Genre: Spirituality & Metaphysics

Blog Book Tour | “Yellow-billed Magpie” by Nancy Schoellkopf

Posted Monday, 19 October, 2015 by jorielov , , , 1 Comment

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a part of the blog tour for “Yellow-billed Magpie” hosted by iRead Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Nancy Schoellkopf in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why my interest was piqued with this novel:

I like novels which ask questions of it’s readers inasmuch as a story whose heart is aching for a reader to dig a bit deeper than the superficial level of insight. I like finding novelists who write a story with it’s own uniqueness to where it cannot be measured against another novel; for it’s originality sets it apart. I like finding authors who are daring in their courage to tell stories other writers might not feel they can write as eloquently but I appreciate all writers who strive towards pushing themselves past their own set of comfort zones.

I was enthralled with the idea behind Yellow-billed Magpie by the title and then the synopsis. Generally titles may or may not sway me one way or the other; usually because until you sit down with a novel, the title is a bit elusive in explaining itself to you. A synopsis is only a short breath of a clue to what a novel could speak to you about as you read it, but it’s a hint of a suggestion nonetheless. For book bloggers and reviewers (like myself) the synopsis either wins us over in curiosity or we might take a pass on a title until lateron down the road.

In this instance, I was finding myself enjoying the pleasure of seeking out Indie Writers and/or Self Published Writers who were happily giving me a story-line which did not feel repetitive nor re-invented. I like finding writers whose stories tend to stand out from the pack and give you a character who might stay with you longer than the time it takes to read their story. All novels effect us in different ways, some even flutter back inside our memories at later dates – randomly overtaking our thoughts. I like seeking out the stories which give me something to chew on and give me a hearty story to appreciate as I read the words their author left behind for me to find. I was hoping this might be one I would find I couldn’t quite put down without gratitude for taking a chance on it’s author’s style.

Blog Book Tour | “Yellow-billed Magpie” by Nancy SchoellkopfYellow-billed Magpie
by Nancy Schoellkopf
Source: Author via iRead Book Tours

Unlike their black-billed cousins, yellow-billed magpies are rarely found outside California’s central valley. So when they begin showing up in Samantha O’Malley’s dreams, she wonders: are they calling me home?

Disappointed by failed fertility treatments and the break-up of her marriage, Samantha returns to her home town and slips into old habits, resuming her teaching career, even hooking up with an old lover. But she also renews her friendship with Craig, the school custodian she honors as her spiritual guide. The work they do together with Samantha’s special education students will lead her to discoveries she never thought possible.

Yellow-Billed Magpie is a love story, a spiritual journey, a quest to look beyond appearances to the mystical rhythms that guide the human heart.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780692445730

Also by this author: Red-tailed Hawk

on 3rd August 2015

Pages: 216

Available Formats: Paperback

Converse via: #YellowbilledMagpie

About Nancy Schoellkopf

Nancy Schoellkopf

Nancy Schoellkopf has been telling stories and writing poems for many lifetimes. It goes without saying she’s needed a second income, so this time around she happily taught amazing children in special education classes in two urban school districts in Sacramento, California.

A full time writer now, she enjoys lavishing attention on her cat, her garden and her intriguing circle of family and friends.

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Posted Monday, 19 October, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cats and Kittens, Debut Author, Indie Author, iRead Book Tours, Modern Day, Vulgarity in Literature

Blog Book Tour | “Alchemy’s Daughter” by Mary A. Osborne

Posted Thursday, 30 July, 2015 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a part of the blog tour for “Alchemy’s Daughter” hosted by Italy Book Tours. Although I recently started to host for iRead Book Tours, this is my first tour with the Italian side of this duo book touring company! I received a complimentary copy of “Alchemy’s Daughter” direct from the publisher Lake Street Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Switching from France to Italy:

When I was first approached to host for iRead Book Tours, and their sister hosting services via Italy Book Tours, something inside me was quite keen on the idea to start reading stories set in Italy as I have been spending nearly two full years residing in the historical past of France! I love learning about different cultural traditions inasmuch as I like the angling of insight into my own heritage but sometimes I find that if I switch up the locales a bit, exchange one country for another, it keeps everything quite fresh and invigorating! Therefore, imagine my sweet surprise in finding I can start to tuck inside novels set in Italy and continue to time travel through history!?

