#Military – Author D.L. Finn

Books that Changed Me—2023 Winter Edition! @AskATechTeacher @JoanHallWrites @bakeandwrite @sgc58

Hi!
Welcome to my last post of the year. Books that Changed Me is a list of some of the very best books I’ve read. Each season, I pick three or four books that have either changed me or stayed with me after I finished reading them—not easy since I read a lot of good books. A variety of genres have made the list including poetry and children’s books. I started doing this back in 2018 and if you are interested in seeing all my picks, click here: LINK

In no particular order, here are my winter recommendations with their blurb and link and universal link to Amazon. You’ve already seen my reviews in the past.

Wouldn’t any of these make a great present?

Twenty-Four Days Rowe-Delamagente #2
By J. Murray

Blurb
In the latest Rowe-Delamagente thriller, the two unlikely partners have less than a month to stop a North Korean missile strike after hijackers steal nuclear warhead-armed submarines. If they don’t, the USS Bunker Hill, on a peaceful mission to observe a North Korean missile launch, will be in grave danger. Piece by piece, Rowe and Delamagente uncover a bizarre nexus between a man Rowe thought dead, a North Korean communications satellite America believes is weaponized, an ideologue that cares only about revenge, and the USS Bunker Hill (a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser) tasked with supervising the satellite launch. As the deadline looms, they call on the unusual skills of a quirky AI named Otto with the unique ability to track anything with a digital trail.

Menagerie
By Joan Hall

Blurb
King’s. The Tower of London. Glass. What do these have in common?
Each is a famous menagerie.
While this Menagerie doesn’t focus on exotic animals, it does contain a collection of stories that explore various trials people face and how their reactions shape their worlds.
Survivors of a haunted bridge. Women who wait while their husbands fight a war. Former partners reuniting to solve a cold-case murder.
These are just three of the thirteen stories in this compendium, encompassing past and present, natural and supernatural, legend and reality. The genres and timelines are varied, but there’s a little something for everyone who enjoys reading about simpler times and small-town life.

Tales from the Irish Garden
By Sally Cronin

Blurb
The queen of Magia and her court have fled their sun filled Spanish homeland and the palace beneath the magnolia tree.
Arriving on the backs of geese and swans, they seek sanctuary in the magic garden of The Storyteller who welcomes them to the Emerald Island, a place where rain is almost a daily feature.
Grateful for their safe haven and the generosity of their host, the queen and her courtiers embrace their new surroundings with delight.
As the seasons change throughout the year, they come into contact with many of the human and animal inhabitants of the garden and the surrounding forest, all of whom have a story to tell.
This is a magical fairy story infused with fantasy and romance, as well as opportunities for mischief in the company of goblins, witches and Lerpersians.

Neema the Misfit Giraffe
By Robbie Cheadle and Micheal Cheadle

Blurb
Neema is different from her fellow giraffes. Their lack of understanding make her feel unwelcome. Neema sets off on a journey to find a new friends.
Includes illustrations, photographs, and links to video footage of giraffes, as well as fun giraffe facts.

NOTE: I will be taking a end of the year break until January 8th. There will be one special post on January 2nd, but the rest of the week I have grandma duty.
Check your email if you are subcribed to my monthly newsletter! It went out early too.

Not only embrace your inner child by reading a good book, but give the gift of reading this year. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! D. L. Finn 🙂

March Book Reviews Part 1! @JanSikes3 Joy York @JoyYorkAuthor @lionelraygreen #writingcommunity #whattoread #mustread #indieauthors #bookreviews

Dead of Winter

by Lionel Ray Green

“Dead of Winter” is a scary short story set on a lonely country road. Joe is driving to meet up with his partner when he sees a woman stranded by her car. He pulls over to help with obvious bad intentions. He is a creepy character who wants something but at the same time needs help from his partner—whom he can’t contact. The woman is careful in her responses and doesn’t jump right into trouble with him, which I liked. The pacing was broken up with chapters that worked well, as it seemed to match Joe’s thinking process. There are a couple of surprises, with a great twist. The ending was very satisfying. I can easily recommend this quick read.

