During November I read and reviewed the following:
Books:
- "Scientific Facts in the Bible" by Ray Comfort. Read my review.
- "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. Read my review.
- "God's Poor" by Mike Manos. Read my review.
- "The Remains" by Vincent Zandri. Read my review.
Interview:
- Author Mike Manos, "God's Poor". Read the interview.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge 2010 - Conclusion
So I have suceed completing this challenge! 12 books in the cathegory Thriller & Suspense. Here is the list of the books with the links to my reviews:
1-) "Beyond The Map's Boundary" by Nibi Soto. My Review.
2-) "Healer" by Linda Windsor. My Review.
3-) "The Witness" by Josh McDowell. My Review.
4-) "The Afghan" by Frederick Forsyth. My Review.
5-) "The Kon-Tiki Expedition" by Thor Heyerdahl. My Review.
6-) "The Power of the Blue Medallion" by Les Berman. My Review.
7-) "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle. My Review.
8-) "Blue Bells of Scotland" by Laura Vosika. My Review.
9-) "The Profiler" by Pat Brown. My Review.
10-) "Shedrow" by Dean DeLuke. My Review.
11-) "God's Poor" by Mike Manos. My Review.
12-) "The Remains" by Vincent Zandri. My Review.
Thanks for Book Chick City for hosting this challenge!
1-) "Beyond The Map's Boundary" by Nibi Soto. My Review.
2-) "Healer" by Linda Windsor. My Review.
3-) "The Witness" by Josh McDowell. My Review.
4-) "The Afghan" by Frederick Forsyth. My Review.
5-) "The Kon-Tiki Expedition" by Thor Heyerdahl. My Review.
6-) "The Power of the Blue Medallion" by Les Berman. My Review.
7-) "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle. My Review.
8-) "Blue Bells of Scotland" by Laura Vosika. My Review.
9-) "The Profiler" by Pat Brown. My Review.
10-) "Shedrow" by Dean DeLuke. My Review.
11-) "God's Poor" by Mike Manos. My Review.
12-) "The Remains" by Vincent Zandri. My Review.
Thanks for Book Chick City for hosting this challenge!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Book "The Remains" by Vincent Zandri
About the Book: Thirty years ago, teenager Rebecca Underhill and her twin sister Molly were abducted by a man who lived in a house in the woods behind their upstate New York farm. They were held inside that house for three horrifying hours, until making their daring escape.
Vowing to keep their terrifying experience a secret in order to protect their mother and father, the girls tried to put the past behind them. And when their attacker was hunted down by police and sent to prison, they believed he was as good as dead.
Now, it’s 30 years later, and with Molly having passed away from cancer, Rebecca, a painter and art teacher, is left alone to bear the burden of a secret that has only gotten heavier and more painful with each passing year.
But when Rebecca begins receiving some strange anonymous text messages, she begins to realize that the monster who attacked her all those years ago is not dead after all. He’s back, and this time, he wants to do more than just haunt her. He wants her dead
Vowing to keep their terrifying experience a secret in order to protect their mother and father, the girls tried to put the past behind them. And when their attacker was hunted down by police and sent to prison, they believed he was as good as dead.
Now, it’s 30 years later, and with Molly having passed away from cancer, Rebecca, a painter and art teacher, is left alone to bear the burden of a secret that has only gotten heavier and more painful with each passing year.
But when Rebecca begins receiving some strange anonymous text messages, she begins to realize that the monster who attacked her all those years ago is not dead after all. He’s back, and this time, he wants to do more than just haunt her. He wants her dead
About the Author: Vincent Zandri is an award-winning novelist, essayist and freelance photojournalist. His novel As Catch Can (Delacorte) was touted in two pre-publication articles by Publishers Weekly and was called “Brilliant” upon its publication by The New York Post. The Boston Herald attributed it as “The most arresting first crime novel to break into print this season.” Other novels include the bestselling, Moonlight Falls,Godchild (Bantam/Dell) and Permanence (NPI). Translated into several languages including Japanese and the Dutch, Zandri’s novels have also been sought out by numerous major movie producers, including Heyday Productions and DreamWorks. Presently he is the author of the blogs, Dangerous Dispatches and Embedded in Africa for Russia Today TV (RT). He also writes for other global publications, including Culture 11, Globalia and Globalspec. Zandri’s nonfiction has appeared in New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, Game and Fish Magazine and others, while his essays and short fiction have been featured in many journals including Fugue, Maryland Review and Orange Coast Magazine. He holds an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College and is a 2010 International Thriller Writer’s Awards panel judge. Zandri currently divides his time between New York and Europe. He is the drummer for the Albany-based punk band to Blisterz.
