When God Calls a Writer (Deanne Welsh) Book Review

2018 Reading Challenge

6. When God Calls a Writer by Deanne Welsh

Synopsis:
Is God calling you to write? Do you have a burning desire to write books and use words to inspire people and change the world?
When God Calls A Writer is a book about knowing that your desire to write is both a gift and a calling from God.
In When God Calls A Writer Deanne Welsh weaves the story of Moses with the story of a writer. Do you wonder if God is calling you to write, but you feel unqualified? What are the signs that God is calling you? Do you struggle to hear God's voice and guidance about your writing career? Are you eager for a powerful transformation in your faith and your writing?
Learn simple and strategic ways to allow God to connect with God, hear Him and allow Him to direct your writing journey.
Author Deanne Welsh shares her own story of insecurity and self-doubt and what it took for her to walk, first with doubt and then with confidence, into God's call for her to write. She gives you practical steps for listening to God and hearing His guidance, as well as the most important questions to ask as you begin your ministry-career of ideas, words, and stories.
By the end of this book you will have practical strategies to keep you focused, the specific questions to catapult your writing career forward, and the traits to develop and pay attention to for unstoppable writing success.
Your "yes" changes everything.

My Review:
I was interested in this book because I believe writing is one of my God-given talents.

This is a book aimed at Christian writers who believe that they are called to write. It gives encouragement if you don't believe you're suited for the job. The whole idea is to look to God to get through insecurities and any obstacles that stand in the way. With belief and faith in God, anything is possible. The book offers advice, tips, and exercises to find that faith in God and writing with Him will enable you to accomplish your call to write. It is short, but can be invaluable by writing with God, instead of without Him.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Photo Credit:
https://medium.com/@deannewelsh/free-book-when-god-calls-a-writer-446fb8a9b589

Roll with the Punches (Amy Gettinger) Book Review

2018 Reading Challenge

5. Roll With the Punches by Amy Gettinger

Synopsis:
A rollicking, funny chick lit mystery/adventure, full of fun and light romance.
Falling is extra hard on tall people, like Rhonda Hamilton: the bone breakage, the bruises, the ignominy of it all. And Rhonda’s falling, hard. First, how in the heck can the latest novel published by a nationally bestselling author be a close twin to the manuscript Rhonda has just finished writing and has barely started marketing to agents? Plus, why is Dad suddenly acting so odd: storing milk in the garage and throwing away Rhonda’s clothes?
Some goofy roller derby girls add a bludgeon of crazy to Rhonda’s hunt for the book thief, and two drool-worthy guys offer to help with Dad—guys Rhonda would gladly fall for, if her life weren’t careening madly between Dad’s bizarre antics, some treacherous derby bouts, a wild burlesque fundraiser, and the odd mudslide and house demolition. Only one thing is sure: if she wants to nail the wily plagiarist and keep Dad safe, Rhonda had better stay up on her skates to avoid a very big fall.

My Review:
Roll With the Punches is the first book I read this year that I just didn't care for. What drawn me to this book was that Rhonda belonged to a writing critique group. She also gets involved with a roller derby league after she gets noticed roller skating around town. I thought that was different because there's not a lot of books or media out there about the roller derby sport. While I am not a fan of it, I do have a cousin who was on a roller derby league for a couple of years.

The majority of this book revolves around Rhonda trying to figure out who stole her manuscript and made a bestseller out of it. The only people she knows that could have done it was a member of her writing group and she goes on a mission to narrow it down one by one. In the midst of solving that mystery, Rhonda goes through some crazy adventures in not only the search for the person responsible, but also dealing with the antics of roller derby and her dad's odd behaviors. The story is filled with an eclectic bunch of characters, some good, some not so quite.

Roll With the Punches is based heavily on comedy, but it fell short in the overall department. One of the big things that bothered me is the way that Rhonda and her family dealt with her dad's obvious Alzheimer's disease. They acted oblivious and in denial even though it was laid out crystal clear several times, especially when it came to Rhonda. When everything in her life was not going well, Rhonda coped with it the way she normally would any hard situation - with laughter and satire - but it went over the top. There were some good moments, but the concept and plot just didn't work for me.

I'm ending this review with a quote from one of the characters. It's actually said by the doctor who diagnoses the Alzheimer's.

"If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, we roast it with orange sauce."

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

A Dog's Journey (W. Bruce Cameron) Book Review

2018 Reading Challenge

4. A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron

Synopsis:
Buddy is a good dog.
After searching for his purpose through several eventful lives, Buddy is sure that he has found and fulfilled it. Yet as he watches curious baby Clarity get into dangerous mischief, he is certain that this little girl is very much in need of a dog of her own.
When Buddy is reborn, he realizes that he has a new destiny. He's overjoyed when he is adopted by Clarity, now a vibrant but troubled teenager. When they are suddenly separated, Buddy despairs―who will take care of his girl?
A charming and heartwarming story of hope, love, and unending devotion, A Dog's Journey asks the question: Do we really take care of our pets, or do they take care of us? More than just another endearing dog tale, A Dog's Journey is the moving story of unwavering loyalty and a love that crosses all barriers.

My Review:
A Dog's Journey is the sequel to A Dog's Purpose. You can read my review of A Dog's Purpose here. Both books are considered to be stand alone novels, but my advice is to read them in order. You'll be able to understand the characters better and how most of them are related.

In A Dog's Purpose, the dog portrayed was known most as Bailey, even though the dog goes through name changes throughout both books. With this review, it's so hard to write without referring to the dog as Bailey. As Bailey and the dog's lives continue, so does the lives of the characters. Some of them featured in here are older versions of themselves.

The rest of the dog's lives are lived out in A Dog's Journey. It's surreal on how much the dog can remember from all his previous lives, from times when he was trained to detect cancer, where he lived, and his owners/families he lived with, especially Ethan and Clarity. He's not always treated with proper care and survives through some hard and tragic circumstances, all the while helping and protecting those who have loved him. He has a heart of gold and will always put them before himself.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed A Dog's Journey better than A Dog's Purpose. I felt like all the hype and build up of A Dog's Purpose made it less underwhelming. In A Dog's Journey, the stories were more heart-wrenching, heart-breaking, and emotional in the way that it was delivered. Tears were shed more than once (especially at the ending) and I guarantee that anyone who reads this book will shed tears as well.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~