My Maker and Me by Pat Domangue Blog Tour Book Review

About the Book

Book: My Maker And Me

Author: Pat Domangue

Genre: Christian Living/Bible Study

Release Date: July 22, 2025

A six-week guided Bible study based on Isaiah 64:8, My Maker & Me helps Christian women discover God as their potter and understand His continual presence in their lives.

Through the unique perspective of viewing God and themselves through Scripture and the art of pottery, Christian women will learn how God intimately works to shape them into the beautiful vessels He created them to become, much like a potter shapes clay.

Many Christian women struggle with trusting God because they don’t know Him from the intimate perspective of their potter. My Maker & Me helps women grow in understanding God’s love and care for them especially when they face difficult seasons or walk through fiery trials. As their trust grows, they will also find security, purpose, and meaning even in the most difficult seasons of life. If they are struggling with who they are and discovering their purpose, they will gain a greater sense of their true identity and purpose, setting them up to embrace God’s plan for their life. Women committed to completing this six-week study will experience spiritual growth and personal transformation.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

This is a good study focusing on how God shapes us. Using the analogy of a potter, we learn how we need a good foundation, how we need to be well centered, how we are formed and stretched and finally fired, as in a kiln. There are five daily studies for each of the six weeks, each study taking about a half hour. There are passages to read and questions to answer. While a variety of Bible translations can be used, some questions are based on the specific word order as appearing in the NKJV. Domangue explores a number of Greek words that are essential to understanding Scriptural principles. She also provides a QR code for free teaching sessions so this book could be used for individual or group study.

This is a good study and I recommend it.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

 

About the Author

A resident of West Monroe, Louisiana, Pat Domangue has spent the past twenty years in women’s ministry inspiring and igniting a passion for Jesus through writing and teaching Bible studies for women. Pat has an advanced certification in Women’s Ministry, a bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a master’s degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana. She has published four Bible studies for women: Quest for Wholeness: Healing The Broken; Equipped & Empowered: Preparing Women for Spiritual Battle; DIG: Digging Into God’s Word, a how-to guide for studying the Bible; and her latest, My Maker and Me: A Six-Week Bible Study of Becoming God’s Beautiful Vessel. Pat has also produced and hosted a Christian women’s television program and radio shows, and she currently hosts H.E.R. Podcast, bringing healing and encouragement to women in real life.

More from Pat

My Maker and Me: A Six-Week Bible Study of Becoming God’s Beautiful Vessel

Have you ever watched a potter at work? Strong hands caress and move the clay, shaping it as it spins on the wheel. The potter leans close, eyes focused, applying just the right pressure to bring something beautiful to life.

That’s where my writing journey began — watching my first pottery demonstration and hearing the potter share the treasures he had discovered about God at that wheel. God had revealed Himself through the art and process of pottery, opening the potter’s eyes to see His intimate work in his life and the great value God saw in him.

As I listened, something stirred deep inside me. I wanted to know God like that — intimately, personally, as the Potter who shapes and molds my life. Within days, I was sitting in the potter’s class, craving to experience God in that same way. The potter guided us through every stage of creating pottery — from dry clay, to shaping damp clay on the wheel, to firing and glazing.

Each week, I carried what I learned from class into prayer, asking God to reveal Himself and show me how Scripture mirrors the process. Just as the potter shapes the clay, God shapes us into His beautiful vessels — molding us through seasons of pressure, waiting, and refining.

My Maker and Me was born from the revelation of Isaiah 64:8:

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.”

Through this study, women will discover the heart of the Master Potter who is intimately at work in their lives—shaping, refining, and transforming them into the vessels He created them to be.

A Season of Waiting and Shaping

One of my favorite sections of the study is Week 4: The Master’s Design. It explores how God uses waiting seasons not as wasted time, but as sacred shaping time. Even in the waiting, God is still working—molding and strengthening us to become His beautiful vessels.

Much like a potter allows the clay to rest before the next stage of forming, God allows us moments of stillness to prepare us for His next move. In those seasons, even when we can’t see or feel His presence, He is working—always with intention and love.

Writing this study wasn’t easy. God allowed me to live many of the lessons He was teaching me. I had my own moments of testing, trial, and surrender. Yet in every challenge, He revealed His faithfulness and assured me of His nearness.

An Invitation to the Journey

My prayer for My Maker and Me is that women everywhere will experience what I did—a deeper awareness of God’s hand at work in their lives. Whether you’re in a season of stretching, refining, or resting, I believe this study will help you see how the Potter is crafting something beautiful in you.

