The Midnight Library, book #30

 

Finally our first book for the FHS Faculty Book Club!  I was a little nervous about reading it, since Katie read it this summer and wasn't all that thrilled about it.  But since the deal with this book club is that I expand my reading horizons, I jumped in.

It was a little odd, but it reminded a bit of one of my favorite show a while ago, Quantum Leap.  I did find the book interesting; it made me wonder if all the times I wish I had of done things differently when I was younger ~ would the result really be better?    Worth reading if you like taking a walk down an odd road ....

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?  Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place. (picture and description from Amazon)

Next up is one of my favorite author's new book ~ I can't wait to dig in!

'You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend' ~ Paul Sweeney

O:)

Melissa

A Wing and A Prayer (The Cousins O'Connor Book 1), book #29

 

Just finished the September book for our Christian Fiction Reading Challenge!  It took a good while to get into it, but once I did it was really good.  It seemed like it took me a while to read it (on my Paperwhite), then when I finished I saw it had 568 pages!  No wonder it took so long!

A street orphan abused and abandoned by an alcoholic father at age five, Gabriella (Gabe) O’Connor has never let a man stand in her way yet. So when a handsome flight officer thwarts her plans to become a WASP— Women Air Force Service Pilot — she’s determined to join the war effort anyway she can. Her chance comes when she “borrows” foreign correspondent credentials from the Boston Herald—where her father is the editor—to stow away on a medical ship to the front.  Lieutenant Alex Kincaid pegs Gabe O’Connor as trouble the moment she steps foot on Avenger Field as a WASP cadet. As the eldest brother of a boy whose jaw Gabe broke in grade school, Alex is familiar with her reputation as both a charismatic ringleader and a headstrong hooligan who’s challenged every male and nun from grade school to college. As her WASP flight instructor, Alex eventually expels Gabe when she pulls a dangerous stunt. But when he is an evacuation pilot in France eight months later, their lives intertwine once again, exposing them to a danger as perilous as the German tanks roaming the Reichswald Forest: a love that neither expects. (picture and desciption at Amazon) 

Our Faculty Book Club is starting back, so my next book is one for that .... 😊

Never quit reading ...

O:)

Melissa

Theo of Golden, book #28

 

I jumped on the Theo of Golden bandwagon and started reading it a while ago.  I have no words. Just go read the book. It is precious, contemplative, and made me wish I had secret millions to help all the people.  

Just go read it ....

One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.  A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unforgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder. (description at Amazon)

I'm serious, go read it.  You can even borrow my copy.

Taking a short break from reading to finish up a cross - stitch project and to let me soul just sit in the wonderousness of Theo ...

O:)

Melissa

A Seaside Wonder (Muir Harbor #2), book #27

 

Such a delightful book!  I was about 20% in when things started rolling around in my mind ~ why did some of this seem familiar?  Was it like a text to text connection from other books I had been reading?  But more and more I realized I *knew* this family, what was it?  That was when I realized this was book #2 in the series and I read the first one here! 

My favorite quote from the book that really hit home:

She’s put her trust in a God who . . . who maybe doesn’t make every crack disappear, but who holds all her broken pieces tenderly. Who heals her simply by being with her. Staying with her.

Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine . . . or his grandfather’s miserable old house. But after his mother’s death, he’s now the guardian of a teenage half sister who doesn’t want anything to do with him. He longs to help her heal, but he’s exhausted and numb, desperate for relief of his own. Maybe that’s why he’s so easily distracted when he happens upon the little shop with an intriguing owner—one who happens to share a name with someone from his grandfather's mysterious past.  More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she’s never recovered from—though she’s certainly tried. She has a full life running her shop and creating the artsy pieces that fill its shelves. If she can just stay busy, she’ll keep her hurt and regret at bay. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Muir Harbor, he brings news that shatters her carefully built walls. Things only get worse when lurking danger comes calling at her childhood home.  The one bright spot amid Indi’s turmoil is the shy stranger who wandered into her shop months ago and his moody but lovable sister. As she confronts her past and the mysterious threat facing her family, she’s intent on helping Philip win over his sister. He just might win over Indi, too, if they can overcome old secrets and wounds, outrun rising peril . . . and take a chance on love. (picture and description at Amazon)

Next up, a book everyone is raving about.  I had been holding out on reading it, but when 2 people in one week were telling me about I decided it was time to jump in!  

