Bridge to Haven

As soon as I started reading Bridge to Haven, I couldn’t put it down. It was a wonderfully beautiful story loosely based on Ezekiel 16. I wept at parts as well. Francine Rivers is an amazing, gifted writer, and though this tale reminds me a lot of “Her Daughter’s Dream” and Carolyn, actually I could kind of predict the story based on that and Redeeming Love, I still immensely enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down!

An infant girl is born and abandoned under a Bridge in the town of Haven, California. A pastor, Ezekiel, who does an early morning prayer walk rescues her. Even though he tries to have someone else adopt her, his wife loves the little girl, whom they name Abra, and decides to claim her as their own, raising her along with their young son, Josh. However, his wife suffered from rheumatic fever and soon succumbed to death. Ezekiel knows he can’t raise the five-year-old, whom he has never felt comfortable with anyway because he didn’t think God wanted him to do it but he gave in to his wife’s pleas, so he does what’s best for her and sends her to live with another family, who had originally wanted to raise her. However, being only five at the time, Abra only feels abandoned by Zeke and can’t understand, and of course no one explains this to her until it’s too late. 

**May Contain Spoilers

Abra blames God because Zeke abandoned her, and struggles to trust anyone, except Josh. Then one day she meets Dylan, a charming, dangerous young man. She runs away with him, and he essentially rapes her the first night they are together. However, for some reason he’s attracted to her, and keeps her around even though he hadn’t kept any of the others around. He becomes very abusive and controlling quickly. Then, after a time, he dumps her with Franklin Moss, a Hollywood agent. He turns her into Lena Scott, and she has to work very hard all the time and it begins to irritate her. After all, Franklin is twice her age and she isn’t overly in love with him. However, following a forced abortion Franklin (who pretends to marry her) forces on her, her eyes truly begin to open to the mess her life is – and how much Joshua, her foster brother and best friend, truly loves her with a pure, gracious love.

Personally, I enjoyed this modern novel the most since “The Atonement Child” and “The Last Sin Eater.” It’s my top three. (I love all of her biblical/historical fiction novels.) I think readers will be able to connect with Abra and Joshua.

Voyage with the Vikings

In the first of the Imagination Station series by Focus on the Family, we meet cousins Beth and Patrick, who end up traveling back in time to the age of the Vikings on a mysterious quest to save one of Mr. Whittaker's ancestors. The quest involves gathering different things from different time periods. They meet Erik the Red.

I'm a history buss, and I think it's interesting. The Viking time period is not a period that seems to get much attention, and I'm glad they decided to place Beth and Patrick there.

The books are simple, but seem realistic (other than the fact that time travel is impossible). Beth and Patrick wear costumes so they fit in semi-well, and they never seem to be able to change the past. They always find what they're looking for. The books also emphasize God more, although it seems to be everyone except the two children who refer to Him.

The characters are not always fleshed out, but given that it is for younger readers, that could be overlooked.

The content is interesting and gives information about a historical event often overlooked by writers and researchers.

I would say a 9 on a 10 point scale.

Sail to the South Pacific in “Battle for Cannibal Island”

Beth and Patrick sail off on another grand adventure in the Imagination Station, this time to 1852 Fiji with Captain James Home in “Battle for Cannibal Island.” There, they find the Christian Fijans are battling the non-Christian Fijans, and one missionary wants to create peace between them. He suggests that they start on a peace treaty aboard the British ship. The missionary was determined to share the Gospel and continued to put himself in harm’s way to reach the cannibals with the message of Christ and his love and grace, even though at times it seems they didn’t want to hear it. Young readers will delight in reading about Beth and Patrick’s adventures while learning that sacrifice and listening to and doing God’s will for your life is the only way one will live a truly complete, happy, fulfilled life, even if they are living in poverty and risking their lives daily to share the truth. Sacrifice and compassion are not always easy, but are always worth it in the end. I highly recommend reading this, and all of the Imagination Station books.

"Princess Stories: Real Bible Stories of God's Princesses"

Larsen wrote a delightful Bible story book for young girls! This adorable book will fascinate girls! They will get to read about wonderful women of the Bible. There's Eve (first princess) and Deborah (wise princess), Naomi (role model princess) and Abigail (the peaceful princess), and so many more women who were all influential somehow in working out God's plan for salvation. Each women has four pages. The rough breakdown is that page one includes a rhyme about her life and the beginning of a summary of her life. The second page continues the story of her life, and includes a Bible verse. The fourth page of each section is "Princess Ponderings" with questions for little readers to think about.