His latest book is the bestselling thriller novel, The Remains.
You can visit his website at http://www.vincentzandri.com/ or his blog at http://www.vincentzandri.blogspot.com/
Read the Excerpt!
October 2, 2008
Albany, New York
In the deep night, a woman sits down at her writing table. Fingering a newly sharpened pencil, she focuses her eyes upon the blank paper, brings the black pencil tip to it.
She begins to write.
Dear Mol,
I’ve been dreaming about you again. I don’t think a night has gone by in the past few weeks when I haven’t seen your face. Our face, I should say. The face is always in my head; implanted in my memories. The dream is nothing new. It’s thirty years ago again. It’s October. I’m walking close behind you through the tall grass towards the woods. Your hair is loose and long. You’re wearing cut-offs, white Keds with the laces untied and a red T-shirt that says ‘Paul McCartney and Wings’ on the front. You’re walking ahead of me while I try to keep up; but afraid to keep up. Soon we come to the tree line, and while my heart beats in my throat, we walk into the trees. But then comes a noise—a snapping of twigs and branches. The gaunt face of a man appears. A man who lives in a house in the woods.
Then, just like that, the dream shifts and I see you kneeling beside me inside the dark empty basement. I hear the sound of your sniffles, smell the wormy raw earth, feel the cold touch of a man’s hand. You turn and you look at me with your solid steel eyes. And then I wake up.
We survived the house in the woods together, Mol, and we never told a soul. We just couldn’t risk it. Whelan would have come back for us. He would have found us. He would have found mom and dad. Even today, I know he surely would have. He would have killed them, Mol. He would have killed us. In just five days, thirty years will have passed. Three entire decades and I’m still convinced we did the right thing by keeping that afternoon in the woods our secret.
When I see you in my dreams it’s like looking in a mirror. The blue eyes, the thick lips, the dirty blond hair forever just touching the shoulders. My hair is finally showing signs of grey, Mol.
I wonder, do you get gray hair in heaven? I wonder if Whelan’s hair burned off in hell? I wonder if he suffers?
All my love,
Your twin sister,
Rebecca Rose Underhill
Exhaling, the woman folds the letter neatly into thirds, slips it into a blank stationary envelope, her initials RRU embossed on the label. Running the bitter sticky glue interior over her tongue, she seals the envelope, sets it back down onto the writing table. Once more she picks up the pencil, brings the now dulled tip to the envelope’s face. Addressing it she writes only a name:
Molly Rose Underhill
The job done, the woman smiles sadly. Opening the table drawer, she sets the letter inside, on top of a stack of nine identical letters-never-sent. One for every year her sister has been gone.
Closing the drawer she hears her cell phone begin to vibrate, then softly chime. Picking it up off the desktop, she opens the phone, sees that a new text has been forwarded to her electronic mailbox. Fingering the in-box, she retrieves the message.
Rebecca is all it says.
Punching the command that reveals the name and number of the sender she finds “Caller Unknown.” The sender’s number has been blocked. Closing the phone back up, she sets it down on the desk. That’s when the wind picks up, blows and whistles through the open window.
“Mol,” she says, staring out into the darkness. “Mol, is that you?”
Albany, New York
In the deep night, a woman sits down at her writing table. Fingering a newly sharpened pencil, she focuses her eyes upon the blank paper, brings the black pencil tip to it.
She begins to write.
Dear Mol,
I’ve been dreaming about you again. I don’t think a night has gone by in the past few weeks when I haven’t seen your face. Our face, I should say. The face is always in my head; implanted in my memories. The dream is nothing new. It’s thirty years ago again. It’s October. I’m walking close behind you through the tall grass towards the woods. Your hair is loose and long. You’re wearing cut-offs, white Keds with the laces untied and a red T-shirt that says ‘Paul McCartney and Wings’ on the front. You’re walking ahead of me while I try to keep up; but afraid to keep up. Soon we come to the tree line, and while my heart beats in my throat, we walk into the trees. But then comes a noise—a snapping of twigs and branches. The gaunt face of a man appears. A man who lives in a house in the woods.
Then, just like that, the dream shifts and I see you kneeling beside me inside the dark empty basement. I hear the sound of your sniffles, smell the wormy raw earth, feel the cold touch of a man’s hand. You turn and you look at me with your solid steel eyes. And then I wake up.
We survived the house in the woods together, Mol, and we never told a soul. We just couldn’t risk it. Whelan would have come back for us. He would have found us. He would have found mom and dad. Even today, I know he surely would have. He would have killed them, Mol. He would have killed us. In just five days, thirty years will have passed. Three entire decades and I’m still convinced we did the right thing by keeping that afternoon in the woods our secret.
