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“Faith Stories”: A New View of the Church Seen Through the Eyes of a Lifelong Catholic

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

“Faith Stories of One Good Catholic Girl”, by Diana Milesko, provides a wry and thoughtful rendering of what it's like to be Catholic today.   It moves from the author's sometimes amusing experiences as a young Catholic, through frustration and disappointment with Church hierarchy, to a thoughtful look at the challenges and possibilities in the Church.   Anecdotes from her childhood in Chicago, IL and Carbondale, PA reveal how faith grows in the embrace and care of others, and from stories about one's ancestors, family, and God.   Readers will relate to droll accounts of hanging tinsel on the Christmas tree; and be enlightened by compelling stories such as how, after a TWA airplane fell on her teenage boyfriend's house in Chicago in 1959, she coped with guilt about attending his funeral in a Protestant Church.   Ms. Milesko examines teachings about statues, indulgences and other accoutrements, and delivers a fascinating account of how the Catholic Church became an absolute monarchy accountable to no one. She treats contemporary scandals with compassion and honesty, and notes that a renewed Church must be inclusive and transparent in all of its dealings.   A thought provoking tale that is ultimately satisfying, this stimulating book gives readers insight, comfort and hope. It offers possibilities for Catholics in the 21st century and inspires readers to find the true meaning of spirituality.   Diana Milesko earned her bachelors degree at the University of Illinois, masters at Loyola University Chicago, and doctorate at Global Ministries University. A Catholic all her life, she has been a Church cantor, communion minister, and organist in several states.   Faith Stories of One Good Catholic Girl is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-197-7) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-198-4) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s website, dianamilesko.com.

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Alphie Introduces Young Readers to Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Left behind by his pack, a wolf pup is forced to experience his first year alone in Yellowstone National Park in Alphie, a Yellowstone wolf pup, by Brian A. Connolly.
When three-month-old Alphie of the Lamar Pack woke up from a long nap, he discovered he was alone. His pack had moved to their high country rendezvous at Opal Creek, accidentally leaving him behind to face the wild valley on his own. After facing many dangers, Alphie is rescued by an old wolf returning to the pack. Grandfather becomes Alphie’s protector and teacher, marking the beginning of a long friendship.
Alphie is a verbal map of the northern range of Yellowstone National Park. The story introduces young readers to this special wilderness and wild places in general. Wandering the Lamar Valley, with book in hand, a reader should be able to locate Druid Peak, the Ledge Trail, the rendezvous site, Jasper Beach, Chalcedony Creek, as well as other landmarks in Alphie’s territory.
Brian A. Connolly’s Wolf Journal was an Oregon Book Award Finalist. His second novel, Hawk, is the sequel to Wolf Journal. Connolly writes in Yellowstone and at home in Bend, Oregon.
George Bumann, the illustrator of Alphie, is a professional artist and educator in Yellowstone National Park. He lives at the park’s entrance with his wife, son and two Labradors. His art resides in collections across the U.S. including the Charles Russell Museum in Great Falls, MT and National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, WY.
Alphie, a Yellowstone wolf pup is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-200-4), hardcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-201-1) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-202-8) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s website, bconnollybooks.com.

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New Book Helps Answer the Question “What’s Next in Parenting?”

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 1 Comment

How to Hold a Glue Stick by Froukje Matthews is an innovative guide to parenting for those who have completed the initial stages of a baby’s life and are wondering where to go from there.

This guide deals with ten topics every parent will face after the preliminary nurturing stages of development. These include routines, obedience, attention, language development, and tantrums just to name a few. Froukje uses a mixture of real life experiences, analyzing of these situations, and ideas to strengthen a parent’s confidence in dealing with these events throughout the course of her guide.   We act with good intentions, we do our best and yet the outcome is not as desired. Why is that so? This book will attempt to demonstrate how better results can be achieved by explaining what it looks like from the child’s point of view.

Froukje Matthews studied for and trained as a primary school teacher in her native Holland, obtained Montessori teaching qualifications (3-6 and 6-9 cycles) in Australia as well as a post-grad Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the QUT (Brisbane, Queensland). She taught Kumon Math to all ages, worked as and ESL teacher in Spain and has run her own Montessori Playgroup and preschool for over twenty years. She speaks five languages and has lived in a number of countries.

How to Hold a Glue Stick and Other Clues to Parenting is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-195-3) and ebook (9-781-62137-196-0) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the official website for the book, www.cluestoparenting.com.

