In the Cleft:Joy Comes in the Mourning by Dana Goodman

Genre: Inspirational, Autobiography

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

Dana Goodman is definitely a courageous woman.  I say this ot because she has had to handle the death of three family members  such a short time, but because of how she handled it. God does't promise hid children a life of eas. He promises to walk with us continually through these dark valleys. This raw look at Dana and her grief was not sugar coated.  It was not full of only the great things God helped her through.  This was full of reality. Her true thoughts and feelings.  Feelings that God was a puny God who could not help her.  Anyone who has lost someone to a slow diseas has the feelings. Not everyone will admit it.  That doesn't mean as Christians that we don't have them. It means when those feelings hit us, we rely on God to walk with us, and if need be to carry us for awhile. This book was hard to read because at this moment I have a friend who is walking this same path.  Her daughter has been sick for such a long time and now her brain cancer is ravishing her body.  It is painful to watch my friend go through this.  Like Dana, she is such an inspiration as has her daughter been to us.  She has leaned on God and let us know how tough it is.  She is not walking this valley alone but with Jesus at her side.  This is a book I think everyone should read whether they are or have gone through anything like this.  I will definitely recommend this to family and friends. I am sharing this with my other who teaches a Grief Share class at church and has since shortly after losing my father and my sister.  You can find other grief resources on Dana's site.

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Run Holly Run by Walter Rouzer

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Take one haunted mansion that sits on the Mississippi River, people in the town acting strangely, burned crop circles and top it off with aliens and you have just filled the reading wish list of most middle school kids.

Holly Atwood and her parents have just moved into a mansion. While out walking Holly sees two girls in the attic window of the mansion.  When she returns she sees those same faces in a portrait hanging above the fireplace.  She doesn't understand.  The portrait is over one hundred years old so there is no way she could have seen those faces for real.  There are other strange things happening around town and she feels she needs to get to the bottom of it.  The good thing is her friend Charlie, from college, lives in this same town. He will gladly help her solve this mystery.  I loved the quirkiness and most of all the mystery to this book.  The only thing that saddens me is that it is in ebook format.  This is one of those books I would definitely purchase for my classroom shelves.  I know my students would love it.  All I can do is recommend it to the few who have ereaders.  However, I do whole heartedly recommend it.

Give Books, Not Roses Giveaway

Dear  Reader,

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! The crisp, cool air feels a little sweeter and stores are filling their shelves with greeting cards and candies. But instead of sharing the usual gifts, the way to someone’s heart can be through a story (and maybe a little bit of chocolate). Hachette Book Group is offering a “Give Books, Not Roses” Valentine’s Day giveaway for those of you who want to express your admiration for friends, family, and loved ones.

Love Gently Falling written by Melody Carlson is a romantic novella about the power of Valentine’s Day and how one woman discovers love while at the same time saving her family’s business. Successful hairstylist to the stars Rita Jensen returns to her hometown in Chicago after receiving news that her mother has suffered a stroke. Though Rita must come up with a plan to save her mother’s salon, the oncoming holiday and her undeniable feelings for an old classmate become quite a distraction.

Keys of Heaven is the second book in Adina Senft’s Healing Grace trilogy. Amish widow Sarah Yoder helps her community by creating teas and tinctures from the herbs she grows. She struggles to find love with an Amish man, and she doesn’t know what to do about her attraction to her friend Henry Byler, who has turned away from her beliefs. Sarah’s story will show anyone that romantic love is not the only love that matters.

Valentine’s Day is an internationally celebrated day of romance, dating back to the 5^th Century. But today, love touches our lives in so many different ways. Whether you are dedicating the day to your good friends or your life partner, treat them to these wonderful stories of courage, kindness, and love.

Sincerely,

Christina Boys

Editor of LOVE GENTLY FALLING and KEYS OF HEAVEN

LOVE GENTLY FALLING

Books-A-Million:  http://bit.ly/1xu5YKK

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1xX5cWD

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Amazon: http://amzn.to/1F7LXvY

KEYS OF HEAVEN

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GIVEAWAY (open to US residents only)

One lucky winner will win a copy of each of the books: Love Gently Falling and Keys of Heaven, PLUS wonderful Artisan Chocolate Bar from Olive and Sinclair.  Please leave your name, email and a comment about why you think  we should give books not roses for Valentines.  A winner will be chosen on Valentine's Day.

Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting

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

This was a very interesting book. Tallulah and Annabelle had been friends since they were twelve years old. At first it seems they come from such different worlds. Tallulah’s father has a plumbing business. Annabelle’s parents are famous artists. It was interesting that both of them called their parents by their first name. This grated on me somewhat because I was always raised to believe this was disrespectful. However, I understood why this was the norm for them. Another thing I loved was the creation of their own language by taking the parts of two different words to create a new word.
I found I didn’t care for Annabelle as much as I did Tallulah. I think I felt this way because I felt she truly betrayed Tallulah by taking Josh away from her. However, as an adult I can see he didn’t really care about Tallulah if he was able to switch to Anabelle that easily. Watching how that one event had so much influence on their lives was what drove this story. 
The messed up families was spot on. I think it was this that drew them to each other. I loved how each girl saw the major flaws in their mothers, yet it was their friend’s mother who stepped in and filled that spot. This is truly a coming of age story. It is about friendship, betrayal, forgiveness and healing. I was sad with a major event near the end of the book, yet it felt like it needed to happen for the book to end properly. This was definitely a book I enjoyed and would recommend.

Wonderful Picture Book Finds

Genre: Picture Books
Source: I received copies of these books to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Anthony Ant Goes to Egypt by Julie Bettendorf

Anthony is an ant who travels the world in a suitcase. He travels to Egypt where he meets a new friend, a beetle named Babu. Babu takes him around and shows him all of the sites. This was a wonderful picture book. It was bright and colorful. The reader will learn so much from simply following his travels. It is set I simple rhyme which made the reading fun and makes it flow. I look forward to reading more of Anthony Ant’s adventures.

Lix & Basta The Lost Dragons Books 1-3 by Mark A. Gilchrist & Brian Rathbone

Godsland is full of dragons. Regent dragons protect Cremini Cows who have mushrooms that grow on their backs. Feral Dragons live in mountains and build their homes from Rooble Rocks that have crystals inside. Regent Dragons steal Rooble Rocks and Feral Dragons steal the mushrooms. They are always fighting each other. If these dragons have no crystals or mushrooms they start losing their colors and turn to stone This is the story of two of the smallest dragons. Lix is a Regent dragon. He is smaller than the other dragos. Basta is a Feral dragon. He can’t fly because his wings are too small. Both of them decide to steal what they need to keep from turning into stone. They bump into each other and fall down the mountain. They are whisked away to a strange land. In the new land they find a magical egg that will help them keep their colors. They have to work together to get the magic egg. What will happen when they each try to keep the egg for themselves? Will they learn to be friends and to work together? I can only hope the author continues this story as I have become quite hooked on it.

Pleasing to the Lord by Cindy Bracken

This simple rhyming book is based on Colossians 3:20. It tells small children what they can do to please the Lord. This is an excellent way to teach children acts of kindness.

Oliver and Jumpy Stories 4-6 by Werner Stejskal

Oliver the elegant cat with a top hat invites Jumpy the kangaroo and her baby Joey on a trip to Mokey Island. Their ship is a hippopotamus. Their tickets are paid with carrots. Once on the island they find entertainment from the monkeys. They take a camel ride. Their trip becomes difficult when a monkey steals Joey and they lose all their food getting him back. While golfing Oliver meets Molly Mole who wants Oliver and Jumpy to see what she has discovered. They end up in fairyland. You must read this story to find out about their adventures. The final story was called “Treasure Hunt”.  On a shopping trip Oliver buys an old table. While restoring it he finds a secret drawer with a treasure map inside. Take a trip with them to a land so similar to what you would have found in Willy Wonka that you want to stay there. These are simple and delightful stories. They are great adventure stories for that little adventurer in your life.

If I Were Your Monster by Scott Nicholson

A father is tucking his daughter into bed. He sits and explains all the ways he would protect her if he was her monster. This is not only a very cute story, but a book full of wonderful monsters for children of all ages to enjoy.

I Lost My Marble by Nathan Ritter

Marvin is a young boy who finds EVERYTHING boring. The only thing he likes to do is play with his marbles. His parents don’t know what to do with him so they take him to Uncle Greg’s to spend the day. When his favorite marble goes missing he has to hunt for it and realizes he had fun after all.

