Up from the Ash Heap (The Mountain Redemption Series Book 1); book #30

 

There were many things I liked about this book and a few I didn't.  I love how it follows the story of Ruth and Naomi, just set in a different time period.  However, they seemed to focus A LOT on the miserableness of Raye and Emeline and that was only sad sad sad.  I mean, you know somehow the good guy is going to come and rescue them, but when?!?  He doesn't show up until nearly the last 25% of the book. And I wondered how far they would take the "laying down and uncovering his feet" thing, I must say they took a lot of poetic liberty with that.  

There are two other books in the series, about the other two sister-in-laws, but I'm not sure if I'll read them or not.  I know others might, so I'll see if they think it is worth it.

Raya Applewood is always laughing, and as loyal as the day is long. But when a tragedy rips through the Applewood family leaving her husband and his two brothers dead, she has a difficult choice ahead. Should she go back East with her mother-in-law where she would face prejudice and hardship, or return to her father’s house? Either way, the road ahead is riddled with difficulties.  Atlas Fairbury is a wealthy businessman who never figured on marrying. But when a beautiful young widow enters his employment, her character, loyalty, and capacity for love turn his head. As he falls deeply for her, he wants to give her every good thing to make her life better. The only problem is, she feels unworthy of his love and incapable of receiving it. Raya appreciates everything Atlas has done for them and seeks to show her gratitude through her service. Working long hours to convey her thanks, she can’t understand why he’s displeased by her efforts. After both heartache and joy, Raya finds herself with another choice to make. This time, with all their futures hanging in the balance, she needs the guidance of Mother Emaline—and her Redeemer—to find her way forward.  Will Raya continue to only accept what she can earn, or will she finally realize that love has always been a gift freely given and receive it as such, allowing herself to be loved more fully than she could ever deserve? And if so, will she be too late?  (picture and description from Amazon)

I have started a fun little non fiction book I can't wait to share with you when I finish it.  And our Franklin Faculty Book Club has picked a book I can't wait to read!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak: Lessons on Faith from Nine BIblical Families, book #29

 

This book took me a while to get through, but it was really amazing and brought things I had never thought about:

 - It is through the bravery & sacrifice of Jochabed & Miriam that the entire story of Scripture unfolds.

 - At the heart of her story, although Naomi was grieving, she could see God's hand in her own life and in the lives of her people. So she stepped out in faith: she packed up to take her weary, grief stricken heart back to home to her people.

 - How long had it been since Zechariah had prayed for a son? Was there a point when he assumed it was no longer even worth asking? Are there hopes and dreams you've abandoned, things you prayed over for years and then put on a shelf for good? We often cannot see how God is weaving together the threads of our lives until long after the tapestry is complete. He may present you with an answer you never imagined decades after your original request.

 - As the man handpicked to lead the nation of Israel, David had once been humble and totally reliant of God. Let this be a bright red warning flag to every one of us. Just because we have walked closely with our heavenly Father, trusting Him through impossible challenges and seeing His faithfulness over and over again, does not mean we cannot fall into grievous sin.

God always keeps His promises, but not always in the way we expect….  “Have faith” is a phrase we hear all the time. But what does it actually look like to live it out? In The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream examines the lives of biblical women to see how God’s plans can turn our worlds upside down.  She tells the story of Jochebed, a mother who took enormous risks to protect her son, Moses, from Pharaoh. Could Jochebed have imagined that God’s actual design for her son involved flight into exile and danger? And yet this was all part of the master plan to deliver Israel from slavery. Another biblical mother, Rebekah, made terrible choices in an attempt to ensure her son’s place in history. And a daughter, Michal, struggled to keep her faithless father, Saul, from sin, while battling pride in herself.  Through these stories, Shannon explains the intimate connection between faith and family—and how God’s unexpected agenda can redefine the way we think about family. Not all of these mothers and daughters in the Bible were paragons of virtue. Like us, they were human beings who faltered and struggled to do their best. While some heard God’s voice, others chose their own paths. Through the lens of their imperfections, we can see how God used their stories to bring about His divine plans. He’s still doing the same work in our lives today.  The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak shows that faith is more often a twisting road than a straight line. Yet, as the stories of biblical families attest, at the end of these journeys lies greater peace and joy than we could ever imagine. (picture and description from Amazon)

I've already started our next book club ~ and it looks amazing!  I can't wait to share it with you!

