Book Review - Asenath - Anna Patricio

Title:      Asenath

Author:   Anna Patricio

Review:  What I enjoyed about this book was the fact Anna Patricio, the author, took a woman who was only mentioned maybe a few times in the bible and created a detailed story about her.

Something else I enjoyed was the way the author wrote how and why Asenath became the wife of Joseph, and the twist on the different biblical characters we have all read about as children.  This book had great potential if the author would have taken the time and done the research that other great works of historical fiction writers have, like Herman Wok.

What I thought could use some work: The book felt like something a senior in High school would write for his or her creative writing class.  The author used structurally simple sentences when more complex sentences would have given the narrative a better flow.  For example: "Her eyes met mine. We shared a look. Father."  It could have sounded like this, "Her eyes met mine as we shared a look. Father."  The sentence has a better flow and doesn't feel quite as choppy.

I felt like the author didn't do enough research other than a quick bible reference or Google search and it showed throughout the book.  Many times the author would reference people, places, and objects using very modern language.  It may have been a historical novel, but the author wrote it with a too modern feel in the way the characters acted, what they said, and how scenes were portrayed.   Did the ancient Egyptians really sit on couches and if they did could the author have used a more period specific word to lend the text more authenticity? There were a few references similar to couch that seemed out of place along with the modern slang and profanities.

The concept was there, but the execution failed to bring the reader along for the ride.

Thank you to Heidi for this fabulous review.

Publisher:  Published September 28th 2011 by Imajin Books

Copyright: 2011

Pages:  224

ISBN:    9781926997261

Quick Review:  2 Stars out of 5. 

Why I Read it:  The author sent a review request.

Where I Obtained the Book:  Sent by the author.

Synopsis:  Two Destinies...One Journey of Love

In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.

When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.

Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, and it is in him that Asenath comes to find solace…and love. But just as they are beginning to form a bond, Joseph is betrayed by his master’s wife and thrown into prison.

Is Asenath doomed to a lifetime of losing everything and everyone she loves?

Author Biography:  Anna Patricio is a lover of ancient history, with a particular interest in Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome. She is also intrigued by the Ancient Near East, though she has not delved too much into it but hopes to one day.

She undertook formal studies in Ancient History at Macquarie University. She focused mostly on Egyptology and Jewish-Christian Studies, alongside a couple of Greco-Roman units, and one on Archaeology. Though she knew there were very limited job openings for ancient history graduates, she pursued her degree anyway as it was something she had always been passionate about.

Then, about a year after her graduation, the idea to tackle historical fiction appeared in her head, and she began happily pounding away on her laptop. ASENATH is her first novel.

Recently, she traveled to Lower Egypt (specifically Cairo and the Sinai), Israel, and Jordan. She plans to return to Egypt soon, and see more of it. In the past, she has also been to Athens and Rome.

Anna is currently working on a second novel, which still takes place in Ancient Egypt, but hundreds of years after ASENATH

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Book Review - The 60-minute Money Workout - Ellie Kay

Title:  60 Minute Money Workout

Author: Ellie Kay

Review: Personal finance is one of my all time favorite subjects, a number one hobby for me.  I think I have read almost every book in our library on the subject.  When I saw this as an offered book on Blogging for Books I immediately ordered it.  I love budgets and making ends meet.  Income is such a personal thing and yet I wish I could talk to everyone I know about it.

This book is broken into sections to help you find the areas that you need the most.  I found that to be helpful, and the way you would break up a budgeting session into a warm-up, cardio, cool-down and then a reward was great.  I think that the author had many great ideas and stated them in an easy to follow format, but I have other financial experts that I enjoy hearing from more.

Dave Ramsey is one of my favorite experts on personal finance and if this is an area of interest to you then check out his book, The Total Money Makeover.  This book is easy to follow and interesting to boot.

If you need help in the area of money management then check out this book or many others out there.  It doesn’t matter how you get your financial life in order, it just matters that you do.

Publisher: Published December 14th 2010 by WaterBrook Press (first published November 24th 2010)

ISBN: 9780307446039

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 240

Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis: Financial transformation in just one hour a week!

You can revolutionize your finances in only sixty minutes! Looking for long-term economic stability and not common quick-fix schemes? Discover the secrets that Ellie Kay used to deliver her family from $40,000 in consumer debt. Now a nationally recognized financial expert and best-selling author, Ellie shares her one-hour-a-week program that has made it possible to take care of her family and do it all debt-free! With entertaining anecdotes, easy-to-follow charts, and practical advice, The 60-Minute Money Workout is both fun and feasible. You’ll be able to:

 > Get out of debt and save for your kids’ college

> Have meaningful and debt-free vacations

> Pay cash for your cars

> Make a difference in the world by giving generously

> Find financial peace with your spouse

> Be content with your current circumstances

> Latch onto hope for your financial future

In just one hour a week, you’ll be financially stronger and smarter. Revolutionize your quality of life with the Workout and you’ll never look back!

Author Biography: Ellie Kay is a financial expert on Good Money (ABC NEWS) and best-selling author of thirteen books and hundreds of magazine articles. She’s a regular media guest on CNBC, CNN, and Fox News, and has been featured on ABC Nightline, Your World with Neil Cavuto, and Fox and Friends.  Her radio commentary for Focus on the Family airs on more than 2,000 radio outlets around the world. She and her husband are the parents of seven children and live in Southern California. Visit her website at EllieKay.com.

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Monday in my Mailbox

Veronica, a widow from an abusive marriage, is looking forward to having a wonderful visit with her daughter, Jeri. It had been a year since Jeri moved away to college andVeronica cannot think of anywhere else she would rather be than spend a peaceful Christmas with Jeri.
Jared thought his day had already gone badly when his hiring proposal for consultants was put on hold. Now he finds himself stranded in a blizzard and discovers his rental car has a flat.To add insult upon injury, the keys are locked in the trunk!
When Veronica sees Jared walk into the airport terminal and takes a seat across from her, she can feel her emotions run amok bouncing somewhere between loathing and love. He was the man, whom she had loved and yet he had walked out on her. Jared on the other hand wants to do everything in his power to heal her wounds. In the deepest region of his heart, he wants to start over.
On icy roads, and deep in thought, Jeri’s is suddenly involved in a serious accident, and as Veronica rushes through the halls of the hospital, in search to find answers, she stumbles upon Jared. It is then Veronica realizes at that their present has brought them together shrouded in the events of their past while the doctors feverishly work to save her daughter’s life.  Sent for review.


In the Book of Revelation, a man named John has a prophetic dream. He dreams of the final prophecies that will come to pass - and the seven archangels that guard them. Each angel waits to sound their trumpet at God's appointed time, preparing humanity to fight and win the final battle. 2,000 years later, Father Chris Mognahan is a member of the Hetairia Melchizedek, a secret society within the Catholic Church that studies Biblical omens. The society asks Chris to investigate an unusually grotesque crime - a murder on a college campus where the killer's hand literally burned off the victim's face. While the killing seems isolated at first, the society ties the murder to the final Biblical prophecy and a terrifying omen that the order of the prophecies is about to be disrupted. The final battle is coming too soon - long before humanity is prepared to win it. Suddenly, Chris finds himself fighting against time and hell to keep the prophecies in order and stop an early Armageddon. He is joined by a band of unlikely allies, and together they find themselves in Rome above the Vatican Necropolis - the city of the dead - where the future is revealed to them in ancient texts. They are not alone, however; an evil as old as time itself hunts them. As they travel across continents on their mission, the demonic force follows relentlessly, waiting in every shadowed corner, and every dark place. As Armageddon descends, Father Chris finds that his only hope lies in a young woman within the group who has a secret gift - and their belief that God Himself may have sent her to keep the final angelic trumpet from sounding out the early end of the Earth.  Sent for review.
Liz always felt God beside her, but she never imagined she would be in his passenger seat! In this humorous, heartfelt adventure story, God invites an ordinary woman to travel with him on a life-changing road trip. Along the way, they encounter fantastic beings, heavenly houses, and extraordinary communities that Liz could never have imagined. But this is no vacation. God has a lot to teach Liz, and behind all the whimsy is a deeper spiritual message with real-life applications. Buckle up and join God and Liz on the journey of a lifetime.  Sent for review.
This is a multi-layered tale of historical detection; incorporating oral testimonies, recorded histories, official documents, letters, diaries, dreams and prophecies. As a novel, it presents a carefully crafted and insightful revision of actual events, offering a courageous departure from mainstream historical writing.
Set against a contemporary backdrop, the main protagonists (Sonja Haas and Jason Tomas) travel through Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, then on to Holland and England before returning to South Africa. Via various roadside encounters, including the startling revelations of a sangoma (a healer empowered by ancestors), they reconstruct the past and their own identities, with divergent consequences.
When the Cape of Good Hope was still revered as the Portal to the Indies - the Viceroy of Portuguese-India was led ashore, attacked, slain and hurriedly buried in a shallow grave. The murder of Dom Francisco d'Almeida remains a mystery to this day. Was it the fulfilment of a prophecy or an act of poetic justice? Was it a mutiny, an ambush or perhaps an assassination? If so, was it instigated by the King of Portugal or the Church of Rome? These are the questions which Sonja and Jason set out to answer.
As the main focaliser, Sonja's inner conflict reflects a passage from doubt to hope, echoing the transition from a Cape of Storms to the Cape of Good Hope. Like Sonja's search for herself, Knot of Stone is ultimately a tale of self-discovery. With its captivating mystery, and mixture of legend and established fact, and the karmic background of various well-known individuals in interpreting events, this is an enthralling book which will appeal to all those who have enjoyed the Dan Brown literary genre.  Sent for review.