Come join me on this journey of becoming God’s beautiful vessel.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, January 16 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 17

Artistic Nobody, January 18 (Author Interview)

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 19

Guild Master, January 20 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 21

Fiction Book Lover, January 22 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 23 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, January 23

Blossoms and Blessings, January 24 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 25

Stories By Gina, January 26 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, January 27 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 28

A Reader’s Brain , January 29 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 29

Giveaway

 

To celebrate her tour, Pat is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/Ft6nd/my-maker-and-me-celebration-tour-giveaway

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke Book Review

About the Book:

Hobnobbing with Seattle's elite on a super-yacht, Juliette Winters is about to land the deal of the century - if she doesn't get arrested first. She Doesn't Have A Clue author Jenny Elder Moke returns with another riotous mystery rom-com that delights in rich people behaving badly.

Juliette Winters is used to taking care of business alone. She has no time for petty things like romance, friendships, or emotional commitments. Love is for people who believe in reality TV dating and holding hands in public. She's too busy dominating the publishing world by single-handedly saving her company from financial ruin with the book deal of the century.

Business magnate Warren Ellingham has guaranteed Juliette exclusive rights to his explosive memoir that promises to expose the secrets of his ultra-exclusive country club, Pacific Pines. But when Warren drops dead of an apparent heart attack and the memoir is stolen, Juliette suspects that someone was willing to resort to murder to keep their secrets from being exposed.

Enlisting the help of Charlie Hawkins, a doctor with a heart of gold and abs of steel, Juliette dives into the glamorous and messy world of Pacific Pines Country Club. As the investigation heats up, so does the tension between Juliette and Charlie. But Juliette can't afford any distractions because the bodies keep dropping, and Juliette is teed up to take the blame. If she doesn't uncover Warren's killer soon, the thing that was supposed to secure her future might just be the thing that ends it.

Jenny Elder Moke's twisty mystery rom-com blend will delight readers with its outrageous characters, laugh-out-loud jokes, and opposites attract romance.

My Review:

This novel is a good combination of romance, humor and murder mystery. Juliette has been hurt before and is determined to solve everything on her own, even when her friends offer help. She does eventually warm up to Charlie, a fellow who seems lacking in personality at first but turns out to be a good sidekick, especially when she becomes the focus of the police.

Juliette is a capable heroine. She is willing to take chances to solve the mystery, getting herself in trouble. There are a number of suspects as the murdered man was writing a tell all and there are many secrets others want to remain hidden.

This is the second in a series and I did not read the first book. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this one.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Jenny Eder Moke is the author of award-winning children’s and adult literature. She enjoys fast-paced adventures with plenty of mysteries, surprising turns, and laughs along the way. When she’s not writing, you can find her knitting, puzzling, or fighting imaginary crime as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She Doesn't Have a Clue was her adult debut. She lives in Denver, CO.

Minotaur Book, 368 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

A Million Little Miracles Guided Journal by Mark Batterson Book Review

About the Book:

In this 40-day guided journal complementing Mark Batterson's A Million Little Miracles, the New York Times bestselling author of Win the Day helps us seek the God who is constantly moving in our midst, revel in his greatness, and catalogue the miracles he works all around us.

Think you've never experienced a miracle? Mark Batterson claims you have never not! Now he empowers readers to cultivate a holy curiosity about themselves and the world they live in.

In this compelling, author-curated journal, readers will spend 40 days seeking God and growing in relationship to him by pausing to observe and remember the many ways God is at work in their lives every day. Through guided Bible readings and thoughtful journal prompts, Batterson invites us to consider the miraculous work of God going on around us. He highlights three aspects of God that we take for granted: God is bigger than we think, closer than we realize, and better than we can imagine.

A Million Little Miracles Guided Journal invites you to a life of wonder in God and gratitude for his presence and work in the world around us.

My Review:

Batterson notes that 40 days is often the time of transformation in the Bible so he has written 40 devotions to help us cultivate the habit of observing wonder. He encourages us to look at creation, humans, and God Himself. He asks journal prompting questions and gives space to record our thoughts. He gives Bible passages to consider as well as quotes from his book and from others.

