Thankful Thursday

~little red painted toenails

~wondercards from Anna

~rain

~all of the birds returning

~access to a wonderful library system

~generous relatives

WORDful Wednesday

I was reading John 1 today. Whenever I think about Jesus being the Word made flesh, I think of this song:

Ten Uncool Things About Me

I got the idea for this post from Mary Demuth. She's one of my favorite authors. Check her out.

~ I listened to and loved every uncool singer and band growing up I could get my hands on.

~My nose runs all the time. I am not exaggerating.

~I love word games.

~I love classical music, and have a secret crush on Bach.

~I refuse to play anything that remotely resembles a sport.

~I keep three lists of the books I read each year, and I update them constantly.

~If my book lists do not match up, it bothers me.

~My idea of chick lit is Jane Austin.

~Everytime I go into Walmart I want to curl into the fetal position and suck my thumb.

~I love cats.

Book Review: Beyond Molasses Creek

Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz is southern fiction that is set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. It covers such themes as war, forbidden love, loss, death, prejudice, and friendship. The main character, Ally Green, is a free spirted, retired flight attendant who has travelled the world. She has returned to her home to bury her father. While she is home her feelings for her neighbor, Vesey are rekindled. She loved Vesey throughout her childhood. This unrequited love was one of the reasons she left home at a young age.

Beyond Molasses Creek is written in first person mostly from Ally's point of view. Some of it is told in flashback and in diary entries. The entire story covers forty to fifty years. Also woven throughout is the story of Sunila Kunaro, a Nepali woman of low caste who is trying to find out where she came from. I enjoyed this part of the story most of all. I felt the author did an excellent job of revealing Sunila's part in the story.

If you are looking for a story where God is obviously present and easy to find, this isn't the book for you. Faith in this story is very subtle, and there is a lot of symbolism. There really is only one Christian character in the book, but there is hope for the other characters in the end because of his testimony and the strength of his integrity.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. The story was interesting, and made me want to find out what was going to happen. I thought the characters were well written and I cared about what was going to happen to them. I would recommend this book to women who enjoy literary fiction.

I received this book free from Book Sneeze for the purpose of review.

Book Review: Eye of the Sword

I recently read Eye of the Sword by Karen Henley. I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of review.

Eye of the Sword is a YA Fantasy novel. It is the second book in the Angelaeon Circle. Unfortunately, I did not read the first book in the series. This made it difficult for me to follow what was going on. It was obvious I missed a lot of back story. I thought the plot moved well, and the author did a good job with the characters. It was very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy stories. I would, however, recommend reading the previous book in the series first.

Book Review: The Perfect Love

Recently I was given the opportunity to review The Perfect Love by Ruth Myers. I have read several devotionals by this author and was looking forward to seeing what she had to say about God's love. I think Ms. Myers did a good job of explaining God's love and giving examples of His love by using scripture, hymns and stories from her own life. I did find the book hard to read, and the length of the chapters rather daunting. I would have enjoyed this book more if it was set up in more of a devotional style.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of review.

Fall Into Reading Wrap-up

Well, it's Christmas day and I am finally getting around to my Fall into Reading Challenge wrap-up post. I am happy to say I at least started every book on my list. I used this challenge to shrink my to-be-read pile down to a slightly more manageable size. So...here is my list and how I rated each book.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff  ~ 4/5

Jillian Dare by Melanie M Jeschke ~ DNF

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom ~ 5/5

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith ~ DNF

Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton ~ DNF

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz ~ DNF

Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee ~ 5/5

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner ~ 4/5

A Distant Music B J Hoff ~ DNF

Bad Ground by Dale Cramer ~ 4/5

In the Arms of Immortals by Ginger Garrett ~ DNF

The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz ~ 4/5

 

I really enjoyed Demon: A Memoir. It was very different, and gave me a lot to think about. In the non-fiction department, I enjoyed The Hiding Place. I had never read it before. It was a very uplifting story. Some of it was sad, but it gives so much hope in the middle of very bleak circumstances. I highly recommend it.

 

Well that's it for fall. I can't believe the year is almost over. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and have a happy New Year.