I Feel So Unnecessary

Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir 208 pages Publisher: University of Minnesota Press, 2015 In this moving memoir Bruce Kramer writes of his life after being diagnosed with ALS. He decided to live life even though he was facing death. Cathy Wurzer's was facing her own struggles as her father was descending into dementia. Together, they teamed up to write this amusing, uplifting, and wholly gratifying memoir. I recommend it. 4 stars ( Author photos courtesy of Michael Ekern, University of St. Thomas and MPR News) Three signed copies of the book are being given away. To enter just leave your name and e-mail in the comments. Lisa

"[Women served by Thistle Farms] would be dead by now if it weren't for a remarkable initiative by the Rev. Becca Stevens to help women escape trafficking and prostitution." —Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times New Book by Famed Women’s Advocate Exposes “Fair Trade” as a Myth, and Offers Justice to Women Survivors Becca Stevens is a White House Champion of Change, and founder of Magdalene and Thistle Farms, two of the nation’s leading social enterprises for women. Now she shares how their latest initiative—a café that employs women recovering from prostitution and addiction—is fueling a worldwide movement to bring fair wages to women in her new book, The Way of Tea and Justice: Rescuing the World’s Favorite Beverage from Its Violent History (Jericho Books/Hachette Book Group, $22.00 hardcover, November 4, 2014). Stevens opened the Thistle Stop Café in Nashville, Tennessee in 2013 to empower women survivors. But when she discovered a connection b...

Paw Print in My Heart: Life Lessons Learned from the Dog of My Life By: Andrew Hessel Genre: Non-fiction 165 pages Publisher: Old Dog Publishing, 2014 * I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a tribute to Mac, Andrew's dog who sadly passed away. It chronicles Mac's life and his passing and how he touched those around him. I found it to be a moving tribute not just to Mac but also a tribute to man's best friend. I think it would be a treat to dog people or just to animal lovers in general. So, it's getting... 1/2 teacups Buy the book here: Amazon / B&N Add it on Goodreads Visit Andrew's website Follow him on Facebook Go on and get it! Lisa

Soul Recovery: 12 Keys to Healing Addiction By: Ester Nicholson Genre: Non-fiction/ Inspirational 192 pages Publisher: Agape Media International Publication Date: June 2013  Buy it: amazon   b&n   * I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:   Ester Nicholson’s foundational process that she’s termed Soul Recovery unlocks the code of dependence as it manifests in substance, relationship, and behavioral addictions, among others. As you’re guided through a 12-week process of study and practice, the author courageously shares her inspiring journey that has ultimately led to a new life of wholeness, fearlessness, and power. Using examples and daily practices, she reveals the 12 keys that saved her life and the spiritual technology that will bring you serenity and carry you to your dreams.      The Soul Recovery process works deeply with life paradigms and practices to create a sou...

Shine: How to Walk the Talk  By: Nancy Segovia Genre: Christian/ Non-fiction 112 pages Publisher: Faith and Reason Publishing Publication Date: May 2013 Synopsis: L et your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,  and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:16 The Bible tells us we need to "shine before men," but what does this mean and how do we do it? In Shine: How to Walk the Talk, Nancy Segovia lays out a series of simple steps you can to take to walk the talk: to love God above all and your neighbor as yourself. Using parables, folk tales, and struggles from her own life, she provides uplifting insights into the Christian walk that can make your first steps easier. She examines scripture for clues on what it means to shine, how to reflect God’s love, and what to do when the muddy messes of life blot out God’s light in you. You will relate to her failings, those "Duh!" moments when spiritual understand...

* I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review. Formats: epub  mobi  pdf 108 pages Publisher: WestBow Press (2012) Synopsis:   Becoming a caregiver for a terminally ill family member is an enormous challenge. This guide is a gift to my late husband, who not only taught me how to live well but how to die well. I hope it will carry on his legacy of always teaching and sharing, even as he faced the end of his life. A compact guide that you can easily reference along your personal journey, it is filled with practical suggestions to help you, as the caregiver, honor the way your family member would like to create his or her final journey toward paradise. My Thoughts   A handy tool for caregivers- it offers practical advice with a wry sense of humor thrown in to help caregivers and loved ones on their journey.It was a very quick read. It even had tips I was not fami...

Formats: Kindle   100 pages Publisher: Hat City Press ( March 2013) I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:   Just what the title promises! Thirteen disrespectful interviews with authors, including: Chris Cleave, Jon Clinch, Tish Cohen, Joseph Finder, Kristy Kiernan, A.S. King, J.A. Konrath, Greg Logsted, Lisa McMann, Lynn Price, Lev Raphael, Adriana Trigiana...and Lauren Baratz-Logsted - discover new favorites and see some of your favorite authors, like you've never seen them before! My Review:   These interviews were conducted when the author was " Writer-in Residence" in 2009-10 at the literary e-zine BiblioBuffet, which is now defunct. She wanted her interviews to be different so she decided to diss the authors, the result of which is now this tongue-in-cheeky book. I know for me when I have to interview someone I feel as if my IQ drops bout 40 points...and that's sad, cause I...

* I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Paperback Kindle Nook Publisher: Alex Clermont November 2012 75 pages Synopsis:   Imagine leaving behind everybody and everything familiar to live in a foreign country where you don't speak the language and don't know a soul. Worst yet, you look different from everybody there. People find your cultural norms insulting, and you can't get a date to save your life. Imagine you wrote a book about your time there... Eating Kimchi and Nodding Politely is a collection of snapshots that cover the two years that Alex Clermont lived in the country of South Korea as an English teacher. Scribed with a flair for humor, emotion, character and depth, these introspective narratives do more than act as a travel guide. They are creatively written windows into the life of of someone discovering new things about himself, the world, and the people who he shares it with-all w...

Kindle, Nook or Paperback formats 236 pages Publisher: Iguana Books (December 2012) I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.  Goodreads Synopsis:   When Rob Ferguson went off to the five former Soviet 'Stans of Central Asia to work on a project to save the rapidly disappearing Aral Sea, he expected to have challenges and adventures, but he didn't anticipate ending up a suspect in a brutal murder investigation. Dancing with Vodka Terrorists is a tragicomic farce and an engrossing real-life thriller told with panache and wry humour and stars a bizarre cast of corrupt apparatchiks, jolly consultants, devious autocrats and a bewitching belly-dancer who ends up gutted in a bathtub. Somehow Ferguson survives it all, wit still intact. Review: I thought the book started off slowly but the author won me over with his skewed way of looking at very serious situation. He has written an entertaining, funny thriller about murder. Which is rig...