Out to Canaan (Fourth Novel in Bestselling Mitford Series)Author: Jan Karon
Published By: Penguin Books
Date Published: April 1, 1998
Genre: Christian, fiction
Pages: 342
Recommended Age: Adult
Reviewed By: Theresa My Reading Rainbow
Rating: 5
This book is from my personal collection.
Summary:
Change is coming to the Mitford. Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his wife Cynthia are pondering retirement. A man is running for mayor against the town’s beloved mayor and is calling for aggressive development. A suspicious realtor with plans for a health spa is eyeing the beloved house on the hill; and, worst of all, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing.
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Out to Canaan by Jan Karon. I love the character of Fr. Tim, his wife Cynthia, and his adopted son Doolley. I love how Jan Karon weaved a mystery around the new mayoral candidate and the out-of-town realtors.
I enjoy reading the Mitford series. Jan Karon draws a picture of a small mountain town in North Carolina. Karon has a way of pulling the reader into the town and making him or her part of the town. The reader comes to love the town citizens and do not want them to be taken advantage of and misused by the out-of-towners and the richest woman in the town. The reader knows as much as is going on in Mitford as Fr. Tim does.
I plan on reading the fifth book in the series and I recommend that you pick up the Mitford series. The best part of the series you can read them in order or start with any book; it’s not a To Be Continue series. But I guarantee you that whatever Mitford book you start with you are going to want to read the whole series when you are done. For these reasons, I give Out to Canaan by Jan Karon five stars and a grade of A+.
Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: None
Violence: None
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The Dog That Talked to God
Author: Jim Kraus
Published By: Abingdon Press
Date Published: March 1st 2012
Genre: Christian Fiction
Pages: 332
Recommended Age: Young adults, Adults
Read and Reviewed By: Me
Rating: B/4
This book is from my personal collection.
Summary:
Widow Mary Fassler buys a Miniature Schnauzer for company and names him Rufus. In the midst of her grief he turns her world upside down. It seems her beloved pooch can talk. Rufus doesn’t only talk to her. He talks to God as well. Rufus starts giving advice it makes for an interesting life journey for Mary.
My Thoughts:
I thought this was such a well written cute book.. I always enjoy quirky books about animals, especially dogs having a voice to go with their personality. It makes me wonder what it would be like if my dog Maycee spoke. What would she have to say if she could speak?
I recommend The Dog That Talked to God to anyone who likes clean humor and enjoys a chuckle here and there throughout a book that tells a unique tale. This book is truly appropriate for the audience author Jim Kraus writes for, the Christian audience. Readers of this book will not be disappointed.
Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: None
Violence: None
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Redeeming Love
Published By: Multnomah Books
Date Published: May 9th 2005 (first published November 1st 1991)
Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 464
Recommended Age: Mature Adults
Read and Reviewed By: Me
Rating: A/5
This is from my own private library.
Summary:
This is retelling of the book Hosea in the Old Testament of the Holy bible.
Set in California’s gold country in 1850 Angel doesn’t trust anyone, especially men. She was sold into prostitution as a child and it’s the only skill she knows, she’s the best prostitute at the Pair-of-Dice. She meets Michael Hosea, a man after God’s own heart. God tells Michael to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Angel agrees to marry him after she was beaten close to death by her Madam’s bodyguard. Her ice-cold heart fights against the love that God and Michael is offering her. Her heart slowly softens towards Michael and starts to love him, but with it comes feelings of being unworthy. She runs away a few times before she accepts the healing that can only come from the Lord.
My Thoughts:
I love, love this book. I deem it the best book I read of 2015. My pastor’s wife l had me and others read this book for a women’s six week Bible study. After I read the prologue I practically threw it aside, thinking I could never read this book. Out of love for my fellow Sister-in-Christ I picked it back up and forced myself to read it, but once I made it past the harsh reality of the character’s childhood I could not put the book down. I read 464 pages within forty-eight hours.
