A Blog Award

 Brenda from Curling Up With a Good Book gave me The {Booker} Award recently and I'm so excited about it! I love receiving blog awards and the rules for this one are great!

Thank you so much Brenda for giving me this award.  I appreciate it!

The Rules:

1. This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blogger's blog must be 50% about books (this includes writing blogs or reader blogs).

2. When you accept this award you must also share what your top five all time favorite books are. Going over five is encouraged.

3. You must pass this award on to five to ten other book blogs that you adore :)

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So here are a few of my All Time Favorite Books...

Source:  Goodreads

I absolutely adore EVERY book in the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  They just make me happy!

Source:  Goodreads

I love the Anne of Green Gables Series and pretty much anything written by L.M. Montgomery.  This book is the first book I fell in love with as a child.  I loved Anne so much, and still do I might add (:

Source:  Goodreads

I am a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott, and Little Women (along with Little Men and Jo's Boys) are among my favorites of all her work.

Source:  Goodreads

I just LOVE this book!

"If he loved  you with all the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn't love you as much as I do in a single day."  (Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights)

And with writing like that who wouldn't!

Source:  Goodreads

I don't see how anyone who's read this book couldn't fall in love with it.  Such a powerful story!

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I think you'll notice a recurring theme in the books above...all women authors & all historical fiction.

Seven In February...A Recap

I read seven books in the month of February.  They were all from the romance genre since I am participating in the Cupcakes War Reading Challenge, and it's genre for February was of course romance.  To read my thoughts on any of the books below just click on the link below the book.

Redeeming Love...Powerful!
Photo Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On The Notebook
Photo Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On Like Water For Chocolate
Photo Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On Home Front By Kristin Hannah
Photo Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On The Romance Novel, One True Love
Photo Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On Bluegrass State Of Mind
Photo Source:  Goodreads

My Thoughts On Daughter Of Joy
Photos Source:  Goodreads

I had hoped to finish The Thorn Birds by the end of February bringing my total to eight, but I just couldn't fit it in.  I'm hoping to finish it in the next few days.  I'm really looking forward to March and a month of mysteries.

Redeeming Love...POWERFUL!

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

     "California's gold country, 1850.  A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
     Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal.  Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive.  And what she hates most are the the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
     The she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father's heart in everything.  Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally.  Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.
     But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear.  And so Angel runs.  Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny:  Her final healing must come down from the One who loves her even more than Michael does...the One who will never let her go.
     A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God's unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love."

Francine Rivers
Source:  Novel Pastimes

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"Love the Lord your God, and love one another.  Love one another as he loves.  Love with strength and purpose and passion and no matter what comes against you.  Don't weaken.  Stand against the darkness, and love.  That's the way back into Eden.  That's the way back to life."

(Source:  Redeeming Love pg. 462)

If I could use just one word to describe this book, it would be...POWERFUL!

I loved this book.  From the epilogue to the prologue I was hooked.  I couldn't put it down.  It's full of passion and betrayal and unconditional love.  There are parts of the book that are very hard to read, making me sick with the horror of what was happening, and there were chapters where I just wanted to slap Angel and scream at her..."Open your eyes!".  But then I'd remember that 8 year old girl and what she'd suffered and my heart broke for her.  There were times when I was on the edge of my seat anticipating the break through Michael was so lovingly urging her toward, and there were times of beauty and laughter.

But I think the main thing I took away from this book is...To love anyone the way you should, the way they deserve to be loved--your husband, your child, your mother, father, sister, brother, friends--you have to love God above all else.

I think anyone who enjoys a good story will enjoy this book, but if you love romance novels, Redeeming Love is must read!

A Little More Than Halfway...

Source:  Goodreads

I'm now on page 266 of 464, and I'm loving this book.


At the beginning of each chapter there is a heading.  Most are from The Bible, but not all.  I was particularly touched by the heading for chapter 15.  It is from The Bible.

Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.     Matthew 18: 21-22

Two New Books Today!!!

My latest order from amazon.com came in the mail today.

The first one is The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Anne K. Edwards.  I purchased this book for fairly obvious reasons.  I do a book blog and would like to learn how to do a proper book review.

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

If you're an experienced reviewer, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing will serve as an excellent reference tool and amalgam of resources.  If you're a beginner, this book will show you how to write a well-written, honest, objective and professional book review.  It will also teach you:

• How to read critically

• How to differentiate the various types of reviews

• How to rate books

• How to prevent amateurish mistakes

• How to deal with ethics and legalities of reviewing

• How to start your own review site

• How to publish your reviews on dozens of sites and even make money while you're at it, and much more

If you're an author, publisher, publicist, bookseller, librarian, or reader, this book will also bring to light the importance and influence of book reviews within a wider spectrum.

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The second book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.  I purchased this book because it's been on my "to be read" list for a long time.  I'm also participating in a reading challenge that will focus on the romance genre during the month of February.  I've read several books by Rivers and, I've never been disappointed.  So I'm anticipating loving this one.

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

California's gold country, 1850.  A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. 

 Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal.  Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive.  And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father's heart in everything.  Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally.  Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's bitter expectations, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw. 

But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear.  And so Angel runs.  Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny:  Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does...the One who will never let her go. 

A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God's unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.

Do You Read Christian Fiction?

When I worked at the library a couple years ago, I had never read much Christian fiction.  I didn't even realize it was such a huge genre.  When I came across these books I was intrigued and immediately checked them out.  Even though they were in the fiction section, they are based on the TRUE stories and real women found in the Bible.  Rivers starts each book with the scripture that the book is based on and ends with study questions.  I LOVED these books!

These books are about 5 women who were chosen by God to serve a special purpose, and to play a major role in the lineage of Christ.  They are known as the Lineage of Grace series.  I checked them out individually.

Source:  www.goodreads.com

Source:  www.goodreads.com

Source:  www.goodreads.com

Source:  www.goodreads.com

Source:  www.goodreads.com

You can also find these books in a compilation called, A Lineage of Grace.

Source:  www.goodreads.com

Summary from Goodreads...
"In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary—even scandalous—challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World."

Francine Rivers
Source:  www.goodreads.com

From 1976 -1985 Francine Rivers was a successful writer, but in 1986 after being Saved she wrote Redeeming Love.  It's been on the Christian bestseller list for more than a decade.  You can find out more about Francine Rivers' by visiting her website, www.francinerivers.com.

Source:  www.goodreads.com

From Goodreads...
"Best-selling author Francine Rivers skillfully retells the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea in a tale set against the exciting backdrop of the California Gold Rush. The heroine, Angel, is a young woman who was sold into prostitution as a child. Michael Hosea is a godly man sent into Angel's life to draw her into the Savior's redeeming love. This remarkable novel has sold over a million copies globally and has been a fixture on the CBA bestsellers list for nearly a decade. A six-part reading guide, suitable for individual use or group discussion, is included in this best-selling novel."

I haven't read Redeeming Love, but I'm going to add it to my list.  Do you read Christian fiction?  Who is your favorite author?