The Harvest of Grace

The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall is the third book in the Ada's House series. Sylvia fled her family farm after she nearly betrayed her sister, Beckie, to work on a farm in a new town. The Blank's farm seems to be her chance to start over. But when their son, Aaron, returns home from a stint in rehab, all her dreams are again in turmoil. Aaron has always just wanted to please his parents, a job that often seemed impossible so he turned to alcohol to escape the feelings of helplessness. Now he's returned home determined to get them out from under a failing farm and finally earn their respect. Sylvia and Aaron have opposite dreams, but their feelings for each other quickly complicate the situation further. Meanwhile, Cara is still trying to learn how to speak the Amish language so she can finally marry Ephraim, Lena and Grey continue to keep their romance under wraps, and Ada and Israel creep toward acknowledging their growing affection. Woodsmall is one of my favorite writers of Amish or bonnet lit. She does a wonderful job of introducing new characters while keeping old characters moving forward in their relationships. She has populated this series with a group of characters that readers will fall in love with. The epilogue gives the impression that Woodsmall has finished the series, but I hope she will reconsider and continue sharing the stories of Ada's House.



Thank you for WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book for review!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday (I won't give away the number). I love you Dad! This is one of my all time favorite pictures of the two of us.

The Ice Princess

The Ice Princess by Camila Lackberg is the first book in her Patrik Hedstrom series capitalizing on the popularity of Scandinavian noir. Erica Falck has returned to her hometown of Fjallbacka, Sweden to deal with the estate of her parents, leaving behind an unsuccessful career and unfulfilled dreams in the big city. Shortly after her return, she discovers the body of her childhood best friend, Alex, frozen in the bathtub, apparently dead by suicide. The two women hadn't spoken in years, but Erica is still driven to discover, at first, why Alex, who seemed to have a perfect life, would kill herself, and later to find the identity of Alex's murderer. Sparks fly between Erica and police detective Patrik, and the two bond over the investigation. The case brings up long buried secrets of the community, including secrets about Erica's own childhood. Lackberg's writing pulls the reader into the story through detailed scenes and creating great tension. She leaves the impression that everyone in this small town is hiding secrets, making Sweden seem very dark and mysterious, the perfect home for noir. The story was compelling and will keep readers guessing. Patrik is a strong lead for future books in the series, and I look forward to reading them!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book for review!

The Hardest Thing to Do Review

On Wednesday I posted about the book I'm reviewing below. Make sure to check it out for info about the author and the opportunity to read the first chapter. Go here.

The Hardest Thing to Do by Penelope Wilcock is the long awaited follow up to the Hawk and the Dove trilogy. This book is nearly impossible to classify in a genre. It's not a true mystery, certainly not a romance, and it's not a thriller. Yet this novel is a read with tremendous power. Brother John is becoming Father John and taking over for the beloved Father Peregrine as abbot of St Alcuin's monastery. He is nervous about the new responsibilities, but his burden becomes much heavier when an old enemy, Father William, seeks refuge after his monastery was burned by vengeful villagers in retaliation for the monks ruthless power and money-seeking. Brother Thomas has reason to hate William and stirs up the feelings of the other brothers against the man, until a shocking act changes everything. Wilcock's writing is never sensational or over-the-top. This is a story about men who call themselves Christians trying to deal with the hardest thing Christ asks us to do: forgive and show mercy. How that decision weighs on the various men at St Alcuin's is as the heart of this story, and how they will be changed by their choices. The story has much to say to us today and raises questions that are still not easily answered. I hadn't read the Hawk and the Dove trilogy prior to this, but I will certainly seek them out after reading this thought-provoking story.

The Hardest Thing

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Hardest Thing Crossway Books (July 31, 2011) by Penelope Wilcock



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PENELOPE WILCOCK is a full-time author living in Hastings, Sussex, on the southeast coast of England. Her blog, Kindred of the Quiet Way, is about a simple and spiritual Christian lifestyle. Her other books in The Hawk and the Dove series are The Hawk and the Dove, The Wounds of God, and The Long Fall.









