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Side by Side by Jana Kelley
Side by Side by Jana Kelley was a very unique book. I have never read a book like this one before and I have to say that I think more people should write books like this one. I didn’t want this book to end because it was so interesting watching the characters grow and learn about other people and their personal beliefs. I love how this book was inspired by things that the author went through so that always makes the book seem more real or at least it does to me. This was a great book and I was sad when it came to the end of the book. I would recommend this book to everyone who is looking for an interesting book or a unique idea because this was both of those things.
About The Book
Side by Side (New Hope Publishers, April 2015)
In the dusty, Islamic country of Sudan, Mia’s life collides with that of another young woman.
A young Christian American mother, Mia finds more than one dark secret on the streets of Khartoum. She finds Halimah, a young, upper-class Arab student with a bright future in her family’s business whose risky and secretive decision has put her life in danger. What happens when the path of young mother intersects with that of a spunky Sudanese student? God transforms them both . . . forever.
Part of New Hope® Publishers’ contemporary missional fiction line, Side by Side opens the reader’s eyes to the life of Muslims in Sudan as well as some of the struggles that Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith as well as pray for the salvation of those who persecute.
About The Author
Jana Kelley is a Texan who hardly ever lives in Texas. Raised in Southeast Asia, Jana developed a love for cross-cultural living early in life. Her love for writing came soon after. Jana returned to Texas to attend college. She and her husband married a month after she graduated and by their second anniversary, they were living in a remote African town. Together with her husband and three boys, Jana enjoys travel and overseas living. After thirteen years in Africa and the Middle East, Jana and her family moved to Southeast Asia where they currently live.
Find Jana online: website, Facebook, Twitter
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret MargaretVisiting The Sins by Melanie Denman
Visiting The Sins by Melanie Denman was an interesting book to read. I am going to start by saying that if you are offended by some swearing than this book isn’t for you. The only reason I say that is because it happens throughout this book. It didn’t happen a ton and it wasn’t anything that bothered me but it may bother some other people. I had a hard time reading this book at times because one of the last names of one of the characters is the same last name of someone I know so it was weird for me to read this book and not think of the person I know.
Anyway lets get back to the review of this book. This book did make me smile while I was reading it quite often. I have to say that my favorite character was Pokey and that is because she reminded me of people I used to work with when I worked at the nursing home as a CNA. I wasn’t a huge fan of Rebanelle and I am not 100% sure why but she really did get on my nerves. I loved reading this story and see things through the characters eyes. I loved how different people narrated throughout the whole book so you were always getting different views and that is always a fun change from books where just one character narrates the story. I really did enjoy this book and I can’t wait to read other books by this author.
About The Book
Set in the Bible Belt of Deep East Texas, Visiting the Sins is a darkly funny story about mothers and daughters, naked ambition, elusive redemption, and all the torment it’s possible to inflict in the name of family.
Down through the decades, the lofty social aspirations of the feisty but perennially dissatisfied Wheeler women — Pokey, the love-starved, pistol-packing matriarch; Rebanelle, the frosty former beauty queen turned church organist; and Curtis Jean, the backsliding gospel singer — are exceeded only by their unfortunate taste in men and a seemingly boundless capacity for holding grudges. A legacy of feuding and scandal lurches from one generation to the next with tragic consequences that threaten to destroy everything the Wheeler women have sacrificed their souls to build.
About The Author
Melanie Denman is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. An eighth-generation Texan, and a former banker and cattle rancher, she currently lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is working on a second novel.
Connect with Melanie: Website ~ Facebook
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Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide
About The Books
Book Description for Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide
Every traveler to Venice wants to go home with a special souvenir–a carnival mask, a piece of Murano glass, a handcrafted piece of lace. But selecting which mask or which goblet to buy can be an intimidating experience. How do you know if you’re buying something authentic, something made in Venice, something made in a traditional way? How do you gauge how much you should pay, and how do you know if you’re being ripped off? How do you determine if you have fallen prey to one of the city’s many tourist traps?
Laura Morelli, an art historian and trusted guide in the world of cultural travel and authentic shopping, leads you to the best of the city’s most traditional arts: Murano glass, carnival masks, gondolas, lace, paper, and more. This indispensable guide includes practical tips for locating the most authentic goods in one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. Packed with useful information on pricing, quality, and value, and with a comprehensive resource guide, Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Venice is the perfect guide for anyone wanting to bring home the unique traditions of Venice.
Artisans of Venice is the companion to Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Venice, A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper, & More. Put both books together and you’ll be the most knowledgeable traveler in Venice!
Book Description for Artisans of Venice: Companion to the Travel Guide
Going to Venice? Don’t buy anything in Venice until you read this book!
Buyer Beware: Venice is full of tourist traps and mass-produced souvenirs passed off as authentic. Do you know how to tell the treasures from the trash?
In Venice, it’s not easy to tell the treasures from the trash. This is true now more than ever before, as increasing numbers of carnival masks, glass, and other souvenirs flood into Venice, imported from overseas and passed off as authentic. There is no substitute for an educated buyer. Laura Morelli helps you locate the city’s most authentic artisans–those practicing centuries-old trades of mask making, glass blowing, wood turning, silk spinning, and other traditions. Wouldn’t you rather support authentic Venetian master artisans than importers looking to turn a quick profit without any connection to Venice at all?
Venice boasts some of the most accomplished master artisans in the world. Here’s how you can find them.
