Reviewed by Anna del C. Dye for Readers' Favorite

The first thing that I liked about this book was the Affirmations for Wealth Building found on the first pages. I know them to be true, for I have used them in my life. They are powerful views of the changes we can implement in our lives.

The other things I like are the different homework exercise sprinkled around throughout the book so you can learn hands on.

We all have a reason why we used money the way we do. I know what it is to be hungry so my pantry has a year's supply of food, because I don't want ever to run out. A person who never had new shoes in his or her early life will have shoes coming out of their ears and spend a lot of their money on shoes.

Julie shows us the many faces of why we use money the way we do. She has demonstrated that we need to manage our finances according to our own circumstances. My case will be different than yours therefore the result or application of the principles will also be varied.

Julie wrote a great book in how to understand your reasoning about money and show you the different things you can benefit from no matter what your life's path. I found that Building Wealth from the Inside Out is a well-written easy book that could change your life's outlook forever. I recommended this book to everyone, it is clear, enlightening and fun to read.

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

A murder, a suspect, a nuclear plant with a spent fuel reactor that no one wants to discuss, potassium, a terrorist plot and two stolen truckloads of fertilizer, plus a couple of Mongolian goons, makes for a thrilling race-against-time plot in this novel, The 19th Element. The man to tie up the loose ends and resolve the case is none other than James "Beck" Becker, a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota, just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River nuclear facility.

When the body of a University professor of agronomy turns up on the Mississippi River bank, Beck suspects foul play of a terrorist kind. His instinct tells him there is a connection among the victim and his missing lab assistant, Farris Ahmed, an international cell phone call and a stolen fertilizer truck, but no one believes him. After all, who could take seriously his suspicions of a potassium bomb attack on a nuclear plant facility? The local police, the FBI and the nuclear plant security scoff at his ideas until things start rolling, and it looks as if there is only one way things will end...in disaster. In fact, Beck is not wrong. Al Qaeda plans to attack Minnesota's Prairie River Power Plant as a means to restore the organization's fading reputation to international prominence. It is indeed a motley crew that Beck finds himself up against: Al Qaeda (who has struggled to get Arab operatives into the nuclear facility and has resorted to using two dimwitted homegrown anarchists) and a Three Mile Island survivor with a pathological vendetta against the nuclear establishment.

The author has established a likeable character in James Becker, one who has appeared in a previous novel and will no doubt feature in future political thrillers. By handling much of the narration, Beck's character imbues the novel with his own style and personality. Beck is laid-back, with a dry sense of humor and an unerring instinct for danger. He trusts his gut and so do his friends, namely Ottawa County's Chief Deputy Sheriff, Doug Gunderson, aka "Gunner" and Terry Red Feather, a full-blooded Mdewakanton Dakota American Indian, aka "Bull." This book is an excellent read, with the author managing to steer the untutored reader through a maze of technical details about nuclear power and potassium bombs without losing attention. My one criticism would be that the story slows down in the middle with the author "telling" rather than "showing" but speeds up to a satisfying and thrilling climax. An interesting snippet is the fact that potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (Neo-Latin kalium) and atomic number 19, hence the title of this book.

Reviewed by Carly Kendall for Readers' Favorite

I am no stranger to Jenny Cote's books. I have been on adventures with Max and Liz before, and I knew Jenny's new book, The Prophet, the Shepherd and the Star, was going to be another fantastic adventure. Jenny's books feature Max and Liz, a Scottish Terrier and a black cat, along with a cast of entertaining animal companions who live out actual stories from the Bible with amazing accuracy. The Prophet, the Shepherd and the Star starts out where the last book, The Dreamer, the Schemer, and the Robe left off: telling the nativity story.

Even though this book is intended for juvenile readers, the big kid in me can't help but love this book and the other books in this series. I found myself laughing out loud and learning as the familiar story of the nativity is told in a wonderful and entertaining way. It was so nice to see some of my favorite animal characters from previous stories, and I was delighted to meet the new characters. Jenny writes with a terrific humor that keeps kids and adults laughing and entertained.