Keep Reading, even when you are busy!  You need to escape :)

Melissa

All She Left Behind, book #28

 

Moving right along during my Reading Era this summer ...

Already well-versed in the natural healing properties of herbs and oils, Jennie Pickett longs to become a doctor. But the Oregon frontier of the 1870s doesn't approve of such innovations as women attending medical school. To leave grief and guilt behind, as well as support herself and her challenging young son, Jennie cares for an elderly woman using skills she's developed on her own. When her patient dies, Jennie discovers that her heart has become entangled with the woman's widowed husband, a man many years her senior. Their unlikely romance may lead her to her ultimate goal--but the road will be winding and the way forward will not always be clear. Will Jennie find shelter in life's storms? Will she discover where healing truly lives? (Picture and description at Amazon)

I'm really thinking the next one will for sure be a non-fiction.  

Summer is over for me, as the students where I work will be back on Monday.  I've been at work for three weeks, but it always still feels like summer because we wear shorts & messy clothes and doesn't really feel like real work.  (But trust me, it is! 😏)

What are you reading these days?

Melissa

Sunrise Reef (Hope Harbor #11), book 27

 

Sigh, I always love me some Hope Harbor!  Last night as I was going to bed I told Katie I was going to finish this book and I was going to be sad, because I always hate ending these.  I did find out she is writing another one, but it won't come out until next spring!

After years of searching, Bren Ryan has found her place in Hope Harbor. Working as a barista suits her to a T, as does the laid-back vibe of her adopted town. Nothing is lacking in her life--except romance. But that's okay. Men are a complication she doesn't need.  Buttoned-up CPA Noah Ward isn't looking for love, either, when he arrives in town on a mission to convince his father to move closer to him. And he certainly doesn't intend to fall for the quirky, free-spirited woman who's taken up residence in his father's guest cottage. But when he finds himself sucked into her quest to help a struggling teen, might the two of them discover there's more to each other than meets the eye?  (picture and description at Amazon)

This week for Book Club we are making a road trip to Bowling Green to see our friend Marilyn who moved up that way.  We are all very excited!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5), book #26

 

When we decided to read the latest Hope Harbor novel I realized I had never read this one, so I went and remedied that quickly!  It is just amazing that even though I have read these with months in between, I con go right back to Hope or and see all my friends in a minute :)  Oh, if only Hope Harbor was a real place!

After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tearoom--until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn't worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.  Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it's least expected? (picture and description at Amazon)

I'm already half way through the new one, but I don't want it to end!  

Happy Summer Reading!

Melissa

The Last Exchange, book #25

 

Ok, when I first started this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  I mean, I'm always up for a good mystery, but this one had me stumped.  The chapters were all titled either After or Before and it took me nearly 3/4 of the book to figured out what happened to make an After and a Before.  I read it pretty quick, despite the fact that it leaped back and forth in time, mainly because I kept waiting for it to make sense.  But if you stick with it, in the end it all becomes clear.  There weren't too many surprises once you started figuring things out, but it was still a good read in the end.  

When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren't working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.  It didn't take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.  Even after their paths diverged, he continued to track Joe Sue's life. Only a few would notice when the bottom fell out. But he did. And that's when he stepped in. (picture and description at Amazon)

I'm debating picking up a non-fiction for next time, but I'm just not sure yet.  I'm excited about our book for Book Club, but we aren't meeting until later in the month, so I feel like I could for sure squeeze in another book before I read that one.

Happy Reading!

Melissa

The Best Summer of our Lives, book #24

 

This book had been on my Amazon Books list for a while, because who doesn't like a good book by Rachel Hauck?, and my sweet Katie got it for me for my birthday.  I couldn't wait to get into it, and now that it is finally summer I "dove" right in.  10 stars ~ go read it!

Twenty years ago, the summer of '77 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer Wilde's life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow--the Four Seasons--had big plans.  But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, "Nowhere," Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. All four of them arrived with hidden secrets and buried fears, and the events that unfolded in those two months forever altered their friendships, their lives, and their futures.  Now, thirtysomething, Summer is at a crossroads. When her latest girl band leaves her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she never wanted to see again. It's a place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love's voice. (Picture and description at Amazon)

Happy Summer Reading!

Melissa