Judith Pella's newest book Sister's Choice was a great novel! I loved it.
I absolutely fell in love with Maggie. I had enjoyed her from the previous book, Bachelor's Puzzle and was glad to see her as the main character in the newest installment. The love story in the book was just so adorable. It was filled a great many ackward moments, but you really felt for the characters. Some of the settings were so idyllic, reading about the picnics in the woods on a nice quilt, getting caught in the rain, taking walks, picking berries in the fields, while being couped up with it snowing outside made these even better. I enjoyed Evan going out on a limb to fight for Tommy basically because Maggie wanted him to. Maggie seemed to be Evan's courage throughout the book.
I know I have already said this but the romance in this book was just so great. I laughed, cried, and got "pink cheeked" along with Maggie throughout the story. I just really fell in love with this character. She was just such a compassionate person and a reckless love struck girl all at once.
I hope that Judith continues this series and am interested to see where Ellie's relationship with Zach goes and experience Maggie's married life. I am also curious who will be the main character to fall in love in the third book. I plan to write the author to find out if she has an additional title planned. If not I will be disappointed because I feel that many things were left unfinished.
The only thing negative I could say was that I felt that the trial did drag, although I usually do not find trials all that exciting in stories. But I also felt this part of the story was neccessary.
It is always interesting to see how the name of the quilt/title of the book intertwine with the story. Sister's Choice was definitely a great title for this story.
I highly recommend this book and its companion Bachelor's Puzzle. I have honestly found myself falling in love with the characters and setting and can't wait to find out more about their lives. Way to go Judith!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Finished a great book today...
Well, I have been trying to decide whether to include surprises from books that I review or not in my reviews. How I hate to ruin endings of good books. That kills the element of surprise. However today, a friend called and asked my opinion on a book she had been reading and I thought to myself man, I wish I had written down the details down somewhere so that I would remember the story better! After so many stories, some of the elements blur together! It is such fun to discuss books with friends, however, we do not always read simultaneously and then these mishaps occur!!
Well, anyway, I finished a great book today. My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer. It was a story of three siblings who are orphaned during a tenement fire in NYC. The eldest, Maelle, has promised her father that she would take care of her siblings. She does not want to see them split up. But unfortunately after spending a short amount of time in the city's orphanage the three children are carted on to a train heading west, the orphan train. And inevitably the three children are split up to three different families. It was so hard to see this happen.
However, the story then jumps forward to approximately fifteen years later. The eldest, Maelle, a traveling photographer, is still hoping to be reuinted with her brother Mattie and sister Molly.
The story jumps points of view to each of the three children. You hear the story about the past fifteen or so years that you have missed. The remainder of the book is about the search for one another. The youngest Molly, however, has no memory of a past family.
I really enjoyed the fact that the story concentrated on the orphan trains and later child labor laws. It was very interesting yet sad to see the conditions that children were forced to work in. It was good to see good overcome evil in the fight to end such cruel conditions. It was also interesting to see the passion that the three siblings had for the movement because of their past experiences.
I enjoyed
Overall I found this to be a great book. There was even a little romance hidden inside. It was interesting to read the author's note and learn that the author's grandmother had rode on an orphan train. She also used her passion in later life to take care of 12 surrogate children after finding out she was unable to concieve children.
I definitely recommend and no I am not going to give away the ending!
Well, anyway, I finished a great book today. My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer. It was a story of three siblings who are orphaned during a tenement fire in NYC. The eldest, Maelle, has promised her father that she would take care of her siblings. She does not want to see them split up. But unfortunately after spending a short amount of time in the city's orphanage the three children are carted on to a train heading west, the orphan train. And inevitably the three children are split up to three different families. It was so hard to see this happen.
However, the story then jumps forward to approximately fifteen years later. The eldest, Maelle, a traveling photographer, is still hoping to be reuinted with her brother Mattie and sister Molly.
The story jumps points of view to each of the three children. You hear the story about the past fifteen or so years that you have missed. The remainder of the book is about the search for one another. The youngest Molly, however, has no memory of a past family.
