Book Review: Crispin - The Cross of Lead by Avi

Title: Crispin - The Cross of Lead
Author: Avi
Series: Book 1 of 3
Publisher: Hyperion
Released: May 3, 2004
Website: http://www.avi-writer.com/


Book Summary:

"Asta's Son" is all he's ever been called. The lack of a name is appropriate, because he and his mother are but poor peasants in 14th century medieval England. But this thirteen-year-old boy who thought he had little to lose soon finds himself with even less - no home, no family, or possessions. Accused of a crime he did not commit, he may be killed on sight, by anyone. If he wishes to remain alive, he must flee his tiny village. All the boy takes with him is a newly revealed name - Crispin - and his mother's cross of lead.

One of my good friends recommended this series to me and I was in the mood for a change of pace in what I was reading so I gave it a try.  I thought this was well done middle grade historical fiction.  I've read several other books by Avi and enjoy his writing.  I felt like I learned a few things and was entertained along the way.

Overall a good book I would recommend to those who enjoy Historical Fiction.

Content: Clean Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book Source: Library

Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Series: None
Publisher: Random House
Released: February 21, 2006
Website: http://www.lisasee.com/


Book Summary:

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Fabulously written but heart-wrenching. One of those haunting books that make me shake my head and wonder what posses people to carry on traditions that are wrong on so many levels. This book was really quite depressing. It captured so many emotions and painted such vivid pictures in my mind. Some of those pictures are beautiful but others are horrific.

This was the selection for my book group this month. It's a great choice for a book club, I'm sure we'll have some very interesting discussions next week.

This beautifully written book is one that lovers of Historical Fiction should pick up. I felt transported back to a time period that I am extremely grateful I do not live in.

Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend to Adults

Content: This is historical fiction and has many details that are far from pleasant to read about from physical and emotional abuse to the breaking of bones during Chinese foot binding. Some language, sex, abuse and implied lesbian relationship.

Source: Library

Also by Author Lisa See

Book Review: With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

Title: With a Name Like Love
Author: Tess Hilmo
Series: None
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Released: September 27, 2011
Website: http://tesshilmo.com/

Book Summary:

When Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial.

With a Name Like Love is a wonderful middle, grade historical fiction, read that reminded me of Little House on the Prairie.

Ollie's dad is a traveling preacher. Every three days her family moves on to a new town. That's the way life is, the way it has always been and the way it seems like it will always be. At least until the family arrives in Binder, Arkansas. When Ollie befriends lonely Jimmy Koppel the family's way of life is turned upside down and they find themselves in a battle to help Jimmy and his mother.

This book is a heartfelt story that would make a great read aloud.

Content: Clean

Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly recommend

Source: Review Copy

Book Review: Independence Rock by Debra Terry Hulet

Title: Independence Rock
Author: Debra Terry Hulet
Series: None
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Release Date: February 8, 2011
Author's Website: http://debraterryhulet.com/


Book Summary:

Katie McBride seems locked into a life of failure. First her father abandons her, and then she is abused by her alcoholic mother. Katie’s path begins to look very much like that of her parents, and she sees no way out – until she is sentenced by a juvenile court judge to a difficult, two-week handcart trek.

Over one hundred and fifty years earlier, Katie’s pioneer ancestor Katherine faces great hardships as she travels West with a wagon train. A young, widowed mother, she keeps a journal along the trail, and Katie reads it as she completes her sentencing.

At Independence Rock, Katie’s and Katherine’s paths and divine intervention meet. Katie is discouraged, though, and decides that it is too late for her to change. She must be willing to believe in herself if she is wants to stop the downward generational spiral that has plagued her family.

Independence Rock is two stories in one. The chapters jump from a present day pioneer trek reenactment back to the real Trek from the 1800s. The stories are link through a journal that was kept by Katherine McBride as she journeyed west. Her descendant Katie McBride is part of the reenactment and is unknowingly traveling the same road as her ancestor. Through the journey both work to overcome the challenges their lives have brought them.

This was a good read that was worth my time. Recommended to those who enjoy LDS young adult fiction or stories of pioneers.

Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Content: Clean

Source: From Publisher from Review

Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Released: February 10, 2009
Publisher: Putnam
Tags: Historical Fiction

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

I participate in a neighborhood book group each month. November's book was The Help. I'm so glad it was chosen because I doubt I would have gotten around to reading it if I didn't "have to".  It took me 4 days to get through this audio book and I literally finished minutes before book group started last night.

