Somewhere in France

Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lady Elizabeth wants more than the stuffy boredom of being an Earl's daughter. Not content to languish doing needlepoint until married off, Elizabeth, on the sly, learns to drive...unheard of for most women in that period..moves out of her family's wealthy home and becomes a clippie. When she finds out from her brother that the War Office is creating new women's corps to ferry officers and supplies, "Lilly" signs up to be an ambulance driver near the Western Front in France. There she confronts the War and the days become a nightmarish blur.

Being born in 1960, when women were fighting for equal pay, it still surprises me how women were kept in the dark about so many things..as if their brains could not fathom the truth...perhaps it was only the wealthy for the poor had too much realism in their face everyday...

Excellent reading guides included..

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A Quilt for Christmas

A Quilt for Christmas by Sandra Dallas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eliza Spooner is running the farm alone with her two children. It's 1864 and her husband, Will, has left with many of the men of the area to join up with the Kansas Volunteers, eager to fight for the Union. While he's away, Eliza works on a very special quilt for Will and also quilts with the other war wives left behind. When Eliza is ask to risk her family's safety for the sake of another, Eliza's faith and morals are put to the test.

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A Light in the Wilderness

A Light in the Wilderness by Jane Kirkpatrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Letitia is a freed slave with papers that she keeps keeps hidden for proof. For companion sake and safety, "Tish" sets up housekeeping with Irish Davey Carson. Davey, who loves her in his own way, gets the itch to set out for the Oregon Trail, where he believes Tish will be safer. The two with their good friends and families strike out with death and danger along the way.

Tish's character is fully fleshed out and my heart breaks for her and her several female friends during the long, hard journey. Each woman seems to be at the mercy of their husbands and the time period they lived in.

From Tish: *“Maybe that was what freedom meant, being in a place where one didn’t fear.”

Note: The book is based on the real-life woman Letitia Carson!

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A Moment in Time (Lone Star Brides #2)

A Moment in Time by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second book of the series, Lone Star Brides, picks ups with Marty Wythe and Alice Chesterfield becoming closer as economic troubles force them to lose their beautiful home and move into the local orphanage to help. Alice takes a job in a local diner to earn a small income but is threatened once again by Mr. Smith. As things worsen, against Marty's wishes, she and Alice move back to Texas to reunite with Jake, who had left to work as a ranch-hand. Marty fears for Jake's life as her late husband had died from his injuries on the ranch she had sold to her brother and her faith is stretched to the breaking point when he is injured. Alice learns to love the beauty of Texas and starts to have feeling for a new character, neighboring rancher, Robert.

I didn't enjoy book #2 as I did the first in the series. Certain aspects was dragged out too long to make it not work well. I do look forward to book #3 to see if it is an improvement.

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A New York Christmas

A New York Christmas by Anne Perry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Independent, young Jemima Pitt, daughter of London Special Branch policeman Thomas Pitt, is crossing the ocean in 1904 as a companion to "Phinny" Cardew..soon to be married into the wealthy Albright family of New York City. Upon arrival Jemima is told that Phinny's mother, who abandoned her when she was a small child, could possible appear and make a scandal at the high society wedding of the year. Could Jemima help find the woman and steer her clear of the event? Little does Jemima realize that she's being setup and will soon find herself behind bars...


I love these little Christmas morsels and eagerly eat them up way too quickly! Set against the bleak, cold, snowy backdrop of New York City, love and the humanity of man is found again...

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The Mistletoe Promise

The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The holiday season is soon approaching but Elise Dutton carries no excitement for what lies ahead. Guilt-ridden, Elise's past has jaded her to the beauty of Christmas. When a rather handsome stranger from her place of work approaches her with a proposition for the weeks ahead, Elise stiffly agrees with a sense of foreboding. However, the platonic relationship turns out to be fun until someone from her past appears..

*I believe the main goal of Evan's small Christmas novella is for people to stop judging others mistakes...that in reality a person carries so much crippling guilt and self-loathing from serious mistakes in the past...let us who is without sin cast the first stone...

