When Courage Calls - Janette Oke

Title: When Courage Calls (Return to the Canadian West #1)
Author: Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
Pages: 336
Published: 2014
Genre: Christian fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: When new schoolteacher Beth Thatcher is assigned a post in a remote mining community, her courage--and her heart--will be tested in unexpected ways. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This was a palate cleanser of sorts for me and I quite enjoyed the book.  I normally try to avoid Christian fiction books, as I feel that they are too cookie cutter.  And even though this was a typical Christian fiction book, at least for the most part, there were aspects that were interesting.

But it ended up being a fairly typical Christian romance book, especially since most of the characters felt very stock to me and didn't really change that much.

Bottom line: While I felt that the book was adequate and it was nothing earth shattering for me, this would appeal to fans of Jannette Oke and those enjoy Christian romance books.  Recommended, but to a very specific group.

Rating: 2.25/5

The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Last Battle (The Chronicles of Narnia #7)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 229
Published: 1994 (first published 1955)
Challenges: Classics Club, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Children's, Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-market Paperback
Source: Church Library

Description: The last battle is the greatest battle of all. Narnia... where lies breed fear... where loyalty is tested... where all hope seems lost. During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge - not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to theChronicles of Narnia. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: After reading the other 6 books in the series, I think that I expected a different end and that my expectations were somewhat elevated as to how the series ended, not that I didn't enjoy the journey.  I think that while my expectations were inflated, it was a good way to end the series  This might be a series to revisit down the road by reading the omnibus copy that I own.

Bottom line: The story itself seemed to be ok, but felt it to be a little slow at times.  Overall it was a satisfying ending to the series.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2015:  2,940

If you have read the book, what did you think?

The Silver Chair - C. S. Lewis

Title: The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia #6)
Author: C. S. Lewis
Pages: 272
Published: 1994 (first published 1953)
Challenges: Finishing the Series, Classics Club, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Children's, Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Church Library

Description: A prince imprisoned - a country in peril. Narnia... where giants wreak havoc.... where evil weaves a spell... where enchantment rules. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends are sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  Really enjoyed this book, as it seemed to have a better flow to the story than The Dawn Treader and seemed to be less contrived than the previous book and more of what I have usually experienced with other narrative fiction that I have read.

I think that the biggest reason that I enjoyed the book was the introduction of Jill Pole.  She gave the book a lightness to the book that really allowed me to enjoy reading the book.

Bottom line: A good continuation of the series that retains the magic of the earlier books. Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2015: 2,711

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia #5)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 288
Published: 1994 (first published 1952)
Challenges: Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library, The Classics Club
Genre: Children's, Classics, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Church Library

Description: Lucy and Edmund, with their dreadful cousin Eustace, get magically pulled into a painting of a ship at sea. That ship is the Dawn Treader, and on board is Caspian, King of Narnia. He and his companions, including Reepicheep, the valiant warrior mouse, are searching for seven lost lords of Narnia, and their voyage will take them to the edge of the world. Their adventures include being captured by slave traders, a much-too-close encounter with a dragon, and visits to many enchanted islands, including the place where dreams come true. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: For some reason, I found this book to be difficult to get through.  Maybe it was the fact that the story seemed to be too chaotic and disjointed for liking and that maybe if I were closer to the age of the main characters, I may have enjoyed the book a more than I did.

Bottom line: For me at least, there were parts of the book that felt dull but also there were parts that were enjoyable and entertaining.  It was a nice continuation of the series and towards the end of the book, I finally could see the illusion that Lewis was aiming towards.  Recommended.

Rating: 2.75/5

Pages for 2015: 2,335

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

Title: Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia #4)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 240
Published: 2001 (first published 1951)
Challenges: Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library, The Classics Club
Genre: Children's Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Library

Description: The Pevensie siblings travel back to Narnia to help a prince denied his rightful throne as he gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I enjoyed this one much more than The Horse and His Boy in part due to the fact that story was less fantastical, but more a bit more based in "reality".  I think it also helped that the Pevensie siblings (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) made an appearance for a good portion of the book and that there was a definable good vs. evil story.  