"We glorify God by enjoying God and all that He has made" (loc 321/1737) This book helps us pay attention to God and all that He has made, to delight in it all. Whether one has read the initial book or not, this is a good book to develop the habit of paying attention to God, what He has done and what He is doing. We glorify God by delighting in Him and this book of journaling prompts will get us on the journey.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church (NATIONAL.CC) in Washington, D.C. One church with multiple campuses, National owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, the DC Dream Center, and the Capital Turnaround (capitalturnaround.com). Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University and is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five books, including The Circle Maker, Chase the Lion, and Win the Day. He has also authored the children's books The Best Worst Day Ever and God Speaks in Whispers with his daughter, Summer Batterson Dailey. Mark and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Multnomah, 192 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Terminal Danger by Jerusha Agen Blog Tour Book Review

 

About the Book

Book: Terminal Danger (Guardians Unleashed Series Book 5)

Author: Jerusha Agen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 24, 2024

This woman and her K-9 are being hunted. Exactly as she planned.

When a busload of schoolchildren disappears, Phoenix Gray knows the kidnapper is the unidentified serial killer she’s spent her life trying to catch. This time, she’ll find the killer and bring him to justice no matter what it takes. She and her Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency join the search for the hostages, but they aren’t the only ones who want the criminal captured.

Callum Ross, an FBI agent who specializes in catching serial criminals, is about to resign. But not until he finds one last culprit, the killer behind a famous twenty-year-old crime Callum vowed to solve.

Despite the FBI agent’s uncanny understanding of her psyche, Phoenix refuses to be distracted from her goal. When the serial killer turns into the cat instead of the mouse, Phoenix thinks she’s ready. But will she need the God she rejected to achieve the justice she’s given her life to obtain?

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

This novel is an intense look inside Phoenix, the head of the K-9 Security and Detection Agency. Each of the previous novels centered on one of the agents and this one goes right to the head. Each of the women needed rescuing and strength to overcome their pasts and now, so does Phoenix.

Agen deftly gets inside of her characters but I was not bored with the character thoughts. I was surprised that there is finally someone who understands Phoenix. There is a well presented and very clear but intense presentation of the gospel.

This novel explores a number of issues, including justice and vengeance. Another is God's sovereign rule. There is also the challenge of believing in God in the face of unspeakable harm. And the scariest. Does one need to become a monster to catch a monster and bring justice?

The plot moves at a consistently breathless pace, a cat and mouse game between Phoenix and the villain, right up to the shocking twist near the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this Christian romantic suspense, the best one of the series. Even though it is part of a series, it reads very well on its own.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

You can read my reviews of the previous books in this series: Hidden Danger, Covert Danger, Unseen Danger, and Lethal Danger.

About the Author

Jerusha Agen imagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes romantic suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats, often while reading or watching movies.

 

More from Jerusha

Ever since I read Dee Henderson’s O’Malley Series, I’ve been hooked on a special kind of series. You probably can guess what that is. The team series premise!

In Henderson’s masterful Christian romantic suspense series, the “team” is a group of found-family siblings. I love sibling series in which each book features a member of the same family.

But another kind of team series that I enjoy reading is where the characters aren’t related but are bound together by a common job or cause.

Since I love reading team series, I couldn’t wait to write one of my own! Thus, the Guardians Unleashed Series was born.

Guardians Unleashed follows the five women operatives of the Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency. Named after the founder and CEO, Phoenix Gray, this agency pairs each woman with talented K-9s who help them rescue and protect people in need.

From search and rescue to bomb detection and protection from assassination attempts, the operatives and K-9s of the PK-9 Agency can do it all.

When big or unusually challenging jobs come along, the women and their dogs tackle the assignment together. I love how the Guardians Unleashed series has one of my favorite elements of team series—the team members bond so closely with each other, that they become a family of their own!

As the final book in the Guardians Unleashed series, readers had high expectations for Terminal Danger. After all, it’s the story of Phoenix Gray, the secretive and mysterious woman who fearlessly leads her operatives into—and out of—danger.

Phoenix Gray was the most challenging character I’ve ever had to write, thanks to her high intelligence, psychological complexity, and emotional unavailability. But with much help from the Lord, this book came together as well as I had hoped.

One aspect of Terminal Danger that I and readers have enjoyed most is getting to see every team member of the PK-9 Agency again. They come together as a family for their hardest mission ever, and each character plays an important role while readers get the fun of seeing them with their heroes and dogs.

Ultimately, the people and dogs Phoenix brought together for their benefit and the benefit of others may also play an important role in her own life.

Your turn! What do you love about team series?