When I see you in my dreams it’s like looking in a mirror. The blue eyes, the thick lips, the dirty blond hair forever just touching the shoulders. My hair is finally showing signs of grey, Mol.
I wonder, do you get gray hair in heaven? I wonder if Whelan’s hair burned off in hell? I wonder if he suffers?
All my love,
Your twin sister,
Rebecca Rose Underhill
Exhaling, the woman folds the letter neatly into thirds, slips it into a blank stationary envelope, her initials RRU embossed on the label. Running the bitter sticky glue interior over her tongue, she seals the envelope, sets it back down onto the writing table. Once more she picks up the pencil, brings the now dulled tip to the envelope’s face. Addressing it she writes only a name:
Molly Rose Underhill
The job done, the woman smiles sadly. Opening the table drawer, she sets the letter inside, on top of a stack of nine identical letters-never-sent. One for every year her sister has been gone.
Closing the drawer she hears her cell phone begin to vibrate, then softly chime. Picking it up off the desktop, she opens the phone, sees that a new text has been forwarded to her electronic mailbox. Fingering the in-box, she retrieves the message.
Rebecca is all it says.
Punching the command that reveals the name and number of the sender she finds “Caller Unknown.” The sender’s number has been blocked. Closing the phone back up, she sets it down on the desk. That’s when the wind picks up, blows and whistles through the open window.
“Mol,” she says, staring out into the darkness. “Mol, is that you?”
My Review: It has been a while since last time I read such a good suspense book. My wife even said that this must be a excellent book to keep me reading till late in the night for three consecutive nights!
The plot is captivating: Two twin sisters were abducted in the woods behind their farm when they were twelve years old, and they decided not to tell anyone about that, to protect their parents. The abductor was caught in a different scenario of abduction and rape of another woman six months later and condemned to thirty years in prison. The twins assumed that he would die in prison. Almost thirty years later the story is resumed and we learned that one of the twins (Molly) died of cancer ten years before, the parents also passed away and the other twin (Rebecca) started having nightmares related to what happened in the past. And things develops from there, with Rebecca receiving mysterious text messages in her cell phone, and an autist artist, friend of Rebecca try to send her signs in his paintings.
This was the first book I read from this author, but I am looking forward on reading all the books he published so far. His style is very entertaining and we get so attached to the characters on the novel that we feel their pain and agony. Few books made me look behind my shoulder after I was done reading them. This is one of those. The short chapters are nice if you have to interrupt your reading for some reason. Also, it is an excellent scene breaker if this book ever makes into a Hollywood movie.
This book was written by Vincent Zandri and it was published in 2010 by StoneHouse, Ink. and Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program. Thanks, Mr. Vincent Zandri!
If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!
The plot is captivating: Two twin sisters were abducted in the woods behind their farm when they were twelve years old, and they decided not to tell anyone about that, to protect their parents. The abductor was caught in a different scenario of abduction and rape of another woman six months later and condemned to thirty years in prison. The twins assumed that he would die in prison. Almost thirty years later the story is resumed and we learned that one of the twins (Molly) died of cancer ten years before, the parents also passed away and the other twin (Rebecca) started having nightmares related to what happened in the past. And things develops from there, with Rebecca receiving mysterious text messages in her cell phone, and an autist artist, friend of Rebecca try to send her signs in his paintings.
This was the first book I read from this author, but I am looking forward on reading all the books he published so far. His style is very entertaining and we get so attached to the characters on the novel that we feel their pain and agony. Few books made me look behind my shoulder after I was done reading them. This is one of those. The short chapters are nice if you have to interrupt your reading for some reason. Also, it is an excellent scene breaker if this book ever makes into a Hollywood movie.
This book was written by Vincent Zandri and it was published in 2010 by StoneHouse, Ink. and Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program. Thanks, Mr. Vincent Zandri!
If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!
