Ten Years Taken, book #35

 

This book stumped me.  Let me tell you why.  

I was going to read it after I finished the insane Rachel Price book, but I knew I would need a little break since it looked like they were going to be somewhat similar.

I was the one who chose this book for our regular book club, and I was so excited to read it.  I absolutely LOVE Susannah B. Lewis as a person and her FB posts make me laugh out loud and ponder many things.  I had just had the opportunity to see her (and my other two podcast besties Angela and Fran) at a women's conference back in October.  That was the first time I had met her and she was just as lovely in person as she is on FB.  Real, gritty, hilarious, in love with Jesus and her fam.  I have read another one of her books and thoroughly enjoyed.  

And don't get me wrong, I loved this book too.  It looks like it was written earlier, in fact this may have been one of the first ones she wrote, although Amazon says this is a revised edition, so I'm not sure what was revised.  My challenge was, there was language in here that made me uncomfortable to read.  That made me uncomfortable to think about this being from a Christian author. At this point, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt, in that this was probably written when maybe she didn't have as much Jesus in her.  And we all know, nobody's perfect.  I am *certainly* not throwing the first stone, as I know there are just as many that could be thrown at me.  I was just a little embarrassed that I had raved over Susannah and how amazing she was as a Biblical teacher to my Book Club Buddies, only to then read the book and see the language in it.  

On a rainy September day in 2001, a stranger enters Elle Holley’s car and forces her to drive hours away from her Nashville home. The terrified young mother fears her life will soon end at the hand of her abductor. But Elle learns that her kidnapper, Jonathan Marsh, is a prominent Houston businessman who claims to be saving her from a life of middle-class monotony by taking her home to Texas, marrying her and molding her into the ultimate socialite. With a new identity, Elle is forced to play the role of Jonathan’s loving housewife, and it doesn’t take long for her to discover that her new husband is an incredibly powerful and cunning man. Elle is accepted by high society, and she slowly forms friendships, but soon secrets are uncovered that leave her wondering if her husband is truly the villain. Will Elle Holley ever be reunited with her daughter and with her life of middle-class monotony? (picture and description at Amazon)

But we keep reading anyway ... 

:)

Melissa

Autumn by the Sea, book #34

 

This book has been sitting by my bedside table for a while just waiting for the perfect time to read it, and October was the perfect time!  I have read other book by this author, but it has been a while.  She does get a little detail heavy at times, but the story was great!  I can't wait to read the others in the series -- after I read my Christmas books! :)

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she’s never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who’s searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago.  If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie’s once again caught up in the past, convinced she’s finally found her long-lost granddaughter.  Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there’s something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that’s messier than ever. Together, they’re pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea. (Picture and description at Amazon)

I'm finishing up one book for Book Club, then I will be ready to start reading Christmas books!  I usually read them in November and December because there are so many good ones!

Happy Halloween!

Melissa

The Cumberland Bride, book #33

 

Interesting little book for a break from the craziness of the last one. Pioneers, indians (good and bad), the whole nine yards of goodness! :)  Not sure I would read the rest in the series, except that there are different authors who wrote the different books, so that may tempt me at some time.  But I also have over 400 books on my paperwhite, plus the paperbacks here crying for attention.  

Thomas Bledsoe and Kate Gruener are traveling the Wilderness Road when conflicts between natives and settlers reach a peak that will require each of them to tap into a well of courage.  In 1794, when Kate Gruener's father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas's job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate's inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas's story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster? (picture and description from Amazon)

I have about 3 weeks left before reading Christmas books so I'm trying to decide what book to squeeze in before I start on my book club book.  I got a great new non-fiction book, but I'm not sure I'm feeling that just yet.  

Keep reading!

Melissa

The Reappearnace of Rachel Price, book #32

 

Oh my filpping word!  This is the book we read for FHS Faculty Book club.  At first I was intrigued, then I wasn't sure I was going to like it, then the twists got so twisty I thought I was riding a roller coaster, then I stayed up WAYYY TOOOO LATE reading the last half of the book because I HAD TO FIND OUT WHO THE LIAR WAS!!!!   (hint: they all were)

Needless to say, I highly recommend it.

Eighteen-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.  But the case is dredged up from the past when the Price family agrees to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again. Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And—could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . . From world-renowned author Holly Jackson comes a mind-blowing masterpiece about one girl’s search for the truth, and the terror in finding out who your family really is.  (Picture and description from Amazon)

The next book I was going to read has a similar plot but I feel like a I need to take a break and find a light hearted love story to carry me for a while :)

Keep Reading!

Melissa

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, book #31

 

Absolutely hysterical, lots of science snuck in when you weren't looking, and eye opening all at the same time.  

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.  Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque.  Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem―and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat. (picture and description at Amazon)

Next I'll be working on TWO book club books, as it is finally time for our Franklin High School Faculty Book Club to start up again!

Keep Reading!

Melissa

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