The Way of Gratitude
By Hannah Rowen Fry
Genre: Christian/Nonfiction
Pages: 80
Via: Author Request/Blog Tour
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What?
New Devo Surprised Us – Here’s Why
Category Archives: Book Reviews – Non-Fiction
XMAS BOOK BASH #1: Let it Glow With ‘Hair on Fire’
‘Tis the season, friends! Christmas is just around the corner! Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh Boy! You know that one of us is like a Major Sucker for good Christmas yarns. Here a yarn, there a yarn. Everywhere a yarn, yarn.
Wait. Where was I?
Christmas Book Bash
Oh yeah. Christmas yarns. Well. Her Momness and I have come across some pretty good ones recently. We’ll be sharing select titles here during December. We’re calling it our “Christmas Book Bash.” Throwin’ this in at no extra charge. Although a little extra crispy bacon never hurts. Just sayin.
So. Our first selection for our December Christmas Book Bash is a Christmas memoir thingy. No idea what that means. But Mom liked it. Mostly. So let’s go:
‘Survivor’ Memoir Jolts, Inspires
Better Dirty Than Done
An Inspirational True Story
By Rick Czaplewski (Indie author, 2023)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Via: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So Mom and I, we’re cruising along the other day minding our own biz. Tip-toeing thru the tulips. Zippity do-dah-zippity-aying. My, oh my what a wonderful day-ing.
Well, okay. It was actually pouring rain. Think Noah. It was also cold. Think “Abdominal” Snowman. Cuz one of us had a growly tummy. What?
What?
Anywho, we found this “inspirational true story” thingy waiting for us at the post office. It’s a self-portrait of a young man battling cancer. Hodgkin’s Disease, to be exact.
Smack-o-Rama
Well, smack-o-rama and Jolt-a-Bolt! Felt like Déjà vu all over again. Cuz Mom’s kid bro battled Hodgkin’s Disease awhile back. So Mom got all googly-eyed for a min. You know how Mom is. ‘Sides. This bro thing was when Her Royal Momness was a youngin’. You know. Shortly before the earth’s crust cooled. It was also before Ms. Brilliant and Beautiful – Yours Truly – arrived on the scene. Smack-o-rama, Jolt-a-Bolt again!
Intense
So you might understand how this book impacted us. It’s emotional. Unfiltered and raw. There’s no pie-in-the-sky bye and bye, Pollyana stuff here. Nopers! It’s real and it’s genuine. Heartfelt. Searing. It took Her Momness back to the days of… Wait. Let’s get to the book, shall we? I’ll let Mom fill ya in. Soon as I scout her up some more tissue. (That googly-eye thing again. Cuz. Well. Mom.)
Fresh Approach to Thorny Topic Shines in ‘Forgiving Like God’
Forgiving Like God: A Conversation with Frank, an AI Persona
By David Wyatt, Indie Author
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction
Pages: 99, including Appendix
Via: Author Request
Back when her Momness was a young whipper-snapper – shortly after the discovery of fire – one of her fave authors was Dr. Lewis Smedes. He was a professor of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
Smedes wrote 15 books. But Mom’s fave is Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve. Now deceased, Smedes was one of few authors who takes the time and effort to think and dig deeply into the topic of forgiveness.
So this book reminded us of good ‘ole Doc Smedes. The author has actually done the hard legwork of thinking, sifting, researching, reflecting, and ruminating on the topic of forgiveness. There’s none of that knee-jerk fluff stuff here. How refreshing.
Hiking Memoir Hard to Peg
Force of Nature
Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail
By Joan M. Griffin
Black Rose Writing, 2023
Pages: 378
Genre: Nonfiction – Memoir/Travel/Outdoors
Via: Blog Tour
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So Her Momness and I came back from chugging all over hill and dale the other day and checked the mail. We found Joan Griffin’s hiking memoir, Force of Nature, waiting for us. Cool, we thought. Besides. Who can resist that luscious cover?
Well. Mom and I agreed to join a blog tour for this book for three main reasons: 1) One of us has been hiking since she was knee-high to a bean-sprout (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth); 2) One of us is a native Californian and knows the John Muir Trail (JMT); 3) Mom’s private chocolate stash was running low and I, Kimber, promised her a refill if she finished this book lickety-split-ish. (Yea, verily. It’s amazing what some peeps will do for free chocolate. Selah.)
