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You Have Permission to Be You

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  Have you ever struggled with people pleasing?  Have you ever felt like you didn’t have the permission to be you? I know these struggles well.  Joyce Meyer, in her book Authentically Uniquely You:  Living Free from Comparisons and the Need to Please, shares biblical concepts for overcoming these issues. Synopsis:  “ God has given you gifts so you can fulfill His purpose for your life, but if you're like a lot of people, you may not have recognized your talents yet. Start asking God to show you something special about the way He's made you. To some people, He's given a very tender, compassionate heart, and some He has wired to lead others effectively. Others, He has given a gift of being able to communicate clearly, to teach, to make scientific discoveries, or to write beautiful music. Only you can discover all the dynamic gifts He's placed in you. Become Authentically, Uniquely You because God is never going to help you be anyone but yourself. He loves you just...
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Life Has Many Different Stops Along the Journey

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  When a family goes through a grieving period, often the question can become “What’s next?”  Nancy Thayer tells the story of a family that has to recover from two losses.  What better way to recover than to visit Nantucket?  Will they be able to move forward? Synopsis:    “Eddie Grant is happy with her life and her work as a personal assistant to Dinah Lavender, one of the most famous and renowned romance authors in the business. But being a spectator to notoriety and glamour isn’t as fulfilling as she once thought. Thankfully, Eddie has the perfect excuse for a vacation: Her hardworking younger sister, Barrett, is opening her gift shop on Memorial Day weekend, and could use all the help she can get.  But going home to the beautiful island of Nantucket means facing the family’s difficult past. Shortly after the death of Eddie and Barrett’s brother, their mother left them and their father made the spontaneous decision to buy a small farm. Eddie stayed ...
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Can We Forgive Those Who Unintentionally Hurt Us?

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  Sarah Sundin introduces us to the events that took place in Scotland during  World War II, in the Scottish setting.  I was unfamiliar with these events myself. The author has written many books about the World War II era, so writing about Scotland would not be a stretch for her.  The other topic in this story is the story of Nazi spies in the United Kingdom and the Counter Espionage program.   Synopsis:  “The only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the German occupation of the Netherlands is to do the unthinkable--become a spy for the Nazis in Britain. She soothes her conscience with a plan to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. Her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed. But perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence sends her to Scotland to radio misleading messages to Germany, messages about the naval base at Scapa Flow to be cr...
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A Woman of Great Importance

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  Sonia Purnell tells us the story of  Virginia Hall in the book A Woman of No Importance .  Virginia Hall is a very important woman in history.  Her work during World War II was God-inspired.  There is no one that he can’t use. Synopsis: “In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bount...
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All The Ingredients For The Story of One of My Favorite Toys

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  What was your favorite toy growing up? Or how many Barbies did you have?  My favorite Barbies were the 80s astronaut Barbie, the day-to-night Barbie,  and one where you could create special hairstyles.  Barbies are definitely a different kind of doll. How did it begin?  In her novel Let’s Call Her Barbie, author Renee Rosen explores the origins of Barbie. Synopsis: “When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up. In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything. As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, ...
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  Georgia has many small islands located off the east coast of the state.  Cumberland Island is different from others because of the land use. Kimberly Brock creates a story that shows the history of the island and how that impacts the characters years later.  A request is made, and a journey begins.  Synopsis:  “1932 . Cumberland Island off the coast of Southern Georgia is a strange place to encounter the opulence of the Gilded Age, but the last vestiges of the famed philanthropic Carnegie family still take up brief seasonal residence in their grand mansions there. This year’s party at Plum Orchard is a lively group: young men from some of America’s finest families who come to experience the area’s hunting beside a local guide, a beautiful debutante expecting to be engaged by the week’s end, and a promising female artist who believes she has meaningful ties to her wealthy hosts. But when temptations arise and passions flare, an evening of revelry and storytelli...
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Are You Ready to Visit the Shop on Hidden Lane?

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  Thank you to Penguin Random House and Tandem Literary for a copy of this book to review.  I received it in exchange for an honest review.  The latest Jayne Ann Krentz book is an adventure and one that readers will enjoy!  Some supernatural aspects of the story only enhance the mystery.   Are you ready to dive into an adventure?   Synopsis: “The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret. Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the...
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