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To Everything a Season

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To everything a season...the little town of Blessing, North Dakota is growing as is the hospital. The hard work Ingeborg, her husband, Norwegian farmer, Haakan Bjorklund and their family have put into the community is showing. The small town is thriving, new shelters must be built for the arriving workers and the new hospital will soon have nurses riding the train in from Chicago. But, with growing towns - new issues also turn up such as crime and differences in faith and worship. Will Blessing be fractured or can the differences be resolved?

One of my very favorite series....

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Different Tides

Different Tides by Janet Woods
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clementine is an 20 year old orphan who has a heart for little ones so when she is ask to be a governess to two lonely, orphaned children, she jumps at the chance. One of the children is a 5 year old Earl and the other, his 4 year old sister, both fresh from Australia. Both have experienced too much tragedy for being so young and carry the scars of fear. Can Clementine ensure they have a happy childhood...one that she, herself, did not enjoy?

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Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl

Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl by Jase Robertson


Jase Robertson comes across TV as the dry, witty brother of the Robertson's Duck Dynasty clan. If you like the show or are curious about the Robertson family, this is another must read. Younger brother of Alan, but older brother of Willie and Jep, Jase seen his father at his worst, Phil, and forgave him. Throughout the book, his story is told and scripture is quoted. His personal faith and love of family, the land and hunting shine through every chapter.

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Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl

Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl by Jase Robertson


Jase Robertson comes across TV as the dry, witty brother of the Robertson's Duck Dynasty clan. If you like the show or are curious about the Robertson family, this is another must read. Younger brother of Alan, but older brother of Willie and Jep, Jase seen his father at his worst, Phil, and forgave him. Throughout the book, his story is told and scripture is quoted. His personal faith and love of family, the land and hunting shine through every chapter.

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An Invisible Thread

An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Schroff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful, inspirational novel of how one person can make such a difference in a child's life and break the cycle of drugs and poverty. But, to make things even better - the child also saves the adult. A must read...

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The Christmas Light

The Christmas Light by Donna VanLiere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I look forward to reading Donna VanLiere's Christmas novella each year as we ready ourselves for the holiday/holy days soon approaching. This year's writing focuses on several hurting families in the town of Grandon, who are trying to get back on track and somehow enjoy Christmas. Jennifer De Luca is struggling to uncover the darkness for her six-year-old daughter Avery. Ryan Mazyck and his young daughter, Sophia, are moving for work reasons and are thinking of settling near his Aunt Gloria in Grandon. Sixteen-year-old Kaylee wants to believe that everything will be ok, but right now she can't see it beyond her expanding tummy. Stephen and Lily love their little church, Grandon Community, and are helping prepare for the Christmas Nativity. Each family is brought together by the power of love and faith.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

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Christmas at Rose Hill Farm

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm: An Amish Love Story by Suzanne Woods Fisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bess, raised Plain, has never forgotten her first love at fifteen, Billy Lapp. Even years later, as she plans to wed gentle, patient Amos, she finds her mind drifting back to the day he had a terrible argument with his father and brothers and left the farm for good. When a rose rustler is needed to name the lost rose found in the family's greenhouse on Rose Hill Farm, Bess is shocked when Billy arrives from Penn State. Billy keeps up a hard veneer but over time Bess can see it begin to crack and the old Billy begins to appear. Will Amos still be able to claim Bess as his bride by Christmas?

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The Pecan Man

The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Looking back Ora, now in her 80s, decides to set the record straight on what happened back in the summer of 1976...

In 1976, widowed and childless Floridian Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless black man, named Eddie, to mow her grass and tinker in her garden - which causes an upheaval both in the community and with her friend and maid, Blanche. Eddie, nicknamed the Pecan Man, lives in a wooded area off of downtown and is not trusted by the white Floridian ladies in her small town. But Ora sees something in Eddie and still does, even when he's charged with killing the police chief's son. Ora also finds out a lot about her own character...

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The Christmas Cat

The Christmas Cat by Melody Carlson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Garrison Brown, freshly back long term mission stint in Africa, is home to sort out his late grandmother's estate, which is a house and six cats. However, Garrison is severely allergic to cats and his grandmother left strict stipulations on who could adopt her beloved felines. Who would think that Garrison would fall in love with long-haired Harry, the cat, and a neighbor named Cara?

