MEGHAN MARKLE IS REALLY REMARKABLE!

The headline from Usa Today on the Yahoo! website reads, "Thomas Markle:  Prince Harry, daughter Meghan 'cheapening' royal family. The headline is making it sound as if her father does not approve of what she is doing by her exit of royal life.  I feel by exiting royal life Meghan Markle is giving value to people whose lives are not royal.  By leaving royal life she is effectively saying her life is going to be just as good or even better by not being a royal.  She still plans to do charity work and attend public events and be productive.  Her children were not going to wind up as Kings anyway but by exiting royalty she is making all members of her family equal!  Her own mom is as important as the queen.  Her son will not have to consider himself not as important as Prince William's children.  

Another concept of what they are achieving by exiting royal life is they are breaking a generational curse.  The media has talked about through the years the unhappiness Princess Diana endured from treatment from the royals and the media.  In order to keep the same thing from happening to another generation the way of doing things has to be changed.   

It is also a good example of how the Millennials are trying to make good choices for themselves in order to be happy.  The Millennial attitude is people wanting control of their own lives.  People do only get one life to live on this earth so that is a good thing being able to make their own decisions.  

In general it is also a Christian concept that all human life is equal and no one is more valuable then any one else.  It is also an American concept that all people are equal.  Americans fought a war to get their freedom from royalty. 

Technically Meghan's family is still royal as they are biologically related to official English Royals. Her and Harry are still also rich and famous.  These factors mean not that much is technically going to change in their life in a lot of ways.  They still will have an abundance of good opportunity and plenty of things they can possess.  I still think Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are remarkable for exiting the royals. In fact I would like to say this by telling her, "You go girl!" 

There is none like you cover by Thenji

SUNDAY SERMON

by Jennifer Anderson

I have spent a lot of time complaining about things recently.
Indeed it seems our media wants to complain all the time about life in America.  What thought came to me this morning
is this:  People from bible times would love to live like we do!

People from bible times would be amazed by using electricity.  They would enjoy the electricity and heat we have.

People from bible times would be amazed by the medicine we have that they didn't have.  Another medical thing they 
would be amazed by that is simple to us is eye glasses.
There are people today wearing glasses helping them see
but if they had lived in bible times they wouldn't have had the glasses and may not be able to do many things because  they couldn't see.

The list of what we have and they didn't have for convenience goes on and on.  The disciples of Jesus
would probably be happy sleeping on the carpet people have at their houses now instead of stone floors or the ground outside they used to sleep on.

Just something to think about even though it seems everybody in America is complaining about life now. 

OH THE AGGRO BLOGSPOT!!

Recently the Blogspot website made several changes, one of them being the elimination of the NEXT BLOG button that was at the top of every screen.  This means the participants on Blogspot.com can no longer page through blogs at random easily.  No longer being able to do this cuts down on the community feeling of belonging to a social network such as blogspot.com.

Not having the NEXT BLOG button also means it changes the flow of hits we bloggers get to our blogs every day.  Oh the aggro Blogspot!! Even if the NEXT BLOG button wasn't popular or used much it was still necessary to retain  sense of community for participants.  Ugh!!

What do you think about the recent changes to the blogspot website?

SWING TIME by Zadie Smith

SWING TIME  is one of Zadie Smith's more recent novels.  It was published in 2016 and it starts out with most of the action taking place in the 1990's as two multi racial girls are growing up in England.  The story describes a neat moment in time as these two girls come of age.  Lots of 90's pop culture is delightfully thrown into this mix as well.  Parts of the story also take place in the United States and in Africa.  

The two girls meet in dance class and become friends.  Dance is also woven into the story with mention being made of some famous dancers the girls watched on videos.  Then the subject of Dance comes back up as one girl journeys to Africa in adulthood.  The title Swing Time is probably in reference to the dancers the girls watched on videos from the era of the 30's, 40's or 50's. I looked up one of the dancer's on You Tube, Jeni LeGon, that I actually had never heard of before. 

Zadie Smith is the bestselling author of WHITE TEETH and ON BEAUTY.  She is multi racial herself and writes extensively on this subject.   She also writes about multiculturalism.     

