New Releases - October 24 - 29

Dear Readers,

Happy Reading, 

A Sister’s Wish – Shelley Shepherd Gray - #3 The Charmed Amish Life - Amelia Kinsinger is the perfect Amish woman—at least according to her neighbors. And while Amelia takes pride in her role as homemaker, she’s also harboring a secret: She’s been in love with bad boy Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember. Too bad he’s about as far from “perfect” as an Amish man could get… but that’s exactly why she’s so drawn to him.

The Cautious Maiden – Dawn Crandall - Violet Hawthorne is beyond mortified when her brother Ezra turns their deceased parents' New England country inn into a brothel to accommodate the nearby lumberjacks but when Violet's own reputation is compromised, the inn becomes the least of her worries. In an effort to salvage her good name, Violet is forced into an engagement with a taciturn acquaintance, Vance Everstone   

The Devoted – Suzanne Woods Fisher - #2 The Bishop’s Family- Bright, curious, and restless, Ruthie Stoltzfus loves her family but is stuck in a sea of indecision about her future: Should she stay Amish? Or should she leave?  Patrick Kelly is a young man on a journey of his own. He's come to Stoney Ridge to convert to the Amish and has given himself thirty days to learn the language, drive a buggy, and adapt to "everything Plain." 

Tainted – Morgan L. Busse - Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of science. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn't find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely.

Saffire – Sigmund Brower - For President Teddy Roosevelt, controlling the east-west passage between two oceans mattered so much that he orchestrated a revolution to control it. His command was to ‘let the dirt fly’ and for years, the American Zone of the Panama Canal mesmerized the world, working in uneasy co-existence with the Panamanian aristocrats. 

Long Way Gone – Charles Martin -Five years after losing everything, Cooper O'Conner falls in love with Daley Cross, an angelic voice in need of a song. But just as he realizes his love for Daley, Cooper faces a tragedy that threatens his life as well as his career. With nowhere else to go, he returns home to the remote Colorado mountains, searching for answers about his father and his faith. 

quote

Not all those who wander are lost.

– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

My favorite Tolkien quote.  

New Release - Noah - Tim Chaffey/K. Marie Adams

New Release - Noah: Man of Destiny The Remnant Trilogy - # 1

Noah: Man of Destiny takes readers on a captivating, coming-of-age journey. Noah learns about the Most High while standing against a sinister belief system emerging throughout the land. Whether escaping legendary beasts, tracking kidnappers, or pursuing his future wife, Noah acquires the skills he will need when God calls him to his greatest adventure: surviving the global Flood.

• Witness the struggle of a righteous man’s battle against a culture that thought of evil continually
• Explore what it may have been like for a righteous man to relate to God before the Bible was written
• Non-fiction portions in the back of the book help explain historical concepts and provide teaching sections that deal with issues and concerns that arise in the account.

Gain fresh insights into the people and events of the pre-Flood world through the engaging, adventure-filled first novel of the Remnant Trilogy.

New Release - The Room with the Second Best View - Virginia Smith

The Room with the Second Best View - Virginia Smith 

The B&B Is Open for Business!
Shhh...

Excitement is in the air in Goose Creek, Kentucky, as the small town prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary and the veterinarian's upcoming wedding. But trouble is brewing in this provincial paradise...
Al Richardson agreed to open a B&B with his wife after his retirement in two years, but Millie secretly invites some guests to stay for the wedding. She plans to be the most gracious Southern hostess—until a tumble down the stairs leaves her unprepared for their quirky and cantankerous first guest.

Meanwhile, the town's anniversary plans are in a state of chaos as the celebration committee scrambles to raise the necessary funds—an effort spearheaded by a "newcomer," which ruffles the towns folk's feathers.

Goose Creek has lasted 150 years. Can it survive the next month?

New Releases - October 17 - 22

Dear Readers,

The colder temps are looming.  Snow is coming, I know it because I have lived in West Michigan most of my life.  Which means it is hot tea and a warm blanket weather.  Time to snuggle in for a long winter's read.

Happy Reading, 

The Looming Storm – Diane and David Munson -when Federal Agent Eva Montanna uncovers a menacing threat to harm Eva and her family. When daughter Kaley travels to Eastern Europe on a class trip, Eva’s Christian faith is challenged, and their lives are altered in the blink of an eye. Tensions skyrocket as Eva and Griff Topping, her FBI partner, use every trick to infiltrate a band of Florida smugglers.  

