Gifts From Heaven Book Review

This book is a collection of stories written by the people who experienced what they felt were miraculous answers to prayer. Some of the stories seemed average, while others were absolutely jaw-dropping. You will read stories of joy, enlightenment, healing, and many others that touch the heart.
Gifts From Heaven is for those who love to read about other people's answers to prayer. Some stories are of everyday problems while others are what seems to be unscalable mountains. But, those mountains some of which may include death where the odds are surely stacked against the person have been moved. They are nothing short of a miracle and even have doctors questioning their own beliefs. What appeared to be facts of science that were sure to have led straight to an unforgiving outcome, where disease and illness had ravaged bodies, have now been intervened upon by a loving creator who seemed to reach down from heaven at just the right moment and provide his healing touch.

I read the book in the morning while having my cup of coffee. I thought it would be a good way to start my day off. I am sluggish in the mornings and need something to help get me going. Some of these stories were truly inspiring.and provided just what I needed to give my day a little boost

One of my favorite stories in the book is The Final Authority by Volke and takes place in Germany in the spring of 1946 just after the war. It's about the Typhus epidemic and what his family went through during this time.

I also read the book in the evenings before I went to bed as a way to relax and have something nice to think about before I went to sleep.

Overall I give the book

 For me, it's not a book that I can read from cover to cover in one fell swoop.  I believe the book is best read in short spurts so you can reflect on and digest everything you read better. .I received the book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

James Stuart Bell

James Stuart Bell is the owner of Whitestone Communications, a literary development agency. He consults with numerous publishers, represents various authors, and provides writing and editing services. He has previously served as executive editor at Moody Press, director of religious publishing at Doubleday, and publisher at Bridge Publishing. He also has more than one hundred books with cover credit. He coauthored the best-selling Complete Idiot's Guide to the Bible (more than 300,000 sold) and numerous other Christian guides in that series for the Penguin Group. He has also contributed numerous Christian volumes to the best-selling Cup of Comfort series by Adams Media.

 

Murder on The Moor Book Review

I love reading mysteries and I am always looking for the next great mystery book series.  Murder on the Moor by Julianna Deering was published January 31st 2017.  The book caught my eye right away when I saw that it was set in the Moors. The Moors itself is a place shrouded in mystery according to legends, with eerie lights, ghastly figures, beastly hounds, and strange stone circles.

One minute It's sunshiny and beautiful, and the next the fog begins to creep in and your disorientated turned around and upside down.Then comes the dark, the wind and the bone-soaking rain.

And it was on such a dark and rainy night in October 1930's when an old school mate Beaky Bloodworth had called upon Drew Farthering to come and help solve the murder of the town vicar whose body was found dead outside the church. Not to mention Beaky's new looker of a wife thinks she is being followed and Beaky admits he has heard strange sounds from out on the moor.   Hearing of Farthing's prior successes in solving murders Mr. Bloodsworth reaches out to Drew in desperation.  He wants nothing more to ease the fears of his London bred wife and help the police who he says are horridly slow.  So, snuggled up in the front seat of Bloodworth's Bentley Drew and his wife Madeline set off to Bloodworth Park lodge to help solve the crime.

Murder on the Moor is the fifth book in the series of Drew Farthering Mysteries.  This is the first book in the series I have read.  I received a copy of the book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  I liked it so much that I am going to go back and read the other four.  I love that the book is sets in the 30's in England and the main character is a proper gentleman who adores his wife. Julianna Deering is spot on in her descriptions of cars, architecture, and the like of the period. The book is filled with many twists and turns and will have you second guessing yourself when you think you have the whole mystery solved.

This book is for mystery lovers who love the old greats like Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr.

I like to hear about other people's favorite mysteries.  What is one of your favorite mystery books?  Leave me a comment below.




Save

2017 Books and Cocktails Book Club

Join us in 2017 for Books and Cocktails, a book club that meets in Lancaster county and or York county every other month, the second Thursday of the month. Each book matches up with a cocktail.We meet at various restaurants to discuss the book of the month, have a cocktail, and enjoy an appetizer or dinner. And yes, you may join us even if you do not drink, feel free to order your drink virgin or have a tea, coffee or soda instead. We read books across a variety of genres such as classics, biographies, memoirs, romance, Amish, mystery, historical fiction and many others. Most of the books come from the book Cocktails for Book Lovers by Tessa Smith McGovern.

Cocktails for Book Lovers 

Examples of drinks from the book are Sweet Sherry Cocoa, Gin Rickey, Orange Champagne Punch, Salted Caramel Bourbon Milkshake, and various martinis. For our very first book club, we read Eva Luna by Isabel Allende.  For the cocktail, we had Madrina's Banana Rum Cocktail.  Eva Luna's godmother was a lover of rum. This is the recipe from the book which the restaurant made for us.

