About the Book:

Book: The Winnowing Fork

Author: Betty Ruth Weatherby

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: September, 2022

NEW CHRISTIAN NOVEL FILLED WITH ADVENTURE

ZACCHAEUS EXPERIENCES ROMAN OCCUPATION AND THE FAMILY SHAME OF LEPROSY AS HE SURVIVES IN THE HISTORICAL SETTING OF 2000 YEARS AGO.

Betty Ruth Weatherby travels the world and uses her experiences to create the Biblical Fiction of “The Winnowing Fork” to convey the message of God’s sustaining, eternal love.

The tax collector’s mother is banned with a skin disease when his father is conscripted by the occupying Roman army.

Follow Zacchaeus as he grows to love the sound and glitter of gold coins while his greed consumes him, overcoming even his love of family.

Zacchaeus in his lonely, self-isolation discovers that the real author of peace and serenity is in a man called Jesus whose father is God himself. Jesus passes through Jericho on his way to Passover in Jerusalem.

Zacchaeus tries to see through the crowd as the entourage passes: “He yanked the leaves back again, and found the Rabbi looking at him, His eyes fastened on Zacchaeus.”

My Thoughts:

When I read the description of this book, it sounded quite interesting. I found myself disappointed with it, though. The basic storyline is all right; I found this a very interesting “what-if” story that explored thoroughly the way a boy fascinated with money became a man obsessed with himself and his accumulation of wealth. However, I was disappointed with the poor editing; the grammar, sentence structure and punctuation needed a lot of work and I found myself puzzled with the meaning of some sentences. I also found myself jerked out of the story a few times by anachronisms such as a character exclaiming, “Yikes!” (in Bible times?!). Also, the description of a wedding was not accurate for the times, and the timeline didn’t make sense to me. I was quite disappointed with these things.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Betty Ruth Weatherby is a graduate of California State University, Stanislaus. She earned her teacher’s credential from Chapman University as well as a cross-cultural language and academic development certificate from Sacramento State University. Weatherby has sold her books across America. She is the author of the Lanover Adventure Series, Pepper’s children’s series and excels in Women’s Adventures. Women can travel the world as part of God’s Plan to enjoy life at its fullest and step out in faith.

Weatherby was born in the shipbuilding community of Sausalito, California and writes from a world of experience in fulfilling the Christian walk. Her most recent novel “The Girl on the Tombstone” is a nostalgic historical piece based in San Andreas, California where she grew up and attended Calaveras High School.

More from Betty Ruth:

Zacchaeus was always a puzzle to me. How did he become a hated tax collector and only one meeting with Jesus turned his life around. So, I imagined a story, gave him a family and neighbors to create a life around him as he accumulated his “taxes.”

To purchase your copy, click here.

About the Book:

Book: Twice Sold Tales

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian / Romantic Women’s Fiction

Release date: November 2, 2022

If only owning a bookstore didn’t mean dealing with people.

No one was more surprised than Harper Brevig when Great Aunt Lorene (not “Lori,” thank-you-very-much) died and left her least favorite niece her bookstore–including a prime piece of real estate in downtown Red Wing, Minnesota.

Making a go of the place shouldn’t be too hard. With her library science degree, she should be set. Then again, the website describing library degrees had said it would teach her excellent communication skills. It had not. Could she get a partial refund?

Still, owning the building should mean crazy-low overhead to offset her less than optimal “book-side” manner.  Ahem. So when yet another huge bill arrives, and she starts getting twitchy about the low bank balance, Harper does the only thing she can think of.

Enter Milton Coleridge. He’d been excited about the possibilities of the store last year, but Harper had sent him packing before he could talk to her about them.  Now he has a chance to make a difference. But she’s right. She’s bleeding money, and it doesn’t make sense!

Milton’s job is to figure out what’s going on, plug the financial leak, and maybe… do a little matchmaking. That dad with the adorable little boy would be good for her… and she’d be good for him. Probably.

