Senior News--September 2012 Column

For some time now I have been writing a monthly book review column for the Senior News newspaper. The Senior News is aimed to the 50 and over crowd with news relevant to seniors regarding various issues, humor pieces, and my review column among other things. The newspaper is a giveaway at doctor offices, stores, etc. and can be received by via a paid subscription. There are multiple editions across the state of Texas and therefore there is some fluctuation in content in each edition.

My column every month focuses on books of interest to the Texas audience. Therefore books selected for the column, fiction or non-fiction, are written by Texas residents, feature Texans in some way, or would have some other connection to the Texas based readership. At least two books are covered each month in the short space I am given.

Below is/was my September  2012 column with the addition here of the relevant book covers……

Available Grace: True Short Stories of the Rewards of Intentional Living

Marianne Cassell

Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co.

ISBN# 978-1-61204-608-2

Paperback (also available in e-book)

283 Pages

The synopsis explains it best-- “Available Grace: True Short Stories of the Rewards of Intentional Living is a wonderful collection showcasing moments when the author, her family, and friends experienced the grace of God in their lives.” As the Lubbock, Texas author explains, “Because these are true stories, I have changed the names of many people who were involved.”

Inspired by a bible study teacher who talked about sharing God’s grace, the book is made up of six sectional chapters detailing stories from 1964 to present day. Most of the stories involve the time period when the author was young to middle age though some are at other points in life.  Inspirational and comforting, this 283 page book is about the power of God, faith, and the strength to deal with what comes along in life. Texas Author Marianne Cassell has created a moving testimony to her faith and the power it holds in her life and in so many others.

Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen: A Dan Rhodes Mystery

Bill Crider

Minotaur Books (A Thomas Dunne Book)

ISBN# 978-0-312-64017-0

Hardback (also available as e-book)

272 Pages

Blacklin County in East Texas is home to wild hogs, a Wal-Mart, and more than a few murderers. It has happened again as Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen” opens and Sheriff Dan Rhodes is on the case. Lynn Ashton is very much dead on the floor of a local beauty parlor known as “The Beauty Shack.” Found by the owner of the beauty parlor, Sandra Wiley, it is clear that Lynn’s days of cutting hair are over. Lynn had a bit of a reputation and more and move comes out that isn’t flattering to her or helpful to solve the case as Sheriff Rhodes investigates.

No new ground is plowed in Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen in terms of character development and none is expected in this excellent long running series. After eighteen preceding books from Texas Author Bill Crider, readers get exactly what they expect and want as Sheriff Dan Rhodes will catch those responsible in another very good book in this series.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2012

Review: "Available Grace: True Short Stories of the Rewards of Intentional Living" by Marianne Cassell

The synopsis explains it best-- Available Grace: True Short Stories of the Rewards of Intentional Living is a wonderful collection showcasing moments when the author, her family, and friends experienced the grace of God in their lives.” As the Texas author explains, “Because these are true stories, I have changed the names of many people who were involved.”

Broken into six sectional chapters, the book covers 1964 to present day and relates numerous moments where God impacted the author, her family and their friends. Most of the stories involve the time period when the author was young to middle age though some are at other points.  The book was inspired by a bible study teacher who talked about sharing God’s grace with others in the class.

“Chapter One-Learning God’s Way” covers events where the author made peace with a very difficult neighbor, opened her home to a homeless couple, dealt with rumors that were not true, and other topics. Helping others and learning from them is the focus in this section.

That idea continues in “Chapter Two-Reaching Out.” This section is about taking a more active role in reaching out to others. For example, instead of waiting for the church to send a homeless couple to their door, the author and others in the church in Lubbock overcame obstacles to open a soup kitchen where it was needed. The power of faith at work in others in a very moving thing and covered in various cases in this chapter.

We all need healing in some way.  It comes in various forms in “Chapter Three- God Heals.”  From the story of her own daughter’s needs to the death of a child to many others, this chapter gives comfort and peace while showing how God can heal.

“Chapter Five- God’s Comfort and Encouragement” talks about many life problems and marriage situations. The author returns to the concept of her writing a book to make the point that this too was completed by overcoming obstacles.

 

The result of all that has gone on before is “Chapter Six-Receiving and Giving” where the author writes: “Once you give a gift without expecting anything in return there is an afterglow that occurs and makes you want to give all the time. But the reality is someone has to receive it if someone gives, and at one time or another that someone is each of us. (Page 151) The theme here is that a gift must be embraced to work its magic and this chapter details those cases. At the same time the gift is a sacrifice and one that has to be acknowledged in order for the gift to be embraced.

While the stories are separated into sections, many of these pieces share the same elements of all the chapters. Inspirational and comforting, this 283 page book is about the power of  God, faith, and the strength to deal with what comes along in life. Texas Author Marianne Cassell has created a moving testimony to her faith and the power it holds in her life and in so many others.

Available Grace: True Short Stories of the Rewards of Intentional Living

Marianne Cassell

Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co.

http://www.sbpra.com

November 2011

ISBN# 978-1-61204-608-2

Paperback (also available in e-book)

283 Pages

$13.95

Material supplied by PJ NUNN of BreakThrough Promotions for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012