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Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good

Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Father Tim is back from Ireland and still trying to get used to retirement. There's a balancing act between being bored and overwhelmed when in an emergency he's asked jump back in the pulpit while also filling in at the Happy Endings bookstore. Sammy, Dooley's brother, is causing havoc and the town seems to be falling apart. How can the good pastor find the contentment he is so desperately seeking?

As in all the wonderful Mitford series I tried to slow down(I really did!)and savor each page, but found myself eagerly wanting to read ahead. Many of our favorite Mitford small town characters are back..Helene Pringle, Dooley and Lace, J.C. and Ester Bolick for another memorable novel.

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One Hundred Names

One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kitty Logan’s career has hit rock bottom – she followed wrong information and falsely accused a popular teacher of wrongdoing on her TV show. Now fired and ashamed, Kitty has to face the fact that her mentor, friend, and head of the famous magazine Etcetera, Constance, is dying from cancer. Upon asking the question of was there a story you wish you’d written but for whatever reason never wrote, Constance tells Kitty to check her files at home under “Names”. After her funeral, Kitty returns to Etcetera and digs through the files, and as a tribute to her late mentor, follows up on a very confusing list of one hundred names. With only two weeks until the magazine goes to print, Kitty must hunker down and find clues.
Warm-hearted, but more down to earth and less magical than her other books, Cecelia Ahern has written another goodie.


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Take Me Home

Take Me Home by Dorothy Garlock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quiet, sleepy town far away from the war…

When Billy Tate is ready to ship off to war, he asks his best friend Olivia Marsten to marry him. Even though Olivia is not in love with Billy, she says yes… because how could she say no? When stranger Peter Becker arrives in town and saves Olivia from being hit by a drunk driver, she really regrets her answer to her best friend, but she can’t let him down. Peter finds himself falling in love with Olivia but is afraid to tell her the truth about his identity and the fact that he’s an escaped German POW. When Olivia’s family is put in terrible danger, the truth finally comes to light.


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Fair Play

Fair Play by Deeanne Gist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dr. Billy Jack Tate hung up a shingle in Chicago in 1893 and waited on patients to flock to the door. Unfortunately, 30 year old Billy Jack was a lady doctor in a man's world. So, when one of the chief executives of the Chicago World's Fair came to the city and ask her to fill in at the Woman's Building infirmary, Billy was ecstatic! Her first patient of the day is none other than Texas Ranger Hunter Scott, appointed as a Columbian Guard at the fair, who is dismayed at being treated by the likes of a female. But after Scott heals from his discomfort, the two find themselves thrown together in an attempt to rescue an abandoned baby, save a poor, young boy from prison, and build a safe, new playground in a bad section of town near Hull House.

Humor mixed in with history strikes the right note in this charming, inspirational novel.

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The Midwife

Call The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jennifer Worth, a young midwife in London's East End slums, writes about her true life experiences - the joy of birth, loss of life, and all the everyday experiences with everyday, down-to-earth people. Trained as a nurse and a midwife, Jenny came to reside at Nonnatus House, a Convent next to a bomb site. The streets were full of children - no one owned a car on the back streets so they were safe to play in. Jenny grew to love the hard-working Sisters at Nonnatus and her patients, mostly very poor and living in terrible conditions.

After seeing Call the Midwife, a DVD that was in our library, I had to read the book. Usually, it's the reversal. I loved the first book as I did the movie and am looking forward to reading the second in the series. Being born in the baby-boom age of 1960, and only 15 years after World War ll ended, I see similarities between the London East End docks and the hills of Appalachia.

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The Time Between

The Time Between by Karen White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eleanor's favorite times and worst times were on Edisto Island, where she grew up with the sweetgrass and salt marshes and memories of her loving, piano playing father. Eleanor's guilt holds her prisoner - guilt over her sister Eve's accident on Edisto...guilt over how she feels about her brother-in-law, Glenn. When Eleanor's boss offers her a job taking care of his Aunt Helena on that same island, she jumps at the chance to go back and relive her memories, not realizing that Helena carried her own guilt-ridden secrets.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy Karen White's writing. A favorite line from her book that Aunt Helena, who had suffered and lost so much says, "That adversity in life does not rob your heart of beauty. It simply teaches it a new song to sing."

