Out of Time, by CJ Darlington - Book Review

Out of Time is a novella by CJ Darlington. The three short, easy to read stories are loaded with a message of hope.

Times are tough and everyday life can push people to the brink. In each of the stories in Out of Time, CJ shows how one simple act on our part can change the life of someone in need.

As with her two novels, the characters in this novella are real and down to earth. CJ captures people in the day-to-day. People all over the country are going through similar situations, and her words portray the desperation many are experiencing right now.

These stories got me to thinking about the people I meet every day and how a simple action from me could make a huge difference.

 

C. J. won the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest with her first novel, Thicker Than Blood, which released from Tyndale House in 2010. Her second novel, Bound by Guilt, released from Tyndale House in 2011. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over fifteen years, scouting for stores similar to the ones described in her novels before cofounding her own online bookstore.

In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction ever since. She is a regular contributor to Family Fiction Digital Magazine and NovelCrossing.com. A homeschool graduate, she makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs, a cat, and a Paint horse named Sky.

Visit CJ’s website here.

 

*This novella was provided to me by the author free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow by Olivia Newport

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow is the second novel in Olivia Newport’s “Avenue of Dream Series.” The book is a delightful read. It ties to the first book in the series, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, but is completely able to stand alone if you haven’t read the first.

 

With Lucy Banning married to Will Edwards and off to Europe on her honeymoon, Charlotte Farrow settles in for a summer of serving the Banning family. Charlotte’s secret has been well kept and her son, Henry, has been well cared for by Mrs. Given.

Just days before the Banning family is to return to Chicago from their lake house, Mrs. Given shows up unexpectedly at the mansion when a family emergency prevents her from continuing to care for the boy. Charlotte is desperate to find a solution since the knowledge that she has a child can cause her to lose her position. As the rest of Chicago is caught up in the glamour and excitement of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Charlotte searches for a way to care for Henry.

Olivia Newport weaves an intriguing tale of a mother’s love and devotion in this book. Her writing will transport the reader back to the 19^th century. Her story comes alive with characters that are well developed and realistic.

Newport does a good job of defining the tension of the time between the staff and the wealthy families they served. She has done her homework, and it is evident as she skillfully melds history and fiction throughout her book. I found the details of the exposition and Mr. Ferris’s famous wheel added depth and entertainment to the story. The wheel itself acts as a nonhuman character that plays a role in the resolution of this story.

Olivia Newport is the author of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, Accidentally Amish, and The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow. She's been married for over thirty years and has two twenty-something kids. They live in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where the day lilies in her back yard grow as tall as she is.

Visit her website here.

*Disclaimer*

This book was provided free of charge to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts and review of the book.

Unspoken by Angela Hunt

Unspoken book cover

We humans are notorious for bonding with our animals. I keep no secrets about how much I love my little Wilson and I have many friends and family who feel the same way about their pets.

Angela Hunt has taken this human desire to bond with animals and written a beautiful story in Unspoken.  I had the pleasure of attending a seminar that Angela taught last November. One of her sessions was all about evoking emotion in our readers and she used this novel as an example. I can assure you that there was much emotion being evoked that afternoon. The section she read brought many in the room to tears and I had to go home and download the book to my Nook.

Sema, the main character of Unspoken, is a gorilla and is one of those amazing fictional characters that will stick with you long after the book is done. Her story is one of love at the deepest level.  Angela has woven a tale of hope, love, sadness, joy. She has taken the depths of human emotion and infused them into a relationship between a human and a primate and when all is said and done I couldn’t help but be touched by the beauty of it.

Unspoken is the story of Glee, a woman who worked with primates at the zoo. In an act of love and compassion she nurtured a newborn gorilla named Sema when the mother gorilla wouldn’t have anything to do with her.

Glee loved Sema as a mother would love a child. She took her home and raised her as she studied her. Sema learned sign language as part of Glee’s work with her. Glee was convinced that she could teach the gorilla to read and communicate in ways that had never been done with a gorilla before.

When Sema was eight the administrator of the zoo decided that Sema needed to be reintroduced to the primates at the zoo. The previous administrator had let Glee take her home, but she was still the legal property of the zoo. Though Glee tried to fight the order to return Sema she was forced to take her back to the zoo.

As the gorilla learns to interact with other primates Glee learns a lesson every parent has to learn at some point. She has to learn to let go and allow her child to travel her own path.

