World War II Story Reviewed by Roby Chausse

Letters From Home
by Kristina McMorris
http://www.kristinamcmorris.com/
Women’s Fiction
Kensington Books
ISBN: 978-0-7582-4684-4


Review by Robyn Chausse for The New Book Review

McMorris takes us on a journey of the heart in this timeless tale set against the backdrop of WWII. In a story told through dated letters and entries we follow the lives of three young women struggling with issues of friendship, love, honesty and choices.
Liz is engaged to an up and coming politician when she finds herself attracted to Morgan McClain, who is just heading off on tour of duty. The two begin a courtship through letters, but McClain believes he is writing to someone else! Julia is torn between a once in a lifetime chance to follow her heart’s desire, and settling down into respectable married life with her fiancé who is due to return from war. Betty, tired and frustrated with her place in society, enlists and finds herself at an Army hospital in the line of fire. Each of these characters reaches a point where they can no longer be who they have been.

Letters from Home is beautifully written with rich characters and a touch of romance. It took me back to a more innocent time. It made me think about how society has changed, especially towards women, and how it hasn’t. It made me think about my parent’s younger days and postcard courtship. It also made me cry several times—and I found myself listening to 40’s music for weeks afterward. The adherence to historically correct detail is impressive (yes, I did cross check the history). This effort successfully blurred the line between fact and fiction and set a definite mood. I read this book in a weekend and could not put it down.


~Reviewer Robyn Chausse also interviewed the author. Find the interview at http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2011/02/letters-from-home-by-kristina-mcmorris.html.  She also blogs for The Muffin, the blogsite of WOW! Women on Writing, http://www.womenonwriting.com/ . Her own blog is A Ponderance of Things (http://rcponders.wordpress.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 :

Unforgettable Fun & Laughter in Bucksnort!

Babes in Bucksnort

Author: Davis Aujourd'hui
Author websites: http://bestsatireseriesofthedecade.blogspot.com/ , http://authordavisaujourdhui.blogspot.com/
Genre: fiction-satire
ISBN: 978-1432745004

Reviewed by name: author Jennifer Chase for Amazon


You won't be disappointed with Babes in Bucksnort because all of the outrageous, fun-loving characters are back in book #2 at the steady direction of loveable, chain-smoking, bourbon drinking Sister Mary Olga. She has taught readers, along with her town of parishioners of course, that sometimes it's important to take a good look at ourselves in order to make a positive change.


There seems to be conflict brewing in Bucksnort due to the range of truly unforgettable characters and their diverse activities. This time, Priscilla Bunhead along with her group of town nosy busybodies with the help from Reverend Billy-Bob Blunthead are determined to run out of town who they feel are perverts and undesirables. Following, is outrageous behavior and fun filled chapters that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next.


Aujourd'hui has managed to create a satire series that will definitely give you mountains of smiles and giggles, but he has also masterfully woven important teachings of kindness, forgiveness, and true acceptance. The characters are vivid and it's highly unlikely you'll forget their names any time soon. There's a delicate balance of satire and reality that I feel that Babes in Bucksnort has accomplished perfectly.


If you want a fast weekend or afternoon read that's guaranteed to make you laugh, I recommend Babes in Bucksnort. I look forward to the next installment to see what Sister Mary Olga has in store for her and the town of Bucksnort.



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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 :

Judith Orloff Offers New Release with Freebies for Buying

Title – Emotional Freedom

Author – Dr Judith Orloff
Author's website link - http://www.drjudithorloff.com/emotional-freedom-promotion/
Genre or category – Self help, personal transformation
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Harmony; First Edition edition (March 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0307338181



Reviewed by Caroline Myss



Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life written by Judith Orloff MD is the perfect book to come along at the perfect time. I couldn’t put it down!


We live in a tumultuous, fear-dominated period in history and must become masters at overcoming fear and other negative emotions so they don’t sabotage our power. With skill and compassion, Dr. Judith Orloff shows us how to become heroes in our own lives by transforming anger, loneliness, and envy and more rather than simply “reacting” when our buttons get pushed.

An Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, Dr. Orloff shares her wealth of personal and professional knowledge to illuminate the field of emotions. She draws on wisdom from traditional medicine but goes light years beyond it by presenting emotions as a path to spiritual, energetic, and intuitive awakening. Why is this leap so important? The intellect has restricted vision about emotions, but bringing intuition into the feeling realm lets us go deeper within. Dr. Orloff asks us to see every success, every heartbreak, every loss, every gain as vehicles for transformation. She teaches readers to view emotions in a non-ordinary way, rather than simply making you happy or miserable. Everyone will benefit from the insightful instructions that continually guide us and also from the author’s intimate personal journey and well-earned life wisdom. Judith is the kind of doctor we wish we all had.

Part One of the book introduces you to the four components of emotions: their biology, spirituality, energetic power, and psychology. Understanding each component in yourself will lead to inner breakthroughs that aren’t possible without seeing the whole picture. It offers a self-assessment test to evaluate your current level of emotional freedom so you can increase it practicing this book’s principles. Dr. Orloff invites you into her romance with sleep and dreams as revolutionary states of consciousness. She also helps readers determine their “emotional type” including “the intellectual,” and “the empath. “so they can make the most of their own finest qualities. As an empath, Dr. Orloff knows the gigantic challenges of being an “emotional sponge” and teaches other empaths who’ve been labeled “overly sensitive” how to stay grounded in an often-overwhelming world.

You’ll enjoy the “emotional vampire survival guide”--specific advice for dealing with emotional drainers. We’ve all met them. You’re talking to someone, when suddenly you feel anxious, depressed, or tired. She describes the narcissist, the victim, the controller, and other types of vampires. Plus, there are quizzes to help you determine “Are you in a relationship with an emotional vampire?” or if you might be one yourself. Sometimes, we all have the capacity to be draining, but with mindful compassion we can catch ourselves early and make a shift.

Part Two of the book offers a hands-on approach for facing the most prevalent negative emotions and building positive ones Each chapter is called a “transformation” in which you learn how to transform a negative emotion into its counterpoint. For instance, fear is transformed with courage, frustration with patience, and jealousy with self-esteem.

You learn to do this in your life by taking a wealth of quizzes, from Dr. Orloff’s patient studies, and her own intimate journey with each emotion.

Emotional Freedom is the rare book that can open your mind and your heart to more empowerment. Give yourself a gift and read it.

SPECIAL OFFER! Purchase a copy of Emotional Freedom with 100 bonus gifts from Dr. Michael Beckwith, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Shirley MacLaine and more at Judith Orloff MD is at http://www.drjudithorloff.com/emotional-freedom-promotion/  or http://www.drjudithorloff.com/ .

~Reviewer Caroline Myss is a pioneer in the fields of intuition and mysticism and bestselling author of Anatomy of the Spirit




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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 :

Prolific Author Bill Kirton Reviewed by Diane Nelson

The Figurehead
by Bill Kirton

ISBN #978-1935460091
Historical crime fiction
Bill Kirton: http://www.bill-kirton.co.uk/


Reviewed by Diane Nelson for Romancing Words.com and Goodreads

Opening a book is much like passing through a portal. As the page turns, and you step through that opening, you enter a time, a place, a world populated with the familiar and the inexplicable. Historical fiction. Oft times an acquired taste, or an accidental discovery, driven by curiosity, grounded in the universals of human behavior. The author, Bill Kirton, provides us with a compass rose to orient the reader with subtle cues - the scents, the sounds, the taste and feel of a bustling port and ship building center. The intimacy of humble lodgings, the expanse of beach and narrow confines of the estuary, a workshop where works of art are coaxed from rough timber. The setting is such a skillful tapestry, of uncommon warp and weft, that it immediately allows the characters to command our full attention.