I was quite happy to discover inside my ARC copy of this YA Historical a lovely bookmark from the publisher! Quite a keen surprise to discover and I can assure you it was used as I read the book! I love finding bookmarks in the pages of a book I am reviewing; as I am definitely a book blogger who can NEVER have too many! Laughs with mirth. Perhaps you feel the same!? Does your bookshelf have a lot of current reads and must-get-those-soon reads begging for your attention? Do you pick out bookmarks to compliment your reading queue whilst finding each book to be read has a bookmark, which leaves you a bit curious to find one to use with the current book in hand? Thus, you can see how lovely it was indeed for me to pull out a bookmark from a book I was reading as I blog my review! Quite champion of Lake Street Press!

Blog Book Tour | “Alchemy’s Daughter” by Mary A. OsborneAlchemy's Daughter
by Mary A. Osborne
Source: Publisher via Italy Book Tours

In medieval San Gimignano, Italy, daughters of merchants are expected to marry. But Santina Pietra cares only for Calandrino, a brilliant young scholar who is preoccupied with his ancient alchemical texts.

Soon Santina meets Trotula, the village midwife, who might or might not be a "strega," a witch. Trotula challenges her to forget Calandrino and become the woman she is meant to be. Some say she is a victim of the midwife’s spell, but Santina is determined to follow in Trotula’s footsteps even as calamities strike.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Midwife | Midwifery, Young Adult Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Women's Studies



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Lake Street Press

on 14th May, 2015

Format: Paperback ARC

Pages: 288

Published By: Lake Street Press (@LakeStreetPress),
Available Formats: Trade Paperback only

NOTE: Alchemy’s Daughter is the PREQUEL to Nonna’s Book of Mysteries

Read more about the 1st Novel in the series

I opted to read the PREQUEL ahead of the first novel!

About Mary A. Osborne

Mary A. Osborne

Mary A. Osborne is the multiple award-winning author of Alchemy's Daughter and Nonna’s Book of Mysteries. A graduate of Rush University and Knox College, where she was mentored in the Creative Writing Program, Ms. Osborne is a registered nurse and holds degrees in chemistry and nursing.

Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as Hektoen International, Newcity, and the Examiner.com. Ms. Osborne lives in Chicago.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Posted Thursday, 30 July, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 14th Century, Ancient Egypt, Apothecary, ARC | Galley Copy, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Catholicism, Christianity, Coming-Of Age, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Father-Daughter Relationships, Herbalist, Historical Fiction, History, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Italy, Italy Book Tours, Late Middle Ages (1300-1500), Life Shift, Literature of Italy, Medical Fiction, Midwife | Midwifery, Midwives & Childbirth, Naturopathic Medicine, Passionate Researcher, Philosophical Intuitiveness, Philosophy, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Religious History, Single Fathers, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, the Renaissance (14th-17th Centuries), Women's Fiction, Women's Health, Women's Right to Choose (Health Care Rights), Women's Rights, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, World Religions, Young Adult Fiction

Blog Book Tour | “Enslaved to Saved: The Metaphor of Christ as our Master” by W. Reid Litchfield This is a #nonfiction #mustread for readers of #ChristFic, #INSPY, & #LDS! It reaches across hidden barriers and unites all of us together.

