Might I Suggest...

Within the last year, not one, but THREE people I know have self-published their written work online. This summer, as you plan your vacation reading, I'm going to suggest you give one or all of them a try.

The first is our cousin, Michael Twist, master of the short-story. He has several collections available to download, all containing a very satisfying array of tales that you will find completely enjoyable and thought-provoking. Perfect for short stints of reading, but quite likely to get you hooked so you read an entire collection in one sitting. I have yet to read all of his collections, but plan to finish them this Summer and beg for more!

Secondly, you must check out my friend Colleen Sohn's novel, Polite Society.

She has done a fabulous job of crafting a story that is just whimsical and offbeat enough to stand out from the usual offerings of the day. The characters she has imagined up are very real, yet have quirks that made me wish they were real people that I could add to my own circle of friends. Her story contains classic cars, cross-generational friendships, overcoming-the-odds scenarios, not to mention the character that lives only in dreams (and will make you wish would arrive in your dreams!).

I'm not sure if she still has any hard copies left, but if she does, oh-my! you will not be disappointed with the quality of her first printing. Beautifully hard-covered with nice paper and fabulous illustrations. If she happens to be sold out, there's always the instant satisfaction of ordering it for your Kindle through amazon.

And last, but certainly not least, our family friend, James Swanson, who has worked in the field of Biblical Studies for more than three decades, has published a "conservative reconstitution of the original (King James Version of the Bible, published in 1611) into understandable language of our day. In the e-reader format you can read your original KJV, and at the touch of the screen, see the meaning in the language of our day. Or you can read the beautiful and understandable KJV401 and check it against the original KJV for accuracy. No other translation can do this. In the traditional verse-by-verse format, this unique “Red Letter Plus” edition has color-coding which adds to the traditional “red letters” for Jesus’ words. The words of God the Father and his heavenly creatures are in blue; and purple for direct quotations of the Holy Spirit; the wily words of Satan and his devils are in green."

I have had the pleasure of test-driving this fully interactive Bible in a study version, which has yet to be released, and let me tell you, its language is not only accurate, but is lovely to read, and being able to touch a great portion of the words to get study notes is so great. I've done plenty of cross-comparison and study in my day, being a Bible college and Christian school graduate, with multiple books and resources spread out around me. What I would give to be able to go back and have this resource!

These people did not ask me to put in a plug for them, I've done it of my own accord because I know that many of my blog readers are Bookworms, and that they/you might enjoy meeting some new authors. If you do check them out, will you please let me know?

The end.