I really enjoyed the fact that the story concentrated on the orphan trains and later child labor laws. It was very interesting yet sad to see the conditions that children were forced to work in. It was good to see good overcome evil in the fight to end such cruel conditions. It was also interesting to see the passion that the three siblings had for the movement because of their past experiences.
I enjoyed
Overall I found this to be a great book. There was even a little romance hidden inside. It was interesting to read the author's note and learn that the author's grandmother had rode on an orphan train. She also used her passion in later life to take care of 12 surrogate children after finding out she was unable to concieve children.
I definitely recommend and no I am not going to give away the ending!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Family
Today I have had deep thoughts about how important that my husband and daughter are to me . I think that spending time with your family; sitting down at the dinner table iqrh conversations flowing and tv off are so vital to a well established family. How changed our 21st century family has become? So many children have cell phones, mp3s, play stations, computers. The list of technological advances go on and on. Not that I am saying these things are bad persay, considering I am sitting using one at the moment. However, where are our boundaries and limits?
I just hope that I always do a good job of spending quality family time with all of my children (the one I have and those to come). Playing games, cooking together, doing crafts, reading stories. These memories are so priceless. Children today seem to be replacing personal relationships with technological devices. What does this have to say about devoting time to our heavenly Father when our own Father does not turn off the tv to come and sit down to dinner with us; eating supper from his lazy boy.
So this week I would inspire us all to turn down on technology and turn up on personal relationships with those we love!
End of the preaching, I feel better now.
I just hope that I always do a good job of spending quality family time with all of my children (the one I have and those to come). Playing games, cooking together, doing crafts, reading stories. These memories are so priceless. Children today seem to be replacing personal relationships with technological devices. What does this have to say about devoting time to our heavenly Father when our own Father does not turn off the tv to come and sit down to dinner with us; eating supper from his lazy boy.
So this week I would inspire us all to turn down on technology and turn up on personal relationships with those we love!
End of the preaching, I feel better now.
Friday, February 22, 2008
My first post!
Well, as previously stated I love to read christian fiction. So the bulk of this blog will probably pertain to that subject in someway! Oh how I love to read! As a stay at home mom, it is wonderful to have a book to escape to while the baby is sleeping; my only real free time. Forget laundry, I have reading to do!
I just finished an awesome book by an awesome author, Tracey Bateman. It is the newest installment in the Drama Queens series You Had Me At Goodbye. I was so anxious for this book because I had fallen in love with Dancy, in the first book of the series. What an amazing story! I was hooked!
Dancy is an editor for a publishing company and is hoping to move up on the corporate ladder. Having a crush on your boss who stole your dream job does not help matters. Being fired by your boss really messes with things.
Dancy has to fall hard in order to find God's grace and realize how to not worry about things, that God will work them out according to his plan.
It was so awesome to see the characters mature and grow in their faith and love for one another. I totally fell in love with Dancy and was cheering for her.
Tracey added a lot of fun and humor to the story as well. I love it when a book makes me laugh!
You will not be disappointed with the fairy tale ending either. I am so looking forward to book three to get to know Laini a little bit better. Can't wait for August and That's (Not Exactly) Amore!
I just finished an awesome book by an awesome author, Tracey Bateman. It is the newest installment in the Drama Queens series You Had Me At Goodbye. I was so anxious for this book because I had fallen in love with Dancy, in the first book of the series. What an amazing story! I was hooked!
Dancy is an editor for a publishing company and is hoping to move up on the corporate ladder. Having a crush on your boss who stole your dream job does not help matters. Being fired by your boss really messes with things.
Dancy has to fall hard in order to find God's grace and realize how to not worry about things, that God will work them out according to his plan.
It was so awesome to see the characters mature and grow in their faith and love for one another. I totally fell in love with Dancy and was cheering for her.
Tracey added a lot of fun and humor to the story as well. I love it when a book makes me laugh!
You will not be disappointed with the fairy tale ending either. I am so looking forward to book three to get to know Laini a little bit better. Can't wait for August and That's (Not Exactly) Amore!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)