The setting complements and drives the story forward as John Grant encounters an apparent drowning victim, a local shipwright of questionable character. When the local constabulary fail, once again, to exercise due diligence, John decides to investigate on his own, driven by a deep-seated need to see justice done when he determines that the incident appears to be murder most foul. His investigations are spurred by common sense and a unique ability to see patterns in disparate events. This ability makes him a consummate wood-carver of figureheads, and when William Anderson commissions John to provide a likeness of his wife to grace his newest ship, the Elizabeth Anderson, he finds unexpected and interconnected chains of events. As he digs deeper into the mystery surrounding the murder, his discoveries, and their implications, test his friendships and relationships with all involved. As he works through the list of suspects he, and we, are drawn to one inexorable conclusion. What he does with that knowledge would be a spoiler … but suffice it to say, the author did a masterful job laying the groundwork as we followed the logic, the bits and pieces of tangible and not-so-tangible clues, motivations, events possible and impossible alike.

And while this should be more than enough to satisfy even the pickiest crime/mystery buff, the author manages to interweave a splendid romance of such exquisite tenderness that he is guaranteed to capture the heart of the most die-hard romantic. John and Anderson’s daughter, Helen, are drawn to each other by their sharp intellects and curious dispositions, yet the constraints of the time, their stations in life, and the dominating presence of Helen’s father make this a less-than-smooth relationship. Helen is an unconventional young woman who risks her father’s and society’s displeasure by befriending the murdered man’s wife, Jesse, and by insisting on learning her father’s business. Her discoveries, juxtaposed next to John’s, create an intriguing circle of supposition and fleshes out the historical context leading up the actual event.

The Figurehead satisfies on every level, giving the reader authenticity, characters to care about, a mystery, and a romance. The author gives us a portal through which we can enter whenever we choose, and return to time and again - Aberdeen, Scotland when tall ships ruled and greed by any other name was still commerce.

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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 :

Blog Tour for Sandy Sims' Memoir and Self-Help Book

Title – Creative Thinking for the 21st Century: An Experiential Guidebook

Author – Sandy Sims
Genre or category – Self Help, Workbook
ISBN-10: 0982745702
ISBN-13: 978-0982745700
Available in Print, Kindle coming in March 2011
Author's website link - http://creativethinkingbook.com/




Why I Wrote – How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century – Comments from the author, Sandy Sims


Originally I knew this would be a story of interest to people who follow architecture. After reading Wright’s autobiography I had been struck by the idea that not only was he famous but his drawings at the time were selling at auction for the same price as those of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. He had designed over 1,000 designs but some 500 remained unbuilt. In an “a ha” flash I imagined that a collection of Wright’s unrealized designs built in Hawaii would be stunning.

The pursuit of this idea was so compelling, that I innocently and naively began the journey, and what a journey it was. I was cordially invited into many of Wright’s private homes, to meet their owners, and to hear their stories. I became friends with those in the Taliesin Fellowship, some of whom were the earliest apprentices to Frank Lloyd Wright. It was a rich journey. While in the beginning I was attracted to the financial rewards that might have accrued, I later became fascinated by the idea of what it would be like to live inside of the space created by both a mystic and a genius. I found out


Sandy Sims' Bio –



Sandy Sims was raised and educated in the South. After serving as Naval Officer and finishing graduate business school, he followed a dream to live in Honolulu where he built one of Hawaii's most successful advertising agencies.


The crisis of personal health and business setbacks opened the way to larger spiritual dimensions including a long association with the Caddy family, founders of the Findhorn Spiritual Community in Scotland His book,”How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin And Changed The Way I Think About Thinking, A Creative Thinking Blue Print For the 21st Century,” is a memoir of his journey culminating in a 20 year project with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.


He has collaborated with Psychiatrist, Kerry Monick MD, and authored Creative Thinking For The 21st Century, An Experiential Guidebook. Accepting the science that our intention does indeed affect the material world, it addresses what to be thinking about, how to shape these thoughts, and what might be the best way to avoid unintended consequences.


When not travelling, Sandy resides in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where you can find him writing, playing tennis, poking around with his camera and embracing a new culture.


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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 :

S. K. Hamilton Reviews The Frugal Editor

The Frugal Editor
Subtitle: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
Genre: Nonfiction/Writers
ISBN: 9780978515874
Red Engine Press

Reviewed by S. K. Hamilton

You might know a little bit about a lot of things, but if you don’t know about Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers), then you don’t know enough.