Bottom line: I enjoyed this book much more than The Horse and His Boy and thought it to be better thought out and more coherent.  It is a good continuation of the series and introduces characters that become important in other books as well.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2015: 687

The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia #3)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 241
Published: 1994 (first published 1954)
Challenges: Back to the Classics, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Official TBR, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library, The Classics Club
Genre: Children's, Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Narnia... where some horses talk, where treachery is brewing, where destiny awaits. On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about the book, as I had great expectations of the book and found it to be ho-hum.  I was unable to find a rhythm with the book and just couldn't get into the novel itself.  It felt more like a separate story than the other two book and didn't particularly like the fantastical element in this book, even though the first two had that same element in them.   And honestly I just couldn't see were the book fits into the overall story.

Bottom line: While I wasn't enamoured with the book, I felt that it was a really good continuation of the series and I look forward to seeing how this book connects to the rest of the series.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2015: 447

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #2)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 206
Published: 1994 (first published 1950)
Challenges: Classics Club, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the  Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Classic, Children's, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Library

Description: When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to stay with a kind professor who lives in the country, they can hardly imagine the extraordinary adventure that awaits them.

It all begins one rainy summer day when the children explore the professor's rambling old house. When they come across a room with an old wardrobe in the corner, Lucy immediately opens the door and gets inside. To her amazement, she suddenly finds herself standing in the clearing of a wood on a winter after-noon, with snowflakes falling through the air. Lucy has found Narnia, a magical land of fauns and centaurs, nymphs and talking animals -- and the beautiful but evil White Witch, who has held the country in eternal winter for a hundred years. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Unlike the previous books (The Magician's Nephew), I quite enjoyed the read and felt engaged with the book.  I really liked how the story flowed and how the book continued the series.  It had a faster pace to it than The Magician's Nephew).

I really liked how the book built on The Magician's Nephew and how it could also be a stand-alone, based on how the book ended.

Bottom line: I quite enjoyed the book and liked the pacing of the book.  A very enjoyable read and a good continuation of the series.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2015: 206

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia #1) *
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 220
Published: 2002 (first published 1955)
Challenges: I Love Libraries
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Polly's hand went out to touch one of the rings. Immediately, without a flash or a noise, she vanished. When horrible Uncle Andrew starts experimenting with magic, Digory and Polly find themselves in another world, and at the beginning of an incredible adventure, as the doorway to the magical land of Narnia opens This is the first adventure in the exciting Chronicles of Narnia. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I saw a set of books while volunteering at my church library and since I had not fully read the series in its entirety from start to finish and took the opportunity to read them.

Even though I do know that the books are geared towards the middle grades, I wasn't exactly wowed with the book and the book to be a little slow at times, even though it was cute.  It definitely does give the reader a good introduction to the world of Narnia and serves as a launching point to the rest of the series.

Bottom line: As I said earlier, the book is a solid introduction to the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia series.  It would be an excellent introduction to fantasy to that are a bit young to read the Harry Potter series and other fantasy books that are geared to older readers.  Recommended, but strongly recommended for young readers who are interested in fantasy.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 28,152

* I will be posting the books in their chronological order rather than the publication order.

Bridge to Haven - Francine Rivers

Title: Bridge to Haven
Author: Francine Rivers
Pages: 500
Published: 2014
Challenges: Chunkster, Historical Fiction, I Love Libraries
Genre: Christian Fiction
Edition: Trade Paperback
Source: Library

Description: To those who matter in 1950s Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she s paid to finally feel like she s somebody. To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven. Zeke and his son, Joshua Abra s closest friend watch her grow into an exotic beauty. But Zeke knows the circumstances surrounding her birth etched scars deep in her heart, scars that leave her vulnerable to a fast-talking bad boy who proclaims his love and lures her to Tinseltown. Hollywood feels like a million miles from Haven, and naive Abra quickly learns what s expected of an ambitious girl with stars in her eyes. But fame comes at an awful price. She has burned every bridge to get exactly what she thought she wanted. Now, all she wants is a way back home. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: While I am Christian, I find that the vast majority of Christian that is on the market is very formulaic and while this book does probably a certain element of that formulaic model, the book had a quality to the writing that drew me into the story.  I felt that the characters were believable and real, as though they really could have existed and I also liked how Josh and Abra were able to build the foundation of their relationship through establishing a friendship before starting a romantic relationship.

