Faithfully Dissident Daughters by Chelsea Kim Long

About the Book:

For centuries, patriarchal Christian spaces and interpretations of Scripture have distorted women’s understanding of God, their bodies, and their place in the world. Faithfully Dissident Daughters invites anyone who has felt unseen or diminished by their faith tradition to reimagine and reclaim what it means to love God and embrace themselves.

Raised in evangelical churches, Chelsea Kim Long had a clear vision of the Christian woman she was born to be: a doting wife and mother, filled with the joy of the Lord and love for her family. But after suffering a traumatic birthing experience, postpartum depression, and further reproductive loss, she found that vision―and her faith in a God who would mandate that singular role for women―shattered.

Working through the pain of these deeply feminine experiences opened her eyes to the broader ways the patriarchal Christian worldview undermined not only her but womanhood in general. The faith she’d been handed had no room for questions or nuance and even less room for the bodies, feelings, or the spiritual authority of women’s lived experience.

Through raw personal narrative and rich theological reflection, Chelsea explores the false limits the church has placed on women and how the demand for unquestioning obedience silences women’s natural intuition and erodes self-trust. Chelsea shares her search for and embrace of feminine expressions of the Divine, uncovering long-neglected images of God as Mother, Wisdom, and Spirit that have always lived within the Christian tradition. Steeped in Scripture and diverse, historic Christian traditions, this book will inspire and empower readers to become faithfully dissident by stepping into a faith that feels honest and whole through honoring women’s bodies, emotions, experiences, and innate wisdom.

My Review:

Long writes on the difficult topic of remaining faithful to Christ while being against practices in Christianity that harm people. She investigated the role of women in Christianity. She reminds readers that theology as we understand it today has not always been so clearly defined. She also reminds us of the idea of the Spirit as feminine and the fact that Wisdom is portrayed as female in Proverbs. A surprise to me, a life long Calvinist, was her well researched argument that the heart is not “desperately wicked.”

This is a good book for readers who want to remain in the love of God and the way of Christ while dissenting from distorted expressions of Christian faith. (5) Long draws from a number of Christian traditions with refreshing results. This is a thought provoking book and I recommend it.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Chelsea Kim Long is a writer, lay theologian, and meditation teacher exploring Christianity through the lens of women’s embodied experiences and contemplative spirituality. Her work invites readers to reimagine Christianity beyond patriarchy and toward a more expansive and inclusive expression of faith. She lives in San Diego with her husband and three kids, where she co-leads an intentional neighborhood faith community grounded in belonging and justice.

Westminster John Knox Press, 212 pages.

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

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Murder on Charity Lane by Jo Nichols

About the Book:

Months after the shocking murders at Marigold Cottages, eccentric landlady Mrs. B finds the peace and quiet a little too peaceful. That’s why she invites her young friend CJ Moore to move into a now-vacant cottage: CJ is a suspect in the death of her employer, a wealthy Santa Barbara philanthropist who tumbled down the stairs of his mansion during a dinner party. The dead man’s much-younger widow claims she saw CJ push him, but Mrs. B is certain that she’s innocent. Why? Oh, just a feeling.

That’s enough for her to summon the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective. Lily-Ann will marshal the facts, Hamilton will dig around online, Sophie and Nicholas will offer eyewitness testimony, and everyone will hope that Ocean keeps Mrs. B out of trouble.

Just as the tenants begin to suspect that Elsa is in fact the perpetrator, there’s a second murder. A bloodier one. And with their tight-knit community in the crosshairs, they must prove her innocence - or accept her guilt.

My Review:

This novel includes an eclectic group of people solving a murder. The characters are quirky. This second one in the series was not as engaging to me as the first one, though it is a good cozy mystery in general with older sleuths.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the first book in this series, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective.

About the Authors:

JOEL ROSS is the author of an award-winning fogpunk adventure series that includes THE FOG DIVER and THE LOST COMPASS, the BEAST & CROWN series, and ALLEY & REX series. As Joel Naftali, he wrote a skunkpunk children’s series and co-wrote THE ARMY OF FROGS trilogy which became a Netflix animated series―for which he and Lee wrote the screenplays. He is also the author of two adult WWII thrillers. And as Joel Dane, he wrote the CRY PILOT science fiction series, along with the science fiction podcast, MARIGOLD BREACH that starred Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto.

LEE NICHOLS is the author of five chick lit novels including the bestselling TALES OF A DRAMA QUEEN and HAND-ME-DOWN. She’s written the HAUNTING EMMA series for young adults, which is currently optioned for TV and co-wrote the animated Netflix series, THE ARMY OF FROGS.

Lee and Joel met in college and have lived together more years than they have not. They currently reside in Santa Barbara with two cats named Earl and Betty and have one son who pretends to be learning something while away at college. After collaborating on roughly thirty books together for both children and adults, they finally sat down to write The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, their first mystery. Photo credit: John Parsons. 

Minotaur Books, 352 pages.

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

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Jesus-Centered Planner -2027

 

About the Book:

 

Keep Jesus at the center of every appointment, holiday, and where-did-I-put-my-coffee day. Beautifully minimalist and spiritually intentional, the Jesus-Centered Planner 2027 blends practical organization with daily Scripture, weekly devotional readings, and guided prayers to help you manage your schedule while keeping your heart anchored in Jesus all year long.

In a world that feels nonstop, creating order in your daily life makes space for peace. The Jesus-Centered 2027 Planner provides a practical way to stay organized so your heart can slow down and focus on what matters most. Closing the gap between a busy schedule and an attentiveness to God’s voice, this newly designed planner includes:

• A daily reading plan focusing on the four Gospels
• Monthly Scripture memory verses connected to the daily reading plan
• Weekly Christ-focused reflections
• Year-at-a-glance pages
• Weekly challenges to inspire you to live out your faith every day
• Prayer journaling prompts
• Gratitude prompts
• Pocket page for keepsakes
• Spiral-bound pages for ease of writing

If you’ve struggled to carve out time for Bible study, prayer, or reflection, this planner will help you build consistent spiritual habits while staying on top of your schedule.

My Review:

I always have a planner next to my chair. I have always used a generic one but I am excited to be able to use one with spiritual emphasis for 2027. I will be prompted to read through the four gospels next year and have a monthly memory verse. I was happy to see there is plenty of space for reflection and prompts for prayer and expressing gratitude.

This will be a great way to focus my thoughts on Jesus as I go through the year.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

David C Cook, 168 pages.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

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

The Knot by Seth Godin Audiobook Review

About the Book:

You’re not stuck because the problem is too hard.
You’re stuck because something invisible is holding it in place.

Most persistent problems—at work, in organizations, and in our own lives—aren’t unsolvable. We’ve tried harder. We’ve optimized. We’ve worried about it.

And nothing changes.

This is the kind of stuckness that shows up for people who lead, create, and build—for those who care deeply, think clearly, and still find themselves going in circles.

Some challenges are situations outside our control, best met with acceptance. But others are real problems, capable of being changed. The trouble is, we often can’t tell the difference.

That’s because we’re entangled.

An entanglement is a hidden commitment that creates conflict beneath the surface: wanting progress without risk, change without loss, or forward motion without letting go of who we were—or who we promised to become. When we want two incompatible things at the same time, effort doesn’t help. We stay stuck.

In The Knot, Seth Godin offers a clear, practical framework:

• How to tell the difference between problems you can solve and situations you need to accept
• How to see systems, understand what people actually want, and create conditions for change rather than simply hoping for it
• A practical guide to entanglements—time-based (sunk costs, premature optimization), social (phantom audiences, borrowed scorecards), and identity-based (who we were, who we promised to become)—each named, examined, and shown to be removable

My Review:

Godin provides many examples of problems that appeared unsolvable yet were solved by an insightful individual. The key is finding that one knot that is keeping the problem together. Once that is found and loosened, the whole problem can be solved. I think the strength of this book is near the end when Godin provides a number of questions to ask to help identify that knot.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

This book releases September 22.

About the Author:

Seth Godin is the author of 20 international bestsellers that have been translated into over 38 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. For a long time, Unleashing the Ideavirus was the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.

He worked as a year as the volunteer founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, and his recent bestsellers also include The Practice and This is Marketing.

Simon and Schuster Audio, 4 hours 24 minutes.

I received a complimentary digital audio edition of this book through NetGalley. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Vacancy by Jann Alexander Book Review

About the Book:

A sudden widow. A single mother. Both have a habit of hiding from hard truths until a brutal accident-or was it?-forces them to face what they're hiding, and what they want, in an unforgiving Texas town.