ON BEAUTY the novel by Zadie Smith

ON BEAUTY  is a Zadie Smith novel that speaks to multiculturalism in the world today as Zadie Smith knows it.  Smith is from England so her views on American culture might be a tad stereotypical.  For example, the heroine in the novel is named Kiki and she is an American black woman who is large and big breasted but still manages to dress well, look nice, and have tons of personality and great style. The name Kiki is usually a nickname, and not a given name, but in the media women called Kiki are usually portrayed as being a little off beat, quirky, and fun.  Indeed Kiki's white husband adores her and his problem where he starts to stray actually has nothing to do with Kiki or her increase in size. 

On the Goodreads website I posted:   I enjoyed reading ON BEAUTY very much.  In ON BEAUTY Zadie Smith touches on subjects such as mixed marriages, stereotypes of all kinds, sexuality, and the sins of the fathers in the families. 

The white father who is an atheist college professor  that  is liberal commits the same sins as the
black father in the story who is a Christian college professor that  is conservative. Imagine that! Although the Christian father comes off in the story as the villain while the liberal father just seems to be in a world of his own and a tad lazy.

ON BEAUTY is set in recent times in a New England state in the academia world.  The story sometimes reverts to  UK/England where some of the characters are from.   Other subjects touched on in the story are Rap Music, Spoken Word, Poetry, Art, coming of age, Youth, Middle age...well it goes on and on about these and many other subjects.  There are some interesting  connotations about Rap where she writes about "keepers of the crossroad" and souls being sold to the devil. I am not quite sure what Zadie Smith meant by all of it but it appears they might be words that could be googled and investigated further for the sake of knowledge.  

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD:

I could see this book being turned into a television series that lasts for years...The college angst, infidelities, new experiences for people.

In the story Kiki has three multiracial young adult children. As I read the story I kept picturing the younger two, in my head, as looking like the young actors who play Maddie and Charlie on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.  I guess those types of things happen sometime.

I bought this book because I had seen Zadie Smith's books on the Goodreads website and I decided she was an author whose books I wanted to explore.  I will probably pass this book on to a fellow reader I think might enjoy the book. 

Since Barack Obama became president multi racial people are featured in pop culture more.  Now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are planning nuptials I've noticed a sharp increase of multi racial couples featured on television shows and commercials. 

Ultimately though I feel the novel ON BEAUTY reminds me of how people have a physical life but people also have the private world of their own thoughts in their mind.

ON BEAUTY was published by The Penguin Press

New Year Resolutions

Oh it's that pesky time of year again! Time to make new resolutions for the new year at a time of year it is hard to start them because of bad weather or things like cold and flu season.

My Top Three Resolutions:

1.  Utilize the two minute rule.  If something around the house or in business will take only two minutes to do then go ahead and take care of it.

2.  Get out of the house more. We are talking get out of the house 50 percent more. Which is still not even a lot...!

3.  Get started back with regular bible reading, watching inspirational messages on TV and listening to praise music some each day.

Of course I have bookoo other resolutions or other things I need to do. Among them are: blog on a more regular basis, drink more water, take vitamins, catch up on book reviews, diet, moisturize, get better sleep....well you know the list could go on and on!

What are some of your resolutions and how is it going?

What I "learnt" from Floki (addendum)

Recently I posted about the character Floki from the TV show VIKINGS.  There was a time he told his lovely wife Helga that he did not want to be with her because she made him happy and he did not want to be happy.

 Why would a person not want to be happy?  For the VIKING character Floki he was busy being a Viking and being happy was not necessarily going to make him a better Viking. The Viking community was built on violence and rage and  generally not giving a f#&k about anything.  If Floki was happy it might not be as easy for him to go about his Viking duties that required worshipping the Viking gods and  setting up plans to foil the people Floki didn't care for.

Why would someone in the modern world today not want to be happy?  If someone is unhappy and becomes happy they may have to give up a large part of the muck they have been mucking around in that has become comfortable and a way of life for them.  If a person is happy there is no longer an excuse to keep participating in some of their favorite bad habits. People use their past pain as an excuse to not change to a better way of life.    

What I "learnt" from Floki

Floki is a character in the History Channel television show VIKINGS.  His talents lie in designing and building the fast long boats the Vikings need to explore and conquer the world with.  He is tall, lanky, and pale and wears heaps of black eyeliner.  He has a wife named Helga that adores him and is good to him.

In spite of her love for him Floki pushes his wife Helga away from him by not coming home.  Helga is desperate for answers and goes to town to beseech Floki to return home with her.  Floki tells Helga he doesn't want to be around her because she makes him happy. Floki then tells Helga he does not want to be happy so he can't be around her. 