Bottom line: While for the most part I really enjoyed the book, I did feel that the book started out a little slower than I expected.  Overall, it was a pretty decent story that will please most fans of Christian fiction.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Pages for 2014: 24,672

All Things New - Lynn Austin

Title: All Things New
Author:: Lynn Austin
File size (Pages): 1367 KB (416)
Published: 2012
Genre: Christian fiction, Historical fiction
Challenges: Support Your Library, Historical Fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: In the aftermath of the Civil War, Josephine Weatherly and her mother, Eugenia, struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives when they return to their Virginia plantation. But the bitter realities of life after the war cannot be denied: their home and land are but shells of their previous grandeur; death has claimed her father and brother; and her remaining brother, Daniel, has returned home bitter and broken. The privileged childhood Josephine enjoyed now seems like a long-ago dream. And the God who failed to answer any of her prayers during the war is lost to her as well.

Josephine soon realizes that life is now a matter of daily survival--and recognizes that Lizzie, as one of the few remaining servants, is the one she must rely on to teach her all she needs to know. Josephine's mother, too, vows to rebuild White Oak... but a bitter hatred fuels her. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I thought that the book was okay.  It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either; it felt like it was middle of the road and much like a number of Lynn Austin's current books and felt that it could have been better.  I felt irritated with the relationship between Josephine and her mother evolve a little differently and felt that their relationship was sort of made "nice" in relative short order and that Daniel really didn't face any real consequences for his actions in the book; it felt too unrealistic in that Daniel basically got away with his actions and I am sure that if that had really happened during the reconstruction period, that he would have been arrested and put up on trial for his actions.  I wish that Christian writers wouldn't put things in nice and tidy bows and assume that people got away with things of that sort of seriousness.

Bottom line: Overall, I quite enjoyed the book and look forward to more of Ms. Austin's writing.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2012: 19841

Lady of Milkweed - Julie Klassen

Title: Lady of Milkweed Manor
Author: Julie Klassen
File Size (Pages): 5678 KB (411)
Published: 2010 (first published 2008)
Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction
Challenges: Support Your Library, Historical Fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: Even a proper vicar's daughter can make a mistake—and now Charlotte Lamb must pay a high price for her fall. To avoid the prying eyes of all who know her, she hides herself away in London's forbidding "Milkweed Manor", a place of mystery and lore, of old secrets and new birth.

But once there, she comes face to face with a suitor from her past—a man who now hides secrets of his own. Both are determined, with God's help, to protect those they love. But neither can imagine the depth of sacrifice that will be required. (via British Columbia Libraries)

Thoughts: It was a quick and easy read for me.  While it took me only three days to finish the book, I probably could have easily the book in about a day's read.  If it had been a book that I had purchased, it would have been a book that I would have put in those free libraries that have been sprouting up in various places around the world.  It was nothing memorable and basically it was fluff.

Bottom line:  If it hadn't been for the fact that I had borrowed one of Ms. Klassen's later books from the library, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book.  Its a great book for the beach as its basically a ball of fluff and there wasn't much substance to the book.  Recommended for the beach or a plane trip.

Rating: 1.5/5

Pages for 2012: 16334

A Dream to Call My Own - Tracie Peterson

Title: A Dream to Call My Own
Author: Tracie Peterson
Pages: 365
Published: 2009
Genre: Christian fiction, Historical Ficiton
Challenges: Support Your Library, Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Lacy Gallatin, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters, is a woman with a mission: to find her father's killer.  Haunted by the belief that she's failed her pa, Lacy also battles a desire to have something more than just revenge, something she can't quite figure out.

Enter Dave Shepard, deputy sheriff for Gallatin Crossing, Montana.  Dave is close to figuring out who killed George Gallatin, but he always feels inadequate when it comes to the beautiful Lacy. When they are together, the tension crackles between them--both when they argue and when they kiss.  Lacy finds him frustratingly irresistible...but is it truly love? (via back cover of book)

Thoughts: Overall I thought the book to be pretty good, considering the genre, which I find to be a bit cookie cutter at times and a bit predictable at times.  There were the usual cliches when it comes to Christian fiction, in that the main female character falls in love and questions that love for the male character that she loves and wonders if she deserves that love and the fact that the main character(s) is put in some sort of mortal/mental struggle that gave it that cliched feel to the book.  But there was the fact that Lacy was questioning her own abilities of a potential wife that made her more real as a character.

