Book Review - Something Worth Doing

Jane Kirkpatrick gives us the story of suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway in her new release, Something Worth Doing. Beginning with the Scott family's trek across the rugged northwest to their new home in Oregon in 1852, Kirkpatrick weaves a colorful tapestry of the toils and trials of Abigail's young life which bring her to the point of action in the suffragist movement. From her early days of editorial writing through the process of building a school, millinery, and newspaper to advance the causes of women, the author walks the reader through all the emotional toil Abigail Duniway invested to improve the conditions in which women lived in her time, with a great goal of improving conditions for generations to come.

Something Worth Doing is an excellent choice for the historical fiction fan who is interested in the suffragist movement. I appreciate the way Jane Kirkpatrick highlighted this influential historical figure and filled in the gaps between the information we have. Though Abigail's grit was her driving force, I appreciate the way the author includes the great support given by her husband, children, and others who were dedicated to the cause.

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick is available now from your favorite bookseller.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/CBSomething

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ASomethingWorthDoing

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/BNSomething

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Nine

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. These days, it's kind of difficult, since there are so many beautiful book covers out there. Nine by Rachelle Dekker qualifies as one of the most beautiful covers I've seen in a very long time. The internet does it no favors. Sure, you can see the moody mist on the mountains, but the sparkle on the physical book's cover makes that mist nearly tangible, and to practically feel the mist makes a woodsy scent tickle the nose as the pages turn.

What I didn't know is that this one is set practically in my backyard, which gave me an instant familiarity with the rugged terrain. That's where the familiarity ends, unless you consider that Lucy and Zoe are girls and I'm a girl. Familiarity may have ended, but the action and thrills didn't. They cruised right on to the very end of a story that kept the pages flying until I ran out of pages to turn. 

The question of, "Does my past define who I am," is a common theme. Rachelle Dekker handles it in an interesting way, examining the lives of Lucy, Zoe, Seeley and others. Am I created and predestined to be one thing or can I choose to set aside those preconceived notions and become more? Can you?

Nine by Rachelle Dekker is currently available from your favorite bookseller.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/CBNine

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y56zqrg6

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/BNNineRD

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All the opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Today marks one of my favorite days of the year, and although it is a bit different this year, it's still full of the things I love about fall:

*Gray days

*Cozy socks

*Soup

*My favorite fall teas

*PUMPKIN MUFFINS!

What in the world isn't lovely about fall? Now, I typically turn the thermostat down and splurge this one day of the year to make it feel like fall INSIDE our house, since it doesn't feel too seasonally appropriate OUTSIDE. This year, I feel like I won the weather lottery. (Thank you, God!) It's so gray and rainy! *giddy squeal* I propped my office door open for the pets and it will stay that way until I run out of perfect weather. If it all goes well, I may even be able to put on a light sweater in a few minutes!

I also usually drag out my fall decorations, all the pumpkins and leaves, on this very awesome day of the year. I wasn't so sure I wanted to bat my eyelashes and send my darling (and slightly less than perky today) husband into the attic for my porch pumpkin, but he's perking up and just might do it for me after all. I keep the rest of the goods where I can see them when I open the linen closet all year, for a little pick-me-up when the weather is miserably hot and humid. They'll be covering every surface by the time our principessa gets home from school today.

Now for the truly sacred traditions of the autumnal equinox in our household, we look to the kitchen. This is the day I bake the inaugural batch of pumpkin muffins and make the inaugural pot of soup. Don't get me wrong, we love pumpkin muffins and soup, but these culinary delights are reserved for fall and winter in our household. (Most likely because, by the time spring rolls around, we've had soup and pumpkin muffins nearly every day for half the year!) This year, we're taking it to back to basics with a tried and true "Trashcan Vegetable Soup." It sounds delicious, doesn't it? The name might imply that this consists of whatever vegetables would be headed to the trashcan, but that's actually my recipe for veggie stock. Nope, Trashcan Vegetable Soup got its name because I dump in whatever I feel like adding. This time, it's a mixed veggie blend with added okra, chickpeas, and lentils. It's 9am and I'm already drooling over supper! I'll be satisfied with a pumpkin muffin to hold me over and to go with my first cup of fall tea, Squashbuckling Chai from my favorite tea shop, Savoy Tea Co. I would love to drink it all year, but there's something about it that begs me to hold on for its season. Today's lineup also includes Gesundheit, because 2020, and Frosted Orange Roll... because... Frosted Orange Roll.

And now, dear reader, I leave you to enjoy my tea and a good book in the company of my support crew. I would leave you with a picture of them, but Beckett and Sugar have what can only honestly be referred to as "COVID haircuts." I hope y'all take time to enjoy the little things with big impacts, and have a happy fall!