This book is fabulous! Well written with great characters.  I listened to the audio version and thought the narrators did an amazing job.

I can't add much to the thousands of reviews that are already out there other than to say I think this is a book most adults should take the time to read.

Content: some language throughout and "adult" topics are all through this story.

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: Audio download from Audible.com

Book Review: Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris

In the midst of World War II, a Midwestern infantryman falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware that the girl he's been writing to is not the one replying.


Chicago, 1944. Liz Stephens has little interest in attending a USO club dance with her friends Betty and Julia. She doesn't need a flirtation with a lonely serviceman when she's set to marry her childhood sweetheart. Yet something happens the moment Liz glimpses Morgan McClain.
They share only a brief conversation—cut short by the soldier's evident interest in Betty—but Liz can't forget him. Thus, when Betty asks her to ghostwrite a letter to Morgan, stationed overseas, Liz reluctantly agrees.


Thousands of miles away, Morgan struggles to adjust to the brutality of war. His letters from "Betty" are a comfort, their soul-baring correspondence a revelation to them both. While Liz is torn by her feelings for a man who doesn't know her true identity, Betty and Julia each become immersed in their own romantic entanglements. And as the war draws to a close, all three will face heart-wrenching choices, painful losses, and the bittersweet joy of new beginnings.


Beautifully rendered and deeply touching, LETTERS FROM HOME is a story of hope and connection, of sacrifices made in love and war—and the chance encounters that change us forever.

Letters from Home is a Historical Fiction novel set during the last year of World War 2. It centers on and is told from the alternating perspectives of 3 friends Liz, Julia and Betty as well as a Private First Class Morgan McClain.  At the start of the book I was really only interested in Liz & Morgan's stories but by mid book I was drawn into Julia & Betty's stories as well.

Portions of this novel were completely predictable but a couple of the characters lives did not turn out how I anticipated they would which kept my interest in the storyline.

Well written with a nice mix of romance, friendship and heartache. This book seemed to be well researched and true to what life was like during the war.  If you enjoy historical fiction give this one a try.




Content: Language and innuendo as would be expected from enlisted men, implied sex but not graphically described.

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: From author for blog tour

Blog Tour: Book Review: A New Birth of Freedom by Robert G. Pielke

It has taken centuries to recognize that all humans possess certain unalienable rights. There will come a time when we have to consider whether others deserve those rights as well. That time will come on July 3rd 1863.

When a stranger carrying a shiny,metalic valise steps aboard a train carrying Abraham Lincoln home from a 2 year stint in Congress, everyone stares, wondering about the stranger's odd clothing and strange footware with the word Nike emblazoned on them.

When the strange man shows up in Lincoln's office at the White house 14 years later, still wearing the same clothes, carrying the same valise and looking not a day older, the president and his staff know something is odd.

But when Edwin Blair opens his valise and projects a 3d image of the Earth on Lincoln's wall, then proceeds to tell a fanciful tale about time traveling aliens preparing to land at Gettysburg on July 3rd, they are sure they've met a lunatic.

Unfortunately for them, they're wrong.

A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor, is the first book in a new science fiction series that follows the adventures of Edwin Blair and the aliens known as Pests as they chase each other through all the centuries of Earth's past.

This book was not at all what I expected. I was expecting Historical Fiction but didn't expect the time-travel, alien, science fiction elements. Had I read the summary above I would have had a better idea of what to expect.

The first 50 pages of this book I was confused and not at all interested in the story. It did pick up once I got further into the story but I just didn't love this book. I know there is a target audience who will really enjoy this, it just wasn't my cup of tea. It was just a little too far fetched and bizarre for me to really get into the storyline.

It seemed like the Historical Fiction portions of this book were very well researched and portions of it were interesting to me.  If you enjoy Science Fiction with a historical twist and want to read a story about time travel and aliens at Gettysburg give this book a try, you'll probably love it because it is well written.



