#BookReview: Sufi Stories of Wisdom, Calm, and Wondrous Mystique by SagaTellers

Synopsis: Discover the wisdom and devotion of the Sufi mystics in this captivating hagiography. Through a skillful weaving of anecdotes from tradition and history, this book of Sufi Stories brings to life some of the most revered figures in Sufism. 

From their emphasis on love for God to their unwavering commitment to Salah, the Sufis were true embodiments of devotion. But their message went beyond fear and obligation – it was one of positivity, hope, and love. Through their stories, we are reminded of the infinite love of God and the contentment that comes from a life of piety. 

With each Sufi story in this book, I hope to spark a sense of wonder that awakens the reader’s heart and mind to the transformative power of this rich tradition. My hope is that these Sufi Stories will offer a guiding light for all of us towards greater spiritual understanding.

#BookReview: A Journey to Find Her Soul by Cara Chugg

Synopsis: Lilly Blyly is the epitome of a free spirit. She seeks freedom to exist in a world of kindness and unconditional acceptance. She also longs for the freedom to love and be loved but not held too tightly. She needs to breathe, make her own mistakes, and forge ahead in pure utopian fashion. Yet, as a visionary and artist, Lilly holds a sadness and feeling of disconnection within. Her moods bend and change, sometimes without warning, and move into darker, more haunting places. She lies in bed for several days, only rising to use the bathroom. She needs this escape. It is a time of recovery from the chaos of life. Lilly's journey has been long and arduous, but she has a story to tell. Overcoming childhood trauma, addiction, and mental illness, she has found her highest calling and shares her experience to empower and enlighten the collective. Lilly transmutes her pain into progress. We too can rewrite our stories, no matter how tragic or tumultuous. Follow Lilly on a journey to find her soul. Perhaps you may even find your own.

#BookReview: A Maze of Glass by @thesrhughes

Synopsis: Zoe Briar solves problems. As sister to a heroin-addled genius, as operative and agent for a secret society, and as something most people would understand as a “monster hunter,” it’s essentially her prime nature. But not every solution is a clean one and not every problem can be solved…

In 1997, cut off from family and desperate to get sober, sister Gillian Briar convinces Zoe to participate in a dark and dangerous ritusal. In a middle-of-nowhere house, the two siblings strain against both each other and a dark, nascent presence as growing mistakes warp the ritual around them.

In 2006, Zoe drags a survivor of a supernatural attack into a world of magic and monsters. Together, they search for the mystical mad scientist responsible for the assault as he accelerates into full-blown terrorism. But even after recruiting help, their quarry always seems one move ahead…

And in 2016, Zoe faces her toughest challenge yet: protecting her sister Gillian’s illegal supernatural school from being wiped out by her own employer.

The world of A Maze of Glass writhes with shadow; its dead-ends shred and slice.

Can Zoe escape its uncertain corridors?

#BookReview: The Kingdom of Chaos: Becoming Fae by J.J. Smeck

Synopsis: Every Fae in the royal Kingdom of Chaos looks forward to receiving their power ring on their twenty-first birthday to refuel their elemental affinities. Evie wakes up to find herself imprisoned instead. She soon finds out that the life she thought she had is not actually the one she was meant to live. The more she seeks the truth, the further she gets from finding it.

#BookReview: Uncertain Fruit: A Memoir of Infertility, Loss, and Love by Rebecca Majoya, Sallyann Majoya

Synopsis: A loving lesbian couple raising their two boys as a blended family in Vermont, Rebecca and Sallyann are deeply committed parents who dream of having a baby together. They try everything from foster care to fertility trials, and after nearly ten years of failed attempts, find an opportunity to participate in a local, private adoption with a teenage mom. Rebecca and Sallyann are overjoyed when they hold their newborn son in their arms. They take the baby home from the hospital and welcome him into their family. But outside forces intervene and the birth mother reclaims the baby, sending the couple into a tailspin. To survive this traumatic loss, Rebecca and Sallyann lean on their love as a couple, and grow stronger in their grief. 

From their distinct voices, this dual memoir explores how feelings of self-doubt, longing, and heartache sneak into the layers of life, informing the decisions you make and the place where you belong.