Book Review - The Edge of Belonging

 It's September 1994 when homeless Harvey James finds a newborn, still covered in blood and wrapped in a men's flannel shirt. The moment the tiny girl wraps her fingers around his, Harvey knows that this child cannot be thrown away the way he has been. Each would be the family the other had not had before.

It is September 2020 when The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox finds its way into my hands and doesn't leave them until I reach the end of this stirring and deeply emotional love story. You know the kind of book where you know what's coming, but the real enjoyment is in the reading? If you really wanted to shoehorn me into a literary type, that might be it. Life is full of surprises; action, adventure, twists & turns are great in a book, but sometimes I just need to know that it's all going to end up well and the most stressful plot point is that the male love interest confuses the female love interest's brother for a romantic rival. There's just the right amount of tension and misunderstanding before the confusion is unraveled and everyone lives happily ever after. 

I spent the entirety of The Edge of Belonging feeling like I had it pegged and thinking I would cruise along and enjoy this one, then shelve it along with all the other cozy books I have enjoyed. I suspect the author knew that was what would happen, because she didn't let it go so easily. Amanda Cox flat out wrestled with all the stressful plot points. Some of them hit closer to home for me than others, but they are all very real and very relevant. She handled them with care to bring about a story that needed to be told and treasured. I'm all full of book recommendations, in case you haven't noticed all the blog posts, but this one gets a special spot on my recommendation list. The Edge of Belonging is the kind of book you'll want to purchase in the physical copy, because I guarantee you will know someone else who needs to read it.

The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox is currently available from your favorite bookseller.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/yxbu76zw

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y4szmn63

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/yy8llwyk

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Price of Valor

The Global Search and Rescue series from Susan May Warren goes out with a bang... a ka-boom... a ka-plow... and a whole lot of action for the entire team. The Price of Valor focuses on Hamilton Jones; we finally get Ham's book and learn more of his story. I love the way Warren writes her fiction as the story of what God does in the lives of Ham and the people around him. These characters, our GSAR family and friends, build each other up and support each other when things get hairy... and things get hairy in The Price of Valor, for sure!

We learned in The Heart of a Hero (Global Search and Rescue, book 2) that Hamilton Jones has been reunited with the darling daughter his wife Signe kept secret from him. Now he is more convinced than ever that Signe is alive and he is determined to find her, to bring her home, to redeem her to the family they could be together. The choices he has to make are unenviable, and the lessons in forgiveness and redemption are more easily said than done. 

With her trademark realism and frank conversation, Warren handles the struggles we all find in the depths of our human hearts and the truth of our Savior's love, grace, forgiveness. She calls out our own confusion through the struggles of her characters, who tend to feel (like we all do sometimes) that the battle is ours. When we, and they, are tempted to believe that our responsibility is to BE Jesus, we're refocused and reminded that our responsibility is to SHOW Jesus. Her characters may have much greater adventures than I do, but their struggles and lessons they learn are very relevant.

The Price of Valor by Susan May Warren releases October 6, 2020. You can preorder now from your favorite bookseller to make sure your copy lands in your hands ASAP.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/yxp5cpjz

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y6qqtuns

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/yysxsp2k

Thank you to Susan May Warren and Revell for allowing me a copy to read and review. Please know, dear reader, that the opinions stated in this review are my own and are completely unbiased.

Book Review - The Librarian of Boone's Hollow

Addie Cowherd is precisely where she intends to be along her path to becoming an author when the realities of the Depression Era bring her to what seems to be a screeching halt. With her options limited to none, it seems hopeless until she learns of a traveling librarian position in the Kentucky hill country. She is an outsider and her welcome to Boone's Hollow is lukewarm, at best. What is to become of her and her dreams if she can't find a way forward alongside these people?

Just because Emmett Tharp grew up in Boone's Hollow doesn't mean he fits in. The Depression ruined his big city opportunities and his education isn't much help in the mining community he used to call home. How will he make a living when he can't find a desk job and he isn't cut out for work in the mine? And how can Addie and Emmett work together to open up new worlds and new understanding to the people around them?

Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest release felt a little familiar when considered in the scope of, "What happens when the world closes a door on our plans?" And, "How do I trust God to make a way when it seems there is none?" I really enjoyed the story line of The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, as well as the way the author's thoroughly considered characters build a world in which I could become immersed in order to feel the frustration, distrust, affection, and joy woven throughout. The idea that understanding can break down walls and one person can make a difference are timely reminders to us all.

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow releases September 15, but you can pre-order your copy today from your favorite bookseller.

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.