Content: Clean

Rating: 3 Stars

Source: From Tribute Books as part of a Blog Tour

Book Review: Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

Grace Parkes has just had to do a terrible thing. Having given birth to an illegitimate child, she has travelled to the famed Brookwood Cemetery to place her small infant's body in a rich lady's coffin. Following the advice of a kindly midwife, this is the only way that Grace can think of to give something at least to the little baby who died at birth, and to avoid the ignominy of a pauper's grave. Distraught and weeping, Grace meets two people at the cemetery: Mrs Emmeline Unwin and Mr James Solent. These two characters will have a profound affect upon Grace's life. But Grace doesn't know that yet. For now, she has to suppress her grief and get on with the business of living: scraping together enough pennies selling watercress for rent and food; looking after her older sister, who is incapable of caring for herself; thwarting the manipulative and conscience-free Unwin family, who are as capable of running a lucrative funeral business as they are of defrauding a young woman of her fortune. A stunning evocation of life in Victorian London, with vivid and accurate depictions, ranging from the deprivation that the truly poor suffered to the unthinking luxuries enjoyed by the rich: all bound up with a pacy and thrilling plot, as Grace races to unravel the fraud about to be perpetrated against her and her sister.

Fallen Grace is a historical fiction novel set in London in 1861. It seems like a well researched novel sharing many details of life at that time especially for those in mourning from the death of a loved one. It was very predictable, almost diappointingly so, up until the last few pages. There was a twist at the end that I hadn't seen coming and was grateful for.

Despite the predictablity I really enjoyed this story. I like the characters and the details of the time period. A nice touch was at the beginning of most chapters there is a clip from a newspaper, an advertisement, invitation, epitaph from a tombstone that ties in to the story.

Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction.



Content: Clean read

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: From Publisher for Review

Blog Tour: Book Review: Rhythm of Secrets by Patti Lacy

Since 1955, Sheila Franklin, a talented musician, has perfectly performed the role of devout pastor’s wife, locking away her past as Sheba Alexander and Sylvia Allen. Her carefully constructed façade crumbles with a single phone call from a young Marine named Samuel, the illegitimate son she secretly put up for adoption. Samuel begs Sheila to use her government contacts to get his fiancé, Mali, a Thai prostitute, into America. A dangerous mixture of love and guilt spurs her to help her only child even though it devastates her husband Edward and exposes her questionable past. After a quarrel with Edward, Sheila and Samuel board a C-130 for Thailand and then search Bangkok’s steamy streets for a Madonna-faced prostitute. The two whisk Mali from a brothel but are seized by a warlord who considers Mali his “number one girl.” In a teak “ghost house,” Sheila discovers God’s grace and gains the freedom she needs to find her own identity—Sheila, Sylvia, and Sheba. A framed story, this novel has roots in the bohemian 1940s New Orleans French Quarter and spans three decades, including the turbulent Vietnam era.

I had a really hard time getting into this book for the first 100 pages.  If I hadn't committed to review it for a blog tour I probably would have set it aside and quit reading.  Once I got through the first part of the book I ended up enjoying the last 2/3 of the book and was glad I read it.

This story follows the life of Sheba starting when she was a teenage girl growing up in New Orleans.  Tragedy leave Sheba orphaned and eventually pregnant with an illegitimate child.  If you've read the book summary it pretty much sums up the end portion of the story but that is only a portion of what the book is about. The majority of the story was spent detailing Sheba's life from the time she was a teenager until she ended up marrying a pastor.

This book deals with prejudice, hatred, forgiveness and the consequences of secrets.  Ultimately it has a message of hope and healing through Christ and the love of others.

I would recommend it to adults who enjoy historical Christian fiction.



Content: Clean Read for an adult, no language but there was adult subject matter.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: For Review as part of a blog tour

Patti Lacy is celebrating the release of her latest book with a NOOK Giveaway, blog tour and Book Club Party!

Follow the blog tour and read the reviews!

Patti and her publisher, Kregel Publications, are giving away a NOOK prize package worth over $150 to one lucky winner!!!! 

Enter the Nook eReader Giveaway and you could win:

• A brand new Nook eReader with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form/s, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest. Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on February 16th at Patti's Rhythm of Secrets Facebook Party.

Patti will be announcing the winner of The Rhythm of Secrets NOOK giveaway at her Party on Facebook  February 16th! 

She’ll be hosting a book club discussion of The Rhythm of Secrets and giving away other fun prizes! (signed copies of her books and gift certificates to Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, & iTunes!). Don’t miss the fun at Patti’s FB Author Page on February 16th at 5pm PST ( 6 pm MST, 7 pm CST, & 8 pm EST)!

Book Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.


Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

I've read quite a bit of Historical Fiction set during World War II. I'm very familiar with the suffering of the Jews under Hitlers reign. I know little about Stalin and absolutely nothing about Lithaunia. I was shocked to learn that the those under Stalin lived and died in circumstances every bit as horrible as the Jews.

Between Shades of Gray is an incredible book.  It is well written and pulls at the heart while still allowing for hope amidst horrible circumstances.   Ruta Sepetys did an amazing job painting vivid images that were not overly graphic.

This is not a light read yet I flew threw it because I didn't want to put it down.  Written for young adults but with crossover appeal for adults as well.  To anyone who enjoys historical fiction I highly recommend that you read this book!

Between Shades of Gray will be released on March 22nd and should be added to your to read list.



Content: I would say this is a clean read for an adult and older teens. There are some very horrific things that happen that might be hard for younger teens to read.

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: ARC Tour

Blog Tour Part 2: Book Review: Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards

You are crazy. No Nephite has ever returned.

Most people laugh when they hear of Enoch's dream of returning to Jerusalem to find the infant Messiah. Even Enoch's future father-in-law mocks him when he asks for a postponement of his long-awaited wedding to his beloved Rebekah. A few take Enoch seriously - the shipbuilder Omnihah, Enoch's teacher David, and the prophet Nephi.

Five years before, a Lamanite named Samuel had stood on the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied that "five years more cometh" and the Christ would be born in Jerusalem. Time is running out! Enoch knows he must set sail across the great waters in search of his dream - to see the face of the Messiah.

The Star Prophacy is a surprising story of courage and love, faith and fortitude. Sail with Enoch and his friends across the sea through hardship and adventure in search of the Christ child.

I really enjoyed this adventure story.  Enoch has heard the prophesy of the birth of Christ and longs to sail back to Jerusalem to see the Messiah.  It's been nearly 5 years since Samuel the Lamanite made the prophecy so he knows the birth of Christ is drawing close.  Along with a few companions he sets out on an impossible journey across the sea back to Jerusalem.

This was a fun book to read.  Likable characters and a well written tale that left me believing this really could have happened.  Although not a "Christmas" story this is a book I will likely reread around Christmas since it is set at the time of the Savior's birth. Full of details on what life was like at the time of Christ's birth this book brought special meaning to the Christmas story.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Content: Clean

Source: From publisher for Review

Christmas Book Review: The Christmas Journey by Donna VanLiere

The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world. Accompanied by moving and beautifully rendered illustrations throughout, Donna VanLiere’s retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

The Christmas Journey by Donna VanLiere is a narrative Donna wrote years back to read at a Christmas banquet. The book begins with the Christmas story as found in Luke 2.  It then chronicles the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth of the Savior.

"Somewhere along the way the cave has been sanitized, the birth made painless and the people involved stripped of all fear or emotion."

This short book describes a little of what it must have really been like for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem with Mary ready to give birth.  Having had 5 children it made me appreciate the reality of what they must have gone through.  Traveling eighty miles on the back of a donkey just days before having a baby, no thank you.  What a miserable journey that must have been. 

Reading this book made me appreciative for what Mary and Joseph went through and made me grateful for the conveniences of modern day life. 

This is a really fast read, probably less than 30 minutes total to read.  It's filled with beautiful illustrations that accompany the story.  A great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

Content: Clean

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: Received copy for review

Book Review: Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Yang Jones

Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the "manly arts" of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting 'dragons' and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.

I didn't have time to read this book this week.  I received it on an ARC tour and was just planning to send it back unread but thought I'd at least try the first few chapters.  Once I started it I was hooked and wanted to finish it so I sacrificed some sleep to get it read.

Daughter of Xanadu is a historical fiction novel set in Mongolia at the time Marco Polo visited.  The main character Emmajin reminded me of Mulan - she wanted to become a soldier in the army at a time when it was unheard of for women to desire such a thing.  Dori Yang Jones did a fantastic job writing this book.  Fabulous character development, interesting details, lots of adventure with a little romance kept me interested the entire read.  If you enjoy Historical Fiction I highly recommend you pick up this book which will be released on January 11, 2011.

Content: Clean Read

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: Miss Holly's ARC Tour

Book Review: Recovering Charles by Jason F. Wright

Luke Millward is a man who does not know he is lost. His girlfriend loves him, his career is going well, and every night he falls asleep knowing that his life is good and meaningful. Only when the past reveals its twisted smile in a phone call and a disconnected voice asks him to come find his father in post-Katrina New Orleans is Luke compelled to find out what kind of man he truly is.

