Quick Lit ~ What I've Been Reading

It's only the middle of January, but I have already read some really great books. I'll be linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for this month's Quick Lit, so check her out.



I did a full review of Esther: Royal Beauty here, so I won't say much. I am really excited that Angela Hunt is getting back into historical fiction. I do think the title sounds like some kind of Inside Edition expose, but the cover is beautiful. I loved it.



This memoir of Cary Elwes' time making The Princess Bride was absolutely delightful. He has so much respect for the people he worked with, and he is so grateful for everything this movie did for his career, reading it made me feel like part of The Princess Bride family. It also made me want to reread the book and re watch the movie.



Nothing really earth shattering here. This is a good, solid marriage book. I was hoping for some new advice, but it is mostly common sense stuff. I would recommend it for newly weds and engaged couples. I think it would get them off to a good start.



This is my current read. I am enjoying it so far, but it isn't blowing my socks off. It has a lot of magical realism elements, but I am finding it a little predictable. Here is the Goodreads description.

What have you been reading lately?

Waiting on Wednesday ~ The Accidental Empress

What I'm waiting on:

When is it coming out? February 17, 2015

Why am I waiting? I read Ms. Pataki's first book, The Traitor's Wife, last year. It was exactly the type of historical fiction I enjoy. The Accidental Empress looks like it will be along those same lines. Here is the Goodreads description.

Check out what everyone else is waiting on at Breaking the Spine.

Ten Books I Didn't Get to in 2014

Here are a few books I meant to get to last year but didn't.

Check out more top ten lists at The Broke and the Bookish.

Book Review ~ Esther: Royal Beauty by Angela Hunt

I have been reading Angela Hunt's books for most of my adult life. I first discovered her in my church library, and I immediately fell in love with her writing. She really raised my expectations of Christian fiction. The first books I read by her were historical. Her newer books tend to be contemporary and women's fiction. She is one of the few author's who are able to cross genres seamlessly. However, when I saw she was moving back into historical fiction, I was giddy. Esther: Royal Beauty is book one in a new series focusing on the beautiful women of the Bible that changed history. And this first book does not disappoint.

This take on Esther is very true to the Biblical account. It is obvious Ms. Hunt did her research. This story is rich in period details, and I learned a lot about the Persian culture by reading it. There was also lots of intrigue and suspense. Esther was a strong character, but she was flawed. I enjoyed watcher her grow from a vain, shallow child to a mature, godly woman. This story is told in first person from two different points of view, Esther's and Harbonah's, a palace eunuch. This made it possible to really see what was going on not just with Esther, but also in the rest of the palace.

This was a really great book, I would highly recommend it to fans of historical and Biblical fiction. I can't wait to read the next book in the series which, I think, is about Bathsheba. Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free copy for review.

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock

What I'm waiting on:

Twisted Innocence

Why am I waiting? This one is actually for my mom. She is a huge Terri Blackstock fan, and she has read the first two books in this series already. I do plan on starting this series sometime this year.

When does it release? February 3, 2015

Check out more upcoming releases at Breading the Spine.

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Debut Authors

This was a really hard one. I decided to combine debut authors that I read last year with ones I want to read this year. And I still don't think it's going to come out to ten. Here we go.

Debuts Read in 2014:

Debut TBR:

Do you know of any good debut authors? Let me know in the comments. Check out other top ten lists at The Broke and the Bookish.

Stacking the Shelves ~ December Edition

Here are some of my recent acquisitions. Between Christmas and some really great Kindle sales, I did pretty well.

For review:

Physical books: 

Ebooks:

Check out what every else is buying at Stacking the Shelves.