A series of essays by various authors
ISBN: 978-1932688115
Amazon
Reviewed for ArmchairInterviews
A collection of essays written for the music student or someone who simply loves the history of music in the Lutheran church, Thine the Amen is full of fascinating and educational information. Up to 16 authors are included in this book from Editor Carlos Messerli all the way to Paul Westermeyer and Paul Bouman. All authors give wonderful history lessons behind the music used currently in the Lutheran church, as well as many other denominations, and insight as to what the composers were thinking and feeling during their times of writing. Martin Marty states it well in the foreword, “…it occurred to me that what the readers hold in their hands is not so much a book as a reference library. …not so much to be read as to be used.”
The book is divided into three parts. Part I covers music in the Lutheran Heritage, dating all the way back into the 1500’s. Part II discusses Musical Heritage and Worship in the 21st Century, dealing with choirs, children’s songs, the idea of music being music and not having doctrinal themes, and how passion for music creates new life. A particular essay in this section is a letter written by Paul Bouman to a new church choir director. He offers advice on how to pick music for the choir, how to get the best from the choir while also enjoying the music himself, and finally offers 30 pieces of music that were special to him. Part III is a special essay written by Steven Wente on “The Life and Works of Carl Schalk” whom the book honors.
One thing that I learned from this book was the J.S. Bach composed and wrote music for the Lutheran church. I did not realize that Bach wrote religious music!! One quote I liked from Bach was, “With devotional music God is always present in his grace.”
Armchair Interviews says: Great for music students or those who love to learn about music.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Potluck Club
by Linda Evans Shephard and Eva Marie Everson
ISBN: 978-0800759841
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
How do you find true friendship that will go the mile? It all starts with recipes and a meal. The Potluck Club meets once a month, for food, fellowship and prayer. What started out with an underlying gossip tone soon turns into a fight for true spirituality for all involved. Evie soon discovers she might have a scandal on her hands. Lisa Leann is trying to take over to soothe her own lonliness. Goldie has to deal with her marriage, which has been failing since the beginning. Donna is bitter about her life. Lizzie is happily married, but has her own secrets. And Vonnie is hiding the biggest secret of all. These women have more to pray about than they ever bargained for when starting this club. But most of all they learn the true meaning of prayer and a healthy relationship with their Heavenly Father. These ladies struggle and deal with life issues, grace, forgiveness, love, and humor, and share their recipes with us along the way!
The Potluck Club is a book I truly cherished. So much of it involved issues that I could relate to, thus causing me to cry or laugh right along with them. The conversations seemed a bit stiff and mechanical, instead of real life talk, but it did not take anything from the story itself. I am thoroughly anticipating the next installment of The Potluck Club and the recipes that will come with it!
Armchair Interviews says: Readers will anticipate the next installment of The Potluck Club and the recipes that will come with it!
ISBN: 978-0800759841
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
How do you find true friendship that will go the mile? It all starts with recipes and a meal. The Potluck Club meets once a month, for food, fellowship and prayer. What started out with an underlying gossip tone soon turns into a fight for true spirituality for all involved. Evie soon discovers she might have a scandal on her hands. Lisa Leann is trying to take over to soothe her own lonliness. Goldie has to deal with her marriage, which has been failing since the beginning. Donna is bitter about her life. Lizzie is happily married, but has her own secrets. And Vonnie is hiding the biggest secret of all. These women have more to pray about than they ever bargained for when starting this club. But most of all they learn the true meaning of prayer and a healthy relationship with their Heavenly Father. These ladies struggle and deal with life issues, grace, forgiveness, love, and humor, and share their recipes with us along the way!
The Potluck Club is a book I truly cherished. So much of it involved issues that I could relate to, thus causing me to cry or laugh right along with them. The conversations seemed a bit stiff and mechanical, instead of real life talk, but it did not take anything from the story itself. I am thoroughly anticipating the next installment of The Potluck Club and the recipes that will come with it!
Armchair Interviews says: Readers will anticipate the next installment of The Potluck Club and the recipes that will come with it!