If someone happens to break up with you by using the "it's not you, it's me" theme you should believe them.  It is not that you were lacking in any way, it may just be that person, like Floki, just doesn't want to be happy.

FOUNDATIONS OF DRAWING : A Practical Guide to Art History, tools, techniques, and Styles

Compiled and written by Al
Gury, FOUNDATIONS OF DRAWING:  A Practical Guide to Art History, Tools, Techniques, and Styles is entertaining as well as educational.  It is chock full of art history that is beautifully illustrated with gorgeous pictures in color.  I read the print version and I loved it!  The book is made of good solid materials and paper which makes the experience with it even more enjoyable. 

Gury fills this book with knowledge of Art History, the tools one may need to work with, and some background on different styles of drawing and how to achieve them.  It's a book that both young and old can relate to and it will inspire many people to continue learning and growing in their artistic endeavors. 

I received this book fro Blogging for Books via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I chose this book for review as I enjoy looking at art and I have some family members and friends who are very artistic.  It is a book that will be looked at over and over with new facts and new realizations noted at each use.

*image provided by publisher.

Lisa McInerney's GLORIOUS HERESIES

People who enjoy the television show
SHAMELESS (UK) or SHAMELESS(US)  will like the novel GLORIOUS HERESIES. It also reminds me of the British Soaps such as CORONATION STREET and HOLLYOAKS.  The story is set in Ireland during the financial crash almost ten years ago.  McInerney exhibits extreme writing skills as she is able to combine the profane Irish street vernacular with some of the biggest and most beautiful words I have ever read.  GLORIOUS HERESIES was published in Ireland previously where it had won a very big award and is now being released in the USA.  It speaks to changing attitudes on giving birth and women's choice, different vices and crimes, and serves as an coming of age story.  It also speaks to how strong the Catholic Church and Christianity is in Ireland and so there are things considered heresies in the story.  What do people do when the economy is so bad as to leave them with only a series of not so good choices?

Ryan is fifteen and in the throes of first love while dealing with an abusive, alcoholic father.  This propels him to an early career dealing drugs.  Georgie is a young woman whose boyfriend turns her into a prostitute.  Maureen is a grandmother who kills an intruder to her home but is unable to go to the police as they may investigate her gangster son's business.  Some of the characters seem lovable while some of them come across as despicable. It's all an excellent study of human nature.

I read the book straight through in a little over a 24 hour time period on a holiday weekend.  I chose the book for review because I enjoy literature and media from Ireland and England.  I liked this story and will see about getting the sequel when it becomes available.  This book was provided to me free of charge via the publisher and Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. 

Book cover image provided by the publisher  via Blogging for Books.          

 

Fortune Cookie

image credit: Onward

Terry McMillan's I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU

Georgia is a educated professional getting on in years who decides she has a good life but that it can be better. Also Georgia and her friends are hot messes.  She thinks a lot about her past college years and wonders if one of the men from her past is someone she should be with now.  Georgia was quite promiscuous at one time but that was fairly common in 1980's culture.

McMillan writes with a modern day profanity slang.  Her colorful style of writing can only be compared to her own and she is the author of WAITING TO EXHALE  and HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK.  Those were two very successful works for her as those two books were made into movies.  This book, I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU  has been on the bestseller lists and now has been released in paperback.  It will be interesting to see if it will be made into a movie as well. 

The character of Georgia seems somewhat self absorbed to me, but I suppose that makes for good drama.  I chose this book for review because I realized a family member had actually never read any black authors. I had read HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK years ago when it came out as well as watching the movie by the same name later on.  At the time my brother had bought me the book to read because he felt like I was reading too many religious books and that I need something secular to read.

In the book I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU the author makes fun of the singing group Celtic Women.  This irritated me as I felt the character of Georgia was educated enough to know that many folks enjoy Celtic Women as an ethnic type thing as they are from Ireland and sing popular songs and ballads.  

The ending of the book was a little slow to me after it was revealed who she would most likely end up with.  I did enjoy the book and read it in about three days. I received this book for review via the publisher and Blogging for Books who gave me a free copy of the paperback version in exchange for a review.  I will probably pass my copy of the book on to someone else to read.

*cover image provided via the publisher an Blogging for Books.

