Officer Erik & The Very Special Dad by Steven Manchester
Love this story because it's a true heart and soul story.
Being disabled for me is about helping others because there's always someone in worse condition than I. Asking for help is hard to do till you become comfortable with others.
This story starts out at a local ice cream shop when Officer Erik notices a man who has fallen. He rushes over to help, as is his nature. Man claims he's fine and gets up. He wants to learn more about this man and tracks him down, knowing he can offer some help. They come to an agreement to help others who are in need of help.
Love the work they are able to do for the elderly couple along with help from all their children. There are mishaps and some tasks take longer but the work gets accomplished. The families become friends and I love when Zeke does ask for help, for his kids because he is not able to physically do it himself.
Love all the links and ideas at the end of the story to learn more about MS and how to involve the whole family in understanding.
The Shack by Joanne DeMaio
This story picks up where the last left off. They arrive back in CT to their community and find a few anges. Elsa is very upset but she doesn't know why, the secrets and truth will come out eventually.
Other groups of the people in the community are shared. Love the connections of some who are very close, closer than the blood relative.
Very emotional, tender moments, harsh reality sinks in.
Love hearing all about the harvest festival and the options Shane has in Maine and the things he does there, Opens so much more of his life there.
Another cliff hanger at the end, til the next book in the 23 book series. Wish they were more often.
The Bridge to Rembrandt by Nelson K Foley
What a fascinating art read. Starts out with Robert and his family and his work in the art industry.
He has a partner, Mark who works at a different aspect of the company. Robert receives a coin and finds him after crossing a bridge in different time parallel. It happens many times, and he finds himself in different eras and finds some of the same people in them, through the centuries.
Love the connection of buying a dresser for his son and finding out later why it's so important to the art industry. Love all the art discussions, so technical but easy to follow along.
Even with his health issues he has to be careful to be able to return back in his present time and he's not sure how it's all done.... Author makes the story So authentic. Love reading about all the locations throughout the centuries and imagine what it's like to have visited them all. ove how the author fills in all the missing pieces, makes them all connect.
Great mystical, magical read. Would love to read more from this author.
Playing Ball by Vernon Davis
This story is a journal of sorts about Vernon who is also the author.
From the beginning the thing that stuck with me was going to church every Sunday. My mother although not Catholic but married into a Catholic family, brought us to church and all other ceremonies over the years of our lives. We even went to school from Kindergarten to high school in a Catholic school.
Author's life starts out so traumatic. Very hard upbrining but he has his grandparents to tend to him and his siblings as the mother was a drug addict. She'd embarrass him many times while out in the neighborhood playing ball with his friends. He has nights where he was the one caught and ended up in jail. Finally after a felony he promised his grandparents he'd change. And he was able to do that. Found a new school not in the neighborhood and he had to prove himself in order to play ball with them, and he did. He had good grades and did so much with his life.
With such struggles he really has come out of the heartache and formed relationships and got a good head on his shoulders. I used to follow football but only the Patriots so I was familiar with some of the names. The organizations he created for the good of others is so great to read about. Helping others in the art field to educate them and then give them scholarships and give back to the organization. He read a lot of self help books and created other funds for other organizations that helped the community he lived in. There are so many to note. Now I'll have to go back to the movies he mentioned to see him as an actor. So cool. Love most how he stepped up to help his grandparents and his siblings. through the tough years.
What a fantastic story.
Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
A Summer to Remember by Cassidy Carter
This story follows Delaney and her daughter Rachel who live at the Pines and help run it. SHe's involved in so much of how things happen there. When she realizes they won't survive much longer she submits a letter for help to a tv show and they are selected. She hopes for a review of what they have, renovate things and advertise so more will know of the location.
Story also follows Wyatt as he's hte main director of the family business.
His aunt also help sout at the reservation desk.
The two had grown up spending summers together at the lake and knew so much about each other.
Alex the head lady of the tv show needs to spice things up to make things look like there is turmoil.
Interviews occur and things move fast to update the places, cabins, entertainment events, food store and even cell tower.
Love this one as it is about all different age groups and their troubles.
Love how they all gather to make things happen and pray it all works out in the longrun.
Romance is in the air....
Innocent Again by Steven Decker
What an awesome read, would love to see this as a movie.
The author is so very descriptive with details, you can follow along as Becky is charged with her spouses murder.
He and his business friend, Rick ran the company, each doing their own job.
Becky listens to a lot of things other tell her and figures out who it was that killed him. She confronts him from the insides of the prison she is housed at....
Love hearing about the canals, walking trails and so much more about the location and attractions.
Her lawyer moves and doesn't like the things she is being told about the circumstances and just wants Becky to stay out of the way.
Love how she is exonerated, and how she carries on with her life. She lives the prestigious area of Phoenix and hated that her parents never came to visit her nor did they think she was innocent.
She has them help her out while she goes to NYC to study to be an investigative reporter.
