Category: Book Reviews

Happy December, readers and writers! It is now officially time for you to put up your Christmas—or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Yule, Saturnalia, or other winter holiday—decorations without drawing ire and nasty looks from your neighbors. It’s also just thirty-one days until we enter 2020. What better way to celebrate the first day of the last month of the year than with a new book review? Today, I am reviewing Love is Orange: Stoking the Fire by F.C. Neil.

Jonathan Harris has spent his summer break trying to get over a really bad breakup. In an attempt to stave off his depression, he heads to one of his and his ex’s favorite spots: the beach. A Nicholas Sparks book in one hand and James Taylor filling his ears, Jonathan only expects to take a walk down memory lane. Then he meets HER. A mysterious teenaged girl with her own Nicholas Sparks novel and James Taylor as her music of choice. It’s love at first sight—until Jonathan says exactly the wrong thing and ruins their moment of basking in orange. Now he would do anything for another chance, a chance he might just get when school starts again.

Melissa Berry is not your average high school senior. She is literary and highly moral, her father died of alcoholism, and this will be her first year attending a real high school. Previously crippled by her social anxiety, Melissa is finally ready to leave homeschool and be a normal teenager. Anything to get away from her mother’s indecent and drunk boy-toy. On the first day of school, she is met with the most unexpected surprise: Jonathan, the boy from the beach she had connected with over the summer before his unfortunate verbal fumble killed the mood. Could this be fate giving them a second chance at love? Or is it just an incredible coincidence?  And if lightning really can strike twice, what happens in the aftermath?

Love is Orange is not your average book. (I’m not just saying that because it managed to mention Redding, a city only fifteen minutes away from where I live that is almost never even named in passing in most books that take place in California.) At only 49 pages long in the Kindle version, it packs a lot of punch in a short amount of space. This is, in part, due to the method of writing that Neil has used, a mix of show and tell that relies heavy on tell with well-placed moments of captivating and vivid imagery, reminiscent of old-fashioned oral storytelling put to paper. The story begins with an enticing newspaper clipping followed by a unique and expertly crafted image of Jonathan and Melissa’s first meeting, exploring emotion through color as it takes over their world and then quickly recedes. From there, it’s a quick read—maybe one sitting—through the emotional rollercoaster of the main characters realizing their love for each other and the consequences it brings for them at school and at home. It all culminates in a surprise ending that one would never expect and the promise of more to come.

I must confess, I am usually very good at predicting plot twists in both books and movies. Sometimes my mom, who is also great at predicting plot twists, and I will share theories while we’re watching movies just to see which one of us will end up being right. However, I did not expect the ending to this book at all. I won’t say too much to avoid possible spoilers, but Neil did a great job of turning the story they were writing into an entirely new premise that promises to make the sequel as unique and exciting as the first. Neil even manages to genre-bend the work a bit, setting it up to be purely romance and then seamlessly transitioning into a hybrid of romance and the supernatural that you will not expect and yet will leave you pining for more.

Of course, this book isn’t for everyone. While it does genre-bend by the end, this story is most certainly in the romance genre. There are multiple romance clichés, including a bit of over-the-top declarations of love, and soap opera-like coincidences. Still, for those that don’t like steamy romance works, there’s not too much to worry about here. Sex is mentioned, sometimes as a mere hormonal act and other times as an act of passionate love, but never in much detail. There is some drunkenness, depression, tragic loss, and one passing mention of contemplating suicide, but it’s all handled in little enough detail that it should not offend most people. However, if you are triggered by such subjects or wish to avoid them, you might want to pass on this work just in case.

I personally would have preferred a little more exploration of the characters and their relationship before the twist ending came. This lacking is, in part, due to the storytelling writing style used here, so it might just be based on personal preferences there. Nevertheless, more exploration of the characters both in and out of their relationship would have made the read much more satisfying, allowing the reader to fully connect with the characters and all their emotional strife. Unfortunately, due to the heavy reliance on telling in this work, there is a lot of emotion present but without the more extended journey into the characters’ lives and minds, the reader will not feel the emotions as strongly as they could. If this could be fixed, this work would be incredibly powerful from an emotional perspective.