Okay. Where was I. Oh yeah. Force of Nature. I’ll let Mom give ya some deets:
Looking for Peter J.
One of the most inspirational “travel” books I’ve ever read is Peter Jenkins’ A Walk Across America (Harper Collins, 1979).
Do you remember?
Remember?
Disillusioned and cynical about society, newly minted college graduate Jenkins decides to hit the road with his faithful half Alaskan Malamute and “fur-ever friend,” Cooper. (The book is even dedicated to Peter’s “forever friends”: Cooper the Half Malamute and Barbara Jo.”)
Together, Peter and Coop discover America. The resulting tome, A Walk Across America, is the compelling, uplifting account of the reawakening of Jenkins’ faith in himself and his country. It topped the New York Times Bestseller list for months and remains a beloved classic.
A Return
Weary of plowing through a mountain of mawkish drivel posing as “hiking memoir,” I recently decided to return to the Real Deal. The “Grand Daddy” of the genre and its trail-blazing author: Peter Jenkins.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
‘Loose on the Landscape’ Reels in a Winner
Loose on the Landscape: An Ecologist Looks for Meaning in the Wildest Places
By Joel Everett Harding
Indie author, 2023
Genre: Non-Fiction – Memoir/Anthology/Nature/Ecology
Pages: 430
Via: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pssst! Buddy, can you keep a secret? Good. Cuz I’m about to let you in on one. Sort of. Here it is:
One of Mom’s favorite movies is A River Runs Through It. Not necessarily because of the story, although the movie parallels Norman Maclean’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated novella pretty close. But the movie is a Mom fave for two other reasons: 1) Mark Isham’s masterfully moving musical score, and 2) The spectacular landscape and scenery of Montana.
Maybe that’s why Mom had the movie’s musical score in her head on auto-play when she opened this book. I’ll let Mom fill you in:
‘Emerging’ Offers Hope, Authenticity
EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic
By Nancy Stordahl
Independently Published, 2023
Genre: Memoir/Breast Cancer/Grief & Bereavement
Pages: 120
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Some books are meant to be sipped and savored slowly, like fine wine. NancyStordahl’s EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic is one of them. Profound and powerful, Emerging takes readers on a deep dive into the lifelong process of healing and self-acceptance as learned by a self-described “average sort of worrier.” It’s a terrific read!
‘Keeping the Watch’ (We Couldn’t Think of Something Catchier. Sorry. Sort of.)
Keeping the Watch: Caretaking The Hidden Value of a Family Heirloom
By Patrick Blau
Indie author, 2022
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Pages: 345 + Photo Gallery
Via: Author Request
Books are amazing. Sometimes they’re exactly what you expect. Sometimes they surprise you. You can’t always tell what’s inside by looking at the cover. Perusing the book blurb. Or even reading other reviews.
Memoirs can be especially tricky in this regard. Cuz let’s face it, Cupcake. Unless you’re famous, a celebrity, a Big Name or have an uber compelling life story with a transcendent theme that’s gonna resonate with lotsa folks, most people who don’t know you and have never heard of you aren’t gonna care. Sorry, Toots. That’s just the way it is.
Keeping the Watch is one of those. To be clear, Watch isn’t a “bad” book. It’s pretty well written and is a history of the Blau family. It’s based on true historical figures in the author’s ancestry. But we just could not get into it. We tried and tried and tried. Gave it so many second, third, fourth and more chances, we got whiplash.
We put off reviewing this book for so long, our cerebral hard drive sprouted cobwebs. On the cobwebs. But we finally got down to brass tacks today. So here ya go:
‘Heart-y’ New Memoir Doesn’t Waste a Second
Let’s get one thing straight right off the kibble, shall we? spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. Today’s book is From the Sidelines to the Finish Line by Emily Falcon. It’s a memoir about Emily’s lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition.
Now, From the Sidelines to the Finish Line is a good book. You really oughtta read it. You know this is so cuz I’m telling ya it is. Got that, Cupcake? Cuz I wanna make another thing clear right off the football: There are some real stand-outs in this memoir-ish read. They have fur and four feet, if ya get my drift. And no, Toots, I’m not talking felines here. I’m talking Phoebe the therapy dog. Dual doggies Maxi and Blueberry. And Josie, chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix with the heart of a lion.
Pages & Paws 