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Whistling Past the Graveyard

Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nine-year old, fiesty Starla has had it with living with her strict grandma - who tells her she's going to end up in reform school or turn out like her mother. Well Starla knows her momma is going to be a famous Nashville singer, that's why she left Starla's daddy. When a neighbor calls her "a no-good, cheap trash, just like her momma" Starla hits the road for the big city. Along the way and determined not to die, 'cause it will make her grandma happy, Starla catches a ride with a tall, skinny black woman driving an old rickety truck. When she hops in, Starla finds on the floorboards, a tiny, wrinkled, white baby wrapped in what looks like a pillowcase, and the adventure begins - full of people's kindness, darkness and truth.

Wonderful writing told from the viewpoint of a nine-year old girl in the turbulent '60s of the deep South. Eula and Starla, worlds apart and different colors, are complete treasures...

Favorite quotes:
"My daddy says that when you do somethin' to distract you from your worstest fears, it's like whistlin' past the graveyard. You know, making a racket to keep the scaredness and the ghosts away. He says that's how we get by sometimes. But it's not weak, like hidin'... It's strong. It means you're able to go on.."

“Here’s the thing ‘bout gif’s.” Eula stopped buttering her toast and looked straight at me. “A body don’t know how many the good Lord tucked inside them until the time is right. I reckon a person could go a whole life and not know. That why you gotta try lots of things, many as you can…experiment.”



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The Beekeeper's Ball

The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bella Vista Chronicles, #2 picks up with Isabel slowly turning her home into a cooking school. The land complete with a barn, beehives, and an apple orchard will lend itself to reserved parties and wedding receptions. The lovely, reserved Isabel has a secret but so does her beloved Danish grandfather Magnus and family friend Annelise. This will be the summer season to free all secrets and feel liberated from guilt and pain.

An excellent book - I did not know about the Danish Resistance (Holger Danske), the Lebensborn program, and how King Christian and his people fought back against the Nazi regime. It is also a story of sharing those secrets that imprison us and hold us captive to old fears.

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The Glass Kitchen

The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Portia Cuthcart was only seven years old when she got the knowing. Thoughts and scents of food would come to her, like magic, filling her with the urge to cook or bake like crazy. Living with her two sisters and Gram, Portia grew up learning the mechanics in her grandmother's cafe, The Glass Kitchen. But Portia also learned that her food could help heal, begin, or even end a journey. It was a single meal of cherry tomatoes stuffed with chile, cheese and bacon, pulled pork, endive slaw, and potato pancakes the foretold her Gram's death. And with that Portia promised herself she wouldn't cook again. Years later, after a nasty divorce and living in New York City, Portia again prepares to cook once again and bring back The Glass Kitchen to keep herself sane and financially afloat.

Such a great book about family, magic, interesting characters, and food - great summer read!

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Stuck Together

Stuck Together by Mary Connealy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stuck Together ends the Trouble in Texas series, another historical romantic comedy by Mary Connealy. The budding romance between Tina Cahill and "Invincible" Vince Yates heats up like their Texas surroundings as does the quick courtship between Jonas Cahill and Vince's new to town stepsister, Melissa. But with all the sparks flying, real gunshots ring out threatening the little town's Regulators and those they love. With trouble at his door and an abandoned mother showing symptons of dementia to shelter, Invincible Vince puts his love life on the back burner.

Mary Connealy always makes me giggle throughout her books - her main characters are always good guys and gals with hilarious quirks and thoughts. In this series, I believe my favorite was the first: Swept Away.

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The Vacationers

The Vacationers by Emma Straub
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Character driven, The Vacationers takes a look at a dysfunctional family on a long vaca trip to Mallorca. (Are there any other types of family?)Seemingly having it all together, a few members are too tightly wound. Each seems to be at a very pivotal point in their life and being thrown together day after day will either make them or break them.

Touted as witty and wise I had trouble finding all the humor. Perhaps I was in the wrong state of mind....

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Through the Deep Waters

Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A story of grace and forgiveness: When Dinah's mother dies in the brothel where she worked, the owner of the "hotel" offers Dinah a one shot deal to cover the burial plans. Dinah feels forever branded, even as she tries to secure a position as a Harvey Girl, a respectable serving job in hotels. But her plans falls through because of her young age and Dinah settles for working as a chambermaid until she reaches 18. Can Dinah ever feel forgiven for doing something against her will?

