Saturday, January 26, 2019

Reading this week


I read a total of pages this week I forgot to keep track

Finished
The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly
Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days that Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum
Code of Ethics by Lynette Eason
The Copycat Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner


Reading
All Made Up by Kara Isaac
The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson

Non-fiction reading
Classic

Audio on the Way to Work


Getting ready to read
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson




Reviewing

Devotional reading


Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week



Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Review of My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's Dream


My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel's DreamTitle:  My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream

Author: Pepper D. Basham

Series: My Heart Belongs
 
Chapters: 26

Pages: 256

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction with a hint of romance

Rating: 5 stars

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge Laurel's dream is my first book by Pepper D. Basham but it will not be my last. It's the seventh book I've read this year and my second 5-star book. Set in Maple Creek North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains chain.  Laurel is a mountain girl who has dreams of college to become a teacher and come back to her mountain home to help her people. Jonathan Taylor is from England and what the mountain people call a flat lander.  Though Laurel her mom and her siblings have a strong faith a lot of the mountain people   tend to be superstitious and not welcoming of outsiders. 

I enjoyed this book. It's the first book that I can remember reading set in this area and this time period.  Jonathan's faith at the beginning of the novel is there it's just not as strong as Laurel's.  What I think is funny is that both Laurel's and Jonathan's faith strength is shaped by their relationships with their earthly fathers.   Though Jonathan's weak because of the fact that he thinks God sees him the way his father does. While Laurel's faith in her Heavenly father is strong because she needs that faith to deal with the two sides of her earthly father. 

Even though my family didn't come from the mountains of North Carolina (in recent memory) or mountains of Kentucky.  I Imagine my great grandma’s up bringing was similar to Laurel’s though all she managed was an eight grade education much like her son's my grandfather. As I am the first in my family to go to college.  I can relate to Laurel wanting to "better herself" to help her family and community. She's a book worm who takes every chance she can get to sneak away to read. 

My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge Laurel's Dream has peaked my interest in finding other books set in the time period.  I also look forward to reading other books by Pepper D. Basham.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and Christian Historical fiction with a hint of romance. 


Friday, January 18, 2019

Reading this week



I read a total of 1,250 pages this week

Finished
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
Slayer by Kiersten White
My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper D. Basham

Reading
The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly

Non-fiction reading
Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days that Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley
Classic

Audio on the Way to Work
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon


Getting ready to read
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson
All Made Up by Kara Isaac
Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum




Reviewing

Devotional reading


Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week



Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Review of Code of Valor


Code of Valor (Blue Justice #3)Title:  Code of Valor

Author: Lynette Eason

Series: Blue Justice book 3
 
Chapters: 29

Pages: 336

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Code of Valor is the third book in the Blue Justice series, set in South Carolina that follows a family of cops by Lynette Eason. It takes place over a total of 18 days. This book focuses on Brady St John I believe the oldest St John son I could be wrong. He's a detective and a member of the dive team.  Brady's supposed to be on vacation at a family friend’s lake cabin when he literally pulls a case out of the water, when he saves a woman from drowning.  Emily Chastain who just happens to be a Financial crimes investigator whose life just happens to be in danger.  In the process of keeping her safe and trying to figure out what's wrong he ends up dragging his two brothers into Derek a Narcotics officer and member of the swat team a sniper, and Linc an FBI agent.  Along the way do to a trip to the hospital he drags his sister Ruthie a doctor into. Isabelle the baby of the family and Derek's twin gets drugged into as a detective that gets called to a shooting.  Even though she's now married Brady is still calling her St. John.  We see the other sister Chloe briefly with her dog hank. 

Even though there wasn't as much St. John family time outside of the job and case in this one as the other two. It still gave me the Blue Bloods feel of a close knit law enforcement family. I guess that because I come from my own blue family even though I didn't go into law enforcement myself.  I enjoyed this one and read it fairly quickly finishing it in about 12 hours. Over the course of two days.  I look forward to Ruthie's story in a novella called Code of Ethics.  and Linc's story in Vow of Justice the last book in the series though I am kind of sad that Derek won't get his own book.  Lynette Eason is one of my go to for Christian Romantic Suspense or Christian Suspense in general. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Monday, January 14, 2019

Favorite Childhood Books


The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1)


Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
48811

The Little house books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House in the Big Woods (Little House #1)
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Heidi


Goosebumps by R.L. Stine
The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps, #11)


Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda


Little House: The Martha Years series by Melissa Wiley

Little House in the Highlands (Little House: The Martha Years, #1)


Felicity An American Girl series by Valerie Tripp
Meet Felicity: An American Girl (The American Girls: Felicity, #1)

Friday, January 11, 2019

Reading this week


I read a total of 1,431 pages this week

Finished
A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz
The Family Tree Scottish Genealogy Guide by Amanda Epperson
The Girl with the Broken Heart by Lurlene McDaniel
Code of Valor by Lynette Eason

