Peeking Between the Pages

...escape into the pages of a good book

2011•eBook Tracking Challenge

Book Review: Give Me a Break! No-Fuss Meditation by Whitney Stewart

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Give Me a Break! No Fuss Meditation by Whitney Stewart is a wonderful little book on meditation.  It is short, to the point, easy to follow, and  is a great tool  for anyone interested in learning how to meditate and what it’s benefits are to you.

My favorite thing about this book is that it is short – a mere 33 pages I believe.  The author has made meditation very doable for the average person. So many books I’ve looked at are long and seem to have so much extra stuff in them and that immediately turns me off.  With Give Me a Break!, Whitney Stewart takes you directly into why people meditate, to how it can help you and then into how to sit, warm up relaxation and then right into several different meditations all geared towards different things which I’ll elaborate on in a minute.

First though, why do people meditate?  Well the biggest reason is it calms a person down.  It makes you focus and takes your mind which is running around in all it’s busyness to a much more peaceful place.  This is what Whitney Stewart says on why we should mediate…

‘Mediation calms you down.  It helps you find your own wisdom.  It settles your nerves and fills your mind with space.’ (page 5, eBook)

She stresses as well that meditation is about accepting yourself as you are and I think that’s really important.  In our busy world I think we often find ourselves so stressed and torn in so many different directions that we lose focus on who we really are inside.  I really believe that meditation can help us rediscover that person. 

There are several reasons to meditate but a few important ones are:  to calm down, to think clearly, to avoid overreacting, to be more patient, and to know your mind and these are just a few.  Along with where to meditate and how to sit, Whitney talks about something really important and that’s how to breathe.  Have you ever noticed when you get angry how you don’t always breathe properly – if you can focus on your breathing you’ll calm down a whole lot sooner. 

Whitney then goes on to explain several different meditations you can try and I’ll just go through a couple of my favorites.  One is the Favorite Object Meditation which has you focusing on an favorite object – drawing it in your mind and seeing it, imagining how it feels.  For me that is Sam.  If I want to focus and calm myself I will focus on him in my mind and it’s surprising how quickly I can feel my heart rate calming and my breathing returning to normal.

Another favorite of mine is Special Place Meditation and I’ve been doing this one for a long time.  This meditation involves finding a place that makes you happy.  See it in your mind.  What do you see?  What does the air feel like?  Is it sunny or cloudy?  Make sure to focus on your breathing too.  For me this place has always been a big country field with the greenest grass you can imagine.  In the middle of it is a beautiful big tree and there I am sitting on my blanket against it just looking out onto the field and enjoying the smell of the grass and the beauty around me.  It always calms me down and makes me feel peaceful. 

There are so many other great meditations though.  I really enjoyed this book and will be giving many more of the meditations a try.  I think it’s really important to be able to find a way in this busy world of ours to focus ourselves and be able to feel at peace.  It’s important for our minds and our health.  If you’re at all interested in learning to meditate I would recommend this book for the reasons I’ve stated – it’s short and too the point.  It tells you what you need to know and how to do it; all in a easy to understand and easy to follow way. 

I had the opportunity to read Give Me a Break! by Whitney Stewart for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book.  Be sure to check out what others on the tour think of the book as well.  You can find Whitney on her website as well as Twitter and Facebook.  You can pick up your own copy of Give Me a Break! by Whitney Stewart in eBook format for your Kindle, Nook, or Kobo eReaders.

Source: Review copy provided by Pump Up Your Book and the Author. No compensation was received for this review.

 

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Book Review: Merry Christmas Stories by Jeff R. Spalsbury & Giveaway (Int’l)

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Merry Christmas Stories by Jeff R. Spalsbury is a wonderful collection of short Christmas stories that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy. They are just perfect for the Christmas season! Some will make you laugh and others will leave a tear in your eye but what they all do best is reflect the magical spirit of Christmas.

There are all kinds of stories so there is something for everyone. There are ghosts, angels, matchmaking, and lots of love within the pages of the book as is the case of the elderly couple sitting by the sea and reminiscing about their past and how they met. There are strangers who give of themselves and find that they get so much more in return from doing good. You know how you read some stories and you just feel shivers…well that’s how I felt reading some of these as in the story where a ghost rescues people in need on the highway at Christmas time and this year he finds the perfect woman for his lonely brother.

