New Releases - July 4 - 9

Dear Readers,

We are sneaking up on a very busy month for us at the store.  To be honest there are not many months when we don't have several activities here at the store, but some months are busier than others.  August is one such month, but that is all the more reason to enjoy a whole pile of new books.

Happy Reading,

Honor Redeemed - Christine Johnson - Keys of Promise #2 - Prosperity send her love off to the Army and then waited for him to return, but when her parents both pass, she only has one prospect.  Sail to Key West and marry David.  When she arrives she finds that not only has he not been pinning for her, he is married.  What will she do to survive?  Will she ever find love again?

What Matters Most - Kellie Coates Gilbert - A Texas Gold novel #4 - Leta has to put her career on hold to take care of her mother.  When a high-paying job lands in her lap she is eager to snap it up.  But she learns the firm is using the data they get to fight against Nathan Emerson, the handsome senator that Leta is finding herself falling in love with.

An Elegant Facade - Kristi Ann Hunter - Hawthorne House #2 - Lady Georgina Hawthorne is going to marry well.  She spends years preparing for her debut season and it promises to be a grand success.  Colin McCrae has money and power but no title.  He is invited but not excepted enough to marry well.  He also doesn't plan on marrying a shallow woman like Georgina.  But is there more to her than you see on the surface?

The Courtship Basket - Amy Clipson - An Amish Heirloom Novel  #2 - Rachel is heartbroken when her beau leaves her to date another, her best friend to boot.  To get her mind off the pain, she takes the job teaching school for Amish kids with disabilities.  Mike is overwhelmed with responsibilities.  When his younger brother John joins Rachel's class the attraction grows.

Magnolia Moonlight - Mary Ellis - #3 Secrets of the South Mysteries - While Nate and Isabelle are away on the honeymoon, Beth and Michael are in charge.  They are having issues getting along as Beth is having a hard time believing he will be able to do any good as Michael has no experience.  They have to put their differences aside to help solve the murder of a beloved pastor.

Fun facts

Fun reading facts

-          - Reading books can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

-          - Book Readers are more likely to learn something new every day

-          - Book readers are more likely to vote, exercise and be more cultural

-          - Reading can be therapeutic

-          - Reading enhances your memory

-          - Reading boosts your analytical thinking

-          - Reading increases your vocabulary

-          - Fiction stories increase your ability to empathize with others

-          - Book readers are more likely to get ahead in their careers and lives in general. 

New Release - Deep Shadows - Vannette Chapman

Deep Shadows - Vannette Chapman
Life in Abney, Texas, is predictable and safe--until the night a massive solar flare wipes out all modern technology. 

Shelby Sparks, novelist and single mom, had one goal: to provide for her diabetic son. In the wake of this global disaster, her mission hasn't changed. Only now, medication is a priceless commodity and the future resembles an apocalyptic nightmare.

Max Berkman and Shelby were once sweethearts, but he lost his chance at claiming her love years ago. When the abrupt loss of power ushers him into a leadership role, he rises to the occasion. But his highest priority--to keep Shelby and her son safe--could prove to be the biggest challenge of all.

As the brilliant northern lights give way to deep shadows, Max and Shelby's faith will be tested like never before. Only one rule remains: Find a way to survive.

Bill Higgs

Dear Readers,

There is a sudden push to write books set in the late 50's and early 60's.  They are gentle books telling of a generation who has survived one war, has watched their country fight another and knows they are on the cusp of fighting a third in 20 years.  The greatest generation is now married, finding work and living their lives.  But of course not everything is perfect. 

Eden Hill by Bill Higgs (yes he is married to Liz Curtis Higgs) is one of those such books.  Set in a sleepy little town in Kentucky it has the feel and sound of Mayberry.  Everyone knows everyone and their business.  It's a little town where nothing ever changes and that is a good life.  

Virgil Osgood runs the local service station.  He has done it since taking over for his father after returning from WWII.  Virgil loves his life.  His wife takes good care of him even if she does cook some strange dishes every once in awhile.  His son Virgil the third is a good kid, even if he once in awhile gets in trouble.  He walks to work every day except Sunday and provides a good life. 

Then the lot across from Osgood is sold to a young man who is going to open a new Zippy service station.  What is Virgil to do?  His wife says "compete,"  his pastor tells him to "love his neighbor," and Virgil has no idea what to do.  He is worried about losing his business and not being able to provide for his family, but he wants to do the right thing also.  

What I really found enjoyable about this book is the question that gets asked throughout the book.  "Who is my neighbor?" It takes that question that is asked in the Bible and makes us wrestle with the question of how do we deal with a neighbor that is threatening our own livelihood.   Do we have to love them anyway?  How do you do that?  What does that look like?

Bill doesn't give us all the answers but he does take us on a delightful journey with some hints along the way to help us figure it out for ourselves.  I am looking forward to more books from Mr. Higgs and maybe someday he and his wife can write a book together. 

Happy Reading,

New Release - Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray - Dorothy Love

Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray - Dorothy Love

A general’s wife and a slave girl forge a friendship that transcends race, culture, and the crucible of Civil War.

Mary Anna Custis Lee is a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington, wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and heiress to Virginia’s storied Arlington house and General Washington’s personal belongings.

Born in bondage at Arlington, Selina Norris Gray learns to read and write in the schoolroom Mary and her mother keep for the slave children and eventually becomes Mary’s housekeeper and confidante. As Mary’s health declines, Selina becomes her personal maid, strengthening a bond that lasts until death parts them.

