Melanie

Lovely little story, just not my cup of tea. Too predictable. I am also not a fan of the “serial” book trend. This was my first Brunstetter book. I will perhaps try an earlier novel.

I was extremely disappointed in this cookbook. Nothing inspiring AND simply calls for the use of “Gf white Flour”...no kidding? Please pardon my sarcasm and insert eye roll here. There are much better books on the market for those of us that must live GF.

This is 4-stars as a fun, light hearted read. A book for escape. To be read cuddled up in a blanket on a snowy night or sipping cocktails on the beach. It is pure fun and escape from the tough reality of our world.

I use this meditation/regression tape in order to relax. I went and heard Brian Weiss at a conference and was surprised at how much I enjoyed his story. You do not need to have a transcendent experience while listening to the recording to reap the benefits of thoughtful insights and a relaxing experience. His theories on life and after-life are interesting to read about and make determinations about your own belief systems.

Thank you to the author for this Giveaway.

Great little book. Easy to use. Easy to read and understand. The book format engages the user and keeps interest moving as opposed to the clinical worksheets I have experienced in the past.
Well organized and presented.

I received this book as a GR Giveaway. Thank you to [a:Matthew Schmaltz 6606510 Matthew Schmaltz https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and to Goodreads for the opportunity to read and review this book.WOW! I really enjoyed this book. Not only is it non-fiction but it also falls under the category of spiritual and or spiritual/academic reading. Often this type of literature can bog the reader down in footnotes and quotes and dare I say pretentiousness? Forget all of the bible study books and group study books that have come before [b:Mercy Matters: Opening Yourself to the Life-Changing Gift 26715778 Mercy Matters Opening Yourself to the Life-Changing Gift Mathew N. Schmalz https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1445791521s/26715778.jpg 46744573]. This is not only a book for home study but one that would suit well with a weekly group. The writing is fluid and engaging. Schmalz paints picture after picture of relatable and interesting scenes that draw the reader into the narrative. At the end of each chapter he encourages you to delve deeper into questions of mercy, faith and your own interactions with the world around you. Due to the excellent presentation of this book you are interested as a reader and therefore remain engaged with the questions posed. It is a book that I believe adults at any stage will see themselves in. Schmalz has the ability to write in a way that captures the interest of the reader and therefore leads them into a self discovery of their own views and beliefs. An excellent addition to ANY church library shelf.

This is what I call a “fun read”. Fast, entertaining, and addictive. Glad to see there are so many more in the series.

This book is just not keeping my attention. I can't seem to keep the people in it straight. Characters are flying in and out of the scenes so quickly that I am not connecting with ANY of them. This is a story about The Bennett Family. They have a bunch of kids, everyone is self indulged and all are living chaotic modern/millennial lives which I THINK I am supposed to be somehow interested, entertained by or perhaps relate to. Unfortunately I am experiencing none of these things. I am simply confused, disinterested and feeling like reading this is a chore. Does anyone know if it gets better? I have actually NOT finished it and am deciding if I will complete reading it or not. Perhaps it improves. In all fairness I only made it through 10%.

I need to give this one some thought. I may bump it up to 4 stars. This novel was like an elegant meal from a new culture while on vacation....enjoyable, interesting, different .... But you walk away not sure if you would like to try that again...it needs some time to settle.

I am enjoying this book of relaxing mandalas. The price point ($10.00 Canadian) was excellent for the quality of book although markers do leak through the pages. The book accomplishes what it sets out to do...it leads the user into a relaxing, mindful experience. The pictures where detailed and beautiful and the artist did not forget the fact that the purchaser would be USING this book. Details are not so delicate as to cause frustration. The affirmations attached to each mandala is a nice re-enforcement of Louise Hay's other healthy living books and a gentle reminder of the purpose of the book. The reader does not have to be familiar with the affirmations to enjoy their sentiments. I am deducting a star due to the paper not being sturdy enough to withstand the use of markers which many colouring subscribers enjoy using. A truly enjoyable purchase.

Well no one can deny this book is beautiful! The pictures are stunning. My complaints are simply....I can only colour so much greenery and come up with so many combinations of leaves before my creativity is truly tested. My fine motor skills were also tested by the intricate details of the illustrations.
The question you must ask when you purchase this book is “Why am I trying adult colouring?” If the answer is that you have been counselled that colouring is an excellent exercise in mindfulness and relaxation then this book might not be the right fit for you. The detailed work can be very frustrating and take away from any therapeutic value (depending on your personality). If you are a laid back type...it may not matter a bit. Now if you answered my original question with the idea of diving into your creative side and focusing not on therapeutic mindfulness, but on the artwork itself then this IS the book for you and is a 5 star choice. Good Luck Everyone... And have fun!

Fun not practical, but that is what you would expect right?
Plan for using this cookbook for special events and activities.

“Hmmm... I really wanted to enjoy this book. Am I the only one that feels like I grew up but Judy Blume didn't really come along into adulthood with me? Reminds me nostalgically of all my Judy Blume favourites, but I was expecting more maturity from this book written for the adult fan.” — 6 minutes ago

Too tired to write a review tonight. I really enjoyed this book. Enough that I am going to look up others by these authors. Thank goodness for book club..I would NOT have chosen this myself.