#BookReview: Daughter of the Mighty Ones by Soror Syrinx

Synopsis: An epistle for my imaginary daughter, as a reflection and symbolic journey for men and women into paths of the High Priestess and the Empress, the Divine Feminine, with influences from Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant, Dion Fortune and a selection of Gnostic texts to instruct my child in the New Aeon.

#BookReview: Conversations Across America by Kari Loya

Synopsis: Conversations Across America is about a father-son journey of a lifetime: a 73-day, 4,600-mile cross-country bike trip Kari took in 2015 with his 75-year-old dad, Merv, who had early-stage Alzheimer’s. Their adventure reminds us of the power of perseverance and adaptability in the face of uncertainty. It’s also a heartwarming example of listening and discovery, including 300 short conversations with people who approached them along the way, providing a rich snapshot of America, especially rural America.

Conversations is a mix of Blue Highways, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Humans of New York… on a bike. As you read, you can’t help but reflect on your relationship with your own father and children, while gaining perspective on Alzheimer’s—which now afflicts more than six million Americans—and getting a sense of the TransAmerica Bike Trail and America itself. Above all, you will be inspired to seize-the-day with someone you love—whatever that means to you.

#BookReview: Miranda Writes by @gwolmsted

Synopsis: A disgraced attorney seeking redemption. A single mother desperate to regain custody of her son. Two women willing to risk it all to put a sexual predator behind bars.

Former Assistant District Attorney Miranda Quinn is on the brink of a career comeback when she gets a phone call. It’s a witness who disappeared three years earlier, resulting in a violent criminal going free. Miranda got fired as a result, but the witness has re-surfaced with a shocking story to tell; one that implicates Miranda and her ex, defense attorney Adam Baxter. And now, there’s a new victim.

Miranda’s legal advice blog-turned-podcast Miranda Writes is about to become a daytime TV show, but the negative press could destroy her credibility. Will the network stand behind her?

When it comes to the law, Miranda has all the answers, but the questions are getting harder and the stakes are getting higher. The dangerous web of lies and cover-ups she exposes leaves her questioning just how much she is willing to risk. She has the right to remain silent, but needs to speak up… doesn’t she?

Miranda Writes is a story of how far we’ll go to protect those we love and the power of second chances.

#BookReview: The Rose Vol. 2 by @PdallevaAuthor

Synopsis: The story continues. Beginning at the conclusion of Vol 1, The Rose Vol 2 follows rebel freedom fighter, Phil as he battles alien vampire Sanos. Phil’s mission is to follow Sanos into the depths of hollow earth to infiltrate Drac City and rescue Sandy from the clutches of the alien vampires.

Sandy awakens in Drac City and discovers she has powers she never knew existed. But where these changes came from is an enigma, a puzzle she’ll need to put aside until she finds her missing son, Adam. Now a guest among a city of alien vampires, Sandy must engage in a diabolical manipulation with alien vampire leader, Moth, the only vampire who knows the whereabouts of Adam.

Sanos requires Phil, the rebel freedom fighter who tore through the underground medical complex and brought chaos and mayhem with him. Sanos needs to overcome the shame Phil brought to alien vampires in the underground complex and reestablish trust with COR, the alien vampire commission in charge of operations on planet Earth. But to do so Phil is required, dead or alive is no matter to Sanos, he desires to gain favor with COR no matter what the cost. COR has the formula Sanos craves more than power and control. The formula is his ticket to new blood and his reign over his species and the universe.

Travel into the depths of hollow earth, across the globe, and beneath the ocean for a scifi fantasy extravaganza of blood, carnage, life, death and the eternal battle between good and evil.

#BookReview: The Rose (Vol. 1) by @PdallevaAuthor

Synopsis: A dystopian science fiction thriller of telepathic evil greys, mysterious rebellion, martial arts, and Alien Vampires.

Sandy Cox believed WWIII was over. But for those Alien Vampires, War Has Just Begun.

Forty-eight hours after a World War III treaty is signed, Sandy Cox awakens in an underground compound unable to move. Tied to machines she screams for help but no one answers. At least no one human. 

And they’ve taken her unborn child.

Phil is a rebel freedom fighter who has had more than his share of Alien Vampires. Armed with THE BLADES, a sacred alien martial art, he enters the compound on a mission to find Sandy. But as he battles through the compound, Phil discovers Sandy has her own agenda. Finding her stolen child is all that matters. 