Unspoken is a wonderful book that left a lasting impression with me. After the last page was turned I found myself wanting to go to the zoo and visit the primate house.

Book Review - Kisses from Katie: a Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis

She’s just 22 years old and she has given up an easy life here in the United States. She traded college, a yellow convertible, and a boyfriend she loved for hard work, a 15 passenger van, and life as a single mom of 14 children in a foreign country.


Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption is so much more than Katie Davis’ story. It is the story of a country ravaged by poverty and war that needs a bit of hope. It is the story of a God who calls us to love one another because He first loves us. It is the story of a girl who knows the value of God’s love and knows that she can’t swoop in and tell the Ugandans that God loves them. Many of them have never been truly loved before. She can only demonstrate that love by loving them just as they are. It is truly a story of relentless love and redemption.

As an 18 year old senior in high school Katie went with her mom to Uganda for a three week mission trip. During that trip she was overwhelmed with what she saw and her desire to help. When she was asked to come back and teach kindergarten after high school she promised she would try. With much talking, she convinced her parents to allow her to go back and make good on that promise. After graduation she set off for a year long stay in a foreign country with the additional promise of coming home and going to college at the end of that year.

During that year the Ugandan people stole their way into Katie’s heart. When presented with children who had no one else Katie began the process of legally adopting the girls. She never asked for the children and she made heroic attempts to find blood relatives when children showed up on her doorstep in need.

Still, God brought her 14 children who needed her. She became mom to the girls. She struggled with the idea of going back to her world of comfort but leaving her heart behind. She’s young but she knows how to love. And it is with that knowledge that she has given her life to these beautiful girls and this beautiful country.

Kisses from Katie is an amazing story. It’s all the more so amazing because this isn’t about Katie. She’s a main character, but this is God’s story. She knows that she can’t do this without Him. She believes that everyone should know the love she does and she knows the only way they will is if she lets God’s love shine through her.

I’ve been following Katie’s story through her blog and on Facebook for some time now but this book brought me to tears. Tears of sadness at the tragedy that some people live each day. Tears of joy as I looked at the pictures of children being loved and nurtured. And, tears of repentance as I realized that though I love the Lord I still struggle to live a life of surrender. After reading this book my prayer is that I not hold back, that I would allow God to infuse my life and that I would be able to love as unconditionally as Katie.

You can purchase Katie's Book through the 147 Million Orphans web site or from other booksellers. If you purchase the book through the 147 Million web site 50% of the proceeds will go to Amazima Ministries which helps support the children Katie works with in Uganda.

Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World by Ginny Dent Brant

The country knew Harry Dent as an adviser to President Richard Nixon during the turbulent Watergate era. Ginny Dent Brant knew him as daddy. In Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World Ginny melds those two aspects of Harry Dent together in a cohesive and touching memoir of her father’s life.


Ginny is the third of four children of Harry and Betty Dent. With Harry’s love for politics and the law she grew up in a world of strategies, campaigns, and politicians. As she tells her father’s story she also tells her own story of love of family and country.

Over the years Harry Dent worked in many positions in the government in South Carolina and the United States. As an aide to President Nixon he served during Watergate but was one of only two aides who were not convicted during the scandal.

During his time in politics he worked hard to balance his home life with his private life. Ginny recounts many childhood memories of time spent with her father. Her story shows that it is possible to pursue a career without sacrificing your family.

Ginny’s own spiritual journey began in her teen years. After giving her life to the Lord she prayed tirelessly for her father who was a Sunday morning Christian. Ginny writes, “With all my heart I believed that if my dad dies not knowing Jesus, really knowing Him, we would be eternally apart. And that was unthinkable.”

In 1977 Harry Dent found true freedom when he surrendered his life to Christ. His change of heart came after years of praying by Ginny and later her husband Alton. When Harry gave his heart to the Lord he gave his life. Leaving politics and the law, he threw himself whole heartedly into serving others here in the US and abroad in Romania. He founded Laity Alive and Serving to help plant churches and train pastors in Romania.

September 28, 2007 Harry Dent passed from this world into eternity with his Savior. He left behind a legacy that will be remembered by many.

Although I found the beginning of this book a little slow and it took a while for me to truly be pulled into the story I did enjoy reading it. I think Ginny did a good job of trying to balance the two halves of her father’s life. I liked that she wove her own story into the book. She showed the side of her father that many who only read or heard the news reports during his career in Washington never heard. Ginny brought the private side of Harry Dent alongside the public side and showed a complete picture of her father.



