PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Simple Pleasures by Marianne Jantzi

Book Review Graphic

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Simple Pleasures by Marianne Jantzi was a good book to read. I have read one other book in this series. With that being said it, they are part of a series but not part of a series. Each book is written by a different Amish person, so they are different stories, but all have to do with what it is like to be Amish. I enjoyed the first book which you can read my review on if you click here but I had a hard time getting into this book. I enjoyed this book, but it was slower for me, and it isn’t one that I would want to read again. I think that is because it was most just her talking and not her telling stories. Even with all that being said I did enjoy parts of this book, and it is one that I know some people will love. If you love books written by the Amish and love to get an inside look at what their lives are like I would for sure have you check out this book.

Simple Pleasures by Marianne Jantzi

About The Book

Young Amish homemaker Marianne Jantzi invites readers into her family s life and Amish community. The mother of four young children, Jantzi writes about her daily routines and heartfelt faith with equal measures of wit and warmth. Sewing, cleaning, cooking, gardening, and helping to manage the family store take up most hours in her day, but Jantzi finds time to pen columns for theConnection, a magazine beloved by Amish and Mennonite readers. Never sugarcoating the frustrations of motherhood, Jantzi tells it like it is, broken washing machine and bickering children and all. But through her busy days, Jantzi finds strength in simple pleasures of family, fellowship with her Amish community, and quiet time with God.

Hear straight from Amish people themselves as they write about their daily lives and deeply rooted faith in the Plainspoken series from Herald Press. Each book includes A Day in the Life of the Author and the authors answers to FAQs about the Amish.

About The Author

Marianne Jantzi is an Amish writer and homemaker in Ontario, Canada. Formerly a teacher in an Amish school, Jantzi now educates and inspires through her “Northern Reflections” column for The Connection, a magazine directed mainly to Amish and plain communities across the U.S. and Canada. She and her husband have four young children and run a shoe store among the Milverton Amish settlement of Ontario.

Buy A Copy

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan

Book Review Graphic

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.  I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed are 100% my own.

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan was a fantastic book. When I opened the package that the book came in, I had to smile because there was a note that the author wrote tucked in the book, and it made me laugh. I also loved that some of the words had an asterisk by them and then at the bottom of the page it explains what it means or why she is using it. I loved that because it makes it easier to read because she explains parts of it, so you don’t have to stop reading to figure out what she meant. As I was reading this book, I had a constant smile on my face because the book just put me in a good mood. I love how well this book was written, and I loved that the main characters were doing things that women wouldn’t have been able to do during that time. I have read tons of historical fiction books, and this one is by far my favorite as of late, and I can’t wait for another book by this author to be released. It is an easy read, and it went by super quick. I love when I read books that are easy to read and go by fast because I don’t have to wait too long to find out how the story ends. I am sure most people would enjoy this book, and I recommend it everyone who is looking for a new book to read.

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan

About The Book

In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city’s underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto’s premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever–if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

Rachel McMillan

About The Author

Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theater.

Buy A Copy

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

Weekly Wrap-Up

Weekly Wrap-Up

Another week as come to an end and that means it is time for another wrap-up post. Here are all the posts from this past week in case you missed them.

Sit, Stay, Love by Dana Mentink

Robert Browning-Quote Of The Week

Tears Of The Silence by Misty Griffin

Asperger’s on the Inside by Michelle Vines

A Dream Of Miracles by Ruth Reid

I hope you have all had a good week and I will see you back here next week!

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

A Dream Of Miracles by Ruth Reid

Book Review Graphic

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.  I received no other compensation for this review.

A Dream Of Miracles by Ruth Reid was an excellent book. I am a total sucker for Amish fiction and non-fiction books so because of that I figured that I would, at least, enjoy this book. I read one other book in this series and I loved it just like I did this one. If you missed that review you can click here to go and check it out. I really have enjoyed reading both books by this author and I can’t wait to pick up the one book that I missed in this series so that I can read the entire series. You don’t have to read these books in order if you don’t want to so I also love when that happens with series of books. I felt so sorry for Mattie because of everything she had to deal with. I can’t even imagine what understand what was going on and having people convinced that you hurt your child. I spent the entire book hoping that her and Bo would end up together in the end and I won’t give away what happens with them. All I can say is that I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish fiction because I know it won’t let you down.

A Dream Of Miracles by Ruth Reid

About The Book

Mattie Diener can barely keep it together. A young Amish widow and mother of two small children, she faces the lingering heartbreak of lost love, her son s mysterious illness, and a torrent of accusations that threaten to undo her.”

Ruth Reid

About The Author

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She’s a full-time pharmacist who resides in Florida with her husband and three children.