Twice Sold Tales: the first full-length novel in the Bookstrings series releasing with The Mosaic Collection

My Thoughts:

For several months, I have been looking forward to reading Twice Sold Tales. I loved the first two books in the Bookstrings series, and was looking forward to hearing what Milton did next. He is such a fun character! I finally reached this book on my TBR pile this week, and enjoyed every bit as much as I thought it would.

Harper was still trying to learn the ropes of running the bookstore her Aunt Lorene had bequeathed to her. With her library science degree, it should be a cinch to run a bookstore, right? Well, it would be if she could stand people. Her favourite T-shirts had sayings like, “Book boyfriends don’t cheat,“ or “Books > people.“ Of course, she was careful not to wear those shirts when the bookstore was open!

Because she owns the building outright, anyone would think that, even with poor people skills, Harper should be able to make a living fairly easily. However, she kept getting socked with one huge bill after another, and her operating reserve was draining away rapidly. In desperation, she only did the one thing she could think of and called Milton Coleridge.

When Milton arrived, he saw the great possibilities he had been excited about last year before Harper sent him packing. Could he find the problem and stop the hemorrhaging of her finances? Teach Harper to enjoy selling books to people? Maybe even do a little matchmaking? There’s a dad who keeps coming in with an adorable little boy…

This might be my favourite book so far in this series. I loved watching Harper learn that she needed people in her life. I love the chapter headings; each one is either a quote from one of her snarky T-shirts, a parenting tip, or a book recommendation. I also loved all the discussion about different books. One of my favourite new books from last year was featured over and over, as Harper read about it. As for the romance, if you read books for romance, skip this one. It’s there, but a minor part, which I love. However, if you enjoy books, don’t miss reading this one.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona:

“What kind of research does a contemporary book need? I mean, she’s a bookstore owner in a town you’ve been to several times. What’s there to research?”

I can’t be the only author to get questions like this. And I certainly can’t be the only one who has to fight the urge to laugh. Folks, authors research everything. In Twice Sold Tales, I think I looked up almost as much as I did in my Meddlin’ Madeline Mysteries!

Because here’s the deal. What I didn’t know about Red Wing, Minnesota wouldn’t have hurt the story most of the time. Who cares that Bev’s Café has amazing creamy cucumbers? It doesn’t technically matter. Well, except to my character who hates veggies but will eat those. They make her feel virtuous. And you get to know about it.

But… what you discover about a place or a time or an occupation or whatever can totally change the course of your story. Case in point? I went to a website about River City Days because my niece suggested it might be a good thing for Noah to do with his son. That led me to the Farmer’s Markets and to other things. How I got to the first Ghost Walk in Red Wing taking place this year? I don’t even know. What I do know is that the moment I read about it, I knew Harper had to go. And if she did, and if Milton were the instigator, Noah had to go. #BecauseMatchmaker.

And this is where it got really cool. To make the walk as authentic as I could, I read everything I could find about it. And I discovered something super cool. Like… blow you out of the water cool.

Red Wing, Minnesota sits near the shore of Lake Pepin. Little House on the Prairie lovers will remember this as the lake that Laura Ingalls crossed in the wagon as they left the Big Woods of Wisconsin (you know, right across the river/lake from Red Wing???) Well… Lake Pepin has a monster—the Nessie of the Mississippi. Yes, you read that right… a monster! I went looking and guess what? The “monster” has a name. Pepie! Needless to say, Pepie became a an important part of my story. Because how could he not?

And… I happened to find a stuffed Pepie at Treats & Treasures in Lake City, just south of Red Wing, so I ordered a couple for giveaways—including the one with this blog tour. Happy reading, and what do you think? Shouldn’t someone write Pepie’s story?

To purchase your copy, click here.

About the Book:

Book: The Two-Cent Piece

Author: Dennis Conrad (Illustrated by Courtney Smith)

Genre: Children’s Picture Book (Fiction)

Release date: September 3, 2022

Anne wonders what secret her three older brothers are hiding. When she finds out they joined to fight with the Union Army and would leave the next day, she gives them each one of her favorite two-cent pieces and says, “I want you to take one of my new two-cent pieces. I learned these coins are the first to have the words ‘In God We Trust.’ I just memorized Psalm 91:2. ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’”

Out of a heart of love, Anne gives six of her special coins away hoping the message on the two-cent pieces will strengthen each person’s faith.

