Revell; 416 pages; $14.99; Amazon

Bethany House; 320 pages; $15.99; Amazon

It's been a busy week for me, as most of my free time has been used to get the house ready for Thanksgiving Day, which wasn't an easy task when I had an ear infection and caught a flu bug (again). Tonight, I'm going to try and write and schedule several posts for next week, which, hopefully, will include all my Review Catch Up Marathon posts.

Earlier this year, Bethany House Publishing (a division of Baker Publishing Group) released Treasured Grace, book one in the Heart of the Frontier series) by Tracie Peterson.

Set in 1847, the novel centers on Grace Martindale, a young woman who took the responsibility of raising her younger sisters, Hope and Mercy, after their parents had died. As head of the household, she makes the decision to travel with a missionary, Dr. Marcus Whitman, and his wife, as they head west for a mission for the winter.

Life at the mission, doesn't exactly go as planned when a measles outbreak occurs, threatening to kill everyone. Grace must help a Cayuse native, and a fur trapper named Alex Armistead use natural remedies to aid the sick, despite the objects of Dr. Whitman.

As the death roll rises, so does the tensions between the settlers and the natives.

Disney/Pixar; G; 103 mins; Amazon

Now available on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo pack is Disney & Pixar's CARS 3, which includes the Pixar short film "Lou," and the mini-movie "Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool."

Directed by Brian Fee, the computer-animated film features the voice-talents of Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Armie Hammer, Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt, Nathan Fillion, Lea DeLaria, and Kerry Washington.

CARS 3 opens up with the seven-time Piston Cup winner, Lightning McQueen, crashing on the race track, which leads to the rookie Jackson Storm to win the race. After mending his wounds in Radiator Springs, McQueen decides to enter the final race of the season in Florida.

Being sponsored by Sterling, the new owner of the Rust-eze racing team, McQueen is ready to train for the big race. Things don't exactly go as planned, as he has a new trainer, Cruz Ramirez, who prefers to use new technology to train him instead of the old-fashioned ways.

With determination, and encouragement from his friends, Lightning McQueen heads to Florida to prove to himself that he can still race.

Bonus Features on Blu-ray & Digital:

• Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool (Exclusive new mini-movie) – Enjoy blindsided testimonials from the Crazy 8’s, touting the transformative impact Miss Fritter’s Racing School has had in reshaping the direction of their lives.
• Theatrical Short: “Lou” – When a toy-stealing bully ruins recess for a playground full of kids, only one thing stands in his way: the “Lost and Found” box. (also on the DVD)
• Let’s. Get. Crazy. – Get schooled in the world of demolition derby, the “rules” of figure 8 racing, and how Pixar puts the crazy in the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 race. This piece is hosted by Lea DeLaria.
• Legendary – a close, historical look at the racing legends Wendell Scott and Louise Smith, whose tenacity and perseverance got them into the race even when they weren’t invited.
• Ready for the Race – Disney Channel’s Olivia Rodrigo and NASCAR Racer William Byron check out the Hendrick Motorsports campus to showcase how real-world race training influenced the filmmakers.
• World’s Fastest Billboard – Blink and you will miss all of the graphics and “car-ified” advertisements created by Pixar’s Art team to make the ”Cars 3” world as believable as possible.
• Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could – Join Cristela Alonzo and the filmmakers on their journey to create a race-car trainer turned champion racer.
• Generations: The Story of “Cars 3” – For the story team, creating Lightning McQueen’s next chapter didn’t involve just a tune-up, but a complete overhaul.
• My First Car – A collection of illustrated first-car stories as narrated by members of the “Cars 3” cast and crew. “A Green Car on the Red Carpet with Kerry Washington,” “Old Blue,” and “Still in the Family.”
• 5 Deleted Scenes – Each deleted scene is set up with an introduction as to why it was removed from the film. Deleted scenes include “The Boogie Woogie,” “The Jars of Dirt,” “Lugnut,” “The Bolt,” and “More Than New Paint.”
• Cars To Die(cast) For – Take a look at the phenomenon of die-cast toy collecting and the more than 1,000 unique designs that exist in the Cars universe.
• Commentary – Brian Fee (Director), Kevin Reher (Producer), Andrea Warren (Co-Producer) and Jay Ward (Creative Director). (Also On the DVD)
• And more…

Buy Link

Now available from BEC Recordings is the newest album from the Christian rock band KUTLESS, titled ALPHA / OMEGA.

