GEMS Book of the Month: October 2012

My True Essence by Shawneda Marks 
Selected by: Gwen

Overview

Rebecca has everything she ever prayed for and more, and is living like she doesn't care if she loses it all. Dani's business is thriving and her faith is strong. Her diagnosis will expose her own insecurities and life's truth. Jenessa epitomizes the definition of a strong woman. A routine doctor's visit forces her to confront the genetic cloud that has hovered over her since childhood.

Meet the Author

Shawneda Marks has loved reading and writing since she can remember. Some of her favorite books and authors include Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends), Sister Souljah (Coldest Winter Ever yes there is profanity/sex scenes and yes it is a good read), Stormie Omartian (Power of a Praying Wife, Power of a Praying Woman, Power of a Praying Parent), Jacquelin Thomas (Singsation and Soul Journey to name a few) and Booker T. Mattison (Unsigned Hype, Snitch). After years of entertaining her colleagues at Bank of America and Comcast with stories about colorful customer interactions she started penning her own stories. Her novels and devotionals are crafted to raise awareness, explore wellness and empower readers. Shawneda Marks enjoys being an independent author utilizing Print on Demand and Ebook technology to share her stories with readers. Marks considers the Chicago/Milwaukee area her home but since flying down south to attend Spelman College has grown quite fond of metropolitan Atlanta where she resides with her husband and daughter.

Content: Courtesy BN.com

GEMS Book of the Month: September 2012

The Road Home by Tommy Tenney & Andrew Olsen
Selected by: Sharon

Overview

For Las Vegas widow Naomi, memories of a Pennsylvania Dutch childhood are an ache from the distant past, a painful memory of abandoned roots and lost connections. She has long since reconciled herself to the shattered dreams that had enticed her from her heritage and now simply lives in a tiny apartment, thick with loneliness and regret. Her sole consolation is her daughter-in-law Ruth.

But when hard living claims both of her boys, the two women turn Naomi's creaky Impala eastward in a desperate, last-chance bid for hope and meaning. Thus begins a cross-country odyssey that brings her home to her old farm in Lancaster County--and to the values and rhythms of a life once spurned. Although the East is foreign territory, Ruth also finds a home here among the slow and authentic cadences of Pennsylvania farm country. And she finds love...