Book Review: Catching Moondrops

Jessilyn Lassiter is waiting for her parents, and especially handsome Luke Talley, to notice that at 18 years old she is no longer a child. In the small town of Calloway, Virginia in 1938, Jessilyn thinks she is ready to take her place as Luke’s wife and a full-fledged member of the community, but her community is in turmoil during this long, hot summer – a young, black doctor, Tal Pritchett, has come to town, and the Klan is active once more.

Jessilyn is the bridge between the black and white communities as she witnesses both the destroying influence of the racial threats and the growing love between Tal and her best friend, Gemma. The tension comes to the boiling point when Jessilyn’s neighbor, Miss Cleta, accepts Tal’s treatment – and the Klan cannot overlook the fact that a white woman is treated by a black doctor.

The racial prejudice that simmers beneath the surface of this peaceful town is ugly, and author Jennifer Erin Valent treats it with a matter of fact distance that makes Jessilyn’s experiences all the more realistic. Jessilyn hates the Klan and what they stand for, but it is her hate and rage that finally cause her to understand the faith in God that her parents, Luke and Gemma have.

Tyndale House publishers provided a copy of this book for review.

Book Review: Patton: the Pursuit of Destiny by Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin

From the legacy of George Patton’s illustrious ancestors to the muddy roads of World War II Europe, this book follows Patton’s pursuit of the destiny that awaits him. This easily read biography doesn’t gloss over Patton’s all too human faults, but it also reveals the inner quality of a man driven by ambition and his own military genius. Through well organized chapters we follow Patton from one stage of his life to the next, through both his triumphs and his failures.

The book opens with a look at Patton’s childhood – an idyllic time on his grandfather’s ranch in southern California. We see a young man who was shaped by stories of his hero-grandfather and steeped in the study of classical warfare. We see a young career officer who is frustrated by the lack of combat in his life, while at the same time fascinated by the possibilities he sees in motorized warfare. We see the general who grieves at the waste of human life during war, and does his utmost to wage quick and decisive battles in order to preserve the lives involved.

There is really no better story than a well told biography, and this book fits the bill. I enjoyed learning details about Patton’s life that had escaped me before, such as his participation in the 1912 Olympics and his prowess as a swordsman. This book showed me a Patton I had never met, and now I feel like I know a hero.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Book Review: Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Isa Lassone, an American by birth, was raised in pre-World War One Belgium. Privileged, pampered and neglected by her parents, Isa found her true home and a second family in the hotel where she stayed while her parents traveled. There she had also come to learn of God from Genny Kirkland, her mentor and second mother.

Then in 1914 the Germans invaded Belgium and Isa’s parents fled with her to America. Two years later Isa works against all odds to return to Belgium and the loved ones she left behind. She brings them hope, an unshaken faith in God….and a way to escape the German tyranny. But while she was gone, the Belgium she knew has disappeared. Her home has been occupied by the German army, the Kirkland family has lost their dear father and her beloved Edward Kirkland refuses to see that she is more than the spoiled child he had known two years before. Isa determines to show Edward that he is wrong – and finds herself involved in a most dangerous enterprise: the publication of the newspaper of the resistance – La Libre Belgique.

Author Maureen Lang shows us a clear view of an occupied society, and the power of the written word that can inspire even the most wretched person to hope for freedom. Most of all, she shows us the unshakable power of God, even in the midst of oppression. I look forward to reading more of Mrs. Lang’s books!

Tyndale House publishers provided a copy of this book for review.

Book Review: Resurrection in May by Lisa Samson

The Christian experience is one of death and rebirth, and that is the story of May in this newest book by Lisa Samson.

May Seymour has just graduated from the University of Kentucky, and has no idea what she will do with her life. Up until this point she has been self-centered and privileged, and the only things on the horizon are a possible job interview…and the back-up plan of a trip to Rwanda.

In the months before she leaves for Africa, May meets Claudius, a simple farmer with a fatherly love for May. She spends the summer on his farm, learning to enjoy the slower pace of life in the Kentucky hills. Claudius has hope that after Rwanda she might come home to his farm, and possibly even marry Eli – a local boy that May knows from her years at UK.