**This book was provided to me by the author in exhange for an honest review.

 
About the Author
 
Ginny Dent Brant is an educator, counselor, writer, soloist, Christian speaker and Bible study teacher. She is president of Laity Alive and Serving which her father, Harry Dent, started in 1985. Ginny and her husband, Alton, live in Clemson and are the parents of three sons.
 
Visit Ginny's web site to purchase the book.
 

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is a beautiful blend of contemporary and historical fiction with a good dose of fairy tale. It’s one of those books that contribute to insomnia in the world. Once you start the book it’s almost impossible to put down until you reach the very last word.


Meredith and Nina share a loving, happy relationship with their father. On the other hand their relationship with their cold mother is strained from the earliest days of childhood. Their mom, Anya, freely expresses her love for her husband, but doesn’t even attempt to express any love to her daughters.

During their childhood Anya will sometimes tell the girls fairytales. One Christmas, in an attempt to make her mother happy, Meredith turns a fairytale into a stage show for the family. All is going well until her mother demands they stop, tears up the set, and storms out of the room. Meredith and Nina are hurt and confused. As always, their father attempts to soften their mother’s harshness. The girls bury the hurt deep in their hearts and try to figure out life without the help of their mother and Anya stops telling her fairytales.

As they grow into adulthood Meredith joins her father in the family business and tries to appease her mother. Nina takes off to follow her passion for photography to the far reaches of the earth. The sisters’ lives are as different as red and blue and they grow apart from each other. The only link holding the family together is their father.

When their father suffers a massive heart attack the girls rush to his side. Just before he dies Nina promises to get to know her mother and make her tell the story of the prince and peasant girl. After the funeral Nina escapes to her life leaving Meredith to care for their mother who seems to slip very quickly into dementia. With no other options Meredith finally puts her mother in a nursing home.

Nina is furious when she finds her mother is in a nursing home and she returns to set things straight. She moves her mother out of the nursing home and takes her back to the family home. Determined to keep the promise made to her dad she sets about getting to know her mother and getting her to tell the fairytale of the prince and the peasant girl. Meredith digs her heels in and fights Nina even after her mother does begin to open up and tell her story.

Kristin Hannah has a knack for tackling relationships between women with humor, depth, and insight. Winter Garden is no exception. It is a heart breaking and heartwarming book. The tale Hannah spins out keeps the reader engaged and flipping pages. Hannah’s story will keep the reader guessing until the very end what will ultimately happen between Anya, Meredith, and Nina.

This book is well written and easy to read. Even when switching between current day events and the fairytale, the reader will be able to easily follow what is happening. The two stories weave together seamlessly.

If you haven’t read any of Kristin Hannah’s books, I recommend that you do and Winter Garden would be a good place to start.

Bound by Guilt by CJ Darlington

Today I’m participating in a blog tour for the new book by CJ Darlington, Bound by Guilt. I enjoyed her first book so when the opportunity came to read and review her new book I was excited to join. Tyndale House Publishers very generously provided the book for review.

Roxie Gold finally felt accepted. After years of being shuttled from one foster home to another she found a place with her aunt and cousin. It was everything she ever wanted.

The human desire to fit in and be part of something is strong; strong enough to cause Roxie to join her new family in a crime spree. In the beginning the thrill of conning unsuspecting book store owners while they stole thousands of dollars in rare books was exhilarating. Then one night everything goes horribly wrong.

On the run and without any money, things are looking dire for Roxie. In Elk Valley, CO she is determined to find a job to support herself. When she tries to sell one of the stolen rare books, she attracts the attention of police woman, Abby Dawson. With her life unraveling around her she finds she has no choice but to accept the help of strangers.

This book is a great story. As with her first book, CJ has brought to life believable, likable characters. She has a knack for drawing the reader into her world and making them feel at home.

CJ gently weaves the reality of God’s love and forgiveness through the story without beating the reader over the head. The ability to portray the truth of God in fiction is often tough, but CJ handles it well.

Bound by Guilt is CJ Darlington’s second novel. While not necessarily a sequel to her first book, Thicker than Blood, this book pulls settings and characters from her first novel. I enjoyed this approach and feel that it worked well for her story. It was fun to meet new characters while being reunited with characters from Thicker.

Overall, this book is a well written story that I enjoyed and read in a couple of sittings. It is definitely one I would recommend to friends.