ABOUT THE BOOK

This latest in Wilcock’s The Hawk and the Dove series takes readers into the world of a fourteenth-century monastery struggling to forgive an old enemy seeking refuge.



The first of three sequels to the celebrated The Hawk and the Dove trilogy takes place one year after the end of the third book, in the early fourteenth century. A peaceful monastery is enjoying its new abbot, who is taking the place of Father Peregrine, when an old enemy arrives seeking refuge. Reluctantly taking in Prior William, the upended community must address old fears and bitterness while warily seeking reconciliation. But can they really trust Prior William?



In her fourth book in the series, Penelope Wilcock wrestles with the difficulties of forgiveness and the cautions of building trust. Taking the form of journal entries, her story will delight the imaginations of readers captivated by a time and place far distant from our current world. Her timeless themes, however, will challenge our prejudices today as we, along with her characters, are forced to ask ourselves, “What is the hardest thing to do?”



If you would like to read the first chapter of The Hardest Thing, go HERE.

I haven't quite finished this book yet, but I will post my review as soon as I do. I'm loving it!

Running with Elijah

I've often read the story of Elijah fleeing Queen Jezebel to the desert until God spoke to him in the "still, small voice" and restored his confidence. And each time I read it, I wondered, along with everyone else, how Elijah could go from the high of killing 400 priests of Baal to fleeing for his life. How does a man, especially a prophet, go from the pinnacle of his career to the deepest valley so quickly?

Ahab was the king of Israel, and he married Jezebel, a woman so bad that her name has become synonymous with evil. The pair had turned the country to worshiping Baal and Ashtoreth and other gods, breaking the first two of the Ten Commandments. Elijah devised a test for the gods to prove once and for all to Israel which god was worthy of following. He went to the top of a mountain with the 400 priests of Baal in the view of the entire country. He gave instructions to the priests to sacrifice a bull, put it on an altar, and then pray for Baal to send fire down from the heavens to consume the sacrifice. The priests followed his instructions and then began praying loudly, calling for Baal to hear them. After some time of no response, Elijah taunted the priests asking them in perhaps Baal was "relieving" himself and was too busy to answer their prayers. The priests began cutting themselves, sending the blood gushing out in the attempt to get an answer.

When it became obvious that Baal would not be accepting his sacrifice any time soon, Elijah sacrificed his bull and built an altar from twelve stones, referencing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then Elijah decided to really prove God's might. He had the people fill big jugs of water three times and pour the water all over the sacrifice and altar. He even dug a moat around the altar and there was so much water, it filled the moat. Then Elijah called to God asking Him to show all of Israel His might and to demonstrate that all of the day's events were His will. Fire came down so fast and hot from the sky that it burned up the sacrifice, altar, and even licked up the water in the moat! The Israelites hit their knees acknowledging God, and Elijah took the opportunity to kill the 400 priests of Baal.

You'd think that after this Elijah would be on an incredible high. Yes, I know that God was working through him and that Elijah wasn't responsible for the fire or victory, but still! But when Ahab brought word back to Jezebel of the death of her priests, she sent word to Elijah that she was coming for him. And Elight ran! The Bible says that he ran for his life! Elijah had just brought down 400 priests, yet he was afraid of one woman.

I've never understood just why Elijah ran, but last night while I was reading my Bible, I read something that turned it all around for me. I could practically hear the lightbulb clicking on over my head. The commentary suggested that perhaps the reason Elijah fell so hard was because he had expectations of his own for the encounter with the priests. Perhaps he thought that the demonstration would make the whole country turn their back on the false gods and return to the Lord. Perhaps he even thought that Ahab and Jezebel would repent and lead their country in worshiping God. Neither of these things happened and rather than focus on the good that God was able to accomplish through him.

