It's Been A REALLY Long Time...

It's been a REALLY long time since I've posted anything on here, but I just finished a series that I wanted to tell you about.  If you enjoy Jannette Oke's Love Comes Softly Series, I would really recommend the three book spin off,  A Prairie Legacy Series.  They were all really great, but I absolutely LOVED the final book in the series, A Quiet Strength.  I loved Virginia is these stories.

My Thoughts On "Kisses from Katie"

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

What would cause an eighteen-year-old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother's heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because they think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person and didn't even speak the language?  A passion to follow Jesus.  Katie Davis left over Christmas break of her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out.  She found herself so moved by the people of Uganda and the needs she saw that she knew her calling was to return and care for them.  Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, is in the process of adopting thirteen children in Uganda and has established a ministry, Amazima, that feeds and sends hundreds more to school while teaching them the Word of Jesus Christ.  Kisses from Katie invites readers on a journey of radical love down the red dirt roads of Uganda.  You'll laugh and cry with Katie as she follows Jesus into the impossible and finds joy and beauty beneath the dust.  Katie and her children delight in saying yes to the people God places in front of them and challenge readers to do the same, changing the world one person at a time.

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Katie is so honest and real that I could not help but be moved, yet she takes none of the credit.  She blindly and faithfully follows the will of  God for her life, and it makes me examine my own life.  Am I being the person God wants me to be?

To say that I enjoyed this book is an understatement.  To say that it has opened my eyes just doesn't cover it.   You would not think that a book filled with such horrors and sadness could be so inspirational, but it is.  It is because it is filled with faith, hope and redemption, and Christ's love flies off its pages!

I would recommend this book to anyone.  In fact I consider it a must read.  Thanks to Dee and Kristin for the book recommendation!!!

Love Comes Softly And More...

Source:  Goodreads

As I told you in my last post, I've decided to make 2013 a year of Christian reading.  That means I'll be reading my Bible, Christian non-fiction, and Christian fiction.

I started out with the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke.  My husband got me the series for Christmas, and I couldn't wait to get started on January 1st.  I had been planning to read this one for a long time having watched the first two movies a while ago.  I knew I'd enjoy it because I love the pioneer/prairie era and it's Christian themes were exactly the type of reading I'd been looking forward to in 2013.

Janette Oke
Source:  Goodreads

There are eight books in this series:

• Love Comes Softly
• Love's Enduring Promise
• Love's Long Journey
• Love's Abiding Joy
• Love's Unending Legacy
• Love's Unfolding Dream
• Love Takes Wing
• Love Finds a Home

This series is about the Davis family, firstly Marty and Clark whose love story I fell in love with myself.  The untimely death of Marty's first husband and the death of Clark's wife a few months earlier force the two to make an unthinkable decision...they will marry--become a partnership--in order to survive.  Marty needed a roof over her head and food to eat while Clark needed a mother for his small daughter Missie.  They never knew when they started their journey that theirs would turn into the love of a life time.  The rest of the books in the series follow this family and it's generations over the decades.  I fell in love with this family, their love for God, and their love for each other.  What an inspiring read!

I am so happy to have finally read these books!  They were everything I hoped they'd be.  I especially loved the first four in the series, the first and the third being my favorites of the entire series.

Source:  Goodreads

A Year of Christian Reading

I'm still here!

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything, and it's time to change that.  I thought I'd start out 2013 by letting you know about my reading plans for this year.  I've decided that in 2013 I will read only Christian Fiction/Nonfiction.  It is a genre that I'm ashamed to say I've read very little of, and I feel the need to fix that this year.

So to kick off my year of Christian reading, I decided to start with the Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke.  I'm on book number seven, Love Takes Wing.  My husband got me the series for Christmas and I have to say I have loved each book.  I plan to do a post about the entire series when I finish the last one.

I know the movies are very popular as well.  I've seen the first two and enjoyed them, so I plan to watch the rest when I can manage it.

I've set myself a reading goal of 50 books this year.  I usually set a goal of 100, but I never reach it.  This year I decided to set a goal that's attainable, and I'm off to a good start with 10 books so far for January.

I'm really looking forward to a year of reading, blogging, and following all the great blogs that I love!  Thanks to all of you who read mine!

My Thoughts On Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Source:  Goodreads

I'm happy to report (my daughter's even happier) that I have finally finished my first Harry Potter! I really enjoyed this book, and I absolutely love love the characters.  I can't wait to read the next one which my daughter has been kind enough to let me borrow!

