Em

Happy Saturday Evening!
While my life updates have been few and far between, I just want you all to know to rest assure, things are going fantastic. So far this weekend has been filled with birthday celebrations and time well spent with family. It has been wonderful. I have been blessed with some amazing people in my life and feel so thankful to have such a great support system.

Tonight, with my heart light and happy, I am pleased to switch routes with my book reviews and bring you one that is also light hearted. Alas, I bring to you The Fart that Saved Christmas by JacobMorningside. Yes my friends, you read that correctly. A holiday tale centered around this bodily function.

Summary:
The behind the scenes story of what really happened "The Night Before Christmas."

It's Christmas Eve. The reindeer go on strike with a list of demands for Santa, the elves and Mrs. Claus. Santa gets "loaded" and threatens to cancel Christmas, fire the deer and divorce Mrs. Claus. But, just when all seems lost, Christmas is saved by a timely fart.
 
Review:

It was a story like no other
An adult one they say
About a corrupt Santa
Who wanted his way
Some of the rhymes were forced, just a bit
But like our disgruntled Santa

Who gives a S#!t

The illustrations were clever

I enjoyed them a lot

Especially the details

Not said in the plot

The story read quick

At 36 pages

But it’s not to be read

To kids of all ages

Juvenile at times

But fun either way

Twas a fart that saved Christmas

On this Christmas Day.

 All Rhymes aside, if you are looking for a fun tale to tell while drinking beer with friends this Holiday season, this would be the tale to read.
The Fart that Saved Christmas can be purchased at:

iBookstore

Check out the books blog tour here!


About the Author:
Born into a body inhabited by multiple muse personalities, I [Jacob Morningside] create stories by stretching the "normal" beyond the boundaries of the absurd. The result is a worm-hole ride to the Far Side. I love a good story — so, I wrote one. Enjoy it with my wishes for a happy holiday season. 
Em
Happy Wednesday Friends!
As I am playing catch up at work due to a snow day (Yes, 26 year olds can still get Snow Days), I can’t help but think how busy we all are. I previously mentioned that I have been catching up on my reading list in my spare time and am very happy to bring to you another good read. While this book is completely different from many of the books I have reviewed, it is also one that made me feel most grateful for the life I have and the moments I can share with loved ones. It made me slow down and think about people that I am blessed with to have in my life. I believe it will do the same for you. Today I am going to review, Dianna’s Way by John Catenacci. Prepare to be thankful.

 Summary:
Dianna is a young woman in her late 20’s when she meets John, a man in his late 40's. They fall in love and marry. A central feature of their life plan is to have one child to fulfill her fervent lifelong dream of being a mother.
Not to be.
Not long into their marriage, Dianna discovers she has an aggressive form of breast cancer.
Hand in hand, they begin a 17 year spiritual journey into the nature of love and healing. Along the way, she discovers and fulfills her life purpose and, in the process, takes John by the hand, gently helping him to reveal, then fulfill, his own.
In the beginning, John, being much older, thought he would be her teacher but gradually discovers in the most important dimensions of life quite the opposite is true. With Dianna’s guidance, he ultimately discovers we are all teachers, we are all students and we are all one.
Theirs is a story of courage, determination and a lightness of being, as they descend into the deepest valleys of crushing disappointment, pain and suffering only to rise again to ever higher peaks of appreciation, gratitude and love. Throughout it all, their journey is laced with light and laughter.
Even today, after her passing, they continue their relationship, piercing the Illusion that veils this reality, exploring its limits while continuing a spiritual journey without end.

Review:
 How do you write a review on book that is so personal that you feel like you walked down the path of heartache with the people who actually lived these moments? This is the road block I was faced with. The book was such a powerful story wrote by the author, John Catenacci, that I felt like I became his friend along the way. I got to see Dianna through his eyes. How he fell in love with her, his emotions towards the events that their life together took, and the love he had for her. Throughout the book, I couldn’t help but feel downhearted because of how I thought the ending was going to turn out. It was during the happy moments that I felt the saddest. It is one thing to know you are reading a sorrowful story based on the author’s thoughts, but it is another thing completely when you know that this is the true life that they led. Even when the book started to feel a bit tiresome at some parts, it didn’t deter me because that was their life. There were exciting moments, sad moments, and moments that you just lived. After reading this book, you will feel grateful for the instances in your life that make it worthwhile to go on to tomorrow. No one can question Jon’s love for Dianna. She was mysterious, playful, grateful, and so very strong. Jon wrote his own love story about a love that consumes, even after events take a turn down a completely different path that they set out on. The pure courage and strength these two people have was so admirable and together, their attitudes and love was overwhelming. This book teaches you how to live for each moment and how the hateful Cancer doesn’t need to rule every great moment of your life.
Thank you Jon, for this beautiful story. It must have been hard to write and even harder to live.