I believe Rivers did a fantastic job recreating the story of Hosea. This is not an easy book to read. It speaks of the harsh realities in this evil world that majority of us want to pretend is not happening (human trafficking, abuse, neglect, etc.), even me. This book is filled with a roller coaster ride of emotions. It’s also a spiritual journey that reader goes on with the heroine. The reader will read about God’s unwavering love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. It’s a fantastic book to read with and discuss with your fellow sisters-in-Christ.
Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: Some sex scenes
Violence: Rape of a child
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Her Brother’s Keeper (An Amish Secrets Novel)
Author: Beth Wiseman
Published By: Thomas Nelson Publishing
Date Published: February 27th 2015
Genre: Christian Fiction, Amish
Pages: 300
Recommended Age: Adult
Read and Reviewed By: Me
Rating: C/3
This is from my personal library.
Summary:
A few years earlier, Charlotte Dolinsky’s brother Ethan left
Texas and had found love with an Amish girl, named Hannah King. He told
Charlotte he had joined the Amish community in Lancaster and was engaged to
marry Hannah. Then last year he took his own life. Charlotte is determined to
find out what caused her brother to take his own life and is certain that
Hannah has the answers. Charlotte disguises herself as an Amish cousin of the
King family and travels to Pennsylvania to find the answers she is seeking,
believing the answers would give her peace, but her peace ends up coming from a
source she didn’t even know she was looking for.
My Thoughts:
I liked this book, but something was lacking in it. I really
could not tell if the author was trying to make this a romance or somewhat of a
mystery. There was basically no romance going on. The reader knew who was
interested in whom and who would up with whom. The mystery was what was Ethan
dealing with mentally to make him take his own life at a time he should have
been happy, but that story line was flat. This book was mediocre in its story telling. If
you are a Beth Wiseman fan and feel the need to read Her Brother’s Keeper go ahead, but if you have never read anything
by Wiseman before do not make Her Brother’s
Keeper your first read of hers; you will be disappointed.
Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: Discussions about child abuse and
suicide
Violence: None
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Saving Amelie
Author: Cathy Gohlke
Published By: Tyndale House Publishers
Date Published: May 16th 2014
Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages: 453
Recommended Age: Adult
Read and Reviewed By: Me
Rating: A/5
This is from my own personal library.
Summary:
On a trip to Germany with her adoptive father Rachel Kramer is told by her old friend Kristine that her SS officer husband Gerhardt Schlick sees their child Amelie as a disgrace and not worthy of life because she was born deaf. Kristine pleads with Rachel to Amelie back to America with her raise her as her own because Gehardt plans to have her murdered. Rachel once dated Gerhardt so knows how cruel he can be. When she starts searching her scientist father’s documents she realizes that her whole life was a lie and she was an experiment for the Third Reich and now they plan to complete their experiment. With Gerhardt and the rest of the S.S hunting Rachel down she finds herself being helped by unlikely allies.
My Thoughts:
I just love, love this book. I have a book hangover today because I was up until two in the morning reading this book. I could not put Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke down. Gohlke has gained a new fan. It was a fast-paced book that kept you on the edge of your seat. I also loved how she handled the faith issue. I felt she made the characters who were not believers more realistic in their faith journey by the ways they came to accept Christ. In the beginning, Gohlke glazed over the faith talk in the beginning of the book enough to let the readers know who the true believers were and who were not. She did not over kill the faith talks as some Christian writers do. She made them coming to Christ as non believers more realistic. Introducing the beloved German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his book The Cost of Discipleship helped weaved Rachel and others faith journey into the storyline seamlessly. Gohlke did a fantastic job and I cannot wait to read more of her books and this is the reason I gave Saving Amelie five stars and a grade of A. I loved it!
Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: Talks about genocide and eugenics
Violence: insinuated beatings after the effect, insinuated gassing of innocent children
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