This understanding hit me with a ton of bricks, because while I didn't understand running from personal success, I completely understand running from perceived personal failure. I have two major instances of this in my life in the last ten years. I was working hard on writing my first novel. The chapters were pouring out of me, and I had several people who were reading them as fast as I could produce them. Some of these were people that would tell me I had written a Pulitzer winning novel if I had typed up the phone book, but others were people whose opinion I can trust and are honest, even when it hurts. I typed up about 275 pages, and as I came close to finishing it, I started sending out queries to agents. No one was interested. Not even enough to request a few sample chapters. I felt like such a failure that I stopped writing the book. I haven't touched it in six years. Six years! Because I didn't trust God enough to take me through the next step. Because I felt rejected and the book a failure.

I am just like Elijah. I ignored the 275 previous pages that God had supplied me with, and focused only on what I saw as failure. I did this again in teaching Sunday School. I was teaching the high school class at my childhood church, and I loved the kids. I enjoyed the teaching. I had big plans for what I wanted to do with them. I felt like this was truly using my God-given gifts. But I started having problems with some of the parents. I felt attacked and (here's that word again) rejected. After months of attacks, I gave up. Jesse and I left that church, and I left behind the kids I loved so very much. Again, I ignored the successes God had given me with these kids, and I had seen major changes in some of them, and focused only on the attacks from the parents.

In both cases, what I viewed as personal failure quickly became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I did fail. I took my eyes off of God and what He wanted and made my own version of success, and when I didn't achieve that, I gave up. Just like Elijah. This three thousand year old story has immediate personal impact on my life today; I love that. Last night after God opened my eyes to this, I asked Him for forgiveness. I realize now that I messed up big time, and now I have no idea where to go from here. I'm praying that God will soon appear in that still, small voice for me and give me a clue as to what to do next.

Today's pictures are from our camping trip last month. Mia and Jesse on the paddle boat, and Mia feedling the hippo, Wallace.

Restless in Carolina

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Tamara Leigh

and the book:

Restless in Carolina

Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)

***Special thanks to Ashley Boyer, Publicist, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamara Leigh began her writing career in 1994 and is the best-selling author of fourteen novels, including Splitting Harriet (ACFW Book of the Year winner and RITA Award finalist), Faking Grace (RITA Award Finalist), and Leaving Carolina. A former speech and language pathologist, Tamara enjoys time with her family, faux painting, and reading. She lives with her husband and sons in Tennessee.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Tree-huggin’, animal-lovin’ Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan is on a mission. Well, two. First she has to come to terms with being a widow at thirty-three. After all, it’s been four years and even her five-year-old niece and nephew think it’s time she shed her widow’s weeds. Second, she needs to find a buyer for her family’s estate—a Biltmore-inspired mansion surrounded by hundreds of acres of unspoiled forestland. With family obligations forcing the sale, Bridget is determined to find an eco-friendly developer to buy the land, someone who won’t turn it into single-family homes or a cheesy theme park.

Enter J. C. Dirk, a high-energy developer from Atlanta whose green property developments have earned him national acclaim. When he doesn’t return her calls, Bridget decides a personal visit is in order. Unfortunately, J. C. Dirk is neither amused nor interested when she interrupts his meeting—until she mentions her family name. In short order, he finds himself in North Carolina, and Bridget has her white knight—in more ways than one. But there are things Bridget doesn’t know about J. C., and it could mean the end of everything she’s worked for…and break her heart.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601421680
ISBN-13: 978-1601421685

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Deep breath. “…and they lived…”

I can do this. It’s not as if I didn’t sense it coming. After all, I can smell an H.E.A. (Happily Ever After) a mile away—or, in this case, twenty-four pages glued between cardboard covers that feature the requisite princess surrounded by cute woodland creatures. And there are the words, right where I knew the cliché of an author would slap them, on the last page in the same font as those preceding them. Deceptively nondescript. Recklessly hopeful. Heartbreakingly false.

“Aunt Bridge,” Birdie chirps, “finish it.”

I look up from the once-upon-a-time crisp page that has been softened, creased, and stained by the obsessive readings in which hermother indulges her.

Eyes wide, cheeks flushed, my niece nods. “Say the magic words.” Magic?

More nodding, and is she quivering? Oh no, I refuse to be a party to this. I smile big, say, “The end,” and close the book. “So, how about another piece of weddin’ cake?”

