My Favorite Books of 2013

Here are my favorite reads of the year:

Unglued ~ Lysa TerKeurst

Stardust ~ Carla Stewart

A Corpse at St. Andrews Chapel ~ Mel Starr

Sparkly Green Earrings ~ Melanie Shankle

Saving Sailor ~ Rene Riva

Let's Go Straight to Bethehem ~ Ray Pritchard

The Remedy for Regret ~ Susan Meissner

The Sacred Ordinary ~ Leigh McLeroy

Anomaly ~ Krista Mcgee

The Shadow Lamp ~ Stephen Lawhead

Fifteen Minutes ~ Karen Kingsbury

Afloat ~ Erin Healy

Gone to Ground ~ Brandilyn Collins

A Cast of Stones ~ Patrick W. Carr

The Daily Walk Bible: 31 Days With Jesus

Check out other great reads at Modern Mrs. Darcy.

October Wrap Up

I had a pretty good reading month in October. I read eight books total. So here's the run down of my reading activities.

Stardust by Carla Stewart ~ I think this one might be my favorite of the month, and Carla Stewart is shaping up to be a new favorite author for me. I love her characters. This story is a bout a young woman who finds out her husband is leaving her for another woman. Just after he leaves, he drowns. Then she ends up inheriting an old motel from a distant relative, and her life just keeps getting crazier. Good stuff!

Southern Fried Sushi by Jennifer Rogers Spinola ~ I enjoyed this chick lit about a woman who seems to have everything. Then, in one stupid mistake, loses it all. She finds herself stuck in the deep south where she learns what happiness and fulfillment (and good food) really are.

Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie ~ I was disappointed in the fourth installment of this historical mystery series. I have enjoyed the others I have read, but I really struggled to get into this one. I will probably read the next one when I can get a hold of it though.

Return To Me by Lynn Austin ~ I was really looking forward to this one. It is the first in a new series about the rebuilding of the temple. I will admit that it was a little on the longish side, and I really wanted to throttle one of the characters. But it is still excellent historical fiction. There is so much detail, and things really pick up in the second half. I ended up being really satisfied with the story and I am looking forward to the next installment.

Into the Free by Julie Cantrell ~ I will warn you right now, this book is hard to read. It is beautifully written, but the things this girl goes through are just heart wrenching. I can't really say I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read it if that makes sense. There is a sequel that I plan on reading eventually. I hope it's happier.

Burning Sky by Lori Benton ~ This was probably my least favorite book this month. It was just okay for me. I did a review here.

Divergent by Veronica Roth ~ This book was a lot of fun. I didn't really know a lot about it before reading it. It is YA dystopian. Society has divided themselves into "factions". When a child turns 16 they must decide if they will stay with their family's faction or chose another one and leave their loved ones behind. The main character has discovered she can fit into several factions. She is Divergent, and this is bad. If the wrong people find out, she'll be killed. Of course there is a love story. And a sequel. It wasn't as good as Hunger Games, but what is?

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen Lawhead ~ This is the fourth book in the Bright Empires series and I think this is my favorite so far. The last book comes out next fall. I hate waiting.

Those are my October reads. I have some good stuff lined of for November, so stay tuned. What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: Burning Sky by Lori Benton

Willa Obenchain is returning home after twelve years of captivity among the Mohawk Indians. Instead of finding her family, she find her childhood home abandoned, and her childhood friend a bitter and resentful enemy determined to take her family's home. Her parents have disappeared and, because they were believed to be British sympathizers, their land will be going up for auction. Willa is determined to save her land and clear her parents name. And she is determined to do it all on her own.

I enjoyed this Historical fiction set in the aftermath of the American Revolution. It was well researched, and the writing was beautiful. I had a lot of sympathy for Willa. She is finally able to come home and she is met with suspicion and anger. She endured many hardships, and is a very somber character. I do wish more time had been given to the time she spent with the Indians. I didn't feel like there was much more than highlights about that part of her life.

While I liked the characters and the writing, I felt like the story got long in the middle. I had trouble staying interested. It picked up toward the end though, and had a good finish. I will definitely read other books by this author in the future.  I would recommend this book to female readers who enjoy character driven stories in an historical setting.

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

Recent Aquisitions

I have been getting lots of books in the mail lately. Makes me happy. Here are some of my most recent "purchases".

Bookstore/Amazon Finds:

Return To Me ~ Ok, this one I actually spent real money on. I was in Books A Million and there it was. It wasn't supposed to be released for a few days. I had my discount card and some money burning a hole in my pocket. Lynn Austin's books are always keepers for me anyway.

Angel Eyes ~ This is a YA supernatural series that I got for Elin. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I got Angel eyes from a private seller on Amazon for less than $4. I used a gift card I earned on Swag Bucks to pay for it.

Paperback Swap (books cost 1 credit, basically the price of postage):

Sweet Dreams ~ This is Carla Stewart's newest book. It has a beautiful cover.

Unrivaled ~ Siri Mitchell's latest release. The copy I received looks brand new.

Afloat ~ This one looks kinda creepy and fun.

Before the Dawn and Sweet September ~ These are the first 2 books in the Home to Heather Creek series. I thought they looked like sweet, heart warming reads.