The Remains Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Monday, November 1
Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Tuesday, November 2
Guest blogging at Martha’s Bookshelf
Interviewed at Let’s Talk Virtual Book Tours
Wednesday, November 3
Book trailer spotlighted at Pump Up Your Book
Thursday, November 4
Guest blogging at The Book Faery Reviews
Friday, November 5
Interviewed at Examiner
Monday, November 8
Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, November 10
Book reviewed at Ashley’s Bookshelf
Thursday, November 11
Guest blogging at Donna’s Blog Home
Friday, November 12
Book reviewed at Colloquium
Monday, November 15
Guest blogging at Books R Us
Tuesday, November 16
Book reviewed at Books R Us
Wednesday, November 17
Book reviewed at Reading at the Beach
Thursday, November 18
Guest blogging at Reading, Reading and Life
Monday, November 22
Book reviewed at WV Stitcher
Tuesday, November 23
Book reviewed at A Bookish Mom
Wednesday, November 24
Book reviewed at Book and Movies Reviews
Thursday, November 25
CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING
Friday, November 26
Book reviewed at Lucky Rosie’s
Book reviewed at Cuzinlogic
Monday, December 6
Book reviewed at Rundpinne
Book reviewed at Knowlton Nest
Tuesday, December 7
Book reviewed at Just One More Paragraph
Book reviewed at Ohio Girl Talks
Wednesday, December 8
Book reviewed at In the Next Room
Book reviewed at DK’s Everything Books
Thursday, December 9
Book reviewed at Book Sanctuary
Book reviewed at From the TBR Pile
Friday, December 10
Book reviewed at Musings of an All-Purpose Monkey
Book reviewed at Life in Review
Book reviewed at Ashley’s Bookshelf
Monday, December 13
Book reviewed at Reading, Reading and Life
Tuesday, December 14
Guest blogging at Night Owl Reviews
Book reviewed at Psychotic State Book Reviews
Wednesday, December 15
Book reviewed at The Book Faery Reviews
Book reviewed at Donna’s Blog Home
Thursday, December 16
Book reviewed & interviewed at As I Turn the Pages
Book reviewed at Proud Book Nerd
Book reviewed at Colloquium
Friday, December 17
Book reviewed by Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Book "God's Poor" by Mike Manos
About the book: The sudden deaths of pregnant women rock the world. A deadly virus causes world panic. A dangerous heresy reemerges from the misty past. The Catholic and Orthodox Christian Churches face an unknown enemy. Mossant reveals dangerous secrets that threaten religious foundations. The quest for immortality leads to the first Jerusalem and incredible revelations. Finally an earthquake produced by HAARP gives a temporary solution.
Tag Words: Heresy – Virus - Jerusalem – HAARP, Mike Manos, God’s Poor, Virtual Book Tour, Virtual Author Tour
ISBN: 0-7414-5140-9
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
Publication Date: June 2009
# of Pages: 307
Short excerpt from the novel:
MADRID
Jesus said,” Know what is in front of your face and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”
Gospel of Thomas, 5
Jorje Matanas woke up abruptly. His silky purple pajamas were soaked in sweat even though the climate control of his mansion kept the temperature steady at 21 Celsius all year round.
The dream seemed to him alive. He was inside a low stone cottage. In front of him stood an ascetic elongated monk of undeterminable age, dressed with a dark blue hooded cassock fastened around his waist with a rope. On the center of his cassock there was a white symbol, like a cross but with the upper line replaced by a circle. The monk had a light white beard, black charcoal eyes and hollow cheeks, like a figure painted by El Greco. A milky white light filled the cottage. A force pushed Matanas on his knees and he kissed the monk’s bare toes. The monk put his right hand on Matanas’ head and his caved voice echoed inside his mind.
“Welcome, my brother. I was waiting for you.”
The soft ring of the phone found Matanas sitting in the middle of the bed trying to get over the dream. He picked up the phone.
“Senor?” the old butler’s voice was heard on the other end of the line.
“What is it, Juan?”
“Senior, it is 6 in the morning and I ask you to forgive me. A monk is here and he insists that he has an appointment with you now. What should I do?”
Matanas was shaken and nearly dropped the phone. “Take him to the living room. I will be there in a minute.” Still soaked in sweat, he went to the bath off his bedroom, washed his face and neck, and wiped himself with a white towel monogrammed in dark blue thread with his initials. He took a silk burgundy robe from his closet, slid his feet into the matching slippers to the side of the door, and made his way down the marble staircase .On the ground floor he went to the open, hand-carved wooden door with its four impressive gold emblems and entered the huge royal living room, sumptuously decorated with thick blue-white rugs, red velvet sofas and heavy chandeliers.
A short, skinny monk with a long white beard stood next to the low marble table close to the door. He wore a plain grey hooded cassock fastened at the waist with a rope. Matanas was shocked when he saw on the left side of the cassock the white symbol of his dream.
He approached the monk and gave him a handshake, trying to hide his impatience. He was surprised that although the monk looked very old, his grip was quite strong. The monk smiled at Matanas.
“God is merciful. I am Friar Jose from the order of the Pure. Theophilus, our guide, sends me. You have already met him,” he said in a way that made Matanas shiver.
“But how?” Matanas whispered. “What’s happening?”