This is definitely a thriller. I love the way this author can write. Her descriptions and structure are a solid 5 STAR review. The first half of this book was a solid 5 Star winner. So...why then have I dropped my rating to a tepid 3 STARS?
There are some evils in this world I simply do not need described to me in order to be taken into a psychological thriller..There are some evils I do not need recited in detail to terrify me...There are some evils I simply do not need repeated with a novel in depth and description over and over again.
This novel literally gave me nightmares. The “crime” aspect was pounded home too graphically and too frequently for my liking. In terms of ability to paint a visual picture Karin Slaughter is a genius. In fairness she not only painted visual pictures of the crimes, but also the characters and emotions throughout the novel. Again a 5 STAR read.
So....now you understand that I bumped it down for its “gratuitous violence” if that can be noted in a written novel.
The second knock down of a star comes from the inability for this novel to end. I was finished with it when the mystery was revealed......then I was finished again many pages later when it appeared the bad guy or guys would get their comeuppance....
But....the book dragged on...telling us the story of what happened moving forward in the lives of the victim or victims. (No spoilers here).
So....another lost star for lack of editing.
I still suggest giving this book a shot....violence and length are a bit of a personal taste issue. You may love this book. The writing was definitely captivating.

I have to admit I have a bias to this play. My daughter is currently performing a high school production of it and last week they won for our area and are headed to regionals. This play about the agony of waiting...and how frequently we are forced to endure the wait was a fun little play with lots of surprises. Enjoyable and relatable. It's a nice addition to a playbill looking for diversity and humour in their evening set. I found the vignettes well paced and amusing. Solid 4 stars for this tiny comedy.

I am really loving this series. The twist was interesting...can't give it away. I wish I could watch the TV series. There was a commercial for the series playing on TV tonight but unfortunately it is an exclusive “Crave TV” production. I will continue to read. Books are their own magic.

Will always be one of my all time favourites!

As I read the first sections of the book I was obsessive! There was an evening when to my shock I checked the time due to my persistent yawning and discovered it was 4 AM. The author was able to draw a perfect picture of the surroundings, circumstance and the characters within the novel. Not only could I imagine these people but I understood their feelings and thoughts. I loved that this book was about the people and not their traumatic events. There were however a few downfalls which lowered my rating to 3 stars. Throughout the novel there Jack adopts a “baby talk” way of labelling items that I found incongruent with his other verbal skills as highlighted within the story. Unfortunately somewhere along the line the page turning slowed and my interest wavered. I cannot put my finger on why the pace of the novel declined. I wish that I could have remained as engaged with the last third of the story as I was with the beginning. I had the luxury of watching the film this evening as well. Much like the book I truly applauded some elements and disliked some choices that were made. The habit of labelling items that I found so annoying on the written page translated beautifully in the screen version and made perfect sense. Perhaps Emma Donoghue envisioned it that way all along. Definitely a book worth investigating and an author I will look for again.

This book has good information. Anyone living with chronic pain or facing any number of difficult diagnosis will benefit from the concepts within this book. That being said I am giving this only a 2 of 5 stars. It is simply far too repetitive. I understand that real life examples stick with the reader and bring the medical facts and statistics into my world. I just believe that the book could have included such examples and still cut to the point of each chapter a bit quicker. Several times as I listened to the audio book ( yes I admit this was an audio read for me) I paused to ensure I was not re-hearing something from a previous chapter. Although the authors narration is slow, clear and methodical which is a good thing, I did find it a bit too slow and a bit too methodical to the point of boredom. This boredom is not from the intended content but from the delivery both in the written and spoken word. All of this being said, pick up this book and skim through it. If you are facing any medical issues there is definite benefit to Dr. Rankin's take on medical care and healing.

Well this book was just ok for me. The writing style was excellent, it kept me listening however it also left me wanting more. More details regarding the main characters I guess. It just got to the point where it was rather one dimensional and dare I say predictable for me. I was irritated throughout that a key character was simply named “G”. That naming flaw sums up the things I disliked about this book. “G” needed a true name...or at least a REASON for not having one. This book for me was a bit like watching an artist produce the outlines in charcoal of a great sketch but never completely finish the painting, leaving it a bit empty with the foundation of greatness clearly visible. So sorry...that makes it a 3 star for me, so easily it could have rated higher.

Picked up towards the end with some great twists. This increased its rating for me as I finished the novel.

This was a quick read for me. I am very familiar with autism having a close family member with the diagnosis. I would simply caution readers that “if you have met 1 person with autism then you have met 1 person with autism”. Too often I meet well meaning individuals who have read a book such as this and then pigeon hole all their knowledge about this vast topic. My family member related with 90% of this book. The other parts his experiences were totally different. It is a great conversation starter and easy read for those interested or working with children on the spectrum. You cannot be a part of the autism community and not be proud and grateful of authors such as this.

I thought this book was a fast, fun read. It would be good for summer reading. I was surprised so many disliked it so avidly. Did I think it was masterpiece of literature? Of course not. Did I even think it was to BEST mystery I have ever read? Not at all. I did however wake up each day wanting to pick it up and read a bit more. It's a fun little mystery/thriller...kind of like a vodka cooler VS a good red wine. Enjoy it quickly, it's a refreshing light choice....nothing too deep to discuss. At least that was my take on it. Hope those that read it enjoy!

I picked up this book on vacation where it had been left behind in a seaside cottage. I had never read anything by Binchy and know how much she is adored. I do not believe this is her best effort. It was a quick read and writing format is very easy to get into. On that scale I would rate the novel with stellar marks. Unfortunately this particular novel is a collection of short stories which were not fully developed nor concluded properly. I had the sense that this may have been one of Bichey's beginning efforts or her cast offs and that following her great success a publisher printed these efforts up for profit. That being said, there was enough positive success within Lilac Bus that I will give this author another read.