My Thoughts On "Crossed" By Ally Condie

Source:  Goodreads

Crossed is the second book in the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie.  It is the story of Cassia who has found a way to leave the controlling "Society" and all of it's rules and regulations behind in search of Ky; the boy she wasn't supposed to fall in love with but did anyway.  We follow Cassia as she leaves her family and her best friend and true Society Match, Xander behind and finds a way into the Outer Provinces where she believes Ky to be, and then as she runs to the Carving, a grouping of canyons that just might lead to Ky and the rebellion called The Rising that she is so eager to join.  Along the way she is forced to do things she never thought she could and make decisions she never thought she would.

I liked this one, but I have to admit that I didn't like it as much as Matched.  Matched was a real page turner for me.  I couldn't put it down.  With this one, I enjoyed it while I was reading but I would go a day and not ever pick it up.  It seemed to me there was a lot of the same thing happening over and over again throughout most of the book.  It did pick up toward the end though, and over all I really enjoyed it.  I love the characters in this book, so I will absolutely read the final book in the trilogy, Reached.  I think I've figured out what's going to happen!  It's due out in November, so I guess we'll see (:

I'd also like to say after much begging by my 9 year old daughter...I'm finally reading Harry Potter. I think I may be the only one left on the planet that hasn't!

"Like Water for Chocolate"...The Book And The Movie

A while ago I read Like Water for Chocolate.  I really liked it, but it's one of the strangest books I've ever read.  Last night I had the opportunity to watch a movie version of the book.  I liked it as well, but I found it just as strange as the book.

Source:  Goodreads

I found the movie version on Netflix.  It's in Spanish but subtitled.  If you've never read the book or watched the movie and are looking for something different, give both a try.

My Thoughts On "Keeper of the Doves"

Source:  Goodreads

The last time I was at the library with my daughter we were browsing through the books when I came across Keeper of the Doves.  I fell in love with the cover immediately, so I checked it out.  It's a sweet little story about a young girl named Amen, living in the late 1800's, trying to find her place in a family of five girls, and the secrets families sometimes keep.

This little book is just 128 pages, so it was a fast easy read.  I enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it to elementary aged girls.

My Thoughts On Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Source:  Goodreads

Everyone calls Cecilia Rose Honeycutt, CeeCee.  She is a sad little girl living in Ohio with her mentally unstable mother and a father who would rather be anywhere but home with his family.  She is left alone to deal with her mom's illness.  As her mother loses grip on reality, CeeCee struggles to stay sane as her mom wanders the streets in prom dresses, red high heels, and tiaras.  CeeCee's only comfort lies in the books she reads and her elderly neighbor Mrs. Odell.  When a horrible tragedy strikes, CeeCee is forced to move to Savannah, Georgia to live with an aunt she never even knew existed.  There she meets a group of women that will change her life.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is full of southern hospitality.  From the big houses to the magnolia trees, you can almost see Savannah as you read this book.  The setting and the mood are done so well, and it's full of lovable characters.  CeeCee is such a broken little girl, but at her core she's sweet and wants to be loved so badly.

  

Like birds coming to roost in a favorite tree, we filed down the hallway and into the kitchen, settling comfortably in our places.  It was a moment so perfect I wished I could stop time.  I thought about how we all had Life Books--Mrs. Odell, Aunt Tootie, Oletta and me--and how someone, somewhere, had seen fit to write our names on one another's pages.

                                                                         --CeeCee from Saving CeeCee Honeycutt



I really enjoyed this book!  It's hard to believe that this is Kentucky author, Beth Hoffman's first novel.  She did an awesome job.  The way each character speaks, the things they eat, the clothes they wear, even the weather--it all just seems authentic.  I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy southern fiction.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is the last book I read for Southern Fiction in September as part of The Cupcakes Wars Reading Challenge hosted by Brenda at Curling Up With A Good Book.

I Finally Watched It!

I have been putting off watching The Help for a long time because I wanted to read the book first.  I finally read the book in September, and my daughter and I watched the movie over the weekend.  We both loved it.  It was funny and sad, infuriating and inspiring all at the same time.  It also opened the door to some important conversations with my 9 year old daughter.

I know the movie is some different from the book, and not nearly as detailed, but I thought they did a good job with it.

My Thoughts On "Into the Free"

Source:  Goodreads

Into the Free is about Millie, a young girl living in Mississippi during the depression.  She lives with her depressed and mentally unstable mother and has an abusive father who seems to only come home to beat her mother.  She spends her young life hiding from her father and picking up the pieces of her broken mother, but she longs to be free...free of fear, free of sadness, free of loneliness.  Her only friends are her elderly neighbor, Sloth and a gum tree she names Sweetie.  When Sloth dies she feels like she's all alone until she meets a young gypsy boy named River and she finally feels like there's hope.  But when the unthinkable happens she if forced to face the world truly alone and she will learn just how strong she is.