“Don’t ask. He is waiting for you. The flight for Salonica is scheduled for 10 a.m. You must not say a word to anyone about where you are going. There you will visit the Ministry of Northern Greece, where you will get a permit to visit Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain. You will arrive there by boat from Ouranoupolis. They will wait for you. Don’t bring anything with you, just some money for the trip and your passport.”
The monk paused and handed Matanas a small open grey envelope with the same white symbol on its left side. “All the instructions are written inside the envelope,” he continued. “God have mercy, my brother.”
The monk turned and walked towards the door. Matanas followed him, looking puzzled.
“But I don’t understand,” he stuttered. “I have to leave today at 10 a.m. for Salonica?”
The monk stood at the entrance to the living room. The old butler appeared to be trying to button his jacket. Without turning his head, the monk spoke again. “He is waiting for you tomorrow, you know that. Don’t delay.” He walked to the door without saying anything else.
My Review: The author did a magnificent job on his research to come up with his first novel, a book that you read on the edge of your chair. Full of action, your attention is kept captive by his easy style. You get so involved by the characters that you wish the novel would last more and more and you really feel sorry when it ends.
This book has all the correct ingredients to be in any best-seller list, and more than that, to become a Hollywood movie in the future. From religious fanatics with their heresy, to intrigues, terrorism attacks, Opus Dei, world wide panic due to the sudden deaths of pregnant women, quest for immortality, and more, the plot is simply superb and the deep research done by the author gives this novel an aspect of reality that only few authors manage to achieve.
From Israel to Luxembourg, Spain, Russia, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Greece, Vatican, USA, France and Holy Mountain, we travel with our characters trying to found out how our heros will save the world. It is an incredible conspiratorial thriller.
This book was written by Mike Manos and it was published in 2009 by Infinity Publishing. Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program. Thanks, Mr. Mike Manos! I am anxiously waiting for your next book!
If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!
Other Tour Sites:
November 1
Spotlight at Plug Your Book
http://plugyourbook.wordpress.com/
November 2
Interview at Pump Up Your Book
http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/
November 3
Guest post at Life in the First Draft
http://lifeinthefirstdraft.blogspot.com/
November 4
Thursday Thirteen at Paperback Writer
http://rebecca2007.wordpress.com/
November 5
Spotlight at The Book Connection
http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
November 8
Interview at Long Beach Examiner
www.examiner.com/x-32474-Long-Beach-Books-Examiner
November 9
Interview at Book Marketing Buzz
http://www.bookmarketingbuzz.com/
November 10
Spotlight at Blog a Press
http://www.blogapress.com/
November 11
Review From Here
http://www.reviewfromhere.com/
November 12
Book Reviewed at Book Bum
http://www.bookbum.org/
November 15
Interview at Book and Movies Reviews
http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com/
November 16
Book Reviewed at Books and Movies Reviews
http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com/
November 17
Interview at The Story Behind the Book
http://thestorybehindthebook.wordpress.com/
November 18
Interview at Personovelty
http://personovelty.com/
November 19
Virginia Beach Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/publishing-in-virginia-beach/dorothy-thompson
November 22
Guest post at Writing Daze
http://rebeccasnotebook.blogspot.com/
Spotlight at Book Tours and More
http://booktoursandmore.blogspot.com/
November 24
Interview at As The Pages Turn
http://asthepagesturn.wordpress.com/
Guest post at Blogging Authors
http://www.bloggingauthors.com/
November 26
Interview at Beyond the Books
http://beyondthebooks.wordpress.com/
Tag Words: Heresy – Virus - Jerusalem – HAARP, Mike Manos, God’s Poor, Virtual Book Tour, Virtual Author Tour
ISBN: 0-7414-5140-9
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
Publication Date: June 2009
# of Pages: 307
About the author: Mike Manos is professor of Economics and a scholar of History and Archaeology. He is also a poet and a freelance writer. God’s Poor is his first novel.
Short excerpt from the novel:
MADRID
Jesus said,” Know what is in front of your face and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”
Gospel of Thomas, 5
Jorje Matanas woke up abruptly. His silky purple pajamas were soaked in sweat even though the climate control of his mansion kept the temperature steady at 21 Celsius all year round.
The dream seemed to him alive. He was inside a low stone cottage. In front of him stood an ascetic elongated monk of undeterminable age, dressed with a dark blue hooded cassock fastened around his waist with a rope. On the center of his cassock there was a white symbol, like a cross but with the upper line replaced by a circle. The monk had a light white beard, black charcoal eyes and hollow cheeks, like a figure painted by El Greco. A milky white light filled the cottage. A force pushed Matanas on his knees and he kissed the monk’s bare toes. The monk put his right hand on Matanas’ head and his caved voice echoed inside his mind.
