This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.
COMPLETED LAST WEEK:
     Through Hazel Eyes by Heather Hummel (review will be posted this week)
     Muffins & Mayhem by Suzanne Beecher (loved it)
CURRENTLY READING:
     Damaged by Pamela Callow
WHAT’S NEXT:
     Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy
     Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton
    

Finding Marco by Kenneth C. Cancellara
Published by Synergy Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-9842358-6-5
ISBN-10: 0-9842358-6-8
At the request of Phenix & Phenix Publishing, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book jacket): As a young boy running through the mountain valleys of Italy, Mark Gentile dreams of success-the kind of success that happens in a boardroom, far away from the country life. So after graduating from a prestigious Canadian law school, Mark quickly climbs the corporate and legal ladder eventually becoming CEO of a leading North American auto manufacturer.
  But after butting heads with company leaders, Mark fears he has compromised his ethics and decides to resign to determine the next phrase in his life. With his wife’s blessing, Mark returns to Acerenza, his birthplace in southern Italy. In the small village, he seeks out his childhood friends, spends time among the grapevines at his family’s vineyard, and recalls his mischievous adventures as a young boy named “Marco”. While enjoying the leisurely pace of the new life he’s found in his old home, however, Mark must make a decision” Should he abandon his roots for a second time and satisfy his innate hunger for the struggles and rewards of corporate life? Or should he embrace his native land and create a more balanced life for himself and his family?
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I accepted this book for review thinking that being of Italian heritage and having vacationed in Italy years ago that I would thoroughly enjoy this plot. From when I started accepting books for reviews, I set my threshold at a minimum of 100 pages to read to determine if a book pulled me in. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I quickly saw that this book was not a good match for me. This is my opinion, and only my opinion, but I found that the first 100 pages of the story line seemed to drag and had a very dry writing style. Therefore, I had to put this novel aside.

Finding Marco by Kenneth C. Cancellara
Published by Synergy Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-9842358-6-5
ISBN-10: 0-9842358-6-8
At the request of Phenix & Phenix Publishing, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book jacket): As a young boy running through the mountain valleys of Italy, Mark Gentile dreams of success-the kind of success that happens in a boardroom, far away from the country life. So after graduating from a prestigious Canadian law school, Mark quickly climbs the corporate and legal ladder eventually becoming CEO of a leading North American auto manufacturer.
  But after butting heads with company leaders, Mark fears he has compromised his ethics and decides to resign to determine the next phrase in his life. With his wife’s blessing, Mark returns to Acerenza, his birthplace in southern Italy. In the small village, he seeks out his childhood friends, spends time among the grapevines at his family’s vineyard, and recalls his mischievous adventures as a young boy named “Marco”. While enjoying the leisurely pace of the new life he’s found in his old home, however, Mark must make a decision” Should he abandon his roots for a second time and satisfy his innate hunger for the struggles and rewards of corporate life? Or should he embrace his native land and create a more balanced life for himself and his family?
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I accepted this book for review thinking that being of Italian heritage and having vacationed in Italy years ago that I would thoroughly enjoy this plot. From when I started accepting books for reviews, I set my threshold at a minimum of 100 pages to read to determine if a book pulled me in. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I quickly saw that this book was not a good match for me. This is my opinion, and only my opinion, but I found that the first 100 pages of the story line seemed to drag and had a very dry writing style. Therefore, I had to put this novel aside.