The Only Pure Thing
by Patrick Hyde
ISBN: 978-0931761614
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Set in Washington D.C., we’re immediately taken into the life of lawyer Stuart Clay as he takes on a new murder case and his client, Cleveland Barnes, is a homeless street person accused of murder. What is the deal with Cleveland Barnes? And what is his connection to the mafia? Clay works day and night to find the clues and evidence to free his client and ends up stumbling onto more than he bargained for. Working with his private investigator, Cyndi, Clay unearths details involving several different parties, from mafia ties to Mexican leaders. After a couple of days and a couple more murders, Clay gets his client released…but only to discover another twist! Clay suddenly finds himself tied up somewhere facing the real murderer. Can he figure it all out before he gets himself killed?
I absolutely loved this book! Mystery/crime isn’t normally my genre of choice, but this one had me from the beginning. Hyde jumps right into the story and takes the reader on many different paths to figure out the storyline. I was amazed that the entire book covered only 4 days! So much happened in that 4 days, though, that it made the book very enjoyable. There was a lot of legal jargon that could have been left out, but it was easy enough to skim over without losing anything in the story. Hyde has a knack for being descriptive without being gory, which I appreciated. The murder scenes were told in a way that the reader definitely gets the picture, but isn’t grossed out. Character Stuart Clay is definitely a person I would come back to revisit and reread!
Armchair Interviews says: Good, good read.
Author's Web site: http://www.patrickhyde.com
ISBN: 978-0931761614
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Set in Washington D.C., we’re immediately taken into the life of lawyer Stuart Clay as he takes on a new murder case and his client, Cleveland Barnes, is a homeless street person accused of murder. What is the deal with Cleveland Barnes? And what is his connection to the mafia? Clay works day and night to find the clues and evidence to free his client and ends up stumbling onto more than he bargained for. Working with his private investigator, Cyndi, Clay unearths details involving several different parties, from mafia ties to Mexican leaders. After a couple of days and a couple more murders, Clay gets his client released…but only to discover another twist! Clay suddenly finds himself tied up somewhere facing the real murderer. Can he figure it all out before he gets himself killed?
I absolutely loved this book! Mystery/crime isn’t normally my genre of choice, but this one had me from the beginning. Hyde jumps right into the story and takes the reader on many different paths to figure out the storyline. I was amazed that the entire book covered only 4 days! So much happened in that 4 days, though, that it made the book very enjoyable. There was a lot of legal jargon that could have been left out, but it was easy enough to skim over without losing anything in the story. Hyde has a knack for being descriptive without being gory, which I appreciated. The murder scenes were told in a way that the reader definitely gets the picture, but isn’t grossed out. Character Stuart Clay is definitely a person I would come back to revisit and reread!
Armchair Interviews says: Good, good read.
Author's Web site: http://www.patrickhyde.com
Shoot From the Lip
by Leann Sweeney
ISBN: 978-0451220172
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Shoot From the Lip is number 4 in the Yellow Rose Mystery series of books, and you wouldn’t even know you missed anything! Leann Sweeney does a wonderful job capturing the reader from the very beginning and keeping them till the very end. Shoot From the Lip is full of emotions! Anger, sadness, fear, happiness, laughter, joy, and tears…they are all there, and you will feel them along with the characters in this book!
Abby Rose finds herself wrapped in another adoption mystery that has more twists than a pretzel, and she organizes her life around her newest client, Emma Lopez. Emma, the strong sister who has raised her brothers and sister, now leans on Abby as she is plastered across the newspapers and TV because of a mysterious body found under her house. But what will happen when Abby learns that by helping Emma, she has also seriously involved her own family? And what about Jeff, Abby’s boyfriend? Will he be able to help her figure out this mystery? Abby, the police, and the rest of the crew, do a fantastic job of narrowing down the suspects and bringing the guilty one to justice.