But the vampires have their own plan and Sandy’s baby is at the heart of their diabolical plot. Joined by a crew of rogue soldiers, they must navigate the underground compound, battling genetically mutated humans, aliens and monsters. 

When battling Alien Vampires, one thing is certain… Get Ready To Bleed!

#BookReview: I’m Different You're Different We’re All Different by Stelanie Marshall

Synopsis: Do you wear glasses? Are you an amputee? Are you someone who has a friend who is remarkable or even exceptional, but they are sometimes put down for it? This book is for all the above and more. This story is perfect for K-3rd graders or as a gift to those who need a reminder of just how special they are.

#BookReview: Followers of the Owl (Wakefield Chronicles, #2) by M.G. Hernandez

Synopsis: A girl and a boy, haunted by their past, must battle their personal demons to fight the evil hiding in plain sight.

Eighteen-year-old Dee Bailey works hard on her personal brand. She’s intelligent and passionate about her community. To her peers, she’s a great friend and everyone’s favorite social butterfly. 

But when alone, she’s terrorized by a secret that leaves her cowering to the floor. Until one night, a mysterious girl in white appears on the manicured lawn of her family’s vacation home. She follows the robed figure into the woods with no clue that she’s about to change the course of her future.

Meanwhile, Brandon Cuenca is drowning in the weight of his self-sabotage. Mourning the death of his girlfriend, he throws himself deep into a world of drug binges and questionable life choices—until the news of another disappearance of a Wakefield teenager forces him to set his problems aside. The victim was the third girl abducted in their social circle. 

But when a chance encounter lands him in her path, he learns that bringing her home is more complicated than finding her. What happens when the missing doesn’t want to be found?

Followers of the Owl explores greed, avarice and the human need to find light in the darkness.

#BookReview: Silence in the Sound by @CbraleyDianne

Synopsis: On the picturesque island of Martha’s Vineyard, an ailing celebrity novelist's famous book about a choice helps his young nurse make a heartrending one of her own. 

Fiery city girl, Georgette's memory of a childhood trip to Martha's Vineyard Island with her father is one of the few good times. Her father was an alcoholic, and her enabler mother chose to stay with him; his addiction was the center of their world. Georgette fled home as soon as she could; years later, as a nurse, she's going back to the island to start her life over. There, she becomes the private nurse for the ailing prize-winning novelist, Mr. S., and becomes enamored with the mysterious Dock, a wash-ashore like her whose disappearing acts only make her crave his love more.

As Georgette cares for Mr. S. and helps him come to terms with the end of his life along Vineyard Sound's beautiful shores, they become friends. His famous book helps her navigate her life as George finds in the running away from her past, she inadvertently ran towards it. She loses herself in her relationship with Dock, who leads her down a road of denial and impossible choices she never thought she'd have to face.

Told through the voice of Georgette. The Silence in the Sound is a provocative coming-of-age debut revealing the lasting effects of growing up in addiction. But it also demonstrates a young woman’s strength as she navigates friendship, love, and heartbreak while finding her hidden strength along the way.

#BookReview: Silence in the Sound by @CbraleyDianne

Synopsis: On the picturesque island of Martha’s Vineyard, an ailing celebrity novelist's famous book about a choice helps his young nurse make a heartrending one of her own. 

Fiery city girl, Georgette's memory of a childhood trip to Martha's Vineyard Island with her father is one of the few good times. Her father was an alcoholic, and her enabler mother chose to stay with him; his addiction was the center of their world. Georgette fled home as soon as she could; years later, as a nurse, she's going back to the island to start her life over. There, she becomes the private nurse for the ailing prize-winning novelist, Mr. S., and becomes enamored with the mysterious Dock, a wash-ashore like her whose disappearing acts only make her crave his love more.

As Georgette cares for Mr. S. and helps him come to terms with the end of his life along Vineyard Sound's beautiful shores, they become friends. His famous book helps her navigate her life as George finds in the running away from her past, she inadvertently ran towards it. She loses herself in her relationship with Dock, who leads her down a road of denial and impossible choices she never thought she'd have to face.

Told through the voice of Georgette. The Silence in the Sound is a provocative coming-of-age debut revealing the lasting effects of growing up in addiction. But it also demonstrates a young woman’s strength as she navigates friendship, love, and heartbreak while finding her hidden strength along the way.