 About the Author:
After spending his youth doing cement construction work while getting his education, John Catenacci earned a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He went on to work on the Apollo 11 Project as a member of the USAF in California, then  as an engineer for the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI, doing both process research as well as designing and building chemical plants.
Mid-career he became interested in group dynamics, leading to another 20-year career in team building that took him across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Saudi Arabia.
With a sprinkling of published short stories and articles in small magazines along the way, his abiding passion has always been writing, something now coming to fruition in this, his first book.
 Check out Dianna's Way blog Tour with Tribute Books here.
Dianna’s Way can be purchased at:
Paperback
Price: $16.95
Pages: 365
ISBN: 9780985247904
Publisher: Spiritdogtalking
Release: December 1, 2012
Em
Hello, again! My, it has been awhile. While the days are getting shorter, so it seems is my free time. I have been enjoying my days filled with Christmas cookies, family celebrations, Christmas lights, and the start of winter. I know that my presence on here is more than lacking, and I do apologize for that. What free time I do have, I am spending catching up on my reading list. Once again, Tribute Books has given me another great read. Nobody Has to Know by Frank Nappi is a roller coaster book that you don't want to miss out on.


Summary:

Nobody Has To Know, Frank Nappi's dark and daring new thriller, tells the story of Cameron Baldridge, a popular high school teacher whose relationship with one of his students leads him down an unfortunate and self-destructive path. Stalked through text-messages, Baldridge fights for his life against a terrifying extortion plot and the forces that threaten to expose him.

Nobody Has To Know is a sobering look into a world of secrets, lies, and shocking revelations, and will leave the reader wondering many things, including whether or not you can ever really know the person you love.

Review:

As mentioned, Nobody Has to Know was a roller coaster of a ride where every page had me on the peak of the track right before it catapulted down. The obsession that defines each character makes the reader one who is obsessed with finding out the real answer to each of the events that unfolds. The lust, lies, thrills, madness, longing, hate, and love are thrown into a melting pot of suspense and you find it hard to distinguish what is really going on. This is what defined the novel as so suspenseful. The characters in Nappi's story were a main part of this lustful ride, more specifically the main character, Cam. I found a part of me hating him and questioning why he did the things he did. Every bump in his life made me think that he deserved it. It started with him not knowing when to say no. The further along, I felt sympathy for him and the pitiful turn his life took. Even though a part of me felt he deserved what was coming, the other part wanted him to make it out unscathed. What I loved most about Nappi's characters is how real he made them. A young teacher would be confused. High school girls do have a hard time keeping a secret and being rational. A jealous girlfriend might think that the only route was revenge. We have all lusted over something or someone we couldn't have and Nappi shows us a route of what can happen if thoughts become a reality. His writing was raw and threw me into a world that I never would have imagined. This book was a thrill ride all the way through the end. What it boils down to is the reality of his writing. I truly felt that I was experiencing everything right with Cam and Hayley and the others and saw all sides of these characters. I loved them, hated them, walked through the fires of envy with them. In the end, the only route for the obsession that consumed was to give into it. If you want a fast read that keeps you wanting more, this book is definitely one that belongings on the suspense shelf.
I can honestly say that by reading this book, I am definitely going to check out Fank Nappi's other ones and I hope they leave me breathless also.
So if you are looking for something to keep you occupied on the quiet and snowy evenings, curl up and get ready to be swept away in a thrilling adventure.

About the Author:

Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for over twenty years. His debut novel, Echoes From The Infantry, received national attention, including MWSA's silver medal for outstanding fiction. His follow-up novel, The Legend of Mickey Tussler, garnered rave reviews as well, including a movie adaptation of the touching story "A Mile in His Shoes" starring Dean Cain and Luke Schroder. Frank continues to produce quality work, including Sophomore Campaign, the intriguing sequel to the much heralded original story, and is presently at work on a third installment of the unique series. Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and their two sons, Nicholas and Anthony.

Want to see how the ride ends? I don't blame you. Nobody Has to Know can be purchsed at:

Amazon