Overall, Love is Orange: Stoking the Fire by F.C. Neil is a fun and quick read for romance fans. If you want a drawn-out emotional journey, this book is probably not for you. However, if you want an emotional rollercoaster with an unusual ending that you can finish in one sitting, you’ll definitely want to snag a copy. With the promise of another—and possibly even more unique—book to come after this one, you’ll be dying to find out what happens next in the increasingly bizarre and ever-connected lives of Jonathan Harris and Melissa Berry.

You can buy or borrow a Kindle edition of Love is Orange: Stoking the Fire by F.C. Neil on Amazon. To keep up with more works from MaxEQ and await word on the next installment of Love is Orange, be sure to sign up for the MaxEQ mailing list here.

As promised, here is the second review in honor of the summer solstice and my birthday. This one is for Emaddin Adventures: A Sequel to the 1001 Arabian Nights, Book Two by Omar Pasha, the second novella in the series following the one I reviewed in my previous post.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EMADDIN ADVENTURES: A SEQUEL TO THE 1001 ARABIAN NIGHTS, BOOK ONE

Aqrab had big ambitions: overthrow Sultan Omran, assume control of Baghdad and the rest of the kingdom, and marry Omran’s intelligent and beautiful wife, Bedor. Yet in his arrogance and confidence in his own cunning, Aqrab grew sloppy and his tongue loose. His plans were halted by the Sultan’s hoopoe—Masroor—and the philosopher Zeriab, and Aqrab was thrown into a prison tower to rot as a traitor. However, there is no keeping a villain down when those loyal to him walk free.

With the help of his men and the evil crow Nozar, Aqrab escapes to the Hemrin Mountains and takes up with the Jabaleen, a race of wicked dwarves who have joined Aqrab’s attempts to overthrow the Sultan. Now, the treacherous army is prepared to unleash every monster they have at their disposal upon Omran and his beloved Baghdad, from the blood-thirsty Batars to the fire-breathing dragon Tardan. With Omran’s most trusted general, Khaled, and his soldiers flying the Jamjals against the Mongols in India, is there any hope for the City of Peace? Or will the streets be bathed in ash and blood?

Emaddin Adventures, Book Two is a worthy successor to Book One. In fact, I would argue that it is even better. Much of what I liked in the previous installment, such as the storytelling feel, still continue into this book. More than that, they are actually improved upon. The magic and intrigue that filled the first novella are taken to greater heights with the introduction of new magical beings, more in-depth exploration of magical beings from the first book, and deeper development of already wonderful characters like Emaddin and Lamar. Pasha has clearly put more thought and creative energy into this installment of Emaddin Adventures, and this effort pays off.

The plot, while still recognizable as a continuation of Book One, drifts further away from the cookie-cutter plot in which this story originated. Although only twenty pages longer, it is more complex and less predictable. More action has been added, and more of it left me wondering what Aqrab could possibly try and do next. (It also managed to make me hate Aqrab more, too, and that is something that I had not thought would be possible.) The ending in particular has me wanting to continue with the next book, hoping to see how everything will continue. I do wish that more attention had been given to building up the tension in these battle scenes and that the readers could feel more of the anxiety associated with the situations—although one scene involving Emaddin and his mother escaping a fire does pretty well with that—but I suppose that is to be expected with the storytelling motif. Even so, this book does better in playing on the action and tension than its predecessor.

While the story still focuses more on the Sultan, Aqrab, and efforts to stop Aqrab’s schemes, Emaddin and Lamar—the daughter of the Sultan—both start to come into their own in this work. They contribute in surprising ways to the fight against Aqrab, and their bond with each other and Emaddin’s bond with their teacher, the philosopher Zeriab, take on greater depths that are also heartwarming. I would have expected both this book and the first one to be more about Emaddin based on the title and the descriptions on Amazon, but it’s enough for me that Emaddin and Lamar are maturing and growing stronger before the readers’ eyes.

Even with these improvements, some of the faults from the first work still exist. Namely, the writing still needs polishing and editing. Emaddin Adventures, Book Two is written a bit better than Book One, including putting more emphasis on action and tension. However, these problems have not fully been eradicated. Many potentially exciting scenes are still rushed and/or fall flat, and some of the dialogue confuses me as to whom is speaking when. The major issue still involves numerous grammatical errors that can bog down the narrative. As with the first work, though, this could easily be fixed with another round or two of editing.

