A Review of The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack

Three Mexican fishermen adrift at sea, fishing over the side of the boat to survive, with little hope of rescue. A former high ranking American businessman for a major motion picture company with a severe addiction problem, now jobless, with a failing marriage. The author weaves an almost unbelievable tale of connection between these two unlikely entities. He should know the story well. He was the businessman who met the fishermen and interviewed them after their miraculous rescue, which became a part of his own personal rescue.

With painstaking detail and a stranger than fiction quality this true story brings the reader to the realization that God is Sovereign in all of our paths, the good and the bad, and that He is in the business of rescuing.

I was given a complimentary copy of The Fourth Fishermen from Multnomah Press in exchange for my honest opinion about the book.

Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen : Delightful!

Amidst a backdrop of secrecy a young girl crosses class barriers to find love on the rugged Cornwall coast.
Emma Smallwood has lost her mother. Her bereaved father is a tutor by profession and as his assistant she's seen her quota of prankster boys. When she and her father are invited to live with the Westons to tutor the younger sons, Emma's recollection conjures up all the tricks the eldest, Henry Weston, a former pupil, had up his sleeve. It was his brother, Phillip, she was sweet on, though she hardly dared to admit it to herself.

Complete with a cold stepmother, a family secret in a forbidden wing of the house, a few harrowing scenes at high tide, and a gentle undertow of the Christian faith, The Tutor's daughter does not disappoint. I'd have to say the only weakness in the story was the reader's being able to gain insight into the hero's point of view a little too soon.

The book's cover cites Jane Eyre the book,  Jane Austen the author, and Downton Abbey the latest British PBS series, as influences for the author's  former works of historical fiction.  Since I am a fan of all three, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in return for my honest opinion.

Cybermentor Mom: Enjoy Every Moment Part 3

Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come, but we have this moment today. So goes a song I used to sing in the eighties. Yes, yesterday is certainly gone. I will never have to change another diaper (except as a Grandma!) and there will be no more tooth fairy visits, or birthday pinatas. Those days are over for me.

I remember thinking at the time, as I listened to far wiser women, I must enjoy them while they're young-they grow up so quickly! It's hard to imagine that when you're in the busy years of child rearing. But it's so true!

At the risk of being cliche, I must say that you blink your eyes and they're grown!

So give yourself, your memory, and your children a gift. Purpose to live in the moment and enjoy your young children in the magical moments of childhood. (There will be dark magic times too!) Then, when you look back later, you can remember that you did indeed live every moment to the fullest, for it is certain that you cannot get those days back.