We all have a story

Lyrics with something to say

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

Well, Facebook is off to a good start, I think, 4 of my friends have signed up as followers and have given some glowing reviews , so I am encouraged. It’s hard to decide where to spend my time, I have great ideas for both here and there.

In regard to content, I’ve decided to go with what my inner voice is telling me to write/post, which is a little conflicting sometimes because I know not everyone likes the things I do, like Southern Gospel Music for example. I have this inner need to please, that’s where the conflict comes in, it’s impossible to please everyone, and when you try, you please no one, so, without apology, I think I will go with whatever my heart is wanting to say and trust it will be the right thing for the moment.

There have been some songs playing nonstop in my head the last couple of days and I have shared them on Facebook. Like I said, I know not everyone gets excited about Southern Gospel Music, and to be honest it is not my favorite genre of music either, having said that though, I can’t name a favorite, because I like things from every genre… except Rap, I am not a fan of Rap.

The thing I love so much about Southern Gospel is, the lyrics, they are real and deep, touching my heart in ways I cannot put words to. Specifically, I like all things Gaither, Bill and Gloria Gaither have such an upbeat way of expressing deep truths. My kids mock me for my Gaither collection, well over 100 of his videos, videos I have played non stop, for days sometimes, letting the melodies take the lyrics way down deep in my soul and spirit. Donnie McGuire,  http://www.rambomcguire.com , a prolific producer/songwriter, says music has a way of changing us when it has a chance to work it’s way inside, he is right. These songs have been with me in the dark valleys, and they have been with me on the mountain tops. These songs have kept me sane, and in a good place.

I’m hoping that some of you will listen to the songs shared, enough times that they settle in your spirit, to make a difference, changing you in positive healthy ways. And I hope listening to well written songs will inspire you to produce your own well written songs, songs that will settle in someone’s spirit to make a difference.

Well, this post didn’t go the way I envisioned at the start, but that’s okay. This actually started out as an update, and an invite to check out Facebook , Janette McCormack-Blogger. I hope you will visit, on an ongoing basis, because I plan to share more well written songs over there every week.

Wishing you all a great day, filled with music.

More books on the next post.

Now on Facebook too

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

I’ve just started a Facebook page, Janette McCormack-Blogger , that’s the big news for today. There’s not much there yet but at least it is started and I will work on filling it out.

If you like to follow on Facebook I look forward to seeing you there.

This week has been a time of heavy thinking and I’ve needed a little distraction; some of these books have done it for me,  a couple of lighter reads along with.. a not so light read.

It has been a good week for downloads too. Some weeks are slimmer than others so a week with lots of good choices feels like Christmas!

Books Read

A Bradford Sisters Novella  – Then Came You – Becky Wade

Modern Conveniences Series – Lost in Love book 3 – Leah Atwood

The Mystery: Finding True Love in a World of Broken Lovers – Lacey Sturm…..  this is non-fiction, the poignant story of  a life of struggle.

Christmas Mysteries Book Series – Christmas Mystery – James Kipling

Is there a common thread?

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

I believe there is.

This blog seems to have fallen into two different areas, with different audiences. My mind even puts them in separate camps when I write.

I’ve spent considerable time today thinking about the relationship between Life Story and Books …. not by design, it just happened. Maybe all this thinking was triggered by the few pages read while investigating a book to download –  “The Mystery – Finding True Love in a World of Broken Lovers” by Lacey Sturm. (a book I am very much looking forward to reading)

At the end of the day I’ve had to admit, while not everyone is wanting to think about both, the subjects of life and books are intertwined,

The reason I think this is:

  • We all have a story, we all face good times and bad, age has very little bearing on when either will happen.
  • Many of us find reading to be a refuge in our troubled places, our love of reading becomes deeper than ever.
  • We may seek help by reading books related to our situations, other times a character in a story will say or do something that strikes a chord and changes our perspective, a little.
  • However it goes, in good times and bad, books are a major part of a readers life. Books and life, intertwined.

I will admit, writing about books is much easier – and more fun. Writing about my story –  definitely harder. I do it because there is someone out there needing to know they aren’t alone in the their struggle. And….for those who have yet to face hard places,……. maybe they will remember something helpful when they do.

“Into every life a little rain must fall” I’m not sure who said it but it’s true. Another truth, “this too shall pass”. Both the good and the bad. Just hold on. And read a good book!

Several more books

The Gin Palace Trilogy – The Bone Orchard book 2, The Gin Palace book 3 – Daniel Judson   I liked the first two books the best, the third one felt like he was just trying to get it done.

