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Teacher's Discussion Guide to The Acorn People
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Missing
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A British couple disappear in Spain's Costa Blanca and fears grow for their safety. As a fluent Spanish speaker, Detective Inspector Miguel-Ángel Fernandez seems the ideal choice to help track them down. But Miguel-Ángel hates his father's homeland. He has never been to Spain. Fatefully, the investigation leads him to the village where his father was born and the truth about the past is gradually revealed. Then a body is found and the hunt for the killer is on.
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By K. Wheat (Madison, WI USA)
We returned just yesterday from a two week trip to the area described in the book. We took it with us and read a chapter or two every night. We were dealing with real estate issues while we were there, so the property management topics were a lot of fun. Our property is in Lliber, so the descriptions of that town had us in hysterics. We were pleased to find the restuarant L'Era in Parcent used in the book as a party site is very real and very, very good. Although the characters in the book that are male are quite well "fleshed out", he is not as favorable to women. Both my husband and I commented on that. The plot set up is great, but the resolution of the crime and the too cliche ending for a fairly complex main character was not satisfying.
By KEN SCOTT author (Spain)
I picked up this book whilst on holiday in Spain. It sparked my interest, as the plot centered around the area I was visiting.
Harrison pulls you around the Jalon Valley, back and forth to Alicante and describes in wonderful detail the purpose of life in general, from the viewpoint of an outsider 'coming in' and from the Spanish villagers trying to embrace the tourists euro.
He somehow manages to jump inside an old villagers head, attempting to preserve the quality and purpose of the family unit and REAL quality of life. And there's a cracking plot too! You just won't guess 'whodunnit' at least I didn't anyway!
My favourite bit of the book is a mouth watering description of a cool beer, a tomato, some goats cheese and bread and olive oil in the Jalon valley at 9.30 in the morning. The finest French chef with a 101 sauces simply couldn't compete.
I'm wandering.... A great book.... a must buy.
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Hello Beautiful: 365 Ways to Be Even More Beautiful
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Beyond lotions, potions, powders, and creams, these health and beauty tips address the essentials for maximizing beauty from the inside, out: sustaining a positive outlook, maintaining an optimal diet and nutrition regimen, and selecting the appropriate skin care products. Included are professional tricks of the trade, such as how to choose the best tools and how to adjust lighting for makeup application, as well as positive affirmations and motivational messages from beauty experts.
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I love this book!! There is a copy at my hair salon and I've been glued to it every time I go there trying to memorize all the great ideas on each page because it is out of print. Now I've found it on Amazon and ordered gift copies for all my friends!! If that's not a strong recommendation, I dont know what is! ;-)
By Dean Miller (Glen Allen, Va United States)
How does one start the day???? Looking in the mirror....Will our day be POSITIVE??!!YES,when we begin by saying,"Hello,Beautiful"!!Positive self talk..Susies'words are our actions to an energetic,balanced day.Great tips;Easy and rewarding reading..Looking for MORE of your writings...
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The Big Idea Book: Five hundred new ideas to change the world in ways big and small
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Ideas are like buses, you wait forever and then 500 come along at once. The Big Idea Book is 500 novel, ingenious and downright crazy ideas designed to inspire, amuse and divert.
Idea-a-Day has a vast network of followers and contributors - some famous, some infamous, some revered, some reviled – who post ideas to be read, enjoyed, used or abused. Seth Godin, Malcolm Maclaren and Wayne Hemmingway are just a few of its fans. In The Big Idea Book all this creative energy is mixed together with unpublished ideas, quotes, cartoons, illustrations and thought-pieces to give creatives and cool office types a visual and intellectual treat guaranteed to kickstart the imagination and creative flair!
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Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers
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Praise for the first edition:
`An approachable and practical edition that will be welcomed by parents and carers alike. I know how hard it can be to find "How to" resources for parents. Well here is a gem.'
