Category: books

May 28, 2021

Destined for You Book Review

When tragedy brings Gloriana and Luke together in Destined for You, they help each other through their grief and soon find their lives inextricably linked. If they survive the trials ahead, could it be possible they’ve been destined for each other all along?

About Destined for You

In 1869, Gloriana Womack’s family is much smaller since smallpox killed her mother and two of her siblings. She lives in a modest cottage in Duluth, Minnesota, with her father and young brother, and she has dedicated her life to holding her tiny, fractured family together–especially as her father is frequently gone on long fishing trips. Their livelihood may come from the waters of Lake Superior, but storms on the lake can be dangerous, even to those who know it well.

Luke Carson has come to Duluth to help shepherd the arrival of the railroad to the city’s port, and he’s eager to be reunited with his brother, Scott, who recently moved there with his pregnant wife. Competition for the railroad is fierce, with the neighboring city of Superior, Wisconsin, fighting for the tracks to come through their town instead. But the real danger lies in a resident of Duluth who is determined to have his revenge upon Luke.

When tragedy brings Gloriana and Luke together, they help each other through their grief and soon find their lives inextricably linked. If they survive the trials ahead, could it be possible they’ve been destined for each other all along?

My Thoughts

Gloriana, despite her age, has faced great loss in her young life. She lost her mother and two of her siblings and at a young age she took on the role of caregiver to her surviving sibling in the harsh environment of Duluth, Minnesota. Despite all of this pain, she dedicates her time, passion and love to her Father and brother. While she carries her grief, she does so guarding it closely and without complaint. She is a genuinely good person, who loves her family and her beliefs (although at times she feels at odd with a God who causes pain).

Fate and tragedy are not done with this small fishing town. While the town has known tragedy due to the nature of their work, it does not ease the pain nor the suffering that arises when tragedy strikes. It is this pain that brings the small town Gloriana and the rich, city wise Luke together. What first appears to be a mutual friendship based on helping each other, soon becomes a bit more with both not too sure if they are ready to see this happen nor trust in their God who has taken so much away.

With the tragedy at the forefront and the possibility of a romance blooming, Tracie also ties in suspense and a scheme of destruction that could lead to disaster and possibly worse. This plot that develops alongside the main story, was incredibly interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat. It also helps to bring our two main characters together as they struggle to deal with dishonesty, corruption and faith being tested.

This is a beautiful novel that gives hope – that although life can be difficult, hard to understand and sometimes we feel immense pain, out of this can come something beautiful and the knowledge that we are never alone.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana. Learn more at www.traciepeterson.com.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 28, 2021

Miriam’s Song Book Review

Follow Miriam’s journey in Miriam’s Song from childhood to motherhood, obscurity to notoriety, and yearning to fulfillment as she learns that what God promises he provides–in his own perfect timing.

About Miriam’s Song

In her eventful lifetime, Miriam was many things to many people: protective older sister, song leader, prophetess, leper. But between the highs and the lows, she was a girl who dreamed of freedom, a woman who longed for love, a leader who made mistakes, and a friend who valued connection.

With her impeccable research and keen eye for detail, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith offers this epic story to fill in the gaps and imagine how Miriam navigated the challenges of holding on to hope, building a family in the midst of incredible hardship, and serving as a leader of a difficult people, all while living in her brother’s shadow. Follow Miriam’s journey from childhood to motherhood, obscurity to notoriety, and yearning to fulfillment as she learns that what God promises he provides–in his own perfect timing.

My Thoughts

I love historical novels and the personal touch an author gives to an individual of significant importance. While I am somewhat familiar with the story of Moses, I cannot say I knew too much and especially not enough of Miriam (please don’t let my Mom and Dad see me admit to that!). For me, I could not wait to start to read about these individuals who are important figures in my religion.

What I loved the most is that the author made them human – Miriam was a woman first and foremost. She is a woman who loved, who hoped, who feared, who felt happiness and also great sorrow. She also felt her faith tested at many times under the extreme conditions her and her people found themselves in. This made her a character someone that you felt connected to despite the differences in time and expectations and roles of women then and now. Miriam had a great but quiet strength, she was humble and kind, but also had her flaws. She tried not to focus on Moses’ actions that she did not understand and focus on her faith instead, but like so many of us this is hard. I loved this intimate portrayal of her life as the author envisioned it.

The novel while following Miriam’s journey, also gives us a look into Moses’ journey to bring his people to freedom. The story covers many decades but Jill did an amazing job with covering each time frame, I never felt lost or not understanding any part of the story. This was a lovely story full of hope, inspiration and important lessons that we can all learn from.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King and Star of Persia: Esther’s Story. She is also the author of the nonfiction books When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams and She Walked Before Us.Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 26, 2021

Act of Negligence: A Medical Thriller

In Act of Negligence, something unusual is going on with the dementia patients at Pleasant View Nursing Home and Doc Brady is determined to find out why.