I truly enjoyed this book by Ms. Sweeney. There were many times I kept telling myself, “One more chapter, one more chapter…” and then an hour and a half later put the book down! It drew me in and had me almost from the first page. I actually thought I had the mystery figured out, and WHAM! She surprised me with the ending! I would be truly happy to read another of the Yellow Rose Mystery series books. A pleasure!
Armchair Interviews says: This book's a pleasure!
ISBN: 978-0451220172
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Shoot From the Lip is number 4 in the Yellow Rose Mystery series of books, and you wouldn’t even know you missed anything! Leann Sweeney does a wonderful job capturing the reader from the very beginning and keeping them till the very end. Shoot From the Lip is full of emotions! Anger, sadness, fear, happiness, laughter, joy, and tears…they are all there, and you will feel them along with the characters in this book!
Abby Rose finds herself wrapped in another adoption mystery that has more twists than a pretzel, and she organizes her life around her newest client, Emma Lopez. Emma, the strong sister who has raised her brothers and sister, now leans on Abby as she is plastered across the newspapers and TV because of a mysterious body found under her house. But what will happen when Abby learns that by helping Emma, she has also seriously involved her own family? And what about Jeff, Abby’s boyfriend? Will he be able to help her figure out this mystery? Abby, the police, and the rest of the crew, do a fantastic job of narrowing down the suspects and bringing the guilty one to justice.
I truly enjoyed this book by Ms. Sweeney. There were many times I kept telling myself, “One more chapter, one more chapter…” and then an hour and a half later put the book down! It drew me in and had me almost from the first page. I actually thought I had the mystery figured out, and WHAM! She surprised me with the ending! I would be truly happy to read another of the Yellow Rose Mystery series books. A pleasure!
Armchair Interviews says: This book's a pleasure!
Men Under Construction
by Bob Barnes
ISBN: 978-0736917193
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
In this wonderful devotional book for men, Bob Barnes is able to capture the need men have for living Godly lives, while also maintaining their be-the-tough-man mental state. With simple topics like Remember the Morning Watch, to deeper more internal topics like Anger Management, this book is designed to cover one 2-3 page lesson each day and the reader is able to jump around in the book as he needs. At the end of each lesson, there is a prayer to be prayed to the Lord, an action to be taken by the reader, and daily wisdom for the reader to ponder. Filled with scriptures, quotes and simple stories, this book will help anyone willing to open their mind and heart to the subject matter.
Armchair Interviews says: Filled with scriptures, quotes and simple stories, this book will help anyone willing to open their mind and heart to the subject matter.
ISBN: 978-0736917193
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
In this wonderful devotional book for men, Bob Barnes is able to capture the need men have for living Godly lives, while also maintaining their be-the-tough-man mental state. With simple topics like Remember the Morning Watch, to deeper more internal topics like Anger Management, this book is designed to cover one 2-3 page lesson each day and the reader is able to jump around in the book as he needs. At the end of each lesson, there is a prayer to be prayed to the Lord, an action to be taken by the reader, and daily wisdom for the reader to ponder. Filled with scriptures, quotes and simple stories, this book will help anyone willing to open their mind and heart to the subject matter.
Armchair Interviews says: Filled with scriptures, quotes and simple stories, this book will help anyone willing to open their mind and heart to the subject matter.
Love, Magic, and Mudpies
by Dr. Bernie Siegel
ISBN: 978-1594865541
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Siegel offers a simple, easy-to-read book for parents on raising children to feel loved. Divided into eight parts, we’re shown how to create family values, show love, be comedians, get creative, use the three R’s, work through rocky roads, encourage a child’s soul, and care for ourselves as well. Each section is then divided into topics—short, two-paged devotional-type messages, starting with a famous quote and ending with a gray box entitled “How to Make the Magic” which offers tips on how to incorporate that topic into your life. This book could easily be a daily reading for a parent, with over 100 topics to work through over the course of a few months.