- Children, Young People and Families
Parents of young children newly diagnosed as on the autism spectrum are often at a loss for ideas about how best to help their child. Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum is not just a collection of play ideas; it shows how to break down activities into manageable stages, and looks at ways to gain a child's attention and motivation and to build on small achievements.
Each chapter covers a collection of ideas around a theme, including music, art, physical activities, playing outdoors, puzzles, turn-taking and using existing toys to create play sequences. There are also chapters on introducing reading and making the most of television. This updated second edition contains an extensive chapter on how to use the computer, the internet and the digital camera to find and make resources and activities, and suggests many suitable websites to help parents through the internet maze. The ideas are useful both for toddlers and primary age children who are still struggling with play.
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By F. Sadler (Seattle, WA United States)
This book has the clearest descriptions that I've seen for parents telling them how to engage their child with autism in play. It also has wonderful lists of resources on the web, and toys/materials that can be particularly engaging for children with autism. As a special education teacher working with preschoolers, I also found this book to have new ideas for me too.
By Uyen Zimmerman (Powell, OH)
I have an autistic son who is 4 years old now. He was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2 years old and I wish I had bought this book right from the start. There are so many great ideas and it's pratical for a child that's anywhere on the spectrum. The great thing about the activities are that they can be adapted and modified to your specific child. I would recommend this for sure to any parent or teacher with an autistic child.
By DR MELANIE ALLEN (ASHLAND, OREGON USA)
As a psychologist, I have often doubted the epidemic of diagnosis on
the autism spectrum but I found this book useful whether the diagnosis
is appropriate or not for kids that need more sensory stimulation and
creative play.
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Parents of kids newly diagnosed as having autism are often concerned bout how to interact with their child for maximum effectiveness. Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum is more than just a book about how to play with such a child: it shows how to break down activities into manageable stages, gain a child's attention, and build on play-oriented achievements for broader impact. Any parent with an autistic child will find this a winning guide, as will educators working with special education kids.
By A. Myers (Littleton, WV)
there are a few good ideas in this book, not exactly for me, but perhaps for others. I always find that it seems that they reach to hard to try and fill these types of books with activities, just take the concepts here and apply to each individual child is what I say!
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Playing, Laughing and Learning With Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers
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Parents of young children on the autism spectrum are often at a loss for ideas about how best to help their child. Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum shows how to break down activities into manageable stages and looks at ways to gain a child's attention. Case studies illustrate how obsession and ritual can be redirected positively and how to build on small achievements. Each chapter centers on a theme: music, art, reading, physical activities, puzzles, playing outdoors and turn taking and can be used for toddlers and older children who struggle with play.
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See more technical detailsBy F. Sadler (Seattle, WA United States)
This book has the clearest descriptions that I've seen for parents telling them how to engage their child with autism in play. It also has wonderful lists of resources on the web, and toys/materials that can be particularly engaging for children with autism. As a special education teacher working with preschoolers, I also found this book to have new ideas for me too.
By Uyen Zimmerman (Powell, OH)
I have an autistic son who is 4 years old now. He was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2 years old and I wish I had bought this book right from the start. There are so many great ideas and it's pratical for a child that's anywhere on the spectrum. The great thing about the activities are that they can be adapted and modified to your specific child. I would recommend this for sure to any parent or teacher with an autistic child.
By DR MELANIE ALLEN (ASHLAND, OREGON USA)
As a psychologist, I have often doubted the epidemic of diagnosis on
the autism spectrum but I found this book useful whether the diagnosis
is appropriate or not for kids that need more sensory stimulation and
creative play.
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Parents of kids newly diagnosed as having autism are often concerned bout how to interact with their child for maximum effectiveness. Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum is more than just a book about how to play with such a child: it shows how to break down activities into manageable stages, gain a child's attention, and build on play-oriented achievements for broader impact. Any parent with an autistic child will find this a winning guide, as will educators working with special education kids.
