New Releases Feb. 21 - 26

Dear Readers,

This weeks list has again several exciting books on it.   Couple because of the author and a couple because of the topic.  So once again I will need to take a week and get 6 more books read, the only problem is my boss doesn't agree with me.

Happy Reading

Shrouded in Silence - Robert L. Wise
Lie Down in Green Pastures - Debbie Viguie' - #3 the Psalm 23 Mysteries
No Safe Haven - Kimberley and Kayla R. Woodhouse
Vicious Cycle - Terri Blackstock - #2 Intervention Novel
The Union Quilters - Jennifer Chiaverini -#1 Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Love Amid the Ashes - Mesu Andrews
Bathsheba - Jill Eileen Smith
Heart of Lies - Jill Marie Landis
Springtime of the Spirit - Maureen Lang
The Story Jar - Robin Lee Hatcher & Deborah Bedford
Words - Ginny L. Yttrup
Book of Days - James Rubart
In the Shadow of Evil - Robin CarollLone Star Intrigue - Debra White Smith - 2 in 1
My Father's World - Michael Phillips &Judith Pella - #1 Jouranls of Corrie Belle Hollister - Recover
An Eye for Glory - Karl A. Bacon
Sweet Baklava - Debby Mayne

Mesu Andrews

Dear Readers,

This is one of those books that you need to read all the way to the end before you pass judgement on it.  You must also read the Author's note at the end of the book.  You may read it before you read the book, but it does give away several storylines and I personally wouldn't like that.  I recommend Author's notes all the time as it really gives you a peek into what the author was thinking or why they did the book.

Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews is a very good story.  It does have a storyline that I am a bit uncomforable with.  She wrote the story of Job, but she also included as a main character Dinah, Jacob's daughter.  If you don't know who she is, she is a young lady in the Bible who is raped and then her brothers kill her rapist who had fallen in love with her.

I know that the traditionally held thought on Job is that he was alive before Abraham.  There is also a thought that he might not even be a real person, but just an example to us all.  I have to say that I understood that and I guess I pretty much accepted that.  It was part of this story that I had a problem with and yet I didn't.

Job returns from a visit to his Uncle Jacob and that night his children, wealth and business are wiped out by raiders and storms.   He loses his children to a building collapse.  His wife blames him and his God and quickly so do other people.  There are only a couple who stand by his side to help him through the grief and to tend to the sores that develop over his body.

This is from the Bible story that we know.  He does lose everything.  He does develop sores and he does stand firm in his beliefs in God. That you can find in the Bible, but some of it you can't. 

I talked to a couple of guys here at the store and asked them questions about it.  One is uncomfortable with Biblical fiction all together, they both were not excited to hear that Mesu had put Dinah into the story of Job. They both have studied the Bible or are studing the Bible in college.  So I do trust what they have to say. 

With all that said, I want to say this is a good book.  I did have some issues with things she did, but I also understand where she got her information from.  It makes for an interesting read and once again shows us that God's greater plan is not always what we have planned. 

Happy Reading

New Releases for Feb 14-19

Dear Readers,

Ok so it is Wednesday already.  Sorry about the list taking longer to get here than I expected.  But we did get a couple of interesting books in last week from a couple of authors I enjoy. 

Happy Reading

Blood Covenant - Lisa Harris - #2 Mission Hope Series
False Pretenses - Kathy Herman - #1 in the Serets of Roux River Bayou series
Bound by Guilt - C.J. Carlington
All for One - Melody Carlson - #3 the Four Lindas series
Maximal Reserve - Sam Batterman
His Other Wife - Deborah Bedford

Sorry

Dear Readers,

I am sorry to those of you that usually come by to see the new releases.  I planned on have them up today for you.  I returned from vacation and was planning on being at work today.  The problem is that the Thursday before I left on vacation I dislocated my ankle.  I had a check up today and because of that it was decided it was best I didn't go to work yet today.  Tomorrow the 22 nd I will be at the store in the afternoon as I will have my aircast and will be able to drive. 

Thank you for your understanding

Nicole Seitz

Dear Readers,

There are many different layers in the book The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz.  I am sure I have even missed a few of them that someone else will catch.  It is the story of memories, good or bad.  It is the story of love, for family and friends.  It is the story of confession and how that is good for the soul.

You meet Maggie who because she has suffered several strokes is unable to talk, but you learn about her in her thoughts.  She remembers her childhood and the one thing that happen that changed her and her family forever. 

 

You meet George who has loved Maggie since they were children.  He knew he wanted to marry her long before they are of age.

You also meet Ash, Maggie's brother.  He loves his sister more than life itself and is willing to do anything to make sure she will have a good and perfect life.