“Welcome, my brother. I was waiting for you.”
The soft ring of the phone found Matanas sitting in the middle of the bed trying to get over the dream. He picked up the phone.
“Senor?” the old butler’s voice was heard on the other end of the line.
“What is it, Juan?”
“Senior, it is 6 in the morning and I ask you to forgive me. A monk is here and he insists that he has an appointment with you now. What should I do?”
Matanas was shaken and nearly dropped the phone. “Take him to the living room. I will be there in a minute.” Still soaked in sweat, he went to the bath off his bedroom, washed his face and neck, and wiped himself with a white towel monogrammed in dark blue thread with his initials. He took a silk burgundy robe from his closet, slid his feet into the matching slippers to the side of the door, and made his way down the marble staircase .On the ground floor he went to the open, hand-carved wooden door with its four impressive gold emblems and entered the huge royal living room, sumptuously decorated with thick blue-white rugs, red velvet sofas and heavy chandeliers.
A short, skinny monk with a long white beard stood next to the low marble table close to the door. He wore a plain grey hooded cassock fastened at the waist with a rope. Matanas was shocked when he saw on the left side of the cassock the white symbol of his dream.
He approached the monk and gave him a handshake, trying to hide his impatience. He was surprised that although the monk looked very old, his grip was quite strong. The monk smiled at Matanas.
“God is merciful. I am Friar Jose from the order of the Pure. Theophilus, our guide, sends me. You have already met him,” he said in a way that made Matanas shiver.
“But how?” Matanas whispered. “What’s happening?”
“Don’t ask. He is waiting for you. The flight for Salonica is scheduled for 10 a.m. You must not say a word to anyone about where you are going. There you will visit the Ministry of Northern Greece, where you will get a permit to visit Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain. You will arrive there by boat from Ouranoupolis. They will wait for you. Don’t bring anything with you, just some money for the trip and your passport.”
The monk paused and handed Matanas a small open grey envelope with the same white symbol on its left side. “All the instructions are written inside the envelope,” he continued. “God have mercy, my brother.”
The monk turned and walked towards the door. Matanas followed him, looking puzzled.
“But I don’t understand,” he stuttered. “I have to leave today at 10 a.m. for Salonica?”
The monk stood at the entrance to the living room. The old butler appeared to be trying to button his jacket. Without turning his head, the monk spoke again. “He is waiting for you tomorrow, you know that. Don’t delay.” He walked to the door without saying anything else.
My Review: The author did a magnificent job on his research to come up with his first novel, a book that you read on the edge of your chair. Full of action, your attention is kept captive by his easy style. You get so involved by the characters that you wish the novel would last more and more and you really feel sorry when it ends.
This book has all the correct ingredients to be in any best-seller list, and more than that, to become a Hollywood movie in the future. From religious fanatics with their heresy, to intrigues, terrorism attacks, Opus Dei, world wide panic due to the sudden deaths of pregnant women, quest for immortality, and more, the plot is simply superb and the deep research done by the author gives this novel an aspect of reality that only few authors manage to achieve.
From Israel to Luxembourg, Spain, Russia, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Greece, Vatican, USA, France and Holy Mountain, we travel with our characters trying to found out how our heros will save the world. It is an incredible conspiratorial thriller.
This book was written by Mike Manos and it was published in 2009 by Infinity Publishing. Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program. Thanks, Mr. Mike Manos! I am anxiously waiting for your next book!
If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!
Other Tour Sites:
God’s Poor Virtual Book Tour Schedule
God’s Poor Virtual Book Tour, November 2010November 1
Spotlight at Plug Your Book
http://plugyourbook.wordpress.com/
November 2
Interview at Pump Up Your Book
http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/
November 3
Guest post at Life in the First Draft
http://lifeinthefirstdraft.blogspot.com/
November 4
Thursday Thirteen at Paperback Writer
http://rebecca2007.wordpress.com/
November 5
Spotlight at The Book Connection
http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
November 8
Interview at Long Beach Examiner
www.examiner.com/x-32474-Long-Beach-Books-Examiner
November 9
Interview at Book Marketing Buzz
http://www.bookmarketingbuzz.com/
November 10
Spotlight at Blog a Press
http://www.blogapress.com/
November 11
Review From Here
http://www.reviewfromhere.com/
November 12
Book Reviewed at Book Bum
http://www.bookbum.org/
November 15
Interview at Book and Movies Reviews
http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com/
November 16
Book Reviewed at Books and Movies Reviews
http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com/
November 17
Interview at The Story Behind the Book
http://thestorybehindthebook.wordpress.com/
November 18
Interview at Personovelty
http://personovelty.com/
November 19
Virginia Beach Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/publishing-in-virginia-beach/dorothy-thompson
November 22
Guest post at Writing Daze
http://rebeccasnotebook.blogspot.com/
Spotlight at Book Tours and More
http://booktoursandmore.blogspot.com/
November 24
Interview at As The Pages Turn
http://asthepagesturn.wordpress.com/
Guest post at Blogging Authors
http://www.bloggingauthors.com/
November 26
Interview at Beyond the Books
http://beyondthebooks.wordpress.com/
Monday, November 15, 2010
Interview with Mike Manos - author of "God's Poor"
Professor Mike Manos, author of the novel "God's Poor" was kind enough to participate in this interview on "Books and Movies Reviews" blog.
