February TBR

I am being a bit ambitious this month with my TBR, partly because I am going to try and participate in two readathons: the contemporaryathon hosted by booktuber “Chelseadolling reads” and the enchantathon hosted by booktuber “Paige Nicole”. So below are my readathon TBRs (along with the challenges they fit with) and the few books outside of those I plan to read this month.

Contemporaryathon (11^th-17^th):

1)     Recently acquired & blue cover: Ascension of Larks by Rachel Linden - own

2)     Diverse (culture) & picture on spine: Elza’s Kitchen by Marc Fitten - own

3)     Meant to read in 2018: Raspberries & Vinegar by Valerie Comer (Christian Fiction) - own

Enchantathon (18^th -24^th):

1)     A retelling & romance: Belle by Sarah Price (Christian Fiction) - own

2)     Has royalty: The Princess & the Goblin by George MacDonald (Christian Fantasy) - own

3)     Fantasy: Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley - own

Christian Non-fiction:

Shattered dreams by Larry Crabbe (own)

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (own)

Classics:

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (reread)

Top Ten Tuesday: Recent TBR Additions

I don't have much of an intro today. I am sharing the 10 most recent books I have added to my TBR. 

1.      The Secrets of Sloane House by Shelley Gray (Christian Historical Fiction)

2.      Spurgeon’s Sorrows by Zach Eswine (Christian Non-fiction)

3.      Anomaly by Krista McGee (Christian Dystopian)

4.      Wait for Me by Caroline Leech (Historical Fiction)

5.      Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope (Classic)

6.      A Room With a View by E M Forster (Classic)

7.      Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (Classic)

8.      Belle by Paula Byrne (Biography)

9.      Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow by Lucy Worsley (Biography)

10.   Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva (Biography)

Mandie and the Ghost Bandits Review

Mandie and the Ghost Bandits by Lois Gladys Leppard is the third book in the Christian children Mandie Mysteries series. It picks up right where the previous book left off. We now follow Mandie, her family and friends as they set out to take the gold that was found in the previous book to a big bank in Asheville but robbers dressed up as ghosts have other ideas. So begins a new adventure.

This is another cute story. I gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I really liked how they showed Mandie handling someone she knows not believing in God as well as how she treats him once she does know. This is so important: knowing how to treat those who don’t believe and bring share about God. It was also wonderful to see Leppard continue to put a strong emphasis on prayer.

I love how clever and creative the children are in whatever situation they find themselves and how they lean on each other (and God) to get them through. These characters are interesting and a great deal of fun to follow.

The only thing I really didn’t like was the added romance. As this is a children’s book and the main character is only 11 having this kind of romantic drama is completely unnecessary (and a bit irritating). I wish that it had been left out and the focus had been the plot and other issues that Mandie was facing.

Overall, there is a lot of good spiritual content in this book and a fun adventure to follow.

Grace Based Parenting Review

Grace Based Parenting by Tom Kimmel is a Christian non-fiction book on the topic of parenting. He looks at what grace really is and what it looks like (and doesn’t look like) applied to our parenting.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I found this book helpful in some ways. He was honest and didn’t sugar coat things yet spoke gently and in a way to foster understanding. It never felt like he was condemning people for their poor parenting style or choices, but very clearly didn’t condone them either. His definition of being a grace-based parent is solid and Biblical.

Kimmel has a lot of good things to say and I am definitely thinking and praying about them. However, I felt a lack of practical application. Or perhaps it is that he didn’t speak into the way I learn and, for me, there was a lack of the teaching aspect. So now I am left with a lot of good ideas and principles but no idea how to actually apply them to my parenting. I don’t know what these principles look like in action, just have plenty of examples of what they don’t look like.

Part of the problem is that Kimmel is dealing in extremes. Many of his examples are obviously in the wrong or in the right. These are situations that the majority of people (or as I see it the average Christian family) are unlikely ever to go through. I would have liked to see (and needed to see) some more practical everyday type of things that we all face and what grace-based parenting looks like in those situations.

As hopeful as I was when I began this book, I am ending with disappointment. This has turned into just another book to put high, truly unreachable, expectations on me as a parent and then leaves out the steps I can take and things I can implement to even attempt to reach those expectations. Just saying “treat your children as God treats you” isn’t actually helpful (it is obvious and true, but not helpful).

It feels like I could summarize this book as saying: This is the perfect parenting method, you can’t ever fully attain it because only God could do that, but you should still strive for it. This is what it looks like and the damage you will cause if you don’t do it. Oh, the steps to get there and become grace-based parents, we don’t include those (they are apparently supposed to be obvious), sorry.