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New Book Shows Rich Florida History through Church Windows

Posted on February 06, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Joyce A. Fletcher Menard’s new pictorial book “Windows, Memorials and More” shows the contemporary stained-glass windows and other memorials depicting the lives of worshipers at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Jensen Beach, Florida.   Dedicated in 1899, All Saint’s Episcopal Church still serves a worshiping congregation. The church stands as a testimony to the life and times of local families from the 1890s to the 21^st century. Antique stained-glass windows and memorials tell the beautiful legacy shared by all and are represented through photographs and testimonies to the families throughout Menard’s book. This is an extremely rare depiction of Florida history in an inspirational, church setting.   Raised in Jensen Beach, Florida, Joyce A. Fletcher Menard attended All Saint’s Episcopal Church from the age of two until 1977. This fifth generation Episcopalian has served in Episcopal churches throughout the U.S. and Germany in leadership roles at the parish, regional, and national levels.

“The pioneering families named in the windows peaked my curiosity,” Joyce admits, “so I began to research the history and the people of my spiritual home.” In 2006, Joyce returned to All Saints, became active in a variety of ministries, and was welcomed home.

Windows, Memorials, and More is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-181-6) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-182-3) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom.

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“Free Man Walking” Helps Encourage a Clean, Spritual Life

Posted on February 01, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Free Man Walking, by Andy Nieman, documents the spiritual, emotional, and physical change of a once broken and hopeless man. During his downward spiral, Nieman was a drug abuser, chronic alcoholic, homeless person eating out of garbage bins, someone suffering from sexual abuse, and an addict surviving on skid row for over ten years — all with the threat of suicide lingering over him. His memoir tells the story of how he was able to turn his life around by earning a college degree and becoming an Officer of the Legislative Assembly as well as a pastor, poet, husband, and father. This book gives readers a first-hand look behind prison walls and takes them through the mind of someone suffering from experiences most cannot even fathom. It’s a story of finding religion and a new, more fulfilling life away from alcoholism and abuse. However, it’s not just a success story as it encourages others suffering from similar events to follow the steps Nieman took to become inspired enough to become a Free Man Walking as well. Andy Nieman is 18 years clean and sober as of February, 2012. After cleaning up his life, he earned a degree in Social Work and now runs his own counseling business. Nieman is a member of the White River Fist Nation in the Yukon Territory, Canada and a pastor for United Pentecostal Church International.

Free Man Walking is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-166-3) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-167-0) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. More information can be found at the author’s website, Niemanbooks.com.

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New Historical Novel Chronicles Voyage of French Aristocratic Family During Civil War

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

Set in the years surrounding the Civil War, Dianne Kirtley paints a picture of one girl’s journey of love, loss, and destruction in her new historical fiction novel Point of Departure. It is 1841, and fourteen-year-old Charlotte Mailliard should be concerned with French fashion, French tradition and her studies with her classmates, who just happen to be Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephews. Instead, her Papa has decided to move his family to America. Now all that consumes her thoughts are the rumors of “savages” and slave auctions. Charlotte could not foresee that her journey to the “New World” would take her up close and personal with the exact things she feared for so long. As Charlotte and her family mature through marriages, births, and deaths, the Civil War makes its way into their lives. It is the common theme of war that causes Charlotte to realize she is but one cog in the endless cycle of love and loss, the bane of a country where another Illinois native son will not abide “a house divided.” Dianne Kirtley taught English, Journalism and Creative Writing at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park, Illinois for twenty-five years. Point of Departure was inspired by the discovery of information about one of her husband’s ancestors whose family were personal attendants to the Bonapartes. Kirtley explains, “When I began the investigation of Charlotte Mailliard, reading her letters and visiting the places where she lived, I felt her story begged to be told. After seven years of work, I hope she would be pleased with my effort.”

Point of Departure is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-188-5) and eBook (ISBN 978-1-62137-189-2) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s website, www.kirtleybooks.com.

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New Book Illustrates Success Story of Homebuilding Construction

Posted on January 09, 2013 by Bobby Bernshausen | 0 Comments

The story of how RB Builders’ cross-functional production team learned the principles of homebuilding production is demonstrated in The Pipeline: A Picture of Homebuilding Production by Fletcher Groves, III. In the years following the period known as the “Age of Homebuilder Entitlement,” RB Builders painstakingly learned the ins-and-outs of home construction, applying underlying principles and disciplines of production that are otherwise universal. As told by Groves as an exchange of dialogue between team members, senior management, and RB’s trusted, results-based advisor/partner, this book is about using the tools that work for homebuilding construction without regard to the “consulting religion” they come from. The result is a deep understanding of a production system with an enduring visual image and a realization that improving performance is the best path to achieving sustainable competitive separation. Fletcher Groves, III has more than 30 years’ experience in commercial banking, residential real estate sales, development, construction, and management consulting. He has owned and managed his own development and award-winning homebuilding companies, as well as worked for Arthur Rutenberg Homes.

The Pipeline is available in hardcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-193-9) from Virtualbookworm.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s website, www.thepipelinebook.com.

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