminds me of the vows I made to my husband and I sign up all over again.



Stories are a powerful reflection of life. Yes, fictional stories are often told with wild hyperbole, but that’s what makes them fun to read.



I also love wedding stories because they remind us of God’s love for us, and that one day there will be the grandest wedding of them all. Isn’t it wonderful that God planned a wedding before He created the earth?



In The Wedding Dress Christmas, JoJo and Buck have their issues, but love proves strong enough to conquer them all.



Thanks for going on this little tour with me and The Wedding Dress Christmas.



Yours,



Rachel











Blog Stops





The Avid Reader, December 18




Livin’ Lit, December 18



Robin’s Nest, December 18




By The Book, December 19



Wishful Endings, December 19



All-of-a-kind Mom, December 19



Among the Reads, December 20



Genesis 5020, December 20



Life as Lanhams, December 20




Daysong Reflections, December 21




Bigreadersite, December 21



Simple Harvest Reads, December 22 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)



Remembrancy, December 22



Britt Reads Fiction, December 22



She Lives to Read, December 23



Empowermoms, December 23



Inside the Wong Mind, December 23



Mia Reads Blog, December 23



Splashes of Joy, December 24



Christian Bookaholic, December 24



Hallie Reads, December 24



Jeanette’s Thoughts, December 25




Blogging With Carol, December 25



For Him and My Family, December 26



Hebrews 12 Endurance, December 26








Mamma Loves Books, December 27



Betti Mace, December 28



Batya’s Bits, December 28




Quiet Quilter, December 29





janicesbookreviews, December 29



A Reader’s Brain, December 30



Inklings and notions, December 30



Texas Book-aholic, December 30



Carla Loves to Read, December 30



Back Porch Reads, December 31



CarpeDiem, December 31

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, December 31 

















Giveaway











To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a print copy of the book and a Visa gift card for $25. Swag!!



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











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Saturday, December 28, 2019


          

        










No Space Like Home by Dell Tunnicliff




















About the Book



Book:  No Space Like Home

Author: Dell Tunnicliff

Genre: Fiction/YA/Science Fiction

Release Date: September 4, 2019



If life were only as simple as following a yellow brick road. Gail’s quiet life among the Kansa Station turbines ends with a hug, a prayer, and a shove… into space.



She thinks she knows who she is, but she’s wrong.  Who is she really?  She’s about to find out.



Of course, landing on the wrong planet is complicated enough without crashing into things. Add to that spybots, waspbots, and cyberwolves and it’s no wonder Gail just wants to go home. Back to a life without this interplanetary circus and its flying monkeys.



Intrigue, secrets, and more than a little danger turn a “simple mission” into a hair-raising adventure as Gail—and three friends she meets along the way—accept a mission to save O-Zoras.



In the end, Gail wants nothing more to go home. She’s just not sure where that is anymore. “I’ve decided that home is more about who than where.” Well, that’s a good thing, Gail, because you’re not on Kansa anymore. It’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz meets Firefly in this fresh, a little zarbi, but totally licit YA space adventure. Grab your copy today and see what ALL that even means!

 













Click HERE to get your copy!

 








My Review



I had so much fun reading this YA fantasy especially as a die hard Wizard of Oz fan. I think this kind of coming of age and finding purpose in life story is really universal especially for the YA crowd, and I appreciated that it wasn't an epic length because I think the fantasy genre overdoes that sometimes! The parallels between this story and Wizard of Oz was just so well done and really transported us into another time and place with Gail. I think the author's message of us all being image bearers and having the ability to create was really clear and well put and inspiring especially for the high school/college age student. I also appreciated that while we were transported the language wasn't so out there that you got lost, but it did still take us through to time and space. I so enjoyed being able to watch the author's creativity unfold in this worthwhile read. So if you're a scifi/fantasy reader looking for a relatable read, especially YA, this one is for you!















I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own.



















About the Author







Dell lives on the windswept Wyoming plains with her husband, six children, a cardigan corgi dog, a calico cat, and a flock of chickens.

A lifelong reader, and lover of words, she also loves the Word; God’s good news to us.

She takes the path less traveled, and that has made all the difference.

 




More from Dell

We are our heavenly father’s children, created to create.

When I set out to write this novel, I craved challenge—something that would stretch my own imagination. The wild, otherworldly, frontier of science-fiction winked at me like a distant star in the night-sky of possibility.  I admire teens and young-adults for their eagerness to seize the wonder of “What if.”  So, young-adult sci-fi it is!



 Creating an entire fictional solar system was every bit of the creative rush I hoped.  Orchestrating a dance of stars and planets, designing a space ship, imaging cultures, people-groups, values, and linguistic quirks provided ample opportunities to stretch my creative muscles.

And then there was the naming!  Names are yet another way we reflect our divine author.  Our loving and personal God spoke each star into being and calls each by name. 



In No Space Like Home, I named the four-sun solar system, “Hiraeth.”  It’s a Welsh word for that vague, yet poignant yearning for a place to which you can never return, have never been, or even that never was.  It’s a deep, inborn longing for someone, something or somewhere just out of reach of our plane of existence.  As Christians, we feel this keenly.  This world isn’t our eternal home.  We thirst for Jesus.  We hunger for heaven.  We long for a garden—unmarred by thorns and thistles of the fall. We ache to know ourselves and our loved ones as God designed– in perfect relationship with Him, unfettered by sin.

As part of this longing, we create and we name. We are all world-builders, designing with the materials around us, and bringing order to our sphere in small ways and large. 



We are image-bearers of our holy Author and Creator.

Whether we paint (like my No Space Like Home heroine, Gail), design software (like George), weld parts (like Nic), or develop strategies (like Leo), we are all inventors and designers.  Create today.   Spin a bit of beauty, order, and identity from the nameless, swirling, chaos.








Blog Stops












Giveaway















To celebrate her tour, Dell is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of Gail’s Bible: ESV Illuminated Bible (Art Journaling Edition), a paperback copy of No Space Like Home, and Frang Bingham’s Ard Ri game!!



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











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