MORE THAN A BUCKET LIST by Jennifer Barrow

More Than A Bucket List" by Toni Birdsong is a good title for people in all stages of life (teenager, young adult, middle age, retired) who wants some ideas for new challenges and undertakings in life. The book is around 260 pages and may be completed in a few sittings and contains such thoughts as:
1. Suggestions for praying over your business.
2. Historical US places to visit.
3. Famous personalities' previous jobs before they became famous.
4. Ways to practice compassion towards others.
5. Suggested books to read.
6. Places to visit around the world.
7. Bizarre places to visit.
8. Things to learn from your grandparents while they're still around.
9. Things to do at a public library.
10. Questions to ask yourself before you go online (perhaps your time can be better spent doing something else).
Some of the suggestions I have already done or plan to do in the future. I will pass the book on to our daughters to read so they may get come creative ideas on things to do with their lives.

ISLE OF SHADOWS

Enslaved in a world of money and power, Tessa dares to be free... Raised as courtesan to wealthy and powerful men, Tessa of Delos serves at the whim of her current patron, the politician Glacis. After ten years with him, Tessa has abandoned all desire for freedom or love, choosing instead to lock her heart away. However, when Glacis meets a violent death in his own home, Tessa grasps at a fragile hope. Only she knows of his death.
If she can keep it a secret for long enough, she can escape. Tessa throws herself on the mercy of the Greek god, Helios, but finds instead unlikely allies in Nikos, a Greek slave, and Simeon, Glacis's Jewish head servant. As Simeon introduces her to a God unlike any she has ever known and Nikos begins to stir feeling she had though long dead, Tessa fights to keep her heart protected. As an assai nation plot comes to light, Tessa must battle for her own freedom-- and for those whom she has begun to open her heart-- as forces collide that shatter the island's peace.
Tracy L. Highly started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored nine novels, including Garden of Madness. Tracy is currently perusing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. You can read more about her travels via her website.
My thoughts: I think this book has come a ways from when it was known as Shadow of Colossus. The cover is beautiful, as it provides a great setting for imagery. I like that the book comes with a reading group guide. None of the chapters are terribly long, though there are 42 chapters and 374 pages. This is my first book from Ancient History, and I actually liked it! Thanks BookSneeze for introducing me to Historical Fiction! Isle of Shadows- Book Review: 4/5 stars...
Disclosure: I received the book mentioned above for free in exchange for my time spent to read and review it.