 Madrina's Banana Rum Cocktail

1/8 cup low-fat milk
1 tbsp. light rum
1 tbsp. white creme de cacao
1 tbsp. creme de banana (or other banana liqueur)
1/2 banana
wedge of pineapple
maraschino cherry

Place all ingredients except the fruit in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with fruit. Serves 1.

We will also be having some additional events such as book festivals, day trips to bookshops, and author events.
Here are a few of the upcoming books we will be reading:

Murder is Binding

Wuthering Heights

Dan Gets a Minivan



 




We look forward to you joining us. Questions or comments, email Narnia9334@hotmail.com or to sign up go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/BooksandCocktails/ and request to join.

Anyone who may be visiting the PA Dutch country and would like to drop in the book club for a visit is more than welcome.  We like meeting new people!

Join Us in Reading Anna's Crossing

Join our book club In July we will be discussing Anna's Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher. We invite you to join us in Wrightsville Pennsylvania on July 14th for in-person meeting. Just go on Facebook and ask to join Books and Cocktails Or, if you can't make the face to face discussion join us in a discussion on Goodreads in the group Pennsylvania.

Here is Goodreads description of Anna's crossing:

 When Anna Konig first meets Bairn, the Scottish ship carpenter of the "Charming Nancy," their encounter is anything but pleasant. Anna is on the ship only to ensure the safe arrival of her loved ones to the New World. Hardened by years of living at sea, Bairn resents toting these naive farmers--dubbed "Peculiars" by deckhands--across the ocean. As delays, storms, illness, and diminishing provisions afflict crew and passengers alike, Bairn finds himself drawn to Anna's serene nature. For her part, Anna can't seem to stay below deck and far away from the aloof ship's carpenter, despite warnings.
When an act of sacrifice leaves Anna in a perilous situation, Bairn discovers he may not have left his faith as firmly in the past as he thought. But has the revelation come too late?
Amish fiction favorite Suzanne Woods Fisher brings her fans back to the beginning of Amish life in America with this fascinating glimpse into the first ocean crossing as seen through the eyes of a devout young woman and an irreverent man. Blending the worlds of Amish and historical fiction, Fisher is sure to delight her longtime fans even as she attracts new ones with her superb and always surprise-filled writing.

What others are saying about Anna's Crossing

Publisher’s Weekly said, “This book is a winner.”

Romantic Times gave it four stars.

Booklist said, "Fisher takes readers on an incredible journey in the first of her new Amish Beginnings series. Tracking a 1737 voyage of early Amish immigrants, this inspirational novel is rich in nautical and religious history and authentic detail… Those who summon the courage to read about the raw immigrant experience on this treacherous crossing will find a deeply satisfying story of conviction and hope." And USA Today is going to feature it in their ‘Happy Ever After’ section.

Pick up your copy of Anna's Crossing today!

Books and Cocktails

Join us for a new Book Club that will meet in Wrightsville, PA Once a month on Thursdays for Cocktails and book discussion at a restaurant. Each book is assigned a cocktail that is either a favorite of the character in the book, the authors themselves or is of the era. Examples of drinks are Orange Champagne Punch, Salted Caramel, Bourbon milkshake, and Gin Rickeys. We will be reading the 50 Books listed in Cocktails for Book Lovers. It has such authors as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Alice Munro, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jamaica Kincaid. The genres cover a wide range such as classics, romance, autobiographies, as well as others. You do not have to own or have read Cocktails for Book Loversin order to participate. But, it is a great book that I highly recommend. If you have already read the selection for the month you are still free to come and join in on the discussion. For those who don't drink you can always order your drink Virgin or have a tea or soda instead.

We will also be planning some additional events that will take place on the weekends. Examples are book festivals, day trips to bookshops, and author speaking engagements.

People who may be out of state and are coming to to visit Pennsylvania Dutch Country are always welcome to come and join in at any of the meetings during their time here. Just send an email to PaDutchTravel@gmail and we can get you the name of that month's book. Here are a few of the titles we will be reading.

Eva Luna: A Novel

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading

David Copperfield

At the end of each meeting we will also swap books for anyone interested. This is also a great opportunity for people involved in BookCrossing. If you don't know what BookCrossing is you can see the books I've shared here. http://bookcrossing.com/referral/PaDutchTravel

We look forward to you joining us. Questions, comments , email Narnia9334@hotmail.com or to sign up go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/BooksandCocktails/ and request to join.