About the Author:


C. J. Darlington won the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest with her first novel, Thicker Than Blood. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over twelve years, scouting for stores similar to the ones described in her novels before cofounding her own online bookstore. In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. A homeschool graduate, she makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Visit her website www.cjdarlington.com.

Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller

I remember years ago that a friend read the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. She was blown away by it and talked about it quite a bit. I didn’t read it at that time. More recently Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing tweeted several links to Donald Miller’s blog which intrigued me so I visited his little home in blogland.

I loved his easy writing style and the way his posts made me think. He writes much about his faith and his journey to find why he believes. So, wanting to read more, I trekked to the book store and purchased Blue Like Jazz. It was definitely money well spent.

In Blue Don takes the reader through his own walk in faith. The subtitle on his book is “nonreligious thoughts on Christianity spirituality.” Don doesn’t tear down the long held traditions and rituals of Christianity, instead he encourages his readers to delve deep into their beliefs.

Don has questioned his faith and in that questioning it has grown. His writing shows a moving past the rote of Christian life into a real, life changing relationship with the living God. Don openly discusses his quest and the way it has changed him.

One of my favorite parts of the book was his chapter on worship. Worship is one of the buzz words within Christianity these days. It is used to describe both the Sunday morning service as a whole or a musical time of praising God. But worship is so much more.

Worship is about living a life of wonder and awe of the amazing God we love. Worship is an everyday thing that may or may not involve music. It’s watching the sun rise in brilliant colors across the sky. It’s listening to the sound a baby’s laugh. It’s loving someone through a tough time. It’s about looking for God in everyday life.

Don knows this. He writes, “Too much of our time is spent trying to chart God on a grid, and too little is spent allowing our hearts to fill awe. By reducing Christian spirituality to formula, we deprive our hearts of wonder.”

Nonreligious thoughts are Don’s way of making sense of his spirituality. His book is an invitation to the reader to really make their faith their own. God is big enough to handle our questions. It is in our questioning that we grow and become more of a spiritual being and not a little Christian robot.

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson

There’s nothing like a book that you pick up and can’t put down until you have absorbed every word, scene, and chapter. This is the kind of fiction I want to write. And, this is the kind of fiction that I love to read. This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson is one of these kinds of books.


Mariette Putnam is on the verge of adulthood torn by decisions on where her life will go from here. Her mother expects her to settle down and marry a good man. Her father thinks she should go on to college and study business. Mariette doesn’t know what she should do.

This Fine Life is a delightful story of one girl who grows into her life a little at a time. It is also the story of love that will last a lifetime.

Eva knows how to weave a story that will take root and bloom in the reader. She crafts characters that are life like and believable. Her stories bring all the elements of life and create settings that I am reluctant to leave when the book is done.

I had the pleasure of working with Eva as my mentor through the Christian Writer’s Guild Journeyman program. Her tutelage has been a great help in my writing journey. I love that she and other writers are willing to come alongside a beginner such as myself and offer help and advice. This review is inspired by the amount of pleasure I had in reading This Fine Life and not simply because she’s such a great lady :-)

Unshaken by Dan Woolley with Jennifer Schuchmann

Just over a year ago Dan Woolley and David Hames headed to Haiti. Their goal was to shoot video and photographic footage to highlight the work that Compassion International does in Haiti. Both men were passionate about that work. What started out as a beautiful, productive day ended in unspeakable tragedy.


At 4:53pm a 7.0 earthquake shook Haiti. Dan and David had just arrived back at the Hotel Montana where they were staying. The six story structure took just seconds to collapse and bury the two deep in the rubble.

Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana is Dan’s story. It is an open and emotional account of the hours that Dan spent buried.

Dan lived through the quake and was able to find a safe place in the rubble to wait for rescue. There in the bowels of a hellish situation he struggled with thoughts of his own death and what had happened to David. He worried about what would happen to his wife and two young boys if he wasn’t rescued in time. And in pitch black he met the God he had worshiped for years, but had grown lukewarm in the last few years.

In the darkness he heard other survivors near him and together they encouraged each other through the direst of circumstances. A young Haitian man in an elevator shaft next to Dan was one of those survivors. Through their hours in captivity Dan led this young man to a saving relationship with Christ.

When he was rescued 65 hours later he had a head wound, a broken leg, and was dehydrated. But he was also a new man in his faith, having experienced God in a profound way. He emerged from the rubble with a renewed zest for life and for his faith.