 The Big Zoroo (Naloo’s Version) and (Nanook’s Version) by Francois Bissonnette

Naloo (Nanook)  finds her friend Zoroo sad and sitting on a rock. Try as hard as he can Zoroo just can’t bounce very high, run very fast, or fly. Naloo (Nanook)  helps him see there are a lot of things he can do very well. This shows us that we all have our talents and we should be proud of them. These books are written identical except one is for a boy and one is for a girl.  I personally would like to see just one book with Naloo and Nanook on the adventure together, or else they take completely different adventures.  I love the storyline.  I just find this one thing a little annoying.

Operation Bumpkin Birthday by Petrina Khushoggi

Snitch, Snatch and Sketch are three rat brothers who live in the subway of New York.  Snatch is always thinking of his belly, often snatching food from the younger brother Snitch.  When this happens Snitch tattles to his ill tempered brother Sketch.  Sketch decides it is time to head up town where there is more food.  They find the home of the Bumpkin family on the edge of Central Park.  Going through the garbage they find a bounty of food.  Upon investigating the inside of the house Sketch learns there is to be a birthday party the next day.  This will mean lots of food.  But what will happen when the plans they make are messed up by greedy Snatch.  This is a wonderful book.  The illustrations are bright and beautiful.  They are so detailed.  The story is wonderfully told by someone who definitely has a talent for telling a story.  This was so delightful that I can't wait to share it with my grandchildren.

Student Saturday: The Death Cure by James Dashner

Student Reviewer:  Elizabeth B.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

I enjoyed this book. This is the third book in the Maze Runner Series, and I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was a little upsetting because at the end there was no cure for a disease called the flare. While a group of them left the rest of the human race to die off while they went into a part of the world that they called paradise. I connected with the book because when Thomas was given the decision of killing his friend he did it, because that’s what his friend wanted I connected a bunch of books to this because they all witnessed a person dying; they each had different feelings with seeing the life leave their eyes.

Release Day Blitz: Trigger by Jill Meengs

Trigger by Jill Meengs

Published by Booktrope

January 27, 2015

Genre: Spy Thriller

Jordan Shaw knows the only way to stop the man hunting her is to kill him. She also knows the other men who came after her are dead, some of their blood is on her hands, and she wouldn’t have survived this long without the help of the intriguing and secretive Chase Hudson. Even though she isn’t sure she can trust Chase, she believes she needs him to discover the truth. Two days before, life was pretty good as she backpacked around Europe with her best friend. Now, everything has changed and she may not even live through the night. What started as a summer trip of self-discovery has become a dangerous journey across three countries as Jordan is forced into a world few know exist and even fewer survive. A clandestine international organization that will let nothing stand in their way has put a price on her head. Despite all the uncertainty, there are two things that she is absolutely sure of; she has one chance to out-maneuver a world class killer, and she has to make that move right now.

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About the Author

Jill Postlewait Meengs grew up in a small town on the Oregon Coast. During and after college she spent extended periods of time backpacking in more than 30 countries. She has been to every location she describes in “Trigger” and some of the content is based on her own experiences while traveling. She met her husband, Chad, in the MBA program at Oregon State University. After getting married, they purchased and fully remodeled a house. It was Chad who encouraged, and then bribed her to write her first book, “Trigger.” He says that he very much enjoys watching the flat-screen he purchased as part of their deal. When Jill isn’t reading or writing, she is running, doing yoga or planning her next trip. Jill and Chad live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

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Student Saturday: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Student Reviewer: Elizabeth B.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

The Scorch Trials is book #2 in the Maze Runner Series. By the beginning of this book I learned why it had this title. After the maze test in book 1, Thomas and his friends thought they were done. A group called WICKED, funny, right? Was putting them through all of these tests. The Scorch Trials was another one of them I think this might have been the book – which out of every book that I’ve read, (which is a lot), that I definitely felt most connected/drawn/intimidated by. It was kind of funny – when Thomas was upset, so was I. I’m serious. In real life. No joke. When he was mad, I was angry. His emotions flew through me. When his heart was crushed, when I had to finally put the book down at nighttime, I was crushed. Then I woke up not really feeling well. But, reading the book with that, afterwards, hew as happy again. and so was I. The very next day, now, I am still recovering my shock from having all of the emotions from this book flow through me. Wow!