Overall, I think that Emaddin Adventures, Book Two by Omar Pasha is more thoroughly developed and better written than Book One. I loved seeing more of the magic and magical beings of this world as well as the exploration of characters and their relationships. I hope that the third installment will prove to be even more fleshed-out than this one. However, the issues with the writing still persist, and I think that working out these issues would take these stories to the next level.

You can buy Emaddin Adventures, Book Two by Omar Pasha as a Kindle book on Amazon.

Do you know of a book you think I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

Greetings, readers and writers! I hope that everyone had a great summer solstice. In honor of the longest day of the year—which also happens to be my birthday—I am bringing you two book reviews for a novella series titled Emaddin Adventures: A Sequel to the 1001 Arabian Nights by Omar Pasha. This post covers the first novella, simply titled Emaddin Adventures: A Sequel to the 1001 Arabian Nights, Book One.

Sultan Omran is a kind, selfless leader who always looks out for his people. Everyone in his kingdom, especially the capital city of Baghdad, loves him—everyone, that is, except for his most trusted advisor, Aqrab. The advisor, though well compensated and held in his esteem by the Sultan, has a twisted heart filled with greed, jealousy, and unrequited love for Omran’s wife, Bedor. He and his army of assassins, deceivers, and magical beings will stop at nothing to overthrow the Sultan and take both his kingdom and his wife. Yet for every traitor in their midst are many who will lay down their lives for the beloved Sultan Omran, and they are not about to let Aqrab win without a fight.

Will truth and justice prevail? Or is Sultan Omran too far gone to be saved from Aqrab’s spell?

The timing of me learning about this book could not be any better. I just recently saw the new version of Aladdin in theaters (I loved it, by the way), and it reminded me of how much I miss retellings and reimaginings of fairy tales and folklore. To find something that is a bit of a retelling of “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp” but mostly just a revamping of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights seemed perfect after that. This story has certainly helped to fuel the fire that the new Aladdin reignited.

The plot is nothing spectacular for the genre: a kind ruler is being threatened by an underhanded advisor and someone outside of that relationship will have to save him. It is based in one of the world’s oldest written collections of fairy tales and folklore, after all, so one could expect it to use one of the cookie-cutter plots that comes from said collection. However, I am happy to say that how the Sultan is saved is not what I would have expected—a pleasant surprise that I will leave up to you to discover yourself by reading it. Furthermore, the ending leaves the book open for a continuation, even without the use of a frame narrative as in the original One Thousand and One Arabian Nights.

Pasha also does well in mimicking the oral storytelling of the original tales. The simple language, incorporation of Emaddin’s poetry, and quick pace all lend to the feeling of being told the story by the author himself. While it used to be our only way of conveying stories, this continuation of oral traditions onto paper do not always transfer so well, especially given the modern literary world’s tendency to prefer show over tell or, conversely, writers’ tendency to strictly tell without many—if any—descriptions when attempting to copy old storytelling. Pasha, however, manages to balance this aspect to closely imitate the feel of such stories.

However, there are ways in which this work could improve. The most important, though, is the writing itself. While the storytelling feel is engaging, is can also be the book’s greatest pitfall. There is so much potential for tension and action in this narrative, even when using the oral storytelling approach, and yet Pasha fails to follow through on them. Instead, the story rushes through these parts, recounting them very matter-of-factly and causing these crucial scenes to fall flat. The story also goes off on many tangents. Some of these relate some critical cultural and/or historical context for the reader, but other times they do not seem to relate quite as directly to the plot. In going on these tangents, Pasha takes his readers away from the heart of the story, and I’m afraid to admit that sometimes I had to reread portions in order to regain the thread of the chapter I was on.

More importantly, though, the book needs to be editing more. I noticed multiple grammatical errors through its fifty-six pages, including missing or misplaced punctuation. These mistakes became distracting, and there were even times when I was a little confused as to whom was speaking because the dialogue was not formatted entirely correctly. I think that even if the book went through just one more round of editing, it would improve greatly and make the story even more compelling.

Overall, I think that Emaddin Adventures: A Sequel to 1001 Arabian Nights, Book One by Omar Pasha is an entertaining read with a lot of creative energy put into it. It really reminds me of the stories I read from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights as an undergrad, and I think that the plot, characters, and setting are a worthy continuation of the collection. However, the writing could do with polishing and editing. Only then will it reach its full potential.

You can buy Emaddin Aventures: A Sequel to 1001 Arabian Nights, Book One by Omar Pasha as a Kindle book on Amazon.

