(The post title comes from whether you consider this a 2013 book since I started it in 2013 and 55 makes a nice even number, or a 2014 book since that is when I finished it and 1 is always an exciting beginning number!)
Whew! Finally finished this awesome book. When you have a great combination like PIONEER and CHRISTMAS it is bound to be good! I took I short break to read the Agatha Christie book, but was back on track before long, even if it was after Christmas before I finished.
At first I ate this book up, working through Defending Truth (1781) and The Calling (1820) and A Silent Night (1830) ... then things started getting a little slow around A Pony Express Christmas (1862) and A Christmas Castle (1867). I mean, how many different ways can you say ... lady alone because husband/brother/dad died or left, throw in a child/siblings maybe, cold winter, knight in shining armor comes along to rescue, she doesn't want help, falls in love, they live happily ever after. But by the time I rounded down to Buckskin Bride (1889) and The Gold Rush Christmas (1897) I was again in love with this book.
Journey along with American settlers who learn that despite where the
trail takes them or how primitive their lodgings may be Christmas is all
about the heart. Determined to honor Christ's birth, these pioneers
find a way to make Christmas happen in places like a cave, a tipi, and a
dugout. Modern readers will enjoy a peek into life before commercialism
took over the sacred day, distracting us from the true blessings of
faith, hope, and love. Enjoy nine original novellas of Christmas romance
as penned from many of today's leading Christian authors, including
Lauraine Snelling, Margaret Brownley, Kathleen Fuller, and Vickie
McDonough.
This is not for the faint of heart...it can get long and is best read perhaps over a month, not necessarily one story every day while your family sits waiting for you to finish so you can cook supper, open presents, play a game, ... oh wait, did I just say that out loud? (picture and description from amazon)
O:)
Melissa
Whew. That is about all I have for this one! Rebecca's friend Emily got me hooked on this book and I must say it was quite a change from my usual reading material. First of all, it is not classified as my lovely "Christian fiction." Secondly, it was originally written in 1939, the same year my dad was born. And finally, it was written in good old "English English" with properness all over it.
All in all, it was a really good book. I do love me some mysteries and this one is completely loaded with it. All the way to the end you are wondering "whodunnit??" Even the last sentence "...kicked the chair away" makes you want to scream ..... BUT WAIT....WAIT...WAIT .... like a movie whose ending you are left to figure out for yourself. (I hate those, for the record. I like closure!) Luckily there is an epilogue with the police and examiners, and even they are stumped after going over every shred of evidence ... but then.... well I'm not giving it all away ....
I could not find a good summary on Amazon, but I found this at Wikipedia (no comment....) :
Eight people – Lawrence Wargrave, Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard,
General John Macarthur, Emily Brent, Anthony Marston, Dr Edward
Armstrong and William Blore – are en route to Indian Island, off the
coast of Devon. Each person has an invitation, most in writing, in some
cases seemingly from actual friends or acquaintances, tailored to his or
her personal circumstances, i.e. ranging from offers of employment for
some to an unexpected late summer holiday for others. The island,
although remote, had been the subject of some relatively recent news
gossip, with differing, mostly false, reports about its purchase by a
new owner. After arriving on the island, the guests are informed by the
butler and cook, a married couple, Thomas and Ethel Rogers, that their
hosts, Mr and Mrs Owen (Ulick Norman Owen and Una Nancy Owen) are not
present but will arrive soon, which the guests all find odd. They find a
framed copy of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldiers" ("Niggers" or
"Indians" in respective earlier editions) hanging on the wall.
After the evening meal, guests notice ten soldier figurines on the
dining room table. When a victim dies as described in the rhyme, one
figure will go missing or be found broken into pieces. Each guest was
lured by an individually tailored pretext, none can leave without the
boatman, who has been instructed not to return to the island. As
instructed by Isaac Morris, the servant for "Mr and Mrs Owens", the
manservant Rogers plays a gramophone recording as he had been instructed
to do which accuses each person in the house of having intentionally
caused the death(s) of another (others), but had evaded earthly justice.
I'm ready to go back to my sweet little pioneer Christmas stories now!!
O:)
Melissa
When choosing a book for Book Club this month I was in a bit of a dilemma. Our lovely Books-a-Million where we hang out had a very pitiful collection of Christmas books. Lifeway, on the other hand, had tons, but I wasn't sure if my friends had read any of them or not. So, before our November meeting I searched our stacks for what we had on hand. I found this little gem, which was a nice break from action/mystery and Christian love twists. Ends up, of course, that this is a series book and this one is #6. And there are 14. However, since I still have the stack beside my bed, I'm pretty sure these series is going to have to go on hold for now.
As the spirit of the season spreads through the seaside hamlet of Cape
Light, town mayor Emily receives an unexpected and precious Christmas
gift: a baby girl tucked away in a decorative cradle set up outside the
church, with a note begging whoever discovers the child to take care of
her. Now, in the midst of the year's most joyous season, Emily must come
to terms with her duty to her family, her own feelings of regret and
loss-and what her heart truly desires. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
This is another book from my nightstand. At first it started out a little odd, but probably because I have not had someone really close to me die before. It's so hard for me to relate to stories that involve death like that. (Not that I'm complaining ...) But in the end I stuck with it and this really turned out good. It won't be on my list of favorites (I do have one for anyone interested) but it is now off my nightstand and moved to the church library.