I really enjoyed working through this book and trying some of the tips and tricks within my own family. I especially like this particular line in the book: “The key ingredient…is love. You cannot consume too much love nor become deficient by giving too much away. …If love makes the bricks out of which you build your life, laughter and humor are the mortar.” Everything in our parenting boils down to love…our discipline, our laughter, and our friendships with our children. How we treat them is how we show our love to and for them. By following the vast array of advice from this book, any parent…any family…would benefit greatly. It’s a nice little handbook for great parenting!
Armchair Interviews says: It's a nice little handbook for great parenting!
Author's Web site: http://www.berniesiegelmd.com
ISBN: 978-1594865541
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Siegel offers a simple, easy-to-read book for parents on raising children to feel loved. Divided into eight parts, we’re shown how to create family values, show love, be comedians, get creative, use the three R’s, work through rocky roads, encourage a child’s soul, and care for ourselves as well. Each section is then divided into topics—short, two-paged devotional-type messages, starting with a famous quote and ending with a gray box entitled “How to Make the Magic” which offers tips on how to incorporate that topic into your life. This book could easily be a daily reading for a parent, with over 100 topics to work through over the course of a few months.
I really enjoyed working through this book and trying some of the tips and tricks within my own family. I especially like this particular line in the book: “The key ingredient…is love. You cannot consume too much love nor become deficient by giving too much away. …If love makes the bricks out of which you build your life, laughter and humor are the mortar.” Everything in our parenting boils down to love…our discipline, our laughter, and our friendships with our children. How we treat them is how we show our love to and for them. By following the vast array of advice from this book, any parent…any family…would benefit greatly. It’s a nice little handbook for great parenting!
Armchair Interviews says: It's a nice little handbook for great parenting!
Author's Web site: http://www.berniesiegelmd.com
In Every Flower
by Patti Hill
ISBN: 978-0764229398
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
In her third book in the Garden Gate Series, Patti Hill again does a marvelous job capturing the readers’ attention and keeping it till the very end! We enter on the tail end of Mibby’s honeymoon to new husband, Larry, and meander through the crazy journey of blending families. Ky is a teenager, missing his father, and lashing out at all new circumstances, ends up getting himself in trouble. Mibby and Larry find themselves on opposite sides of almost every issue, from Larry’s imposing mother to how to handle Ky’s rebellious attitude. And during all of this, Mibby is finding her first husband, Scott, at every turn…his chair, the flowers he bought her, and Andrea, his daughter from a previous marriage. Mibby again finds strength in her dear friends and in the gardens she tends on a daily basis. She also learns to let go of Scott and relish in the special relationship she has with Larry.
In Every Flower followed the pattern of the first two Garden Gate books: I couldn’t put it down! There are so many ways I connected with Mibby and how she was feeling and dealing with Larry and Ky. What will happen to Mibby, Larry, Ky, Andrea, and Blink in the next Garden Gate book??? Praises to Patti Hill for wrapping us in her wonderful writings!
Armchair Interviews says: Praises to Patti Hill for wrapping us in her wonderful writings!
ISBN: 978-0764229398
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
In her third book in the Garden Gate Series, Patti Hill again does a marvelous job capturing the readers’ attention and keeping it till the very end! We enter on the tail end of Mibby’s honeymoon to new husband, Larry, and meander through the crazy journey of blending families. Ky is a teenager, missing his father, and lashing out at all new circumstances, ends up getting himself in trouble. Mibby and Larry find themselves on opposite sides of almost every issue, from Larry’s imposing mother to how to handle Ky’s rebellious attitude. And during all of this, Mibby is finding her first husband, Scott, at every turn…his chair, the flowers he bought her, and Andrea, his daughter from a previous marriage. Mibby again finds strength in her dear friends and in the gardens she tends on a daily basis. She also learns to let go of Scott and relish in the special relationship she has with Larry.
In Every Flower followed the pattern of the first two Garden Gate books: I couldn’t put it down! There are so many ways I connected with Mibby and how she was feeling and dealing with Larry and Ky. What will happen to Mibby, Larry, Ky, Andrea, and Blink in the next Garden Gate book??? Praises to Patti Hill for wrapping us in her wonderful writings!
Armchair Interviews says: Praises to Patti Hill for wrapping us in her wonderful writings!