My Thoughts:

I love the pictures in this book. They are beautiful! I also like the historical aspect of it; I had never heard of American two-cent pieces before. I remember two dollar bills when I was young, but never these coins, and I found it really interesting to learn that they were the first to contain the words “In God We Trust.” However, I did not appreciate that this book seems to promote Christians going to war. According to Matthew 5:39, Christians are not to resist evil, not to mention not going to war. For this reason, even though I like the portrayal of generosity, and the history included, I can’t recommend this book.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

A former coin collector for over fifty years, Dennis combines his love for the Bible, children’s literature, and sharing stories about the history behind coins.

He is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a Fellow of the National Writing Project.

He retired as a professor of Speech Communications from Barstow Community College. He and his wife served as English and public speaking teachers ten summers overseas.

The Two-Cent Piece is Dennis’s first of seven books in the In God We Trust Series from Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.

More from Dennis:

HOMESCHOOLERS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILY MEMBERS –

Coin collecting brings together history, art, and the thrill of discovery.

Children who collect coins will LOOK at coins differently. They can…

Look for people. For example, who is on the nickel? (Hint: Thomas Jefferson)

The new quarters featuring women include coins with Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American movie star; Nina Otero-Warren, who advocated for women’s suffrage and was a government official in New Mexico; and Wilma Mankiller, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Look for places. The state quarter series includes all of the states like California with Yosemite Valley.

Look for dates. Connect coins to historical events. For example, coins minted in 2001 were minted the same year as the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001.

Look at coins as art. The people who design coins are artists.

Look for and find coins in change. Let the great adventure begin.

Look and learn why some coins are more valuable than other coins. There is a difference between the face value of a coin (a dime is worth ten cents), and its value to collectors.

Are you a homeschooler, a teacher, or a family member who wants to help children start their first coin collection?

Get Free Resources about coin collecting by conveniently subscribing to Dennis Conrad’s newsletter.

You will receive a link to my resource page, where you will find two free resources. One for ages 5-6 year olds, and another for ages 7 and up. Or you can choose both. Let the fun begin! https://dennisconradauthor.com/coincollecting5/

To purchase your copy, click here.

About the Book:

Book: The Me I See In You

Author: Angeles Echols

Genre: Coffee Table Inspirational

Release date: November 7, 2022

Take a peek into the eyes of our future…and be encouraged.

The Me I See in You is a testament of the commitment, dedicated educators and caring communities have in changing the trajectory of young lives. In it, you’ll meet graduates with incredible stories and extraordinary outcomes, thanks to the academic, emotional, and social resources provided by EYM and a caring core base of teachers, mentors, family, friends, funders, and the EYM board of directors.

“When asked what I see on the horizon for our youth, I see in my youth the essence of what it is “to be human,” to dream, do the work, to love, and forgive with grace. Through tears, triumphs, disappointments, successes, failures, inequities, biases and racism, I see a world full of hope because our youth with guidance and support will not waiver. They will continue to strive to be and share their best selves with unlimited potential.
I think not only of these former students but each child that has come across my path and the me I see in each of them!” –Angeles Echols