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Although this book is sad and at times hard to read, it is beautifully written, and I truly enjoyed the story.  Millie is such a lovable character.  I just wanted to reach into the book and take care of her. She doesn't even realize how brave and strong she really is.  Into the Free is an example of a serious coming of age story.  Watching Millie come into her own made reading the hard parts worth it.  It is a testament to the resilience of children and the human spirit.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes to read historical fiction, southern fiction, or coming of age stories.

My Thoughts On "Rising Storm" By Kathleen Brooks

Source:  Goodreads

Rising Storm is the second book in Kathleen Brooks' Bluegrass Brothers Series.  It follows Marshall, an elite military man turned hometown sheriff and Katelyn Jacks, an ex-supermodel who worked her way through college and has come back to her grandparents small hometown to start her career as a vet.  Even thought they can't stand each other, they can't seem to avoid each other or the small town gossip mill, and they soon discover they're feelings for one another might not be what they thought they were.  Yet even as they fall in love they are forced to fight for their lives and the lives of innocent dogs when they try to track down a dangerous, illegal, dog fighting ring, and are targeted  by the criminals running it.

Rising Storm is exactly what I expected from Kathleen Brooks.  It's the fifth book I've read by her, and I wasn't disappointed.  Once again we get to visit with the unforgettable characters of Keeneston, Kentucky and have some fun along the way.  Rising Storm is full of humor, romance, and suspense.  I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to read romance with a little suspense thrown in or anyone looking to read something regional.  Although Keeneston is a little over the top idyllic, the book still gives you a snapshot of what a small Kentucky town might be like.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

My Thoughts On "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Source:  Goodreads

I think most everyone has read The Help, and now I have too.  I loved it!  My favorite books to read are those so rich in characters that you just can't figure out who you love the best.  The Help is one of those books.

The Help is set in 1960's Mississippi and follows the lives of three very different women.  Aibileen is a strong black woman who works as a maid and whose strength and faith inspire all around her.  Minny is a spunky black woman, a mother, and a maid who tells it like it is and is the best cook in town.  Skeeter is a privileged young white woman trying to find herself in spite of an overbearing mother, a not so great group of friends, and an environment full of prejudice.  As Skeeter's eyes begin to open to the injustices around her, she teams up with Aibileen and Minny on a project that will not only rock their small town, but change their lives.

Even though I loved this book, I wasn't crazy about the ending.  I was left wanting something more, but I guess every book isn't going to end the way I want.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read southern, historical, or women's fiction.  I've avoided watching the movie until I could read the book, and now I'm excited to watch it.

My Thoughts On "Where the Red Fern Grows"

Source:  Goodreads

Somehow I missed reading Where the Red Fern Grows during my childhood.  I have always heard of it, and I know lots of people, my Dad included, love the movie, yet somehow I missed it.

Where the Red Fern Grows is the story of Billy, a little boy who comes down with a serious case of "puppy love".  He wants puppies, but not just any kind of puppy.  He wants two coon dogs, and it becomes his life's mission to get them.  He breaks his back working for two years until he finally saves the fifty dollars he needs to buy his dogs.  The scene where he first meets Old Dan and Little Ann is one of the sweetest scenes I've ever read in a book.  The love between Billy and his dogs is beautiful.  Where the Red Fern Grows is a story of love, loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice.

I'd recommend this book to anyone.  It's just a good story that kids and adults both will like, so if like me, you missed this one as a child--give it a try.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

My Thoughts On "Shiloh"

I can't believe it's August!  It seems like yesterday it was January and I was beginning The Cupcakes War Reading Challenge hosted by Brenda at Curling Up With a Good Book.  Now we're 8 months in, and I have read some really great books.  This month's genre is Animal Stories or Autobiographies, and since we read memoirs in a previous month I decided to focus on Animal Stories for this month.  Brenda is doing such a great job with this challenge, and if you have some time you should check out her blog.

Source:  Goodreads

My first animal story comes straight from my daughter's bookshelf.  She actually bought this book a while ago, and I've wanted to read it for a while.  I've read and enjoyed other works by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, so I had high hopes for this one.  I wasn't disappointed.

In Shiloh, a little boy named Marty comes across a runaway beagle while he's out exploring the hills and woods around his home.  The beagle is very skittish and shy which leads Marty to believe he's been abused. Marty wants to keep him, but discovers that the dog he names Shiloh belongs to the meanest man Marty knows, Judd Travers.  Shiloh is all about Marty's courageous struggle to save the dog he has grown to love.

