Upcoming Reviews for September

As summer winds down and the grass needs to be cut a bit less, I'm hoping to find time to crank through a few good reads in my downtime hours. Below is a list of what I've got in the queue that I hope to chug through and review for you.


Guitar Practice: Learn to Play Like a Professional Musician
by Leo Doran

Discover the mindset needed to become the best guitar player you can be and find the motivation to get over the dreaded plateaus
Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks new and experienced guitarists face is the dreaded “plateau”. This is a time during your guitar playing journey where you feel that you have reached you musical potential. The truth is there is no ceiling to your potential. You can always make progress.

Re-Ignite Your Passion For Music
Create Goals and Achieve Results
Learn to Be Consistent with Great Practice Habits
This book will go into detail about setting goals and finding your passion for playing again. Readers will re-learn the necessary practice techniques that are the building blocks to any great guitar players repertoire. You will also learn important growth mindsets to re-wire your thinking and get you motivated again. Finally you will learn about the best habits to insure your success over the long term.



Life II
by Scott Spotson

Upon discovering a 1958 book titled "Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory," 42-year-old Max Thorning's life is thrown into chaos. Seeking answers to the book's cryptic clues, he discovers Dr. Time, a seemingly benign alien who has control of the Time Weaver, a remarkable device that can command any scene from the Earth's past. Dr. Time offers him a choice to go back into Time, to any point in his lifespan that he can vividly recall. The catch: he can only bring his memories, and can only live the future one day at a time. Follow Max's dilemma as he goes back to his 16-year-old self and tries to forge his destiny into a new one called Life II.



Which Half David
by Mark W.Sasse
American mission worker Tobin Matthews becomes a local hero and celebrity in the Sulu Republic when he inadvertently foils a gang of human traffickers. But the heroism cannot mask his desperate soul, which wrestles with a broken marriage and a crippling set of doubts. As he sinks to a new low, his brazen ex-lover arrives in Sulu with her own agenda. The Asian beauty quickly becomes the greatest temptation of his life, and he must decide how far he is willing to go to have her.

Which Half David is a modern twist on the centuries old tale of King David. Set against the lush backdrop of the fictitious Southeast Asian island nation of Sulu, it is the story of one man’s dramatic fall from grace, and his struggle to come to grips with both halves of who he really is.



My Wizard Buddy
by Scott Spotson

One day, lonely 11-year-old Tyler Dunsmore wishes out loud for a best friend. Not only does his wish come true, but his new best buddy is Dirk, a 11-year-old wizard--a magical being who is from another world and is unfamiliar with Earth. Dirk often is too eager to help Tyler out with tough dilemmas in his day-to-day life, but his antics often backfire, leaving Tyler to wonder: is having a wizard for a buddy worth it? Enjoy the bonding between two very different boys in My Wizard Buddy.



Fallen: A Henry Shepherd Novel
by Michael Ozarks
When his young wife dies two months after the birth of their son, Brandon is torn between surrendering to debilitating depression and surviving to raise the helpless remnants of his new family. In this cathartic confession, he drudges up the troubled details of his past, hoping to equip his children with a fulfilling and empowering perspective on who their parents were—and on what really matters in the vapor that is life.






Hire Train Monitor Motivate: Build an Organization, Team, or Career of Distinction in the Transformational Workplace
by David J. Waldron
The transformational workplace of the twenty-first century is front and center. Are you ready to navigate its twists and turns toward reaching your career goals and dreams? In Hire Train Monitor Motivate, author and veteran organizational leader, David J. Waldron, offers powerful, yet simple techniques that can dramatically improve your organization, team, or individual career achievements in today’s hyper-competitive local and global marketplaces.

This practical book will teach you how to master the art of workplace effectiveness by first making a lasting commitment to placing people first, whether a customer, recruit, staff member, or coworker. Then hire, or get hired for an optimistic mindset; train, or be trained for delivering quality products and services; monitor, or allow monitoring for regulatory compliance; and motivate, or stay motivated for enduring performance.