Forced to flee Arlington at the start of the Civil War, Mary entrusts the keys to her beloved home to no one but Selina. When Union troops begin looting the house, it is Selina who confronts their commander and saves many of its historic treasures.

In a story spanning crude slave quarters, sunny schoolrooms, stately wedding parlors, and cramped birthing rooms, novelist Dorothy Love amplifies the astonishing true-life account of an extraordinary alliance and casts fresh light on the tumultuous years leading up to and through the wrenching battle for a nation’s soul.

A classic American tale, Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray is the first novel to chronicle this beautiful fifty-year friendship forged at the crossroads of America’s journey from enslavement to emancipation.

New Releases - June 27 - July 2

Dear Readers, 

A few titles to enjoy on the holiday.

Happy Reading, 

Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray - Dorothy Love - Mary Anna Custis Lee is born in luxury.  Selina Norris Gray is born in slavery.   Two women from very different lives form a friendship through happiness and sorrow. 

In His Place - Harry C. Griffith - In the shadow of Charles Sheldon's WWJD, pastor Steve Long challenges his congregation to truly live out Christ commands us to be.  Facing trial that make it harder and harder for Pastor Steve to continue living the command, he realizes that not everything God calls us to is easy. 

Which Way Home - Linda Byler - Hester' Hunt for Home #2 - Hester's heart is in two places.  Born Native American and raised Amish, she finds herself unsure of where she belongs.  She marries an Amish man, but the marriage struggles.  When an Native American brave offers a way out, Hester needs to decide where she belongs.

Sarah's Surrender - Vickie McDonough - #3 Land Rush Dreams - Sarah is surprised by Luke's proposal.  She has dreams of her own and sees the Oklahoma Land Rush as an answer to that dream.  But can a woman survive on her own?

Eden Hill - Bill Higgs - Nothing has changed in Eden Hill for years.  Virgil likes it that way.  He runs the local gas station.  He knows when lunch and supper are.  He knows that his wife loves him and is sure she knows he loves her.  But now the property across the road from his gas station has a new sign, it is going to be home to a Zipco's full service station.  And his wife is acting strange.  Change is not good... 

Summer Reading list - July

Dear Readers,

Here are a few summer reading ideas for July.  Again in no particular order. 

Happy Reading, 

Delilah – Angela Hunt - Everyone knows Delilah's story.  Her great love Samson and how she betrayed him for riches.  But what made her really do it?  Was it just the gold and fame or was there another reason behind her needing the money?

The Secret to Hummingbird Cake - Celeste Fletcher McHale - 3 women, friends since 1st grade, continue to live life together.  Fun, silly at times and yet powerful.  (know there is some strong langugue in this book.)

The Red Door Inn – Liz Johnson - #1 Prince Edward Island Dreams - Marie and Seth agree on only one thing.  Helping Seth's Uncle get his dream B&B open in time for tourist season.  Marie is hiding from her overbearing father and Seth is trying to heal from his broken heart.  

Step by Step – Janice Calvert - Crisis Team #1 - Taylor Cabot is moving on from the lose of her husband.  She is ready to start checking things off her "survival list."  One she wasn't planning on was to find love again until she meets a handsome surgeon.  

Always Watching – Lynette Eason - #1 Elite Guardians - Wade Savage has a stalker.  His father hires one of the Elite Guardians to protect him.  When that guardian is almost killed in the line of duty, Olivia steps in.  Not only will her skills be tested in keeping Wade alive, her heart is in danger also.

Sea Rose Inn – Irene Hannon - #4 A Hope Harbor Novel - Eric returns to Hope Harbor and his old home to regroup and find a new career path.  The problem is his family home has been turned into a B&B, a noisy one at that.  BJ Stevens is determined to get her client's dream up and running and Eric is a distraction that she doesn't need.

Traces of Guilt – Dee Henderson  - An Evie Blackwell Cold Case #1 - Evie Blackwell loves her job as a detective.  She looks forward to starting a new cold case task force.  Her first job leads her to Gabriel Thane's home town.  The case she is working on is one he has history with and he is not sure he is ready to reopen it or find the answers.

The Ringmaster’s Wife – Kristy Cambron – June - In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confi nes of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.

Dawn at Emberwilde – Sara Ladd - #2 A Treasure of Surrey - Isabel was never happy at Fellsworth School, but a teaching job there will help her and her sister find a stable life.  When unknown relatives show up, Isabel's life is turned upside down and she now has to learn a whole different set of rules to live by.

The Atonement – Beverly Lewis - The mistakes of the past haunt Lucy Flaud, who years ago stopped attending the activities for courting-age young people in her hometown of Bird-in-Hand. Now twenty-five and solidly past the age of Amish courtship, Lucy has given up any hope of marriage, instead focusing her efforts on volunteering in both the Plain and fancy communities of Lancaster County. Yet no matter how hard Lucy strives, she feels uncertain that she'll ever find redemption.

Someone Like You – Victoria Bylin - Julia is working hard to make a good life for herself and her son.  When a big account comes in she will be spending time at Caliente Springs resort.  Little does she know that it will bring her face to face with her college sweetheart.  Zeke is more interested in keeping the resort afloat that renewing their old relationship, but his heart tells him otherwise.

What Happened on Beale Street – Mary Ellis - #2 Secrets of the South Mysteries - Nate and Nicki are called to New Orleans by a childhood friend.  When they arrive, he is missing and they are left with few clues as to what happened to him.  The choirboy reputation that Danny had before he disappeared does not fit the trail they are lead on to find him.