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For Such a Time

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The bible story of Esther saving her people retold in a new way....Hadassah, a beautiful Jewish woman who looks Aryan, has been saved from immediate death by a high-ranking SS Kommandant to be stationed at Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. Hadassah, who goes by the fake identity of Stella Muller, will be the Kommandant's new secretary at the transit camp. According to her Uncle Morty, who she finds at the camp barely alive, Hadassah will somehow save her people. But how can she do that when death dogs her every step?

Difficult to read of the suffering of many but beautifully written to align with the bible story of Esther and Mordecai...

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That Summer

That Summer by Lauren Willig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Julia Conley, recently New York unemployed, has found that she has inherited her great-aunt’s home in England. Her memories of her childhood there have perished along with her mother’s death in the accident. With nothing else on her plate, Julie flies over to London, preparing to sort, clean, and sell the house for desperately needed income. While there her snooty cousin calls, wanting to look for “treasure” amidst the mess. Is there really a treasure or could it be hanging on the wall right in front of their noses?

I love how the story switches from 2009 back and forth to 1849 within the same home. A story within a story is always more exciting and mysterious! Lauren Willig is such a great writer and I could barely put the book down for fear I’d miss something!!


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Along the Way

Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent non-fiction book written by Martin Sheen, his son Emilio, along with Hope Edelman.….taking turns in chapters, Martin and Emilio share 50+ years of stories, sometimes rather painfully honest, of their growing up and growing together years. Included are their trips to other countries as Martin follows his dream of acting and Emilio’s dream of directing and producing.


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Silent Night

Silent Night by Robert B. Parker and Helen Braun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

P.I. Spenser, handsome young detective and home chef of holiday meals, is pulled into a new case when a street-wise eleven year old, named Slide, pops into his office with a question. Can Spenser help the threatened Street Business, a grassroots effort to shelter homeless young men and Jackie, the man who runs it? Hawk, Spenser's sidekick, returns to aid his buddy and the young Slide.

There is nothing like reading Robert B. Parker by starting off with the very last book he wrote before he passed away. In fact Parker didn't finish the Christmas Spenser novel - his literary agent, Helen Brann, completed it with the approval of Parker's wife. Usually not a reader of crime fiction, I will continue to read more of Parker's Spenser novels - it's the twist of humor that pulls me in.

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Walking on Water, The Walk, #5

Walking on Water by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the fifth and final book of the Walk series, Evans returns Allan from his walk to his father's bedside in California. Mr. Christofferson, hospitalized with a heart attack - is in failing health. While the walk is indefinitely on hold, Alan sleeps at his childhood home, returning daily to the hospital to talk with his dad, mostly about their past and discuss the diary Allan had found. To Allan's dismay, he must let his father go and endure the final physical and emotional motions of laying him at rest. Only thereafter, encouraged by recent words of his father, does Allan return to his walk to the Florida Keys..


As Allan's walk was quite a journey, so is ours...may we all enjoy the cast of characters we meet along the way and keep those we love close to our heart....

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Blossom Street Brides

Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Readers of Macomber's Blossom Street series will enjoy her latest - a story wrapped around three women who share a friendship and knitting skills. Lauren, tired of waiting on her long-time boyfriend to propose, ends the relationship and jumps at the chance to meet a new man who answers all the checks on her list of requirements. Bethanne's happy marriage to her hubby Max is feeling the strain of each having a business in a different city and state. Lydia, owner of A Good Yarn, is barely making ends meets with her business. She needs a clever marketing plan to bring in new customers. Will three friends be able to work things out to make everyone happy?

Predictable and easygoing, Macomber satisfies lovers of gentle romance.

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A Killing in the Hills

A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When county prosecutor Bell Elkin's daughter, Carla, witnesses a triple murder at the Salty Dawg in their hometown of Ackers Gaps, WV, Bell is determined to protect Carla and find the killer. Unfortunately even though the diner was full of people, no one has description of the suspect. As days go by and Carla relives the horrifying event the face with the gun looks like a young man she seen at a recent party - where drugs were flowing easy. How can Carla give the information to her mom but not be grounded for life? In her quest to find the perp and dig deeper into the drug ring surrounding their county, Bell's own life is put in danger as is Carla's.

