Thrive in Retirement: Simple Secrets for Being Happy for the Rest of Your Life by Eric Thurman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a hard time getting through a non-fiction book most of the time, usually I have good intentions, extreme interest, but somewhere along the line I fade. This wasn't the case with this book. I am in my 50's headed to the retirement era at some point fairly soon, so I want to do it right, any and all advice is welcome. That's not the reason this book held my interest, it was because it was fun, interesting, well written, and not just a list of chapters with lists of to-do's and advice.
What this book pointed out to me was the idea I had for retirement was that I had none! Retirement to me has always been only from the financial perspective, did I save enough, will I have enough, etc., but there is much more to retirement! What am I going to do with all the time, how to use it wisely, what do I like to do when I'm not told what to do!
He starts off with the 5 core categories of a happy, fulfilled existence!
Mind, Body, Relationships, Finances, and Soul.
Each chapter from there focuses on a particular area. I realized that there are many things I hadn't even thought about! What a great read - definitely worth the read, and something I have already referenced a few times since reading!
Thank you so much to the publisher for the complimentary uncorrected proof. I received this in order to read, share and submit this review. My review is my own.

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Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My favorite genre is historical fiction, in this novel Of Fire and Lions, Mesu Andrews brilliantly marries the biblical truths and historical facts with fictional characters. It's fascinating to read and see where the path the story takes. I remember the main stories of Daniel, his steadfast faith, the Lions Den, the fiery furnace, but to see them played out in a story that spans the 70 years of captivity is amazing.
I feel like I understood the biblical stories of faith all my life but this book just gave me a deeper understanding of what it really entailed.
The story starts off with Abigail/Belili, Daniel's wife, retelling the story of their capture and years of captivity in Babylon. Abigail was 9 when taken captive, she was to be the maid to four princes, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. At some point she is removed from them and changes her name from Abigail to Belili. She isn't faithful to Yahweh, and is party to living a tainted life. In the end Daniel and she are reunited and marry. She is ashamed of the things she has done and this makes for a challenging family life.
What I love is the idea I get of what it was actually like to live in this time period and match it with the biblical facts to create a fabulous story that gives me a deeper grasp of the entire story of Daniel.
I don't want to say too much as everyone should read this story for themselves versus me giving any details away, making them less exciting to read for the first time.
Biblical fiction is such a fun way to relive the bible stories you grew up with, giving you more of a grasp of details of the time period, thus giving you a better understanding of the entire picture.
I would highly recommend this book and this author!
I was given a complimentary uncorrected proof to read to facilitate this review, opinions expressed are my own.

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