Posted Monday, 18 May, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Enslaved to Saved” direct from the publisher CFI (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On why I elected to read Enslaved to Saved:

The title of this book implored me outright to become interested in reading it as I have had a curiosity to uncover more about Christ (as a man as much as the Son of God) in regards to who He was whilst He lived on earth and how the legacy of His teachings left behind for us to find after He left. On a similar vein, Mum and I have wanted to dig inside the women of the Bible, to uncover more biographical bits about who they were and the lives they lived because too often we only get to know fragmented pieces about the men and women who lived centuries ago yet who have such a crucial part of our shared religious history. As far as the women go, I know we want to seek out Biblical Historical fiction as a gateway, but when I saw this non-fiction release about Christ, it was definitely a moment where I felt as if I had stumbled across a book I was meant to read ‘at this moment in time’.

– excerpt taken from my explanation on the top anchour of Litchfield’s Guest Post

Blog Book Tour | “Enslaved to Saved: The Metaphor of Christ as our Master” by W. Reid Litchfield This is a #nonfiction #mustread for readers of #ChristFic, #INSPY, & #LDS! It reaches across hidden barriers and unites all of us together.Enslaved to Saved: The Metaphor of Christ as our Master
by W. Reid Litchfield
Source: Direct from Publisher

Who is your Master: Sin or the SAVIOR?

This thought-provoking book examines the cultural and political background of slavery during the time of Christ and what it means to our modern-day commitment to the Lord.

Where our King James New Testament reads "servant of Christ", the original Greek translates to "slave of Christ." This nuance will change how you read the New Testament.

*Unlock the deeper meanings of the Savior's most beloved parables

*Discover how the early Saints viewed their relationship to Christ

*Explore the difference between servitude and slavery in several well-known verses

Reid Litchfield, a Harvard-trained endocrinologist and longtime gospel scholar, shows how you can become a slave to Christ and paradoxically free yourself from the captivity of sin and death.

Genres: Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Spirituality & Metaphysics



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Also by this author: Guest Post by W. Reid Litchfield

Published by CFI (imprint) Cedar Fort Inc

on 12th May, 2015

Format: Paperback

Pages: 160

Published By: CFI (imprint) of Cedar Fort Inc (@CedarFortBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse on Twitter via:

#EnslavedToSaved, #ChristCentered, #BibleStudy & #ChristianNonFiction

About W. Reid Litchfield

Dr W. Reid Litchfield

W. Reid Litchfield is an endocrinologist from Henderson, Nevada. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University (B.S.) and University of Calgary (M.D.) and completed his endocrinology fellowship at Harvard Medical School. In addition to a number of scientific publications he has published medical history papers entitled On The Physical Death Of Jesus Christ and The Bittersweet Demise of Herod the Great. He is the recipient of numerous Top Doctor awards as well as professional awards for leadership in his community and medical society.

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Posted Monday, 18 May, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Adoption, Ancient Civilisation, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Biblical History, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Catholicism, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Christianity, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Equality In Literature, Good vs. Evil, History, Important Figures of Ancient Times, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Judiasm, Lessons from Scripture, Modern Day, Mormonism, Non-Fiction, Passionate Researcher, Philosophy, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Religious History, Short Stories or Essays, Social Change, Sociological Behavior, Spirituality & Metaphysics, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, The Deep South, World Religions

Author Guest Post | An Introductory explanation behind the heart of what inspired Dr. Litchfield to write ‘Enslaved to Saved’ an extraordinary look inside the path left behind by Christ for us to follow.

Posted Tuesday, 12 May, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Author Guest Post Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

In January of 2015, I received an invitation to an upcoming Spring blog tour for Cedar Fort direct from the author, as one of the benefits of working with Cedar Fort as a book blogger is being able to engage with their authors; generally with enough lead-time before you even know of a pending tour that is coming up next or during the time where the blog tours are being scheduled, allowing you the benefit of interacting directly with the authors as you make your choices. For me this has been beneficial on several levels, as if a book (novel or non-fiction; I am developing a fondness for non-fiction of late) interests me, but I feel I might be on the fence to read it (at this point in time), I find it quite comforting to know I can reach out to the author and ask a few questions pertaining to the context of it.