Full of suspense, A Killing in the Hills contains more than one mystery and readers will find Bell's own life story as the chapters unfurl. Bitter River is the next great read in the Bell Elkins mysteries.

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A Shining Light

A Shining Light by Judith Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Andrea Wilson only feels relief when the news arrives that her sailing husband has died at sea. Even though she is left a widow without any financial means, Andrea know that she and her son are better off without the severe cruelty he inflicted upon them. She heads home to the family farm in Iowa, only to find that her father has perished in a terrible fire that consumed their home but left the barn. The good people from the nearby Amana Colony take her and little Lukas in and provide for their needs until arrangements can be made for their future. Just when things are looking up more shocking news enters Andrea's life.

Although a work of fiction, this gentle read of faith is woven throughout with historical tidbits.

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A Sensible Arrangement

A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When an ex-Texas rancher, now wealthy Denver, Colorado banker, Jake Wythe advertises for a Lone Star bride, widower and sharpshooter Marty Dandridge takes up the challenge to put behind her a million memories of her rancher husband being gored to death by a bull. Marty knows the arrangement is a marriage of convenience and is fine with that as she can't imagine loving another man. Marty can no longer make sense of a loving God and turns from her faith. The banking industry will soon be dealt a blow as the economy collapses and silver prices fall. The Wythe's may soon lose their fancy home, "fancy" friends, and servants. Even worse, the many city's orphanages could possibly turn the children out into the streets if things became worse.

A nice easy, inspirational read with historical details thrown in...

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All Things Hidden

All Things Hidden by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gwyn and her strong, steadfast father, a doctor, are the only medical personnel in their small, remote Alaskan valley and beyond. They were summoned to help with the colonization of 200 families in the Matanuska Valley which would bring relief to the American people and settlement to Alaska. The decision had been made by President Roosevelt on January 15 and the families would arrive by May. Gwyn feared change, due to her mother walking out on the family while she was still small, and had trouble trusting that God would meet her every need because of this. Her misgivings had a ring of truth to it - how could 200 families be sent to Alaska and enough food and shelter be in place within several months - before the long, grueling Alaskan winters hit?

Although many of the characters and happenings in the novel are fiction there are facts and historical details included. A wonderful book about trust, faith, loss, and the strength of pioneering families.

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The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At 14 Grace was fortunate to start service, as her mother did many years before, at Riverton, where the wealthy Hartford family lived. She watched the three golden haired, blue-eyed Hartford grandchildren, all near her own age, grow up and totally fell under their spell - David, Hannah, and Emmaline. Over the years, Grace took on the role of a lady's maid, helped dress the young women, and was privy to their conversations and secrets. Enter World War I, the Lord of the manor and his son, the Major, both fall in France, and Riverton and the world are changed forever. Hannah marries to escape, taking Grace with her, only to find that there is no escape, only boredom, but does find kinship and romance with her brother's best friend, Robbie - now a poet but Emmaline's love interest as well. The story ends with a scandalous event that no one knew Grace was privy to. Now 98 and failing, Grace is determined that her only grandson will know the truth.

The Great War changed so much, as all wars do, and social classes lost a foothold..the story is haunting as in how secrets were handled in that era, women were handled with kid gloves and not accepted into exclusive male conversations. ...for lovers of Upstairs/Downstairs and viewers of Downton Abbey..

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four friends

Four Friends by Robyn Carr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Three women, Gerri, Andy, and Sonja, have a fantastic friendship, live on the same street, and power walk at 6am together every morn - how perfect is that? (although I can't even imagine being awake at 6am let alone power walking, grrr...) BJ has just recently moved to the area and is quite aloof, runs every morning but is quietly keeping a big secret she's not ready to share. Three of the four women will soon find that her marriage has been unraveling for quite awhile and when it does - it happens in a big way...BJ will come to be the friend that steps in, sees what needs done, and helps pick up the pieces.

This is the first book by Robyn Carr I've read although I've heard about her Virgin River series. She was an author I hoped to catch up with eventually and I'm very glad I did! You'll be giggling after some chapters and empathizing after others. Readers of Kristin Hannah will enjoy her writing.

