Book Reviews
Books By Clarence Parker, Hélène Thomas & James McLean

Book Review By Anne Marie Cassie Hood in the Daily Gleaner, 01/23/10

Author shares philosophy on what life is all about in God’s Circle

Clarence Parker is confident that he was destined to write his current release, God’s Circle, and feels he has the answer for those who struggle with the question, What is life all about?

It’s important to note that Parker believes God created the universe; however, he concludes that it’s impossible to accomplish God’s full purpose for our life in just one lifetime.

The book is very controversial as Parker shares his beliefs on heaven and hell, what happens after death and reincarnation. He elaborates on his past lives and how they attribute to where he is today.

In no way does Parker force his belief on others. He simply states his own philosophy lus his understanding of what is contained in books such as, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, Joseph Girzone’s My Struggle with Faith and a book written by a young spiritual healer named Adam, who writes about the power of self-healing and the healing of others.

The main motivation for Parker to write God’s Circle commenced in March 2008. He read with interest an article by Lavern Stewart in the Daily Gleaner. She profiled the life of Suzanne Riley, a local psychic. Parker immediately contacted riley, and through readings was able to learn more about life after death, and how the spirit and earth world interacted. She connected Parker with Martin, his spiritual guide, and through conversations, he gleamed additional answers concerning the spirit world.

Parker contacted Claire McGee, another psychic in Fredericton. Though her techniques and gifts were different from Riley, she made connection with spirit world. An interesting bio on each women is found in Chapter 5.

Readers may be puzzled to find a repeat of Page 106. The author requested that an apology be given, as no reasonable explanation for the duplicate page can be provided other than to emphasize the message, pay attention to you intuition. Parker shares how listening to his intuition helped save his wife’s life.

Local DJ Fred McCausland (Freddy Mac) comments that he reads to exercise his spiritual muscles. He’s pleased to have God’s Circle as part of his daily workout routing.

Parker has devoted many years to helping those less fortunate. This is his giving self which he talks about in his book. He also encourages readers to find their own awakening soul, and hopos that God’s Circle will provide the answer to what life is all about.

Review By Fred McCausland
(Fred is the morning host of Fox radio.)

In searching for “our giving selves and what life is all about”, I think it’s important that one looks for these answers from many different angles. Clarence Parker has done this beautifully in ‘God's Circle’. My own personal ‘shift’ started many years ago. It wasn’t until after I read Eckart Tolle’s, ‘A New Earth’ that I gained the clarity to really change my way of thinking. It was nice to see our mutual admiration for Tolle’s teachings as I read through Clarence’s book, ‘God’s Circle’.

My own spiritual journey has included many teachings from various authors. They include mediums such as James Van Praagh, also spiritual teachers, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and Don Miguel Ruiz. It seems that EVERY time a book presents itself to me, it does so at exactly the right time. Clarence Parker’s, ‘God’s Circle’, is NO exception.

I try to look at my spirituality like an exercise routine. I promise myself each day that I will pick up a book and read at least a paragraph and sometimes I end up reading 200 pages. No matter the amount, every little bit helps. I refer to this as exercising my spiritual muscle. I can only get stronger by having ‘God’s Circle’ on my bookshelf. It will remain a part of my daily workout routine.

Thank you for sharing your journey, Clarence, and thank you for showing us your ‘giving self’. You are an amazing man. Peace.

Supernatural And Paranormal Experiences: 5 Typical And Related Families

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

The idea for this book was conceived many years ago, when local author and publisher, Clarence Parker, attended a Parker family reunion. He learned that many family members had experienced some form of a supernatural or paranormal occurrence. Others shared strange dreams or events that they considered as déjà vu. Parker continued to be fascinated by their discussions and wanted to explore this topic further. He enlisted the assistance of his sister-in-law, Hélène Pépin Thomas, and together they interviewed and gathered research on five typical and related families that represented persons from all walks of life.

The book ends with afterthoughts by those who shared their experiences. It is obvious that they share the theory that something of a spiritual nature definitely surrounds our physical world.
Supernatural And Paranormal Experiences is a recommended read for anyone interested in exploring the extraordinary and unusual powers of the universe.

Business Handbook For The Self-Employed

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

Clarence A. Parker is a retired professional engineer and certified management accountant. For over 25 years, he has prepared annual tax returns as a part-time business. He noted that many clients had been subjected to aggressive tax audits.

Parker was compelled to write a book to aid individuals to better organize and maintain their small businesses. His book, Business Handbook for the Self-Employed, can be applied to persons living in Canada and the United States.

