A side of hope, book #78

While debating whether to start that thick Book Club book or read something else before I start, I remembered I had not read this short novella yet.  It was the perfect thing to pick up after this nutty week of thought provoking movies.  (Age of Adeline, Selma, Still Alice and Interstellar)  

Two years ago in February 2013 we read Krista's first book in the series, Sandwich, with a Side of Romance. The fun continued last fall when we read A Side of Faith.  In October, after reading this book, she came to our Book Club since she is a local author.  It is always a treat to meet the authors, and especially when we find out she is a mom just like us in the throws of everyday crazy life but also an author who has contacts with other famous authors.  She gave us some insight in to the world of Christian Fiction writing and shared a lot about the process, about book contracts, about self publishing, about many things we had no idea!!  It was so interesting to learn some "behind the stage" stuff from these books we just pick up.  

This books ties into the others in that it is the same group of friends, just each books tells one person's story and then another book moves on to another person's story. As with all her books, I loved this one and the way that it IS worth it to hold on to hope, even when you don't realize you are.  


Tilly Davis is meeting her forties head on. Happy and healthy, she doesn't need a man to complete her. But as she blows out her candles, she makes a halfhearted wish for maybe just a little excitement to spice up her life. God must have misunderstood her wish, though, because moments later, He brings her the one person she never wants to see again. Her husband. (picture and description from amazon.)

Now to decide if I have time to read another book or just start in on Tiffany Girl.

Happy Reading!

O:)
Melissa

Lip reading, book #78

So, I decided to go with a medical mystery.  Usually I thoroughly enjoy the books written by Harry Kraus, but this one was not one of my favorites.  For those not familiar with Harry Kraus, his main genre is medical mystery and always includes a tie in to Africa, Virginia, and the medical world.  Why?  Well, because that is what he knows!  He is a doctor who lives in Virginia and travels often to Africa to do mission work.  The other book I read by him is here.

This one, however, was a little too medical for me.  In his other books you could still understand the story without having a medical degree.  I could still get the main gist of the story but if it had of been a little lighter on the medical jargon that would have made me happy too.

She Could Save Millions, or Save Herself

She just needs a little longer. She’s really close. Dr. Rebecca Jackson, a medical researcher, stands on the verge of a breakthrough that will transform medicine. But she soon discovers the reason behind the miraculous progress in her research, and it leaves her with a nearly impossible choice . . . and little time to decide. More than her research is at stake. And more threatens it than this latest revelation. Something she’s tried hard to cover up. There is a high cost to some things in medicine and it’s not always the patient who pays. Can Rebecca find the faith and wisdom she needs to make the right call? The clock is ticking and the pressure is on.  (picture and description at amazon)

Happy Reading!!

O:)
Melissa

 

How to catch a prince, book #77

Ahh, another sweet Rachel Hauck story with our dear friends in Brighton, a mysterious pretend country that sounds  a lot like England.  In the other books in this series, Once Upon a Prince and Princess Ever After, we met the royals of Brighton and their sister island, Hessenberg.  This book just continues, and I think, rounds out her Royal Wedding series. As with all her books, I highly recommend it!!


An American heiress and a crown prince seem destined to be together. Will the devastation of war keep them apart forever?  American heiress Corina Del Rey caught her prince once. But the tragedy of war kept her too long in a fog of grief. Now she’s shifting her life forward, reigniting her career as a journalist. Still, nothing can relieve her of the secret and the love she carries in her soul. Prince Stephen of Brighton is one of the world’s most eligible bachelors and a star rugby player, trying to make sense of his life. His days in Afghanistan with the Royal Air Command will mark him forever. And he can’t shake their dark shadow. But when his brother, King Nathaniel, confronts him with a document the prince thought long buried and forgotten, Stephen is forced to face the pain of his past and the love he left behind. With a little heavenly help, Prince Stephen and Corina embark on a journey of truth. But when the secrets are revealed, can they overcome, move forward, and find love again? (picture and description at amazon.)

Next up? I have no idea!!  But I'm thinking its going be a mystery!

Keep Reading! 

O:)
Melissa

The honorable imposter, book #76

If you will remember, back in January I had this dilemma.  After a few ups and downs and, oh, READING THE BIBLE THROUGH IN 90 DAYS, I got a little off track.  Well, I did read this book from one stack but I haven't had the time to officially start on the rounds.  So, we start again.  (Isn't that how life is?)

This book is from the big stack that follows a family through multiple centuries here in America.  I was quite anxious to read them -- and I still am -- I just realized it is going to take a long time to do so, unless for some reason I get bed-ridden.  

I really did like this book, but on several occasions I was wishing I was reading it on my Paperwhite instead, because it used a LOT of big words.  Most of them were related to the Mayflower boat itself, however Mr. Morris is a very descriptive historical writer and many of the references to clothing, fencing techniques, the homes, etc were words I were not familiar with.  I tried to use context clues as much as possible, but some stuff I just never figured out.  (Like the poop deck people kept going to all the time!)  

So this book starts us out in the early 1600s in England.  The story itself is almost too complicated to explain, I think the description covers it best.  But the story follows the Pilgrims and their move to America via Holland.  It is really an interesting story and he does not gloss over any of the challenges they had.  When the poor folks finally showed up in New England in November, half already dead and half starved, it was a bad bad situation.  But the faith they had and the faith they clung to just put me on my knees.  Most church goers today have no where near the faith these people had to believe that God was on their side despite every thing that happened around them. 

If you are up for the challenge I encourage you to read this!

They had faith, a vision, a dream of freedom that both enthralled and frightened him.  Could he trust them with his future?  Forced by his family to become a minister in the Church of England, Gilbert Winslow is offered a dangerous and challenging task by one of the most powerful nobles in Britain.  Taking the post offers fortune and escape from a life he despises, but Winslow discovers it also means becoming a spy.  His mission is to infiltrate a group of religious separatists and to ferret out the whereabouts of their leader, who is accused of dissension against the King.  In spite of his initial uneasiness, infiltration proves to be an easy matter.  But will the ultimate betrayal be so simple?  With the influences of good and evil, faith and doubt, compassion and selfishness pulling him apart, to whom could he turn? (picture from amazon.)

Happy Reading!

O:)
Melissa