Bottom line:  For its genre, its a pretty good read and if you have read any of Tracie Peterson's books, you will probably will enjoy this series and was a book that didn't require a lot of thought to get through and was quite easy to read.  While there was nothing special or thought provoking, it was pretty decent, especially if you a fan of Christian fiction.  And I would recommend the book to those that read Christian fiction.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2012: 12808

A Love to Last Forever - Tracie Peterson

Title: A Love to Last Forever
Author: Tracie Peterson
Pages: 384
Published: 2009
Genre: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5

All Beth Gallatin has really wanted out of life is to settle down in one town, with one man, and raise a family. But with her father's roaming ways, she's always been denied that dream; instead, she found solace in reading romantic books. With her father's passing, she can, for the first time, dare to claim the rugged Montana frontier as her home.

Nick Lassiter has loved Beth since she first came to town, but she's always seemed to think of him more as a brother. Just when he finally gets Beth to consider him, however, a challenger threatens the affection growing between them. But neither Nick nor Beth is prepared when they must face the consequences of Nick's complicated past.

As a past fraught with unwise choices and guilt invades their world, can Nick and Beth find a love that will last forever? (via Goodreads)

Why I read this book: I read it because I liked the first book in the series and wanted to see how the series evolved.

Thoughts: It was about the same as the first book in the series, but better than the books in the Song of Alaska series that I completed not that long ago.  It was a nice break from the heavier books that I was reading at the time and really enjoyed the flow of the book.  I liked the fact that the book wasn't full of cliches, as Christian fiction tends to be at times, but it was just cheesy enough that it didn't make me hurl the book across the room and dread reading it.  If you enjoy reading Christian fiction, I would recommend it.

9138 / 15000 pages. 61% done!

Twilight's Serenade - Tracie Peterson

Title: Twilight's Serenade
Author: Tracie Peterson
Published: 2010
Pages: 368
Genre: Christian fiction, Historical fiction
Rating: 2.5/5

Britta Lindquist left Sitka six years ago in an attempt to distance herself from the love of her life, Yuri Belikov. Upon her return, she finds Yuri absent and his wife about to deliver a child. When tragic circumstances ensue, Britta suddenly finds herself caring for Yuri's children--and her life intertwining with the man she's tried so hard to forget.
But Britta's other great love is for the violin, and her talent is recognized by Brenton Maltese, a conductor from England. He proposes she accept the coveted first chair position in his orchestra•and also his hand in marriage. At a crossroads, Britta must determine what her heart truly longs for--and if she's willing to fight for it. (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: I read this book due to the fact that I had read the other two books and wanted to find out what happened to the Lundquist family.  And quite honestly, I was a tad disappointed in the book. The reason that I was tad disappointed was because I had hoped that the book wouldn't be as cliched as the second book, but sadly it was, at least in sections of the book.  I did find that towards the end of the book that the storyline improved, but only slightly.  It nicely closed out the series, although I would have liked to have the middle child, a daughter, more involved in the story, even if it were only through letters, etc.

8032 / 15000 pages. 54% done!

Morning's Refrain - Tracie Peterson

Title: Morning's Refrain
Author: Tracie Peterson
Published: 2010
Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction, Historical fiction, Christian fiction
Rating: 2.5/5

As dark family secrets threaten the tranquility of the life he's come to love, Dalton Bjorklund must make difficult choices about the future. To complicate matters, Phoebe Robbins falls into his life quite literally when Dalton rescues her after she falls overboard in the Sitka Harbor. He quickly loses his heart.

But Dalton is not the only one who decides to seek Phoebe's attentions--his best friend, Yuri, decides to court her when Dalton must travel from Sitka. But when Dalton realizes the depth of his love for Phoebe and returns, the two friends find that their battle for Phoebe's affection is only the start of the problems that face them. (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: I enjoyed the first half of the book, but for then on end the book seemed to fall into the old cliche that are Christian romance book. I would have liked to see Dalton not have as much spine as he had towards Marston and him fight his demons a little more than it be so very cliched that the good Christian finds a way to stand up to Marston. For the most part I really like Tracie's books, but this one was a big whatever. I would have liked to see Phoebe and Dalton's relationship evolve over a period of time rather over the course of what amounted to a six month courtship. Could this book be any more cliched? Will read the last book in the series, but I am hoping that the writing will be better.

6542 / 15000 pages. 44% done!

