The Secret Life of Bees [Hardcover] Review

The Secret Life of Bee's is an enduring story set on a southern bee farm.The characters will enlighten and warm your heart.The Secret Life of Bee's is similar to many southern stories; however, the bee lore that Kidd interjects throughout makes the book unique and interesting.The Secret Life of Bee's is a heartwarming, feel good read.There are universal lessons about family and self throughout.
The main character, Lily Owens is fleeing an abusive father and an all-consuming truth surrounding her mother's death.The Secret Life of Bee's is set in the 1960's when racial tensions and violence were at an all time high.Lily and her caretaker Rosaleen, leave town after a violent encounter with racists while Rosaleen was attempting to exercise some of her newly granted freedoms.
Since the death of her mother, Lilly has a few precious clues as to her last days.The clues lead Lily and Rosaleen to Tiburon, South Carolina where they meet the `calendar sisters', May, June, and August Boatwright.The Boatwright sisters operate a successful Bee farm.Lily and Rosaleen are welcomed to the farm with open arms.Through her work on the farm, Lily is able to examine her past and begin to trust as she finds love again.
The Secret Life of Bee's is the story of mothers.The reader will travel with Lily as she experiences each of the four remarkable women ~ Rosaleen, May, June, and August.Each of these women is a teacher and guide to Lily.It is through her experiences that she is able to discern that a mother is more than just a biological bond.
A great debut for Sue Monk Kidd.I cannot help thinking that I would have loved to learn more about Boatwright sisters...maybe there is room for another story!

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The Lawmaker (Hardcover) Review

After finishing The Lawmaker (gosh it took me a long time--sorry Rick) I was fairly convinced that the author was a former trial attorney...turns out that while he DOES work in law enforcement, being a lawyer wasn't his career...so kudos first off for writing a legal thriller without not actually BEING an attorney. My all-time favorite legal thriller is also NOT written by a former practicing lawyer (The Quiet Game by Greg Iles) so you're in good company as far as I can tell.

B-u-u-u-t The Lawmaker isn't exactly a full-on legal drama, either. It also adds the element of politics, bribery and a few other un-seemly underworld adjectives. Meet Wayne Lott, an attorney who seems to hit the jackpot when an opportunity to run for public office seems to fall right in his lap. As the majority of moral America already knows, politics are not as fancy as one may initially believe them to be. Pure as the driven snow? Hardly. And Mr. Lott discovers this the hard way as he quickly finds himself (literally) stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Now I have personally never had to choose between participating in Blackmail or possibly becoming victim to mob-like individuals bent on encouraging (ie: forcing) you to follow your 'pre-determined' path...but, I'd like to think I'd do the right thing. Does Wayne have what it takes to make the right choice? I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say finding out the answer is all part of the fun that is The Lawmaker. On the back of the book it says the book is a cross between Casino & The Firm, and I gotta say that particular description fits like a glove.

If you're looking for a tension-laced novel that doesn't follow the usual predictable pattern which seems to be a plague within the legal thriller genre these days, give The Lawmaker a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome...I know I was.

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Wayne Lott is a young attorney out to make a name for himself. When a state legislative seat becomes vacant, Wayne jumps at the chance to run for office and enter what he thinks is the glamorous life of politics. But he's in for a deadly surprise.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Morning and Evening Burgundy [Leather Bound] Review

Spurgeon's material in "Morning and Evening" is excellent.This is not a review of his work.It is however a review of this particular edition.

Whitaker House has offered up an abridged version of the content and has done a very poor job of proofing it.I have found the book difficult to read, not because I have problems with British sentence structure of over a century ago, but because I often have to re-read a sentence to parse what it was supposed to say due to mistakes in typesetting or typographical errors.

Here is a sample from the February 24th morning reading, "He usually give it in such a measure that there is not room to receive it," or "'As thy day, so shall they strength be.'"(That should be "gives" and "thy strength".)This reads like your average 13-year-old's Internet post, not like the writing of a well-educated man of God that was published by someone that cared about what was being said.

My advice?Look for a better copy.

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A wealth of Biblical teaching from Spurgeon. He meditates on two portions of scripture each day with applications that are very relevant for contemporary Christians. Spurgeon's characteristically pithy comments hit home with a wit and elegance rarely found in other writing. Spurgeon was, primarily, a pastor and this shows with the concern he shows here for the hearts of the reader. Christians, young and old, will find his comments challenging, stimulating and direct. This edition is in a high quality diary style finish, with a gilt page edging, a presentation page and a bookmark.
This is the most complete and unabridged version available of the best-selling Morning and Evening devotions. The luxury finish makes an excellent gift for a business associate, graduate or relative.

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His Mistress By Morning (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback) Review

HIS MISTRESS BY MORNING has an intriguing plot...