Helen is childless and widowed after a long marriage, and gets a second chance with a long lost love. But she's grieving her hidden regrets. She bonds with her quiet kindergarten student, and doubts the girl's struggling single mother, Charlene, is fit to parent.

Charlene's hiding a secret of her own, and she resents Helen's interference. She's determined to make a better life for her young daughter, the teenage boy her ex left behind, and the baby on the way, when a scarred veteran offers to lend a hand.

A tragedy no one sees coming forces the two women to unite, as small-town bias threatens to destroy innocent lives. But first, Helen and Charlene must confront the vacancy in their hearts, to find newfound strength, acceptance, and a second chance at love.

Based on a true story.

My Review:

This is a touching novel of two women whose lives cross as they face the tragedies in their lives. They find strength, making it through to new life. Second chances give hope to them both. Alexander has written an emotional novel in which the women eventually find healing and strength to overcome tragedy, remorse and guilt and experience forgiveness and hope.

Potential readers should be aware that the tragedies include the death of a spouse and a child's death. Those may be trigger situations for some. There is also a threatening and dangerous past boyfriend. Those are hard experiences but the women find the strength to go on.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Jann Alexander writes characters who face down their fears. Her novels are as true as fiction gets.

Jann is the author of The Dust Series, including the best-selling historical novel, UNSPOKEN, set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression eras, her first book in The Dust Series. Her next novel in series, VACANCY, is fictionalized true crime with second-chance romance, and releases in September 2026. The third novel in The Dust Series, OVERDUE, releases in May 2027.

Jann is also a public speaker on Texas history, and she writes on all things creative in her blog and newsletter, Pairings. She's been a resident of central Texas since 2004, and is the creator of the Vanishing Austin photography series. As a former D.C. area art director for ad agencies, corporations, and magazines, and as an Austin painter, photographer, and art gallery owner, creativity is her practice and passion.

Black Rose Writing, 320 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through WOW! Women on Writing. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Hidden Currents by Claire Booth Blog Tour Book Review

 

HIDDEN CURRENTS

by Claire Booth

August 24th - September 18, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

SHERIFF HANK WORTH MYSTERY SERIES

 

Another outstanding book in an ever-evolving police procedural series perfect for fans of Terry Shames and Steven F. Havill.

When spring settles over Branson, Missouri, Sheriff Hank Worth hopes for a quiet season. Instead, the town is rocked when Gene Willard, owner of the local fishing stores, is savagely murdered. What looks like a burglary gone wrong quickly descends into something far more personal. Gene’s messy divorce, his resentful stepson, and a terrified employee with a violent ex all weave a tangle of motives. As Hank digs deeper, the investigation collides with the long‑delayed, politically explosive trial of the men charged in his chief deputy Sheila’s near‑fatal assault. Tempers run high throughout the county, stretching Hank’s department to the breaking point. With personal stakes rising and the community on edge, Hank must unravel lies, expose old betrayals, and confront a killer driven by revenge. In a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business, the hardest secrets to uncover may be the ones floating right near the surface.

My Review:

I liked this entertaining mystery set in the COVID era. It has a small town vibe with many relationships important to the murder investigation and the other issues going on. There are three subplots including one deputy planning a wedding while there is a court case involving a brutal attack on another deputy and then the recent murder the department is investigating. The narrative focus frequently changes from one subplot to another so there is not a smooth continuation of action through the book. But it was not confusing and it did help me see how busy and complex the work of the sheriff department can be.

I liked the characters. The sheriff and his deputies are hard working and committed to the community. I especially liked the sheriff, a compassionate man but also one who would do whatever it takes to catch the villain. This book is down the line in the series and some of the action in this one is a result of actions in previous books yet I felt it read really well on its own.

My rating: 4/5 stars. 

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedural
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Number of Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781448313891 (ISBN10: 1448313899)
Series: The Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery Series, Book 8
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Books-A-Million | Goodreads | BookBub | Severn House

Read an excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

The lake was calm and glassy, reflecting the bluffs on the other side. The giant bur oak rustled above them, its foliage almost fully returned after its winter shedding. The tree had stood near the White River for more than two hundred years, adding rings as settlers built Branson around it and dammed its river to create the lake. On this side, the shoreline was flat, dotted with homes, a cabin resort, the edge of downtown where Main Street met the water, and the park where Sam Karnes and Brenna Cassidy now stood.