Q-) Thanks for this interview, Mike. Can we begin by having you tell us what your new book, God's Poor, is all about?
A-) My book, GOD’S POOR, is a fiction book. It starts with the sudden deaths of pregnant women, which cause world panic. Then a dangerous heresy reappears from the misty past. Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches face an unknown enemy. The quest for immortality leads to the first Jerusalem and incredible revelations. Finally an earthquake produced by HAARP gives a temporary solution.
Q-) In "DaVinci Code", Dan Brown makes hundreds of citations of apocrypha texts when trying to supply some support for his theories. How do you "classify" your use of citations from "Gospel of Thomas" in your book? How much research is "behind the scenes"?
A-) Besides the citations used from the “Gospel of Thomas”, which in reality are chapters, there is tremendous amounts of research being done. The sect of my book, “GOD’S POOR”, which derives from the great heresy of the Paulicians with origins to the first centuries of Christianity and the Marcionites, used only some of the doctrines of the Christian faith and Gospels from the “Apocrypha”. The sect of the Bogomils, which survived until our days, even through constant persecutions from Emperors, Popes and Patriarchs, only used the Gospel of Luke. Since the heresy of Paulicians and the sect of GOD’S POOR are of dualistic origin, the “Gospel of Thomas” has its merit. It is indeed of dualistic origin and Gnosticism influences it. It is a fact that all the powerful heresies of the past have dualistic origins. It is the old believes of the people, Good and Bad, Light and Dark, Virtue and Sin, against the Triadic faith of Christianity.
Q- ) How difficult was it writing your book? Did you ever experience writer's block and, if so, what did you do?
A-) It was really difficult if you consider that I needed four years to finish it, but I never really experienced what you refer to as a ‘’writer’s block’’.
Q- ) What are your daily writing routines?
A-) I usually write during night since I usualy work daytime shifts.
Q-) If you could meet any of your characters, who would it be and why?
A-) George Eastman. He is a contemporary man with all our virtues and vices.
Q-) What book changed your life?
A-) “The Stranger” by Albert Camus. A powerful book indeed.
Q-) What is your passion? What is it that you're most passionate about than anything else?
A-) I am passionate about archaeology. The old civilizations keep well-hidden important secrets, which very few can imagine.
Q-) What do you do to relax?
A-) A good sleep is always relaxing
Q-) Any final words?
A-) Giving is the essence of life. Thank you very much.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Are you looking for a special gift to give this Christmas?
There is no gift more special and meaningful than the gift of the Gospel. Tapestry Productions Inc. (TPI) realizes this, and each work of art from the artists they represent is created for the sole purpose of communicating the Gospel message and the love and forgiveness of God with unapologetic boldness to a visual and greatly hurting world.
What would it have been like to hold the infant Jesus, the incarnation of God, for the very first time? Would you be forever changed to have been present at the Crucifixion? The stunning and heart-transforming artwork of award-winning artist Ron DiCianni (Tapestry Productions’ featured artist) is bringing these very images to life before the eyes of viewers across the globe and the life-changing impact is undeniable.
Through fine art reproductions, Christian artwork, biblical prints, calendars, and books of the highest quality, TPI is ministering to families, individuals, and churches with the Gospel of Jesus Christ—a message that Christ lived, died that we may know redemption, and will return, and that this truth impacts our lives every day—all in visual form. Each work is of the highest artistic quality and skill but is intended for purposes far beyond decoration. Rather, every piece of exquisite art uses arguably the most powerful medium of communication—the visual—to tell the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, transcending cultures, languages, backgrounds, and denominations like no other form of media can.