KUTLESS was first formed as a modern rock/worship band at Warner Pacific College in Portland in 2000 by original members Jon Micah Sumrall (lead vocals) and guitarist James Mead. The band first signed with BEC Recordings in 2001, and since then they have had top-charting hits, sold millions of records and more than eight million streams!

KUTLESS has two RIAA Gold-selling albums for Strong Tower and Live from Portland. They have had 12 No. 1 radio singles across all formats including the songs "Strong Tower," "What Faith Can Do" and "Carry Me To The Cross."

ALPHA / OMEGA is a collection of rock worship songs of both original and cover tracks. The album features a new version of "Strong Tower" as well as the debut radio single "King of My Heart."



Tracks/Songs on the album include:

Thanksgiving is only one week away. While it's a wonderful holiday to spend with your family and friends, it can also be a stressful one, especially if you have to travel a long way just for a turkey dinner.

In this post, I'm featuring 5 fun apps (and games) that will help kill the time till Thanksgiving Day.

Available on Google Play is the Android App "The Simpsons: Tapped Out." While the game is several years old, don't let the age fool you, as it's just as fun as ever. In the game, you can create your own version of Springfield using characters and buildings. The game is updated regularly with holiday-themed content.

Another game app that's been around for awhile is Star Wars: Commander. The war-strategy game let you play for either the Rebels or the Empire. You get to build a base, weapons, ships, and train soldiers. Then you can attack other players' bases. It's the perfect game app for any Star Wars fan!

Available on Google Play and the App Store, is one of the newer apps on my list, titled "Ask Bongo." What is Bongo? Well, Bongo is a super intelligent monkey from the shores of Borneo. Bongo knows everything about everyone and anything! So, just Ask Bongo anything you want to and get an answer.

Being released on December 4th is the supernatural novel The One Apart by Justine Avery.




The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk about her new novel "The One Apart."


When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was seven years old, I hadn’t even “found” the first genre that would help me fall in love with reading and turn me into an avid reader for life (the genre was stories of girls my age with horses and ghosts—don’t laugh!), but my 2nd grade English teacher asked all of her students to write a new story every single week. Mine were all true, from whatever adventure I had that week or interesting thing I witnessed, but the teacher praised my stories the most and begged me to read them to the class each week. I guess that made me realize I had a knack for telling a story, or at least spotting what makes real life most interesting.

What was your first book/story published?

My very first stories published were travel articles for print magazines—a long time ago. My first fiction story published was Last Shot, published as a single on Amazon: a very dark, psychological tale about a man trying—and failing—to successfully commit suicide, over and over, and how he changes in the process. It’s intense, but ultimately a comedy.

What inspired you to write The One Apart?

It was time to finally sit down and write a novel-length story, whether or not I felt ready for the challenge. I picked up the first few pages I’d already written for a story I knew was going to be “a long one,” based on one sentence I woke up with one morning: “he remembered everything.” I knew the main character remembered things he shouldn’t, things that surprise him, things that might make other people upset, and I started writing to discover what all those mysteries were. I hoped to at least get to 50k words, but the story ended up requiring 117k words to tell it!

What character in The One Apart is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Tres, the main character, is probably most like me; I think he’s like all of us. He has very specific struggles and gifts, but when it comes down to it, he’s just someone trying to find his place in the world, to fit in with everyone around him, to discover what makes him different but not wanting to be too different. He wants to belong, and he wants to know what he’s supposed to do with the life he’s been given. He’s not afraid to change his mind or his direction, try different things, and explore different things in finding his answers.

What is your favorite part in The One Apart?