It would make a beautiful background, Brenna said. There was no guarantee the weather would be good, Sam thought. But he looked at his fiancée’s face and kept his mouth shut. They had decided on a May wedding, before everything got too hot and sticky with summer humidity. That didn’t mean they’d be safe from the rain, though. That could come any time. He thought maybe he should suggest a contingency plan, then remembered his boss’s advice. “You can have an opinion on the food and the music. Everything else—tread carefully.”

So he stood quietly as Brenna framed potential photos with her hands. Where to take the wedding party pictures was one of the last decisions they needed to make. He hoped.

“This area looks good,” he said. “Doesn’t it? It’s not too far from the church.”

She half-nodded and moved to eye things from a different angle. “I don’t know how to avoid that darn plaque. It ruins every shot.”

He walked over to it. It was such a part of the scenery, he’d almost forgotten it was there. When some enterprising 1970s tree aficionado figured out the oak was older than the country, it became the Liberty Tree and the plaque went up in time for the bicentennial. Now the thing needed a good cleaning and, if Brenna had anything to do with it, a relocation.

“If we shoot this way, you don’t see the lake. And if you do it that direction . . .” She sighed. “Big old ugly plaque.”

It stood on a waist-high column. Sam leaned against it and watched Brenna wander around this end of the park. The darn thing was wider than he was. He thought about that and stepped away. Then did some hand measurements.

“What if we covered it up?”

Brenna walked back to him. “What do you mean?”

He moved so he stood directly in front of it. It was clearly visible behind his thin frame. “We put Roddy in front of it.” He spread his hands out a foot on either side, which was about how wide his groomsman Roddy Hale was. “He’d block the whole thing. We just have to arrange the order of everybody so he’s right here.”

Brenna considered that. “I think that could work. Don’t move. Stay right there.”

She walked fairly far away while Sam stood with his hands out as if he was illustrating the size of a particularly large trout. A mom with two young children walked by and gave him a look. He wished he had his sheriff’s deputy uniform on. Then he’d look like he was doing something important instead of just standing around like a sketchy weirdo in the park. The lady hustled her kids past and headed to the picnic area. Sam watched her go as another group came by on their way to the shoreline. By the time they noticed him, Brenna had gestured that he could put his hands down.

“Yes, that’s going to work. Good thinking, babe.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “And good thing you have a football linebacker as a friend.”

Sam laughed at that. Roddy’s size had come in handy many times growing up. He told her a few stories as they walked back to his car. By the time they got there, the group near the picnic area had equipment out, and a lady in slacks and a silk blouse was pointing them in multiple directions.

“Looks like someone else is planning an event, too,” he said, opening the passenger door of his Subaru for Brenna. “The way they’re measuring things, maybe it’s a whole wedding ceremony.”

She scoffed. “That would be way too risky. What if it rained?”

CHAPTER TWO

Sheila Turley had left him a note. And a file. It never boded well when she did this. Hank Worth sat down at his desk and cautiously slid the paperwork closer.

Gursey’s at it again. He’s all yours this time.

The Branson County sheriff opened the file and pulled out the arrest report. Sheila, his second-in-command, only printed things out when she wanted to make a point. Or wanted quick action. Because Hank wasn’t known for staying on top of his email. And she knew this particular suspect was a pet project of his. Gursey Rugg.

The young man had shoplifted again. The twenty-three-year-old was always plucking cheap items off the shelves of local retailers. If it was food, he’d eat it. If it wasn’t, he’d sell it on cheaply to friends and use the money for drugs. If the shopkeepers caught him, they’d call Hank’s deputies and Gursey would spend a while behind bars. But only rarely did people press misdemeanor charges. It wasn’t worth anybody’s time and, even if it had been, the sticky-fingered addict would still be back out on the street soon enough. So instead, he sobered up in Hank’s jail, swore he’d stay off the meth, and slouched back off into an existence where everyone involved deserved better and no one knew how to accomplish it.