The title of this book implored me outright to become interested in reading it as I have had a curiosity to uncover more about Christ (as a man as much as the Son of God) in regards to who He was whilst He lived on earth and how the legacy of His teachings left behind for us to find after He left. On a similar vein, Mum and I have wanted to dig inside the women of the Bible, to uncover more biographical bits about who they were and the lives they lived because too often we only get to know fragmented pieces about the men and women who lived centuries ago yet who have such a crucial part of our shared religious history. As far as the women go, I know we want to seek out Biblical Historical fiction as a gateway, but when I saw this non-fiction release about Christ, it was definitely a moment where I felt as if I had stumbled across a book I was meant to read ‘at this moment in time’.

Books are serendipitous discoveries — they have the tendency to alight inside our lives right at the moment we’re meant to read them.

I find they are as joyful as butterflies and as challenging as finding the rainbow after a horrific thunderstorm or natural storm system has wrecked a bit of havoc in your towne. Books which endeavour us to gain growth and humbling insight are the little lightning bugs of unexpected mirth giving us seed to thought and a propensity towards developing our awareness of what is happening in our lives and around us at the same time.

Although I do not often broach the subject of Religion directly on my bookish blog, I do refer to the fact I am a hybrid reader who reads across mainstream and INSPY (refers to ‘Inspirational’ and is not religious specific as it can be Christian, Jewish, Amish, Buddhist, Hindi, Catholic, Quaker, etc; most classify their readings as “Christian Fiction” however, the umbrella of the whole is “Inspirational Fiction” because it’s a full compass of all recognised religions.) markets. As I grow as a reader and as a book blogger, I am finding myself wanting to bridge the gap between the two markets and be more bold in my selections of the works of literature that speak directly to me and perchance will inspire someone else after I’ve shared my own thoughts, views, and impressions.

I do keep my own spiritual path tucked under my hat, as I do not believe we have to declare outright where we are on our own walk of faith, however, I do mention time to time I was raised Protestant and continue to be today. I applaud Cedar Fort to bringing these books to readers and for encouraging their authors to engage in open-minded discussions with their book bloggers because I find the open exchanges invaluable. You may find other works of non-fiction alighting on my blog time to time, even though my main focus is on fictional works of literature, I have to admit, I have a healthy appetite for stimulating literature wherein you can find ‘a story of enlightenment’ as riveting as any fictional world can develop and yield to provide!

I wanted to share a snippet of my initial enquiry about the book I had sent to Dr Litchfield as a stepping stone to explain why I was drawn to the book itself:

Most of the non-fiction I take a pass on if I feel the subject matter would apply more directly to an LDS church member, as I am Protestant and have felt some of the titles are more directly poignant to those who attend a Mormon church. However, in this particular instance, the one verifiable thread of connection between the churches I attend and yours, is Jesus Christ. He’s quite central to Christianity (both for Catholics & Protestants alike) but also, an important connective thread for LDS, as I had a wonderful conversation with two missionaries of the LDS faith who visited my local area. Our entire conversation was on Jesus Christ, and how his teachings befit the world at hand, as much as how to embrace his ideals with the perspective of acceptance, tolerance, and curating a more positive world out of love and charity. It was quite a stimulating conversation to say the least!

I nearly took a pass on submitting a tour stop for this book, not due to a lack of interest, but as I wasn’t quite as sure how it was going to be writ or to be honest, if it would be conflictive from my point-of-view compared to an LDS. I requested only one LDS specific non-fiction release, where in the end I had to affirm it was truly for LDS families, as the outlook within it was more narrow than expansive. I felt badly for it, as I research my family histories through Family Search, carrying on the tradition of my grandfather and Mum. Mum and I want to expand our efforts at some point, but with Family Search we have benefited from connecting pieces of our past we otherwise might not have known. Therefore, the previous book I had hoped would be for everyone who wanted to research their ancestry rather than one point of reference.