********** ********** Fancy cars, a loving wife, a designer home in the Hollywood Hills. Nathan Lindeman had it all, lost it all, and now he’s desperate to get it back. They say there are no second acts in show business, but they just may be wrong. There’s a new TV series being cast that’s virtually guaranteed to be a success, and Nathan has a shot at snagging one of the lead roles. If, that is, he can survive the perils and pitfalls that threaten to derail him along the way. Follow along on Nathan’s journey, as he deals with teenage casting directors, soulless network execs, ego-maniacal fellow performers, hucksters and thieves, a cast of characters so bizarre and unbelievable they could only be based in reality. By turns, funny, sad, heartbreaking and heartfelt, Drowned in the Grenadine explores America’s fascination with celebrity, the nature of success and what it means to be both a father and a son. Sent for review.

The Man From Beijing Trailer

One of my favorite books of the last year coming to the small screen, unfortunately it is in Germany. Hopefully the subtitled version will be available here, like on Netflix (a great place to see the original Swedish Dragon Tattoo movies). The book is Henning Mankell's The Man From Beijing and will be in two 90 minute segments.


The Chinese Man Trailer from Yellow Bird Pictures on Vimeo.

It is a little strange to see the American Sheriff speaking fluent German in the clip, but that is just my biased western mind playing with me.

Book Review - Secrets To The Grave - Tami Hoag

Title:      Secrets To The Grave

Author:  Tami Hoag

Review:   This author keeps you guessing to the end, she also keeps you sitting on the edge of you seat.  I think I was shaking near the end when I figured out who was in danger.  I wanted to scream run…but they are only made up characters not real people…but this author makes you sure feel they are real.

This is the second book in a series and it was just as good as the first, Deeper than the Dead.  Many suspects fill the pages, many question fill your mind as the story is woven around the lives of normal people with sorted pasts that make you think that maybe it was them who dunnit.  I really enjoy this author and at the last library sale I picked up five more from her.

If you enjoy mystery/murder/thriller you will enjoy this book and most likely this author.  You do not need to read these in order, but it would be the easier if you do.  I stayed up late finishing this book and then had a hard time sleeping.  There are worse things out there then zombies and vampires, real people are much more scary at times.

Publisher:  Published December 28th 2010 by Dutton Adult

Copyright: 2010

Pages:  400

ISBN:  9780525951926

Quick Review:  4 Stars out of 5. 

Why I Read it:  I had read the first Oak Knoll book in the series, Deeper Than the Dead.

Where I Obtained the Book:  Purchased at our library sale.

Synopsis:  Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.

When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. Already on edge with the upcoming trial of the See- No-Evil killer, residents are shocked by reports of the crime scene, which might not have been discovered for days had it not been for a chilling 911 call: a small child's voice saying, "My daddy hurt my mommy."

Sheriff's detective Tony Mendez faces a puzzle with nothing but pieces that won't fit. To assist with his witness, Haley, he calls teacher-turned-child advocate Anne Leone. Anne's life is hectic enough-she's a newlywed and a part- time student in child psychology, and she's the star witness in the See-No-Evil trial. But one look at Haley, alone and terrified, and Anne's heart is stolen.

As Tony and Anne begin to peel back the layers of Marissa Fordham's life, they find a clue fragment here, another there. And just when it seems Marissa has taken her secrets to the grave, they uncover a fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer: Marissa Fordham never existed.

 

Author Biography:  Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of thirty books. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times bestseller list with Night Sins, and each of her books since has been a bestseller. She lives in Southern California and Florida.

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