By A. Myers (Littleton, WV)
there are a few good ideas in this book, not exactly for me, but perhaps for others. I always find that it seems that they reach to hard to try and fill these types of books with activities, just take the concepts here and apply to each individual child is what I say!
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15 Instant & Irresistible Learning Centers That Build Early Reading & Writing Skills
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Easy How-to¹s, Quick Tips, and Reproducible Fill-in Forms That Invite Young Learners to Read & Write Independently
Create Kid-Pleasing Literacy Centers!
Nurture children¹s reading and writing skills in fun centers, such as a pet store, zoo office, airport, and more.
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Hairdressing - The Foundations: The Official Guide to to S/NVQ Level 2
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Palladino and Green’s Hairdressing – the Foundations provides you with an edge and covers everything you will need to succeed in your S/NVQ Level 2 Hairdressing course or equivalent qualification – from client care and consultation to cutting, colouring and perming. All elements of your level 2 qualification are explained clearly and simply using full-colour step-by-steps and stunning examples from a range of top hairdressing companies and stylists. Special learning features, such as activities, questions to check your progress and expert hints to help you give your work that professional advantage, make this a fully interactive learning package. The fifth edition is the only guide endorsed by Habia and City & Guilds and is written by two of the most respected authors in the training industry – Leo Palladino and Martin Green. This official guide to hairdressing is trusted by generations of top hairdressers, containing absolutely everything you will need to follow in their footsteps.
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Cooking Bacon Naked
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Drinking, fighting, and cheating on her. Whatever! She’ll take him back like she’s done so many times before, right? As long as he can stay alive and out of prison long enough to prove he loves her.
Stephen, a connoisseur of 7-Eleven merlot and wild women, has the perfect life for a guy who is overloaded with prescription medications, suffering from rage and bipolar disorders, and on probation for the premeditated assault of a seedy porno producer. "…Red wine is served at room temperature and the floor around my bed is always room temperature."
Liza, his off-again, on-again fiancée is the only good in his forsaken life. She is book smart, but street dumb and willing to do anything to break into show business. Her poster-girl good looks and country-girl gullibility made her a perfect target for Nikolai, an aged porn star turned porn producer. Nikolai has tricked Liza into believing she is just filming a raunchy soap opera. He allowed her to fake-sex her way through the first half of the film, leading her to believe that fade-to-black means no real sex. Liza learns that in porn films, there are no special effects and the gooey white stuff isn’t dishwashing liquid mixed with baking soda. When she refuses to have real sex with the block-away ugly actor from a banned porn film called Really Big, she’s given a life-threatening ultimatum, and Stephen may be the only man who can save her.
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By Chillyayo (NyC)
I think Stephen has come a long way since his debut novel "Confessions of a Womanizer". Furthermore, it seems as if he has found the right balance between the strong grammar he flexed in "Confessions of a Womanizer" by smoothing it out with a storyline. The novel is hilariously simple once you reach the second to last chapter. I like how he summed up everyone's predicament in a matter of a few paragraphs at the end. It's just like Stephen to have withheld the important part until the end. It always seemed as though Stephen was just leading the reader around, probably trying to cover up more of his lies, when we all knew how it would end all along.
To recap Stephen is a ex-boxer who's constantly in trouble with woman, the law and drinking. He rescues a woman whom he falls in love with. After that all hell breaks loose.
By S. Ryan (Baltimore, MD USA)
I picked this book for book club. I thought it would be quirky and different. From a black point of view but not the typical. Well this book was different, but all I got out of it was how to fight. There was so much fighting in this book, it just got on my nerves. I didn't finish the book and I was the host! This book just didn't keep me interested. I really tried to like it. It just jumped around too much from fight to fight, to the main character being thrown in jail, to his many sexscapades. Nobody read this book from my book club. I was kind of shamed that I picked it.
By Mahogany Book Club (Albany, N.Y.)