I am left feeling like a failure as a parent and hopeless to do anything but ruin my children’s futures and permanently damage them. I am so overwhelmed at the prospect of failing them (and God) that I don’t even know where to begin and end up too discouraged to even try. In the end I guess I will just give it over to the Lord, continue to seek Him and continue to pray He will change me into the parent that I am supposed to be (and trust any damage I do He will heal).

Overall, Kimmel means well, and this grace-based parenting system is sound and Biblical, and I agree with much of what he says. However, my lasting impression is not one of hope and new-found perspective in my parenting with new tools to implement (which is what I was expecting to find).

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane Review

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins is the second book in her middle grade fantasy Underland Chronicles. It follows fairly closely to the end of the first book. Gregor is back home with his family, but things haven’t gone as smoothly as he had thought they would. When Boots is kidnapped (clearly to the Underland) he chases after. Once there he is pulled into another prophecy and his quest is expected to affect the future of the Underland.

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really liked it. From the first page I was hooked and almost couldn’t even put it down. The story was fascinating and intriguing. Collins had twists and turns that totally took me by surprise, and I loved that. For the whole story I was on the edge of my seat beyond eager to see what was coming next, and it did not disappoint.

The characters of course were just as good and we got to see old and new characters continue to develop. I love seeing people change and grow in stories because of the things they go through; which surprisingly enough doesn’t always happen.

The only disappointment was that there were a few plot points that were left open at the end of the book. I am sure they will be addressed in the future books, but it is really hard to end the book without having the answers to those questions.

Overall, I liked it even more than the first one and can’t wait to get to the next book in the series.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2018

There are many books that I had hoped to get to in 2018 but never did. This list is the books that are on the top of my list as the books I most regret not reading yet. But hopefully I will have them read by the end of 2019. The good news is I had to update this list because I had already finished two books that were originally on here.

1.      Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb (Christian Non-fiction)

2.      Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes (Christian Non-fiction)

3.      Experiencing the Presence of God by A W Tozer (Christian Non-fiction)

4.      Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson (Christian Non-fiction)

5.      Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer (Christian Contemporary Fiction)

6.      Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (Christian Fantasy)

7.      Midbury Murders: A Horticultural Nightmare by Martina Thurlow (Mystery)

8.      One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Contemporary)

9.      Heidi by Johanna Spyri (Children’s Classic)

10.   Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzelwit by Charles Dickens (Classic)

Mandie and the Cherokee Legend Review

Mandie and the Cherokee Legend by Lois Gladys Leppard is the second book in the Christian children’s Mandie Mysteries series. This book picks up right where we left off with Mandie, her mother and her uncle all headed to visit her Cherokee relatives. Their journey is filled with mishaps and adventures.

I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The book was nice and enjoyable. Just like the first book, the writing style is easy, light and quick to read. It is perfect for the intended young girl audience. The plot wasn’t as catching for me as the first one; maybe it is the lack of a mystery (which is so ironic coming from me). But it was still good and strong and pretty interesting.

I really liked the emphasis on prayer throughout the story; that is a topic I really like to study and see expressed in books. I also found it very relatable for children to see how prayer can play a role in our lives. It also had a nice message of returning kindness (good) even when the person has been “bad” or “mean” etc. The Christian principles and messages were much stronger in this story than in the first book and I really enjoy seeing them represented in a child friendly (understandable) way.

Overall I am pleased with this read and look forward to see what direction this series takes.

Note: I do have a review of the first book Mandie and the Secret Tunnel available.

The Golden Thread Review

The Golden Thread by Darlene Zschech is a Christian non-fiction on the topic of God’s continued presence through the storms of life and the importance of maintaining worship in all seasons.

I gave this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. This book just didn’t do anything for me. I struggled with the writing style and format. Even at 25 percent of the way through the book I wasn’t able to define what I thought Zschech was trying to say or teach. It felt like she hopped around a lot without the solid thread of the theme pulling the book along.

I also found the amount of quoting problematic. I do enjoy and appreciate when authors use scripture to support their teaching and refer to other leaders of the faith and quote them; however, not to this extent. It feels like around 1/3 of her book is quotes (only 2/3 her own content, if that). 

To be honest, I am also not the biggest fan of authors using different versions of the Bible for most of their quotes. If they are comparing the same verse in say two or three version, I don’t mind; but that isn’t what is done here. I especially disapprove of using a paraphrase as a reference. Not to mention the few places when no version is mentioned at all. I found all of this to be very distracting while reading.