I was not disappointed by any aspect of this book. It is a very long book, over five hundred pages, but it reads very fast and is very difficult to put down. I was actually happy the book was that long because I just didn't want it to end. Parents can feel very confident in giving their young ones this book to read, but they may want to read it first, because why should kids have all the fun? I loved every moment of this wonderful story. It is another winner by Jenny L. Cote!

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

Throughout his teenage years, Native American Fred was one of those guys who was always playing pranks on his friends and classmates. In their little town of Granite Falls, everyone knew everyone else and of course their business, too. Jobs were in the logging industry, silver mining or farming so there was not a lot of money, yet they seemed to make it just fine. Join the author as she tells of the adventures that have been passed down through the years about her ancestor, Fred Ballard.

"The Boy From Granite Falls" is a heartwarming flashback of the life of Fred Ballard and an insight into the life of family living in the mountains. This book has a wonderful, well written plot with adventure and humor that keeps your interest until the very end. The characters were fun and enjoyable. You will enjoy the trip back to life in the 1930's. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a nice light humorous read.

Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

The House by Anjuelle Floyd is about Anna Manning who stayed with her husband for thirty-five years, through the birth of their four children, and now all she wants is to be free...free from the years of infidelity, the years of spending weeks on end alone while her husband was out of town working and never alone. The only things that kept her going were her children and the house. Anna fights for her share of the home and her part of the money, but her husband refuses to sell. When he finally agrees, she knows something is wrong. She soon learns he is dying and only has 3-to-6 months to live. How can she leave him now? As the house draws the family back together again, all their problems from the years back emerge. Will Edward's pending death bring the family closer together or tear them further apart?

This book was really hard to put down. It has what most all readers enjoy: drama, love/ hate relationships, fears, lessons in life. Spousal and child abuse do not have to be physical; emotional abuse can cause more problems as it's rarely seen, and children take what they have seen into their adult lives. There could be no better title for this book. The House has seen and felt it all, and now for a short time, it has them all back together. This is a beautiful story, and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Darkarh's favorite and most honorable son, Egoragh, is murdered. Darkarh presses his seal ring to Egoragh's neck and sends Egoragh's body, via flamingos, to Steukhon, the priest, who transforms the dead Egoragh into mortal form as a baby, Egorh. Egorh is raised by St. Matthew who loves him dearly, but Egorh must grow up and fulfill his destiny, or the world will be ruled by evil. The epitome of evil is the sorceress Zinnia who, with her minions, conspires to do just that: rule the world with evil. Egorh is protected by an amulet he wears around his neck and by the dryads, Mirk and Kirk, who stay with him throughout his growing up years. Zinnia follows and attempts to foil Egorh through his growing years and enacts the curse of the flamingos, whereby she takes a human heart and turns the remaining body into a flamingo. Can Egorh with his helpers Daniel, Bubba, and Steukhon defeat Zinnia's powers?

The fantasy reader will love this well-edited, well-written and well-constructed novel. The plot flows smoothly to its exciting conclusion as Egorh and his companions go through one hair-raising adventure after another. The characters are believable and delightful. Kirk and Mirk go through amusing romps with the teenage Egorh, and Bubba, the drunken, corrupt magician's apprentice, is an unforgettable and lovable character. Curse of the Flamingo is visually attractive and a brilliantly executed fantasy.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Keeper of the Ark begins in modern times as the narrator reaches Ethiopia and finds St. Mary's of Zion Church where the original Ark of the Covenant is kept. Why in Ethiopia? Because when Moses was still an Egyptian general, he was married to a Nubian princess as a price for keeping Egyptian troops from storming King Kashta's fortress at Saba. The Nubian princess, Tharbis, loves Moses and follows him and the Israelites out of Egypt years later. Tharbis and Moses reunite years later, and Tharbia gives birth to their son, Jonathan, who secretly carries the original Ark of the Covenant back to the monks on the Island of Tana Kirkos. Eventually the Ark is transported to Ethiopia where it remains as this novel begins. Tharbis and Moses' descendants play important roles in the life of King Solomon as the story recounts numerous Biblical characters. The coming and crucifixion of Christ Jesus is detailed, and the last part of the story goes into future times when organized religions take unexpected turns.

