Three Amish Books

So I spent the weekend catching up on my Amish reads.  I've been behind on so many. When I'm having a "bad knee" day all I can do is sit or lay down and read.  My movement is restricted.  As much as I hate that, I love that I have more uninterrupted time to read.  Here are my three for today.

Amish Values for your Family by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Adult, Inspirational, Informational

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Amish values is a book that should be read by any family that is looking to improve their family dynamics. The one thing I’ve always admired about the Amish is their sense of family and what is truly important.  One thing that really stood out is how much family means to them.  They love their children, but do not spoil them the way we who are not Amish do.  For this reason they don’t grow up feeling like we, the parents owe them everything they desire. They raise their family around their faith.  God is the center of the home. The author shows us through examples and stories of Amish families. This is not a book where the author spouts off, “do this or that  to get this or that”.

I think one of the reasons I relish their lifestyle so much is because I pretty much grew up that way.  We are not and never were Amish. Yet, growing up on a farm with all of our duties were so similar to the Amish lifestyle.  I was never raised to expect anything except what God gave us. I worked hard as did all of my family.  It carried over to my own children, even though we left the farm behind many years ago.  My parents made sure that God was the center of our life. We started our morning with devotions and we ended our evening with devotions. I was well prepared for my day ahead. 

This book, with all of its examples and proverbs at the beginning of each chapter, shows that we can go back to a simpler life, yet not as structured as the Amish live, and still come out with some of the same great results.

Living in Harmony by  Mary Ellis

Genre: Adult, Amish Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

All is not harmonious in Harmony Main for the main characters in this story.  When Amy and Nora King lose their parents in a house fire, their younger siblings go to live with relatives and they go with Amy’s future husband to Harmony, Maine. John’s brother is the minister in Harmony.  He decides that Amy and John need to wait a while so that Amy can properly grieve her  parent’s death. Things are so different in Harmony.  They are a stricter community.  Amy is willing to try to fit in. Nora on the other hand has difficulty.  Their clothes are too bright so they must make new ones to fit in with the drab colors of their new community.  Where they would have had singings and buggy rides while courting, that is all banned in this community.  For Nora it mean no Rumspringa, which is also banned. I applaud Amy for trying so hard to fit in to her new community. I also applaud her trying to help Sally, the minister’s wife who doesn’t feel like she fits in with the other women.  Nora, I wanted to smack her for acting like a spoiled brat.  When John’s younger brother Elam, the rebellious one shows up, he takes Nora down that path as well.  Amy learns that she has an aunt who was shunned living nearby. She makes plans to meet with her and learns that is also forbidden.  Will she follow the rules or follow her heart? Will Nora ever settle down and stop causing so much trouble?  Will John and Amy finally get married? The answers to these questions are waiting for you  in the book.

I have to say the only character I really had a hard time liking was John.  He came across as too strong and almost unforgiving in some of the things he did. However, like all of her other books, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to those who love reading Amish Fiction.

Abigail’s New Hope – by Mary Ellis

Genre: Adult, Amish Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Abigail loved helping deliver babies. Since she could only go so far in school she was an unlicensed midwife who worked with the local doctor. Unfortunately the one night the doctor is needed most, he is unable to help.  Abigail goes to help a young mother deliver her baby.  She tries to get the mother to go to the hospital, but she refuses. Abigail delivers the baby, but loses the mother. 

When the authorities find out that Abigail was not licensed, she is arrested for practicing medicine without a license and several other things. To add to her pain, her father, a bishop won’t come to the jail to see her, she can’t make bail because the community won’t help.  At this point I probably would have felt betrayed by everyone.  Abigail spends her time reading her Bible and praying.  At home her sister has come to stay in her house to help Abigail’s husband with the children and the household duties.  While helping out she meets a young man who works on the farm.  Everyone thinks Isaiah is mentally not all there. In reality he is deaf and very smart.  Catherine is aware of this and attracted to him. 

This is a great story.  There are themes of love, forgiveness and finding God in the midst of your trials.  Lessons of learning that God accepts us just the way we are where we are.  Mary Ellis is great at creating such realistic stories that tug at the heartstrings yet have so many hidden messages and lessons that we all need to hear.  You could never say her stories are preachy because they are definitely not.  This is one Amish fiction author you really need to read.

Dancing to the Flute by Manisha Amin

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads

“Kalu picked up the flute by his side and started to play. The sound was deep and full, as if he were translating his thoughts into music. It stayed in the air like dust floating on the sunlight, and each note held the promise of something not quite spoken but maybe heard in the darkness of a dream.” 

 Abandoned as a young child, Kalu, a cheeky street kid, has carved out a life for himself in rural India. In the quiet village of Hastinapore, Kalu has also found friends: Bal, the solitary boy who tends the local buffaloes, and Malti, a gentle servant girl, who with her mistress, Ganga Ba, has watched over Kalu since he first wandered into the small town. 

One day, perched high in the branches of a banyan tree, Kalu chooses a leaf, rolls it tightly, and as he’s done for as long as he can remember, blows through it. His pure, simple notes dance through the air and attract a traveling healer, whose interest will change Kalu’s life forever, setting him on a path he would never have dreamt possible and testing his belief in himself and his sense of identity. 

Rich in texture and atmosphere, Dancing to the Flute is a heartwarming story of a community’s joys and sorrows, the transformative powers of music, the many faces of friendship, and a boy’s journey, against all odds, to become a man

 My Thoughts

Take a trip through rural India. Learn about it culture and especially its classical music. Meet Kalu, a young boy who lives on the streets. To survive he runs errands.  It was hard to imagine that there could be anyone worse off than he was. Kalu has a friend named Bal.  I was sickened to learn his family sold him.  He had even less than Kalu had. Kalu had a talent that helped him improve his life.  He was gifted at playing the flute.  This ability  gets him noticed. It also is what helps him get an education.  As he travels we are shown the sights and sounds of life in rural India.  The descriptions are so vivid you get the image in your head and it stays with you. Just because he is discovered doesn’t mean trust comes easily to him.  Hope is something he tries to hang onto, but it is difficult when there has been so much pain in a small life. A great book from many aspects, learning about India and its classical music, learning about the lives of those who are on the lost rung of the caste system. I’ve heard stories from some of my Indian students, but this book brought it so much clearer.  A great book to read and learn from.  I recommend you read the book to see just how his life was changed and who it was that helped bring about that change.

Mastercraft Coloring Book for Grown-Ups

Genre: Coloring Book
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

When I was asked to review this book I jumped on it.  I am always looking for adult coloring pages to help me relax.  I have a folder of individual coloring sheets I have found online to download. When I clicked on the link to look at this book I was surprised to see it was an ebook.  My first concern was how I was supposed to color the book.  The end of the book has a link to download the PDF version. I did that and immediately picked out four pictures to color.  These pictures are fun and whimsical as you can see from the cover above. I printed a whimsical cat, owl, a fun beachy type picture and a picture with mushrooms and leaves that reminded me of something from the 70s.  I enjoyed coloring the pictures.  The other thing I like about this book is that at times my granddaughter wants to color pictures like this. She's never been one to color Disney type pictures.  I know that this is something she would want to color as well.  I definitely will recommend this book. If I have a favorite picture all I have to do is print it over again.