I do think Zschech has something important to say here and was quite disappointed that it just seemed to get lost in everything else.

Gregor the Overlander Review

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins is the first book in her middle grade fantasy Underland Chronicles. It is about 11-year-old Gregor who falls through a grate in his apartment’s laundry room while trying to catch his baby sister. That is how they find themselves in an underground land filled with people and creatures living together in a state of instability and Gregor is believed to be the one prophesied about to play an important role in the future of the Underland.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a wonderful story. It reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time with the missing father who they know didn’t just run off and abandon them. I was also reminded of Wildwood where something happening to the little baby sibling leads them to a fantastical other place and into adventures they never could have imagined. The overall plot (the young person turning out to be the prophesied one, etc.) wasn’t unique, but it was very well done and had other aspects that set it apart. I was gripped from the very beginning and flew through the story. There were some twists and turns that really took me by surprise and that I loved.

The writing style sucks you in and keeps you going. There was only one thing I found distracting: anytime Gregor thought something it was in quotation marks, so I had to tell by context (or if it was stated) that these were thoughts not things spoken aloud. Sometimes this meant I had to go back and say to myself “oh, he isn’t saying this out loud, okay” and start that section over with the correct context in mind. Other than that, it was very well written.

The characters were so diverse (crossing species) and wonderful. They were all unique and I really enjoyed going through the story with them. I found myself laughing with them, grieving with them, and generally appreciating their variety and relatability.

I love that she ended it in such a way to suggest that there is a sequel, but with this book’s plot being fully resolved. Overall, this truly was such a pleasure to read. It is thought provoking, interesting and powerful in its own way.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top New to Me Authors of 2018

Last year I read a large number of books by new to me authors, far more than I can mention here. Many of them are seasoned authors and others only recently put out their debut novels. So, for this list I chose the ones I loved the most, but this is by no means all the ones I enjoyed.

1.      Kasie West – It should be no surprise that she made this list. She is a young 

      adult contemporary fiction writer. I have been loving her works and making 

      my way through them all ever since I came across her. I read 6 of her books in 

      2018.

2.      Andrew Peterson – He is a Christian fantasy writer. When I stumbled across his books, I didn’t know what to expect from them, but boy were they good. I read through his 4 book Wingfeather Saga in 2018.

3.      Eric Metaxas – He is a Christian biographer. I came across him by accident and fell in love with how he makes these people come to life on the page and I feel like I really get to know them. I read 2 of his books in 2018.

4.      Lynn Austin – She is a Christian fiction writer. I have heard of her and had one of her books on my shelf for years, but just never picked it up until now. Boy was that a mistake. I am thrilled with her works and look forward to many more good reads by her. I read 4 of her books in 2018.

5.      Donald S Whitney – I was recommended his works from a podcast I listen to and am so grateful for that recommendation. He is a Christian non-fiction writer that I have found to be so inspiring and helpful. I read 2 of his books in 2018.

6.      Elle Katherine White – She is a newer high fantasy writer. I loved reading her books. I saw a recommendation for her first book on “Jean Bookish Thoughts” YouTube channel and fell in love with it. You can’t imagine how excited I was to discover that it was being made into a series and the next book was coming out in 2018 (which of course I read as soon as I could).

7.      Diana Peterfreund – She writes over a number of genres. Like a few of these other authors on this list, I saw a recommendation for her works on a YouTube video from “Books for MKS”. I loved the first book of her dystopian classic retelling of Persuasion and I got the second book in that duology for Christmas. I look forward to checking out more of her works. 

8.      Helena Rookwood – She is an adult fantasy writer. I came across the first book in her river witch series and became enchanted with it. I have the next 3 books in the series, I just have to get to them. {I couldn't find a picture of her, so I put one of the book I read by her}

9.      Heather Dixon Wallwork – She is a young adult fantasy writer. I loved her book Entwined (it is one of my favorite books of the year). I have been a little hesitant to read more of her works just due to the fear that they may not rise to my high expectations, but I will try to move past that because they just might be other new loves.

10.   Jessica Townsend – She is a middle grade fantasy writer and her debut novel came out early 2018. I really liked it. The next book in her series came out in November, and I plan on reading it (I just have to wait for the library). I am looking forward to seeing more from her in the future.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand is a young adult retelling of The Christmas Carol. It is about teen Holly who is a scrooge and after having her Christmas Eve visit from the three ghosts, she refuses to change and dies on Christmas day. So begins the real story.

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a fascinating read. I really enjoyed the premise and the outcome of her story. The plot was very well done, if a bit slow in places. I did find the ending a little confusing about timelines and all, but was still overall happy with how she wrapped it up.