26 year old spinster charlotte wilmont has been in love with sebastian marlowe, viscount trent, for as long as she can remember. she has just received an inherited ring from her aunt, a ring that has the power to grant one wish of the person wearing it. charlotte doesn't know this at the time, but after seeing sebastian one day her secret longings are voiced aloud. she wishes sebastian was in love with her.

she awakens the next morning to find herself in the arms of sebastian after a night of passion and she's of course very confused because whereas the day before she was an on the shelf spinster, she is now the most celebrated cyprian in london and sebastian is her lover...and very much in love with her. however, sebastian isn't a rich lover and therefore must marry an heiress in order for him to save his family from financial ruin.

i purchased this book because i was curious to see how the author would pull this storyline out and unfortunately, i was disappointed with the results. while i found charlotte to be a tolerable heroine, her preoccupation with all things sebastian left her characterization threadbare. it seemed everything she did was for the sole purpose of obtaining sebastian's adoration, and this despite the fact that the reader learns nothing of why she loves him in the first place. i mean, we're told he's honorable and dependable and boring despite being handsome, which made me wonder what charlotte saw in him other than his looks.

in the 'wish world' where she's the cyprian, sebastian is totally different. here he's a rake, charming and engaging and enjoying life, but he's behaving in the opposite manner as he was in the 'world before the wish is made', so basically she's enamored with a totally different side of this guy.not to mention the fact that charlotte's alternate persona 'lottie' comes across as a mercenary and materlistic person, which made it impossible for me to believe sebastian was in love with her for any other reason than the fact that she was beautiful and great in bed. i will say the author did a decent job with the love scenes, although because the characters are supposed to be already intimate at the time the 'wish world' begins, there was a lack of build up, kind of like sex without foreplay.

the time the author spends in the 'wish world' is too long, so that by the time charlotte goes from cyprian back to spinster there are roughly one hundred pages left for her to get sebastian to fall in love with her. she uses information she gained as the cyprian in the 'wish world' to woo him, which seemed to me like cheating instead of her actually having an inate knowledge of her supposed beloved. i mean, if i had the cheat sheet to what pleased the man i loved, of course he'd fall in love with me, right? it made it seem as though their love was manipulated moreso than fated and took all of the romance of discovery out of the mix.

the ending was extremely rushed. it was like one minute sebastian is wondering who this new charlotte is (because of course she adopts some of her 'lottie' personality in her attempts to woo him) and the next minute he's in love with her. it really seemed to happen just that fast. again, very little build up.

so while i appreciate the author's original concept, i can't recommend this book. the characterization of both hero and heroine was sketchy, the heroine's singular purpose of getting the hero to fall in love with her left her uninteresting to me, and while the love scenes were done well, the lack of build up of the whole love story made me feel like they were strangers highly attracted to each other sexually, but with no other common interests to a warrant a long-lasting love.



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Product Description:

Oh, how I wish . . .


When a promised inheritance turns out to be a fraud, shy spinster Charlotte Wilmont makes an impetuous wish that despite her lack of charm and fortune, she could capture the heart of the one man whom she's forever adored—Sebastian, Viscount Trent.


Be careful what you wish for . . .


With that utterance, Charlotte awakens shocked to find herself entwined with her beloved Sebastian. But the respectable man she knew is now a most rakish devil and she is . . . well, by some inexplicable magic, London's most infamous mistress.


Even passion comes at a price . . .


Being the scandalous Lottie Townsend affords Charlotte unimaginable freedom—passionate nights with Sebastian, endless days of shopping, and adoring fans. But all too soon, Charlotte finds that being one man's mistress isn't the same as being his wife. Yet if she returns to her old, respectable life, can Charlotte trust there will be enough magic left to recapture Sebastian's heart . . . and reawaken his rakish desires?



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On Wings of the Morning [Paperback] Review

What a wonderful way to tell a story!We're given two main characters to follow through the years of 1933 to 1975.Each narrates his/her own story, switching back and forth from chapter to chapter.Morgan and Georgia emerged from completely different backgrounds, yet shared a single passion.The passion of flight, so exquisitely expressed by Marie, that the reader is transported to the sky.At once a heartfelt and visual experience, it is impossible to not become fully invested in the lives of these two individuals as they fledge toward a relationship.
Although the book takes place during World War II and carries with it much historical content, it is so much more than just historical fiction.Marie has developed a variety of secondary characters, with colorful personalities.In doing so, she has livened up the mix, and given us the opportunity to feel a multitude of emotions toward everyone in the story.There are those that are sadly comical, the ones you love to hate, and those that have struggled through hardship and can only be an inspiration.This book had me both crying and laughing outright.
Wings of the Morning can be read simply, as an easy-flowing love story, or as an example of patriotism and the recognition of the women of the WASPs, or if you are so inclined, delve deeply, and delight in the spiritual side of the story, consider such intriguing topics as Nature vs Nurture.But most of all, enjoy what Marie so capably brings to the mind's eye.