Always keep reading!

O:)

Melissa

Sixty Acres and a Bride (Ladies of Caldwell County #1), book #26

 

This book was kinda good, kinda odd, but ok I guess.  Apparently this is the author's debut novel so I'll give her some grace.  At some point I might like to read the others in the series to see if her writing gets any better ...

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to their Texas family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have just three months to pay.  Though facing eviction, Rosa falls in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. They welcome her vivacious spirit and try to help her navigate puzzling American customs. She can't help but stand out, though, and her beauty captures attention. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, Rosa must decide to what lengths she will go to save her future. (picture and description from Amazon)

Not sure what is next, but I hope it will be better ;)

O:)

Melissa

The Targeted (Secrets to Keep #3), book #25

 

Finished up the series ~ sad it ended, but I'm ready to move on.  

Can she protect her gym students before her past catches up?  When Chloe Ainsworth's older sister reappears after fourteen years, she brings with her the news that Chloe's abuser is back in town. Chloe is a coach at her childhood gym and fiercely protective of her young gymnasts. She won't allow them to suffer the way she did, but she's desperate for an ally—one who can help her make her case.  Law student Dare Shepherd works at the local legal clinic, where he meets Chloe and hears her out. He believes her case but can't get the clinic director on board. As he learns more about her story, he finds himself bound by a deepening personal care for Chloe.  They band together in search of answers, and suddenly the stakes skyrocket. It's clear they're onto something, but will they be able to find the answers before it's too later? (picture and description at Amazon)

I'm going to be really sad when this fun is over, I hope they decide to do it again next year!

Now I need to go find some pioneers or something ...

O:)

Melissa

The Accused (Secrets to Keep #2), book #24

 

Yep, you read that right -- book #2.  Let's back up.  As you remember from this last post  I said I was going to skip book #2 (remember, these are not cheap Kindle books) and go straight to book #3.  Well, I did. But as I was reading it, I realized THINGS HAPPENED in book 2 that I felt like I needed to know the back story.  I was about 30% through book 3 and I thought to myself ... Self, are you going to stop where you are and go back and read book 2?  Should I wait until I finish this book before I go back?  Or do I need to stop right now and see what happened, then come back and pick this up?  ... After reading another chapter or two I realized I did indeed need to go back RIGHT NOW and read book 2.  I'm really enjoying the author's writing/story/characters so why not?

So here is where it gets a little weird.  Maybe it's my fault for not reading the summary, but the book was really not about what I thought it was going to be about.  Don't get me wrong, it was still a great book!  It's just that what I thought it was going to be about the THINGS HAPPENED things, was only a very small subplot of the book.  But I'm still glad I read it, because I do love most everything about this series.  

I love how she occassionally throws in big words that I have to look up.  I love the character developement.  I love the plots and how it all comes together.  The only thing I don't like is that this amazing story that you have been so invested in wraps up really fast on the last or next to last page.  There is no Epilogue or breathing room once you see how it all ends up.  But other than that, I highly recommend these books!  

When a popular college student is murdered, her international roommate, Anneliese, becomes a prime suspect. But law professor Margeaux Robbins doesn't believe that the quiet, lonely German girl in her class is the killer.  Chase Crandall is a burned-out defense attorney ready to extricate himself from the grind of criminal law. After he loses a client to tragedy, he's ready for an in-house corporate position.  When Chase is assigned to Anneliese's case, Margeaux is horrified. She doesn’t want him to provide legal counsel—not after what happened to his past client. And not with the evidence incriminating Anneliese.  Despite their mutual misgivings, the lawyer and professor pair up to find the killer and prove Anneliese's innocence. Will they be able to untangle the mystery—and navigate their growing interest in one another—before the wrong person is charged with murder?  (picture and description at Amazon)

Now back to book 3!

Keep reading!

Melissa