Do you know of a book I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

Chronic illness can be a nuisance at best, debilitating at worst. I should know; I wake up every day not knowing if a migraine is going to force me back into bed or send me rushing to the bathroom to keep the contents of my stomach off the floor. That does not mean we cannot learn to live with it. In fact, the challenge just makes us work harder, and we rise to meet it. For proof, look no further than Carl S. Armato, author of A Future With Hope: An Inspiring Guide to Overcoming Diabetes.

A Future With Hope follows Armato’s lifelong struggle with diabetes, beginning with his diagnosis at only eighteen months old and continuing through his childhood, going to college, starting his career, all the way to the present. In addition to telling his story to inspire others, Armato uses his fifty-two years of experience to impart invaluable wisdom and advice on his fellow diabetics. With exercise, a healthy diet, ever-improving medical technology, a strong support system, and a positive attitude, he has not only come to live with the disease—he has thrived because of it, and he assures other diabetics that they can, too.

I’ll be honest, I started this book with only the slightest understanding as to what diabetics go through. TV and the internet had given me a general idea, but it was vague and, as with all information in the digital age, I took it with a grain of salt. A Future With Hope provides not only advice and support to diabetics but insight into the disease for those of us who do not suffer from it ourselves. Readers learn how diabetics can keep their blood sugar under control, how easily the delicate balance can be thrown off, how a good support system can make or break a diabetic’s survival, and the thoughts—both uplifting and devastating—which go through a diabetic’s mind every day. To read about living with diabetes from someone who has had success managing it is eye-opening.

The book, at only one hundred and eighty pages long, is a quick read. Armato writes in an engaging conversational tone which makes it easy to follow and entertaining. While inspirational, the guide is far from cheesy. Armato has a very down-to-earth approach to his condition and to his account. He focuses on the good which has come from his modified lifestyle and the positive influence his support system has had on him and his outlook. However, he also addresses his struggles, his frustrations with having to explain his diabetes, and the victim mindset which has sometimes crept into his thoughts, as inevitably happens with all diabetics. Armato does not lament the “normal” life of a non-diabetic. Rather, he utilizes these challenges to show readers how he surpassed them so that they might learn how to overcome them as well.

With all there is to praise about A Future With Hope, one incredibly minor aspect of it might be a problem for some readers. Throughout the work, Armato makes references to faith and a higher power, especially when it comes to his father’s influence as part of his support system. Still, this is not a religious book nor does it try and push any particular religion on the reader. Rather, Armato speaks of looking to a higher power as a way of getting through life’s challenges. While I am not myself Christian or even religious, I think that the idea of there being a higher power to turn to during hard times and that sends people in need to people who want to help is very comforting, so it shouldn’t bother non-Christians too much.

Overall, A Future With Hope by Carl S. Armato is powerful and uplifting. Diabetics will feel encouraged by Armato’s personal story and will find his guidance incredibly helpful. Those without diabetes will have their hearts warmed by his uplifting attitude and the way he has helped other diabetics, not to mention the understanding that this look at a diabetic’s life will give them. You never know when you might encounter someone going through this emotional and physical struggle, and we could all use a little more empathy and hope in our lives.

If you want to snag a copy of A Future With Hope by Carl S. Armato, you can buy a physical or eBook copy from Amazon.

Do you know of a book I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

Happy Sunday, everyone! As the deadline for my master’s dissertation gets closer and closer, I seem to be getting busier and busier. However, I still have time to bring you a review for a unique book. Unlike with most of my reviews, today’s book is not a fiction novel, collection of short stories or poems, or even a nonfiction novel; it’s a cookbook. The book I am discussing is The Ultimate Culinary Collection: 100 Recipes Personally Contributed by 100 Executive Chefs from 100 of the World’s Finest Hotels and Restaurants, compiled and written by Stuart Hopkins.

Now, you might recognize the name “Stuart Hopkins” from a review I posted back in October 2017 for the excerpts of his novel No Grey Areas. Unfortunately, that work has been delayed due to developments in Hopkins’s life, including the birth of his beautiful baby girl in August 2018. These developments mean that there will be even more adventures for No Grey Areas—and until then, we have The Ultimate Culinary Collection.