This book is a tight, wonderful introduction to these strong women, although obviously not as in-depth as some of their stories in the Bible. Parents can delve into the Bible for more details about each woman. This reminds me some of "Bad Girls of the Bible" series and what we can learn for them, except it's more concise and targets children as opposed to adults. All in all, a recommendation for parents to consider purchasing and reading through with their little girls.

"Mark of Distinction" by Jessica Dotta

The delightful and much awaited sequel to the intriguing story of Miss Julia Elliston, or Mrs. Macy, or Miss Pierson, “Mark of Distinction” creates a little more of a developed character out of Julia. She doesn’t understand politics at all, and her father is trying to pass her off as the daughter of his deceased wife, since she has started to create a public spectacle after escaping Mr. Chance Macy, although she feels awkward living the lie. In this novel, she steps into a distinction as the Emerald Heiress since she inherited an emerald mine from her father, which also distinguishes her as Lord Pierson’s daughter. Edward is still aggrieved at her and also heartbroken, as she married Chance Macy believing he was going to protect her from her mother’s murderer – when in fact, Chance Macy WAS her mother’s murderer. And she greatly misses her mother, of course, and their simple life. I definitely enjoyed this one better than the first one, and can't wait for the third one. This is a wonderful story, full of intrigue and mystery set in the grand British past among the nobility of society, about a girl struggling to find security in a very unsecure world.

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World

A wonderful, touching account of one little boy's journey into the most wonderful place - Heaven. He may have been six, but the things he described couldn't have been imagined - he saw angels, heard things, and talked to Jesus. And besides, why would a six-year-old who'd been in a coma make anything up about what he saw?

Alex and his father, Kevin, were in a horrible car accident that left Alex on the verge of death and in a coma. No one is sure he will survive. When he wakes up, though, to everyone's surprise, he has a wonderful story to tell - about Heaven and Christ. A beautiful reminder that God watches all, even the smallest person is still important in the Lord's eyes, and He is the ultimate Healer and conquerer and authority over death.

Although it has been made into a movie, I haven't yet had the pleasure of watching it, but I can't wait until I'm lucky enough to get that chance.

'Peril in the Palace' Review

“Peril in the Palace” is another exciting adventure in the Adventures in Odyssey re-creation “Imagination Station” chronicles. Featuring Beth and Patrick, two cousins who accidently discovered the power of the Imagination Station and are sent on a quest to help Whit’s friend, Albert, this story is set during the reign of Kublai Khan and also features the famous adventurer, Marco Polo, whom Beth and Patrick are friends with and which also saves their life in Kublai Khan’s palace. The cousins are searching for a golden tablet but are soon caught by Kublai Khan’s guards, and locked in a room so they can’t escape – since he wants a showdown between God and his gods. Sometimes it's a wonder how the children even escape! This book is an exciting read, and any children who enjoy reading adventures and parents who want a story with a positive message about the Lord should consider checking out this book and the others in the series. The books should be read in order, though, as each one builds on each other, and sometimes references other adventures or things found on other adventures, a little like the secular “The Magic Tree House” series. I highly recommend this  must-read book and really the whole series.

Revenge of the Red Knight

Our favorite daring, time-traveling cousins Beth and Patrick are back for another adventure, this time to face knights and soldiers during the Crusades. 

Beth and Patrick stumbled across the Imagination Station in Whit’s ice cream shoppe, and since then have experienced magnificent adventures while seeking to help Whit’s friend and ancestor, Albert, and must find several objects scattered through time that he desperately needs.

They have carried these items back to 15^th century England, during the Crusades. In the castle where they are staying, the steward of Lord Darkthorn’s castle discovers the items and accuses the cousins of being thieves. They decide to discover who the real thief is, which leads to an unexpected jostling contest. 

This is yet another wonderful, delightful adventure for Beth and Patrick, and teaches readers about the Crusades as well as imparting important wisdom about Christianity and God, as the cousins discover new lessons in each story. A must read for children, and parents will not be displeased by having their children read these time-traveling stories – since they point to the Lord.

