REVIEW: Booker T: From Prison to Promise by Booker T

Date:                         5/9/13

Title:                         Booker T: From Prison to Promise

Author:                     Booker T. Huffman

ISBN 13:                    978-1605424682

Pages:                        211

Publisher:                 Medallion Press

Cover:                        Paperback

Rating:                      4 Stars

The autobiography of Booker T Huffman, written with Andrew William Wright, is a very poignant book on the early life of Booker T Huffman world champion wrestler. The book is

a very good read for anyone who is having a rough time in life.  The book depicts the early years of Booker T from the rough years of childhood, prison time and the rise to being an asset to society. 

I truly recommend this book for any young person who has not found their goal in life.  In his younger years, Booker T endured loss of parents, abandonment, bad decisions and prison time.  But through it all, he still had the strength to overcome and not succumb to a life of crime. 

I am waiting for the continuation of this book because the ending dictates there will be one.  You will have to read the book to understand what I mean. This book has the potential to motivate a young mind, so I can recommend the book to any teen organization.  Bravo to Booker T Huffman and Andrew William Wright.            

BLOG TOUR: Madeline’s Protector Virtual Book Tour

About the Author

The Regency and Victorian eras have always been a magnetizing draw for Vanessa Riley. Even

as she worked to complete her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, she made time for renaissance fairs and any novel or cinematographic work depicting these genteel societies of old. Perhaps, the attraction arises from the kinship she feels with the period being brought up in the restrictive Southern Bible Belt with its stringent definitions of decent behavior and life expectations. Perhaps the common dominator to this appeal is her own thirty day Christian courtship or even the arranged marriages of her uncles; each is emblematic of the nuptials of those earlier times.

A technology muse like Dr. Vanessa Riley is probably not the immediate choice to write about haute ton English society set in the 1800's. With her most recent published work being "Reducing Deformation by Phase Manipulation," the common visceral reaction is that Providence has given another mule a voice to tell His story. Nevertheless, this mule uses her determined spirit and dogmatic tenacity to master the subject and to discover the hidden nuances of a character making him believable, her human and both ready to be used of God.

Vanessa holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a masters in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. She has been a radio anchorwoman and church announcer. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America.

Today, Vanessa juggles mothering an eight year old, her seventeenth wedding anniversary, engineering, writing and speaking at women's events. She is known for her humorous delivery of poignant truths. Vanessa is currently, editor in chief of an online social network, www.busymama.net.

About the Book

If all the young men of England leapt off a cliff, Madeline St. James wouldn't care. Then she'd have peace. Her nightmares of courtship would end, and she'd cozy up with a Psalm in her aunt's quiet sculpture garden.

Yet, a chance meeting and a bullet wound change everything, and Madeline must trust the Good Shepherd has led her to the altar to marry a dashing stranger, Lord Devonshire.

Death and pain are no strangers to Justain Delveaux, Lord Devonshire, and he vows his dutiful bride will be kept safe and in her place. Though this compromised marriage is in-name-only, his wife and her unwavering faith both intrigue and allure him. Perchance when he thwarts his brother's killer, Justain will tempt the unpredictable Madeline with the comfort of his arms.

But can Madeline and the stubborn earl forge a true bond before the next disaster strikes?

Purchase the Book Online at:

Amazon.com

BarnesandNoble.com

For More Information

Visit the author online at:

http://www.christianregency.com

Twitter: @VanessaRiley

Like my facebook: http://facebook.com/ChristianRegency

View the blog tour schedule at:

http://tywebbinvirtualevents.com/xdHYy

Visit here to enter into a chance to win a $20 gift card and a copy of Vanessa's new book. 

Happy Mother's Day!

REVIEW: The Art of Falling in Love by Joe Beam

Date:               4/30/13

Title:                The Art of Falling in Love: 4 Steps to Falling in Love, Staying in Love and Renewing Lost Love

Author:            Joe Beam

ISBN 13:           978-1451672657

Pages:              226

Publisher:        Howard Books

Cover:              Paperback

Rating:             5 Stars

The year is 2013 and spiritual warfare is all around us, including in our marriages. As a woman

who is on her second and final marriage, I welcome any tool that will help uplift my marriage. In The Art of Falling in Love, Joe Beam touches on many of the issues that married couples face in a world of “easy come, easy go” and “freeness”.

Many fall in lust and not in love and therefore find it difficult to commit to a marriage when the going gets tough. Marriage is a contract, a commitment and an oath and it takes work to keep one that will last a lifetime.

Mr. Beam touches on issues like the true meaning of love, commitment and intimacy. He illustrates the Love Path as follows: Attraction > Acceptance > Attachment > and Aspiration, and on to respect, fulfillment, spirituality and passion. Although I don’t totally agree that the Love Path goes in that exact order, I get what the author was trying to display.

Joe Beam goes on to talk about compromise, something that couples tend to forget. Once you enter a marriage, you become one. There is no longer and “I”, it has become a “we” and is not longer about one person.

The icing on the cake in The Art of Falling in Love is the discussion portion at the back of the book that addresses some very though provoking questions. If you are one of those people who like books on self-improvement, this is a must for your library.

REVIEW: Inspired to Move Forward by Aleysha Proctor

Date:               4/30/13

Title:                Inspired to Move Forward

Author:            Aleysha R. Proctor

ISBN 13:           978-1479775408

Pages:              82

Publisher:        Xilbiris

Cover:              Paperback

Rating:             3 Stars

I’ve review past books by Aleysha Proctor and would have thought Inspired to Move Forward

would have had more meat and substance. The book, an easy read at 82 pages, including notes and promotions, has tons of scripture references.

The short chapters seem as if they were sermons or speeches compiled together. With all this aside, the information is good and a great resource for those looking for, perhaps, a bible study reference.