As the title states, The Ultimate Culinary Collection contains one hundred recipes collected by the author, Stuart Hopkins, from one hundred executive chefs around the world. From the Ritz-Carlton to Shangri-La, contributions have been made from some of the finest hotels and restaurants in modern times, some even being the chefs’ signature dishes. There is also a bonus recipe from Jaden Mascernhas, a sixteen-year-old student chef mentored, when he was only fourteen, by Chef James Knight-Pacheco of Six Senses Resort in Oman. These recipes are split into five categories: fish and seafood, meat (i.e. beef, lamb, etc.), poultry and game, vegetarian, and desserts. Each recipe includes a mouth-watering picture of the final product, a short bio for the chef, and information about the restaurant or hotel where they work.

As spectacular as the origins of these recipes are, they are not the most noteworthy aspect of this cookbook. Rather, that honor belongs to where the proceeds from this book are going: toward getting underprivileged babies in the Philippines vaccinated for rotavirus. The author plans to continue raising funds for this cause through creating The Ultimate Culinary Collection II and hotel/brand-specific cookbooks.

I must start by saying I am not a cook by any stretch of the imagination. The best I can do is boxed pasta (seriously, boiling water and stirring are the limits of my cooking expertise; I don’t even like to use the toaster most of the time). However, I can still appreciate good food, and all of these recipes look delicious. Even the fish and seafood, which I am usually not a fan of outside of shrimp and fish sticks, seem incredible. Of course, I think that once I decide to try these recipes myself, I will probably stick with either the beef, poultry, vegetarian, or dessert dishes. No reason to taint my opinion of the recipes unnecessarily because I don’t like that kind of dish anyway.

That being said, it should be noted that these recipes are most likely not for a novice cook or, probably, for those on a tight budget. After all, these recipes come from one hundred of the best chefs at one hundred of the finest hotels and restaurants in the world. Such sources are not exactly known for being cheap or easy to imitate; that’s why they are the best. Still, that does not stop any reader from trying these recipes out for themselves. As Chef Gusteau says in the Disney film Ratatouille (which, by the way, is part of one of the dishes in this book), “Anyone can cook.”

This brings me to one small issue I have with The Ultimate Culinary Collection. After reading it, I honestly have no clue where I would begin to find these ingredients or how much they would cost. In an attempt to become a more self-sufficient cook, I have looked through cookbooks in the past and know that such information is not typically provided. However, this cookbook is advertised as one containing recipes from one hundred executive chefs from one hundred of the finest restaurants in the world. For this reason, one might expect it to be hard to get a hold of some of these ingredients or at least fairly expensive. In some places, it could be nearly impossible to find many of them, my own hometown included. Having an idea of where to get the ingredients and the kind of prices to expect would help readers a lot.

Regardless, for what it is, this cookbook is extraordinary. It is well written and easy to follow, the information—both for the recipes and the chefs’ bios—is thorough and comprehensive, and the recipes are ones that you are unlikely to find anywhere else short of culinary school. While The Ultimate Culinary Collection is not a beginner’s cookbook, it is definitely a great way to put your cooking skills to the test and impress even the pickiest of dinner guests, including yourself.

If you would like to buy The Ultimate Culinary Collection by Stuart Hopkins and help raise money for vaccinations in the Philippines, you can snag an eBook copy on the official fundraising page for $10. You can also keep tabs on this project’s progress on both Instagram and Facebook.

Do you know of any books I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

It’s hard to imagine our parents when they were young adults. For all the stories they tell us and pictures they show, there always seems to be some disconnect between the person they were then and the person we came to know them as. When their past contradicts what we think of them, it can cause our whole world to come crashing down. But what if you learned something about your parents’ past which not only challenges your view of them but also your view of yourself and where your future is headed? Do you ignore it and continue life as though nothing ever happened? Or do you open Pandora’s Box and let loose whatever evils may be waiting? Such is the choice facing Leigh Stone, the main character of Michelle Dim-St. Pierre’s Bloody Coffee, the second book in The Pinnacle Series.