What a marvelously humorous and witty dialogue Stephen E. Chatman has endowed us with with his newest novel Cooking Bacon Naked. Throughout the meritorious depths of Cooking Chatman flaunts his stick-and-move philosophy, beguiling the reader with his flamboyant stunts as would the main event at Mandalay Bay. His epic storyline revolves around the lives of Stephen (an ex-boxer and guzzler of cheap Merlot with issues of grand proportions) and his love interest Liza, with notable appearances by Stephen's "other" women: Max, Melody and Rachel, the money-grubbing mother of his child.
As we each know, relationships and the maintaining of these relationships is often a 24-7 deal. (Ordeal in Stephen's case.) But what Chatman does is toss obstacles in the path of his protagonist's juggling routine, expecting him to maintain a perfect balance. This makes for hilarious entertainment: watching Stephen drop the balls and struggle to begin anew...
This brilliant melee is told from the perspective (or reality) of the male mind. And having the ability to gaze into the reality of what makes man tick is refreshingly well worth the read. As Chatman allows Stephen to stumble and trip over his often chauvinistic philosophy and fighter mentality, the reader is brought into that very reality. Thus is the skill of Chatman to entice with grand flare.
"Never let a guy come up behind you. You could get the life beat out of you," Stephen says frequently throughout Cooking, as if this is the most brilliant philosophy ever. In fact this philosophy is very reasonable. Though when considering how Chatman places Stephen in situations where the resolutions are so obvious to the reader - especially the female reader - "make sure your opponents gloves are in front of you" would suffice as a more plausible and respectable philosophy.
The repetition of that statement sets the mood for the hilarious scenarios and the laughable conversations we share with Stephen. This is what makes this novel truly special.
At one point in Cooking a hotheaded Stephen comes forth to do Max's bidding:
[pg. 67]
"So Max sent you? Max, Max, it's always Max. Answer me this," he quips.
Omar draws on his cigarette and exhales out of the corner of his mouth. Here it comes! I just knew he would blow the smoke in my face. That would have been majorly disrespectful and it's what I would have done, if I smoked...
Later in the menagerie we see another example of Stephen's great philosophy:
[pg. 115]
For years, the cronies took turns granting themselves big raises and fat-cat bonuses on top of bigger bonuses for their self-proclaimed vice-president titles. In my neighborhood, gang signs are flashed to identify your allegiance. Around the vice presidents, you gain allegiance by laughing heartily at anything they say that is an attempt at humor. Just to piss them off, I laugh as hard as I can before they even finish their joke. I suppose that's a form of reverse brown-nosing.
Chatman entices with his humor and stuns with the voracity of his truth. In one memorable scene Stephen is in jail after having punched a security guard in the nose for "being allergic to flashlights."
[pg. 149]
...Sometimes you have to ring a guy's bell to get him off your back. And if it's not the pervert, it's the convert who has spent his life stealing, beating and killing...but now wants to preach religion to me, while he awaits conviction for a quadruple homicide... This guy walks around with one of those picture bibles made for kids, since he can't even pronounce words on an eye chart. If you take the time to listen to his wild interpretations of the bible, you'll hear about Moses giving Eve an apple atop Mount Eden.
Humorous throughout without a doubt... And although the ending was a bit disappointing, what makes this novel such a rock amongst the sea of new literature is that Chatman doesn't shy away from taking risks. His "go-for-it" mentality really works wonders for the funnybone in all of us.
There are no if-ands-or-buts about it, if one fries up some bacon in his birthday-suit one is liable to get splashed by sizzling bacon grease. This analogy is likely the reason for the title Cooking Bacon Naked - one must be prepared to be splashed with Chatman's wit!
[...]
By Loose Leaves Book Review (Atlanta, GA USA)
It seems whenever the protagonist Stephen is determined to make the decision to tell Liza his feelings, he's either involved in a melee or he ends up sleeping with another woman. He can't keep his hands to himself or his penis in his pants. Those are just two of his downfalls; the others are his need for 7-Eleven brand merlots and his dependency on medication. His libations: Prozac café (coffee after taking Prozac) in the morning and a Lithium cocktail (a bottle of merlot after taking Lithium) in the evening.