A Promise to Believe In - Tracie Peterson

Title: A Promise to Believe In
Author: Tracie Peterson
Pages: 384
Published: 2008
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

Gwen, Beth, and Lacy Gallatin fashion a life for themselves in the Montana wilds, operating a roadhouse that is located at the crossroads of two major stage lines. When their father is accidentally killed, the oldest sister, Gwen, reasons that she's cursed. After all, death seems to haunt her: her mother, now her father...and she was married for a mere ten days before her husband died from a bout of measles.
As Gwen and her sisters struggle to maintain the inn on their own, an unexpected visitor adds to the mayhem. Hank Bishop claims to be searching for something in the possession of Gwen's late husband. But mayhem of another sort builds in Gwen's heart as she finds a growing attraction to this man. Can she dare to hope that love might again be hers? (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I really liked this, except for a moment near the end of the book which had one moment which was very cheesy and threw off the remaining 10 or so pages.  It was nice easy read and the story was going along very smoothly until the moment near the end of the book, which seemed to be rushed and hurried along.  I really enjoy Peterson's books, and she is one of the few Christian writers that I will read, and can only hope that the remaining 2 books in the series don't have the same rushed ending that is cheesy.

5459 / 15000 pages. 36% done!

Dawn's Prelude - Tracie Peterson

Title:  Dawn's Prelude
Author: Tracie Peterson
Pages: 368
Published: 2009
Genre: Historical fiction, Christian fiction
Rating: 3.5/5

Married off at a tender age to a harsh, older widower, Lydia Gray can't help but feel a measure of relief when an accident claims his life. What happens next, however, is a surprise to everyone#58; Through an unforeseen fluke, Lydia finds herself the sole recipient of her late husband's fortune. But instead of granting her security, strife ensues as her adult stepchildren battle to regain the inheritance for themselves. pLydia longs to wash her hands of the situation and determines to join her aunt in Alaska, putting financial decisions in the capable hands of her lawyer. The beauty and serenity of life in Sitka appeal to Lydia, as does Kjell Lindquist, the handsome owner of the local sawmill. But a new discovery in Lydia's life forces her to rethink her future. She is bound to her past as never before...but what more must she sacrifice?

Thoughts: Other than what I think was an impossible way to go through labour, I really enjoyed the book and thought that the book flowed really well. While I haven't had amnesia, I have heard of when amnesia has completely changed a person's personality and it probably also can rob a person of their memories to the point where they have to ask people about things about their likes and dislikes.  It was a nice quick read when in the middle of some very dense books.

2797 / 15000 pages. 19% done!

The Missing by Beverly Lewis

 Description: Twenty-one-year-old Grace Byler longs to find her missing mother and to uncover the secret that drove her to leave them three weeks before. Grace suspects the reason has to do with her father and his reserved, uncommunicative ways. This conviction led Grace to break off her betrothal to her quiet, staid beau, and she is now resigned to remain single. But when the young Amishman she thought was courting her best friend takes a sudden interest in her, Grace is befuddled and wonders if he can be trusted. "Englisher" Heather Lang has come to Amish country to relive fond memories of her mother and to contemplate a grave medical prognosis of her own. While in Bird-in-Hand, Heather meets Grace Byler and the two young women strike up a fast friendship, amazed by how well they click. Following the only clue they have, Grace and Heather travel together in hopes of finding Grace''s mother and bringing her home. Will they find what they''re looking for...or something much more?

Review: It was much better than the first book in the series, which seemed to drag a bit. It was interesting to see how the storylines in the book are starting to pick up both on the Lettie and Heather side of things, with the Grace storyline sort of just linking the two of them. Hopefully the third book, which is due out in April, will tie up the storylines.

Two Book Reviews

I finished two books yesterday and here are the reviews for the books:

Book One:
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.

Description: [Timothy Keller] uses one of the best-known Christian parables to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation.

Review: A very interesting and thought provoking book. While most of the book seemed to be discussing parts of the parable that I already knew and understood, but what was most interesting was his discussion on the eldest son, which rarely gets a worth mention at all in most sermons that I have heard on the parable. Recommended.

Book Two:

The Secret by Beverly Lewis

Description: In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment. Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County--the last place she and her mother had visited together. Will Heather find healing for body and spirit? As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.


Review: If you have read any of Beverly Lewis' previous books, you can probably get through this book in short order. It was a good read, especially to pass the time as I either was waiting for a bus or riding on the bus to and from work. It is one of the more lighter pieces of fiction that I enjoy and thought that the storylines were intriguing, but mostly liked the storyline with Heather, as there wasn't much and when there was something, it wasn't connected at all to the primary storyline. I hope that the next two books provide more of the Heather storyline, but what one hopes and what one gets are two different things all together. Recommended for those that have enjoyed Ms. Lewis' previous work.