This book is more than Dan’s story. It is also his wife Christina’s story. It brings to light Christina’s struggle early in their marriage with clinical depression. In a brave step Christina has spoken out about her life and how depression has affected her and those around her. Many consider depression a weakness and not something a Christian should have a problem with. However, clinical depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain that can be treated with medication and therapy. It is not a failing of the person involved. Just as Dan met God in his darkest time, so did Christina.

Unshaken is brutally honest and at times heart wrenching. Despite knowing the outcome it had me on the edge of my seat and other times in tears. It is a story of tragic devastation and soaring hope; of life and death. More than that, it is a story of rebirth and renewal.



*Sadly, David Hames was killed instantly when the quake hit, but as a Christian we know that we will meet him again heaven.

*A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to Compassion International.

Between a Rock and a Grace Place by Carol Kent

Carol Kent and her husband, Gene have had plenty of tough times since 1999. It was in October 1999 that their son, Jason, murdered his wife’s ex-husband. The years since that Sunday afternoon have been filled with trials, the conviction, visits to the penitentiary where Jason will spend the rest of his life, fear, and sadness. In the midst of this the Kent family has found the peace that only God’s love can bring. They have experienced God’s grace and even joy.


“Between a Rock and a Hard Place” written by Carol, is a look at how God surprises us by showing in the midst of tough times to teach and encourage us. The book tells the continuing story of how the Kent family has rebuilt their life since the unthinkable happened. It is a mix of Jason’s story and stories of other people who have found themselves in tough spots in life. It is filled with encouragement that God is working even when you feel that you have no place to go.

Life can put us there between a rock and a hard place. Life doesn’t play fair and it doesn’t always unfold the way we expect it to. Carol, Gene, and Jason have decided to not get stuck in the hard places. Rather, they are moving forward and looking for, as Carol puts it, the sweet spot of grace.

Romans 9:33 is the theme verse Carol chose for this book. “Careful! I’ve put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, a stone that you can’t get around. But the stone is me! If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the way, not in the way.” When her “hard place” happened Carol nearly lost everything, instead she found a deeper relationship with God.

Carol and Gene have found that God’s grace is able to shine through even the darkest hours. Carol helps the reader to come to terms with the darkness while still be open to faith, mercy, contentment, thanksgiving, favor, joy, freedom, and adventure.

Despite the sometimes heavy subject matter, “Between a Rock and a Grace Place” is easy to read. Carol provides thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter.

This book is for anyone who wants to experience God to the fullest regardless of life circumstances. Romans 9:33 is the theme verse for this book and truly, if you’re looking for God, He’s on the way, not in the way.

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent

Well folks, Jennifer has done it again. Her new book, Catching Moondrops (due out October 1, 2010) finishes the story of Jessilyn and Gemma with a bang. Jennifer and Tyndale House Publishers very generously provided me with an advance copy of Catching Moondrops to read and tell you all about.


This book did not let me down. It was a perfect ending to the story; although, it made me sad that there won’t be any more Calloway County books. True to her nature Jennifer handles this turbulent time of history with grace and dignity. This ending to the Calloway County series was a delight to read and is sure to encourage and entertain all who read it.

Jessilyn has finally grown up and Luke Talley is finally showing signs of interest. When a young black doctor comes to town and treats Miss Cleta tempers rise and violence once again comes to Calloway County. Jessilyn, still filled with a desire for justice, finds herself in the middle of things once again. For the first time she realizes that her heart can harbor as much hatred and anger as the heart of a Klansman.

So can Jessi overcome her hatred and anger? And, does she walk down the aisle to marry Luke? Well, you will just have to read the book to find the answers to these questions. Catching Moondrops is available for pre-order on both Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

Oh my!

I did a real daffy thing yesterday. I have been thinking about what to post on my Friday blog post all week. Yesterday I went to Bible study - the first one for this year. There are some great women in my small group and I am totally looking forward to getting into God's word and to get to know new people. I have been away from church for the last couple of years during the really tough times. It was dumb, but I pulled away from a lot of things in my life as stress built up. I wrote a few weeks ago about coming back to church and coming home and I have to tell you it still feels amazing.

Anyway, I digress. After Bible study the kitty cat and I took a cat nap because last weekend in Wyoming wore me out - more to come on that next week. When I got up I worked on some things for the upcoming Memory Walk and as I did I thought about my blog post. But, when I was done I just turned off my computer and went to bed with my book.  Yes, totally true story, just went to bed and didn't think of it until the wee hours of the morning.