“No!” She jumps off the footstool she earlier dubbed her “princess throne,” snatches the book from my hand, and opens it to the back. “Wight here!”

I almost correct her initial r-turned-w but according tomy sister, it’s developmental and the sound is coming in fine on its own, just as her other r’s did.

Birdie jabs the H, E, and A. “It’s not the end until you say the magic words.”

And I thought this the lesser of two evils—entertaining my niece and nephew as opposed to standing around at the reception as the bride and groom are toasted by all the happy couples, among them, cousin Piper, soon to be wed to my friend Axel, and cousin Maggie, maybe soon to be engaged to her sculptor man, what’s-his-name.

“Yeah,” Birdie’s twin,Miles, calls from where he’s once more hanging upside down on the rolling ladder I’ve pulled him off twice. “You gotta say the magic words.”

Outrageous! Even my dirt-between-the-toes, scab-ridden, snot-on-the-sleeve nephew is buying into the fantasy.

I spring from the armchair, cross the library, and unhook his ankles from the rung. “You keep doin’ that and you’ll bust your head wide open.” I set him on his feet. “And your mama will—

”No, Bonnie won’t.

“Well, she’ll be tempted to give you a whoopin’.”

Face bright with upside-down color, he glowers.

I’d glower back if I weren’t so grateful for the distraction he provided. “All right, then.” I slap at the ridiculously stiff skirt of the dress Maggie loaned me for my brother’s wedding. “Let’s rejoin the party—”

“You don’t wanna say it.”Miles sets his little legs wide apart. “Do ya?” So much for my distraction.

“You don’t like Birdie’s stories ’cause they have happy endings. And you don’t.”

I clench my toes in the painfully snug high heels on loan from Piper.

“Yep.”Miles punches his fists to his hips. “Even Mama says so.”

My own sister? I shake my head, causing the blond dreads Maggie pulled away from my face with a headband to sweep my back. “That’s not true.”

“Then say it wight now!” Birdie demands.

I peer over my shoulder at where she stands like an angry tin soldier, an arm outthrust, the book extended.

“Admit it,”Miles singsongs.

I snap around and catch my breath at the superior, knowing look on his five-year-old face. He’s his father’s son, all right, a miniature Professor Claude de Feuilles, child development expert.

“You’re not happy.” The professor in training, who looks anything but with his spiked hair, nods.

I know better than to bristle with two cranky, nap-deprived children, but that’s what I’m doing. Feeling as if I’m watching myself from the other side of the room, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’ll admit no such thing.”

“That’s ’cause you’re afraid. Mama said so.” Miles peers past me.

“Didn’t she, Birdie?”

Why is Bonnie discussing my personal life with her barely-out-of-diapers kids?

“Uh-huh. She said so.”

Miles’s smile is smug. “On the drive here, Mama told Daddy this day would be hard on you. That you wouldn’t be happy for Uncle Bart ’cause you’re not happy.”

Not true! Not that I’m thrilled with our brother’s choice of bride, but…come on! Trinity Templeton? Nice enough, but she isn’t operating on a full charge, which wouldn’t be so bad if Bart made up for the difference. Far from it, his past history with illegal stimulants having stripped him of a few billion brain cells.

“She said your heart is”—Miles scrunches his nose, as if assailed by a terrible odor—“constipated.”

What?!

“That you need an M&M, and I don’t think she meant the chocolate kind you eat. Probably one of those—”

“I am not constipated.” Pull back. Nice and easy. I try to heed my inner voice but find myself leaning down and saying, “I’m realistic.”

Birdie stomps the hardwood floor. “Say the magic words!”

“Nope.”Miles shakes his head. “Constipated.”

I shift my cramped jaw. “Re-al-is-tic.”

“Con-sti-pa-ted.”

Pull back, I tell you! He’s five years old. “Just because I don’t believe in fooling a naive little girl into thinkin’ a prince is waiting for her at the other end of childhood and will save her from a fate worse than death and take her to his castle and they’ll live…” I flap a hand. “…you know, doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me.”