Beastly Charm: a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast – Jennifer Youngblood, and Sandra Poole …  an enjoyable read

Happy Reading!

Be an avid reader, to become an excellent writer

/ For the Love of Books / 1 Comment

This is my advice to aspiring writers with a promising story inside.

Read really good books, and only good books. You time is valuable and in short supply, don’t spend it on a book that is less than excellent. I know excellence by the way it captures my interest. Genre doesn’t matter, nor does the reputation of the author. The only thing that matters is the way the story draws you in.

Avidly reading excellent books will impact your writing. It’s like eating gourmet food, it spoils you for anything less.

As you experience phrases like “the blue and red colours of the neon sign bled into the wet street”, from The Poisoned Rose by Daniel Judson, they will stick in your mind and you will automatically know a better way to say things.

Don’t spend too much time over-thinking the choice of  book to read. Some of my best finds have been when there was little thought at all, just the seizing of an opportunity.

BookBub, Amazon, Instafreebie, and Gospel eBooks, have become my best friends, I’ve found so many treasures paying attention to their offerings.

Read anything and everything, and then read more of the authors you want to be like, spend enough time with them and you will begin to write like them.

That’s what I am doing…. all of the above, and it is changing me.

Currently reading “The Bone Orchard” sequel to “The Poisoned Rose” by Daniel Judson

To good reading!

New pages added to this blog

/ For the Love of Books / 3 Comments

More new books at the end!

I’ve created some  new pages as a place to list books read. It’s great to list them at the bottom of each post so we can easily identity what’s new, but afterwards, they kind of get lost. Maybe a separate page would be a good way to find them again. We’ll give it a try.

The new pages are Romance….. Mystery/Thriller……. and.. Other Genres.

Other Genres is pretty much a mixed bag. If ever another category clearly shows up in this list, it can have it’s own page.

Mystery/Thriller has been published for you, the other two are still under construction.

If you find these pages helpful or interesting, leave a comment and let me know. Feedback would be useful I think.

Books read this week  –  all of them good reads

Unwritten: A Novel – Charles Martin……… as always, this novel is intensely real and engrossing, and, as always with his books, once started I couldn’t stop. I am putting this book under romance because it fits better than in mystery but it’s really not a romance. It’s about people facing life, trying to find a way to live through it.

One Last Summer – Jo Noelle…….. a short romance

The Seventh Sergeant (Three Rivers Ranch Romance Book 6)  – Liz Isaacson and Elena Johnson …… I think I’ve read most of the previous ones, this was a good story.

The Hideway – Lauren Denton ….. a romance centered around a group of unusual characters, mixed with family secrets.

Black & Blue (Lord and Lady Hetheridge Mystery Series Book 4) – Emma Jameson ….. I’ve read other book in this series and enjoyed them all.

Finding Courage (Love’s Compass Book 3) – Melanie D Snitker ……. a romance faced with intense family issues, will they survive?

Her Mother’s Hope (Marta’s Legacy Book 1) – Francine Rivers …… we grow up in difficult circumstances and run away to flee that kind of life, but in the end, have we really left it behind? or does history repeat itself anyway?

Sometimes life shapes your likes and dislikes

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

It’s true, at least it is for me anyway, my likes and dislikes have been shaped by  circumstances of my life.

My mind has been busy, over this last week,  thinking about the ways books and music have fit into my life, thinking about the impact they’ve had, and why there even needed to be an impact.

I can remember liking this song well enough as a young girl to be able to pick it out by ear on mom’s piano