The characters were wonderfully done. Each one unique with their own voice and personalities that just jumped off the pages. I found the representation of a modern experience like in The Christmas Carol to be extremely realistic and the character development felt slow but pretty natural. Holly isn't a likable character (extremely selfish), but that is the point and we want to see her change. 

This in no way takes away from the original piece, but modernizes and expands upon it. Readers might find it helpful to read the original before reading this one because they do often reference Dickens work and talk in specifics about characters and their role in the story, but Hand’s story is still perfectly understandable if you haven’t read it (it just might add depth to the reading experience).

Cup of Comfort Review

A Cup of Comfort Book of Christmas Prayer edited by Susan B Townsend is a Christian Non-fiction devotional made up of a collection of people’s short Christmas stories with messages to touch our hearts during the holiday season.

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I wasn’t aware that this was a devotional when I checked it out from the library, so I couldn’t read it as it was intended, 2 short stories a day from December 1 through January 6. However, I still enjoyed it. The stories were varied and lovely. Hearing from each person’s own perspective of their memories made them more real and heartwarming. It was lovely to learn with and be touched by this multitude of believers in all manner of ways in connection to Christmas.

One of my disappointments was that there weren’t any prayers for us to pray in connection to the stories or the season like the title implies. In fact there were only three prayers in this devotional and they were a part of the stories and perspectives of the person sharing. I was hoping for some more application of prayer in regards to the season or for a collection of prayers historically read and / or communally prayed during the Christmas season.

Overall, it was a sweet and heartwarming collection of short stories, it just wasn’t what I was expecting or looking for.

Snow in Love Review

Snow in Love by Kasie West, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman & Nic Stone is a collection of 4 young adult contemporary short stories set during the Christmas season.

“Moonlight and Mistletoe” by Kasie West is about Amalie who is trying to get home for Christmas when a snow storm gets her stuck at her layover airport. When a couple of kids from her high school, who are also stuck there, offer her a ride, they set out on a snowy road trip to try and make it home by Christmas. I gave this story 4 out of 5 stars. It was a cute and emotional short story. Like I expect from West, it was more than just Christmas fluff, but still had the heartwarming romance. Nothing was lost in her story telling, plot development or character development (all of which were very well done) in comparison to her novels.

“Working in a Winter Wonderland” by Aimee Friedman is about Maxine, a Jewish girl who is home from university for the winter break and all she wants is the beautiful dress she saw in a store for her friend’s New Year’s Eve party. She gets a job and the chaos begins. I gave this story 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was hard to get through because I found Maxine very annoying, cynical and shallow. It did follow through to the expected ending, but I couldn’t really be happy for her because she didn’t change (become a better person). I did like that she was Jewish, but we didn’t really get a good look at Hanukkah, etc.

“The Magi’s Gifts” by Melissa de la Cruz is a modern retelling of The Gift of the Magi. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. It was cute and sweet and the main girl learned and grew through the story. Nothing new or particularly moving, but a classic Christmas time story.

“Grounded” by Nic Stone is about Leigh who is stuck at the airport and a game with an old friend/ crush begins. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was cute, funny, and sweet, with a dash of serious and thoughtful. I didn’t love the homosexual relationship, but I appreciated the look inside the mental process of a teen trying to figure herself out.

Overall, this was a pretty good collection of Christmas stories. I would give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 of 2018

These are my top 10 books from 2018. They got either 4.5 or 5 stars and were the books that I loved and stuck with me through the year. These are the books I am very likely to want to reread and the non-fiction books had a noticeable positive impact on my life. Some of the books on this list actually surprised me with how much I enjoyed them, or with how I thought back to them often as time passed. All the books that I have a review up for have a *.

1.      

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney (Christian Non-fiction)

2.      

None Like Him by Jen Wilkin (Christian Non-fiction)

3.      

The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie (Christian Non-fiction)*

4.      

To My Husband and Other Poems by Anne Bradstreet (Christian Poetry)

5.      

Fire By Night by Lynn Austen (Christian Historical Fiction)*

6.      

Cybele’s Secret by Juliet Marillier (Young Adult Fairytale Retelling)

7.      

Entwined by Heather Dixon Wallwork (Young Adult Fairytale Retelling)

8.      

No Man Can Tame by Miranda Honfleur (Young Adult Fantasy)

9.      

In the Garden of Gold and Stone by Ryan Muree (Young Adult Fairytale Retelling)

10.  

Heartstone by Elle Katherine White (Classic Retelling)*