As a practitioner more so than an academic, Waldron, presents unpretentious, everyday workplace rules that when implemented, or followed, can transform your organization, team, or individual career to one of lasting distinction. Master the proven techniques for playing the game the right way and learn how to practice leadership or teamwork by inclusion toward making your workplace a great place to learn, earn, and grow.

Upcoming Reviews for August

Are you staying cool? Here in the sunny South, I'm trying to chill with a glass of iced tea and a good book or ten. While I'm working on getting kids prepped for college or homeschool, I'm taking time to read some interesting novels and non-fiction books. This month will be a mix of... well, see below. A bit of Dystopia, Urban Fantasy and some Dragons thrown in if time permits. Yum!

For a comprehensive list of books I'm going to review, check the widget at the top right.

Bent, Not Broken (The Death Watchers Book 1)
by Suki Sather

Delaney is an ordinary college student with good grades and a bright future in anthropology and a part-time job at the mall with her best friend for as long as she can remember. She loves music and is working to master Krav Magra. Her loving adoptive parents and three foster sisters are the center of her very routine, normal life.
Delaney also struggles with strange dreams and feeling lost and afraid, and though her Death Watcher is always right next to her, she has no clue he is there in the shadows protecting her, or the truths about her past that make it so important for her to be shielded in the stability and normalcy those who love her crusade to maintain around her.
The fight has only just begun in a war that has raged since the birth of humanity.
Can darkness conquer the light or will Delaney awaken and decide that ordinary is truly over rated?


Riker's Calling
by Rico Lamoureux

From school bullies to the crime-ridden streets of his hometown of Los Angeles, Jeremy Riker has always felt the need to do something about the injustice surrounding him. Just as he sets out on his journey as an urban warrior, he unknowingly gives rise to an obsessive adversary, who ends up becoming one of the most notorious serial killers the city has ever known. Dubbed by the news media as The Spyderco Killer, the methodical psychopath roots himself deep into Riker's life for the long haul, until his own madness propels everything into an intense climax.

Hurst (The Hurst Chronicles Book 1)
by Robin Crumby

The survivors of the Millennial Virus now face a much greater danger: each other.

Civilization has collapsed following the outbreak of a pandemic virus that devastated the world’s population. Those that survive scrape a living in remote outposts. Hiding behind high walls, far away from the smoking ruins of the cities, waiting, hoping.

At the end of the world, surrounded by the tidal waters of the Solent, Hurst Castle stands alone. Its seventy-four occupants united in a struggle for survival against all the odds. The Millennial Virus is the least of their concerns.

When the arrival of outsiders threatens to tip the balance of power, Hurst is faced with a desperate choice: set aside their differences and join an alliance that promises new hope or unite against the newcomers and their plans for reconstruction. Who can be trusted? Only time will tell.

The battle for Hurst has begun.

Pale Highway
by Nicholas Conley

Gabriel Schist is spending his remaining years at Bright New Day, a nursing home. He once won the Nobel Prize for inventing a vaccine for AIDS. But now, he has Alzheimer’s, and his mind is slowly slipping away.
When one of the residents comes down with a horrific virus, Gabriel realizes that he is the only one who can find a cure. Encouraged by Victor, an odd stranger, he convinces the administrator to allow him to study the virus. Soon, reality begins to shift, and Gabriel’s hallucinations interfere with his work.

As the death count mounts, Gabriel is in a race against the clock and his own mind. Can he find a cure before his brain deteriorates past the point of no return?

The Dragon of Time: Gods and Dragons
by Aaron Dennis

Scar, an amnesiac mercenary, has been hired by Zoltek, leader of the nation of Usaj, to battle Kulshedran soldiers. With the promise of asking Zmaj, the All God, about his past, Scar lends his fighting prowess, but there is more than kings warring for territory in the world of Tiamhaal; there are Gods and Dragons vying for men's souls.

Upcoming Reviews for July

As the Summer hits its peak I'm looking forward to relaxing in the air conditioning curled up with a good book or two or ten. I have a pile of books to review, and the list of books is off to the right in the upper widget.

Here's a preview of the ones I expect to complete in July: (here's hoping!)

