Written on the Wind

Written on the Wind, by Judith Pella, tells the story of three sisters:  Cameron, Blair, and Jackie.  It is the first in the series of four books.  The story begins at a party being held for the sisters' father, Keagan, and right away the reader begins to learn about each girl's individual personality and interests.  Keagan is a domineering and bossy parent and each daughter responds to his "tough love" in different ways.

This book focuses mostly on Cameron, who hopes to prove to her father that she can make it as a journalist without his help.  It is 1941 and she is sent to Europe to report on the war. She meets Alex, a Russian doctor, and some of the book focuses on their developing relationship.  I really enjoyed reading about her reporting the news throughout the early years of the war and there are lots of suspenseful moments when her life is placed in danger.

The middle sister, Blair, has high hopes of becoming a Hollywood star.  She is beautiful but self-centered and makes poor choices.  Blair meets a kind Christian soldier named Gary and has to decide whether giving up her wild lifestyle for him is worth it.

Jackie, the youngest sister, is a faithful Christian and college student.  She meets a young Japanese American man, Sam.  As Jackie and Sam become closer, they get a first hand glimpse of the hatred some people feel towards people of another race.  And this is before Pearl Harbor - imagine what they will go through after the Japanese attack!

For me, this book was a great read.  I am a huge fan of historical fiction and I especially like books set in the World War II years.  The book has almost 3 different plots going at once (one for each sister) but the way the author writes it, it is not difficult to keep up.  When this book was over, I went straight to the library for the next one - and that's always a good sign!

I have finished the entire series, and in my opinion, the books only get better.  Give the Daughters of Fortune series a try!

Rating:  I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

Crocodile on the Sandbank

"Elizabeth Peters's unforgettable heroine Amelia Peabody makes her first appearance in this clever mystery. Amelia receives a rather large inheritance and decides to use it for travel. On her way through Rome to Egypt, she meets Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman abandoned by her lover and left with no means of support. Amelia promptly takes Evelyn under her wing, insisting that the young lady accompany her to Egypt, where Amelia plans to indulge her passion for Egyptology. When Evelyn becomes the target of an aborted kidnapping and the focus of a series of suspicious accidents and mysterious visitations, Amelia becomes convinced of a plot to harm her young friend. Like any self-respecting sleuth, Amelia sets out to discover who is behind it all."


-book description from Amazon.com

Amelia is a one of a kind character.  She is a smart, take-charge woman who knows what she wants and carries her trusty parasol to poke anyone who is in her way.  Throughout the entire story, she goes head to head with Radcliffe Emerson and the banter between the two characters is very entertaining.  The author has also done an incredible amount of research into Egypt's history, and I felt like I was learning a lot along the way.


Crocodile on the Sandbank may not have the most difficult mystery to solve, but it is a really fun read.  In fact, I think it's one of my favorites! It will leave you wanting to read the next book - but be warned - there are 18 in the series!

Rating:  I would give this book 5 out of 5.

Kisses from Katie

Kisses from Katie tells the incredible true story of Katie Davis, a popular and friendly girl from Nashville.  Katie's life was never the same after going on a short-term mission trip to Uganda when she was eighteen.  After coming home, she knew that she was being called by God to make a difference in these people's lives.  Katie gave up her comfortable life in return for one of service.

Over the course of the book, Katie explains how she ended up adopting thirteen girls from Uganda and what her life is like living in Africa.  Katie also established Amazima Ministries, which provides food, education, and medical care to children living in her village.  Throughout the book, Katie chronicles many of the trials she has faced, and her faith in Christ is evident in each page she writes.

Kisses from Katie is a mind-blowing book which will leave you feeling inspired but also convicted of what you can be doing to love "the least of these."  Katie also has a blog, where you can keep reading her continuing story.  Also check out the Amazima Ministries site, which sells handcrafted jewelry made by Ugandan women trying to earn a living.

Rating:  I would give this book a 5 out of 5.

Bamboo & Lace

Bamboo & Lace, by Lori Wick, is about a young woman named Lily Walsh.  Lily has grown up in the Asian nation of Kashien (a fictional place) with her missionary father and brother.  Her father, as a sign of respect to people of Kashien, has raised Lily to behave like the Kashien women.  She must show obedience to her father at all times.  He is a strict disciplinarian and enforces rules such as never looking him in the eye in public.

When Lily goes to visit her brother, Jeff, at his new home in Hawaii, she is completely out of her element.  She has never seen many things that are common in America and is unaccustomed to being shown respect.  Just as she is becoming more comfortable, her brother is sent away on a business trip and Lily has to spend the rest of her trip with Jeff's best friend Gabe and his family.

The rest of the story focuses on the developing relationship between Lily and Gabe.  There are several instances where they must completely trust God to take care of the situation they are facing.  The romance between them is a very sweet story with a happy ending.

This book was a very quick read and I thought it was a great book if you're in the mood for a romance novel.  (I would also consider it to be clean and appropriately written.)  Although I did sometimes feel that Lily's character was a bit too good to be true, it was a fun book and kept my interest.

Rating:  I would give this book a 4 out of 5.

Christy

Christy takes place in 1912 and is about a 19 year old girl, Christy Huddleston.  After hearing a speaker tell about the people living in the Smoky Mountains, Christy feels called to move there and teach school.  She goes to live among the mountain people and discovers that she has a lot to learn from these poor and uneducated people.  Christy's faith is challenged on several occasions, and the story does include a bit of romance when she is torn between two of the men she meets on this journey.

I thought the author did an amazing job of describing the setting.  The characters who lived in the Smoky Mountains lived such a primitive lifestyle, and it was fascinating to read about some of their superstitions and methods of healing.  Reading about some of these children just made my heart melt.  If you like historical books, and would like to read a heartwarming story, I would try Christy.

Review:  I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

One Thousand Gifts

Yesterday I finished One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I had heard of this book months ago, but had also heard some mixed reviews.  Recently one of my good friends was talking about how much she had enjoyed this book, so I decided it was time to read it for myself.

One Thousand Gifts not only has a beautiful cover, but it is also beautifully written.  Ann Voskamp has a  very poetic style of writing which does take a bit of getting used to.  The book begins by the author describing a tragic incident from her past, and the rest of the story describes her journey of learning how to turn grief into a blessing and discovering the depths of God's love for us.

Early in the story, the author is challenged to make a list of one thousand gifts that have been provided by the Lord.  She soon discovers how many blessings can be found in the everyday lives that we lead.  The author shows how many times in the Bible it is mentioned that we should give thanks for all things.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  Many times while reading it I felt convicted of how much I take for granted and how God wants his people to be grateful for all of the gifts he has given us.  This book is not a light read; I definitely read this book at a much slower pace than normal because I needed to contemplate and think about the author's ideas.  I know that some people have read this book after experiencing a loss and I do believe that it would a special book to read at that time in their life.

Unfortunately, once I read the last chapter of the book, I was disappointed.  It is titled "The Joy of Intimacy."  The author described intimacy with God and chose to compare it to intimacy of a sexual nature.  I do not agree with this belief and in my opinion, it is not a Biblical truth.  Because of that chapter, the book will have a lower rating.

Rating:  I would give this book a 3 out of 5.

Welcome!

Reading is one of my absolute favorite things to do.  I love to pick up a good book and get lost in the story.  I usually always have a list of books that I'd like to read next, but I really enjoy hearing recommendations from others.

When I'm reading blogs, I'm always drawn to the posts where people have written about the books they are reading.  I hope to team up with Book Sneeze to help review some of the books that they send to me and also recommending some of my favorites.  Come along with me as I read books from all genres and share my thoughts!