When your email arrived, I clicked through to your website and read the expanded synopsis you included with your email — I clicked open the PDF file for the cause/reason for Christ’s death, and noted your method of relaying facts was both informative but easy to follow as a layreader. I am presuming you carried forward a pace of thought similar to that or perhaps even evoking a bit of narrative to dig deeper into the history of this topic in “Enslaved to Saved”.

Dr. Litchfield went on to present an explanation similar to the one he’s prepared for me to share ahead of the blog tour, as my key questions were the following:

The key for me was the very last expressed thought in the synopsis: surrender to the will of Christ, which could even be inclusive of my own approach to believe and trust in the will of God (as the trinity is together & one but we all have a different path towards how our own hearts, minds, & perceptions align to root our faith into our lives). Is this then an explanation of how despite having free will in our life, we still need to take precedence and heed towards the wider picture of how our lives fit within the realm of the spiritual; to where we are being guided if we seek consul and if we remain open to what is being revealed, we are then living directly in align with God’s will?

The word ‘slavery’ is a transitionary word in your book — from what the word meant to those who were enslaved by the Pharaohs of Egypt straight through the early origins of Christianity in the time of Harold & others, to how the foundations of the Deep South were entrenched in the slavery of Africans who were brought here for cheap labour; to the modern variants of how there is still slavery in existence to those who are not yet free. I was curious do you focus on this quite heavily in the book or is it more of a juxtaposition piece where the word is explored by how the definition of what it implies has altered and changed through history? To how bending to the will outside of ourselves is not a resolute exit from our own conscience and will, but rather a lifeblood of how to live in tandem of Christ and thereby God?

The New Testament interests me greatly, which is why I have been seeking out fictional Biblical stories as much as non-fiction works which delve into the individual lives of those who lived during that timescape. Oft-times I like to approach history through fictional stories as it helps envision the world in those eras for me a bit more than reading a technical specific non-fiction which might give way to a harder point of origin for me to visualise. I wanted to ask — is “Enslaved to Saved” writ with a fluidity of context that reads like a story being relayed to the reader or is it more of an academic tome of knowledge taken out of the research you conducted? Either way, I’m interested, but I simply wanted to know how it flows — did you break it down by topical reference points or in sections of how what is known is stitched out of what can be perceived between the texts of your research?

Do you go into any kind of graphic detail about slavery or about Christ’s more difficult history? I cannot handle graphic violence or even imagery that could sour my stomach because I have a sensitive heart.

I should mention that those of us who are sensitive to violence and/or graphic descriptions, I was assured that the necessary bits about slavery from the stand-point of the Roman Empire are how they were needed to be written in order to have an authentic tone to the passages. As I haven’t yet come across that section, I cannot relay my own thoughts on the matter, but when I post my review next Monday, I will make a notation about it.
Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com
Instead of sharing my thoughts on what he has written in this guest feature, I am going to hold my comments until my review as a reflection of how I extended myself from our conversations prior to the blog tour, my further understanding via this guest feature, and how I was able to internalise and understand the basis of where Enslaved to Saved led me to journey as I read his book. I hope that this guest feature will be beneficial to those who might have developed a curiosity about Dr Litchfield’s impressive tome on scholarly insight into Christ or if any reader or visitor of mine has become curious about how the LDS church and other Protestant churches inter-relate to each other, as they are under the same branch of Christianity. I know I had originally misunderstood where the LDS church fell, and was pleasantly surprised to find we’re all Protestant Christians together!
Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Enslaved to Saved by W. Reid Litchfield

Published By: CFI (imprint) of Cedar Fort Inc (@CedarFortBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Add to Riffle | Public Library

Converse on Twitter via:

#EnslavedToSaved, #ChristCentered, #BibleStudy & #ChristianNonFiction

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Posted Tuesday, 12 May, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Christianity, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Lessons from Scripture, Mormonism, Non-Fiction, Religious History, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, World Religions