My wish for Ms. Proctor in the future is to write a meatier book with a little more substance. Scripture reference is always good, but I’d like to see her elaborate on the stories accompanied by the scripture. I want to be inspired to read more of her work as opposed to just by passing the book and picking up my bible. I’ll await her next title. 

REVIEW: Ada's Rules by Alice Randall

Date:               1/16/13

Title:                Ada’s Rules: A Sexy Skinny Novel  

Author:            Alice Randall

ISBN 13:           978-1608198276

Pages:              352

Publisher:        Bloomsbury

Cover:              Paperback

Rating:             5 Stars

I knew when I saw the cover of this book that it was going to be a funny read. Little did I know that

it would also possess inspiration and life lessons.

I graduated high school in the 80s and have yet to go to a reunion for various reasons. First Lady Ada Howard is up to the challenge when her high school reunion comes around, but there is only one problem; she has managed to gain more weight than she’d care to admit.

In Ada’s Rules, the author takes women on her life-changing weight loss journey, while offering tips along the way. Although this book is listed as a novel, I think it is truly a guide for its readers.

The characters are true to life and very funny. I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It goes to prove that life doesn’t get grand until mid-life. I’d love to read more from Alice Randall.

REVIEW: The Customer Rules by Lee Cockerell

Date:                         4/15/13

Title:                         The Customer Rules: The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service

Author:                    Lee Cockerell

ISBN 13:                   978-0770435608

Pages:                      208

Publisher:               Crown Business

Cover:                      Paperback

Rating:                    3 Stars

Ironically, I am currently working on a customer service project. It seems that the days of customer service, let alone good customer service, is a distant memory. Now most

customers call into a call center for service and what they receive is a overworked employee that is required to read from a generic script. Sadly, one size does not fit all.

Even though this book has some great tips on getting and keeping customers, the people at the top must change their strategies. Having worked in customer service for nearly fifteen years, I found that companies can hire great customer care employees, but if a company’s bottom line is making money and following a one-size-fits-all robotic scripts to service all its customers, customer service will not make a comeback. On the other hand, if these same companies who continue to hire non-qualified caring individuals, they will not continue to succeed.

Rule number eight talks about being professional and this is something that has long disappeared in customer service. There are other valuable rules in this book, but none if it will mean a thing unless companies start caring more about their employees and their customers instead of lining their wallets. This book would have been great ten years ago, but the author may be a little over zealous with this title as it pertains to mid-sized to large corporations. However, smaller businesses may benefit from these rules.

REVIEW: Identity by Stedman Graham

Date:                         2/15/13

Title:                         Identity: Your Passport to Success

Author:                     Stedman Graham

ISBN 13:                    978-132876599

Pages:                        2248

Publisher:                 FT Press

Cover:                        Paperback

Rating:                       4 Stars

Identity: Your Passport to Success by Stedman Graham added value to my library of leadership and encouragement titles.

Often times, specifically as an entrepreneur, we find ourselves trying to duplicate someone

or something while trying to find our own way. This book reminds us that it is okay to be ourselves and originals—we  don’t have to follow the “pack.” Mr. Graham uses quotes from greats like Steve Jobs—“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life” is one of my favorites.

Identity is an interactive book that poses questions that cause you to stop and consider your values, goals and your overall needs and wants in life. The book is comprised of a nine-step action process that features great leaders, both past and present that will give you inspiration to go beyond the ordinary.

I have to admit that when I first saw this book by Stedman Graham, I was a little skeptical. Besides being Oprah’s beau, I didn’t know much about Mr. Graham. This book took me by surprise and I recommend it to entrepreneurs or anyone who is looking to reinvent themselves or find themselves for the first time. Kudos  to Mr. Graham. I have read several books of this genre and this one stands out as one of the top 20 in my expansive library. 

REVIEW: One Question by Ken Coleman

Date:                         4/20/13

Title:                         One Question: Life-Changing Answers from Today’s Leading Voices

Author:                     Ken Coleman

ISBN 13:                    978-1451675023

Pages:                        224

Publisher:                 Howard Books

Cover:                         Hard Cover

Rating:                       4 Stars

Ken Coleman is the radio host of the Ken Coleman show. In his book One Question, he interviews and asks intriguing questions of various leaders in various industries, walks of

life and levels of leadership. The answers from such leaders as Seth Godin, T.D. Jakes, Tom Ziglar, Jimmy Carter and Tim Sanders are compelling and thought provoking.

One of my favorites was when Mr. Coleman asked President and COO of Chik-fil-A, Dan Cathy, what he learned from his father about passing the torch. His simple response was, “ . . . if you follow your passion in life, you’ll never have to work again.”

Kudos to Coleman for allowing us a sneak peek inside the lives of true leaders. 

REVIEW: The Guilt Trip by Pat Simmons

Date:                         4/15/13

Title:                         The Guilt Trip

Author:                     Pat Simmons

ISBN 13:                    978-0802403803

Pages:                        368

Publisher:                 Lift Every Voice

Cover:                        Paperback

Rating:                      4 Stars

Aaron "Ace" Jamieson is quite the ladies man. He prided himself on not getting caught up with any drama. His "love and leave 'em" relationships didn't last longer than three months,

if that long; that's until he met Talise Rogers. Their chemistry was explosive. She did one thing the other women didn't. When he came to grips with his true feelings, he was ready to share them with his Tay. She also had something to share with him. When she droGuilpped the bomb, he reverted to his old ways and thought she was out to get him. What will become of their relationship?

In this second installment of the Jamieson Legacy, we follow Ace. Ace is a character afraid of being like his father. You are drawn in from the beginning. I had a hard time putting the book down. I particularly like how Simmons incorporate some history and biblical principles without going overboard. If you enjoy reading about forgiveness and redemption, this is the book for you.