Isn’t there? “It means I know better. There may be a prince, and he may have a castle, and they may be happy, but don’t count on it lasting. Oh no. He’ll get bored or caught up in work or start cheatin’—you know, decide to put that glass slipper on some other damsel’s foot or kiss another sleeping beauty—or he’ll just up and die like Easton—” No,
nothing at all wrong with you, Bridget Pickwick Buchanan, whose ugly widow’s weeds are showing.

“See!”Miles wags a finger.

Unfortunately, I do. And as I straighten, I hear sniffles.

“Now you done it!” Miles hustles past me. “Got Birdie upset.”

Sure enough, she’s staring at me with flooded eyes. “The prince dies? He dies and leaves the princess all alone?”The book falls from her hand, its meeting with the floor echoing around the library. Then she squeaks out a sob.

“No!” I spring forward, grimacing at the raspy sound the skirt makes as I attempt to reach Birdie before Miles.

He gets there first and puts an arm around her. A meltable moment, my mother would call it. After she gave me a dressing down. And I deserve one. My niece may be on the spoiled side and she may work my nerves, but I love her—even like her when that sweet streak of hers comes through. “It’s okay, Birdie,” Miles soothes. “The prince doesn’t die.”

Yes, he does, but what possessed me to say so? And what if I’ve scarred her for life?

Miles pats her head onto his shoulder. “Aunt Bridge is just”—he gives me the evil eye—“constipated.”

“Yes, Birdie.” I drop to my knees. “I am. My heart, that is. Constipated. I’m so sorry.”

She turns her head and, upper lip shiny with the stuff running out of her nose, says in a hiccupy voice, “The prince doesn’t die?” I grab the book from the floor and turn to the back. “Look. There they are, riding off into the sunset—er, to his castle. Happy. See, it says so.” I tap the H, E, and A.

She sniffs hard, causing that stuff to whoosh up her nose and my gag reflex to go on alert. “Weally happy, Aunt Bridge?”

“Yes.”

“Nope.” Barely-there eyebrows bunching, she lifts her head from Miles’s shoulder. “Not unless you say it.”

Oh dear Go—No, He and I are not talking. Well, He may be talking, but I’m not listening.

“I think you’d better.” Miles punctuates his advice with a sharp nod.

“Okay.” I look down at the page. “…and they lived…” It’s just a fairy tale—highly inflated, overstated fiction for tykes. “…they lived happily…ever…after.”

Birdie blinks in slow motion. “Happily…ever…after. That’s a nice way to say it, like you wanna hold on to it for always.”

Or unstick it from the roof of your mouth. “The end.” I close the book, and it’s all I can do not to toss it over my shoulder. “Here you go.”

She clasps it to her chest. “Happily…ever…after.”

Peachy. But I’ll take her dreamy murmuring over tears any day. Goodness, I can’t believe I made her cry. I stand and pat the skirt back down into its stand-alone shape. “More cake?”

“Yay!” Miles charges past me.

Next time— No, there won’t be a next time. I’m done with Little Golden Books.

Excerpted from Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh Copyright © 2011 by Tamara Leigh. Excerpted by permission of Multnomah Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh is the third book in the Southern Discomfort series about the eccentric Pickwick family of North Carolina. This volume follows family rebel and tree-hugger Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan who is still grieving for her late husband Easton who passed away four years ago. She still wears her wedding ring, won't sleep in their bed, wears dreadlocks in honor of his, and refuses to talk to the God who allowed her beloved to die. Her Uncle Obe is determined to sell the family estate, a beautiful old mansion surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped land, and Bridget wants to ensure that whoever purchases it will use it in the best way for the environment. She crashes the office of J.C. Dirk, a developed well-known for his environmental care, who refused to take her calls or set up a meeting. Sparks quickly fly between the two, but Bridget's family, the skeletons in the closet as well as the manipulations of her father, throw roadblocks between them. Bridget needs to leave her grieving behind and come to terms with God before she can find happiness in her life again. Leigh is a terrific chick lit writer, and this series is almost overflowing with quirky characters. Readers should pick up the first two books in the series to keep the large family straight and understand the tension between Piper and Bridget. Leigh's writing is always fresh and a joy to read. I hope she keeps up with the Pickwicks for a long time!