Find out more about Ruth at:http://ruthreid.com

Buy A Copy

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

Asperger’s on the Inside by Michelle Vines

Book Review Graphic

FTC: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I received no other compensation for this review.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Asperger’s on the Inside by Michelle Vines was an interesting book to read. When I saw one of the places I review books for was offering this book, I knew I had to get it and fit it into my schedule sooner than it would have taken me usually. I am so glad that I did because I loved everything about this book. I had to keep reading it because I wanted to know how it worked out for her and how her life turned out. I also loved that instead of just talking about her life throughout the entire book she answered questions. I am sure that it would bother some people that she jumps around but I love it because it made me understand a little bit more about how some individuals who have Autism may think. She also did an excellent job of making me understand why some people who have Autism don’t react to things right away and why that may be. I could go on for days about this book so I will leave it here. I think everyone should read this book because it was so super interesting.

0 - Lily Hollow

About The Book

Asperger’s on the Inside is an acutely honest and often highly entertaining memoir by Michelle Vines about life with Asperger’s Syndrome. The book follows Michelle in exploring her past and takes the reader with her on her journey to receiving and accepting her diagnosis.

Instead of rehashing widely available Asperger’s information, Michelle focuses on discussing the thoughts, feelings and ideas that go along with being an Aspie, giving us a rare peek into what it really feels like to be a person on the spectrum.

A must read for all those who enjoy deep personal stories or have a loved one on the spectrum that they wish to understand better.

Vines-Michelle-Headshot

About The Author

Michelle Vines was born in Liverpool, Australia and grew up in a hilly forest region of Melbourne known as the Dandenong Ranges. After showing talent in the areas of mathematics and science, Michelle was accepted into the University of Melbourne where she received bachelor’s degrees with honors in chemical engineering and environmental science. Michelle began her career as a process engineer in the oil and gas industry and subsequently became a technical leader in manufacturing. However, after five years of feeling deeply unhappy in her work environment, Michelle paused her engineering career in 2008.

In 2010, Michelle moved to the United States with her one-year-old son, where she had another son the following year. She gradually grew to love the town of Houston, Texas, and has chosen to remain ever since.

At thirty years old, on the advice of friends, Michelle approached a psychologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center for assessment and was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Michelle found the diagnosis to be a huge relief, and she has since dedicated a lot of her time to advocating for people on the Autism spectrum with the goal of helping the general public better understand the Autistic person’s perspective. In 2013, she gave a public presentation on “Life as an Adult with Asperger’s Syndrome,” which has been viewed by tens of thousands of people on YouTube and has been instrumental in giving many others hope and the courage to seek out their own Asperger’s diagnosis.

Buy A Copy

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

Tears Of The Silence by Misty Griffin

We’re thrilled to be hosting Misty Griffin’s TEARS OF THE SILENCED Book Blast today!  Pick up your copy!

 

Title:
Tears of the Silenced
Author: Misty Griffin
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 444
Genre: Biography/Memoir
One freezing morning in early March I made a dash
for a tiny police station in rural Minnesota. I was a frightened Amish
girl with no where to go, a second grade education and no ID or social security
card…… Based on the authors tragic true life story.
When I was six years old my
family started to live and dress like the Amish. My sister and I were kept as
slaves on a mountain ranch where we were subjected to almost complete
isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. My step-father kept a
loaded rifle by the door at all times and we were to terrified to try to
escape. We knew that no rescue would ever come because only a couple of people
even knew we existed and they did not know us well enough to care.
In my late teens my parents
feared we would escape and took us to an Amish community where we were adopted
and became baptized members. I was devastated to once again find myself in a
world of fear, animal cruelty and sexual abuse. Going to the police was
forbidden. A few years later I was sexually assaulted by the bishop, I knew I
had to get help and one freezing morning in early March I made a dash for a
tiny police station in rural Minnesota. When I refused to recant my police
report I was excommunicated from the Amish and found myself plummeted into the
strange modern world with only a second grade education and no ID or social
security card.
To
all abuse survivors out there, please be encouraged, the cycle of abuse can be
broken. Today, ten years later, I am a nursing student working towards my
Masters degree and a child abuse awareness activist. This is my story…….

For More
Information

  • Tears
    of the Silenced is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt:

I walked through the front door of
the tiny police station and went over to a heavy wood counter, where a
middle-aged policewoman sat at a computer. She looked up as I stood there, watching
her. I saw a surprised look on her face as she stared back at me. I imagined I
was very different from the people who normally walked up to her desk.
I was a young Amish woman, just a
little over five feet tall, wearing an almost ankle-length, plain, teal-colored
dress and apron, followed by knee-length black socks and black shoes. My coat
was a homemade denim coat with a high collar and hooks and eyes going down the
front. On my head was a stiff
white Amish kapp that covered nearly all my reddish-brown hair and was tied in
a small bow under my chin.
I was shaking as I stood there,
looking at the woman. I tried to get up enough courage to say something, I knew
I was going to be shunned by the Amish church for what I was doing. I could not
speak. The thought of being shunned was terrifying but I did not know what else
to do. My whole body was trembling….

About the Author
When Misty left the Amish she had a bare second grade
education and suffered severe PTSD caused by the horrifying abuse she suffered
as a child and later at the hands of the Amish bishop. Today, ten years later
she is a nursing student, wife and a Child abuse/Sexual assault awareness
activist.
For More Information
Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret