Wow, I have read some amazing books this month. Some of the following recommendations are short, sweet, and to the point, while others are more lengthy and detailed. So let’s talk books.
Unoffendable: No Offense. None Taken. by Ryan Leak
This is one of those books that I will probably reread. It is a good resource on how to prevent, or rather how to handle offense. Offense is going to happen, even the Bible says so. The key is how we react. In order to live unoffended, we can anticipate and have a plan, before the offense occurs. Forgiveness is also important to living a life unoffended. I encourage you to check out Unoffendable: No Offense. None Taken by Ryan Leak.
When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma
It is 1871, between the sawmill, the wooden ware factory, and the railroad making its way towards them, the residences are becoming quite prosperous. However, due to dry conditions, fires surrounding the village present threatening and dangerous conditions.
Mariah Randolph is a talented aspiring artist who lives in the thriving village of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Mariah’s father has two dry goods stores, one in Peshtigo and one in nearby Mariette, run by his son-in-law. The success of the two stores provide a comfortable life for Mariah, her parents, and her sister and brother-in-law.
Hollis Stanford, Mariah’s fiance, is the son of the railroad baron building the tracks that will bring even more prosperity to Peshtigo, Mariette, and beyond. Hollis is a widow and has a daughter, Angelina, back in Chicago.
Jay Franklin is the bookkeeper for the railroad. He is in charge of keeping track of the finances related to the railroad project in Peshtigo. He grew up in poverty, until the senior Mr. Stanford saw his natural ability with numbers. Mr. Stanford educated him and then hired him.
Jay discovered some discrepancies in the books around the same time Mariah received a letter warning her of Hollis’ sketchy handling of money. Jay and Mariah had become friends. They had discovered each other’s suspicions about Hollis. Mariah didn’t want to believe it but agreed to help Jay find out the truth. Then fire turned the town to ashes.
The aftermath was devastating. An entire town was wiped out. Survivors living in tents, no food, no possessions, no proper clothing, and worst of all winter was around the corner.
I enjoyed this story very much. Mariah struggles to recover from the devastating fire, her questioning God, and having to overcome the grief and loss was realistic. Many Christians find themselves going through the process of moving forward despite all the pain of losing so much. The situation and details may be different but I think many people can identify with Mariah’s turmoil.
I expected a happy ending, but enjoyed how the author tied up all the events of before and after the fire. There were many pieces in the story, but not so many that the reader couldn’t keep up. Liz Tolsma vividly described the fires through Mariah’s art leading up to the fire and the hours of survival during the fire, as well as in her description of the aftermath following the fire and the days, weeks, and months of recovery.
The Prayer of Unwanting by David Williams
This book is not your typical Bible study style. The author breaks down the Lord’s Prayer connecting the biblical context of the day and original language to modern day context. At times I thought Williams was getting off topic with his modern day analogies, but then he would bring it back to the Sermon on the Mount. I didn’t always make the connection between Williams modern analogy with the biblical content, which is why I only gave this book three stars. Lastly, I almost stopped reading after the last chapter, but discovered there was another section where Williams gave tips on how to pray the Lord’s Prayer so that it doesn’t become rote, stays fresh and keeps its meaning. This last section was the best part. Had I stopped at what I thought was the end of the book, I would have missed out on this little nugget of information. It would be like leaving the dinner table, only to find out later there was dessert and you missed it.
Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg
So interesting. I love how the author blends the Jewish and Christian faith together. My knowledge and understanding of Jesus’ life is much deeper now.
So interesting. I love how the author blends the Jewish and Christian faith together. My knowledge and understanding of Jesus’ life is much deeper now.
Eve’s Daughters by Lynn Austin
One of the best books I’ve read. It is relatable. Part one is about Emma’s mother who followed her husband, Friedrich to America in search of a better life, at the end of the late 1800s. She left behind her family, friends, everything she knew, everything familiar, and all she’d dreamed about.
Emma is expected to live the life her parents have chosen for her. Marry a German man from her father’s congregation. When she rebels tragedy strikes. She begins living life as if she’s being punished by God for her disobedience and rebellion.
Emma’s daughter, Gracie, grows up during the Great Depression. She grew up without a father, believing he didn’t want her, didn’t love her. She lives a life of wanting to be loved and accepted. She gives up her dreams to be a dutiful wife and mother.
Emma’s granddaughter is like her, rebellious. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, she saw protests, changes, and people fighting for equality. She isn’t willing to let anything stand in her way or deter her from pursuing her dreams. She won’t sacrifice what she wants like her mother did, even if it means leaving her husband and her daughters growing up with their father halfway across the country.
Most people have made sacrifices for those they love, whether it’s a child, parent, spouse, friend, or employer/employee. We keep secrets in order to protect our loved ones from getting hurt.
The four women in this story experience love, loss, and uncertainty. They struggle with what is expected, their faith in God, and pursuing their dreams. They teach us that sacrifice and secrets come with a cost. Their choices, no matter how selfless, impacted more than them. Their choices set patterns that will take generations to break or a few generations to see the benefits of those choices.
I don’t know that I would have done anything different than the women in this story. My heart broke for these women. Their stories are inspirational. They were brave and strong. Emma, her mother, her daughter, and her granddaughter all lived through difficult times, poverty and leisure, war and peace, love and loss.
Secrets Between the Shelves by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, Teresa Ives Lilly and Marilyn Turk.
Secrets Between the Shelves is a collection of four cozy mystery novellas. Each takes place in a small town, but in different parts of the United States. All are based on a murder in a bookstore and have a Christian element. Some have more of a Christian influence. Though the murders take place in bookstores, the stories have little to do with where the murders took place. Most of the stories focused more on getting to know the town and people, and less to do with whodunnit. With all that said, each story was nice and enjoyable. I liked all the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone, but don’t expect sitting on the edge of your seat, nail biting suspense. Also, the bookstore is just the location of the crime and nothing more. I gave it four stars for its lightness, enjoyable story, and cozy sweetness.
Rockets’ Dead Glare by Lynn Cahoon
Rockets’ Dead Glare is part of the A Tourist Trap Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon. Local business owners are upset when Fire Chief Barry Gleason shuts them down for frivolous fire code violations. Some of the violations are not even part of the fire code regulations. When Gleason is found dead in a burned abandoned barn, more questions arise. This is a cozy mystery, which means it is light and somewhat predictable, but nonetheless a good read.
Forever Lasting by Kathleen Brooks
This is by far my favorite author and series. The Bluegrass series consists of over 30 titles and is divided into sub-series. It takes place in the small town of Keeneston, Kentucky. The town is unique in that it consists of current and former professional football players, former and current military and federal agents, former and current law enforcement, a royal family, Kentucky Derby worthy horse farms, and so much more.
Forever Lasting is about Cassidy Davies, one of the youngest of the second generation in the Bluegrass series. Her sister Cricket is the youngest but is still little. Cassidy is CIA. She is sent to guard King Nico a friend of the Royal Rahmi family that lives in Kentucky. When the king is shot, Cassidy goes after the shooter only to be ambushed in an alley. If it wasn’t for the man in black coming to her rescue, she would not have made it out alive. Who was he? Who is behind the assassination of King Nico? Is Cassidy one of their targets?
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Till We Have Faces is a fantasy genre. Fantasy is not my thing, but I like C.S. Lewis. The story is based on the mythical tale of Cupid and Psyche. I found it to be a great book. If you like fantasy, or The Chronicles of Narnia, you’ll enjoy this work of literature as well.
That’s all the books for this month. I look forward to sharing more amazing titles and authors next time.
Until another day,
AC
little country librarian 