Broken Wings ~ This is book 2 in the Angel Eyes series that I got for Elin. Not for me, mind you. I'm sure Elin will enjoy it.

Books to Review (these are freebies):

Burning Sky ~ I will be reading this one soon and posting a review at Blogging for Books.

All God's Children ~ WW2 era fiction I won in a Goodreads giveaway.

That's eleven books, and I spent about $30 on them. Not too bad. What books have you purchased lately?

My Playlist

Here's what I'm listening to:

Peace Be Still

You Are Love

Already All I Need

All Of My Days

The Word

New and Upcoming Releases I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On

Here are some books I am looking forward to with great anticipation.

Return to Me by Lynn Austin ~ Ms. Austin is my favorite author. I love her historical fiction, so when I saw she was writing a new Biblical series, I became giddy with anticipation. The Restoration Chronicles are set during the time of the rebuilding of the Temple. I saw Return to Me in Books a Million a few days before it was set to release, and I snatched it up. I'm planning on reading it later this month.

Pilgrimage by Lynn Austin ~ This is a memoir about Ms. Austin's visit to the Holy Land, and the impact it had on her life. This releases next month. I may have to put this one on my Christmas list.

Draw of Kings by Patrick W. Carr ~ I loved book 1 in the Staff and the Sword series, I have book 2 waiting for me on my Kindle, and I am already excited to see how this series ends. If you like the fantasy genre, give these books a try. Book 3 comes out in January.

The Wall Around Your Heart by Mary DeMuth ~  A book about the healing only Jesus can give. I love Mary's straight forward, caring style. She speaks from personal experience. Another great book by her is her memoir Thin Places. The Wall Around Your Heart comes out later this month.

Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury ~ I thought this book about a singing show contestant looked like a fun, quick read. It comes out at the end of this month, and my library already has it on order.

Healer of Carthage by Lynne Gentry (March 4, 2014) ~ I saw an early review of this book on Goodreads, and thought it looked fascinating. A modern day doctor goes back to ancient Carthage and becomes the slave of a handsome lawyer. What's not to love?

The Amish Groom by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner (April 2014) ~ I'm not an Amish fiction fan, but I am a Susan Meissner fan. I'll definitely be checking out this new series, The Men of Lancaster County.

Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers (April 22, 2014) ~ Francine Rivers has a new book coming out!!! It's about Hollywood in the 1950's, and the cover is gorgeous!

Shadowed by Grace by Carla Putman (January 1,2014) ~ I thought this book looked lovely. A woman travels to Italy during WW2 to take pictures and look for the father she never knew.

Love Comes Calling by Siri Mitchell (February 25,2014) ~ This book looks like so much fun. Another up and coming actress story. I have enjoyed the other books I have read by Ms. Mitchell. She has great story lines and great characters.

The Fatal Tree by Stephen Lawhead (Fall 2014) ~ I just finished book 4 in the Bright Empires series, and I am a little peeved that I am going to have to wait so long for the 5th and final installment. And such a cliff hanger there was. Argh! Seriously, though, this is a great time travel series, but you definitly want to read them in order.

So much good reading to do next year. I can hardly wait! What do you want to read in the future?

*A disclaimer. All of my links go to Amazon. They don't pay me any money. I just like them.*

What I read in September

It's finally fall. I know this because the days are getting shorter, and there is a lot of football on the television. Notice I did not say the weather was cooler. It is. A little. But not really enough to mention. Ah, Florida. I love you, I really do, but your summers are endless.

Anyway, I got a lot of reading done this month, so let me commence with my list. My library got some books for me through interlibrary loan. They make me feel so special.

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar ~ I was a little disappointed in this Biblical fiction story about Rahab. She started out as a strong, self reliant character. As the story progressed, I felt like she became a little wimpy. I also felt the story was a little too "New Testament", but the setting was Old Testament. It was just OK for me.

Forbidden by Tosca Lee and Ted Dekkar ~  This is book one in the Book of Mortals series. My son read these when they first came out, and loved them. I enjoyed this one as well, but it is a little gory. I would classify this as dystopian  with a vampire kind of vibe to it. I will be reading the next book. I gotta find out what happens.

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God  by Lysa TerKeurst ~ Very good Bible study on obedience. I did a couple of blog hops for it here and here and here.

A Corpse at St. Andrews Chapel by Mel Starr ~ This is the 2nd book in the Hugh de Singleton series and I liked it even more than the 1st (The Unquiet Bones). Hugh is a gentleman and a surgeon in medieval England. He works for a wealthy land owner, healing the sick and solving the occasional murder. I love this series so far. It has so much detail, and Hugh is a wonderful hero. Can't wait to get my hands on the next one.  

The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky ~ A very enjoyable upstairs/downstairs romance I reviewed here.

Misery Loves Company by Rene Gutteridge ~ I saw this book reviewed somewhere and thought it sounded interesting. A few days later, it came up as a Kindle freebie! The story is about a book blogger who is kidnapped by an author. At first she thinks it's because she has given him bad reviews for his most recent books, but she learns that there is more to it than that. It is not an easy read. this woman endures quite a lot to solve the mystery, but, if you like suspense, you'll like this one.

What did you read this month? Any suggestions for me? Let me know in the comments.