This was the pick for my Book Group this month.  I listened to the audio version of this book and found myself pulled into the story.

Recovering Charles takes place in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina.  Luke has been estranged from his alcoholic father for quite some time but finds himself in New Orleans searching for his father in the aftermath of Katrina.

This book brought insights into the reality of what life was like for those who didn't evacuate and chose for various reasons to remain in New Orleans.  This book portrayed feeling and emotions that I never clued into while watching the news coverage of Katrina.  I connected with characters in this novel who were dealing with the subjects of forgiveness, death, alcholism, love and loss.

Jason has written several other books including The Wednesday Letters & The Christmas Jars that I'm going to check out and read.

Content: Clean

Rating 4.5 Stars

Source: Library

Book Review: Prologue: The Brothers by Chris Stewart

Before the Great War, before so many sons of God turned away from their Father and walked knowingly into the dark, there was a choosing, a sifting, a contest of ideas and a battle for souls. Brother fought brother. Families were torn apart. Some fought to protect their homes, their freedom and peace. Others fought to destroy everything they had once held so dear. And as the battle between good and evil came into each home, all God's children had to chose which side they were on, which principles would they fight for, and what price would they pay.


In this contest before the Great War, each of us learned the first lessons of life. The great ones may fall. The wicked can change. The weak and the foolish can be made the strongest of all. And when the contest was over, we also had learned the greatest secret of all: the children of God can defeat their adversary, for they have fought him before.

Prologue: The Brothers is the first book in the Great and Terrible series by Chris Stewart. I picked this book up several years ago when it first came out but never got further than the first few pages. A friend recently recommended this series to my husband so I started on this book again. This time I found myself fascinated with this book.

The Brothers is a fictitious account of the War in Heaven and our life before coming to earth. I was intrigued by the author's take on what pre-earth life might have been like. It's something I have never thought much about. At times I found myself with chills as certain elements of this story rang true. Admittedly the author took many liberties in this book but I found it to be thought provoking, entertaining and enlightening.

I'm definitely reading the rest of the series.

Content: Clean

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: Borrowed from a friend

Book Review: Lizzie's Blue Ridge Memories by Virginia Elisabeth Farmer

Lizzie's father finds himself out of work during the General Motors Strike in 1970. He packs up his family and takes them to his mother's farm in Virginia where the city girls are in for an adventure.
They meet country neighbors, learn how to milk cows, fish with a cane pole and feed the chickens.
Lizzie learns about death but encounters many joyful experiences along the way as she meets extended family members.

I met author Virginia Elisabeth Farmer at the St. George Book Festival last month. She gave me a copy of her book Lizzie's Blue Ridge Memories to review.

This book brought to my mind my own memories of visiting my grandparents when I was younger. Like Lizzie, my grandparents lived on a farm. This book is based on events from the authors life and a summer spent living with her grandparents.  The book is told in a way to help young children visualize what life was like when their parents & grandparents were younger.

Lizzie's story made me nostalgic for my childhood and the simpler times of the past. It also reminded me that I need to take more time to create memories with my own children and that I need to write experiences and stories down before they are forgotten.

This is a heartwarming read for children ages 8-12.

Content: Clean

Rating : 4 Stars

Source: From Author For Review

The Devil Amongst the Lawyers by Sharyn McCrumb

In 1934 all the national publications sent their star reporters to remote Virginia to cover the trial of Erma Morton: a beautiful 21-year-old year old mountain girl with a teaching degree, accused of murdering her father--a drunken tyrant of a man.

Eager for a new cause celebre to capture the public's imagination, they were counting on reports of horse-drawn buggies, run-down shacks, children in thread-bare clothes--all of the stereotypes of mountain life. But among them is Carl Jennings, an 18-year-old mountain boy on his first job. An eager, honest journalist, he reports accurately--describing telephones, electricity, gas stations, and coal company executives.

So when their reports conflict, Carl is condemned, while the seasoned journalists perpetuate the myths of country life--and Erma Morton's guilt or innocence is literally sold to the highest bidder--a wronged woman on trial sells papers. Soon, it is not the murder that is of interest: but the vultures attracted by the deaths. In the midst of all this, Carl continues to search for the truth, relying on his younger cousin, Nora--gifted with the "sight"--for help.