They all grew up together.  They were never well off, George's family did have their store, but Maggie and Ash's family would sometimes even go hungry.  But overall life was good.  They went fishing and swimming in the local watering hole.  They played hide-n-seek, they did chores and generally made good memories together. 

That all changed one afternoon when a stranger stepped off the train that went through town.  While the kids watched him climb off the train they were intrigued by him, but, as Maggie says, if they had known who he was and what he represented they would have run far far away.

This is a book of secrets that were kept and secrets that weren't. It isn't a gentle read by any means.  There are things that happen in this book that haunt these friends forever.  They blame each other and themselves for the events that rip them apart.  But it is also a story of forgiving each other and it is never too late to do that. 

I know not everyone will enjoy this story and it is not written for everyone, but if you want a story that is a different perspective on things, this is the book for you.

Happy Reading

Ann Tatlock

Dear Readers, 

Adulthood is hard enough for an adult to understand let alone an 11 year old girl.  Roz knows that her daddy is not a good daddy, but all she wants is for him to be able to live with them again.  She doesn't understand why they had to leave even though he promised that he would change.

 

Promise to Keep by Ann Tatlock takes on this topic.  I love Ann's books. She writes these books that take on topics from completely different perspectives.  As I read about Roz I kept thinking that she should see her Dad for what he really is, but from an 11 year olds perspective he isn't a terrible man.  No matter what he has done.

 

Roz and her family move to the quiet little town of Mills River.  It is the wonderful town where even though the turbulent 60's are going on in America, not much has changed in Mills River.  Kids are still free to roam on their own and neighbors gladly show up on your doorstep with a casserole in hand during times of trouble.  It has the soda fountian resturant and a library that Roz and her friend Mara visit often.  It reminded me of Mayberry.

 

I don't want to say too much more about the book as it is one of those journeys you need to take with Roz and her family.  You need to meet them and understand where they are coming from and where they are trying to get to.  You need to meet Tillie and understand why she believes that the house that she lived in is still hers, even though Roz's grandfather bought it for them to live in.  But Roz's family needs Tillie and she needs them.

 

This is a growing up book, but not in the perfect way that most of us wish our childhoods were.  It is about not letting what happens to you in childhood define you the rest of your life. It is about learning and growing in ways that I pray most of us never will or have experienced.  It is the story of family and how sometimes you are family even when you are not related by blood.

Happy Reading

New Releases Feb 7 - 13

Dear Readers,

Happy Valentines day.  A few of our titles today reflect that.  Heart seems to be a word you need to include in your title.  I hope you have a great day and enjoy the love of family and friends all year around.

Happy Reading

A HEART for Home - Lauraine Snelling

A HEART Most Worthy - Siri Mitchell

HEARTS Aglow - Tracie Peterson - #2 in the Striking a Match series
Chasm - Randy Alcorn
Deadly Ties - Vicki Hinze
A Bond Never Broken - Judith Miller

Jerry Jenkins

Dear Readers, 

I belong to several different publisher blogsites where you can request a book in exchange for a review of their book.  I do this because it forces me to read books that I would normally not read.  The Brotherhood by Jerry Jenkins is one of these books that I received from Tyndale publishers.

Several years ago I fell in love with Jerry Jenkins'  writing and it had nothing to do with the Left Behind series. (Which I thought were very well written, but I didn't really care to read that many of them.)  It had to do with a little book called Though None Go With Me.  If you haven't read it, it is worth tracking down a copy and reading it.  Last I heard it was out of print, but I can check that out for you.  Just let me know.  He has also written a couple of other books I have enjoyed, but the last two of his I have read I haven't been overly impressed with, so I wasn't sure I was even going to read this one.  I will admit one of them was a re-release of an older book of his, but still... 

I am going to admit I liked this book in spite of myself.  I kept thinking I wouldn't like it and yet I enjoyed the story.  It is mostly a story of a man recovering from one of the most devestating things that could happen to him.  The lost of his wife and child.  The first 2/3's of the book are the story of Boone and how he is trying to put a life alone together without having anything else hurt him.  He works hard to keep control of everything he can and yet work towards healing. 

His faith is tested once again when he is brought up on brutality charges.  He could lose the last thing important to him.  It is a crisis of faith that forces his hand on deciding whom he will choose to serve. 

The last 1/3 of the story is where I actually started really enjoying it.  It is where the organized crime/gangs get involved.  It is a bit more high suspense and what I actually hoped for from the book.  Jerry is good at writing an emotional story, but he also can write a good action story.  This book has both and even though that didn't really bother me and I enjoyed both storylines, I wish he had done one or the other.  I felt like there were gaps in the story that we were left to conclude on our own.  We jump ahead about a year and half with little warning.  It just seemed to me that the story was forced to move quickly so we could get to the next storyline. 