Dr John Lee's Hormone Balance Made Simple
ISBN: 978-0446694384
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
In Dr. Lee’s final writing before his death in 2003, he collaborates with Virginia Hopkins on a book to give a simplistic approach to hormone balance. The writers start out by giving the reader a basic lesson in hormones: which ones are present, how they work, and what happens when they aren’t working properly. Next, they delve into symptoms of the person with imbalanced hormones followed by testing for hormone imbalance, and finally instruction on using natural hormone replacement therapy. There are a variety of ways to balance your hormones. The writer’s devote several chapters to the individual hormones and their function in the body and the proper ratios of these hormones in relation to each other.
This book would be a perfect place to start for a woman of any age, from child-bearing years all the way through menopause. The best way to determine your need is the symptoms guide, which will allow you to see if you fall into any of the categories that could be benefited by natural hormones. There is so much to be gleaned from Dr. Lee’s books and more people need to know of the natural methods he advocated. I was truly fascinated by the information given in this book, and plan to follow up on it by reading one of Dr. Lee’s other books, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PreMenopause.
Armchair Interviews says: This book would be a perfect place to start for a woman of any age, from childbearing years all the way through menopause.
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
In Dr. Lee’s final writing before his death in 2003, he collaborates with Virginia Hopkins on a book to give a simplistic approach to hormone balance. The writers start out by giving the reader a basic lesson in hormones: which ones are present, how they work, and what happens when they aren’t working properly. Next, they delve into symptoms of the person with imbalanced hormones followed by testing for hormone imbalance, and finally instruction on using natural hormone replacement therapy. There are a variety of ways to balance your hormones. The writer’s devote several chapters to the individual hormones and their function in the body and the proper ratios of these hormones in relation to each other.
This book would be a perfect place to start for a woman of any age, from child-bearing years all the way through menopause. The best way to determine your need is the symptoms guide, which will allow you to see if you fall into any of the categories that could be benefited by natural hormones. There is so much to be gleaned from Dr. Lee’s books and more people need to know of the natural methods he advocated. I was truly fascinated by the information given in this book, and plan to follow up on it by reading one of Dr. Lee’s other books, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PreMenopause.
Armchair Interviews says: This book would be a perfect place to start for a woman of any age, from childbearing years all the way through menopause.
A Line Between Friends
by Michele VanOrt Cozzens
ISBN: 978-1932172263
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Noelle begins the story by telling us about sending Christmas cards out, and a specific one she received from her long-time friend, Joel. Joel has asked her to no longer contact him. The tale unfolds as we are pushed back to their days of high school (where they met) and college. Noelle tries to figure out why Joel would ask her to stop writing to him…after all; they’re just friends, right? Well, we soon see that Joel has a very special place in his heart for Noelle, and he compares every other woman to her. They both date other people and they go their separate ways, but they always end up back with each other. While making friends, moving all over the country, and marrying other people, Joel and Noelle are able to remain friends although many years prior they ‘crossed the line of friendship’, they now had a sexual relationship as well. Noelle’s reaction to Joel’s request for her to no longer contact him is to write a book about their relationship. She becomes famous for this book, and Joel never speaks to her again.
Cozzens’ first book reminds me of a popular teen soap opera show of the nineties…Dawson’s Creek. Two childhood friends who one day cross ‘the line’ and then struggle to have relationships that aren’t compared to their first love. In the end one of them moves on and the other makes a bunch of money exploiting the relationship. It’s your typical ‘friends grow up and grow apart’ story-line and was very easy to read. There is a lot of history in this novel. The time frame goes back to 1977, so there is a lot of political issues and legal issues that are dealt with, along with personal struggles by each of the characters. Even though this wasn’t one of my favorite novels of the year, I can only hope that my first novel is this good!
Armchair Interview says: Good title to attract readers.