About Act of Negligence

Dr. Jim Bob Brady, Houston orthopedic surgeon and amateur sleuth, finds himself in the midst of a different type of medical mystery. His friend and colleague, Dr. James Morgenstern, refers him a series of dementia patients with orthopedic problems from Pleasant View Nursing Home. Each patient dies, irrespective of the treatment, a situation that Doc Brady is unaccustomed to.

Each death prompts an autopsy, performed by another Brady colleague, Dr. Jeff Clarke, who discovers unusual brain pathology in each patient. Some of the tissue samples show nerve regeneration, a finding unheard of in dementia patients.

Doc Brady, enraged by the loss of his patients and obsessively curious about the pathologic findings, begins to investigate the nursing home, as well as its owner and CEO, Dr. Theodore Frazier. This leads Brady and Clarke on an adventure to discover the happenings at Pleasant View—an adventure that sees them running for their lives.

My Thoughts

I have thoroughly enjoyed the other books in the Doc Brady series so I jumped on this one and dived into the novel right away (I could not put it down!). John Bishop did not disappoint – this novel exceeded all of my expectations.

In this novel, the story centres around Pleasant View Nursing Home and the patients that are arriving in Dr. Brady’s care and who are passing away from typical every day orthopedic procedures (very unusual for him and his practice). Dr. Brady is not satisfied with the obvious reasons given for their passing (age and comorbidities) especially when they all have in common: dementia, thyroid issues and the same nursing home. Something just doesn’t add up to him and despite multiple warning signs, he is determined to seek justice for his patients.

What he uncovers blows your mind away – unethical practices, lies, murder and even medical success (but with great cost and not done ethically). Once again, Doc Brady puts his own life on the line to defend and protect his patients and to bring to justice those who have harmed them.

I loved the plot in this story although it hurt me to see someone prey on the emotions of the elderly and their children, who just want to see their parents in their ‘normal’ state again. We learn about nerve regeneration in this novel, something that sounds almost too incredible for words which makes me understand why some would go to the extend we see in this novel but this does not make it right. And while there are technical terms in the novel especially as tied to the nerve regeneration (I had to reread some of the very excited Pathologist sentences over to make sure I understood), it does not take away from the intensity and plot.

This novel is intense, well paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The plot is unique and I love the way he brings Doc Brady to life. He is just a naturally curious, down to earth, good person who loves to question why (which is always to the betterment of his patients!). I loved every moment of this book and can’t wait to see what Doc Brady gets up to next!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

John Bishop is an orthopedic surgeon from Houston, Texas. When he isn’t dreaming up new Doc Brady exploits, you can find him on the golf course or playing his piano. Act of Negligence is the fourth book in the Doc Brady Mystery series

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 23, 2020

Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America Book Review

An exploration of American feminist history told through the lens of the pageant world.

About Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America

Many predicted that pageants would disappear by the 21st century, but they are thriving. Miss America will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020. Why do they persist? In Here She Is, Hilary Levey Friedman reveals the surprising ways pageants have been an empowering feminist tradition. She traces the role of pageants in many of the feminist movement’s signature achievements, including bringing women into the public sphere, helping them to become leaders in business and politics, providing increased educational opportunities, and giving them a voice in the age of #MeToo.

Using her unique perspective as a NOW state president, daughter to Miss America 1970, sometimes pageant judge, and scholar, Friedman explores how pageants became so deeply embedded in American life from their origins as a P.T. Barnum spectacle at the birth of the suffrage movement, through Miss Universe’s bathing beauties to the talent- and achievement-based competitions of today. She looks at how pageantry has morphed into culture everywhere from The Bachelor and RuPaul’s Drag Race to cheer and specialized contests like those for children, Indigenous women, and contestants with disabilities. Friedman also acknowledges the damaging and unrealistic expectations pageants place on women in society and discusses the controversies, including Miss America’s ableist and racist history, Trump’s ownership of the Miss Universe Organization, and the death of child pageant-winner JonBenét Ramsey.

Presenting a more complex narrative than what’s been previously portrayed, Here She Is shows that as American women continue to evolve, so too will beauty pageants.

My Thoughts

I have to admit that I have never watched nor participated in a pageant. I don’t think I have ever seen them here in Ontario (or perhaps I have just never looked) nor have I watched the Miss America or Miss Universe on television. I am not sure why they have never appealed to me, but as I read through Here She Is, it dawned on me that perhaps I felt that they were the opposite of feminism (especially the bathing suit competitions) and that I was bias against pageants based on my own assumptions, but this book made me see pageants from a new perspective.