This was such a sweet story.  It was a quick, enjoyable read, and I really needed it.  Shiloh is something totally different for me, and that's one of the things I liked most about it.  I fell in love with the little beagle along with Marty, and I'd recommend this book to anyone, especially animal lovers.

My Thoughts On "Matched"

Source:  Goodreads

From the cover...

Cassia has always trusted the society's choices. 

And when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia is certain he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. 

Now she is faced with impossible choices:  between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's know and a path no one dares follow...between perfection and passion.

I was talking books with a friend a couple months ago, and she happened to mention the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie.  A few weeks ago I came across Matched, the first book in the series, in the bookstore and thought I'd get it.  I was reading New York Times Bestsellers in July, and Matched fit the bill.

I have read good and bad reviews for this one.  It seems people either love it or hate it.  I LOVED it!  It reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games, but with less action.  A lot of this story takes place in Cassia's mind through her thoughts and feelings.  I loved that about this book.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Crossed.

My Thoughts On Bluegrass Undercover

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

In her first follow-up to the Bestselling Bluegrass Series, Kathleen Brooks brings Keeneston back to life through the Davies brothers.  Cade Davies had to much on his plate to pay attention to the newest resident  of Keeneston.  He was too busy avoiding the Davies brothers marriage trap set by half the town.  But when a curvy red head lands in Keeneston, the retired Army Ranger finds himself drawn to her...

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I really enjoyed Kathleen Brooks' Bluegrass Series, so I was very happy to learn that she is writing a spin off series called Bluegrass Brothers.  Each book in the series will feature one of the Davies brothers.  They were supporting characters in the Bluegrass Series especially Dead Heat which featured their sister, Paige.

The first book in the Bluegrass Brothers Series is Bluegrass Undercover, and it features Cade Davies, an Army Ranger and football coach.  This book was all I expected it to be.  It was a fun, romantic suspense, and I really enjoyed it.  I was happy to visit with all the residents of Keeneston again.  There are five Davies brothers, so we can look forward to four more in this series.

My Thoughts On "The Kite Runner"

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

"This powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love.  Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's revolution and it's invasion by Russian forces.  But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story.  In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence--forces that continue to threaten them even today."
--The New York Times Book Review

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There are times when I finish a book and think, "wow, that was a fun book", and then there are those rare times when I finish a book and think, "this book has changed the way I see the world".  The Kite Runner is that for me.  It's not a light funny read.  You won't feel warm and fuzzy...if anything it will make you very uncomfortable.  There are parts in this book that made me absolutely sick.  There are parts in this book that made me cry like a baby.  There are parts in this book that made me plain mad.  Why read a book like this?  It's very simple...because the very same things that happened in this book happen every day all over the world, and we need to know about it!

But just as there is lots of horror and devastation in this book, there are moments of such beauty and such love that it leaves you with some hope in the end.  Love is after all the most powerful force in the world.

"For you, a thousand times over."

--Khaled Hosseini/ Hassan from The Kite Runner

You Should Watch "Bel Ami"

I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie Bel Ami, and I really, really enjoyed it.  I don't know why this one hasn't been talked about more.  It was great.  Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Christina Ricci were terrific.  It was visually beautiful...the clothes, the furniture.  I highly recommend this one!

Uma Thurman as Madeleine Forestier
Source:  www.allmoviephoto.com

Kristin Scott Thomas as Virginie Rousset
Source:  www.allmoviephoto.com

Christina Ricci as Clotilde de Marelle
Source:  www.allmoviephoto.com

My Thoughts On "Dead Heat"

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

Paige Davies finds her world turned upside down as she becomes involved in her best friends nightmare.  The strong-willed Paige doesn't know which is worse:  someone trying to kill her, or losing her dog to the man she loves to hate.

FBI Agent Cole Parker can't decide whether he should strangle or kiss this infuriating woman of his dreams. As he works the case of his career, he finds that love can be tougher than bringing down some of the most powerful men in America.

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What a great ending to the Bluegrass Series by Kathleen Brooks.  The last book in the series definitely didn't disappoint.  It also introduces us to Paige's brothers who become the main characters in Brooks' next series, Bluegrass Brothers.  I'm actually reading the first in the series right now.  It's called Bluegrass Undercover.

All of the books in the Bluegrass Series are very similar when it comes to the romances in each one, and even though each love story was fairly predictable, they were all still  fun to read.  What kept me reading, however,  was the mystery/suspense element in the books.  I think it was done really well.