The Keeper of the Ark covers many, many centuries of Biblical history, often from the perspective of those who were a part of it. The dialogue between characters is well developed and hand-drawn sketches at the beginning of many chapters adds to the text. A map of ancient Egypt, Ethiopia and the land which would become Israel is included, but a timeline of Biblical characters would have been a valuable addition. It would be welcomed by readers who might be overwhelmed by the number of people in this story.

The last few chapters go into future years of religion on Earth, and readers of certain religions may be offended by what transpires. Footnotes throughout all chapters as to Biblical sources might lend authenticity to readers unfamiliar with religious history.

Reviewed by Elizabeth M. for Readers' Favorite

The Hardline Self Help Handbook gives a person the necessary skills needed in order to achieve his/her dreams. In each chapter there are graphs and such in order to help a person deal with his/her particular issues in order to become a success. When doing the exercises and reading the illustrations, a person becomes empowered by learning new skills and ways to overcome any issue that comes his/her way. On the cover, the author has the question, "What are you willing to do to get what you really want?" In essence, this is the theme of the book that Paula Renaye wants to get across to her reader.

I highly recommend this book because of the opportunity to learn new skills and to have a plan to achieve any dream possible. Every reader will quickly become self-aware. Everything was put together with much purpose and ease, which makes this book so irresistible and difficult to put down once starting it up. An individual will grasp what is healthy and unhealthy as a means in which to change the negative thinking to positive. As a result, everyone can become a success due to how practical everything is written and how easy of a read this book is for the audience. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in making his/her life better.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

As an architect and educator, Bill Asti is more than well qualified to write on how people must work together to create sustainable communities for future generations. He has worked with knowledgeable, dedicated people like Win Rockefeller and Edward Durrell Stone. Asti is quite vocal about how the baby boomers, with their beliefs that they can do no wrong, actually did a lot of damage that future generations will have to undo, if possible. He is adamant about altering educational outcomes by decreasing the pressures on teachers to make certain students know the information for standardized tests.

In The Chicken Came First, Bill Asti is not concerned about global warming or using the right light bulbs but about communities that will serve future generations well and not blow away in the wind. He feels that citizens should have input into community decisions and that everything should not be left to politicians, a group with which he is not totally enamored. Who were the good guys? Carter? Reagan? Clinton? Read The Chicken Came First and find out an informed, educated person's opinion. Mankind is the chicken; without our input into the world, good or bad, there will be no eggs.

This is a very well-written and edited book that puts forth Bill Asti's vision of our world and where we may have gone wrong. It is well organized into sections and ends with his model of a good future community. Sadly, this book is written at a level that will appeal to college students and graduates; it would be a great textbook for many college classes. It's too bad that people who need to read Mr. Asti's thoughts about how gluttony may have ruined our world will not be able to read and comprehend The Chicken Came First.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Storyteller, actor, and American Civil Celebrant Gerald Fierst has created a book about weddings, but it's not about how to buy gowns and flowers, arrange for the reception, and where to place the candles. The Heart of the Wedding puts the magic back in a ceremony that people have neglected. He has officiated at many weddings and writes movingly of what a wedding really is: a couple coming together in marriage, their individual pasts moving into a future together. He offers many examples of couples marrying after living together for years and couples marrying with children from former relationships, and merges these with wedding history, poetry, songs and offerings. He concludes by listing the requirements for marriages in all fifty states.

In The Heart of the Wedding, Gerald Fierst has created a well-written and edited, beautifully organized book on weddings as an extraordinarily special occasion that is long overdue. Brides, grooms, and families will welcome this book with open arms for Mr. Fierst covers many options, moving, emotional and practical, that a couple can adapt to their own special wishes.

The index and table of contents are highly useful. Each chapter of The Heart of the Wedding is beautifully laid out with a variety of print formats that lend great appeal to even the casual browser. Black and white photographs of wedding couples add to the text as they are tastefully placed and not overwhelming in number. The Heart of the Wedding would make a perfect gift for any couple planning their special day. It belongs on library shelves everywhere.