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 14

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 15

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 16

Texas Book-aholic, January 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 18

Guild Master, January 19 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 19

For Him and My Family, January 20

Blogging With Carol, January 21

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, January 22

DevotedToHope, January 23

Simple Harvest Reads, January 24 (Guest Review from Donna)

Holly’s Book Corner, January 25

An Author’s Take, January 26

Fiction Book Lover, January 27 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, January 27

Giveaway

 

To celebrate her tour, Jerusha is giving away the grand prize of a signed paperback copy of Terminal Danger, $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, Terminal Danger tote bag, magnet, and notebook!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/c/terminal-danger-celebration-tour-giveaway

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Inside Man by John McMahon Book Review

About the Book:

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

PAR’s latest case involves a militia group stockpiling weapons. When their confidential informant in the case is killed, it quickly becomes clear that the militia did not kill him.

As the squad looks into the evidence surrounding his murder, an unidentified man is caught on camera with their informant. This mystery man’s picture is connected to another case at the FBI, an unsolved series of murdered women, buried in the ground in north Florida. Could they have uncovered a serial killer? And if so, what is his connection to their C.I.?

As PAR juggles an investigation into both the dead women and the militia, they enroll a new informant, only to find the case escalating in dangerous ways. How will PAR handle a case that increasingly looks like a terrorist plot? And in the serial case, with no puzzles or witnesses, and few leads, how will a group set up to decode riddles be successful?

My Review:

The strength of these PAR (Pattern and Recognition) FBI novels is twofold. First, I really like the characters. They are quirky in a good way. They are able to see connections others cannot so are able to solve puzzling cases. Second, the mysteries are good and it is fun to pit myself against the characters, to see if I can make connections as well as they can.

The pace of the novel is good as the team has to solve two separate cases that eventually relate to each other. This is the second novel in the series and it may not have had the same impact on me as the first one since I was now familiar with the unusual characters. There is a little more fleshing out Gardner's character, including his mother with Alzheimer's and his daughter who has acted up at school.

This is a good FBI investigative novel with quirky characters and twists in the plot.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the first book in the series, Head Cases. 

About the Author:

The New York Times called John McMahon’s debut novel, The Good Detective “pretty much perfect” and listed it among their “Top Ten Crime Novels of 2019.” The book was a finalist for the 2020 Edgar Award and the ITW Thriller Award, both for Best First Novel. Head Cases is his fourth novel. John currently lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids and a rescue dog. He splits his time between crime writing and his day job in advertising. Photo credit: Nathaniel Chadwick.

Minotaur Books, 400 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. Mine is an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

The Road Unveiled by Tim Bishop Blog Tour Book Review

About the Book

Book: The Road Unveiled

Author: Tim Bishop

Genre: FICTION / Christian / Contemporary FICTION / Romance / Action & Adventure

Release Date: November 4, 2025

Two wounded hearts. Long, winding roads. And second chances neither saw coming.

Lauren Baumgartner pedals toward Yellowstone National Park, anticipating a grand celebration when she reaches the Atlantic Ocean. But when her wedding plans collapse, old wounds resurface—and a haunting secret still holds her heart hostage.

Traveling alone with bear spray and a one-woman tent, she shares the highway with motorcyclists bound for a massive rally, including gang members who eye her as theirs for the taking.

Doug Zimmer, another lone cyclist, is grappling with loss and wondering if anyone will be alongside him when he figures out what’s next. He isn’t the only one drawn to Lauren’s vitality and spirit.

But Lauren may already be in too deep. What she faces on the Golden Prairie Indian Reservation tests her courage—and her faith—more than anything she encountered as a missionary in Uganda.

A woman with a secret and a man healing from loss pedal the rugged roads of the American West on a quest for love and purpose that leads to unexpected horizons.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

This is a novel for bicycle enthusiasts. It does a good job of portraying the joys and trials of taking a long distance ride. Bishop gives lots of setting descriptions, both scenic vistas and traveling through old towns established during a gold rush in Montana. He also explores some serious topics in this novel, like same sex attraction, the plight of Native Americans living on reservations, abortion, and motor cycle gang violence, for example.

This novel is also a romance as Lauren struggles with the affection of three men. The resolution of that dilemma was not what I had expected. There is a very clear gospel message included, with the exploration of forgiveness prominent.

This is the second novel in a series and, while it reads relatively well on its own, the first should be read to fully appreciate this one. There is not enough background information at the beginning to explain everything, such as allusions to tragedies in the past.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

 

About the Author

After a thirty-year career in business, Tim Bishop left his corporate treasurer position, married his dream girl, and embarked with her to parts unknown—on bicycles. Ten thousand miles later, the first-time newlyweds have written four books about their cycling adventures. Their devotional, Wheels of Wisdom, won four first-place book awards. Publishers Weekly dubbed it “a road map for life.”