Following her eighteenth birthday, Leigh is given the chance to read her mother’s journal from her young adult years, and it contains a devastating realization: Steve Stone, the man who raised Leigh, is not her biological father. Her probable father, Ezra Sloan, is a married OB/GYN in Israel. Confused, hurt, and determined to set straight eighteen years of lies, Leigh sets out for Tel Aviv to track down her biological father. When Sloan has a massive heart attack right before her eyes, Leigh is thrown into a chaotic world she is not prepared for. Her problems, however, have only just begun. From trouble at home and conflicts with Sloan’s family to international drama tarnishing Israel’s image, the world seems determined to keep Leigh from the truth. Will Leigh learn to leave the past where it belongs? Or will the stubborn young woman triumph in her attempts to unravel her mother’s web of secrets? What consequences will be suffered as a result of both Leigh’s and her mother’s youthful choices?

This story weaves a complex tapestry of bad decisions, regret, layered emotions, and suspense. Dim-St. Pierre has managed to create a book which has relatable characters and a plot filled with unexpected twists. More impressively, the character development and plot are so intricately intertwined that it is clear that each turn of events is caused by a character’s decisions and reactions, whether it’s a direct correlation or a domino effect. After the first few chapters, this tie between plot and character development gives readers a feel for the rhythm of the story, allowing them to know when a twist is coming up without being too predictable. Dim St.-Pierre kept me on my toes, wondering what the consequences would be for a character’s actions, and she never fails to deliver those consequences in a timely manner.

Of course, just because the characters are relatable does not mean they are entirely likeable or justified in what they do. In fact, that’s part of what makes the characters’ influence over the plot so satisfying. Too many books forego real consequences in favor of slightly-unrealistic solutions to provide the characters with some form of happily-ever-after. Bloody Coffee, though, shows that every choice has its consequences and that not everything in life is going to end well or be straightforward in its results. Dim-St. Pierre depicts characters making bad decisions—usually as a result of personality flaws—and she does not let them off easily. Even the characters I empathize with, such as Leigh and her mother, are far from perfect. There were many times in the story when I found it hard to like any of the characters, and this made seeing them face the outcome of their choices all the sweeter. Even so, I wanted to see some sort of positive ending for Leigh and her loved ones and was on the edge of my seat with anticipation as I waited to see what would happen, a sign that Dim-St. Pierre has created characters which are truly human—relatable and sometimes likeable but definitely flawed.

This book is about so much more than family drama. It is about a young woman learning to work with the cards that life has dealt her. It follows Leigh as she discovers everything that adulthood has to offer: independence, first love, drama, prejudice, legal decisions, the gray area of morality, and how legally being an adult does not mean that you know everything you need to. It is also about cultural differences, religion, the effects of the “us vs. them” mentality, the distorted view of the media, and international relations. Much like William H. Coles does in McDowell, Dim-St. Pierre incorporates as many modern issues as can organically fit with her characters and story. Also like McDowell, Bloody Coffee is all the better for it.

While it is 309 pages long and the second book in a series, I found Bloody Coffee to be a very easy read. The writing is clean, simple, and compelling, making for a quick read despite the page count. The characters and plot are also engaging enough that I didn’t even realize how many pages I had read by the time I would take a break. I did worry about starting with the second book in this series, but those worries proved unnecessary. Dim-St. Pierre does not provide the readers with a flat-out summary of the events of the previous book, for which I am glad. Nevertheless, she does slip in details throughout the narrative which allow the reader to piece together what happened before. I did find this frustrating during the first few pages, but as I got further along, I was confident enough that I understood what was going on and actually enjoyed the challenge of piecing together the information myself, much as Leigh tries to do with her mother’s past.

Overall, Bloody Coffee by Michelle Dim-St. Pierre is incredibly compelling. With three-dimensional characters and twists right up to the very end, I had a hard time putting the book down. Dim St.-Pierre pulls readers right into the middle of this situation and setting, and even if you have never experienced one or the other—or both—for yourself, you will feel simultaneously enchanted and right at home. I couldn’t find anything that I disliked in this novel, and I am glad that I read it. I’ve learned a lot about Israel, specifically Tel Aviv, that I would not have known otherwise, and to learn it in such an entertaining manner from someone who has lived there is a bonus I didn’t expect when I started reading this. I cannot wait for the third book to come out so I can see what happens next on Leigh’s journey into adulthood.

You can buy Bloody Coffee by Michelle Dim-St. Pierre as an eBook or in print form on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

We all have our own belief systems—religious, political, social, etc.—and we try to follow these beliefs in everything we do. They influence how we interact with others, the causes we support, and even where we spend our money. Yet when it comes to investment, a troublesome question arises: if we only invest in companies which share our values or avoid ones which directly violate them, will we ever be able to make a profit? The subject of today’s review, In God We Trust: Morally Responsible Investing by George P. Schwartz, shows that this practice is not only capable of turning a profit but can also help us influence the world for the better.