Hate that she was called back home early....
So many mysteries and court trails and procedures follow in the next court case against her.....
Clues she hunts for others are handed to her on a silver platter in the least likely places.
Would love to read more from this author in this series. each book is a standalone but in a series as well.
Book ends with excerpt with another story from the author.
The Ultimate Trivia for Seniors Book: 500+ Large Print, Easy to Read, Nostalgic & Fun Questions from the 1950s-1990s to Challenge Your Mind & Bring Back Great Memories (Classic Trivia Gifts) by Garrett Monroe
Lots of trivia questions along with their answers. The subjects and chapters offer a large variety to choose from. My favorites are music, tv shows, and sports.
Would make a perfect gift for anybody especially valuable for family nights with friends to see who knows the most. Such a fun and entertaining read.
Timeless Trivia for Seniors: A Fun, Social, and Mentally Stimulating Journey Through the 1950s to the 1990s by Peter V. DeCrescenzo
Like this book because it contains so many fun things to learn about. There is intro about the subject/chapters and then questions with multiple choices, the answers are included also.
The ones I loved the best were music, tv and appliances. There is so much there that it'd make a fun family night with friends.
A Touch of Spring Magic by Sinclair Jayne
In this saga of the sisters this one focuses on Jessica. Very competent CPA and she works hard hours to advance.
She shows up for work one morning and has been fired. When she tells her sisters they are behind her and one, the lawyer wants to help her get what she is owed.
She could also just go work for her father at his company but she really has other dreams. She is devastated but she can find work to pay the bills.
Now she can concentrate on her dream to make a garden, nursery type where others will want to come and visit.
She is teamed up with Storm because one of her sisters thought it'd be a great idea. He has others who work for him and they don't mind working out her plans. She feeds them...and she she's quite the accomplished cook.
More pressing matters arise with not only the spell of recipes that keep appearing but her sister Chloe is getting married and the girls all get together and want to throw her a great party.
Love hearing about all the basic things they have to achieve first in the garden to get it manageable. Quite a showpiece by the end of the story.
Love the paths and what you can find on either side of them and so much more. Jay also confronts her parents and her grandmother about her firing. Her grandmother drops a bombshell of a surprise.
She wanted a business partner with Storm but at times she wants more from him, she is ready to love him.
She experiments with the cookbook to find her true love...
Love these stories, wish the recipes were included, not the magic parts but they are inspiring.
Dad Rookie - The Game-Changing Pregnancy Guide for First-Time Dads: Nail Fatherhood with Confidence, Support Your Partner, & Bond with Your Baby - No Experience Required! by Lane Carter
What I like about this book is the fact it's by a man. Nice to hear about their side of the story for when the family is expecting a new baby. Each chapter is broken up into many parts of the subject, easy to understand and follow along. Geared for sports fan and total teamwork with everyone involved.
Love how he talks about the pregnancy but also in game mode terms. Very down to earth and really gets to the nitty gritty of things happening. There is so much to be done for the new baby before they arrive. Love how it's broken up into trimesters of the pregnancy and what to do with different obstacles during the timeframes.
So very informative and even offers a checklist for quick reference guide. Talks about failures and what worked for them.
Great gift for any couple just expecting.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS:
On the Third Day: A Christian Adventure Book for Children to Boost Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus by Hilary Walker
Story starts out with Tristan and his sister Annemarie and they are always at church. Their mother who passed away made their father promise he'd always take them. One Sunday he's running late and they head down the road and find a sheep farm where an animal had gotten caught in the wires. They alerted the man in charge of the farm and he rescued the sheep and they offer their help with them as they have a whole week off from school.
Their father agrees to let them stay with the man and his mother Beth who even makes them lunch every day. Never heard that particular Thursday named Maundy and why and know I know.
During the meal she tells them a faith based story about the Easter holidays and want it really means.
Love how the children are able to get up close and personal to the situations taking place. Also love at the same time learning about how the sheep are tended to, especially when they are orphaned. So educational, entertaining and a fun read.
The children have an ulterior motive to help get their father back to attending church again.
Messi/Ronaldo Built for Greatness - a kids guide to soccer goats by Max Reed
Introduction discusses the two men and a bit about their lives.
Each chapter has a title and there are other subjects contained inside that also have their own titles.
Talks about how they started from early ages and soccer was the only thing they wanted to do. Other chapters go into how they were raised and their locations. Other aspects of their lives, struggle: some physical, some financial, some medical.
Interesting how they were able to be strong enough to get over the hurdles and move onto greatness in the sport. Sometimes the chapter pit each player against one another, the only thing at some areas is their love of the game.
Routine, teamwork perservance and opportunities guided them along the way.
Fascinating and entertaining read for kids of all ages.
List of their achievements over the years are also included towards the end. Love hearing about their work for charities, to give back to the communities.
So many fun facts about them and bonus section test with trivia knowledge is also a fun thing to go through with the kids.