So, sorry for not being prompt with my post. I have been trying very hard to work on the whole meeting writerly deadline thing and getting my blog posts done three days a week are something I am using to instill meeting a deadline in my brain!

I do want to tell you about the book I was reading. It is called Still Alice and is written by Lisa Genova. Alice is a Harvard professor in her 50's when she begins to forget things. Then she misses her period and thinks that maybe the whole thing is menopause. When her period returns and one day she finds herself  in the middle of Harvard Square and not knowing where she is, she decides it's time to see her doctor. After a series of tests and extensive medical history Alice is diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease and her life changes.

This fiction story does a great job of bringing to light early onset dementia. Everyone thinks dementia is an old person's disease, but it is being seen in younger and younger people all the time.

I thought the book had a good message and did a good job of presenting Alzheimer's in a way that allows the reader to get a feel for what it is like to have dementia. Lisa tackles all of the aspects of dementia that complicate not only the patient's life, but also their family. I believe it was Nancy Reagan who once said that Alzheimer's is the long good-bye. So true that is. Little by little the person with dementia slips away and each day the loved ones have to learn to live with the changes.

While I felt this book was good at explaining the disease and portraying the symptoms, I was disappointed with the writing in the book. At times it was somewhat convoluted. Some of the conversations werehard to follow. And, I felt the book ended very abruptly without really wrapping up the story. It just kind of stopped. Despite these drawbacks I do recommend reading this book if you are interested in learning more about dementia.

Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson

Life turned on Camden Bristow and so she turned to the only place she knew to go for refuge – her grandmother Rosalie. When Camden arrived on Crescent Hill the last thing she found was refuge. Grandma Rosalie had passed away and left her old, ailing mansion to Camden. Without Rosalie there is nothing left for Camden in Etherton, OH.

However, she soon finds there is more to the house than meets the eye. As she tries to deal with the news of her grandmother’s death and that she is now the owner of a 150 year old house, she realizes she is not the only occupant of the house. Are the old stories of ghosts haunting the house true?

Refuge on Crescent Hill is the new release by Melanie Dobson. True to form, Melanie has taken past and present and wound them together in an intriguing story that will keep the reader glued to their seat until the last page is turned.

As Camden searches for the truth of what has happened in her grandmother’s life during her absence, she also seeks a buyer for the house. Her determination that the old house not be torn down creates problems. The house on the hill has been part of the Etherton history for 150 years and Camden wants to preserve that history. Alex Yates is more than happy to take the property off of Camden’s hands, but will he be able to honor her wishes to keep the house intact?

This novel quickly became a favorite of mine. Melanie has a knack for creating strong feminine characters that draw me into the story and I found myself not wanting to leave.

 
 

Refuge on Crescent Hill can be purchased on ChristianBook.com

Love Finds You

She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain. ~Louisa May Alcott


It’s true! Books have turned my brain! I have recently discovered author, Melanie Dobson. Well, I didn’t discover her in the sense of being astounded by her writing and setting her on the path to authorship. However, when we became Facebook friends and I realized she was an author I had to read her work. The other night at a big name box store that I hate to shop at I found Melanie’s book Love Finds You in Liberty Indiana. I went there to look at cameras and was disappointed in that endeavor. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed in Melanie’s book.

Love Finds You in Liberty Indiana held two levels of appeal for me – both of my parents are from Southern Indiana; the majority of my extended family still lives there and the book is a historical fiction work set in the 1800s. I have always enjoyed early American history and toyed with being a history teacher for a brief period of time during junior high and high school. Someday I hope to write a historical fiction novel.

The 1800s were a tumultuous time in the history of our country. Slavery had caused a rift between the northern states and the southern states and the rift was widening. Northern abolitionists took it upon themselves to help runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad. They put their own safety in jeopardy to fight for what they believed was right. In September of 1850 the Fugitive Slave Act was passed making it a punishable crime to aid a fugitive slave. This made it all the more dangerous for those people attempting to help. And, it made it hard for even people who had been freed from slavery and were living in the northern states. Slave hunters could at any time with very little proof pick up a freeman and sell them back into slavery.

Anna Brent and her father Edwin Brent own a mill on the outskirts of Liberty Indiana. Unbeknownst to their neighbors and friends they are conductors on the Underground Railroad. Their goal is to help as many slaves on their route to seek freedom in Canada.