An Accidental Mother

While we were camping last week, we were hit with a huge thunderstorm. It was an incredibly scary afternoon. We had rain every single day we were there, so we had developed a routine for during storms. I took the dogs into the tent with me and read a book, sometimes with Mia or Jesse, while everyone else gathered in the camper.   I didn't think the dogs would be comfortable or good in the camper, and I certainly don't mind listening to the rain while reading a good book. I've always loved the rain, so it's an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I planned for something similar last Saturday afternoon, putting my book and a soda in the tent in anticipation of my time there, tipping over the chairs so the rain doesn't pool in the seats, cleaning up anything that could blow away or be damaged by rain, etc.

The afternoon was very calm until the wind came up very suddenly. Jesse, who as at the beach with Mia, said it was like being sandblasted. I took off for the tent with the dogs, only when I got there, I only had Cooper. I got him inside and ran back out calling and looking for Charlie. I finally found him in the camper! When the door opened, he was the first one inside, despite his previous fear of it! He knew where it was safe. I got Charlie in the tent, and Doogie joined us there. We quickly closed up the windows, only to discover that the wind was so strong, it blew one side of tent walls into a reverse C shape. Doogie and I tried to push back to support the walls, but the wind was so strong, it knocked me on my butt! And then it tore out the back corner of the tent.

I made the decision to evacuate us all to the camper. Doogie grabbed Charlie, and I grabbed Cooper. When we got outside, I found that Jesse was there and looking at the damaged tent. I got the dogs in the camper and ran back out looking for Mia. She was hysterical, covered in blue Superman ice cream, and soaking wet in her swimsuit. I got her into the camper, and then ran back to the tent to get her dry clothes and her special blanket. I know it was crazy to run out in this storm, but I wanted to help Mia calm down and feel safe, and if she was stuck in wet clothes, that wasn't going to happen.

We spent the next hour or so peeking out the windows of the camper at the torrential rain and violent winds while roasting in the heat. We came out to discover that our tent was fixable for the last night's sleeping, but we had to throw it away the next day. There were branches everywhere. We even came home to discover that one of the trees in our yard lost the top twenty feet! It was quite a storm, and I'm thankful we came through it fairly unscathed and with several humorous stories that we can tell in the years to come.


An Accidental Mother by Katherine Anne Kindred is the story of a mother's love that was never meant to be. Kate Kindred had experienced two failed marriages that led her to the decision to have a tubal ligation, ending her chances of becoming a mother. She determined that she didn't have the maternal gene until she fell in love with Jim, a cop who was in the process of a bitter custody battle over infant Elizabeth with his ex-wife when he discovered that he was also the father of two-year-old Michael. Michael's mother was arrested for drug issues and gave up parental rights to the boy, leaving him with Jim, and soon Kate. At first she was uncertain about her role in Michael's life, but when Jim and Kate moved in together, she quickly became Michael's full time mom and primary caregiver, soothing nightmares, reading bedtime stories, and trying to establish a sense of right and wrong in this sweet little boy. Michael quickly stole her heart, and she embraced her new role as Mom, despite Jim's repeated delays of her adopting his son. This all came to an end when Jim ended the relationship and cut off all contact with now eight-year-old Michael, breaking Kate's heart. In this slim volume, she retells the story of her falling in love, not with Jim, but with Michael and motherhood, and how this small child touched her heart indelibly. Kate's brokenness and aching resonates on every page. Even the silly stories in alternating chapters are filled with the weight of the knowledge that they are coming to an end all too soon. This story speaks to the pain of anyone who has every loved a child without any blood shared, and the failure of the courts to recognize these connections. This is not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one that will break readers' hearts and get them thinking.

Thank you to Unbridled Books for providing me with a copy of this book for review!

Today's pics are of a Barbary lion and a baby hyena from the DeYoung Family Zoo. 