Stephen gives recaps of all his adventures in first person singular. There are three sides to every story, yours, theirs and the truth...and this is Stephen's side of the truth. As an ex-boxer, he settles all disputes the old-fashioned way, with his fists. He's willing to fight anyone in Liza's honor. She is beautiful and men can't keep their eyes off her or their comments to themselves. That's disrespectful and the main reason Stephen doesn't have any male friends, except Hardy. It's time someone knew what drove him to this point. He wants you to know he can commit to Liza and agree to marry her. First, he has to stop his harem of women from throwing a monkey wrench in his plan when he least expects it. This may be his last opportunity to do it right. He was Liza's knight in shining armor and with every turn he's suddenly becoming the dark knight who should just go away.
It's like an amazing race to get to Liza and finally prove how much he loves her. Stephen's desperately trying to convince anyone who's willing to listen, how committed he can be to Liza. This is his last chance. He promises not to mess it up this time. The other times were just a test; this is the real thing, for real. After all the begging, pleading and fighting will Stephen finally get his woman, Liza?
Issues! That's what Stephen has. Chatman delivered this one with candor and a raw humor the average person may not get. It takes a certain level of wit to truly understand his sarcasm. I wanted him to digress but he wouldn't and I kept reading because the story is so addictive it kept me drawn into the drama. At some point you sympathize with this character. Other times you want to slap him and tell him to move the hell on. I really enjoyed this book. Many people would notice the title and ask, "What happens when you when you cook bacon naked?" Well the only obvious answer is: you may get burned.
Reviewed by Esther "Ess" Mays for Loose Leaves Book Review
By The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net)
Ever hear the expression, "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up way too much space?" Well, Stephen E. Chatman keeps his self-titled main character constantly hanging on for dear life. Fortunately, Stephen is the most charming bi-polar psychopath around. He is a retired prizefighter turned computer tech who finds himself constantly fighting guys who disrespect him. His "fight-first-and-ask-questions-later" attitude lands him on probation and in the bad graces of a gang of porn-producing Russians. He's also caught up in the mix with four influential women in his life: Liza, Max, Gigi and Rachel. Three are former lovers with unique significance and one is the love of his life. Although Stephen is a first-class ass, the reader can't help but cheer for him, even when it's clear he's about to screw himself again.
COOKING BACON NAKED is filled with raw sarcasm, graphic wit, gritty portrayals, and habitual violence. Stephen staggers through life in a merlot and drug induced haze as if he's not afraid of dying. And why should he be? His addiction and over-medication leave him feeling invincible and unaccountable for his actions. The effect is hypnotic. Chatman tells Stephen's story in the first person as if the character is sitting at the local watering hole swilling merlot and swapping lies. Chatman had the courage and foresight to leave himself room to bring Stephen back in a sequel to tantalize readers with more of his dysfunctional logic and questionable judgment. Undoubtedly, most readers would like a novel to end in a satisfying conclusion, but Stephen's life is just a little too complex to tie up in a predictable package. A commercial ending would not have fit the characterization. COOKING BACON NAKED is original, unapologetic, and crass; it will leave women rolling their eyes at the arrogance and men secretly wishing for a mental disorder as an excuse to act out.
Reviewed by Kim Anderson Ray
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
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It Happens Every Spring (The Four Seasons of a Marriage Series #1)
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Meet the characters that live, work, dream, and love in the community of Deepwater Cove. Best-selling authors Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer team up to show how four married couples, all in different stages in life, experience the joys and hardships of marriage as examined in Gary Chapman's The Four Seasons of Marriage. In book one, Steve and Brenda face a common problem among middle-age couples: empty nest syndrome. Steve works too much, and with their two children out of the house, Brenda feels lonely and unfulfilled. In order to save their marriage, the two must learn to reconnect. Readers are also introduced to many charming characters, like Cody, the mentally challenged homeless man that shows up on Steve and Brenda's porch; Pete, who owns the Rods ‘N' Ends tackle shop; and Patsy Pringle, who owns the Just As I Am beauty parlor, where much of the action takes place.