THE MOTH PRESENTS: ALL THESE WONDERS

If you are looking for something new and different to read try THE MOTH PRESENTS:  ALL THESE WONDERS.  There are around forty-five personal stories in this book told by people from all walks of life. These stories are so good I will go back over some of them again to make sure I didn't miss something.  Etched on the cover it says TRUE STORIES ABOUT FACING THE UNKNOWN.  And indeed that is what they are! These stories were first told out loud onstage at Moth events across the country.  Now the best stories have been compiled into this book with as little changed as possible from the spoken words of the tellers on stage. If I were to state it glibly I would say it is a CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL  sort of thing that meets "Ted Talks".   There is a forward written by popular author Neil Gaiman so that tells you he is a fan of THE MOTH.

Some of the stories are told by semi-famous and famous people but others are not.  In one story a former child soldier from Africa tells of adapting to adoption and high school life in the United States.  In another story a scientist works through miraculous steps on a project to view the planet Pluto up close.  There are stories included in the book told by a concentration camp survivor, a refugee, and other immigrants.  The title of ALL THESE WONDERS is taken from one of the stories in the book. 

I don't agree with some of what is expressed in every single story but all the stories are informative and interesting. It is a book you will want to keep but also share with others. It is edited by Catherine Burns and published by Crown Archetype.

I selected this book for review because it sounded like a great book.  I enjoyed reading it because it was entertaining as well as full of details to learn and ponder. It made me think about what my own Moth stories might be.


* cover photo provided by the publisher and Blogging for Books. 
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. 

And She Traveled On

image credit Onward
and Color Odyssey
Kappa Books Publishers LLC

The Hum of Angels by Scot Mcknight

THE HUM OF ANGELS by Scot McKnight is a new book soon to be published.  It deals with the biblical definition of angels and not what the popular media and movies make angels out to be. A little bit of artistic license is used for the title but other then that it is right on target with biblical scripture concerning the subject of angels.

What Angels are not:

Angels are not humans who are deceased.

What Angels Are:

Angels are a complete and separate entity of their own created by God.

So okay I just had to get that one out there as that is something that irks me when people assume otherwise.  McKnight provides plenty of scripture to back this up.  He also provides a few stories people have told him about how they were helped or rescued by angels. I don't want to give away the whole contents of the book and I also don't want to discourage anyone from reading it.  It could be very important information for someone.

Do you believe in angels? Chances are you do believe in angels and if you don't believe in them you may wish to believe in them. If more people shared experiences they had with angels with each other it could change the world for the better.

I chose this book for review as I am interested in this subject. One of my favorite books is a book Billy Graham wrote on angels back in the 1970's.  I first found Graham's book at a thrift store and then was delighted to find out a few years later that a great grandmother had had a copy of her own.  McKnight cites Billy Graham's book on angels as one of his sources so that is good.  Graham's book on angels has a focus on end times while McKnight's book on angels speaks more to human redemption.

Scott McKnight is a well known author who has published many books on similar religious subjects.  I received this book as an uncorrected proof from Blogging for Books via the publisher in exchange for a honest review. I plan to share my copy with others.

*book cover image credited to the publisher.

Off the Top of My Head: PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE

People of The Second Chance is a movement, a non-profit organization, and now a book. Mike Foster is the person behind all three of these things. The non-profit part seems to primarily deal with encouraging prisoners and ex-convicts to not give up on in their rehabilitation journey.  That part is not anything new really and many religious organizations do much the same as Christianity is redemption based at heart.  That being said, I was initially a little bored the first few chapters of the book.  However, when the book changed over to more personal matters it caught my full attention.  So read on!

Mike Foster quickly gets personal in PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE.  He not only gives recommendations on loving others but also gives recommendations of how to be kinder to yourself.  Some of these things are general knowledge type things but I feel he included them because someone asked him to include them.  They are also subjects that help him be more transparent. However, we all have different needs in our daily and work lives so use your own judgment how transparent you might need to be.

SOME SUBJECTS INCLUDED ARE:

BANISH FEAR, BE BRAVE WITH YOUR STORY, THE WONDERFUL IN THE WEIRD.

One article I saw called it a Manifesto.  I assume that person decided to label it that because it was about Christianity and Jesus.  If that is why they called it a manifesto, then manifesto on baby...
The book is full of stories about people they have met along the way in ministry.  Lots of Bible stories and scriptures  included.
There are even stories included from my home state of Kentucky. 

The actual full title is:  PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE:
A GUIDE TO BRINGING LIFE-SAVING LOVE TO THE WORLD.  Online resources are secondchance.org, secondchance.org/party.  The actual physical aspects of the book I heartily approve of.  The book is sturdy and compact, not too big or too little. The paper is such good quality paper! Which good paper is a book lovers dream...