Review of "Passages Volume 1: The Marus Manuscripts" by Paul McCusker

"Passages Volume 1: The Marus Manuscripts" by Paul McCusker combine three books into one set, Arin’s Judgment, Darien’s Rise, and Annison’s Risk. Each novel features the same setting, an alternate world, but the characters are all different and all experience different aspects of this strange new society in which they find themselves sent to, where they learn lessons about God, good, and evil. Still, the stories do flow together and are interesting reads in themselves. 

Paul McCusker has also wrote other stories for younger readers I've read, and I really enjoy his plain, simple style of writing, his colorful, clever, courageous characters, and his grasp of spiritual principles, incorporated into his stories. He always includes supernatural incidents like time travel into his stories, which is pretty popular with readers today. Overall, a great read and I highly recommend it. 

'Haunted Waters' Red Rock Mysteries

Bryce and Ashley are twins who solve mysteries! I always have been fascinated by twins, especially boy and girl twins. And I love to have a mystery to solve. This book was perfect for me. I read it before, and recently re-read it. The twins are clever and smart, and learn valuable lessons about God and teamwork. This is perfect for young teenagers or children, and parents can read it aloud to their children and enjoy the stories as well. And Jerry B. Jenkins is a crafty writer, as always, and you know he will provide solid biblical principles.

Robot Wars Book 1 'Death Trap' by Sigmund Brouwer

"Robot Wars" was an exciting book, full of action and adventure. Broken into two adventures, Tyce is learning more about God. Even though he lives on an experimental colony on Mars, it's cool to think about the fact that God is everywhere and loves humans all over the universe. The setting of the story is also interesting, albeit far-fetched. But I love science fiction stories, and it's all about fantasy anyway! Even though I'm older, I wanted to review the book for any younger readers. This book is definitely worth reading, as are the rest in the series.

Michelle Cox's 'Just 18 Summers'

After Jenny's tragic end, the rest of the characters in "Just 18 Summers" respond in various ways to the idea of death that her dying has brought up to them.

A wife, mother, and sister, Jenny left behind a distraught husband and children. Even her sister must learn to cope with the aftermath of her sister's passing.

The novel has four families at various stages of raising children. Butch is a single dad. The Buckleys give their children everything but nothing important. The O'Reillys are expecting their first child. The Andersons are near the empty nest stage of life. Each family's story is connected somehow.

This story connected to me because I'm starting my family, since I just got married in June. We want to have children, and reading this really helped me to understand what's important and what's not. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

'The Vanishings'

"The Vanishings" is the first book in the Left Behind series that features four kids of varying spiritual knowledge before they were left behind. Judd is on the plane Ray is flying. It's really interesting how they meet Bruce as well. But most frightening of all is how they slowly realize what a disaster they're living in now that the worst evil the world has ever seen has been released, along with natural disasters. It's interesting to see the End Times from the perspective of four teenagers and not just through adults' eyes! 

This is a great, exciting read, and the rest of the series is just as fun. Kids should read these! Some cover one event over several novels, sometimes one book in the series is the entire event. I recommend these for young readers who want to read a Rapture-Left Behind perspective.

TJ and The Time Stumblers

A fun and exciting story, "New Kid Catastrophes" is the first in a series, TJ and the Time Stumblers. TJ finds two time travelers (who are invisible to everyone but her) who have gone back in time to study her as a teenager as part of a school project because supposedly she will do something great that will affect history, although they won't tell her what that is. They get her into a lot of trouble! 

This is a great book, a fun read, and exciting. I wasn't sure about reading more, but then I kind of want to. While it was different, and some kids would connect, I had trouble connecting with TJ and the guys. But, it's still a great little book for some kids. Parents should definitely read over it and then decide whether or not to allow their kids to read it! 

The Midwife by Jolina Petersheim

Beth needs funds for graduate school, and her professor and his wife want a baby. Her professor and his wife, however, don't want a baby with abnormalities. Beth has had a baby son, and still grieving over giving him up for adoption, flees to Hopen Haus to have her second baby girl, where she meets midwife Rhoda Mummau. Beth has no idea her life is about to change.

