Born to You This Day: Christmas Reflections on the Savior by Cissie Graham Lynch

5 out of 5 stars  *****

This short but deep devotional by the granddaughter of the greatest Evangelist in my lifetime, Billy Graham, settles my busy world into moments of Peace, Love, and Joy. I welcome her thoughtful words in this hectic holiday season. Time seems short until Born to You This Day: Christmas Reflections on the Savior provides a path away from my world and into the world created by He who loves and is willing to grant His blessings for my recognition of Him as the Father of Creation and worthy of my praise. Pending tasks at hand squirm in my mind robbing me of the comfort that rests in stillness. I pick up this devotional and read with those troubling thoughts suggesting I drop the reading and get back to work; but I ignore the annoyance and discover an ease that frees my being from self-manufactured duties. What book has such a power as this. At the end of each chapter is a list of scriptures from the Old and New Testaments that are resources for the author's enlightened summary.

Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques by James Hynes

5 out of 5 stars  *****

Author, James Hynes, explains how to write a compelling fiction. Readings from proven classics demonstrate chosen approaches to storytelling. This book elaborates on the particular preparation and discipline necessary for implementing a consistent flow using such tactics. Readers learn proper structure and how to avoid some common mistakes that weaken a worthwhile endeavor. Hynes also updates readers about publishing and the business changes within his lifetime. 

Through the introspective process of writing students become aware of their own proclivities. The strongest message this reader receives from Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques is that perseverance is necessary to finish any respectable work of literature. Writing, rewriting, editing, revising, quitting and returning to the story, sometimes with a completely different approach, emerges from vanity that overrides laziness and defeats failure, just so others may read the thoughtful efforts of a final creation.

Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You by Greg Gutfeld

5 out of 5 stars  *****

I enjoy Greg Gutfeld's wit and charm on television practically every day. Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You is the first book of his I have the privilege to listen. Zany is the first word that comes to mind when listening to this author because he incorporates unexpected humor into his well-thought-out sentences . I hear his cogent, original statements and laugh while I ponder his points. This author researches every idea his words formulate from sources expert on the topics he elaborates. 

This book compares the opinions and rhetoric of people, no matter who they think they are, to what he, Greg Gutfeld, knows to be closer to truth. In his fashion, Gutfeld seizes the opportunity to humiliate and agitate elite personalities who remark on today's issues by recycling manipulated talking points spewed with Left Progressive spin, a socialist agenda that mocks America and its rule of law. This work is an intelligent, fun rebuke of all those followers who, whether they know it or not, trend toward a Collective ruled by the corrupt. 

The most impressive quality I admire from this book and Greg, himself, is his ability to summarize the Saul Alinsky-induced chaos into a succinct, thought-provoking sentence that rests close to the heart of any matter, the truth. It is refreshing to clear the air of the smoke that chokes American values, freedom and liberty. These hard-fought blessings are easily forgotten and taken for granted by the self-absorbed. 

Evil, greedy people exhibit mankind's flaws. Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You is available to all as a wake-up call to be responsible, not just to oneself but to each other. We must strive to discern truth with a genuine concern for our sovereignty. What makes America great is the power in the sharpened, moral minds of a deserving people united and not a fake conglomerate of power riding a wave of fear that divides so they can conquer, regulate, and control.

Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck by Thug Kitchen

4 out of 5 stars  ****

This book is a most irreverent guide to good health through emotive words and proper nutrition. Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck,could be just another great vegetarian cook book but it would be lost on the shelf of healthy advice and common sense. The cursing expletives set this book apart from all others. It is a delight to learn as the shock of language piques the curious and humors the gimmick-prone public. The descriptive words are not polite nor are they for children but this book offers an alternative for healthy living. The recipes are simple enough if one is willing to put some time into the preparation. Preparing and storing many base products for recipes, like beans and grains, are recommended for those who have active, working lives. This book ranges from dips to desserts with everything in between. The few recipes this indulgent reader tries please the palate, the pocketbook, and the menu as shopping becomes more interesting when adding a variety of flavors to what would otherwise be a one-time dish on a single night.

Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young

5 of 5 stars  *****

This daily devotional book is such a blessing. I read it first thing in the morning and it sets my thinking right by establishing a strong relationship with God. It allows me to face any circumstance that comes my way with peace, love, and joy in my heart. Forbearance is a gift from God and this book is a simple reminder to persevere difficulties with patience and understanding. 

It is more of a challenge to maintain an attitude of kindness, gentleness and goodness when my life is going well, without unforeseen challenges to upset my day. I read every morning that such challenges occur to make me turn to He who is always there. The next gift to receive during such times is faithfulness and self-control. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence informs me that God welcomes this opportunity to allay my fears, settle my frustrations. My thankfulness and trust are all He needs. My reciprocating love praises Him. His reason for creating me is then in accordance to His plan. 

Sarah Young studies and draws from all sections of the Bible to share with us words inspired by her moments of stillness while conversing with God. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence is the response she receives from our Father, the One who knows all before we formulate the question or make any request. 

I discover this book from my sister whose benevolence shares it as a gift to so many she encounters. I apply this book's profound wisdom as I read it to my dying mother earlier this year. It touches me, opens me, strengthens me while reassuring me of the righteous path to which it leads. I receive wisdom, the fear of God, because He is the only power, a power that gives everlasting life to those who honestly communicate with Him daily. 

My inspiration after reading this blessed book: The purpose of my life does not depend on what I accomplish in the world but how I am while in this world, regardless of who I am with or what circumstances befall me. Communication with God is essential and this book is one of the most poignant relationships with Him in the present that I have come across.

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline (Goodreads Author), Andy Caploe (Narrator)

4 stars out of 5  ****

History is fascinating. The story of our ancestors in this world with all of its natural and man-made disasters teaches the present and future generations valuable lessons. Mankind still repeats history even with its best efforts not to. This may be because the truth, as a goal, is not always depicted in the writings and lore we humans pass down.

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed tries to narrow down the end of certain ages, like the Bornze Age, to the probable year that empires and major cities in eastern Europe, Mesopotamia, western Asia, and Egypt fell. Eric H. Cline's task is to draw conclusions from artifacts, correspondence, and geographical markers for drought and earthquakes that occur during Egyptian, Hittite, Mycenaean, Canaanite, Assyrian, and Babylonian empires. Cline utilizes research of the latest archaeological  discoveries by prominent experts in the field to derive the basis for his book's title.

The author refers to "Sea People", who come by sea and by land, as a marauding enemy that lays waste to vulnerable cities in the existing empires The cities are left weakened by appropriating most of their fighting forces to other regions in a time of war. This, coupled with natural disasters and desperation, drive these people to ransack and destroy when opportunity presents itself. 

The people, significant places, and regions have many names depending on who is describing the events that take place. Specifics of this era and in this region raise discussion of biblical accounts that may be attributable to the events Cline describes in his book. The author does not state as fact any biblical accounts but includes them as one of many possibilities. Also, the "Sea People" are not identified with any one culture or people but may comprise many different people from varied regions. 

It seems very difficult to say with certainty that the year 1177 B.C. is the year that civilization collapsed or that civilization collapsed at all but it is a compelling title. I enjoy reading about history, especially the history that surrounds what is presumably accepted as accurate. This book informs the reader how history is a book left open for future discovery.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Michael York (Narrator)

4 stars out of 5  ****

A futuristic look at mankind advancing biology to the point where ethical dilemmas arise but are ignored by those who feel superior to the masses. The elite create a world free of disease and many flaws in human beings to establish a more perfect existence. There are many interesting and unexpected circumstances that challenge the control of this world the more some people begin to think for themselves and challenge fate dictated by this sterile system.

Aldous Huxley writes beautifully and Michael York narrates eloquently in warning those who feel mankind can achieve perfection based on ability, intelligence, and control; but mankind's flaws and limitations write the story that reveals control is elusive and momentary, at best, while perfection is a dream never attained in a brave new world.