The Bloody Shoe Affair: A Daring and Thrilling Adventure with the Jailer’s Daughter

by Joy York

“The Bloody Shoe Affair” is a fun YA whodunit set in Mississippi in the late 1960s. Fourteen-year-old Christi is visiting her grandparents for their 50th-anniversary celebration. She stays with her cousin, Lily, whose father is a law officer, and the house is attached to the jail. Lily’s curiosity of a pair of bloody shoes found but no body pull the two girls into a who was or wasn’t killed. Lily decides the man sitting in jail is innocent, and the two girls begin their investigation. It was fun to go back to the late sixties and see references to snacks, clothes, music, and communications. It brought back some memories of when I grew up. I liked how opposite these girls were, but how they pulled together and got along. Lily was strong and knew how to manipulate adults. While Christi wanted the excitement brought into her life by her cousin, she was more cautious. This was a fun read that reminded me of the Nancy Drew books I used to enjoy with more thrills added in. I could see middle-grade readers enjoying this as well as YA and adults. A fun story that kept me engaged with an exciting ending!

Jagged Feathers

by Jan Sikes

“Jagged Feathers” focuses on Vann or the soldier who brought the message back from Sam in “Ghostly Interference.” He has settled into a cabin with a stray dog who found him. He is broken from the war and vows not to give his heart to anyone. But he also has the rune given to him by another couple, Jag and Rena, who found their happily ever after. When Vann goes into town to get supplies, he runs across a sick woman, Nakina, who needs help. Promising not to go to the hospital, he takes care of her. One thing I really loved about this story is the gentleness of these two characters and their journey. Vann doesn’t feel like a whole man with part of his leg missing but is courageous and kind. Nakina is not only running from some bad people but learning about her gifts and how to use them. Both are artistically inclined, with Vann working with wood and Nakina feathers. Painting feathers completely fascinated me. Plus, they both are carrying issues from their past that could hold them back. I fell in love with the stray dog Champion and this couple. When the bad finds Nakina, it becomes nonstop action while this couple keeps connecting. It’s a beautiful love trying to bloom while they battle the bad guys. This was a perfect blend of PTSD, guilt, bad guys, friendship, acceptance, and embracing the spiritual realm. I absolutely loved this story and can’t wait for the next rune couple. 😊 I highly recommend!

I only post my 4 & 5-star reviews. If I don’t like a book, I won’t finish it. It doesn’t feel right leaving a review in that case, but I have been known to email the author:) Life is too short not to enjoy every book you read!

Watch for a special edition blog this week! You won’t want to miss it.

Embrace your inner child with a huge hug by reading a great book! D. L. Finn

New Release—Jagged Feathers by Jan Sikes! @jansikes3 #RomanticSuspense #WhiteRuneSeries #newrelease #whattoread #writingcommunity

I’m thrilled to have fellow Story Empire Author here today to share her good news—the release of Jagged Feathers. I just finished it, and LOVED it! Here’s my review on Amazon.

Thank you, Denise, for inviting me to your blog site today to talk about my new book, JAGGED FEATHERS! I appreciate your generosity.

I am a huge fan of Ernest Hemingway. He was such a brilliant writer, but he also possessed deep insight into certain aspects of life. I’ll never understand what drove him to commit suicide.

In Jagged Feathers, Nakina Bird keeps a Hemingway quote next to her computer, and it gives her hope for healing from her grief after losing her parents in a horrific accident.

EXCERPT

She(Nakina) flashed on the Hemingway quote that was taped to the wall above her computer back home. The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

Finding the quote shortly after her parent’s death, she knew she had broken in places that would, by force, eventually be stronger. She wondered if it was the same for the soldier who had rescued her and so unselfishly and tenderly nursed her back to health.

***

I’ve given Hemingway’s words a lot of thought and find it them to be true. When my husband passed away, there is no question some part of me was broken. But when I started writing our story, piece by piece, the broken places began to mend and are now stronger than before. So, from a personal perspective, this quote is significant. Does the quote resonate with you in any way? I’d love to hear from you.

BOOK TRAILER

BLURB

Vann Noble did his duty. He served his country and returned a shell of a man, wounded inside and out. With a missing limb and battling PTSD, he seeks healing in an isolated cabin outside a small Texas town with a stray dog that sees beyond his master’s scars. If only the white rune’s magic can bring a happily ever after to a man as broken as Vann.

On the run from hired killers and struggling to make sense of her unexplained deadly mission, Nakina Bird seeks refuge in Vann’s cabin. She has secrets. Secrets that can get them all killed.

A ticking clock and long odds of living or dying, create jarring risks.

Will these two not only survive, but find an unexpected love along the way? Or, will evil forces win and destroy them both?