Rhoda has secrets of her own, a painful past she has tried to put behind her after she becomes part of the Old Order Mennonite Church and the head midwife of Hopen Haus. She must face her past to receive a future and find hope and love.

Lives intertwine and secrets are revealed, and wounds are healed, in "The Midwife."

'The Prayer Box'

The road to redemption is not paved smoothly, as Tandi Reese discovers in "The Prayer Box." Fleeing a dark past, Tandi Reese is struggling and a young mother. She lives in a rental cottage on Iola Ann Poole's estate. When the ninety-one-year-old dies, Tandi must clear out her house. And everything changes for Tandi when she finds 91 boxes with scraps of paper, one for each year Iola lived, with messages, prayers, and hopes written out on them.

A touching and wonderful story, Lisa Wingate shows us a touching, heart-wrenching story of one young woman's struggle to find stability and love.

Definitely I recommend this.

All For A Sister Review

Celeste Dufrane has it all: wealth, stardom, everything she thinks is happiness. Living in Hollywood in the Roaring Twenties, she is happy. Then her mother dies and she discovers her mother left half of her fortune to Dana, a woman accused of killing Celeste's baby sister, Mary. But as Celeste and Dana learn more about Celeste's mother's secrets, the truth surprises them.

An interesting story and premise, the book didn't take me long to finish. Allison Pittman crafts wonderful characters in Celeste and Dana, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I really knew the characters and definitely wanted to keep reading. I'm looking forward to reading more of Allison's books.

All for a Story review

"All for A Story" by Allison Pittman is a fun and awesome story about two journalists who meet and discover what is important in life.

Monica is a gossip columnist who struggles to make a living because she spends all of her money to keep up her extravagant lifestyle. She has a trust fund she can't access until she's thirty and parts of her mother's estate are doled out monthly, and a boyfriend who's married.

Max leaves a job as an editor for a magazine he doesn't do much to go to his uncle's funeral in New York City. He has inherited the magazine his uncle loved after he passes on. Max, now the editor, gives Monica a new assignment: infiltrating and reporting on the Anti-Flirt Society. 

Along the way, they both learn important lessons about God, trust, and most of all, love. 

This is a great read and I really enjoyed Monica and Max's relationship. Sister Aimee, though a minor character, was also quite fascinating. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. 

The First Escape

I like to be up to date on what teens are reading nowadays, especially when you work with them. Not sure what to think about The Doppleganger Chronicles: The First Escape but intrigued nonetheless by the plot and a huge fan of anything British, I decided to check it out. At first I was annoyed by the alternating text and graphics, but then I started getting into it. I realized I actually liked it a bit and could see how kids who don't like to read long pieces of texts without pictures would actually enjoy it!

Saskia and Sadie are identical in every way, except for their eyes, one has a blue left eye and a right yellow eye, and the other has a blue right eyes and a left yellow eye. They were left by their mother, an actress, at Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children, which seems to only have girls with the exception of Erik, who was abandoned on the front steps when his father left to get something and never returned. The School is actually quite a terrible place, but the twins rule the school. When a wealthy reclusive writer wants only Saskia, Sadie and Saskia are separated. Saskia stumbles into a conspiracy and Sadie and Erik are trying to find her and help. Saskia also meets a mysterious woman who gives her advice and teaches her to eat peas with a fork, who she believes is an angel and who tries to guide her to the Companion (one can only assume she means Christ, although this is never explictily said, nor even really implied other than a few vague descriptions).

It is a fine book, well-crafted. The design, pages of text and then pages of a graphic novel, are fantastic and give the book a creative feel. Definitely worth reading!

Born of Persuasion

*May Contain What You Consider Spoilers*

Julia Elliston has recently lost her mother and father. She has a guardian who wants to send her to Scotland to be a servant, which she views as beneath her station. The daughter of a famed atheist, she hates the church and everything part of it, which contributes to her inability to pick Edward, who seems to be her true love. She instead develops a crush on Macy. However, Julia seems to suffer from a lack of self-esteem, and in my opinion, she seems to fall for any guy who gives her attention. Unfortunately, due to her upbringing, I'm not surprised.

Although it had a few flaws, this novel definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. While I would have preferred Julia's story to be complete by the end of the novel and the next novel be about Elizabeth and Henry - who definitely deserve a novel of their own - it does make me want to read the next in the series.