Angels eagerly watch over Ann Fletcher's every move. She just doesn't know it yet.
Ann
Fletcher has returned to Charleston to see her younger sister Sarah
receive her master's degree. But she soon finds herself riding in the
back of an ambulance, watching helplessly as Sarah fights for her life.
As they race to the hospital, Sarah talks to someone who is not
there...and hums a melody Ann has never heard before.
That
unfamiliar, unearthly beautiful melody keeps finding Ann--first in the
hospital chapel, then in her dreams, and finally in Sarah's empty house.
Two
neighbors have a profound effect on Ann. Ethan McKinney lends her a
shoulder to lean on. And as a carpenter, he volunteers to help Ann get
the Fletcher family home into shape for selling. His strong presence is a
pleasing distraction. Ann's twelve-year-old neighbor, Keith, has Down
Syndrome and the guile to believe he can actually see and hear angels.
In fact, he insists they are looking out for her in ways she's never
imagined.
God begins to reveal himself to Ann--both in her
newfound friends and through supernatural events. As she discovers the
very real presence of angels around her, will she finally open her heart
to receive God's healing love? (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
Hooray! Another book from my night stand read!! And it was a good one, once again. I do love Wanda Brunstetter books, although I don't think I could read them all the time. She writes great little stories, but they aren't very deep and sometimes there is a little bit too much obvious detail in them that doesn't really need to be said.
That said, it was fun to visit again with Emma and Lamar and their latest batch of students. Nearly every student had a connection with students from the first class, but it was fun to reconnect with them. As is typical, there was some drama, some frustration, but it all worked out in the end. If you like fairly quick easy reads and are not worn out from Amish Christian books, you'll enjoy this one!
Amish widow-turned-newlywed Emma Yoder Miller begins another class in
quilting with a new patchwork group of students, all with tattered
pieces of their lives that need mending. Selma the busybody; Terry the
rugged roofer; Blaine who s only there because he lost a bet; Anna whose
mother signed her up; Carmen who s hiding secret motives for (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
I made it to book #50!!!! I think I started some time in November, but this may be my limit per year. Of course, I know all of my faithful fans would be so sad if I quit updating, so just for all three of you I will!! (hehehe!)
Livvie's Song was so-so to me. I read it in just a few days since Book Club was coming up so I may not have had time to fully digest it, but it wasn't anything to jump up and down about. It did have a pretty dramatic near ending that kept my pulse pretty high for a while, but other than that it was pretty drab. Looking forward to some Christmas books for a while now ...
Life is far from a breeze for Olivia Beckman, owner of Livvie's Kitchen,
a favorite of locals in Wabash, Indiana. The widowed mother of two is
struggling to make ends meet-no simple feat, especially when her cook
turns in his resignation. Yet she's determined to pull through on her
own, just as she did when God failed to save her beloved Frank. Newly
released from a ten-year prison sentence, Will Taylor is ready for a
fresh start. With harmonica in hand-the only possession he values, aside
from his Bible-he makes his way to Wabash, where a late-night meal at
Livvie's Kitchen turns into a job opportunity when the outgoing cook
learns about his restaurant experience. What he doesn't know is that the
"restaurant" was a prison cafeteria. But Will became a new man behind
bars, thanks to a Christian friend, and he credits God's providence with
landing him a job he loves. Soon, he cooks and bakes his way into the
stomachs of his customers-and the heart of his employer. Both are
hesitant, though, still healing from past hurts. A recipe for love
between them will require sharing secrets, braving dangers, and
believing God for a bright future. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
Well for all you folksies who fuss at me because I am so old fashioned and want *a book* to read, you'll be happy to know that I read this entire book on Kindle. And by Kindle I mean the Kindle App on my phone, so it was quite interesting.
This latest book by yet another one of my fav authors (Chris Fabry) was on sale on download for only $1.99 so I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. Having just recently been to Roger's grandmother's 99th birthday party at the assisted living place she lives, the plight of the elderly was fresh in my mind. I have at times had a tender spot in my heart for them, and after reading this book it made me want to perhaps follow wherever it may lead.
It also brought to mind my dear friend Shelley. She was the same age as me and as a child was exposed to some sort of spillage in a river or something that later in life manifested itself in cancer and took her from this life too early. This stuff really happens these days, people. It's not just in the movies.
Read for yourself (paper or electronic!) and soak in a very thoughtful story.
Treha Langsam is a mysterious young woman who has fallen through the
cracks, much like many of the elderly people she works with at Desert
Gardens Retirement Home. But Miriam Howard, director of the facility,
sees her extraordinary gift and untapped potential. Treha is a whisperer
of sorts, calling those who have slipped into dementia back to a life
of vibrant, if only temporary, clarity.
When Treha’s and Miriam’s
stories intertwine with a documentary team looking for stories of the
elderly, Treha’s gift is uncovered, and the search begins for answers to
the mysteries of her past. As their paths converge, each person is
forced to face the same difficult question: What if this is as good as my life gets?
An uplifting, human tale of an ordinary woman with an extraordinary gift. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