There are 25 short stories and there were a few that stood out as my favorites. My absolute favorites that I’ll share though were Santa’s Missing and Santa’s Found. Helen arrives in detective Nick Tracer’s office with all the money she has in the world – $1.06, and wants to hire him to find Santa Claus. You see her mom is a single mom and they just don’t have the money for Christmas but while Helen is ok with not getting anything herself, she is worried for her younger siblings. Now normally Nick spends Christmas on a serious drunk and even after Helen leaves he still intends to do that but he can’t get her out of his mind. So he sets about seeing what he can do to bring Christmas to this family. Then to top things off he finally realizes that Santa is going to have to be him so he dresses as Santa and heads over to the house. While Nick is doing a huge good deed by helping this family he is totally unprepared for what happens to him while he’s there and to find that out you’ll just have to read the book.

The author does a really great job of bringing the Christmas spirit into your heart. This collection is full of wonderful characters and despite some of these stories only being a short few pages they will worm their way into your heart and stay there. If you’re one of those people who love to read a few Christmas books over the holidays this would make a great pick. I liked it because I could pick it up and read a story and then put it down if I had to. I also really liked it because it left me feeling good and in the Christmas spirit. It’s well worth the read this Christmas!

I read Merry Christmas Stories by Jeff R. Spalsbury for his book tour with TLC book Tours. Be sure and check out the other tour stops to see what others are saying about the book. Be sure and check out the Jeff’s website and you can purchase your own copy of Merry Christmas stories here in the US and here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I just happen to have an extra copy of Merry Christmas Stories by Jeff R. Spalsbury because my copy took an extra-long time to make it through to Canada so I’m going to share it with one of my readers. Because it’s my own copy I’m opening it to all of my readers worldwide! To enter…

  • For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know in your comment so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open worldwide!  I will draw for the winner on Saturday, December 17/11.  Good luck to all!

Source: Review copy received for review from TLC Book Tours and the Publisher. I received no compensation for this review.

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Book Review: Come Back to Me by Melissa Foster

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Come Back to Me is Melissa Foster’s latest novel and I will say right off that I loved it! I read Megan’s Way recently and really enjoyed it but I was literally blown away by this one. The story from beginning to end was one that left me feeling emotionally spent but in a good way. It is quite simply a beautiful love story of two people with an amazing connection and one that will stick in my mind and heart for a good long while.

Tess and Beau are a great couple; they have one of those relationships that people envy. Tess runs a successful business and loves her work. Beau is a photographer and at the opening of the novel has gone to war torn Iraq on a photo shoot that could mark the big break in his career that he’s been looking for. Because of this Tess keeps a secret from Beau; something that could change their lives – she’s pregnant. She’ll tell him but not now; she can’t ruin this chance for him. The only thing she doesn’t plan on is his helicopter crashing and him being dead.

All is not as it seems though and Beau has escaped death but just barely. He’s being kept alive in the desert by two Iraqi women who have escaped honor killings. Suha is a doctor and Samira a widow with three children. As Beau drifts in and out of consciousness he holds on to a picture of Tess and a pocket watch that she gave him before he left that has Come Back to Me engraved on it. This, more than anything, is what gives him the will to live. As Beau regains his strength he finds himself becoming more and more attached to these women and children who have become such a big part of his life but his heart remains with Tess.

Back at home Tess struggles with accepting that Beau is gone. In her mind he can’t be gone because he promised that he would come back to her and also because she just doesn’t feel in her heart that he is dead. She feels quite sure she would know it. Everyone around her keeps encouraging her to move on and rebuild her life but she just can’t – not without Beau. Even when she meets someone who could give her and her baby a good life she can’t open herself up enough to let it happen. She still feels that Beau is coming back.

As the story moves forward Beau is making it out of Iraq with the women and Tess is trying hard to rebuild her life. The novel moves back and forth between Iraq with Beau and back at home with Tess. Through each part we learn more about the characters and their deep love and determination to somehow be together again. All along there are twists and turns in the plot but none bigger than the one towards the end that will shock you and grab at your heartstrings and not let go.

Come Back to Me is such a powerful novel. It is full of rich characters living real lives. As you read you put yourself in their place and feel their hopes, dreams, and unfortunately their pain. You come away feeling as though they are your friends and you’ve shared in their lives for a while and when you turn the last page of the book and have to say goodbye you feel sad. While I may have expected or even wished for a different ending, this book is so well worth reading. When a book leaves me with my emotions running over like Come Back to Me did, it is always a book I will recommend to my friends!

