Lonestar Angel - Colleen Coble

Eden's hope is rekindled when Clay delivers astounding news: their daughter has been found.
Five years ago Eden and Clay Larson's baby was stolen and never found. Eden blamed herself, Clay lost himself in work. Their young and rocky marriage ended. Or so Eden thought.
Now Eden's moved to a new town. She's found faith and is trying to rebuild her life. She's even dating again-a sweet guy who plans to marry her someday. But then Clay arrives out of the blue and delivers shocking news: they're still married. What's more, Clay has been searching for Brianna all this time. And he believes he's found her: their daughter is in Bluebird, Texas, at a youth ranch.
Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble

To say i devoured this novel would be stating it mildly. From an upscale restaurant in Charlie Creek, to the desert of Texas, Colleen had me sitting on the edge of the seat the whole way! This book is Intense, to say the least.

Her vivid descriptions have the reader seeing the allusive roadrunner, the beautiful sunsets and sunrises that only the desert can provide, the cacti and their flowers, tasting  the dust , hearing the happy squeals of  little girls, smelling the chilli cooking.  I felt the fear towards the rattler that gave no warning, the uncertainty of tarantulas, and the anguish of seeing abused horses. The challenges of counsellors dealing with children in foster homes are huge, and this is brought out in a very enlightening and positive way.

Many times i had to put the book down and leave it, just to bring myself back into the reality of life in my own living room as opposed to the Bluebird Ranch, only to be drawn back to the story to find out what happened next. And just when i thought i knew where the story was heading, someone or something happened to make it all change direction again.

Once again, Colleen has lived up to my expectations of her writing.

The Keeper - Youtube -

i've never posted a youtube item on my blog before, but i'm excited about Suzanne Woods Fisher's new series coming out in January and would like to share. Hope this works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqZVG_rNHM8&feature=share via @youtube

The Little Shadows - Marina Endicott

Here is the eagerly anticipated new novel from a brilliant writer whose last book, Good to a Fault, was shortlisted for the prestigious Giller Prize and won the Commonwealth Prize for Canada and the Caribbean.

The Little Shadows revolves around three sisters in the world of vaudeville before and during the First World War. We follow the lives of all three in turn: Aurora, the eldest and most beautiful, who is sixteen when the book opens; thoughtful Clover, a year younger; and the youngest sister, joyous headstrong sprite Bella, who is thirteen. The girls, overseen by their fond but barely coping Mama, are forced to make their living as a singing act after the untimely death of their father. They begin with little besides youth and hope, but Marina Endicott’s genius is to show how the three girls slowly and steadily evolve into true artists even as they navigate their way to adulthood among a cast of extraordinary characters – some of them charming charlatans, some of them unpredictable eccentrics, and some of them just ordinary-seeming humans with magical gifts.

Using her gorgeous prose and extraordinary insight, Endicott lures us onto the brightly lit stage and then into the little shadows that lurk behind the curtain, and reveals how the art of vaudeville -- in all its variety, madness, melodrama, hilarity and sorrow -- echoes the art of life itself.  

MY REVIEWS Less

A beautiful poetic novel of what the vaudeville or theatre might have been in historic western Canada and the northwest U.S.A., in particularly Montana. The story follows three girls and their mother after the death of the father as they go into the world their mother knew before she met their father.  Each scene and each character is portrayed in vivid colors, both their good attributes as well as the eccentric.  Although i don’t know much about the world of actors either then or now, it seems like the author did a lot of research to make it authentic.

Personally i found it very dry, tedious reading, with so much attention to detail, and a lot of conversations.  There really wasn’t any plot, unless you consider the everyday life of people aspiring to stardom through entertaining others a plot.

I received this novel from the publisher through Netgalley for review. I was not required to give a positive review in order to receive it, just an honest one.

October 21, 2011

I am a reader, not a writer, and i just want to sit here and read (both of those are names of blogs i follow, and so i won't use that as a title for my book reviews, though they both fit me to a T, and i wish i had got one of them first) However, i do want to sit down and write reviews. i have a bunch of books i have read (recieved from other blogs where i entered to win, bought books or library books) but writing doesn't come easy to me. i think on what i will write about a certain book as i'm dozing off at night, too tired to get up and write down my thoughts and by morning, i have to start all over again. But i will get to them, because they are too good not to share. Thanks for understanding. We had a rain on Wednesday that shut down combining for a few days. Yesterday was sunny, but not really warm, but the swaths might be ready to try again today. We shipped 4 super B loads of wheat to the elevator yesterday, so that was a good days job. So until next time, with love Mitzi (aka Marianne)

Diary, October 14, 2011

I know it's been a while since i posted...and wouldn't be posting this morning if we had been on the field harvesting till 1:00 a.m. either. But it's been raining the last few days. Not a lot, but enough to keep everything too wet to combine. That's not a bad thing, we do need the moisture for next year, and we have enough stuff going on that we don't sit idle even now.