]I do recommend this book, but go in knowing it isn't action packed from start to finish.  It only took me two days to read so it isn't a long book or one that I wanted to slow down and enjoy. 

Happy Reading

P.S. If you are interested in a chance to win a free copy of The Brotherhood.  Post a comment to this post and the drawing will be the week of the 21st.

New Releases Jan 31 - Feb. 5

Dear Readers,
Some weeks I am more excited for what is new than others.  This week one of my favorite authors has released her 4th in her House of Hope series.  I want to read it right away, but I think I am going to save this one for vacation.  I leave in a week and they are always perfect books to take along.  Enjoy and as always

Happy Reading

Who is My Shelter - Neta Jackson - #4 in the House of Hope series
Angel Harp - Michael Phillips
Blessing from Acorn Hill - Judy Baer - 2 in 1 Grace Chapel Inn series
Memories from Acorn Hill - Melody Carlson - 2 in 1 Grace Chapel Inn Series
The Crossing - The Last Cavaliers #1 - Gilbert Morris
What the Heart Sees - Kathleen Fuller - previously published short stories.
Indiana Cousins Trilogy - Wanda Brunstetter - 3 in 1
The Mountians Bow Down - Sibella Giorello
Steppin' into the Good Life - Tia McCollors
Love Me Back to Life - Missy Horsfall/Susan Stevens
Blown Away - Nancy Mehl
Raider's Heart - Marcia Gruver

Lisa Wingate

Dear Readers, 

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate is a story with many different threads to it.  Andrea has moved back "home" again to recover from a divorce and needs to start over.  She is dealing with a new job, a teenage son who has quite the attitude about... well everything that has to do with mom, and parents that want to help but seem a bit overbearing. 

Mart, short for Martin, has returned to a place of many wonderful childhood memories.  He remembers the time he spent there while his father worked in the area with great fondness.  He needs time to recover from his own tragedy. 

Len is a Vietnam war vet.  He was wounded in battle and sent home to recover.  He reclusive and is never happy to see visitors.  He doesn't really hurt anyone, but he is not overly friendly either. 

So when a little girl is spotted across the lake with Len everyone is curious as to who and why he would have a little girl living with him.  He doesn't have any local family that anyone has ever heard of or seen, so who is this little girl?  Is there something horrible going on?  The rumors start to fly.

This is a story of recovery, trust and community.  How it does sometimes take a village to raise a child.  How sometimes while helping others we find ourselves able to heal from our own wounds. 

Happy Reading.

Randy Alcorn

Dear Readers,

Ok so this is the second time I started this review.  It has nothing to do with the book and everything to do with me being unable to put down something that makes sense about this book. 

The Chasm by Randy Alcorn is an allegory, which does make it harder to write a review for.  I myself am not a huge fan of allegories.  They must be well written and capture my attention almost from the beginning. Otherwise I lose interest and then I lose track of what the author is trying to do and it stops making sense and so I stop reading.

I actually had the nerve to think I wouldn't like this book.  I have read all of Randy's fiction books and have yet to find one I didn't like, but I just wasn't sure about another allegory. 

The main character here is also the main character in Edge of Eternity.  It actually doesn't matter which you read first this one or Edge, they makes sense no matter which order you read them in.  In fact the ending (don't worry I am not giving anything away) says, "Nick Seagrove's full story  - all that happened before and after he came to the Chasm - is told in the novel Edge of Eternity." 

Nick is on a strange and wonderful journey that has/had taken him through a strange land.  It is full of characters that are hard to tell the good from the bad and yet it is never the one you think of that will lead you astray. 

That is all I am really going to say about this book.  I enjoyed it, but know it is not written for you to keep on your shelf, I believe it is written to be shared with all that are around you.  To understand you will have to enter the strange land of Nick Seagrove.

Happy Reading

Groundhog's day

Dear Readers.

Ok I can only tell you that I have not had a snow day since I left school and few short years ago.  Well I am so excited tomorrow is a snow day.  With the blizzard that is predicted my nice and very generous boss has told us all to stay home.  That way she doesn't have to worry about us or our customers driving it what sounds like is going to a very bad day.

So I plan on being home tomorrow enjoying my extra time off.  I plan on reading and sleeping. I hope and pray that you also can enjoy the extra time off it the blizzard hits you.  Be safe and I will be in the store on Thursday. 

Happy Reading

P.S.  I am guessing that the groundhog  is not going to see his shadow tomrrow and that means winter is almost over.