Another con is that I know her mother hid things from her, but Julia struck me almost a weak figure, consumed by money and a desire for a place in society. She constantly needed Edward to save her, or needed Macy's protection (or so he said). However, for a woman of the time, she's a fantastic example of the upper crust of society in that time period. Also, she struck me as a character who would dig a little deeper and snoop around Macy's belongings, but she really didn't. She had to be told all the information, she didn't go find any herself. I was a little disappointed about that character portrayal, which I didn't think fit her.

Left Behind

Left Behind Review

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkin's innovative series Left Behind sparked interest in Revelation, the Apocalypse and the End Times. A fan of the last book of the Bible, Left Behind is a beautiful book even though sometimes people wonder just how many pilots couldn't believe in God before and why they suddenly were all changing their minds.

Left Behind is a challenging and fascinating perspective on the least-talked about book in the Bible, Revelation, although Revelation is by far one of the most important books in the Bible. These two authors create a universe in which God is judging the Earth and has taken away His Church; all that are left are those who refused Christ. Now they all must band together to survive the Tribulation and all the other events foretold thousands of years ago. It also has great imagery and talks about one of the four possibilities of Revelation. 

Firewall an excellent book

People are still crazy about marriages and weddings, as evidenced by Taryn in “Firewall.” She’s heading off for a honeymoon with her new husband when a bomb goes off. She and her husband are prime suspects – and her husband’s missing. But perhaps Taryn did something else – like creating software for her employers. It’s a race against time for Taryn to prove her innocence. She is offered help by handsome Agent Grayson Hall, who fights terror. Really, the name Grayson Hall sounds like the name of a manor or castle in the Highlands of Scotland. However, steady and strong is Grayson. He’s also smart and dedicated to justice, and Taryn is naïve. Can they find out the truth? That’s the core of this novel.

G.P. Taylor's The Secret of Indigo Moon

The second book in the fantastic Dopple-Ganger Chronicles meets the clever Dopple twins, Sadie and Saskia. Muzz Elliott has sent the twins back to Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children (which has all girls and only one boy, who is treated as a servant). The twins and Erik get into a mystery, which backs that awful magician from the first novel stealing treasures from a neighbor through a series of underground tunnels. And we also learn that the beloved Miss Olivia was - or should I say is as she is still alive - no angel...

Dorcas Potts also comes into the picture as a detective whose uncle is being robbed. 

Combining comic-book graphics with text and color, G.P. Taylor creates a fantastic new series of books that appeals to teenagers of all ages. I like to keep myself up to date on all novels and series, fiction, non-fiction, teen, children and adult, and this one has allowed me to see where the next generation is going: graphics as well as text.

While seeming to lack a little with direct spiritual references, with only mentions of someone who may or may not be an angel, and the Companion (with a capital letter) who we sort of figure is probably a reference to Christ, the Holy Spirit or God, it is still rather fun and informative, and has excellent themes for one to think about.

Taylor raises important issues, such as abandonment (experienced by the twins, whose mother left them), guilt (experienced by Erik for his past life of stealing, although he was a child manipulated by his father), revenge (the magician who hates the twins and Erik), loneliness (experienced by all the characters) and adoption (experienced by the twins) and family, both broken and put together.

All in all, a must read.

The Imagination Station: Attack in the Arena

Adventures in Odyssey continues their series with The Imagination Station series. Attack in the Arena is the second book chronicling the adventures of the fantastic time-traveling duo Beth and Patrick, cousins who are recruited by Mr. Whittaker to travel through time on various quests so that he can save his ancestor, Albert. Aided occasionally by a mysterious knight from England who travels through the Imagination Station, the cousins find themselves on all kinds of adventures.

And this time they are in ancient Rome at the very last gladitorial game seeking a silver cup that will somehow help Albert (we are not told how). Beth is hauled off by a soldier, believed to be a bird slave to the young Emperor Honorius.

Patrick is taken in by a kind monk, Telemachus. They help a "barbarian" to run away although he is recaptured. They end up in Rome and Patrick is taken away to the arena. Beth is trying to find the Emperor's humanity while learning she really hates birds now.






Both are learning valuable lessons, as will their young fans as they read this story.

And meanwhile they seek the silver cup...