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Marie Bostwick delivers a captivating novel of soul mates discovering each other as the country faces its greatest challenge...
Morgan Glennon's destiny points straight up into Oklahoma's clear, blue sky. It's been that way since he was four years old, imagining the famous flier father he's never met. Morgan leaves college to enlist as a Navy pilot, and his whole world suddenly changes when America goes to war. Watching his friends fall in battle, robs Morgan of the joy he always felt in the air. It will take one very unusual woman to help him get it back...
Georgia Jean Carter learned early never to rely on a man for anything but trouble. Airplanes are different: they take a girl places most boyfriends can't. Remarkably, the war makes it possible for Georgia to do her part as a pilot. Flying with the WASPs brings a special sense of belonging--yet there's something missing that Georgia doesn't recognize until a brief encounter sets her dreaming about a young flyboy she barely knows...

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Waiting for Morning (Forever Faithful, Book 1) [Paperback] Review

"There was a horrific jolt and the defending sound of twisting, sparking metal and shattering glass. Jenny screamed, but it was to late. The explorer took to the air like a child's toy spinning wildly and coming to rest wrapped around a telephone pole a hundred feet away." In Karen Kingsbury's Waiting For Morning, the tragedies represent life experiences. This book is interesting and heart warming. It is hard to put down.
Hannah Ryan waits for her two girls and wonderful husband to come home from a summer camping trip. It is a perfect Christian family with nothing missing or where anything could go wrong. They got in a wreck with an unstable drunk driver. Instantly, her oldest daughter and husband died. The youngest daughter lives, but goes through severe trauma. Hannah tries to convict the driver of first-degree murder. It will be the biggest charge for drunk driving in the history of California. At the same time, it just makes things insoluble between her daughter and herself when both are bewildered about the accident.
Kingsbury makes the characters very easy to understand. Hannah Ryan is portrayed as a dynamic character in direct characterization. Jenny, her daughter, a very round character, struggles with so many difficulties after the deaths of her family members. Both struggle with unspeakable feelings of sorrow and rage that fuse into one chilling purpose for living. All Hannah wants is revenge against Brian Wesley, the drunk driver that causes her all the pain. In fury of things going on, Hannah shuts the Lord out of her life, the biggest mistake of all.
It is not very difficult nor too easy to follow along with. The book's superior ways in the dialogue is extremely intelligible. Although the characters are older, the reading is not too mature for younger teens. The language is internal. It speaks to the inside of your heart. The tone can make a person change completely, or can shake them up. It is also shocking at times with a touch of thrill.
When the holidays arrive, everything becomes a lot harder for everyone. The Novel takes place in a city in the mists of California. It takes place around the time of holidays and vacations, which makes it more difficult on Jenny and Hannah.
The story, told in third person omniscient, revolves around Hannah. A couple of flashbacks take place while she remembers memories, and looks back at old pictures. The foreshadowing works greatly and proves that someone can live for something that they cannot find in themselves. "I don't need God anymore..." becomes the realistic nature of this novel. Horrible circumstances make many people question their faith.
Waiting For Morning, by Karen Kingsbury, a fantastic book on true-life experiences, keeps the reader on edge, waiting for the next sight. It can have a huge effect on a person from laughing, to crying, to smiling. It can and will leave the readers in true amazement. If people need to find themselves or find the truth in the Lord during hard battles, this book is wonderful.

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Product Description:
Hannah Ryan is the mother of two adorable little girls and the wife of a doting husband. Her life is perfect -- until the night her husband and eldest daughter are ripped away from her by a drunken driver. Torn by grief and rage, Hannah finds her faith -- like that of Jeremiah weeping over Jerusalem -- tested to the limits. As she walks the long road of her own modern-day Lamentations, she must learn to forgive... and finally discover that God's mercies truly are new every morning. Sometimes the road home is only found by letting go.

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Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional Based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version [Hardcover] Review

Alistair Begg, pastor (Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio), author, and speaker, has done a magnificent job in updating this devotional classic. Begg's updates enable a wider audience to enjoy and be nourished by Spurgeon's timeless writing. Although this devotional (in its unrevised version) can be accessed daily on multiple websites, I have found myself to be more consistent in my reading when I hold a hard copy in my hands.
Spurgeon's pastoral warmth and thirst for evangelism come through strongly in these short devotionals. His focus on all three members of the Trinity is excellent as he beckons us further in serving Christ. I have also found his connection with the individual reader to be outstanding as he instructs and motivates toward change and action.
Granted, some of Spurgeon's interpretation may be dated (for instance, he interprets Song of Solomon as an allegory between Christ and the Church). However, this clearly is the minority, and the timeless nature of his topics far outweigh any problem this poses.
I have used this devotional off and on for many months now, and have many friends who have also been encouraged by their reading of it.
This 2003 edition is based on the English Standard Version (ESV), a recent translation respected for its readability and faithfulness to the text. Among the many Christian leaders who endorse the ESV are J.I. Packer (Regent College), Chuck Colson (Prison Fellowship Ministries), John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist Church), and R.C. Sproul (Ligonier Ministries).