Despite the risk of their own exposure they continue to work to help the slaves. When Daniel Stanton, an outspoken abolitionist, comes to town Anna is attracted to him and his ability to speak out against wrongs. Aligning herself with him, though, would put her work on the Underground at risk.

The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act further endangers Anna’s work. Her secrets may be exposed and if that happens her station on the Underground will be closed. As pressure rises Anna finds herself in a situation of needing to trust someone. Will she be able to continue her work even when the risk to her own life is so great?

Love Finds You in Liberty Indiana is a beautiful story of one girl’s desire to make a difference. For me the mark of a good book is when the story or information touches my life and inspires me. Melanie’s story definitely did that.

To find out more about Melanie and her writing visit her web site.

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington

January is an exciting month for CJ Darlington. Her award winning debut novel Thicker than Blood hit bookstore shelves! A fifteen year quest has resulted in sweet success and I, for one, couldn’t be happier for her. Thicker than Blood won the 2008 Christian Writer's Guild Operation First Novel.I had the pleasure of reading Thicker than Blood and I very much enjoyed the experience.


CJ’s book was thrilling and encouraging at the same time. It was one of those stories that I just had to keep reading to find out what happened and didn’t want to stop until I knew. CJ has managed to navigate her way through some tough themes and situations with grace and insight that belies her years.

Christy and May Williams are two sisters separated by time and the grief of losing their parents. Both have gone on with life while feeling the hole they left in each other’s lives. When circumstances bring them back together after 15 years they are faced with working through their differences or again going separate ways all the while trying to clear Christy’s name.

I won’t spoil the ending for you because I definitely recommend you read the book. This first book has been a delight to read and I have no doubt that we will see CJ’s name on the bookstore shelves again. For more information about CJ and her writing visit website here.

Life in the Balance

Life in the Balance is an intensely emotional and beautiful book written by Thomas Grayboys with Peter Zheutlin. Thomas Grayboys, MD was a cardiologist in the prime of his life and career when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Insult was added to injury recently when he was also diagnosed with Lewy Body Disease.


Through his own experience he relates how these diseases have affected him, his family, his friends and his colleagues. He speaks candidly about the changes not only to himself, but also to his relationships.

At times emotionally wrenching, his book beautifully describes the journey he and his family are on. This is not a journey any wish to take. Dr. Grayboys bravely allows the reader into his and his family's life.Allowing such intimate access is his way of fighting back. This book brings light to Parkinson's and Lewy Body Disease. It is a valiant battle in the war against dementia.

Despite the tough emotional nature of this book I highly recommend it. It depicts how dementia invades a person's life and ravages them. It answered many questions for me about my own mother's journey through Lewyland since she never talked much about it.

I was especially touched by the following passage found on page 177 of the book. "Parkinson's and Lewy body disease have taken much of the density, richness, and texture from my life, and moved much that was once within my grasp to a place beyond my control. However, between the limbo of illness and the anger and despair it often spawns, there is a better place - a life beyond illness still to be lived."

Dementia steals much from everyone involved. It can't steal our hope if we fight against it.

This post was originally posted on May 1, 2008. Since I have moved my blog here to Blogger and I have new readers I thought I would post it again.

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

The year was 1932 when Jessilyn Lassiter turned thirteen years old. For Jessilyn that summer was a time of growing up and changing. For the country it was a time of hatred and distrust toward people who were different. That summer Jessilyn found just how strong hatred and distrust could be when her best friend Gemma came to live with the Lassiters after her parents died in a house fire.

Having a black child live with them made the Lassiters a mark for the Ku Klux Klan. Despite the threats Jessilyn stands strong in her belief that Gemma should be treated like any other. Even when faced with danger she and her family fought against the injustice and strove to be lights in a dark world.

Fireflies in December is the first novel written by Jennifer Erin Valent. It is a beautifully written, poignant story that won the 2007 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild First Novel Contest. I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer at the 2009 Writing for the Soul Conference and hearing how she came to be a published author motivated me to move forward with my book. She pursued writing this book despite the trials and times she wanted to quit and turned out an award winning story. Jennifer is currently working on Cottonwood Whispers the sequel to Fireflies. It is due out in September 2009 and there will be a third book in the series.

You can visit Jennifer's website to learn more about her and her book. And, I highly recommend you go to your local bookstore and buy her book.