Tim’s first novel, The Persistent Road, won the Ames Award in General Fiction. The award acknowledges excellent books that encourage living a courageous and obedient Christian life, especially under challenging circumstances. The audiobook edition of The Persistent Road was selected as a Selah Award finalist.

Tim volunteers as a coach for a ministry that reaches people who are dealing with challenging life issues. He has written numerous articles for various Christian content providers.

A graduate of the University of Maine, a CPA, and a three-time Maine chess champion, Tim and his wife, Debbie, live in Middle Tennessee.

More from Tim

What is Christian Fiction?

I categorize my latest novel, The Road Unveiled, as Contemporary Christian Fiction. With the story set in modern times, the contemporary part makes sense.

But just what is Christian Fiction?

Is it a story with characters—and exclusively for readers—who espouse Christian values, believe in God, and exercise faith in Jesus Christ? Is it content fabricated to preach biblical truth? Or is it an entertaining tale so sanitized it won’t offend even the most sensitive of believers, even if it resembles little of what goes on in the world? Maybe it’s all the above. Or a touch of each.

I recently told my wife, Debbie, “I don’t write fantasy.” I wasn’t referring to genre but to placating readers who want only entertainment, escapism, and content that reinforces their beliefs. They’re looking for happily ever after in a world with far too little of it.

I like happy endings too. And I see entertainment as essential in fiction because a novelist must keep readers engaged if he hopes to influence them.

But I want my stories to have redeeming qualities beyond mere entertainment. Rereading my bio recently reminded me of this. It says, “Tim writes to create content that can change people’s lives.” That’s a tall order, but I wouldn’t be publishing books at my stage of life unless I wanted to touch a reader.

In The Road Unveiled, I promise I’ll take you on a journey. And certain parts of it won’t be easy. I want you to feel the pain of my characters’ relational woes so you can rejoice when they grow through them. If I can bring sweat to your brow as we climb steep ascents, you can bask in the magnificent surroundings and feel the rewarding rush when we sail down the other side. And if you feel the chill down your spine when danger looms, you’ll savor the peace at deliverance even more.

I’ll invite you to grapple with challenging cultural issues, too, so you can reconsider them with a fresh perspective. Could the difficulties we navigate with these characters make us all a little more compassionate, more aware of injustices, and more appreciative of everything God created for us? Could the nuance of a Bible passage jump from the pages of this story and smack us in the noggin? Maybe, like my protagonist, we’ll gain a better awareness of the toxic effects of a deep secret.

Strap on your helmets because we’re going for a ride. I don’t guarantee it will be smooth, but I do believe it will be worthwhile. Yes, I hope the story will entertain you. But I also want to leave you with something to think about, something that will stick with you long after you close the book. I sure hope I’ve accomplished that, but you’re the judge!

Blog Stops

Stories By Gina, January 9 (Author Interview)

lakesidelivingsite, January 10

Simple Harvest Reads, January 11 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 12

Artistic Nobody, January 13 (Author Interview)

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 14

Guild Master, January 15 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, January 16

Fiction Book Lover, January 17 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 18 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 18

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, January 19 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, January 20

Vicky Sluiter, January 21 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, January 22 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 22

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Tim is giving away the grand prize of a $75 Amazon Gift Card and the two books in the Bicycle Adventure Series!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter..

https://gleam.io/nJ2bn/the-road-unveiled-celebration-tour-giveaway

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

99 Ways to Die And How to Avoid Them by Ashely Alker Book Review

About the Book:

An illuminating, hilarious, and practical guide to 99 of the most terrifying ways to die and how to avoid them from an emergency medicine doctor.

Dr. Ashely Alker is a self-described death escapologist―or, in more familiar terms, an emergency medicine doctor. She has seen it all, from flesh-eating bacteria to the work of a serial killer to the more mundane but no less deadly, and her work outwitting the end has uniquely prepared her to write this book.

Dr. Alker manages to shock readers while making them laugh, educating them on how to outsmart a wide range of deadly situations and conditions. Many of the chapters include stories from her experiences in life and medicine, at times heartwarming, others heartbreaking. Sections include explorations of sex, poison, drugs, biological warfare, disease, animals, crime, the elements, and much more.

An Anthony Bourdain-style greatest hits tour of death, 99 Ways to Die is entertaining while it informs. Full of valuable advice and wild stories, this riveting read might just save your life.