Mattie’s Pledge – Jan Drexler - Mattie Schrock is no stranger to uprooting her life. Even as her father relocated her family from one Amish community to the next, she always managed to find a footing in their new homes. Now as the Schrock family plans to move west from Somerset County to a fledgling Amish settlement in Indiana, she looks forward to connecting with old friends who will be joining them from another Pennsylvania community

The Undoing of Saint Silvanus – Beth Moore - Only God knew why Jillian Slater agreed to return to New Orleans on the news that her father had finally drunk himself to death. It's not like they were close. She hadn t seen him or her grandmother, the ice queen in almost 20 years. But when Adella Atwater, the manager of her grandmother's apartment house, called and said Jillian's expenses would be paid if she'd fly in for the burial, a free trip to New Orleans was too intriguing to resist

Mary; Chosen of God – Diana Wallis Taylor - Mary is ordinary girl from Nazareth. She helps her mother with household chores, she daydreams about a handsome carpenter's son named Joseph, and at night she lies on the roof and contemplates at the stars. But one evening, a heavenly visitor comes with unexpected news;and her life is changed forever. 

Room with the Second Best View – Virginia Smith - #3 Tales of the Goose Creek B&B- Excitement is in the air in Goose Creek, Kentucky, as the small town prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary and the veterinarian's upcoming wedding. But trouble is brewing in this provincial paradise...

Noah: Man of Destiny – Tim Chaffey & K. Marie Adams - The Remnant Trilogy # 1 -  Noah learns about the Most High while standing against a sinister belief system emerging throughout the land. Whether escaping legendary beasts, tracking kidnappers, or pursuing his future wife, Noah acquires the skills he will need when God calls him to his greatest adventure: surviving the global Flood.

Which Reading Nook is Perfect for you?

Dear Readers,

What a fun little quiz.  Turns out my library needs a secret room just for my reading.

What did you get?


https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/278258/which-reading-nook-is-perfect-for-you


Happy Reading,

Thoughts

Dear Readers,

I think most of you have heard me mention or review a book I have "read" by listening to on Overdrive.  It is an app on my phone through the local library.  It is the best app I have downloaded.  I only have a couple 'rules' about the books I read.  If it is fiction it needs to be something I wouldn't normally carry here in the store, with the exception being if it is for my bookclub and have no other chance to read it.

The other rule is if I really am not enjoying the book, then it really is okay to stop listening to it.  But I do have to give it at least two trips to and from work before I make that decision.  It has only happened twice.  One book turned out to be basically the characters running around sleeping with anyone and everyone and making crude jokes - not at all what the book was advertised as and the other the reader of the book had a voice that was way to tedious to enjoy the book.  I actually found myself not listening to the book most of the time and so never had any idea what was going on.

There is another aspect of this that I had never thought of.  It has shown me a glaring problem in Christian fiction.  Now before I get to that problem I have to say, there is tons of really good Christian fiction.  There are many that have become friends of mine and sit on my bookshelves at home. I love them, recommend them and will someday, reread them.  So I am not trying to throw out all of Christian fiction, this is just something I find missing.

That thing is the book that is just a good story.  Something that isn't trying to make a point, that isn't trying to get me to learn Bible verses or listen to a sermon.  Something that lets me wrestle with the moral dilemma or character's choices.  One that just never tells me the right or wrong on those choice and how I might agree or disagree with them.  A book where happily ever after just might be missing from the end of the book.  (I can't tell you how many books I have read in the Christian market that has an ending set 6 months later so people are saved, married or expecting a child or all of the above)

I just finished a book that will soon be on my shelves here at the store.  Overall all was a good read.  I love the premise of the book and yet conveniently the main character went to church every 4th or 5th chapter and we all got a lovely sermon.  *Sigh*  Not really part of the story, it was included so the main character could soon arrive at an epiphany that made sure we all had the plan of salvation.  

This story really didn't need it, but somewhere along the line, that is what Christian fiction has become. Only about the status quo.  If it worked once, lets continue doing it.  Now again, let me say, we do need those books, people read them and love them.  But there are others who want that in-depth story that they have to wrestle with more.  I am having trouble finding that title without a Christian lesson in it in the Christian market, but I am finding it in the secular market.

My pleas are not just for authors as I know authors who are or are trying to write books like this, but to publishers.  Challenge us as readers.  Make us question things and struggle with what our characters do.  It might even make us bump heads once and a while with other readers, but of course that is so much fun for us readers.

Those are just some thoughts I have

Happy reading,