Easy to read, very simply sentences, just right for that age range. I really liked it (I like anything about ancient Rome). I definitely want to read the rest of the series.

Definitely an 9 on a 10 point scale.

The Great Mogul Diamond

The third book in the Doppleganger Chronicles is probably the best. This time the twins are traveling to France and have officially moved in with Muzz Elliot, a bestselling writer. Erik is learning to be a detective, thanks to American Dorcas Potts. He still lives at the orphanage, though.

The setting is Britain.

There's a murder on the train the twins are traveling on, and there's a mysterious man following the twins and Muzz, who goes to France on what the twins suspect is blackmail.

And the Great Mogul Diamond disappears. And they also want to find their mother.

This series is mysterious and interesting, following abandoned twins who get adopted (but who always long for their mother) and then have adventures relating to their adopted parents. Although this takes place in modern times, the feel of the book makes it seem in the past. And the fact it's a graphic novel series (and did not originate as a longer series) makes it even more original and creative.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

It deserves a 10.

'Visible Threat' excellent and eventful

The second book in Janice Cantore's series, Visible Threat, follows Brinna as she finds herself caught up in a human trafficking ring. Brinna is a strong woman who was kidnapped as a child, which developed into a thirst and desire for justice against missing children. She's the person to call to find a kid who's gone missing. A young girl is found dead in a river with a tattoo on her hip, and Brinna begins the hunt for the killer, which will eventually lead her to more victims, Ivana and her sister, who left Bulgaria after promises they will work for rich Americans. However, they've had their heads filled with lies and soon find themselves part of the human trafficking ring.

Fast-paced, exciting, and touching on the horrible topic of human trafficking, Cantore has created a wonderful story and character in Brinna and the others as well and brings to the light the cruel and evil issue of human trafficking.

Tattler's Branch

Jan Watson's Tattler's Branch Lilly Corbett Still loves her life in the mountains of Kentucky. She's the local doctor, and enjoys ministering to the people in the area. She's married and her husband is away, but she has her friend, Armina, for support.

The unexpected happens, and Armina is bedridden and an abandoned baby shows up on her door. She decides to find out the truth, and begins to seek it. As danger mounts, she struggles to maintain her focus on what's right and true.

The novel is a touching and poignant story about a young woman. Lilly is an endearing character and takes good care of the baby and the residents of her small town. Anyone looking for an exciting mystery should select this to read!

Night Mare is Heart Breaking and Sweet

In “Night Mare,” Ellie is a young girl who is assigned a class assignment to blog. This is the final novel is a series about Ellie. She adores her beloved horse, Dream, and decides to write about him. Only she discovers that the Pinto has owners, and isn’t a runaway like she and her family believed before. The novel shines with plots twists and the true and affectionate love between a girl and her horse. After all, who wouldn’t say that Ellie loved her horse? I myself love horses and I love to ride them. They are exciting creatures and loveable as well. The novel’s plot seemed a little far-fetched – Dream’s owners just happened to read the same blog Ellie was writing and could figure out he was their horse? But the emotions, the loss, and Ellie and the horse were definitely well-developed and extremely poignant. Some events are beyond our control, and God definitely is still in control, even when we don’t see him.  

Another excellent book!

“It Had to Be You” is another installment of Susan May Warren’s Christensen Family series. Eden (what a great name! I love it!) is the focus of this exciting and versatile novel that is charming yet romantic. Like many people, Eden has a sweet and helpful personality. She is overshadowed by her younger brother. She loves him and dotes on him like any sister would, but she lets his life distract her from living her own life. It almost seemed like a mother-son relationship in that Eden put herself aside for her brother. Owen definitely takes advantage of Eden’s giving nature. But in the end, Eden would find the desires of her heart. Eden finds Jace, an NHL veteran. Jace is troubled, although kids love him. Eden and Jace also find themselves falling for each other. All in all, Susan develops another successful novel.

'I'm No Angel' Touches the Heart

At first I thought “I’m No Angel” would be boring. However, the story went much deeper than that. I could really connect to Kylie Bisutti as well as her struggles and challenges. I’ve known several young ladies who struggle with body image, and it’s something many people struggle with. I know a few people who model and who admit it is a challenging lifestyle. The book was excellent, and I recommend it to anyone.