Step of Faith

A Step of Faith by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book four in the Walk series by Richard Paul Evans finds our character Alan Christoffersen, who was walking from the state of Washington to Florida, flying back to a medical center near his father’s home in Los Angeles for surgery on his recently found brain tumor. Fortunately, the tumor is found to be benign, and after spending weeks recuperating and against his father’s wishes, Alan flies back to St. Louis to continue his journey – meeting interesting and engaging people along the route. Walking provides an outlet for his jumbled, tortured thoughts and as he approaches the Florida state line, Alan realizes that he is ready to live and love again. But, he has to hold onto hope when a message is left on his cell reporting an emergency at home.

As Alan says, “For now Key West must wait. For the third time since I began, my walk has been delayed. In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as interruptions - but I’m coming to understand that perhaps these detours are my journey. No matter how much I, or the rest of humanity wishes otherwise, life is not lived in smooth downhill expressways, but in the obscure, perilous trails and rocky back roads of life where we stumble and feel our way through the fog of the unknown. Life is not a sprint. It was never meant to be. It is just one step of faith after another.”


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The Way Home

The Way Home by Katherine Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Katherine Spencer's Angel Island series are gentle reads - and companions to her Cape Light series. In this book Claire North, the inn's cook and Liza's right hand woman, takes a more prominent role. Jamie Carter, twenty and out of work, veers back into her life and Claire remembers the once little boy she almost adopted many years ago. Can Claire help Jamie set upon the right path or will Jamie once again stray and return to his old life back in Boston? At the same time Avery Bishop is excited about opening her new cafe, The Peregrine, on the busier side of the island. Avery finds out that her only competition is the Lazy Tuna, a happening, crazy burger joint that the island's visitors flock to in droves. How can her culinary expertise and fancy dishes compare to fish and chips?

A relaxing, inspirational read...and as Reverend Ben says, “…when people are trying to change their lives for the better, the road to becoming whole isn’t always a straight one. People tend to fall off the path now and then, or take wrong turns. Especially if they’ve been damaged, they can’t always make all the right choices.”

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Starting Now

Starting Now by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Polished and professional, Libby Morgan is ready to accept a partnership in a prestigious Seattle law firm. For six long years she had given up everything to pursue her goal. When the managing partner, and Libby's mentor, calls her in for her long anticipated reward, Libby is dismayed to find out that instead she's lost her job. Having no clue what to do with all her free time, Libby throws herself into the task of finding a new job, but the economy is bad and no one is hiring. With her saving account quickly dwindling, Libby is desperate to make contacts. Through an old friend, she drops into a yarn store on Blossom Street and renews her hobby from years ago - knitting and makes new friends, including two teenage girls. Slowly, but fearfully Libby's life takes a turn....

For Blossom Street fans, this book brings in a few new characters and touches on only two or three older one like Lydia and Margaret. It was an enjoyable read although predictable, but not one of my top favs of Blossom Street.

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Tapestry of Fortunes

Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cecilia, a motivational speaker always on the road, lost so much when cancer claimed her best friend, Penny. Their lives were so intertwined that to move ahead seems unthinkable. How can Cecilia give motivating speeches when she herself can not get out of her funk? How many years had Penny asked her to slow down and enjoy life in the moment? In a moment of clear thought, Cecilia knows it's time to move on. She downsizes, sells her lovely home in Michigan, and moves in with three other women. She also decides to volunteer at a palliative care home and search for an boyfriend. Things get interesting when the four women decide to take a road trip to look for answers to their life questions.

Elizabeth Berg is well-known for getting inside a woman's head and putting the thoughts to paper for us to enjoy...

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A Perfect Proposal

A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophie - who seems to me, is quite smart and funny - is the black sheep of the family - the non-academic member.(think tops in common sense) More than a lil snobby and money-grubbing, they're quite happy to stick Sophie with the mundane tasks of life, like working, cooking, and taking care of the house. When Sophie get the chance of lifetime to jet over to New York and see a friend and follow up on a job lead, she jumps, only to find out the job has fallen through. How like Sophie to land on her feet, as Sophie as usual and without airs, lands another one. Read more about Sophie and her up and down life in A Perfect Proposal,


There is something about the way Katie Fforde cooks up her characters - a little charming, goofy, a bit trodden upon and taken advantage of, and sometimes even a little dizzy - that keeps me coming back for more.

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Amandine

Amandine by Marlena De Blasi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tiny Almadine, born with a defective heart and a defective royal family, is left at a French convent in 1931. Also left with her is a large sum of money to ensure the silence of those who take care of Almadine. Solange is chosen to care for the infant and the entire Carmelite convent falls for the adorable Almandine, all except for Mater Paul. As Almadine grows older, more astute and more healthy, she enters the convent school but is shunned by her peers, until she wins them over by embarrassing Mater Paul. However when Almadine is almost murdered, Solange decides to leave the so called safety of the convent and take her to her own family home across war torn France. New friends called resistantes, enemies, and danger meet them at every point along the way.

A book full of sadness, hope, history, and the fragility of life...








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