The series is based on the marriage principles found in Gary Chapman's non-fiction book The Four Seasons of Marriage. Similar in tone and light-hearted, quirky humor as Jan Karon's Mitford series, Fannie Flagg's books or Steel Magnolias. Each book has a study guide that talks about the four seasons of marriage and the healing strategies depicted in that volume's story.
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By Serena
I was pleasantly surprised by "It Happens Every Spring". I picked up the audio book on a long car trip with the in-laws, and it looked like a book that we would enjoy together (fairly PG rated, no profanity). The characters are intriguing, reminding me of Steel Magnolias, with their quirks and strong wills. The marriages are also very real, and I like the idea of the seasons of marriage. It seems to fit most people I know. The plot outcomes were predictable, no surprises here, but that's ok since the characters were fun.
What I found heavy handed were the long "marriage counseling" descriptions and conversations. Where feelings were stated and re-stated to hammer the "seasons of marriage" into your brain, and the arguments border on textbook training for counselors. But that aside, it's a nice read. I may get the other 3 books in the series.
By R. Thomas (Oklahoma)
I read this book in 2 days, and will be reading the 2nd in the series as soon as it arrives (and know Amazon it will be Monday!)
By Cheryl M. Miller (somewhere land, CA)
OMW!! I have this whole series and I just adore it! The characters are so great! You are guaranteed to find someone to relate to in this 4 book series located in a small lake community in Arkansas and I would be surprised if you don't just fall in love with Cody and his passion for chocolate cake cut into squares.
By kellytwo (cleveland hts, ohio)
I've read and enjoyed many Inspirational/Christian novels that fall into the romance category. But this one is not the most enjoyable I've ever read. I did read it all, to see where it was going, but found it to be very repetitious and preachy.
On the other hand, there were several important life lessons to be learned here, some of which the characters never did seem to get a really firm grasp. Cody is treated well by the authors and the characters, as is Patsy Pringle. Brenda, however, gets lambasted no matter what she does. She wasn't the only one who contributed to the bad and good of her marriage, but her husband Steven is whitewashed to the point of thinking he's the poor, put-upon long-suffering man who just wants a good wife. He doesn't seem to realize he can't expect that without reciprocating, and spending time with his wife.
Depression comes in many guises, and Brenda was fortunate to have good friends and neighbors to help her out of hers; Steve's friends weren't given the opportunity to help him see the errors of his ways. I suspect men who read this book will agree with Steve, while women will tend to see Brenda's side of things more clearly.
I think this is an interesting concept--pairing a non-fiction author with one more well-known for fiction--and using the former's self-help books as a basis for this series. Having not read any of the others--yet--I can't speak to how well they succeed in future volumes. I suspect I'll try at least one more of the series, as the characters and the setting are very appealing. I can't help but hope the women develop a bit more backbone, however. Women are not subservient, and I think it's harmful when they're presented as such. Equal partnerships are much better, and way more fun, especially in a loving relationship.
By Grateful Gramma (Southwest Virginia)
First in a series of four novels, It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer does a great job at illustrating the two sides of a marriage in trouble.
Brenda feels lost, now that the children are gone and Steve has immersed himself in his new job. She needs to feel a part of something and she needs attention and support from Steve.
Steve needs physical affection and attention from Brenda, to believe that she appreciates his efforts as breadwinner.
But somehow their timing is all off, their needs no longer mesh, and the longer things go, the farther apart they grow. There was an old magazine series called "Can This Marriage Be Saved?"; we find ourselves wondering the same thing.