ISBN: 978-1932172263
Amazon
Reviewed for Armchair Interviews
Noelle begins the story by telling us about sending Christmas cards out, and a specific one she received from her long-time friend, Joel. Joel has asked her to no longer contact him. The tale unfolds as we are pushed back to their days of high school (where they met) and college. Noelle tries to figure out why Joel would ask her to stop writing to him…after all; they’re just friends, right? Well, we soon see that Joel has a very special place in his heart for Noelle, and he compares every other woman to her. They both date other people and they go their separate ways, but they always end up back with each other. While making friends, moving all over the country, and marrying other people, Joel and Noelle are able to remain friends although many years prior they ‘crossed the line of friendship’, they now had a sexual relationship as well. Noelle’s reaction to Joel’s request for her to no longer contact him is to write a book about their relationship. She becomes famous for this book, and Joel never speaks to her again.
Cozzens’ first book reminds me of a popular teen soap opera show of the nineties…Dawson’s Creek. Two childhood friends who one day cross ‘the line’ and then struggle to have relationships that aren’t compared to their first love. In the end one of them moves on and the other makes a bunch of money exploiting the relationship. It’s your typical ‘friends grow up and grow apart’ story-line and was very easy to read. There is a lot of history in this novel. The time frame goes back to 1977, so there is a lot of political issues and legal issues that are dealt with, along with personal struggles by each of the characters. Even though this wasn’t one of my favorite novels of the year, I can only hope that my first novel is this good!
Armchair Interview says: Good title to attract readers.
A new leaf?
One whole week of cleaning and purging and we're on our way! Hopefully I will be able to keep it this way, but it is lots of work! LOL B empties the dishwasher now every morning...and he's good at it. Of course, he doesn't do the plates/bowls (which he can't reach) or the knives, but everything else he puts away. It's nice to have an empty dishwasher each morning!
C picks up the dirty laundry around the house (what is it about boys that they just drop things where they take them off??) and the trash/junk/empty cups in the bathrom.
It is amazing how much different the house looks with just that little bit of picking up! LOL And since B got his own vaccum cleaner for Christmas, he vaccum's almost every day! And he even vaccum's things that I don't vaccum very often...the couches, under the beds, etc. It's nice! And they have found things we thought were lost forever in the process. LOL
My goal now (for the next few weeks anyway) is to continue doing this and create habits with the few things we've started. Then I will add more stuff (for a few weeks) and create more habits. It's a long process. It didn't get this way over night, and it won't fix itself over night.
C picks up the dirty laundry around the house (what is it about boys that they just drop things where they take them off??) and the trash/junk/empty cups in the bathrom.
It is amazing how much different the house looks with just that little bit of picking up! LOL And since B got his own vaccum cleaner for Christmas, he vaccum's almost every day! And he even vaccum's things that I don't vaccum very often...the couches, under the beds, etc. It's nice! And they have found things we thought were lost forever in the process. LOL
My goal now (for the next few weeks anyway) is to continue doing this and create habits with the few things we've started. Then I will add more stuff (for a few weeks) and create more habits. It's a long process. It didn't get this way over night, and it won't fix itself over night.
Street-Racing in my Kitchen!
While waiting for dinner to finish cooking, I sat down to look through that days' mail. The boys were just playing with their cars (from the Cars movie) and began running them on the kitchen floor. Well, this progressed into racing with the cars. The started at one side of the kitchen and raced the cars individually across the floor to see which one could be 'zoomed' the farthest. The would see who won, then crab crawl (don't ask me why they did it that way) across the floor to the other side and start the whole process over again in the reverse direction! They were laughing and screaming and having a grand time! For the next 45 minutes this continued and when I called them for supper they didn't want to stop. Unfortunately, one of the 10-12 cars they were using went really crazy and drove under the oven! (Of course, it was the cars fault, not theirs! LOL).
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Catching up...
I haven't posted here in a while (because of troubles with the site loading and locking up) and want to come back, since it really seems to be the most user friendly! :)
I will be posting regularly again soon (hopefully) so that friends and family can see what is going on with us!
More later!
I will be posting regularly again soon (hopefully) so that friends and family can see what is going on with us!
More later!
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