Hilary explores the history of pageants from their unique beginnings to their current model and how they have evolved. She has matched each phase of the pageants to each feminist movement and shown how each are related. We watch as woman are empowered to take a step out in public, to be proud of their bodies and to not feel the need to hide who they are, their bodies and their role in society (and how different this is in each time period). We are shown how pageants evolved and what was considered to be allowed (how much skin could be shown, weight/body size, marital status, etc..). We are exposed to the good and the bad in this book, Hilary touches on all topics and explains them thoroughly.

What I found really interesting was how the idea of pageants can be seen in many other aspects of daily life – our obsession with some reality shows like the Bachelor. I would never have made that connection before without reading this novel. I also loved how she highlighted a key point in this book – education. So many contestants use pageants to fund their education, receiving degrees in a variety of fields. These are well educated young women who are prepared to take on some of the toughest roles in our workforce.

Here She Is opened my eyes to some of my own unconscious bias against pageants and helped me to understand the important role that they have played in empowering women throughout history. It was a great, eye opening read that I truly appreciated.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Hilary Levey Friedman is a sociologist at Brown University, where she has taught a popular course titled “Beauty Pageants in American Society.” She is a leading researcher in pageantry, merging her mother’s past experiences as Miss America 1970 with her interests as a glitz- and glamour-loving sometime pageant judge, and a mentor to Miss America 2018. Friedman also serves as the president of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women. Her first book, Playing to Win, focused on children’s competitive afterschool activities. Connect with her at hilaryleveyfriedman.com and on Twitter (@hleveyfriedman).

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

December 20, 2020

Act of Revenge Book Review

Dr. Jim Bob Brady once again finds himself doing a bit of investigating, this time on behalf of a colleague.

About Act of Revenge

Plastic surgeon Lou Edwards’s life is complicated by two major issues.

One, his wife has lupus, possibly due to leaking silicone from breast implants that Edwards himself inserted. And two, his malpractice insurance has been canceled (as it has been for many other plastic surgeons) due to the breast implant problem.

But it gets worse.

Shortly after Edwards threatens an insurance company president on national TV, that same president is found murdered in his penthouse.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady once again finds himself doing a bit of investigating, this time on behalf of a colleague. But how well does he know this colleague? Is the investigation worth the threat to Jim Bob’s own life? Will he discover that it was a burglary gone bad? A lover’s quarrel? Or is this an act of revenge?

My Thoughts

I love the Doc Brady series – Dr. Brady is a man of many talents – including investigating crimes! He does so while balancing home life and a busy schedule as an orthopedic surgeon.

In this novel, a chance encounter (a quite funny one at that too) brings together Dr. Brady and Dr. Edwards and takes them down a path of murder, malpractice, death threats and more. Doc Brady wants to believe Lou, especially after the bond his wife makes with Lou’s wife, but Lou is making it very hard to believe in him. He says and does things he should not to do, making him a prime suspect in a murder!

But Doc Brady has a soft spot for both people and solving crimes, he cannot resist getting his hands dirty solving this case. He dives right in with the investigation, following leads that even the police did not uncover. The plot is complicated, and what seems like an easy open and close case is so very far from that as Doc Brady uncovers. There are many complex, interwoven layers of lies and Doc Brady must move quickly to connect them (while protecting his own life as he quickly learns). I was quite surprised by the end of the novel, it was not what I was expecting but was fitting to the way the story evolved.

Act of Revenge is a well written novel with characters that you can’t help but adore. You could definitely read this novel as a stand alone but I would strongly recommend reading the other two novels in this series, Act of Murder and Act of Deception.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Dr. John Bishop has led a triple life. This orthopedic surgeon and keyboard musician has combined two of his talents into a third, as the author of the beloved Doc Brady mystery series. Beyond applying his medical expertise at a relatable and comprehensible level, Dr. Bishop, through his fictional counterpart Doc Brady, also infuses his books with his love of not only Houston and Galveston, Texas, but especially with his love for his adored wife. Bishop’s talented Doc Brady is confident yet humble, brilliant yet a genuinely nice and funny guy who happens to have a knack for solving medical mysteries, and above all is the doctor who will cure you of your blues and boredom. Step into his world with the first three books of the series, and you’ll be clambering for more. The Doc Brady medical thriller series is set in the changing environment of medicine in the 1990s. Drawing on his years of experience as a practicing surgeon, Bishop entertains readers using his unique insights into the medical world with all its challenges, intricacies, and complexities, while at the same time revealing the compassion and dedication of health care professionals. Dr. Bishop and his wife, Joan, reside in the Texas Hill Country.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.