A Little Song, A Little Dance

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

I really enjoyed this book.  Some of the characters I really detested. Not because they were poorly written, for they were wonderfully developed.  My favorite character to detest was Samantha Spivey’s mother Geraldine.  She wants what she wants and doesn’t seem to care what Samantha wants. She is critical of everyone and everything.  She looks down her nose at everyone. Samantha loves to dance with and for her church, especially when  Joy tells her to think about it as dancing for the Lord.
Kristee Fujima loves to sing, but not the type of songs her aunt wants her to sing. Her aunt worked in Las Vegas.  I could understand her mother want more for her than they had. Her lack of understanding often impeded the growth I thought Kristee was capable of demonstrating. Joy was once again able to help Kristee find her true voice and sing for the Lord.
I felt sorry for the assistant pastor Ted. He was 38 years old and still single. He dreaded going to his mother’s for Christmas because he knew that his mom would always have an eligible girl there in the hopes they would fall in love and get married.
This book also had a creep factor. Jonathan is a realtor and his wife Mariel works in the office.  One day a man with a pock marked face enters looking for a house. The way he switches back and forth between talking like an illiterate man and a high class person tells you that something is not right.  I’ll leave that for you to figure out.  I just found it strange that he says he has to go out of town on some business and wants to see two houses he has picked out when he returns.  Then when he returns he has a lot more money and now wants a much larger house with few people around.  It makes you wonder what he is looking for and why he is acting so strange.
I would have to describe this as a story that takes place around Christmas that is full of charm and mystery.  I have really enjoyed this novella. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Turn on the Light So I Can Hear by Teri Kanefield

Genre: Adult,  Romance

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

This is the third book I have reviewed for this author.  Each has been different. The main character in this book is Bretna.  She is an artist.  When her sculptures stop selling she looks for a job to pay the bills. She needs a job that will pay a certain amount and allow her to continue to work on her art.  The solution to her problem? Take a job paying $18 an hour as an interpretor for a deaf student. Bretna has one major problem.  She has taken the job by allowing them to believe she is qualified to work with this student, yet she has no sign language experience.  Her solution is to take a class and private lessons.  Thank goodness she is a quick learner.  I thought it funny that she realized  Alex’s signing ability was sloppier than hers.   Alex just wants to fit in like any other student. He reminded me of a seventh grader I had who insisted on doing everything her hearing classmates did.  She refused to allow her disability to define her.

Bretna shares a room with two other young ladies.  The newest roommate, Rosie adds lots of drama to the mix.  She just keeps going back to the same type of person. Curtis was her sign language instructor.  It was only a matter of time before a relationship was built.  Curtis didn’t necessarily agree with what Bretna’s plans were.  However, after seeing that she really cares for Alex’s education, things move forward.  She seems to be able to motivate both Curtis and Alex to take chances in their lives. I had an issue with her contact at the school.  She had a deaf son who was personal friend’s with Alex’s parents.  She didn’t agree with them allowing Alex to go to a regular high school.  She thought they should only let him attend schools that were for the deaf.  She believed in isolating them. I think she hindered Alex’s progress in many ways.  She almost seemed spiteful when it came to changing Alex’s classes.  That would be my take on it from an educator’s perspective.

It would be interesting to find out if the author has any background in art.  She speaks about different people in colors.  It is funny because I really understood that.  The art relationship was very intriguing.  Her writing is so descriptive that I could picture her sculptures and her drawings. Bretna’s issues with her family were heartbreaking.  The fact that she’d had a fairly severe hearing problem helped her understand Alex and Curtis’s world better.  When she talked about her surgery to restore part of her hearing I understood.  My son was not even a year old when he had to have tubes put in his ears.  I remember coming back from the hospital a semi drove by and my son put his hands over his ears.  As he began to talk we realized there were so many sounds he could not hear.  Soft Ps, Vs, Ts.

I was able to understand a lot of this from Bretna’s viewpoint.  I learned the sign language alphabet when I was very young.  My grandmother was deaf.  She had meniere’s disease.  She was an expert at reading lips.  I learned to talk slowly to those with hearing deficits as I had my grandmother.  This was an extremely enjoyable book.  It is one I will probably read again.