(There’s A) Bluebird on Your Windowsill
Doris Day

There’s a bluebird
There’s a bluebird on your windowsill
There’s a rainbow in your sky
There are happy thoughts, your heart to fill
Near enough to make you cry
There he is.
And with every tear you’ve washed away
All the things you’ve kept inside
You count your joys this lovely day
And you wonder why you cried
The melody was cheerful, maybe that’s why I liked it, or maybe it was because it mentioned tears and I latched on to that. I wanted to be done with tears.
The song says “you wonder why you cried”  but I doubt I caught the meaning of that phrase. I did have reason to cry, lots of reason, not that I can recall ever forming any of it into conscious thought in those days, but my subconscious knew and was looking for hope.
Books and music were favorites of my mother and watching her they became mine too. These favorites did many things for me, but most importantly – they were a safe place to land, they helped me forget, for a time, that I had reason to cry.
As I’ve been thinking, and blogging, about these current day passions it occurs to me that readers may have a different frame of reference when they read my words. Their expectations may be different. They may be looking for an intellectual discussion of music appreciation or examples of an impressive performance. They would be disappointed if this is true because while I love music my frame of reference is quite different. I go for the love of music rather than the knowledge of it. I like to live inside the music, where there is healing. The emotional experience is most important to me.
My criteria for great music is possibly different too. Melody is important but the lyric is more so. It must have something life changing and relevant to say. The goal must be to impact rather than impress. Likewise, with the performer, if their goal is to impress, there won’t be impact.
My kids will testify to my love of impact over impression, we had a tape once, of a Southern Gospel group, their talent and musical proficiency was lacking but their hearts shone through in spades. I loved that tape. My kids…….not so much. I guess their hearts didn’t need the message of those songs like mine did. Having said that, I do appreciate musicians who excel at their craft and I promise not to post anything in my music blog that isn’t excellent. musictonourishmysoul.blogspot.com
There is nothing wrong with the intellectual point of view for music enjoyment, it’s just not where I am at, and it helps the reader to revise their expectations if they know where I’m coming from.
The circumstances of my life, the mountains and the valleys, have created the need for music to there for me, keeping me sane, giving me comfort and hope, crying with me, connecting me to the Heavenlies and the One who can truly be there for me, helping me rise above it all, to live a fruitful and overcoming life.
I think music is a gift from God, the language of heaven, a universal language- not needing interpretation. What a gift!
I hope you will find your needs met in the blessing of music too, if you haven’t discovered this blessing already.

A couple of books to impact my life this week

Sharing Jesus (Seeing Jesus book 3) – Jeffrey McClain Jones
I’ve read books 1 & 2 in the last few months, as well. In each of them Jesus becomes visible to the main characters and lives with them for a few days. Actually he always lives with them, he just isn’t visible the rest of the time. It was a deeply moving experience for me, reading these stories of how they lives were changed. I know God is always with me, I talk to him about everything in my life, it was an affirmation of many things, hearing someone else relate to him on such a personal level. As always, reading these stories reveals some things to me, about me, too, and that’s a good thing.
Check out this book if you can relate to, or desire such a connection. I can’t say any of us would ever experience a visible Jesus but this story can encourage us toward recognizing the invisible Jesus more often.

I started a new blog the other day…

/ For the Love of Books / 1 Comment

I have more than one passion I wish to share with the world and, so far, it has been an interesting but unproductive time trying to figure out how to make it work the way I visualize.

It seems to me these passions would be most effective if they were kept somewhat  separate, like food on certain people’s plates – not touching. It may be possible, on this site, to do what I have in mind, I won’t declare it isn’t, maybe I just need to learn more about the technical side of blogging to find there is a way it could be done. But so far it isn’t happening for me.

Another option just sort of jumped out at me a couple of days ago, I went with it and started a whole new blog. We will give it a try to see how it goes. Not everything in life is cast in stone, in my opinion, so changes can always be made later if it doesn’t go as smoothly as hoped.

My parallel passion to reading, is music. Two passions that have been with me pretty much my whole life, keeping me sane and happy, through thick and thin.

There are many days a song plays in my mind and I wish I could share it, as encouragement to someone who could use a glimmer of hope. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have to throw some songs out there if I want a chance to encourage.

The other day I heard a song and wanted to share it here but the only blog option I could see for sharing looked to be on Blogger……. hence the new blog. musictonourishmysoul.blogspot.com   …………….. posting as “music lover”

I will keep the discussion of music, and genres enjoyed, confined to the new blog.

If you are booklover reading this blog and you love music too, drop by for some encouragement, and maybe even a little fun now and then.  I hope to post more frequently, songs aren’t as time consuming as books, and posts will add up more quickly.

Books won’t be taking a back seat to music anytime soon, there is no threat of that!

Several books  are ready….with more on their way.

Any book listed here was read and enjoyed…… just saying!

Drowning For Rainbows – Kristoff Chimes …..   impossible situations threaten the tenuous peace in Bosnia. Follow a police chief, a peace keeping doctor, and a young couple from both sides of the conflict, as they struggle to stay alive.