A stunning return to the lands, ballads and characters upon which she made her name, Devil Amongst the Lawyers is a testament to Sharyn McCrumb's lyrical and poetic writing.

The Devil Amoungts Lawyers is not a book I would have ever picked up on my own. I won a copy of this book by Sharyn McCrumb in goodreads giveaways way back in May. It's been sitting on my to be read shelf since then making me feel guilty that I hadn't started it. I found an audio version of it on Overdrive and downloaded it to listen to it.

Although this isn't the kind of book I usually read I ended up enjoying it. This historical fiction book follows the account of the trial of a school teacher charged with murdering her father and the reporters who come to town to cover the case. The "Devil" in this story is obviously the journalists who cover the story and the way they manipulate public opinion.

The book is based upon the trial of Edith Maxwell who was accused of murdering her father in 1935.

Content: This book was a clean read.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Tiger, Tiger by Lynne Reid Banks

Two tiger cub brothers are torn from the jungle and taken to Rome. The stronger cub is trained as a killer at the Coliseum. Emperor Caesar makes a gift of the smaller cub to his beautiful daughter, Aurelia. She adores her cub, Boots, and Julius, a young animal keeper, teaches her how to earn the tiger's trust. Boots is pampered while his brother, known as Brute, lives in a cold and dark cage, let out only to kill. Caesar trusts Julius to watch Aurelia and her prized pet. But when a prank backfires, Boots temporarily escapes and Julius must pay with his life. Thousands watch as Julius is sent unarmed into the arena to face the killer Brute.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I liked the book cover and had nothing else to listen to so I started Tiger, Tiger. I found myself drawn into the story and before I knew it I had finished the book. This novel by Lynne Reid Banks is historical fiction set in the 3rd century. It follows the life of two tiger cubs who are captured and brought to Rome. One to be trained for the circus and the other as a pet to Caesar's daughter. A heartfelt coming of age story full of courage and love.

Content: Clean read although this is set in the time of Gladiators so there is one brutal, gory scene in an arena with a tiger.

Rating: 4 Stars

Don't Know Where, Don't Know When by Annette Laing

What a nightmare. Hannah Dias, California Girl with Attitude, and Alex, her laid-back brother, have moved from exciting San Francisco to boring Snipesville, Georgia. Life doesn't improve when they meet Brandon, a dorky kid who is plotting his escape from the Deep South, and the weird Professor, who has a strange secret.

Suddenly, the kids are catapulted thousands of miles and almost seventy years to England during World War Two.

They fall into a world of stinging nettles, dragon ladies, bomb blasts, ugly underwear, stinky sandwiches, painful punishments, and non-absorbing toilet paper. They learn so much more than they could ever learn in a history class. Not that they want to learn it.

But they can't go home unless they find George Braithwaite, whoever he is, and whatever it is that he has to do with Snipesville.

Please see my review on Mundie Kids.

Content: There are a few mild expletives in this book. Since this book is marketed to children ages 9 and up I feel these should have been left out of the story.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Gladiator by Carla Capshaw

He won his fame—and his freedom—in the gory pits of Rome's Colosseum. Yet the greatest challenge for once-legendary gladiator Caros Viriathos comes to him through a slave. His slave, the beautiful and mysterious Pelonia Valeria. Her secret brings danger to his household but offers Caros a love like he's never known….

Should anyone learn she is a Christian, Pelonia will be executed. Her faith threatens not only herself, but her master. Can she convince a man who found fame through unforgiving brutality to show mercy? And when she's ultimately given the choice, will Pelonia choose freedom or the love of a gladiator?

I won a copy if this book from goodreads giveaways. I love getting free books especially when the end up being enjoyable reads like this one.

This book is a Love Inspired Historical. For anyone not familiar with the Love Inspired Historials they are Christian romance books and thus contains all the content typical of this genre. They are very clean with Christian faith, doctrine and beliefs interspersed throughout the book. Carla Capshaw did a great job doing this in The Gladiator. Pelonia's faith was woven into the story in such a way that it didn't seem out of place or contrived - some books of this genre really force the "inspirational" aspect to make it fit.

Pelonia is a Christian who is sold as a slave to retired Gladiator Caros. From that you can guess where the story is going. Despite being somewhat predictable this book held my interest throughout and I found myself staying up to finish the story.

For anyone who enjoys a good clean romance with a great storyline this book is for you.

Content: Clean, clean, clean.

Rating: 4 Stars