Yvette, a little chocolate beauty who was once teased, but now with an MD and Master’s degree, is a role model for young Black women and girls.
LaShia, who rolled her neck and eyes at me and adamantly told us what she was and was not going to do at EYM… I smiled and asked her mom to leave the room. (What was said in that room, we will never tell)
Todd, who sat at my desk and reviewed EYM’s online programming, discovered flaws, said “Don’t cry, Ms. Echols, I can fix this,” and built EYM’s online interactive platform, Access/No Excuse (ANE).
Adam, who built the teacher, student online tutorial component of (ANE) while attending Cal Tech and teaching at EYM part-time.
Ashley, who gave me a hug and said, “Take my credit card and get what you need for EYM. I will bring my team and design the landscape for EYM.” Shot during a drive-by, she’s forgiving and, refuses to be bitter.
Rob, seeking that street credit as a teen, now a film producer and director, reminds me frequently that EYM saved his life. I then remind him that he saved himself, with God’s grace and the support of his family and village!
Themba, reminds me that the potential of an EYM graduate is without boundaries. Never giving up or giving in, he passed the California State Bar and continued to reach back to help others, producing the first EYM golf tournament!
Suha, a gentle soft spoken EYM graduate, now in Medical School, who became a tutor at EYM and quietly showered me with love and encouragement as an adult.

When you look upon a child whose eyes have already begun to dim due to deferred hope don’t speculate on how long it will take before the light is completely extinguished—find a way to set it ablaze.

My Thoughts:

This is quite an inspiring collection of testimonies from people who were helped by Ms. Echols and her program. I was amazed at the stories of how she was able to motivate and inspire young students from underprivileged, minority families, to excel. Each person featured has written a short piece about his or her experience in Educating Young Minds, and some advice to others. A parent of each person has also written a short memory about their child’s experience, and Ms. Echols describes what she remembers best about each. This is a beautiful encouragement to others that, even though you may be labeled “least likely to succeed,” that does not have to define your life.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Angeles LaRose Patricia Echols was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She graduated from Cornell University, where she earned her B.A. in psychology, with an emphasis in child development and human behavior. While attending Cornell, Angeles discovered a love for the arts and teaching. In Ithaca’s downtown community centers and in the local Baptist church. After much prayer and soul searching, the path was chosen for her. She would become an advocate for children: an educator and mentor, empowering children, parents, and families.

Angeles founded Educating Young Minds Tutorial Program, reaching at-risk children and their families, channeling their energies toward achieving excellence. She accomplished this by linking high expectations with socio-academic improvement, proven teaching and learning strategies and activities for students with varied needs, skills and abilities.

The truest testament to Angeles’ work is the young men and women who graduate from EYM, succeed at college, and then return to their communities as role models and as leaders.

Her new book, “The Me I See In You” highlights some of the students that have graduated from EYM, accomplished many of their academic and professional goals and have come back to support EYM in various ways. You will be encouraged by their stories.

This is not Angeles Echols’ first foray into writing. She is the author of interactive bio- Ray Charles, The Man. The Music, The Legacy (commissioned by the Ray Charles Foundation).

Angeles lives in California with her husband. When she is not running her business or writing, Angeles travels with her husband.

More from Angeles:

As an educator, there are days filled with profound rewards. To see the light go on in a student’s eyes when they grasp a concept or make a connection from one end of a logical stream of thoughts to another. Learning.

The hard work of making sure each student receives the right type of stimuli, attention, and motivation is rewarded in many different ways. Sometimes the reward comes in the form of the discovery of a new approach or technique. Other times it comes in seeing the student advance in such a way that the indelible mark they make on society or the world is a reason for celebration.

“The Me I See in You” is a celebration of some of the students that have attended Educating Young Minds, Inc. (EYM), a learning center that utilizes the holistic approach to educating and serving their students and the families of those students.

Now in their adulthood, these former students are teachers, attorneys, doctors, film producers, computer specialists, and social workers, just to name a few, and they are sharing stories on the impact EYM has had on their lives. Each of the twenty-one students also leaves the reader with a few notes of encouragement and advice.

Since this is a coffee table book in its paperback and hardback form, there is a great amount of attention given to the pictures on the covers as well as those placed in the interior.

I believe this is an exceptionally beautiful way to share encouragement and inspiration. I am proud that I was able to celebrate these students in a creative way that draws those that will read everything from cover to cover and those that just wish to scan the writing and look at the attention-grabbing pictures.