Any Blooming Thing – Marisa Logan….. a romance ,  these two books were downloaded from InstaFreebie. it is working out better for me than I at first thought. Give it a try if you are looking for more free stuff

 

Instafreebie and Autism

/ For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

*there is a list of books at the bottom of every post*  

A friend told me about a new site called Instafreebie. I am all over freebies so I’ve signed up and downloaded a few things. It hasn’t gone all that smoothly, compared to BookBub. There are more steps to be taken, there’s a bigger learning curve, and sometimes the authors require the reader to sign up for a newsletter first.

It’s unclear, at this point anyway, what the quality of the books will be, I expect the standard could be lower than usual for inclusion in the list and they may all be self published, which may or may not mean anything.

I think I will give it a whirl, to see if it’s worth the extra effort. Many of the books seem to be a little on the fringe, but that could just be my first impression. There could be some real gems in there……. I’ll let you know how it goes.

One of the books to come my way this week is on Austism and is written by a doctor as a story which helps demonstrate concepts she wants to get across. I don’t know enough about this subject to be a good judge of information being presented but this book  seemed to make sense to me. And since we need to spread all the knowledge possible on this subject I hope you will give this book a try. I think these concepts will give the general public a better understanding if they should happen to meet up with an autistic person; knowledge and understanding is always a good thing.

Books

Candyfloss Guitar  (The Reluctant Pilgrim book 1) – Stephen Marriot…….. he describes this book as the story of a modern day pilgrim taking the first steps on a journey of discovery. Stephen Marriot is a British author inspired by travel and walking the roads less travelled. This was on Instafreebie, and I liked it a lot.

Two Tocks Before Midnight – Clay Boutwell ….. a historical mystery from Instafreebie, a unique and enjoyable mystery. A scholarly club of men with strict rules for their members, and a puzzle to solve.

Autism Goes to School – Book 1 of the School Daze Series – Dr. Sharon A Mitchell…... A single dad facing many challenges……not only is his five year old son an autistic child he has never met, he knows nothing about being a dad and is totally on his own with this, at first anyway.

A Discovery of Hope (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 3) – T. I. Lowe….. another fresh take on life, an engrossing story.

A Fresh Start – Trisha Grace……. Paige leaves everything she knows to get away from something threatening. The theme sounds very familiar but it didn’t feel like I was reading the same book, again. Enjoyed this story.

As always, look these books up on Amazon, or other sites you may know of, for a fuller description, to help give you inspiration. That’s how I get my mine.

Happy reading!

More books I am excited about.

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

*there is a list of books at the bottom of every post*

This has been a week of great books, if you are a fan of the kind of books I like, I hope you will browse my list and maybe check out Amazon for a fuller story description, one that will help inspire you to read them too. Most of these books were recommended by Bookbub, so we know they are good to begin with as I hear it’s difficult for an author to have books listed on Bookbub, at least until they have a proven track record. You may want to check their lists out as well, for your own favorite genres.

I’m am hoping you will read some of today’s books for yourself, so you can verify my claim they are good books. You may not have heard of many of these authors but don’t let that keep you from trying them out, I hadn’t heard of some of them either but I took a chance and discovered they are good at their craft. Finding good authors, and good books, makes me want to do my part and tell the whole world about them.

My definition of a good book? One that makes me lose sight of  the words on the page, the sense of the author to put them there, and the fact that these people are not real – it makes me feel like real life is playing out right before my eyes, and I have to know what happens. This is my definition of a good book.

 

Now the Books!

I have to tell you about the last two books in the list. The thing that impressed me most about them was the simplicity of the story line coupled with the epic length. Not many authors can achieve this, a long, simple, story able to hold the reader’s attention to the very end. I liked book 1 enough to buy book 2, this says a lot, because I have so many others waiting to be read I don’t move on to the second book very often.

After A Fashion (A Class of Their Own Book 1)  Jen Turano …..  another romance with lots of twists and turns, it captured my interest and kept me reading much longer than I should have been when there were places I was supposed to be.

Wild Montana Skies (Montana Rescue Book 1) – Susan May Warren …… romance and rescue, rolled into one.

Because of the Rain – Deborah Raney ……. in town because of her husband’s business trip, Anna, inadvertently finding herself in a dangerous place, is brutally beaten and raped. This is a gripping story about life after that moment.

When Mockingbirds Sing – Bill Coffey…. Leah is a child from Away, shunned by her peers because of her stutter, she draws prophetic pictures based on conversations with her unseen friend, Rainbow Man. I enjoyed this book, a great deal!

The Letters (The Inn at Eagle Hill book 1)  – Suzanne Woods Fischer …. an Amish romance.