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For over one hundred years, Christians have gotten up and goneto bed with Charles Spurgeon's devotional Morning andEvening as a companion. With a reading to begin and end eachday throughout the year, you will come to appreciate Spurgeon'semphasis on the importance of abiding in Christ and meditating onGod's Word. His wisdom and counsel provide a timeless guide throughthe trials and triumphs of the year. The richness of his biblicalunderstanding offers readers a look into the heart of one ofEngland's foremost pastors and enduring Christian authors.His lasting message is even more accessible with Alistair Begg'scareful modernizing of Spurgeon's English. Begg, who has a deeplove for Spurgeon's preaching and especially for this work, hasmaintained Spurgeon's clear passion and commitment to Christ. Usingthe English Standard Version as the scriptural text provides anaccurate, understandable accompaniment to Spurgeon's lessons.This updated version of a devotional classic is a timely andmuch-needed encouragement for today's Christian.



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Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt (Paperback) Review

I read this book after reading the Pulitzer-Prize winning "The Riseof Theodore Roosevelt", another excellent biography of TR.When Istarted "Mornings On Horseback", I felt that I was armed withmore information about this President than I had going into"Rise"; however, once I completed "Mornings", Irealized that I was armed with an entirely different type of knowledge. David McCullough gets us into the Roosevelt house and makes the people inTR's life come alive."Nurture" is a vital componant of anyone'sdevelopment and in this book, one sees just how family shapes a greatpersonality such as his.To truly understand TR from a historicalperspective one must examine his roots.This book is a joy to read, veryinformative and well-paced.

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Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as "a masterpiece" (John A. Gable, Newsday), it is the winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household in which he was raised.
The father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. The mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and a celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, TR's first love. All are brought to life to make "a beautifully told story, filled with fresh detail", wrote The New York Times Book Review.
A book to be read on many levels, it is at once an enthralling story, a brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. It is a book about life intensely lived, about family love and loyalty, about grief and courage, about "blessed" mornings on horseback beneath the wide blue skies of the Badlands.

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8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way to Shed Up to 2 Pounds a Week -- Guaranteed [Paperback] Review

Jorge Cruise has developed a quick way to "jump-start" your morning. By performing only 8 minutes of strength training and following a simple diet Jorge says you can shape up! In fact on the cover of his book he guarantees weight loss in just 4 weeks.
I think the strength training aspect of his program is very good. The photographs are clear and the descriptions for the exercises are concise. Jorge leads you through 4 sets of 12 repetitions for 2 exercises, alternating them for greater effect.
There are a number of exercises including standing heel raises, kickups, knee pushups, and one arm curls.
Despite the short time period, I could feel a nice difference in my body in under a week. Though its easy to not exercise, its hard to make excuses when it's only 8 minutes! Great Concept!
It would be nice if Jorge had included modifications for those who had difficulty performing the exercises.
Jorge also includes a motivational thought for the day. Each day has a different idea to hopefully "kick" you into high gear. Ideas such as visualization, using light, rewards etc. Nothing new, but a nice addition to the book.
The diet is your standard low calorie type fare, with one addition. Jorge has you add one tsp. of flax oil (which you can also purchase from him) or olive oil to your meals to give you that feeling of satiation. I purchased Jorge's flax oil and indeed it does make you feel full..but I found the taste was very hard to get used to. Overall, I was disappointed in the diet. Jorge does not use the new information about how glycemic levels can be effected by certain foods and he suggests foods that easily turn to sugar in your body like bananas. He also suggests eating treats alone and that could trigger cravings in some folks if not paired with a protein.
Jorge says he has trained over 3 million people online in his book. So I was surprised when I visited his website that it seemed like it was still in it's infancy ie chat board just starting etc. I have been on a variety of fitness websites for over 5 years and have never heard of Jorge. I was also disappointed when he suggested on the board the if we needed motivation we buy a small outfit and try to diet to get in it.
Personally, I think we all need to feel good NOW about our bodies and try to make them better by buying clothes that fit and adjusting down when the time is right.
My thoughts are that he knows his exercise but put together a diet program by gathering information from others. I don't think his diet program is anything special or the answer folks have been looking for.
But the book is worth the price for the exercises alone. And Jorge is young and enthusiastic and his knowledge of nutrition will grow! Hopefully his next book will include the wonderful exercises and a better nutrition plan.

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