A little preachy in a place or two but altogether a good story. Bits and pieces of other marriages in Tranquility peek through and we hope they'll be further developed in the other volumes.
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It Happens Every Spring (The Four Seasons of a Marriage Series #1)
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The first in a new series, "Four Seasons," takes us to Deepwater Cove, a small community on the shore of the Lake of the Ozarks, where we're introduced to four couples in different stages of life. It Happens Every Spring centers on Brenda, a lonely wife, and Steve, a go-getter real estate agent, in the mid-winter of their relationship. When a stranger appears at their door one night, change blows through their house and their marriage.
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See more technical detailsBy Serena
I was pleasantly surprised by "It Happens Every Spring". I picked up the audio book on a long car trip with the in-laws, and it looked like a book that we would enjoy together (fairly PG rated, no profanity). The characters are intriguing, reminding me of Steel Magnolias, with their quirks and strong wills. The marriages are also very real, and I like the idea of the seasons of marriage. It seems to fit most people I know. The plot outcomes were predictable, no surprises here, but that's ok since the characters were fun.
What I found heavy handed were the long "marriage counseling" descriptions and conversations. Where feelings were stated and re-stated to hammer the "seasons of marriage" into your brain, and the arguments border on textbook training for counselors. But that aside, it's a nice read. I may get the other 3 books in the series.
By R. Thomas (Oklahoma)
I read this book in 2 days, and will be reading the 2nd in the series as soon as it arrives (and know Amazon it will be Monday!)
By Cheryl M. Miller (somewhere land, CA)
OMW!! I have this whole series and I just adore it! The characters are so great! You are guaranteed to find someone to relate to in this 4 book series located in a small lake community in Arkansas and I would be surprised if you don't just fall in love with Cody and his passion for chocolate cake cut into squares.
By kellytwo (cleveland hts, ohio)
I've read and enjoyed many Inspirational/Christian novels that fall into the romance category. But this one is not the most enjoyable I've ever read. I did read it all, to see where it was going, but found it to be very repetitious and preachy.
On the other hand, there were several important life lessons to be learned here, some of which the characters never did seem to get a really firm grasp. Cody is treated well by the authors and the characters, as is Patsy Pringle. Brenda, however, gets lambasted no matter what she does. She wasn't the only one who contributed to the bad and good of her marriage, but her husband Steven is whitewashed to the point of thinking he's the poor, put-upon long-suffering man who just wants a good wife. He doesn't seem to realize he can't expect that without reciprocating, and spending time with his wife.
Depression comes in many guises, and Brenda was fortunate to have good friends and neighbors to help her out of hers; Steve's friends weren't given the opportunity to help him see the errors of his ways. I suspect men who read this book will agree with Steve, while women will tend to see Brenda's side of things more clearly.
I think this is an interesting concept--pairing a non-fiction author with one more well-known for fiction--and using the former's self-help books as a basis for this series. Having not read any of the others--yet--I can't speak to how well they succeed in future volumes. I suspect I'll try at least one more of the series, as the characters and the setting are very appealing. I can't help but hope the women develop a bit more backbone, however. Women are not subservient, and I think it's harmful when they're presented as such. Equal partnerships are much better, and way more fun, especially in a loving relationship.
By Grateful Gramma (Southwest Virginia)
First in a series of four novels, It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer does a great job at illustrating the two sides of a marriage in trouble.
Brenda feels lost, now that the children are gone and Steve has immersed himself in his new job. She needs to feel a part of something and she needs attention and support from Steve.
Steve needs physical affection and attention from Brenda, to believe that she appreciates his efforts as breadwinner.
But somehow their timing is all off, their needs no longer mesh, and the longer things go, the farther apart they grow. There was an old magazine series called "Can This Marriage Be Saved?"; we find ourselves wondering the same thing.
A little preachy in a place or two but altogether a good story. Bits and pieces of other marriages in Tranquility peek through and we hope they'll be further developed in the other volumes.
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