But this time, Gursey overstepped. A magpie entranced by bright and shiny, he’d scooped up a handful of the wrong thing in the wrong store. Fourteen hand-tied, rare-feathered flies from Reel Life Outfitters. The owner was a newcomer. Purchased the two venerable fish and tackle stores on opposite ends of Lake Taneycomo when Lyle Boskins retired and seemed to be doing well. But it turned out he wasn’t willing to do nice. He wanted to press charges. And that meant a felony, because of the misdemeanor convictions Gursey had already accumulated. And a felony meant a stint in state prison, which wouldn’t be good for the fragile kid.

Hank re-read the narrative included in the arrest report. Then he got up and walked over from his office in the sheriff’s department Forsyth headquarters to hear from the man himself.

“Hi, Gursey. How you doing?”

“Hey, Sherf.” A disheveled scarecrow the color of a ghost rose to a seated position on the cell bunk. The jail scrubs hung off him in folds, and his dull brown hair stuck out in a dozen directions. At least it was clean. The young man blinked blearily and steadied himself on the mattress.

“What happened?” Hank leaned against the bars. “Last I heard, you were doing pretty well.”

Gursey shrugged, clavicles jutting like wings. “I was. Ask my addiction counselor. I got one of those, did you know? Nice lady. Always worried all the time, though.”

“It sounds like she was helping. When was the last time you saw her? Because right now you don’t look so hot.”

Gursey rubbed his wrists together. “Don’t feel so hot, neither.”

“You coming down off something?”

“Not really. Not like last year. At all, man, I swear. Just a little bit when Morty come to town.”

Hank had no idea who that was. He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair in frustration. “And when did Morty come?”

“’Bout two weeks ago. He brought some homemade stuff, fresh cooked. I don’t remember much after that, ’til last night—I think. There weren’t no Morty anymore and I was at some trailer someplace.” He shifted suddenly from staring at the ground to looking Hank straight in the eye. “And that sucked, man. It was gross, and I was gross, and I don’t like that anymore.”

Hank blinked in surprise. After every previous arrest, Gursey had promised to stop the drugs. But until right then, he’d never come close to saying he wanted to stop. He kept Hank’s gaze as he continued to talk. “I walked ’til I got past Honey Lane and then saw that fishing place. Figured it would have a bathroom. I went in, and bro, I just wanted money for food. Thought I could turn some stuff over for a few bucks. I—”

“Stop talking,” Hank said. “Just take a deep breath and stop talking.” The goal of keeping Gursey out of state prison would not be helped by a confession to the county sheriff. He considered the inmate. In their numerous interactions in the four years since Hank became sheriff, Gursey had never made this much eye contact. It gave Hank hope. And made him a lot more willing to do what he was going to do once he left the cell block.

***

Excerpt from Hidden Currents by Claire Booth. Copyright 2026 by Claire Booth. Reproduced with permission from Claire Booth. All rights reserved.

 

Author Bio:

Claire Booth spent more than a decade as a daily newspaper reporter, working all over the country—from Washington, D.C., to South Florida, the Seattle region, and the Bay Area. She spent much of it covering crimes so convoluted and strange they seemed more like fiction than reality. Eventually, she had enough of the real world and decided to write novels instead. Her critically acclaimed Sheriff Hank Worth mystery series takes place in Branson, Missouri, where small-town Ozark politics and big-city country music tourism clash in, yes, strange and convoluted ways.

Catch Up With Claire Booth:

ClaireBooth.com
Severn House
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram - @claire.booth10
X - @clairebooth10
Facebook - @claireboothauthor

 

Tour Participants:

Click through the other tour stops for can’t-miss reviews, insider interviews, exclusive guest posts, and more chances to win!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

This Investigation Has a Giveaway Twist!

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

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Awake Sleeper! by Mark Alan Leslie

About the Book:

Discovered floating down a river, renowned singer Christiana is as comatose as much of the church is today.
What was once reprobate becomes accepted, what is accepted becomes celebrated, what is celebrated becomes normalized. Anyone opposed is ostracized.
Join detectives Seth and Sophia MacGregor and Police Chief Ian McElroy as they investigate whether Christiana’s fall into the river was accidental, suicide, or attempted murder. They discover a disturbing plunge from faith in this dramatizing of today’s Christianity, which in large part has succumbed to the dogma of compromise.
Eighteen-year-old Christiana was riding atop the world of Christian music when her parents were murdered by a man who meant to kill her because of her lyrics declaring, “Jesus is the only way.” Blaming herself, she left her career, lost her faith, and spiraled into other religions and a world of sins.
Rescued but lying unconscious in a hospital, her condition frames the question: Is the church savable?
Read to the end … and you decide ...