#BookReview: The Wacky Animal Alphabet Amy Koze

Synopsis: During your journey through the world of the alphabet - narrated using funny rhymes - you will meet some wacky animals, like a bear who can ride a bike, a juggling giraffe, a penguin pirate and many more!

This picture book will make learning the alphabet super fun! Each alphabet is depicted by beautiful illustrations and fun rhymes, which are sure to make kids and grown-ups smile!

- Cute rhymes for some extra fun reading time!
The rhyming text makes reading the book even more exciting for little ones.

- Beautiful illustrations of funny characters
The illustrations and detail added to each character are sure to get children talking while they look at each of them.

- An A to Z page at the back of the book
At the back of the book is a page with all the letters of the alphabet along with their corresponding animal. Have fun finding out if you can remember all their names! 

#BookReview: Troughton Company by Evelyn Rainey

Synopsis: Jeremiah Troughton was an accountant and his wife Chrissy was a secret shopper before the aliens landed. Searching for a safe place to live, Troughton gathers other like-minded people: a teacher, preacher, jailbird, farmer, housewife, pizza delivery boy, and a teenager who teaches them how to survive off the land. 

Along the way, they discover a how to destroy the mechmons, bringing them to the attention of the 74th Calvary, led by Col. Peter Glynn. Glynn is trying to push, shove, drag, and juggle as many survivors as he can out of the eastern half of the US. Together, Colonel “History Channel” Glynn and Chrissy “Battle Braids” Troughton lead the fight against the aliens on a motorcycle armed with a bow and arrows, and a bic lighter.

Survival of the human race depends on the belief that “Troughton Company is here. Mechmons best be a’feared!”

#BookReview: Caleb's Crop by Evelyn Rainey

Synopsis: Giles thinks his big brother Caleb can do anything. He knows how to say just the right things to make their mother smile. He knows how to milk cows and build chicken coops. Most importantly, Caleb knows how to read, and taught Giles how to read, too. Now Giles and Caleb have immigrated with their mother to a farming planet where no one else knows how to read!

#BookReview: Daisy and the Three Shoes by Evelyn Rainey

Synopsis: For Daisy, there are three kinds of shoes. The good kind – because her girl wears them when they go for walks. The bad kind – because her girl wears them when she leaves Daisy. And the very best kind – the ones with wheels! This wonderfully illustrated book for second, third and fourth grade readers also has a discussion guide and is listed with the Accelerated Readers program.

#BookReview: Razing the Last Bastion (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #5) by @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: When the angels could no longer be trusted, Heaven created her...

Quayla's daring rescue has freed Atlanta's Shield, both saving and dooming the city.

Ignis is lost to her. Terrance is corrupted. Vitae is once more free to terrorize the city and a tortured and tormented Mare has been wrenched from damnation itself. Even Summus, the Divine One meant to protect them all, has been drained nearly to death.

Faery is on the march. Empowered with Summus's stolen divine essence, the Exiled Lady ignites a plot to free all of the Fallen from their chains.

As the battlelines are drawn, Quayla clings to beaten and bloodied hope. To protect Atlanta and the world, Quayla need only put aside her pain and redeem her nemesis.

At the eleventh hour, the Exiled Lady offers her an alternative. Quayla can punish Dylan's murderer, save her loved ones, even protect Creation from the apocalypse.  All she has to do is change sides. 

#BookReview: Rise of the Exiled Lady (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #4) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: The Ripples of One Selfish Mistake Could Drown the World...

A phoenix has fallen, forever destroyed by the drowned druid's fury.

Blinded by his obsession, Dunham unleashes his enslaved phoenixes against Quayla. The spectacular assault reveals the faeries to mankind, endangering the Exiled Lady's campaign to reclaim her throne. Desperate, Viviane trades one monster for another, offering Vitae his heart's desire.

Terror and blood run rampant throughout Creation. Giggling faeries sell supernatural powers to murderers and madmen, reveling in the mayhem while mortal authorities struggle to contain the carnage.

Alone and outmatched, Quayla must return to where her mistake launched their pending destruction. But will facing her demons strengthen her enough to save Atlanta or destroy her once and for all.