But life happens. In Rwanda May learns about God, friendship, love and war, and comes home to the farm a scarred and broken girl. Healing is slow and not without pain, but it does come as surely as the crocus blooms in the spring. But May never expected the death of self that true resurrection requires.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

WIP (Works in Progress)

Do all writers have multiple works in progress at a time? I really don’t know, but I suspect it has something to do with how we read. I always have multiple books that I’m reading at one time.

I’m always reading the Bible – I’m on my ninth year of reading the Bible through in a year. I’m also reading a new book published by Love Inspired – The Rancher’s Promise by Jillian Hart. I also try to keep a classical literature book going – currently it’s Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. I have read retellings of the book before, but never the original. I’m reading it slowly – I’ll pick it up once every couple weeks. I’m usually also reading a non-fiction book, but I haven’t picked one up for awhile.

My writing seems to follow the same pattern. The writing I do for my blogs is daily, but short. I’m also working on a Christian romance set in a northern Indiana Amish community in the 1930’s. The first chapter is finished, and now the outline and characters are “cooking” in my mind. A long-term project, started a few years ago for a contest I didn’t win, is a retelling of Icelandic Sagas for young readers. It’s waiting on the back shelf until my youngest graduates from our homeschool and I’m not teaching anymore. Meanwhile, I pick up an Icelandic Saga to read once in awhile…And then the final project, and the one with the tightest deadline, is a book on homemaking skills written for girls. I’m the “contributing writer” – the project really belongs to Marmee Dear of the Homemaker’s Mentor (www.thehomemakersmentor.com/index.php). It’s a fun project, and I’m enjoying helping Martha work it up.

I’ll try to keep you updated on the various projects as we go along!

Telling the Story – What is a story?

In school we were taught to write – or at least, someone attempted to teach us to write. Usually what we learn in school are the mechanics of writing: how to write a sentence, how to construct a paragraph, how to write a five paragraph essay. If we go further into the study of English and Literature, we are taught the elements of literature: theme, plot, character, style, genre.

What is missing for almost all of us is a study of what makes a story. That something that makes us pick up a book and continue reading past the first chapter. What is it that draws us in? What makes us care about what happens? What is it about a story that can move us to tears as we read?

The first thing that a story must have is a connection to the one great story – the Story God tells us in the Bible. Some people call this story the “archetype”; some call it the “great myth”. It’s the story that underlies our very being, and we all know it. It’s the story of good vs. evil, the princess rescued by the perfect Prince, the tragedy of death and the glorious joy of resurrection.

Think of your favorite books: The Lord of the Rings, Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague, Moby Dick…they all have elements of the one great story. Think about the last book you read, or the one you’re reading now. Rachel’s Garden, the book I reviewed earlier, tells the story of the death and resurrection of Rachel’s hope, faith, and ability to love again.

The next time you pick up a book, look for the Great Story within it – it will enrich your reading!

Book Review: Rachel's Garden by Marta Perry

What a refreshing look at Amish Life! Marta Perry takes us into a world that she obviously loves and respects in her second “Pleasant Valley” novel.

In Rachel’s Garden we learn to know Rachel, who was introduced to us in the first book of this series, Leah’s Choice. In the time between the two books, Rachel’s husband has been killed in a tragic accident, and the Amish community in Pleasant Valley comes to her support. Even with the help of her family and church, Rachel’s winter has been long and dark, but with spring comes a glimmer of hope and the comfort of her beloved plants and garden.

But will Rachel be able to support herself and her three children? Will she be forced to sell the dairy farm that was Ezra’s dream for his children? And in the midst of her struggles, her husband’s best friend Gideon insists on building a greenhouse for her – Ezra’s last gift to her, planned long before his death. Will Rachel ever be able to forgive Gideon for surviving the accident that claimed her husband’s life?

This is a sweet story of forgiveness and love in the aftermath of a great loss. Don’t miss this series! Book Three was published in June 2010 – Anna’s Return.