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Keep Quiet

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How far would you go to protect your child? How does the domino effect of lying affect the relationship with your spouse..your child..your job...

Jake Buckman, an accountant, is trying to rebuild a crumbling relationship with his 6'5" teenage son and high school basketball star, Ryan. After picking Ryan up from movie, Jake allows him to drive home a quiet, back road after 11pm, even though Ryan's learner's permit does not allow it. But, the unthinkable happens and in a heartbeat Jake makes a decision that will take the heat off Ryan but will mentally tear the family apart. It's crushing to read the thoughts and turmoil of what they face as each lie steamrolls, creating even more pain in its wake.....

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Harbor of the Heart

Harbor of the Heart by Katherine Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

5th in the Angel Island series, Harbor of the Heart continues the storyline between inn owner Liza Martin and carpenter/EMT Daniel Merritt. With summer approaching Daniel is considering taking his board exams over to return to the medical field but it means a season away from Liza and the inn. Plus, it means facing and overcoming his old fears. Meanwhile as he and Liza consider the cost to their relationship, a small white sailboat flounders off the shore near the inn and the sailor is thrown into the churning water, nearly drowning - if not for Daniel's quick reactions, with Liza and Claire's help. Who is this sailor that reportedly has no family except for a huge friend named Edison?

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Where Courage Calls

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first started visiting our new library branch, the librarian led me Janette Oke and Snelling. Both authors have become my two of my favorites.

Beth, born into a wealthy family, is following in her aunt's footsteps - heading west to a small impoverished coal town to teach. After a very long, demanding train ride and lost luggage woes, her trip ends in a row of small shanties and a saloon. To her shock, there is no school building - the saloon is her daytime classroom. Follow Beth as she falls in love with her students and Coal Valley residents.

A follow-up to When Calls the Heart and special companion story to the Hallmark Channel series.

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The Time of My Life

The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lucy, who once had the good life, great job, handsome fella, posh digs, has fell in to such lowly living that she has been sent an appointment card to meet, with of all people, her LIFE (in person). But Lucy doesn't have time for such shenanigans - she's too busy pretending to be someone else, rather than face the truth. For since her BF has left her, Lucy has built her new life on one lie after another, including the lie that no, her BF didn't leave, it was Lucy who walked out on him. A funny, funny, unusual book that will make you giggle out-loud about facing up to the truth, whether it hurts or not, and getting on with your life.


Cecelia Ahern, a great author with a special style...

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Stella Bain

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A woman wakes up in an outside French hospital, set near the front lines of a battle during World War I. She has been injured but has no recollection of her name or her past. As something stirs in her mind, she grabs onto the name of Stella Bain and claims it as her own.


This book provided a look at women who suffered from shell shock, unheard of before World War I, men called it female hysteria - even for those women who worked near the front lines, nurses, and female ambulance drivers. Freud was just discovering that talking and feedback would help those who complained of what we now call Post Traumatic Distress Disorder.

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The Wily O'Reilly

The Wily O'Reilly: Irish Country Stories: Irish Country Stories by Patrick Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A compilation of the famous Dr. Fingal O'Reilly stories before he became so famous. Patrick Taylor originally wrote about the Irish doctor in a series of columns published in Stitches: The Journal of Medical Humour before publishing them as a book in later years. Doc's antics will crack you up as he interacts with his Ulster town residents at the pub, the Mucky Duck, and in his surgery. Our favorite characters are back like Kinky, Donal Donnelly, and O'Reilly's leg humping, very large dog, Arthur.

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The Lost Husband

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Libby Moran has been struggling after the horrible car accident that killed her husband; she and her two young children have lost their home and moved in with her pharisaical mother, who harps on poor Libby about everything. It’s so bad that when Libby’s Aunt Jean (the aunt she’s never met) offers her the chance to move in with her, Libby jumps at the chance, packs up immediately, and burns rubber leaving town before her mother returns from her date. Once they reach Atwater, Texas and Jean’s goat farm, Libby and her kids fall in love with the goats, the farmhouse, Aunt Jean, and the quiet beauty of the hill country. In fact, they sleep better than they have in years, perhaps from the daily chores and lack of electronic devices including the television. Libby’s job is to help run the farm, milk the goats, make the cheese, and offer their wares at farmer’s markets under the tutelage of O’Connor, the very hairy but likeable farm manager who croons to goats. Libby begins to wonder what the man looks like under all that fur but she soon learns that O’Connor has his own tragic past and issues to overcome.