I pulled a stupid stunt when I was working on my first book, The Kahills of Willow Walk. That’s not my first stupid stunt and likely not my last. Anyway, I put The Frugal Editor high on a shelf, thinking I wouldn’t need it anymore. Wrong! This is the third and last time I’ll allow it to be farther than twelve inches from me when I’m writing. If you’re a writer, you need it. If you’re a college student, you need it. If you’re a teacher you need it. You name it… you need it, whoever you are, whatever you do. Why? Because it might keep you from making a fool of yourself sometime. I won’t go into what the book consists of, other than what it’s title entails, although I could, because I know it well enough. Take my word for it.
This book has been advantageous to my editing, most of all my ability to publish what I write. I’ll leave my e-mail  (peewee2234488@yahoo.com) and website link  (http://www.willow-walk.webs.com/)
with you folks so you can let me know what you think. And while you’re at my site look around. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to let you in on a bit of good advice about a great book.

S.K. Hamilton, author of The Kahills of Willow Walk and the sequel, For the Love of Willow Walk. The Romantic series of "Willow Walk" will transport you out of your skin into the lives of others.


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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 :

Fundamentals for Business Success in a Book!

Title: Taking the Mystery Out of Business: 9 Fundamentals for Professional Success
Author: Linda Faulkner;
Author website line: http://www.lindafaulkner.com/
Genre or category: Nonfiction, business
ISBN: 978-1-935254-27-0;


Review by June Maffin originally published on: http://bookpleasures.com;


“Running a business – a good business – is work. No doubt about it. The author recognizes this and focuses on the “how-to’s” of professional success in a delightful, conversational way making this book a “must-read” for those about to begin a new business venture and seasoned small business owners alike.

Linda Faulkner began her business career over thirty years ago and her experience in every function within an insurance agency coupled with the ability to write – and write well - result in a compact, hard-hitting, easy-to-read book filled with honesty, forthrightness, encouragement, wisdom and a straight-forward dose of reality. She grabs the reader at the first sentence: “Clueless is a dangerous place to be.” And from that point on, the reader is on a journey with an experienced and wise mentor who skillfully guides the reader away from a state of cluelessness to self-confidence.



While this is an easy read, it’s a book to be reckoned with on several levels for it offers both practical advice for those involved in small businesses – and life in general. Much commonsense is sprinkled throughout the book – nuggets of tips and hints such as “Attitude is the single most important element of success;” and “How you interact with people, your levels of perception and compassion, your sense of humor, your generosity and sincerity … dictate whether people like and trust you. In business, you won’t go far if you’re not likeable or trustworthy.”


See what I mean? That last sentence could easily be rephrased for a self-help book about life’s lessons: “In life, you won’t go far if you’re not likeable or trustworthy.”



But, back to the business world. If you want to know how to identify villains and avoid mayhem, murder, and perhaps even professional suicide in the business world, “Taking the Mystery Out of Business” is for you. It’s quite a different approach from Shepherd Mead’s satirical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” because to be a success in the business world, one must not only try, one must learn - and work. And Faulkner tells the reader just how to do that through her identification of nine fundamentals for professional success: Mental Attitude; Research; Resources; Essential Business Knowledge; Relationship; Organization; Time Management; Money; and Customer Attention.



What sets this book apart from other similar books? After each chapter, Faulkner gives a brief review and then provides an assignment of a series of questions based on the particular chapter – and, at the end of the book, gives an overview summary of the book - excellent pedagogy.



I suspect that Faulkner facilitates her workshops the way she writes: casual, informative, approachable, articulate and positive, sharing personal highlights (even those learning opportunities when things didn’t go exactly as planned) and the wisdom she has garnered over decades in the business world. So, whether you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur about to begin a new venture, already a small business owner and want to increase your income or reduce your expenses, an MBA student wanting to grasp the basics of business entrepreneurialship, or someone who would welcome learning how to be successful in life, this 190 page book is for you.”


~ Linda M. Faulkner is also the author of and Second Time Around, a mystery. Learn more about her at http://lindamfaulkner.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 :