Reading
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper D. Basham

Non-fiction reading

Classic

Audio on the Way to Work

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
Getting ready to read
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson
All Made Up by Kara Isaac
Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum
 Slayer by Kiersten White



Reviewing

Devotional reading


Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week



Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Review of A Bound Heart


A Bound Heart by Laura FrantzTitle:  A Bound Heart

Author: Laura Frantz

Chapters: 40

Pages: 400

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction Christian Historical Romance

Rating: 5 Stars

A Bound Heart took me on a journey from Scotland to Virginia.  A Journey I was expecting and didn't know I needed. A Bound Heart is the tenth book by Laura Frantz and the most emotional one to date. There was more twists and turns in it than The Mistress of Tall Arce and Love's Reckoning combined.  There was plenty of times through this one that I almost gave up on a happy ending, well not a happy per say just on the way I wanted the story to end. 

Ever since Outlander I've been on a bit of a Scottish Highland or Scotland setting in general, because something was missing from Outlander that a main stream series can't fill. And that's characters with strong faith and a clean story.  But that's what A Bound Heart gives readers.  A Christian historical fiction novel with romance set in the same time period of Scotland.  Though the story doesn't stay in Scotland.  The last Jacobite rebellion pretty much ruined the highland way of life. 


Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall  grew up together on the island of  Kerrera but as adults their lives couldn't be more different he's the Laird of the castle and she's the keeper of bees and the stillroom.  When his wife dies unexpectedly  be he and Lark finds themselves indentured servants  headed across the Atlantic though for different reasons.   Both characters will have to hang to their faith to see them through. 

Much like with The Mistress of Tall Acre the character who most stole my heart wasn't a main character nor an adult but a wee child.  I loved seeing another hero in Laura's book have a strong faith.   I loved Magnus more than  I thought I would but not enough to knock General Seamus Ogilvy out of my favorite hero of Laura's spot but I do believe Laird Magnus MacLeish ties for first place. I'm still not sure will Lark ranks. 

A Bound Heart has me wanting to find more historical fiction books set in Scotland I'm not ready to leave Alba behind. For those not familiar with Scots, there is a Scots glossary at the beginning of the book.

I would recommend this book to  anyone who loves Christian Historical fiction and romance. Anyone who loves historical fiction in general as well as books set in Scotland.  This book is also perfect for fans of Outlander who would love a cleaner faith filled read. 

I received a e-copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I also won a copy of this book from Goodreads. 



Monday, January 7, 2019

New Release I’m looking forward to this year January- May



January
1st
A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz
Code of Valor by Lynette Eason
My Heart Belongs in the Blueridge Laurel’s Dream by Pepper D. Basham
8th
The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly
Slayer by Kiersten White

22nd
Only  Breath Apart by Katie McGarry


29th
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

February
5th
Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron
Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green

12th
One Thing I Know by Kara Isaac
Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service by Gary Sinise

19th
Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington’s First Love by Mary Calvi
26th
Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
Murder in an Irish Pub by Carlene O’Connor
No Good Tea Goes Unpunished by Bree Baker

March
5th
A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro
Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill
Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt De la Pena

12th
American Princess: A Novel of First daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Thornton

19th
Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
26th
The Library of Lost and found by Phaedra Patrick

April
30th 
Murder on Trinity Place by Victoria Thompson
Sweet on You by Becky Wade



May
7th
Romanov by Nadine Brandes
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
14th
The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay
Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait by Allison Weir
21st
Wooing Cadie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner

28th Happy birthday to me
Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan

June
1st
The Noble Guardian by Michelle Griep
4th
The King’s Mercy by Lori Benton
The Number of Love by Roseann M White

9th
My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love by Amanda Baratt

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Review of The Tattooist of Auschwitz


The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather MorrisTitle:  The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Author: Heather Morris

Pages: 256

Genre: Historical fiction

Rating: 4 Stars

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is a hard novel to read not because of the way it’s written, but because of the heavy topic. But it's a time in our history that we need to know about. And sometimes reading about it in a historical fiction novel allows it to reach more people than a history textbook would reach.  
This book is a story of courage in a dark time in not only Jewish history but world history.  This book is based on the life of a Holocaust survivor Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov who was also the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist. Learning this bit of history that the nazi's would force a Jew to tattoo his fellow Jewish prisoners makes even more heartbreaking. As a student of history I'm pretty sure that this was never taught in any history classes I've ever taken.  
I'm thankful that Heather Morris meet Lale and that he allowed her to tell his story. A story that might have otherwise been lost to time.  While it's a hard story to read it definitely worth reading. I suggest having tissues handy.  I recommend that everyone read this but I do realize that it is a hard subject for some to read about.  That's why I also add proceed with caution.  