TPI artist Ron DiCianni has focused his career for the past twenty years on the Gospel message. While some may not immediately recognize the name, they do recognize his art. Others see his awe-inspiring pieces and are surprised that they have not encountered them before. The powerful images evoke so great an emotion that those who view DiCianni’s pieces do not simply want a reproduction; they suddenly recognize that they need it in order to share with others. Tapestry believes that a print sold is a life touched and their goal is to create an awareness of their art so that more lives can be touched by the Gospel message.
My favorite is "Earnest Prayer" on the Faith group. Spread the word!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Book "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
About the Book: A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.
Told by the father but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready there is a coming last battle.
About the Author: Todd Burpo is the pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska where his sermons are broadcast locally every Sunday via the local radio station. He volunteers at Chase County Public Schools as wrestling coach for Junior high school students, as well as serving as a member of the school board. In emergencies Todd can be found working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department as a fire fighter. He is also the chaplain for the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighter's Association. To support his family, Todd also operates a company called Overhead Door Specialists. Todd graduated from Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 1991 summa cum laude with a BA in Theology. He was ordained in 1994.
The author, pastor Todd Burpo, is the father of Colton, the boy with the near-death experience. He did a magnificent job in the description of Colton's stories, using Colton's own words. His style is light and enjoyable and keep us captive till the last page of his book.
This is the kind of book that you really want to read and want to believe in every word. That is what our faith is all about, reaching heaven.
This book was written by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent in 2010 and published by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.
This book was written by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent in 2010 and published by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Book "Scientific Facts in the Bible" by Ray Comfort
About the book: An elderly lady once left $20,000 and "my Bible and all it contains" to her nephew. The young man knew what the Bible contained so he didn’t bother to open it. He merely picked it up and put it on a high shelf in his house, and headed for Las Vegas.
It wasn’t long until all his money was gone. He lived the next 60 years as a pauper, scraping for every meal and barely having the clothes on his back.
As he was moving to a convalescent home he reached up to grab that old Bible and accidentally dropped it from his trembling hands. It fell to the floor and opened, revealing a $100 bill between every page.
That man lived his life as a pauper when he could have lived in luxury, simply because of his prejudice. He thought he knew what the Bible contained.
Most people don’t know that the Bible contains a wealth of incredible scientific, medical and prophetic facts. The implications are mind boggling…
About the author: Ray Comfort is the best-selling author of more than 70 books, including The Evidence Bible (2002 Gold Medallion Book Awards finalist). He is the co-host of an award-winning television program (with actor Kirk Cameron), blogs daily to hundreds of atheists at "Atheist Central" (http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com), has debated atheistic evolution on ABC's Nightline and on the BBC. His "Atheist Test" booklet has sold more than one million copies. He lives with his wife, Sue, in Southern California where they have three grown children.
My review: This title could be more properly classified as a booklet, instead of a book, but its content is colossal. It opens your mind to new dimensions that you never thought they could exist. The author did a magnificent job on apologetics of Christianity, and he shows through convincingly examples why the Bible must be supernatural in origin. In thirteen chapters and 95 pages, Mr. Ray Comfort talks about science, book of Job, medical science, genesis, scientists, biology, accuracy of prophecies, astronomy, historical figures, archaeology, historical accuracy and evolution and their relation to the Bible. It is simply astonishing. Marvelous. The way he talks about the compatibility (or lack of compatibility, let's say) between the Bible and the Theory of Evolution is simply blowing minded. And his citation of the words of Dwight Eisenhower is superb: "It takes no brains to be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the existence of a supernatural power because man's physical senses cannot detect it...". I simply loved this book. It is a must have in a library of any serious person that believes in the word of God written in the Bible.
I received this book as a gift from my dearest friend Tasos Verdi. Thanks so much for such a nice gift!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Balance of October
During October I read and reviewed the following:
Movies:
- "Little Town of Bethlehem" produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM). Read my Review.
- "The Least Among You". Read my Review.
Books:
- "The Profiler" by Pat Brown with bob Andelman. Read my Review.
- "The Baby Bible Christmas Storybook" by Robin Currie. Read my Review.
- "Transforming Church in Rural America" by Shannon O'Dell. Read my Review.
- "Shedrow" by Dean DeLuke. Read my Review.
Movies:
- "Little Town of Bethlehem" produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM). Read my Review.
- "The Least Among You". Read my Review.
Books:
- "The Profiler" by Pat Brown with bob Andelman. Read my Review.
- "The Baby Bible Christmas Storybook" by Robin Currie. Read my Review.
- "Transforming Church in Rural America" by Shannon O'Dell. Read my Review.
- "Shedrow" by Dean DeLuke. Read my Review.
- "The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament" by Nancy Guthrie. Read my Review.
- "Blue Bells of Scotland" by Laura Vosika. Read my Review.
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