River's Song

River's Song by Melody Carlson is the first book in the Inn at Shining Waters series. In 1959, Anna Gunderson has returned to her family home on Oregon's Siuslaw River. She's spent the last nineteen years under the thumb of her controlling mother-in-law who often belittles her for her Native American heritage and has stolen the affections of her daughter, Lauren, through expensive gifts. Anna has come home to deal with the estate of her mother who recently passed away, leaving the land to Anna. Once home, Anna quickly finds her soul healing after decades of pain and numbness, the rhythm of life on the river reminds her of all that she has lost and of whom she is, including a Siuslaw Indian. She quickly decides to stay on the river and turn the old family store into a bed and breakfast, the Inn of the Shining Waters, named after one of the legends her Grandma Pearl often told her. I'm more familiar with Carlson's young adult stories, and this was a pleasant surprise. Anna is such a gentle and beautiful soul, I found myself aching and furious for the abuse she faced at Eunice's hands. The story grows naturally, at a steady pace, as Anna finds herself and some joy in life again. Carlson parallels the story of Anna's great-grandmother, who was forced from her home on the river to a reservation where she couldn't show her true self and was mocked and belittled before finding her way back home and making a good life. Anna's story follows this path, and Carlson's storytelling is elegant and restrained. This is not a loud or thrilling story full of explosions and blood; it's a quiet, yet beautiful story of a woman finding her way home and wanting to share that joy with others. I can't wait to read the next in the series. 

Thank you to Glass Road Publicity for providing me with a copy of this book for review!

The Ambition

We went camping last week, our annual family vacation with my mom and her family. We got back yesterday, and I swear I need another few days to recover from it! Vacations are supposed to be a time for relaxing, and I did a lot of that, but when we got back home, the exhaustion just hit hard. I can take it easy tonight and tomorrow, and then Wednesday it's back to Mom-life of errands, appointments, and lessons.

Every year we visit the DeYoung Family Zoo, which is my favorite zoo. It's owned by Bud and his wife Carrie, and they try to bring visitors as close to the animals as possible to give them a deep love and appreciation for these beautiful creatures. They take in rescue or retired animals and give them a loving and open environment. One of my favorite parts (and Mia's) is that they allow visitors to feed and hold baby animals. On Friday, Mia held a baby hyena, coatimundi, bonnet macaque, wallaby, and another kind of monkey. Plus she fed a baby hippo! There aren't many zoos that offer that kind of interaction! There's nothing like seeing the wonder and pride on your child's face as they feed a baby wild animal whose name they can't even pronounce!

The Ambition by Lee Strobel is the best-selling journalist's first novel. Several stories of high-powered men in Chicago come together in a climactic way. The Bugatti brothers are known for their control of the Chicago mafia and their business as cut-throat loan sharks. Tommy O'Sullivan has coasted through much of his life on his last name until a gambling addiction puts him deep in debt to the Bugattis and he participates in a bribe that will change the city forever. Eric Snow is a respected pastor of a megachurch in Chicago who is thinking about switching careers to politics, but his best friend questions his motives. Garry Strider's life is going pretty well, with a successful career as an investigative journalist and live-in girlfriend, Gina. But when Gina gets some religion, she moves out and starts pushing him to consider finding faith himself so they can be married. Instead Garry starts investigating the pastor at Gina's church, Eric Snow. Strobel takes these disconnected stories and weaves them with suspense until they come together with a crash. Where Strobel really shines is in his portrayal of Snow and his church. The church tries so hard to fit in with pop culture, that they try to play it down when miracles begin occurring there. They refuse to call them miracles or anything supernatural in order to keep from being attacked by scientists and atheists. Strobel really doesn't have time to develop the characters too deeply but the story is entertaining and thought-provoking. Strobel wrote the premier apologetic work of the late twentieth century in The Case for Christ. This doesn't live up to that level of writing, but it's a good read that will keep readers turning the pages. I hope that Strobel gives fiction another shot soon.

Thank you to AuthorsontheWeb.com for providing me with a copy of this book for review!