My Review:

This is an entertaining allegory of the American church, nearly dead, in a coma, on life support. There is a contributing story line of two people, Seth and Sophia, investigating, trying to find out what happened to leave Christiana in this dire situation. In the course of their investigation, they find many clues as to what led to her current condition.

Mostly, this book is a critique of the contemporary modern, liberal church. Messages other than the gospel being preached from pulpits, for example. The author has a narrow view of what it means to be a Christian. You cannot be a Christian and be a Democrat, for example. (41) If you criticize Israel or are pro-Palestinian, you are anti-Semitic. (91) (Regardless of war crimes.)

Seth is a hard line Christian, with a condemning and judgmental attitude without any compassion or mercy. He seems to embody what I would call the extreme right. I liked Sophia much better. She evidenced mercy and compassion, praying for those being led astray, for example.

This is a thought provoking novel exploring how the church has strayed from the pure gospel. It is by no means politically correct. It may be considered shocking, the idea being to wake Christians up from the slumber they are in. I just wish there had been more love and mercy shown for the deceived and lost.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

The winner of seven national journalism awards and described as a "master wordsmith," Mark Alan Leslie has authored 15 books, including a dozen historical and contemporary novels from the Christian worldview. American Family Association’s AFA Journal called Leslie’s A Cause Most Splendid: The Battle for the Bible the best novel of the year in 2022. His True North: Tice’s Story about a young slave’s escape from Kentucky to Canada was a Publisher’s Weekly Featured Book and set the stage for his speaking to numerous schools, historical societies and elsewhere across New England. He and his wife live in Maine.

Elk Lake Publishers, 182 pages.

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

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

The Economy Always Gets Better by Nikki M Finlay, PhD

Dr. Nikki Finlay's

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

 

OF

 

The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times with Confidence

About the Book:

For those of us who forgot what we learned years ago or never had the opportunity to take an economics class, terms like recession, depression, tariffs, inflation, and gross domestic product can make our heads spin.

If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

In The Economy Always Gets Better, award-winning economist Dr. Nikki Finlay explains the economy in its simplest terms, making it easier to understand and giving readers the tools to approach even the most distressing economic information with confidence.

Dr. Finlay combines her knowledge and years of academic experience in this practical and accessible guide for anyone wishing to better their understanding of the economy. Using personal stories, useful metaphors, visual representations, and statistical data, she makes economics accessible to everyone.

Whether you’re worried about the current economic troubles or trying to figure it all out for the first time, The Economy Always Gets Better will leave you better informed and better prepared to thrive.

Publisher: Amplify Publishing 

AISN: B0GVVTV6K7

ISBN-13: 979-8891388826

Print Length: 240 pages

Purchase a copy of The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times

with Confidence on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org.

You can enter for an opportunity to win a copy of the book here. (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of that page. Opportunity ends August 30.)

My Review:

I have always considered economics one of those subjects like quantum physics. It would take years and an advanced degree to understand it. I really appreciate how Dr. Finlay explains everything in ways I was able to grasp. She challenges readers to explain the concepts to an eight year old so has made the information that clear.

I appreciate her helping me understand all the aspects of the economy, like pricing, inflation, unemployment and trade. She also clearly explains what the US government and the Federal Reserve do to regulate the economy and what is means to have an economy that is running well.

I recommend this book that takes a complex subject and explains it well.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Dr. Nikki Finlay is an economics educator and author of The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times with Confidence. She helps adults who feel intimidated by economics understand how it actually works in their everyday lives—without the jargon.

With over two decades of teaching experience at institutions including Clayton State, Georgia State, and Gwinnett Technical College, Dr. Finlay has worked with students of all backgrounds and experience levels. Her approach is simple, practical, and rooted in real-life examples that make complex economic concepts easier to understand.

Through her writing, Dr. Finlay translates topics like inflation, employment, and economic cycles into clear, relatable insights that help readers build confidence—not just knowledge—about the world around them.

She lives just outside Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of over 40 years and enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her children and grandson.

You can follow the author at: 

https://nikkifinlay.substack.com

www.linkedin.com/in/economics-for-the-rest-of-us

Amplify Publishing, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through WOW! Women on Writing. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)