In These Hills, book #31

 

I was only partially excited to read this new book by my favorite hometown author.  I mean, I was excited to read it because Tamara wrote it, but I didn't think I would like the subject too much.  You know I have a rant about alcohol in Christian Fiction, and the suffrage movement was not one I was overly interested in.  But I love Tamara, so I got into it.

I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it!  I learned A LOT about the suffragists.  I will never take my right to vote lightly any more.  What women went through just over 100 years ago was insane, and now we can't even get 10% of people to vote?!?  It's just crazy.  

While I am still not a fan of alcohol in Christian Fiction, I will confess that she did an interesting job showing how it is not only about making whiskey, but about supplying jobs and other things for the people of the town.  Anyway, I was glad it had a bigger picture view.

The almost end is a shocker, but I love how it turned out!  I should have known I would not be disappointed!

1905. Josephine Dunham is running for her life. After a women's suffrage rally in Atlanta turns deadly, she buys a one-way ticket on the first train out and lands in rural Tennessee. There, Dodge Coburn—a rough-edged stranger with undeniable appeal—begrudgingly offers her a ride to Lynchburg, a speck of a town where Josephine hopes to disappear.  Battered and desperate, Josephine has little to say when Dodge delivers her to Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House. Hoping to work in exchange for room and board, she soon discovers the only job matching her skills is at Jack Daniel's Distillery, an irony not lost on a suffragist committed to prohibition.  Dodge is skeptical of Josephine's claim that she's on the run from an abusive husband. But between running Jack Daniel's cattle farm and raising his young niece, he has little time or inclination to press her . . . at first. But when Josephine's convictions and compassion draw him in, Dodge begins to reconsider the life he's chasing, while Josephine must face a world far more complicated than the principles she's held to.  As Jack Daniel's Distillery gains national recognition, Josephine's secrets resurface. In a place where whiskey making takes time but justice is too often hurried, Dodge and Josephine must decide what—and who—they are willing to risk everything for, and whether faith will hold when the cost is high and time is running out. (picture and description at Amazon)

We are doing an American 250 Reading Challenge at school, so next up is an book about indigenous people [aka indians ;)] which I just started today.  

(Tamara and I at her recent book signing!)

'Who, Me? A Book Hoarder? I'm just well-prepared for the next 25 years!'

O:)

Melissa

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