Instant Daddy: Inspirational Romance Noah’s Crossing Book 1 – Carol Voss…. Jessie is raising her sister’s son as her own and loves him fiercely. Life becomes complicated when the unknown, but unmistakable father, crosses paths with them and is shocked to discover he has a son.

Of Stillness and Storm – Michele Phoenix ……. a story of the call to live a sacrificial and giving lifestyle, and the heart breaking cost to family life, written with raw honesty.

When I’m Weak: Epic-Novel The Grace Series Book 2 – Staci Stallings…..  Jaycee’s world comes crashing down when injury causes the loss of her basketball career. Like many of us she is crippled by this and other difficult circumstances of her life, especially relationships. I could tell you more but that would spoil the book for you. This was another book worth reading.

Mirror Mirror: Epic-Novel  The Grace Series Book 1  – Staci Stallings ….. the captivating story of a fractured family’s brokenness, a story that draws you in, letting you feel all of the hurt, pain, and love.  a solid Five Stars

Happy reading, I hope you feel inspired today!

Stretch you reading muscles…..

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

*there is a list of books at the bottom of every post*

One of the recent suggestions (in one of the many blogs I read, can’t remember which one) was to choose reading material from a variety of different genres, cultures, topics, or authors, in order to broaden our education and our reading experience.

More particularly, they said we should take suggestions from family and friends (young and old) and even strangers (of many different backgrounds), about books we would normally not even consider. We often stick with what we know and enjoy, while passing over books that would help broaden our understanding of our world.

While I’ve been trying be more conscious of this, when making my choices, I admit I still have a long way to go. It has been enlightening, though, to read some things I wouldn’t have chosen even a few months ago. Time, or lack of it, has also caused me to be more selective in my downloads. Between the time needed to write this blog  and the increased time needed by my day job, now that it has picked up again, there hasn’t been as much time left for reading as there had been. My book choices are more discerning now I think.

They also suggested we read things we don’t particularly enjoy, to help us gain a new perspective on the way others live and think. This world is made up of vastly different peoples, religions, and cultures, our uncomfortable reading selections could give us an appreciation for diversity in this world, and a greater understanding of a world broader than the one we live in. Out of all this would come tolerance, which would turn into love, and respect, for our fellow man. It will be like eating vegetables………good for us.

I’m not sure how well I will do at reading uncomfortable things, as I contemplate this thought, but I hope I will at least try. I also hope this discussion will start some wheels turning and maybe inspire others to try with me. Our world needs love to survive.

On to some books now.

I like reading books with a different slant on things, covering topics that are new to me, this week has been good for that. You will notice, it has also been a good week for some much needed, lighter, reading.

Shaded Light: The Case of the Tactless Trophy Wife (The Manziuk and Ryan Mysteries Book 1) – J A Menzies ………. This was written like one of those murder mystery weekends…. a group of people gather for a weekend house party, and someone dies… who was the murderer?? This book was well written and full of surprises and intrigue.  I liked it a lot.

Meet Me in Myrtle Beach (Hunt Family Book 1) – Brooke St James …… newly graduated from University, with doubts about her chosen profession, a chance encounter changes everything. I love it when clues are handed out along the way and it is impossible to see the end right from the beginning. Another well written very enjoyable, unpredictable, book.

The Templar’s Cross: A Medieval  Mystery (The Sir Law Kintour Mysteries Book 1) – J R Tomlin …….. a wounded Knight whose protector has died, must find a way to provide a living for himself; instead of a living, he finds himself accused of a murder he must solve to prevent being hanged. A well written book, thoroughly enjoyed.

Leaving Oxford (Southern Hearts Series Book 1) – Janet W Ferguson …… a young  woman moves home after a series of traumatic events, only to find herself a prisoner of panic attacks. Her prayers for healing only seem to result in an ugly puppy and an arrogant football coach. I couldn’t leave this book alone for too long either.

Sapphire Ice (Inspirational Romance) (The Jewel Series Book 1)  Hallee Bridgeman …..  a young woman, with a strong sense of responsibility toward her two younger sisters – coupled with a strong distrust of men- all due to an abusive childhood, meets a charming, successful, entrepreneur who brings out the worst in her.

A Trail of Crumbs – Susie Finkbeiner ……. the story of a young family in Depression Era Michigan, written in the voice of a young girl, so well done you forget to notice it isn’t written by a child.

(I confess, these last few books have so interesting they’ve kept me reading when I should have been working, now I feel guilty, the next one needs to be a book I don’t like very much, to make up for it.)

Happy reading!