Friday, January 4, 2019

Reading this week


Finished

Reading
A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz


Non-fiction reading
The Family Tree Scottish Genealogy Guide by Amanda Epperson

Classic

Audio on the Way to Work

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
Getting ready to read
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson
All Made Up by Kara Isaac
Room for Cream by Erynn Mangum



Reviewing

Devotional reading



Did not Finish

Reviews Posted this week



Thursday, January 3, 2019

January TBR



A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz

Room for Cream by Eyrnn Mangum

All Made up by Kara Isaac

Code of Valor by Lynette Eason


Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Reading Goals and Reading Challenges for 2019

Read all the OWLCrate have as of (December 2018)

Read new OwlCrate books with in three months of getting them

Read at least three Classics

Read 12 Non-fiction books

Read three own voices books

Finish five series

Catch up on the Outlander book series

TBR: Jar I'll draw one title out each month to read. Either a physical book or an e-book

Read 5 physical books and five e-books before I buy a new

My Goodreads goal for 2019 is : 52 books 

My goodreads challenges 


Country 1- We will start in the good ole US of A.

Maybe as a fun challenge for you all, pick a state of the US that you have not been to, but would like to visit for your first read of this challenge.
1. US-
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Ok, who's in for this one- I'll do levels in case you don't want to commit to all 12.

1-4 books- Taking a little trip

5-8 books- Expanding your horizons

9-12 books- Around the world we go.
January-clean off your bookshelf
1.
2.
3.
4.
3-4 book making more room
The suspense is killing me
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Holding your breathe 6-11 books
Past, Present and Catch Up
Ok here's a new one that I thought could be pretty fun. I'll give it 6 months as even though it's only 3 books to complete the challenge, classics can be pretty lengthy at times :)

Here's what this challenge entails-

Read three books-

1.) A Classic book - one that you haven't read before, but have always meant to!

2) A contemporary book that you see a lot of members posting about "It's popular" and so you are going to join in and read it too. ( certainly a group read book can count towards this one.

3) A catch up book- look over the books on our our group read shelves and pick one that you haven't read yet, so the you can catch up :).

That's it only 3 :)

What's in a name? 2019


Here is your list for the first 6 months of 2019.


1) A book with a name of a residence in the title,


2) A book with either the word "Boys" or "Girls" in the title .


3) A book with any words relating to a body of water


4) A Book with the word "Shadow" in the title


5) A book with either "Silver" or "Gold" in the title-


6) A book with the words "Secret" or "Hidden" in the title.


Kindle Challenge-2019
Ok Kindle users here is your 6 month challenge to start off 2019!

1. Read a book with a 4 star rating or higher.

2. Read a freebie!

3. Read a book in a series.

4. Read an ebook or listen to an audiobook in a Libby App. (through overdrive) If that's not an option, then hand your kindle to a friend and have them choose one for you.

5. Read an ebook that is under 50 pages.

6. Read an ebook that you have had on your kindle for over a year.


Rainbow 2019
I've actually posted this one before a few years back, but since folks have brought it up I guess it's time to re-visit this challenge :). This will be a 6 month challenge as there are 6 colors that I'm choosing for the colors of the rainbow. So you are looking for books that are-

1- Red on the cover or the word "Red" in the title.

2- Orange on the cover or the word "Orange" in the title.

3.- Yellow on the cover or the word "Yellow" in the title.

4. -Green on the cover or the word "Green in the title.

5.- Blue on the cover or the word "Blue" in the title.

6.- Purple on the cover or the word "Purple in the title.
Mystery 2019
There are a lot of mystery lovers in this group so I am brining this one back and switching it up just a little bit, so some of the categories will be a little different than last year, but mostly the same. Hope you have fun with this one. You will read 12 mysteries in these different categories- 1 per month .

Here are your categories-
Read 12 mysteries, featuring:

-An amateur sleuth
-A disappearance
-A lost valuable or artifact
-An experienced detective
-A mystery with some type of food or drink in the title
-A mystery that does not have a murder
-A mystery that is not set in the US or England
-A Christmas mystery
-A historical mystery
-A mystery with a book pictured on the cover
-A mystery with a lawyer, courtroom, judge, etc.
-A mystery with a Detective Team
Nonfiction 2019
Sophomore/wise fool 6-15
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Cozy Mysteries 2019
1-10 Nancy Drew
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
1-0.

Library challenge 2019
Picture Book 6-15 library books
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Finish the series 2019
3-5 series
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Back to the classics 2019
3-10 Jane Eyre
1.
2.
3.
Marathon TBR 2019
50 Yard Dash read 12-14 books
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

New Releases 2019
1-10 Fresh Off the printing press
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Around the World 2019
A bit of Jaunt 1-5 Countries
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

e-reader 2019
I read on my kindle app on my iphone 5-10 ebooks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
50 states 2019
Getting a look at the USA 1-12
1.
2.
3
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Read your Bible Challenge
12 for 12
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

And the Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge