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Showing posts with label Fiction: Spiritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction: Spiritual. Show all posts

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Bob Rich's Ascending Spiral Gets Goodreads Nod


Title: Ascending Spiral, Humanity's last chance
Author: Bob Rich
Winner of Carolyn's Noble Award
Cross-genre: spiritual/historical fiction
ISBN 978-1-61599-187-7
Publisher Marvelous Spirit Press
 
Recently, the author offered three free, autographed copies of Ascending Spiral through Goodreads. One of the lucky recipients wrote this 5-star review:
Link to original publication.

Reviewed by Liana Hammersley originally for Goodreads
 
It's not very often that you read a book that can speak directly to your heart but you can find them. And It's a rarity when you find one that can speak straight to your soul, which is what this book does. It's like a old friend coming to speak to you. A friend who makes you feel warm, protected and loved. It's a one in a million story (or in this case stories) that makes you recognise that this life is more than just a life - it's a life made up of many lives and many lessons: there is a reason...a purpose for us being here, today, yesterday and tomorrow. We're here to learn and appreciate what this life has to give for a greater purpose - not just to live, but to experience, feel and be.

The first couple of pages of 'Ascending Spiral' made me feel like crying. THE FIRST PAGES! I couldn't believe it. Never has a book made me want to cry at the very beginning of the book. But it did. Mainly because it spoke about a little girl who felt lost, worthless and unloved. It was part of my teenage life he (Pip/ Bob Rich) spoke of. Although mine didn't make me want to die or feel so badly that I really didn't cope because I had friends, a small group of friends but enough to help me through the "popular crowd's" teasing and constant cruelness. Pip's words to Maria were so beautiful and precious that I couldn't help but feel lighter just thinking about them. He helped her through a tough time in her life, made her feel special and taught her that there are no mistakes in life, but lessons, opportunity's that help us grow into the person we want to be. And if we fail, we fail...but it is also a success because we learned and we survived.

That's what this book is mostly about - learning and surviving the best way we possibly can. Dermot was my favourite character/life experience I liked reading about. He was a survivor. He suffered such terrible tragedy's that you can almost understand why he turned out the way he did - I do say almost because in this life (my life) I would never go down the same path at the end and find it confusing and shocking that he would do something so horrible to someone who least deserved it. But in his mind everyone was at fault. His situation was bad, he lost his whole family, was made into an example on a convict boat that could have destroyed him, became a slave, could've had freedom but was blackmailed into staying and in the end he was trapped. he was helpless and kept suffering throughout his life. He was an injured animal, one who had been beaten too many times. He held in all the resentment, anger and frustration at being in a life that wronged him so much that he finally exploded and the way it came out was a terrible action. He suffered again because of it...his soul suffered. But when you look back on everything that had happened you couldn't say what he did was wrong. Part of his family and his soon to be wife was murdered, other family members imprisoned. He fought back because there was nothing else he could do.

Through this book you learn that every action has a ripple effect. It doesn't just affect you or your family but it effects everyone that it comes in contact with. And when you look back on Dermot's life you realise why everything is happening. The English had been bullied by their own people (as I'm sure many countries and societies have) - their own kings and queens ruled over them year after year, dictating how they should feel, act and think. If they acted any differently to what was expected of them they were punished for it - be it jail, maimed or killed. So they were victims: left powerless by the people that should have protected them. So those people through generations became bitter, resentful and angry. And those that came into a certain power (the army's, etc) followed orders and took all those negative emotions out on whoever they were to hurt. They got their revenge, just on the wrong people. And in turn Dermot got his revenge on those people. You can see how one person's wrong doing creates another ones and it just keeps going and going until people are hurt or worse. If one were to forgive then they would either be trampled over or were forgiven themselves. In Dermot's case, he had no choice. If he forgave the English he would only have become a slave himself (which he ultimately did anyway) or killed. There was no middle ground. There was no forgiveness or compassion from the other side. Once anger is involved, everything goes out the window. So Dermot stood and fought for what he believed in - to free his people from such a grievous act. No one would have been free if he didn't do anything. So in a way he helped those people to find hope, at the cost to himself.

Amelia's story had me on the edge of my seat. Her husband horrified me. I was along for the ride (emotionally) for this story because I was terrified for her children having such an abusive father. Her story was tragic in a different way to Dermot's but it had a beautiful ending in a way because she got to live out her life in the end and see her children grow and have their own children. But in the meantime she had a lot of hardship and loss. But she SURVIVED and she lived.

The two other stories about the space flower and the walking flowers didn't appeal to me as much. They were short and the story's were good, but the hardships and emotional connection wasn't there for me as much.

And finally with Pip's life I had to have a little chuckle to myself when my name "Liana" turned up in the story. It's not every day you read your own name in a book - especially when it's as rare as mine! But I loved Pip's journey - his success at reaching peace within himself and finding that "living" this life and experiencing everything that was to be learned is what life is about, not just the material things as most live for - the house, the car, the other objects we consider to be considered to be important that most people rate above all else. This life is about LIVING it, ENJOYING it but most all experiencing it.

This book just makes you rethink about your own life, the situation your in and everything that you have learned up until now. It (most importantly) also makes you ask yourself "what is your purpose for living?" It has helped me appreciate what had been given to me and not take things for granted anymore. I want to enjoy my life now and not bicker about the silly little things because this life is an important one, for my soul and for my family.

If you are of spiritual mind (as I have been my entire life, growing up with the knowledge of past lives, spiritual beings, compassion, lessons, etc) or have often wondered what is is you're doing here, I suggest to read this book as it is the perfect way of gaining more knowledge of your situation and learning to love the life that you're living.

 
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr.  Bob Rich is a professional grandfather. His main motivation is to transform society to create a sustainable world in which his grandchildren and their grandchildren in perpetuity can have a life, and a life worth living. This means reversing environmental idiocy that’s now threatening us with extinction, and replacing a culture of greed and conflict with one of compassion and cooperation.
 

So far, he has retired 5 times as:

Research scientist

Builder’s laborer

Nurse

Director of his professional association

Counseling psychologist
 

He is still going strong as a storyteller, writer and editor. To date, he has15 published books you can inspect at http://bobswriting.com (read the first chapter of each). Five of them won awards. Also, he does professional editing, for a number of small, independent publishers and a steady stream of writers pre-submission. Learn more at
http://bobswriting.com. His newsletter is Bobbing Around http://wp.me/P3Xihq-1

 




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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Miracle in Fiction Gets Goodreads Attention

The Most Unexpected Course in Miracles
 
Title: Life Can Be a Miracle
Author: Ivinela Samuilova
Author's Website: http://ivinela.webs.com
Genre: Fiction/Inspirational/Self-help/Spiritual
ASIN: B00CZCCQ3U
Reviewer: Leila Summers
Reviewer’s link: http://www.leilasummers.co.za/blog
Reviewer's Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
 
Reviewed by Leila Summers, originally for Goodreads
 
This book will appeal mostly to people who enjoy reading self-help, psychology, metaphysical and spiritual books or inspirational novels with a message. It does not necessarily read as a typical novel, though there is an enjoyable storyline that surrounds the insightful information. The book was translated into English from Bulgarian and the translation and the writing are excellent.

The story revolves around Adie, a woman who is searching for her purpose and Alexey, an unusual psychologist who runs seminars that Adie attends. I was most interested to discover that Alexey is a real person whom the author received permission from to use his real name and share his distinctive methods. This made the book all the more interesting for me because the information is authentic, and after trying out some of the techniques myself, I found that they actually work!

Alexey’s seminars are sometimes described in detail which I found fascinating. It was almost as though I was attending the seminar myself, which would be impossible under any other circumstance, because Alexey Bachev lives in Bulgaria and speaks Bulgarian. I read many non-fiction books, articles and listen to various speakers on these topics, so for me this was a unique experience.

Here is an edited section from one of Alexey’s seminars - We all hold a mental map in our heads about what life is, how to live, who we are, what is possible, what is not possible and so on. This mental map determines our perception of the world, but what it shows us in not the world… It is like when you pour liquid into a container: the liquid takes the form of the container. In the same way, reality flows into our (mental) maps, and thus our maps shape our reality. When we fill our mind with something, like a problem for example, then our mental map will take the shape of the problem… In other words, the mental map that we hold shapes our reality that we experience… (But) we can go beyond the limits of the reality that we have shaped.
There are so many interesting insights that the book took me longer than usual to read, as I stopped to take notes and digest them. I do hope that the author considers translating her other novels in English so that I can read them too.

I think that this book will appeal to anyone who has an open mind, a sense of adventure and humor, an interest in psychology, believes that we can shape our reality, and would like to learn some different and fun ways on how to handle a problem.
 
About the Author
Ivinela Samuilova lives in Sophia, Bulgaria. She has an MA in Theology and a strong interest in the inner world of human beings. Ivinela's books turned out to be a phenomenon on the Bulgarian book market where she is considered to be an influential, original and spirited new voice. Ivinela’s debut novel ‘Life Can Be a Miracle’ was released in English as an e-book in spring 2013.
 
Follow Ivinela on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Ivinela.Samuilova or on Twitter @ivinela
 
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

BestChickLit Reviewer Shares Goddess Rising

Title: Goddess Rising
Author: Melissa Bowersock
Web: www.newmoonrising.netGenre: spiritual fiction
ISBN: 1448677734


Reviewed by Elizabeth Wright originally  for BestChickLit.com

What they say:
'Civilization as we know it has been destroyed, not through war or asteroid impact, but by a geologic holocaust of planetary proportions. The scattered survivors live simply, primitively, bonded to the earth and the Great Goddess. Their one hope lies in the dream-given prophecy that Greer the Sibling, a female savior, will rise and restore them to greatness.

An epic and magical story of one woman's exceptional destiny during exceptional times, Goddess Rising follows Greer's journey from simply obscurity to her prophesied reign. Acknowledged as the face of the Goddess on earth, Greer discovers the rewards of power-and the price-as she struggles through her own labyrinth of fear and desire, sexuality and sacrifice, love and death.'