You can find Melissa on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.  You can buy your own copy of Come Back to Me by Melissa Foster here in the US.  Be sure to pop back over to Peeking Between the Pages next Thursday when Melissa will be here with a guest post and a giveaway of her book!

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Book Review: Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love & Giveaway

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Beyond All Measure is the debut inspirational fiction novel by Dorothy Love and one I have to say I enjoyed immensely. These are the type of stories that I love to curl up with and lose myself in for a day which is exactly what I did. These novels always leave me feeling hopeful and I love that in a book.

Ada Wentworth has lost a lot in her young life – her mother, her father, and her fiance; not to mention all her money and possessions. Not wanting to become a mail order bride she accepts a position as a lady’s companion in Tennessee. What Ada still holds onto strongly in spite of all this loss is her independent spirit. She’s a strong woman who you won’t likely find swooning. She refuses to give up which is why she heads out so far away from her home to start a new life. Her biggest hope is to someday open her own millinery shop and do what she loves the most – make fancy hats.

When Ada arrives in Hickory Ridge she is met by Wyatt Caldwell who she later learns is her boss. She also learns she is to be the only one caring for eighty year old Lillian Caldwell who can be more than a handful. Ada is also a Yankee and one has to keep in mind that this novel takes place shortly after the Civil War and Yankee’s weren’t all that welcome in the South. For Ada, not everyone in Hickory Ridge gives her a very warm welcome.

Wyatt owns the local lumber mill and is quite successful and respected in Hickory Ridge. He’s never seen anyone as beautiful as Ada and he just can’t get her out of his thoughts. Ada too feels a strong attraction to Wyatt but she just can’t let herself be hurt again. Yet the more time she spends with Wyatt the more drawn to him she becomes. Lillian is always telling her to trust in the Lord. He will lead her in the right direction. Has God brought her to Hickory Ridge for a reason? Is that reason Wyatt and the young orphan Sophie? The more time that Ada spends in Hickory Ridge the more she realizes she likes it there and the people begin to accept her and she makes friends. Still there are some evil forces in Hickory Ridge and they are determined to rid the town of Ada.

Beyond All Measure is so full of great characters and is such a heart warming story. Ada is a character I was drawn to because of her will to always keep going forward as well as her caring attitude towards the people she cares about. Wyatt is easily described as the gentleman of the novel. His love for Ada shines through and while he’s not perfect, he’s pretty close. By far my favorite character was Lillian. She was cranky and loved to complain but hey she was eighty and entitled. She was charming to me and I loved to hear what she might come out with next.

Beyond All Measure is the first in the Hickory Ridge series and I can’t wait for the next installment. If they are all as good as the first one I’ll have a new series to follow. If you like Christian and inspirational novels then you’d love this one. It’s a feel good story that was a joy to read although there are also a lot of serious issues tackled in the book as well. I did not find the Christian elements overwhelming; what I did find is that faith shines through in every page of this book.

I read Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to visit Dorothy’s website as well as find her on Facebook and Twitter. You can purchase your own copy of Beyond All Measure here in the US and here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love to share with my readers. To enter…

  • For 1 entry just leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday,  December 10/11.  Good luck everyone!

Source: Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and the Publisher. I was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own.

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Book Review: To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

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To The Moon and Back is another winner by author Jill Mansell! Her books never fail to draw me in and keep me entertained throughout. I consider Jill Mansell one of my ‘comfort read’ authors and that’s a compliment indeed. She’s one of those authors you turn to when you need a good book and you know for sure that one of hers won’t fail you. In To the Moon and Back, Jill Mansell takes us into the life of Ellie, a young woman who lost her husband in a tragic accident.

Now you may think that is sad and it is but Jill’s novel is not; really it is a novel of hope and this novel is full of so many fantastic characters that it captivates you early on. Almost a year and a half later, Ellie realizes that she has to try to move on even if she really doesn’t want to (the only thing she won’t change are those little conversations she has with her dead hubby). Ellie has always been close with her father-in-law Tony even after her husband’s death but she’s been very reluctant to invite him to her home as it has turned into quite the dump. Tony ends up seeing the place though and promptly moves her into a upscale place in a good neighborhood on the pretense of using the place himself when he’s in town. This is the turning point in Ellie’s life – where the person she used to be begins to reawaken.