I strongly recommend to anyone who is self-employed or considering this option to read this book. Maintaining accurate financial records is a key component in running a successful business; this book will teach you how.

Death On The Lakeshore

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

Death On The Lakeshore, a murder mystery features the humorous mystery adventures of Avard Hale. This book is the first novel in a planned series by local author and publisher, Clarence Parker.

The story begins with John Bath at the family cottage on Lake Henry busy with the task of closing it up for the winter. While he secures his boat and oars, his mind replays the startling news he received the previous morning. The Mafia is becoming increasingly active in the drowsy Maritime City of Freetown.

The author has placed enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested right through to the surprise ending. Parker has written an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading the next in this series, Avard Hale Goes To London.

Avard Hale Goes To London

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

Avard Hale Goes To London is a sequel to Death On The Lakeshore written by local author and publisher, Clarence Parker. In Book 1, amateur sleuth, Avard Hale solved the mystery of who killed John Bath, and received a reward of $50,000. He established a renovation company, Hale & Associates, and saved a portion so he and his wife, Doris, could take a trip to London, England.

Parker engages the reader as Avard and Doris travel through London and Scotland. The mystery unfolds, as Avard continues to meet people who provide further clues that bring him closer in discovering who murdered Sir Geoffrey Atwood.

Avard Hale Goes To London has all the elements of a great mystery, and shows evidence that Clarence Parker is a gifted storyteller.

Avard Hale Explores The Money Point Mysteries

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

Readers who love a good mystery would find Parker’s books an enjoyment to read individually. However, since I had the privilege of reading and reviewing all three, I got an in depth look into the lives of not only Avard Hale but his wife Doris, their children Junior and Marie and their beloved family cat, Benson.

Parker states that the storyline for this book is based on fact. In the 1920’s a gold prospector was killed near Magaguadic Lake.

The amazing conclusion shows how the gold is found and also what happens to those associated with gold fever.

Good Basic Cooking For Men (And Even Women)

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

Anyone who wants to cook but doesn’t know where to start will find Good Basic Cooking for Men (And Even Women) useful. It is a great resource to help a spouse with meal preparation. Children may also benefit. It may steer them to become more self-sufficient by being encouraged to cook for themselves.

During his wife’s recuperation from an accident, Clarence Parker inherited the role of chief cook. He discovered it was not so easy; recipes were misleading and not always easily understood.

With perseverance, he eventually prepared good basic meals on a consistent basis. This experience prompted him to write this book, in the hope that it would help others faced with a similar challenge. If the reader can’t even boil an egg, then this book is for you.

I recommend they give Parker’s book a try. They may find their newly acquired culinary skills not only practical also very enjoyable.

Handbook For Good Low-Cost Eating

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

For more than 25 years, local author and publisher, Clarence A Parker, has been involved with groups who assist the less fortunate. His Handbook For Good Low-Cost Eating was written to fill a need identified by these agencies, for resourceful information to better aid low-income persons.

He states that the book was prepared with great empathy for all people who struggle to feed their families good food at the least possible cost. Via a grant from the national Homelessness Initiative, Parker distributed this book free of charge to more than 40 agencies in Fredericton, providing 2,500 copies to those in need.

The reader is given knowledge and resources to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle despite a low income. People wishing to reduce their food costs would benefit from this handbook. I applaud Parker in his efforts to create this useful guide that may be of value to so many in the Fredericton area.

A Dove Is Set Free To Fly

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

The story is of James McLeans’ journey after his marriage ended, and the courage he found within himself to become a successful single father. The Forward in McLean’s book begins with his views on the changing role of fathers when a relationship ends. He feels the justice system needs to consider the dilemmas being met by the multitude of men who become single parents. This is the first book for the local author and poet but McLean writes his story from the heart.

McLean’s book is a good read. It shows the reader that a man can be a successful single parent. He chose to learn from his mistakes, and wrote this book with the intention that his success story could possibly help other men faced with similar challenges.

Reflections Of The Heart

Review by Anne Marie Caissie Hood in the Daily Gleaner

Local author James McLean has written Reflections Of The Heart with the intention of helping others express their innermost feelings. The writing of poetry has been therapeutic for him, and he invites the reader to take a walk with his soul.

McLean’s writing depicts a man who had embraced the experiences in his life, and managed to find himself in the process. Reflections Of The Heart is certainly a fitting title for this book.

Back to top