What we (BestChickLit.com)  say - review by Elizabeth Wright:As spiritual fiction goes this novel does exactly what it is supposed to do. It has the reader questioning their own life, their own beliefs and wondering how it would all work if things were different. On the surface this is a good read. The narrative flows nicely and it ticks all the boxes of romance, challenge and resolution. But this is not a book to just pass the time of day with. It questions everything from a woman’s place in a work environment to the sex of a deity and everything in between.

Goddess Rising is ultimately a feminist stance on the Garden of Eden, as Bowersock recreates religion by resetting the world back to basics. To be at one with nature and have an entirely open mind is the ideal and every individual character is valued for the skill that they bring to the community. The reader is taken on the heroine’s journey, learning about the world as she does and Bowersock certainly has a knack for creating a believable fantasy. Through the trials and tribulations of our heroine, Greer, you cannot help but make comparisons with the real world. Overall this book is ideal for anyone searching for an insight into a world run by women.

~Author Melissa Bowersock also blogs at http://mjb-wordlovers.blogspot.com.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Inspiration Through the Divine

Title: Miracle: the novel
Author: M.L. Bushman
Genre: Inspirational fiction
ISBN: 978-1-934340-55-4/1-934340-55-3
Rating: Five cups (highest possible)
Publisher: Jigsaw Press

Reviewed by Lettetia @ Coffee Time Romance

Carol Flannigan lost her fiancé through a suspicious accident. He was trampled to death by the horse he took so much pride in. Or was he really? Carol has lost faith with God, life, and with everything else in her life. Her father’s ranch is failing and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and all she can think of is ending it all. Rory Flannigan lost one of the very best horsemen when he lost his future son-in-law to a senseless accident. He has been praying for a miracle to help them find out what happened to Chase and to help his daughter overcome the numbing grief and suspicion clouding the ranch.

Micah Divine is a heavenly being on his latest mission. Overseen by Gabriel, he first encounters Carol when she flings herself off a cliff, only to be caught by Micah. He is not quite sure what to make of the human form and vocabulary, but one thing is certain; there is a killer at the Flannigan ranch. Kerry Penfield is in charge of the horses now that Chase is dead. Caught by Rory and Micah whipping a valuable stallion, he shows a vicious streak. When Micah shows him what a true “horse whisperer” really is, Kerry is reassigned to work as a plain ranch hand. Resentful, he is full of secrets and plans; is he responsible for the death of Chase? He is the only witness after all.

Micah, Carol, Rory and the hands all have their suspicions about the death of Chase, but it will take divine intervention to bring them healing and resolution. While Micah is becoming more adept at the nuances of human form, he is also on the trail of a killer. Will he discover who the villain is in time, or will someone else have to die first?

M.L. Bushman captures the essence of a spiritual being, flaws and all, with an impressive flair. Micah is indeed “Divine” and a much needed healing presence in the lives of so many wounded souls. The storyline kept a steady pace, with plenty of intrigue and tension to keep this reader turning pages to finish the story. Riveting, realistic, fascinating, witty and emotional; all of these add up to a whale of a tale that I will re-read again and again. Bravo, Ms. Bushman, Miracle is truly one of a kind!
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Lettetia
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Spirtual Fiction Released by Dragon's Beard Publishing

Sacred Vow
by C.G. Walters
Spiritual fiction
Copyright 2006
Pages 273
ISBN-10 0977427147
Price $13.95
Published by Dragon's Beard Publishing, LLC

Reviewed by Heather Froeschl of Book Ideas , http://bookreviewjournal.blogspot.com and www.Quilldipper.com



Can the wind of a butterfly’s wing effect climate on the other side of the world? Can the love of two souls heal a great wrong in the universe? C.G. Walters’ novel “Sacred Vow,” offers compelling thought to consider, and a page turning delight to cherish.

Ian Sarin enjoys his cup of tea but lately the ritual of it brings other delights. Visions of a woman play out in his perception, beckoning further visitation. Everything in the room must be just so, with teapot, caned chair, and Ian in place. He cannot hear her speak, but can see her mouthing words, sharing her life. Is this just a vision or is it something else? His reality soon becomes less important than the alternate one that he visits. Ian’s health becomes affected and soon he needs help. While visiting an old friend in the mountains, he is introduced to Djalma, an interesting man whose presence comes into play in a large way. He will interact in Ian’s life in ways he couldn’t have imagined. The visions of Katerina become more intense and play out like episodes of a movie he has seen before. The question so important… why are the visits happening? The answer awaits on a scrap of paper that Ian had tucked away, a remnant of a dream, years before. He was chosen for this…but what exactly is this?

Reincarnation, collective consciousness, and life purpose all play large roles in this book. It is a deeply thoughtful and provocative tale that I could not put down. I so enjoyed the read that I simultaneously couldn’t wait to get to the last page but also dreaded it ending. The author evokes a great understanding of these topics and the mysteries of the universe, yet shares his perceptions in a wonderfully easy to comprehend tone. Readers will come away wonder-filled and satisfied to have read “Sacred Vow.”
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Submitted by Karen Lawrence
Selby Ink