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The Fall And Rise Of The Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain
Loves And Losses The Fall And Rise Of The Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain is a contemporary novel that will make you smile and make you cry. It is a splendid tale about the relationships between four grown up sisters. There are complex needs to be balanced. With comprehensive descriptions, the reader feels like a […]
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2020 Newbery Buzz #3: The Undefeated and A Place to Land
Every January, we love to discuss the merits (or demerits) of books we’ve seen getting “Newbery buzz” in the broader children’s literature world. The actual Newbery committee closely guards its discussions, so no one really knows which books are true contenders. We haven’t done too badly in past years, though. The 2020 awards will be announced January 27; you find past winners (and honors) on the ALA website. Today, Betsy and Hayley discuss two picture books: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson alongside A Place to Land: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Usually these…
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I Am Zion by John Eckhardt
Shout To The North And The South I Am Zion by John Eckhardt is a powerful book packed full of godly advice and scripture to help us draw closer to God. Zion is the place where God chooses to dwell. We want to be Zion people who have God dwelling in them. John Eckhardt tells […]
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Holocaust: The Nazi’s Wartime Jewish Atrocities by Stephen Wynn
May We Never Forget Holocaust: The Nazi’s Wartime Jewish Atrocities by Stephen Wynn is a comprehensive pocket book of the leading events, camps and figures in the worst crime against humanity. It is horrific reading but we need to know what happened in memory of the innocents who perished. Stephen Wynn has clearly done significant […]
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A Midwinter Promise by Lulu Taylor
Be Kind A Midwinter Promise by Lulu Taylor is an epic contemporary novel that consumes from the start. The reader glimpses the end from the beginning and the questions arise. The novel surrounds a family with action set in the present day and from 1980 moving forwards. Running parallel to the main story are the […]
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2020 Newbery Buzz #2: New Kid and Guts
Every January, we love to discuss the merits (or demerits) of books we’ve seen getting “Newbery buzz” in the broader children’s literature world. The actual Newbery committee closely guards its discussions, so no one really knows which books are true contenders. We haven’t done too badly in past years, though. The 2020 awards will be announced January 27; you find past winners (and honors) on the ALA website. Today, Betsy and Janie discuss two graphic novels, one a newcomer to the field and one by a best-selling graphic novelist. Betsy: Janie, you and I both read a lot of graphic novels, and we both appreciate them as an art form.…
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In Love And War by Liz Trenow
In Love And War by Liz Trenow is a powerful novel showing the futility of war. It was reminiscent of the film Oh What A Lovely War in that I was reminded of the utter waste of young lives on both sides. The novel is set six months after the end of the First World War during a Thomas Cook pilgrimage to the battlefields of Belgium. Everywhere there is desolation as communities try to rebuild their lives. At the centre is a core group… an English woman looking for her husband, an American lady looking for her brother and a German mother and son looking for her older son. They are…
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Choose Me by Marion Ueckermann
Choose Me by Marion Ueckermann is the most delightful Christian romance that will warm your heart. It is the fourth book in the Chapel Cove series but can be read as a stand-alone. I however enjoyed my return visit to the cove. Marion Ueckermann writes novels that wrap around the reader like a cosy dressing gown. Choose Me has some wonderful wholesome characters with huge hearts bursting with love. The novel has weighty family issues, reminding the reader that every child is planned by God and come as no surprise to Him, no matter what their earthly parents think. Parenthood is so much more than just giving birth. Parenthood is loving and nurturing children to…
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Call You Home by Jan Thompson
Call You Home by Jan Thompson is a most delightful Christian contemporary novel that will leave you feeling good. The novel reveals the heart of God as characters learn from the lessons of the past and put their trust in Him. “Look at the past with fond memories but you have to live in the here and now.” We all have dreams but as a child of God we need to put our dreams into His hands and follow His direction. We need to be prepared to say not my will be done but Yours and hand the driving seat of our lives over to Him. Being a Christian does not…
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The Keeper Of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
The Keeper Of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan is an absolutely charming contemporary tale about life and love. Love is the greatest gift we can ever give or receive. Much love is to be found within the pages of the novel. There is a love that says I will care for you in sickness and in health. There is a love that says I love you because of your differences. And there is a love that says I love you beyond the confines of the grave. The whole novel is a celebration of love. There are a wonderful mix of characters including an aging author, a young divorcee and a young…