In God We Trust introduces readers to a concept which the author calls “Morally Responsible Investing”. Through a mixture of personal anecdotes, statistics, history, and financial and moral advice, Schwartz guides readers through the ins and outs of Morally Responsible Investing, including what it is, what it takes to partake in this investment practice, and the benefits of investing in this manner. Along the way, Schwartz shows readers his own history with Morally Responsible Investing and how the Catholic-values-based firm, Ave Maria Mutual Funds, achieved its high level of success.

Immediately I must point out that the readers who will benefit most from this book will have two very specific beliefs: pro-life and anti-pornography. In particular, Catholic investors or potential Catholic investors will find Schwartz and Kennedy’s views and approaches most helpful. However, there is no discrimination against non-Catholics in this book; so long as you are pro-life and anti-pornography and wish for your investments to reflect these beliefs, In God We Trust is for you.

The author’s religious, moral, political, and financial opinions will also be a significant turn-off for readers with more liberal views, specifically the chapters which go in-depth about abortion and pornography. As I myself am a liberal agnostic, the book often did not mesh with my own beliefs. Regardless, it was fascinating to read about a successful example of basing investments on how well a company’s morals align with one’s own. Perhaps one of the most universal concepts in this book, one which could help anyone of any belief system while investing, comes from the first page of the introduction:

When we invest in a company, we become an owner, and our investment contributes to the company’s success. Are we comfortable with what we own? Does the enterprise reflect our core beliefs? If not, what opportunities exist to invest in a manner that does reflect these beliefs?

George P. Schwartz, In God We Trust, Loc 93 of Kindle eBook

While Schwartz occasionally offers these bits of self-reflection which would be applicable when investing based on any number of morals, I must emphasize that this book is prominently about Morally Responsible Investing—which focuses on supporting “the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family”—rather than Socially Responsible Investing, which covers a wide variety of economic, political, and environmental issues. In God We Trust is most certainly a niche book, but one which its niche will find incredibly valuable.

Putting aside any religious, moral, or political differences I may have with Schwartz, In God We Trust is written very well. Despite its potentially dry subjects—investment and morality—the author maintains a personable, engaging tone throughout the book. Even when discussing the more technical aspects of how finances and investment—particularly Morally Responsible Investing—work, the writing feels as though I am having a conversation directly with Schwartz. His passion as well as his knowledge of these subjects seeps through every word, and readers are bound to feel it.

In addition to laying out the basics of Morally Responsible Investing and showing how it can be successful, Schwartz provides readers with a list of discussion questions for each chapter. These questions, while related to the subject of its corresponding chapter, are open-ended and allow for the readers to think more deeply about what they have read. With these questions, readers can learn to understand the concepts this book has shown them better as well as discuss them with other like-minded investors or potential investors.

The book is not perfect, though. It is well-researched, and this research has been carefully documented so that readers will be able to look into these subjects further. In fact, Schwartz places a list of sources after every chapter which calls for it. While I always appreciate when writers cite their sources, this constant interruption after so many chapters disrupts the flow of the overall book. For me, it proved to be quite the annoying and unnecessary distraction since the sources could have been compiled into one complete list of sources at the end of the book along with the appendices and index.

In addition to this larger disruption, I also noticed multiple incidents when words should have been hyphenated but were not. The average reader will most likely not even notice these errors. Still, as I am so detail-oriented and a stickler for proper grammar in most cases, this lack of hyphenation acted as a minor distraction during my reading.

Overall, In God We Trust by George P. Schwartz is a thought-provoking and interesting read. It clearly details what Morally Responsible Investing is while also giving insight into the author’s background and a real-life example of this investment approach working. The concepts are easy to digest, and the discussion questions make it even easier to understand and share these ideas with others. The book’s organization in regards to the resources could have been better and additional proofreading would have been helpful, but otherwise In God We Trust has been handled very professionally in its writing and publication. Catholics and others who are pro-life and anti-pornography will want to check this book out if they are interested in investment which aligns with their values. If you have more liberal views, though, you will probably want to avoid In God We Trust.

You can buy In God We Trust in print or as an eBook or in hardcover on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should and review? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!