My Review:

Who knew that reading about ways to die could be so entertaining. Alker has a sense of humor that makes all the difference. Some of the stories she tells about her experiences as an Emergency Department doctor are interesting and humorous. Her knowledge of diseases, animals, etc. is great. And I love her repeated advocating vaccines. She knows whereof she speaks. This is not a book for hypochondriacs to read, however. Even I began to wonder about some of the aches and pains I feel. Could it be...?

Knowledge, humor, experience all combine to make this book a very informative and entertaining one.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Ashely Alker, MD., MSc., is a practicing emergency medicine physician and a professor at George Washington Medical School specializing in utilizing media to create accurate public health education. She has been featured in USA Today, BBC World, San Diego Union-Tribune, TEDMED, and TEDx, and her debut non-fiction novel, Ways to Die, was published by Macmillan Publishers. Ashely is the founder of Meaningful Media, an organization that connects public health experts to all forms of media to develop scientifically accurate messaging. Dr. Alker has contributed to public health education as a medical technical consultant and a medical screenwriter for over 20 television shows, including TV and film for Netflix, HULU, HBO, CBC, Disney, and Apple TV.

St Martin's Press, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Craniofacial Anatomy and Forensic Identification by Gloria Nusse Blog Tour Book Review

 

CRANIOFACIAL ANATOMY AND FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION

by Gloria Nusse

January 12 - February 6, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Our bodies record what happens to us physically throughout our lives. This is illustrated by the simple appearance of scars from injuries sustained years, and even decades ago. Evidence such as scars also tells us how we used our joints or may have injured them as children and adults. Our bodies conform to the environment in which we live, both outside and inside. By examining and observing these key clues, a forensic investigator can reveal the unique character that tells the story of a person’s life and death.

Craniofacial Anatomy and Forensic Identification is an atlas that covers all aspects of facial reconstruction and anatomy of the head and neck, such as facial expression and the anatomic basis for facial development, along with the effects of muscle movement. Written by a world-renowned forensic artist with decades of experience as a scientific illustrator as well as a portraitist, anthropologist, and lecturer in anatomy and biology, the author is as much a scientist as an artist.

Comprehensively addresses the history o facial reconstruction, facial development, muscle movements, and bone physiology used by forensic artists and forensic anthropologists

Demonstrates techniques in mold making and sculpting to bring the body to life

Includes images from cadaver labs and recent case studies

Provides detailed anatomy of vessels and nerves found in the face including the eyes

Details the muscles, ligaments and tissues down to the skull

Describes the changing face as it ages

My Review:

If you ever wondered how the recovery of a skeleton could lead to the its identification and the possible resolution of a cold case, you'll find your answer here. Nusse shares her own experiences as she explains the work toward identification. There are plenty of illustrations and charts included. There is a wealth of information for authors who might have skeleton recovery as part of a plot or feature a forensic artist or anthropologist as a character.

There are other tidbits of information for authors too. Nusse notes that our earliest memories are probably of smell. (104) Smell is also very important to memory in general and she suggests that the beginning of an interview for witness testimony may best begin by asking about what one smelled. (106) A surprise to me was the use of the ear in identification as its form changes only slightly during life. (89)

This is a very informative book for anyone interested in the forensic work of identification. Nusse gives examples of her own cases to explain how the work is done, cold cases solved, victims identified.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Book Details:

Genre: Non-Fiction, True Crime,
Published by: Academic Press
Publication Date: October 13, 2022
Number of Pages: 302
ISBN: 9780128092880 (ISBN10: 0128092882)
Audience: Forensic Anthropologists, Forensic Artists, Medico-legal Professionals, Forensic Scientists. Graduate Students, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Legal Professionals. Anyone Working In The Field Of Facial Imaging.
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | ThriftBooks | Goodreads | ScienceDirect | Walmart | Elsevier

Author Bio:

Gloria Nusse is a forensic artist, anatomist and anthropologist. She has aided in identification of unidentified remains and return 14 plus persons to their families. As well she has recreated the faces of ancient peoples of the Middle East, as well as recreations of the crystal skull for National Geographic among others. Her work has been featured on 48 Hours, Forensic Files, Dateline, National Geographic specials, Unsolved History and others. She worked as a scientific artist for over 35 years and has taught human dissection and anatomy at San Francisco State University for 12 years. ( currently Emeritus)

She has authored and co-authored several journal articles and chapters for various publications. She was the invited speaker for the Chalmers Historical Address for the Association of Oral and Maxillary surgeons meeting in 2013.

As well she has taught many workshops for professionals, including the FBI.

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I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)