Well-written fiction

The Color of Water in July by Nora Carroll

Nora Carroll weaves a tale of Jess and her grandmother Mamie, which spans their lifetimes and their visits to the family cottage.  After Mamie’s death, Jess thinks that she is done with the cottage.  When she makes a trip back to Pine Lake at Wequetona Club, to get the cottage up for sale, she stumbles across letters that reveal pieces of the secrets of her family.  As she remembers her summers at the cottage, she realizes that she is disappointed with her life and wonders what would happen if things had been different.  The visit changes her in ways that she cannot imagine.

The author skillfully takes the readers between the events of Jess’ life and Mamie’s life.  She slowly reveals the secrets and allows the reader to understand both Jess and Mamie.  Carroll’s writing pulls the reader into the story and causes the reader to long for Jess to be able to find what she has lost.

I very much enjoyed this story and the author’s ability to forge a tale spanning 90 years.  She kept my attention by strategically revealing the family’s secrets.  The ending was satisfying, even though not entirely a surprise.  I highly recommend this book.   

Christian romantic suspense

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon

A summer joy ride leaves three college students scrambling to cover up a horrible secret.  24 years later, Chief of police Lisa Grant opens the cold case to solve the mystery of the unearthed, unidentified skeleton in her small town of Carson, Missouri.  She joins forces with the very handsome Detective Mac McGregor.  As the cold case heats up, so do the sparks between them.  When the suspects begin dying in accidents, Lisa has no idea that the killer has targeted her next.  Can Mac save her?

Buried Secrets is a great example of romantic suspense.  The author makes it clear from the outset that Lisa and Mac will end up together.  The suspense kicks in about half-way through the book when the killer strikes.  It took me a while to get hooked by the book.  There were a couple of twists that kept me wondering, but the ending was not a surprise.  An astute reader can sense that the author is poised to continue the story of the McGregor family, so fans will want to read the next book.   It was a satisfactory read.

Muslim conversion story

Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary

Rifqa Bary wrote this book to give an accurate account of her personal experiences within her family and community.  In 2009-2010 her story broke in national and international media and intrigued many people.  I wanted to read her book to find out her side of the story.

She traces her story back to the day, when as a child, she sensed the Lord’s presence in a remarkable way.  As she becomes increasingly discontent with Islam, God continues to work in her life to call her to Himself.  During high school, she becomes a follower of Jesus and knows that she must hide this fact from her family.  One day, the unthinkable happens and her faith is discovered.  To save her life, she runs away.  But her struggle is only beginning.

I enjoyed Rifqa’s faith and how she trusted God to help her.  Her story is inspiring and enlightening.  It is invaluable to help us understand and reach out to our Muslim neighbors and converts.  I was thankful to have the opportunity to read her book.

 

 

Riveting historical fiction within present day fiction

The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate

Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her restaurant from a hostile takeover.  She hopes to rescue her business by selling her newly inherited, but dilapidated hotel, The Excelsior.  She travels from her home in Michigan to the outer banks of North Carolina to quickly settle her inheritance and hopefully turn a quick profit.  But her problems are not easily nor quickly solved.  She must deal with her estranged stepfather and the tenants who are determined to rescue the once-elegant building.  She stumbles across some family heirlooms that tell a fascinating love story.  Will these artifacts hold the key to her understanding her rather eccentric maternal grandmother?  Will they enable her to find a way to save the floundering restaurant?

This was the best book I have read in a long time.  I heartily recommend it.  Author Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves two tales, one of the present and one in the past, of Whitney and her ancestors.  Both storylines kept my attention.  I was fascinated by the tales of her ancestor Alice’s adventures as part of the federal writers program.  I was also kept on edge by the developing relationships Whitney had with her step-father, one of the building’s tenants and a real estate developer.

Lisa’s style is very easy to read and flows smoothly.  There are several different sub-plots, which add to the suspense of the story.  Of course, the ending has a real twist that I never saw coming.  Readers of Christian fiction, who enjoy non-preachy but riveting stories will really enjoy this book!

Great children's book on dyslexia

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Ally Nickerson has dyslexia, but no one knows that she cannot read.  Ally can’t figure out why she can’t learn like the other kids.  Going to school every day is torture.  It is the same no matter where her military family moves.  She hides from life in her “mind movies” and copes by escaping from her problems in her very imaginative mind.  Her classmates make fun of her for being dumb.  Her teacher thinks she is lazy and sends her often to the principal’s office.  Her mother is called and Ally vows to do better.

Everything changes when she gets a new teacher.  Mr. Daniels appreciates her creativity and realizes she can’t read and finally figures out she has dyslexia.  With his help and encouragement, she begins to blossom.

I loved this book.  It gives hope to hopeless students like Ally.  Kudos to Mr. Daniels and the many teachers he represents.  I would heartily recommend that school libraries and classroom libraries add this bok to their shelves.

Classic Easter Selections

Easter Stories, Classic Tales for the Holy Season

This book, a compilation by Miriam LeBlanc, contains 27 different selections regarding the theme of Easter.  Contributing authors include C. S. Lewis, Leo Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Goudge, and Anton Chekhov with others.

I was anticipating the book as a great preparation for Easter.  In that way, it did not disappoint.  I thoroughly enjoyed many of the selections, but found others to be a bit frustrating if they were part of a larger work, where the context was necessary to fully enjoy the selection.

As a lower elementary teacher, I think most younger elementary children would not appreciate these stories, and I would recommend them for middle school or high school students and above.  I can see much use for this book in a home school setting, where some elements of the stories could be more easily discussed or explained.

I loved the idea of classic tales for Easter, and found some selections that I really enjoyed.  I would recommend this book for older readers especially. 

I received this free copy from the publisher, http://www.plough.com/en/ebooks/e/easter-stories, and this is my honest review.