About the Book:

Book: She Is My Child

Author: Tammy Coulter

Genre: Memoir

Release date: June 7, 2022

In 2007, fourteen-month-old Ava was diagnosed with Morquio Syndrome, a rare, progressive, genetic disorder for which there was no treatment. The jarring news left her mother Tammy reeling and wondering what the future held for her daughter. As the days following the diagnosis blurred together, Tammy saw two paths before her—fall apart or fall into the arms of the Lord. For a time, she did both, struggling with her emotions one moment, feeling God’s peace the next, all while continuing to care for her young family. Slowly, through near-constant prayer and Bible study, her burgeoning faith grew stronger than her fear and distress, leading her to a path she hadn’t seen—one that would test her even more and offer help for Ava. In She is My Child, Tammy Coulter shares her spiritual journey, alongside Ava’s physical one, from diagnosis to surgeries to a long-anticipated Morquio clinical trial that had them flying to Chicago every week for more than two years. She reveals the most difficult moments and the greatest victories, as well as the humorous situations she and her daughter so often encountered, while highlighting God’s provision and what He taught her along the way.

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy memoirs. I enjoyed reading this book and following the journey of the author and her daughter as they received a diagnosis of a degenerative genetic disorder and what they did for Ava. The disorder itself reminded me of someone we knew who, at age 13, was diagnosed with a different disease, which also involved a missing enzyme that is intended to clean a particular waste material out of the body. However, there is no treatment for her condition, and the outcome was quite different. I found it fascinating, in She is My Child, to learn what it is like to participate in a clinical trial, and I certainly learned what it can be like to travel by plane every week! The accounts detailed in this book were quite interesting, but it got a little long-winded, as the author described almost every trip to Chicago for the infusions during the study period. I appreciated the way she shared her faith and how she grew in the Lord through this experience.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Tammy Coulter graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a communication arts degree and a certificate in technical communication. She was a technical editor until the birth of her son, when she became a stay-at-home mom. After the birth of her daughter, her role expanded to include researcher, student of the Psalms, and full-time prayer warrior. In addition to writing, she enjoys quilting, reading cozy mysteries, and studying Bible prophecy and current events. Tammy lives in Madison, Alabama, with her husband, two children, and their Jack Russell terrier.

More from Tammy:

When my daughter Ava was diagnosed with Morquio Syndrome, I was crushed and very frightened. Morquio is a progressive disorder and there was no treatment for it. How was my mother’s heart supposed to handle that? I’ll tell you how. By immersing myself in God’s Word. Only then did I begin to calm down and grow stronger in my faith, leaning on Him in ways I never had before. As I look back, I am still amazed at everything we went through and how God was present in all of it.

When we embarked on this trial, everything was new. The name of her disorder was new, seemingly constant doctor visits were new, and then, after four years of prayer for a treatment, a clinical trial for a new drug to treat Morquio was new. And so was the location. Chicago. That meant getting on a plane every week, also new, and flying there from Alabama, just me and my daughter who had just started kindergarten. It surely felt like God was doing a lot in such a short time. And He was. He took all the newness and turned it into both a testament to His provision and lasting memories for both of us. Not all of those memories are pleasant (the cab incident for one, though we joke about it now), but they remain as evidence of God taking care of us, bringing a sweetness to each remembrance. But, oh, so many of them are, and while we were going through something quite serious, the Lord, in His goodness, allowed us adventures, fun, laughter, and new friendships. Best of all, I had the most wonderful traveling companion who, at her tender age, taught me a thing or two along the way!

Just the other day, at a routine checkup, a specialist Ava sees said, “You just never cease to amaze me at how well you do.” I added that comment to so many other comments and experiences that have paved the path of my learning to turn to God first instead of immediately jumping into the quicksand of fear that will quickly suck me in if I let it. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Ava is now sixteen and the shy little girl I so worried over years ago currently wants to be a theater teacher.

I wrote this memoir to share how God provided for our family during a stressful period in our lives. It may make you cry some. I hope it makes you laugh a lot (let me tell you, Ava is a hoot). But the thing that would bring me the greatest joy is someone being encouraged in their own circumstances and life trials.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

To purchase your copy, click here.