Trial of Injustice
by T. K. Ware
On a Thursday morning in Banker, Alabama the body of a twenty-one year-old woman was discovered murdered. After the police and forensics inspected, with the help of eyewitnesses and fingerprints, the man responsible for the heinous crime was identified as Pastor Thaddeus Ganvis.

Charles 'Esquire' Everson, a man gifted with determination and an avenger of truth, became the most prestigious and sought after lawyer in the state of Alabama, due to his unwavering litigation skills. After finishing another victorious case, he returned to his office. As the day continued, he found himself logging into Facebook, and nearly dropped his phone when he discovered that his former pastor was arrested for first-degree murder.

Without a second thought, he flew to Banker, Alabama to prove the innocence of a godly man. Along the way he discovers the opposition that threatens. 

Paul The Unstoppable (Intrepid Men of God #2)

by Katheryn Maddox Haddad

The Apostle Paul is strong. And unstoppable. He walks thousands of miles. He is driven by one goal: Tell everyone about Jesus, their new king. He allows nothing to get in his way.

Dare to experience with him every rod slamming into his bones, every whip lashing through his skin, every breath struggled for when treading water a day and night. Survive with him through all the ship wrecks, going days without food, a snow storm in the Taurus Mountains, being robbed on the highway. Listen as, each time his body is mercilessly attacked, he calls out, “Jesus! This is for you!” 

Discover what makes this man tick. In this present-tense book, you will walk with him over twenty years of crisscrossing the often hostile Roman Empire, challenging pagan priests and trying to convince Jewish rabbis to listen to him. Understand what Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and Dr. Luke go through to keep this man alive to do what he has to do. With Paul, it is never enough. What drives him? Why can he not stop? 

Dare to walk with Paul. 

Violet Star (The Karma Chronicles)

by J Oliver Madison

No one at Mitchelstown High has any idea of the double life Carmella Anderson leads. Sure, on the surface, she’s a charismatic and geeky student with a crush on a popular skateboarder. But beneath that, she has a decade of experience as a ninja in training. 

After shattering generations of tradition in her family’s way of the mercenary, Carmella’s grandfather began a new tradition – standing up for the few good citizens in her hometown of Blyton. When night falls, she must take on the persona of Karma and bring balance to a corrupt city. 

However, her martial arts and arsenal of advanced weaponry may not be enough to track down a beastlike rogue ninja involved in a recent string of murders. Karma will need help from friends, family, and her genetic gift – special abilities unique to her clan – to uncover the mystery behind the killer and bring him to justice. 

Sapphire Moon

by J Oliver Madison

Between the Sapphire Moon Clan’s assassination attempts, and an evil organization bent on destruction, Karma certainly has her work cut out for her... 

Now in her junior year of high school, Carmella must decide how best to handle her secret double-life of a trained ninja. Cheer practice and an internship will have to wait while fending off the deadly shinobi and man-made demons out to kill her and her new boyfriend. 

Things take a turn for the worse when the heartthrob ninja from her past returns to Blyton City. With the help of his twin sister, Karma and Akane set out to shine light on the mysterious organization—Arma Deus—before her beloved hometown turns to ashes. 

With the villainous intent of Chimera still lingering, it’s up to Karma and company to unravel the truth behind their ultimate weapon. And stop them. 

Friends, training, and ninjutsu may not be enough this time.

Unbreaking: How Giving Up Saved our Relationship

by Jason and Crystal Crawford

Jason and Crystal Crawford were trapped in a loveless, hopeless marriage. They each believed that the only path to happiness was to go their separate ways -- until God showed them something even better. This true story chronicles one couple's quick descent from courtship into an unhappy marriage, and how God transformed their marriage, turning resentment into love and their pain into joy. You will experience the real, raw emotion of both Jason and Crystal through alternating journal entries that show how the husband's and wife's separate perspectives evolve throughout the first 6 years of their marriage and beyond. This unique memoir, written by a couple who are also life-coaches, includes a Relationship Guide at the end of the book which provides help and guidance to couples in similar situations.