I received this book free of charge for review from Blogging for Books and from the publisher Waterbrook. I selected this book for review because I felt it fit in with my blog in the interest of learning and moving Onward. 

Many churches are about loving people.  I can attest to this having grown up in church. Many pastors truly are "people of the second chance."  That is not always the message people feel at church as churches are still social organizations and can be in a constant state of flux. I also feel many people just often resist friendliness and love these days. It may not be considered cool to be seen talking to the square Cristian who doesn't drink or party, no matter how friendly that Christian may be. It may get on some people's nerves if someone is always being cheerful or giving encouraging words to people.  WHERE IS THE LOVE?  Many people just don't want it. 

That last paragraph is mine and doesn't have anything to do with the book!  Check out the book and let me know what you think on this subject.   



I

THE MORTIFICATIONS by Derek Palacio

THE MORTIFICATIONS by Derek Palacio is a novel about a Cuban family in the 1980's.  Page one starts in full of drama and action as things come to a head in their little family forcing the mother to make extreme choices for her and her children.  A new life in the United States with all it's differences and advantages detailed in the mix. Mortifications is a term identified with the Catholic religion that often included people hurting themselves physically for punishment.  There is a lot of Catholicism in the novel.  The term Mortifications in Palacio's novel refers more to the mental mortifications and punishments people often put themselves through for what they perceive as their failures. The novel has a little of the mystic in it as well as down and dirty gritty details of life.  It is a story of what can take place in the mind during life due to what has been programmed into your mind or what has happened to you in life. It is amazing to think of how someone may be gone from your life for several decades, yet you think of them in some kind of way every day.

I enjoyed reading this book and gave a copy to a family friend at Christmas.  Having been written by a man it is not too much of a chick flick to be limited to reading by women only. THE MORTIFICATIONS would be a great movie with the contrast of the beautiful exotic scenery of the island of Cuba with the practical, organized coziness of New England.  In fact it most likely will be a movie.  It has all the qualities of the new hit TV show "THIS IS US".   

 

Find out more about the author at derekpalacio.com

 

 

*I received this book at no charge in exchange for a review of the book from Blogging for Books.  They provided the image of the book cover as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                     

 

THE TEA PLANTER'S WIFE

I adored everything about the book THE TEA PLANTER'S WIFE by Dinah Jefferies.  I was drawn to the cover, I liked it's big size, and the story itself reminded me of something the masters themselves, Victoria Holt or Phyllis A. Whitney may have written. An old fashioned historical novel with more of a modern attitude to it.  The story speaks to married love and sex, family life, culture differences, race relations, and the advance of technology that was changing lives in the 1920's and 30's.

A very young bride leaves England to join her new husband on the island formerly known as Ceylon.  The natives are somewhat exotic and mysterious to her, as is her new husband that she hasn't spent much time with yet.  She has servants of a different race, her sister in law seems a little off kilter, and who is that American woman who always acts too familiar with her husband?  Secrets swirl around the death of the former mistress of the house and soon secrets are swirling in her own day to day life as well.

Secrets are what I wondered about after I read this book.  How much hurt has been done in this world and how much confusion has been caused simply because people felt the need to keep secrets!

This book is a best seller in England and has now been released recently in other countries.  Score!
I received this book free of charge in exchange for reviewing it.  I am reviewing this book for Blogging for Books and obtained the book cover photo from there. 

40 DAYS TO A JOYFUL MOTHERHOOD: Devotions and Coloring Book to Nourish Mom by Sarah Humphrey

40 DAYS TO A JOYFUL MOTHERHOOD by Sarah Humphrey is a book that could make all the difference for the better in a reader's life.  It combines a series of daily devotions that pertain to motherhood with adult coloring pages for relaxation and inspiration.  In 40 DAYS TO A JOYFUL MOTHERHOOD Humphrey addresses such subjects as
acceptance, caring for one's self, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  Traditional Christian values are expressed in the book as well as verses and scripture from the Bible.  The devotions are well organized and to the point. This is a book that would make a great gift for a mother anytime of year. 

I was excited to see that the author, Sarah Humphrey resides in Nashville, TN and that the publisher of the book Abingdon Press has headquarters in Nashville as well.  Not to mention the book is manufactured in The United States of America! I plan to pass this copy on to a family member for their enjoyment.  Find out more about the book and the author at http://litfusegroup.com/author/shumphrey

*book jacket image credit to litfuse publicity group.
**I received this book free of charge to review.