Ellie finds herself a new job with a guy named Zack who’s only hope was to find a good assistant who wouldn’t be after him. Well there could be no more perfect job for Ellie than that. The thing is that Zack had, weeks ago, seen Ellie on the street and uncharacteristically for him, seemed to have fallen for her on the spot. When she comes in for the interview he has no choice but to give her the job. He simply can’t risk never seeing her again. For her part Ellie loves the job, loves Zack’s dog Elmo, and just maybe as time goes on be developing a bit of a thing for her boss.

Along with the whole romantic thing going on and not going on with Ellie and Zack there is on the sidelines some other great characters. Roo, Ellie’s friend is simply hilarious. At first she has some issues with always dating the wrong men but as times goes on she begins to see the error of her ways and it was great to see her develop in that way. My favorite character though would have to be Ellie. She was smart and sassy and broken but willing to see what life still had to offer her and go after it. Her heart may always belong to her first husband but she’s willing to open it up again to love. It was fun to follow her through the whole journey she had to take to get to that point.

I think what I like most about Jill’s books is how real they seem to life. The romance seems to flow in a normal and sweet way, the characters feel like your friends, and mostly you feel as though you could walk into the pages of the book and be a part of the story with ease. I became so invested in this story and the people that I didn’t want it to end and, in fact, I kept putting it down towards the end just to draw it out some more. If you like chick-lit that is very well done and more importantly love British writing like I do, then I encourage you to pick up To The Moon and Back. It is a story of love, loss, and the hope that there is something better up ahead if you just go ahead and grab for it! Her books always leave me feeling good about life and we can always use a bit of that in our lives!

Stop by and visit Jill Mansell’s website and To The Moon and Back can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

Source: Review copy provided by Sourcebooks. I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review was previously published by me at Book Trib.

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Book Review: Her Sister’s Shadow by Katharine Britton & Giveaway

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Her Sister’s Shadow by Katharine Britton is a story full of long buried family secrets and rivalry. The story alternates between the past from the years of 1966 to 1969 to the present year of 2009. Going back and forth offers us a view into how this family became so disconnected with each other and maybe a way in which they could possibly come together again.

The novel opens when Lilli receives a call from her older sister Bea. They have been estranged for nearly forty years only briefly talking once or twice a year. Bea calls with news that stuns Lilli; Bea’s husband Randall has passed away suddenly and she wants Lilli to come home for the funeral. Lilli is torn as she vowed never to return to her childhood home but at the same time she thinks that this may be an opportunity for her and her sister Bea to clear the air between them. She hopes to bring the past to light and then bury it once and for all. However Lilli is stunned when she sees Bea. Her once vibrant sister is aging and not in a good way. She has difficulty walking and doesn’t appear to be able to see too well. The house and surrounding yard are in complete disarray.

Lilli thinks back to her childhood when a family tragedy caused their mother to distance herself from the family. It was Bea that took over caring for Lilli and her sister Dori while their other sister Charlotte was the one that took care of the cooking and keeping of the house. Yet for Lilli she viewed all that Bea did as Bea’s way of showing how much better than Lilli she was. Lilli spent her childhood always feeling as though she was living in her sister’s shadow and it was one that she couldn’t find her way out of. Eventually the anger and resentment between the sisters is enough that Lilli simply leaves and never looks back – not until nearly forty years later when Bea’s call comes and changes everything for all of them.

Her Sister’s Shadow is a fantastic debut novel by Katharine Britton. It certainly had a captive audience in me. It was funny because I actually felt connected to all the characters which doesn’t usually happen but I felt drawn to each of the sisters for different reasons. As you read through the pages you realize how easy it is for misunderstandings to spiral out of control and even more how a family who doesn’t share their thoughts or feelings and buries them instead ends up losing what is most valuable and that’s the love of family. I really enjoyed this novel. It had everything I like in a book – emotions, family drama, and buried secrets. I think it would make a fantastic book club selection as there is so much to discuss. I look forward to more of Katharine Britton’s work in the future.

I read Her Sister’s Shadow by Katharine Britton for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to visit Katharine’s website, blog, and you can find her on Facebook as well. Her Sister’s Shadow can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Her Sister’s Shadow by Katharine Britton up for grabs. To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know in your comment so that I can pass on the extra entry to you as well.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, December 3/11.  Good luck everyone!

My copy of Her Sister’s Shadow by Katharine Britton was received for review from TLC Book Tours and the Publisher. I was in no way compensated for this review.

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