Laura Morelli leads you beyond the souvenir shops for an immersive cultural experience that you won’t find in any other guidebook. Artisans of Venice brings you inside the workshops of the most accomplished makers of Venetian fabrics, Murano glass and millefiori, carnival masks and masquerade costumes, gondolas, Burano lace, mirrors, marbleized paper, hand-carved frames, and other treasures. This book leads you to the multi-generational studios of some 75 authentic master artisans. If you’re reading on your Kindle device, tablet, or smartphone, you can click directly on their street addresses for an interactive map, and link to their web sites and email addresses directly from the guide. A cross-referenced resource guide also offers listings by neighborhood.
Laura Morelli, an art historian and trusted guide in the world of cultural travel and authentic shopping, leads you to the best of Venice’s most traditional arts. Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts series is the only travel guide series on the market that takes you beyond the museums and tourist traps to make you an educated buyer–maybe even a connoisseur–of Florentine leather, ceramics of the Amalfi Coast, Parisian hats, Venetian glass, the handmade quilts of Provence, and more treasures.
Bring Laura Morelli’s guides to Venice with you, and you’ll be sure to come home with the best of Venice in your suitcase.
About The Author
Laura Morelli holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University, where she was a Bass Writing Fellow and Mellon Doctoral Fellow. She authored a column for National Geographic Traveler called “The Genuine Article” and contributes pieces about authentic travel to national magazines and newspapers. Laura has been featured on CNN Radio, Travel Today with Peter Greenberg, The Frommers Travel Show, and in USA TODAY, Departures, House & Garden Magazine, Traditional Home, the Denver Post, Miami Herald, The Chicago Tribune, and other media. Recently her art history lesson, “What’s the difference between art and craft?” was produced and distributed by TED-Ed.
Laura has taught college-level art history at Trinity College in Rome, as well as at Northeastern University, Merrimack College, St. Joseph College, and the College of Coastal Georgia. Laura has lived in five countries, including four years in Italy and four years in France.
Laura Morelli is the author of the guidebook series that includes Made in Italy, Made in France, and Made in the Southwest, all published by Rizzoli / Universe. The Gondola Maker, a historical coming-of-age story about the heir to a gondola boatyard in 16th-century Venice, is her first work of fiction.
Connect with Laura: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ about.me
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret MargaretOverkill by Amy Saunders
Overkill by Amy Saunders
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: January 13
About the Book
beach! The gelato! The murder…Belinda’s peace from scandal and her
grandmother is short-lived when a painting – and then a body – wash up on her
favorite beach. As she and Bennett team with Det. Jonas Parker to figure out
how the two connect, a possible art forgery comes to light – and another
victim.
Belinda continues to grow into her new role as
a part-time amateur detective, swimming through suspects and broken
connections, while Bennett starts to rebuild his life, and Jonas breaks free
from work to pursue a potential new romance.
With the heat of summer upon them, the future
is more unpredictable than ever.
Participating Blogs
The Little
Reading Cabin
lover with a soft spot for humor and romance–and the ocean. She lives in Massachusetts, and loves
to bake and watch movies. She’s the author of one mystery series and three
standalone mysteries. Learn more about Amy and her books at her website.
Books, Blogs, Reality
“real” friends; these are the ones who live nearby, the ones you see or talk
with occasionally (less and less as time goes on). Then there are the “virtual”
friends; these are the ones you talk to (well, type to) every day. The latter
group comes from all over. You’ve never actually met any of them and yet you
trust them with some of the deepest, most intimate thoughts and details of your
life. You share way too much information and in return, they over-share way too
much back.
lunch with her real life best friend, Lauren. The two girls had a very nice
time. They gossiped in between chews, catching up, because even though they
lived only ten minutes away from each other, they still hadn’t seen each other
in quite some time. When the bill came, Lauren grabbed it, insisting she treat
Brooke on her special day. They hugged goodbye at their cars and promised to
meet for lunch or a drink soon.
birthday in a much more exciting way, at a computer-generated party with her
three online BF’s, Rachael-XXOO, Lizzie1214, and JessRomance93. In a relatively
short time, all three of these girls had come to know more about Brooke than
anyone else.
tours and blitzes. Comments on posts and reviews turned into discussions over
emails. Tweets bounced back and forth between the four of them endlessly, until
one day they discovered a social website designed for readers, where they could
all chat privately amongst themselves. Within no time, their virtual
discussions went from benign topics such as books they all loved, hated and/or
felt somewhere in between, to a hell of a lot more serious things.
don’t actually have to face. Like a diary into which they feed their emotions
and it types back.
lot of time with my many fictional boyfriends. Addicted to cherry ice pops and
cupcakes with pink frosting.
everyone have a drink now?
package all wrapped up in a bow?
Yes, Rachael – great pic! *blushes
saved it with all the other dirty pics I send you.
yet? I’m only 45% in.
like Grant is what I wished for when I blew out my birthday candles today at
lunch.
How did you not fall in love with Grant? He was perfect!
perfect, don’t ya think? Guys like that don’t exist.
just thought the way Grant rescued Cassandra was a little over the top.
yet” did you all not understand? Remember, we don’t discuss a book until
everyone is done reading.
away from my blog until you’re done reading. My review is getting posted
tonight.
my own love life has been picking up lately.
later?
requires batteries.
dirty details, did you get my special little birthday care package, Brooke?
figured I’d wait till we were chatting.
Rachael sent you.
things in the shape of a penis. Lollipops, straws, a lipstick, pasta, and a
toothbrush! OMG! Where did u find a penis toothbrush?
theme??
everything right now to send you guys.
lollipops? I wonder what they taste like.
like?
if tastes like a pecker.