A wonderful book about overcoming tragedy and bullies and yes, finding love again - you’ll fall for Libby’s adorable kids, sweet Aunt Jean, and all those cute goats named after famous people. Written in first person, you’ll also crack up over some of Libby’s helicopter parenting thoughts about her kids and O’Connor.


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Big Stone Gap

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ave Maria isn't the person she thought she was - it wasn't until her beloved mother's death that Ave finds in a penned letter that the aloof father she knew wasn't her birth father. She had always felt different and looked different than the townsfolk in Big Stone Gap, a tiny town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The town loved her mother, who served as a seamstress to every wedding and prom over the years. Ave helped her mother, stayed clear of her father, and then went to college to take over the family pharmacy. But now at 35, Ave believes that finding her father's family in Italy is the key to her fear of finding love. In retrospect, Ave will find that there is one man who has loved her since sixth grade and will quietly do anything to help her find herself and her Italian family.

This is a story of waiting on love with the help of funny, quirky characters like Iva Lou, sexpot, operator and librarian of the Bookmobile. What small town doesn't have them including my own. I suppose that's why I enjoy Trigiani's novels so much.

A favorite quote is: “...I've made it my business to observe fathers and daughters. And I've seen some incredible, beautiful things. Like the little girl who's not very cute - her teeth are funny, and her hair doesn't grow right, and she's got on thick glasses - but her father holds her hand and walks with her like she's a tiny angel that no one can touch. He gives her the best gift a woman can get in this world: protection. And the little girl learns to trust the man in her life. And all the things that the world expects from women - to be beautiful, to soothe the troubled spirit, heal the sick, care for the dying, send the greeting card, bake the cake - allof those things become the way we pay the father back for protecting us...”

The novel's sequels are: Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap.

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Every Waking Moment

Every Waking Moment by Chris Fabry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Treha is a most unusual young woman - she has a special gift that Desert Gardens' director Miriam Howard taps to help the assisted living residents with dementia. Treha herself has no clue to her own upbringing or why her eyes swing back and forth or even why her fingers seem to tap as if using a keyboard. Her only memories are "borrowed" from other lives. When a new director comes on board Desert Gardens, Treyha gets fired, and Miriam is determined to help Treha unravel the clues to her life.

An amazing book that covers unusual subjects - how those with dementia and our elderly are treated and controversial drugs and the repercussions. Fabry asks deep questions that we need ask ourselves...

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Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland

Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland by Roseanna White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Annapolis, Maryland, the country's capital, is the place to be - a hotbed of new hopes and ideas. Lark Benton, after being betrayed by the only man she's ever loved, with her beloved brother's help flees from her father's plantation in Williamsburg, VA to friends in Annapolis over the Christmastide. Once there, Lark's friendship with the Randels deepens and new friends are made with the Calverts, even though they are considered Tories. When Lark’s betrothed follows her to Annapolis, she has no intention returning home and sets out to prove her loyalty to her country, amidst the city’s Loyalists and Patriots.

Although White’s book is fictional, it is very interesting look at Annapolis, our nation’s capital for only six months, the Liberty Tree where the Sons of Liberty met, Bladen’s Folly and the State House in the year 1783.


Perfect for those of you who love historical fiction/historical romance..

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The Union Street Bakery

The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One minute you’re on top – fancy, swanky apartment, designer dresses, killer heels and the next minute you’re back sharing your parent’s attic with a ghost and all your worldly goods stuffed in boxes. Daisy lived the good life until the CEO of her company raised the bet and lost it all including his business and employees. Now Daisy spends the hours before dawn kneading dough and making bread in her family bakery – a once prospering business that’s now running in the red. It’s up to Daisy to crunch the numbers, help them break even and solve the mystery of the ghost and an old journal has been gifted to her from a frequent bakery customer. But, Daisy constantly entertains the idea of leaving, especially when she’s offered a job with a prestigious company…..

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