We have about half of the wheat crop in the bin, which makes us about one quarter done our harvest, since we have a little less acres seeded with canola than we did of wheat. The bushels are awesome...we have never seen a yield of 70 to 80 bushels per acre on our farm before, and don't expect to in the future. We are so Thankful to God, for He it is that gives the increase.

So what are we spending our time doing? Well i've been doing a bit of much needed baking, cookies for my lunch bucket, sticky buns for just so. When it started raining, i was on my way to Manitoba. Mom's cousin there passed away and she was close to him and his family. That's a long drive from where we live now. We did a bit of visiting, going to my BFF's place. She had made a throw i bought in Tennessee into Roman Shades for my bedroom window. That's a bit awkward to ship, so was glad i could do that. In the almost two weeks since then, we've had doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, parts runs (simply picking up parts? No such luck. we've been on runs that take us on 70 mile runs just to gather them) and repairing. Doesn't sound exactly interesting, but it's what keeps our days busy.

Right now, the grain cart is down, needs some work, and the combine has a couple of bearings that are running hot. If the weather holds, and the crops dry we can run it the way it is, just keeping an eye on the problem, but likely there will be no combining until middle of next week! Farming may be a waiting on God occupation, but we keep busy all the same.

So until next time, Take care.

Product Description

A Place Called Blessing chronicles the story of five-year-old Josh. He and his two older brothers lose their parents in a drunk driving accident. After a series of foster homes and a shocking tragedy, he and his brothers are separated, leaving him angry, alone, and distrustful. At age eighteen, a step away from homelessness, he finds unconditional love and the gift of "the blessing." This book shows how to implement the five elements of the biblical blessing found in Trent's book, The Blessing. A Focus on the Family book.

 

My Review

I just finished reading a novel of unconditional love, written by John Trent.   I found it to be an incredible life-changing story!  It is written in the first person, as if by Josh, and though this is not my preference, i did think it was the best way to tell this story, and told mostly as Josh relating his story after the fact. Then at the end he brings us into the present.

The story starts off with Josh giving a bit of background to his dysfunctional family, and i was drawn to these little boys left to figure out life while their parents partied.  The story really starts when Josh and his two brothers lost their parents in a drunk driving accident, and they are placed in a foster home.  The events that happen to separate the boys is heartbreaking, but understandable. Even after i was finished reading, my heart was heavy for those poor little ones, and inspired by the unconditional love showed to Josh when he was a young man dealing with anger, mad at the world. 

John uses this novel as a way to introduce the idea of Blessing, or Unconditional Love to those hurting from all kinds of dysfunctional relationships that may have happened in life.

 i recieved this book free from ThomasNelson Publishers through their Booksneeze program. i was not required to give a positive review.

Product Description

Nurse Natalie Fallon has brought her ailing mother to Denver for her health and starts a job at Denver's Mile High Hospital, where she meets fellow nurse Breanna Baylor Brockman. In Natalie's past is a relationship with Rex Rawlins, a young medical student. Two years prior she had ended the relationship when she learned Rex was planning a rural practice. She is determined not to marry a country doctor like her father, who died at age 43 from overwork. But she has never stopped loving Rex, and now, little does she know that Rex is a rural doctor in the surrounding mountains. A serious accident brings them together, but it will take a miracle to give them the promise of a life together.

I just finished reading Al Lacy’s NOT BY MIGHT. It’s been quite a few years since i picked up an Al Lacy book, simply because they have lost my interest. The book was well written, using words to aptly describe vivid scenery. The characters are strong and believable, and catch the reader’s attention.  His book is a typical Lacy wild western complete with good guys , the Marshalls and bad guys, the outlaws.  It is a historical, taking place in Colorado before the use of motorized vehicles. Those who enjoy good clean westerns like Zane Grey will enjoy this book.

MY REVIEW

I prefer books with lots of action – keep you on your toes at the edge of the seat type of action, and Al Lacy does not do that for me. I don’t mind the scripture being mentioned, but this book repeated  Zachariah  4 verse 6 many,  many times “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord”. Again, i prefer the gospel story as well as the salvation story (or lack thereof) to be told by the lives of the characters in a more subtle way that Al Lacy’s in your face.  I could recommend this book to an armchair reader who likes westerns.