Living In The Hope Of My Imagination by William D. Simpson
Published by Thorncrown (Division of Yorkshire Publishing)
ISBN: 978-0-88144-488-9
At the request of Yorkshire Publishing, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from back of book):  Exposing the Untruths of Moral Relativism in the Light Of Absolute Truth. Give to a person what they want and in time it will become an expectation. Left unchallenged that anticipation turns into habit and once trained, independence gives way to dependence. When People are reliant they become comfortable and at that moment, they are led astray. this defines American culture today.
  Wake Up People! You are happily being let do the slaughter and you don’t even know it. Self-indulgent political agendas and a systematic dismantling of moral ethics have created a way of life that has ruptured the foundation of who we are. Money, power and self gratification are now the heartbeat of a nation that once held human life in high esteem. We have become a people despised by our very own. For the people involved in everything from politics to education, science to medicine, entertainment, media and the arts, to false world religions and those who just don’t know, your time of accountability has come. It is time for change, but not the change they want us to believe.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: The author, William D. Simpson tells the story of his life, which includes physical and emotional abuse, years spent in prison, drug and alcohol abuse and how after many years,his faith helped him through. He states that he has had little education, he has never studied theology, nor is an ordained pastor. However, he does claim to be a Christian with years of studying the Bible. In this book he talks about The Revelations in the Bible and how it compares to our society today. I have read other books on this subject, so was familiar with the Scriptures taken from the Bible and the premise. It was, at times, a profound and difficult read, a very conservative take on the morality, political, medical, homosexuality and instant gratification of today’s world. There were some issues that he wrote about that I agree with but then there were others that I didn’t. I felt that even though I didn’t agree with everything he said, it was a thought provoking read.

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week ‘leftovers.’ Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn’t worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?
That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!

Today’s Topic:  Word Verification
  Do you have it on your blog?  Why?  What do you think when others have it?  Do you think it is necessary?  Have you had experiences that you need it?
I don’t have it for this blog.  And have had only 1 comment that I had to delete…it was an advertisement for some jewelry.  I do a lot of hopping, and I know that while visiting other blogs, I will be coming across some verifications.  What I think is funny is that it seems every time I leave a comment, a get a 7 letter verification.  LOL  Is it only me that blosgspot and wordpress makes me work harder?  I have only been blogging for approximately 8 months and not sure what the positives and negative reasons are to have word verifications.
What are your thoughts on this topic?

Living In The Hope Of My Imagination by William D. Simpson
Published by Thorncrown (Division of Yorkshire Publishing)
ISBN: 978-0-88144-488-9
At the request of Yorkshire Publishing, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from back of book):  Exposing the Untruths of Moral Relativism in the Light Of Absolute Truth. Give to a person what they want and in time it will become an expectation. Left unchallenged that anticipation turns into habit and once trained, independence gives way to dependence. When People are reliant they become comfortable and at that moment, they are led astray. this defines American culture today.
  Wake Up People! You are happily being let do the slaughter and you don’t even know it. Self-indulgent political agendas and a systematic dismantling of moral ethics have created a way of life that has ruptured the foundation of who we are. Money, power and self gratification are now the heartbeat of a nation that once held human life in high esteem. We have become a people despised by our very own. For the people involved in everything from politics to education, science to medicine, entertainment, media and the arts, to false world religions and those who just don’t know, your time of accountability has come. It is time for change, but not the change they want us to believe.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: The author, William D. Simpson tells the story of his life, which includes physical and emotional abuse, years spent in prison, drug and alcohol abuse and how after many years,his faith helped him through. He states that he has had little education, he has never studied theology, nor is an ordained pastor. However, he does claim to be a Christian with years of studying the Bible. In this book he talks about The Revelations in the Bible and how it compares to our society today. I have read other books on this subject, so was familiar with the Scriptures taken from the Bible and the premise. It was, at times, a profound and difficult read, a very conservative take on the morality, political, medical, homosexuality and instant gratification of today’s world. There were some issues that he wrote about that I agree with but then there were others that I didn’t. I felt that even though I didn’t agree with everything he said, it was a thought provoking read.

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week ‘leftovers.’ Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn’t worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?
That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!

Today’s Topic:  Word Verification
  Do you have it on your blog?  Why?  What do you think when others have it?  Do you think it is necessary?  Have you had experiences that you need it?
I don’t have it for this blog.  And have had only 1 comment that I had to delete…it was an advertisement for some jewelry.  I do a lot of hopping, and I know that while visiting other blogs, I will be coming across some verifications.  What I think is funny is that it seems every time I leave a comment, a get a 7 letter verification.  LOL  Is it only me that blosgspot and wordpress makes me work harder?  I have only been blogging for approximately 8 months and not sure what the positives and negative reasons are to have word verifications.
What are your thoughts on this topic?