Cue all the summer fun! We spent Memorial Day weekend by the river fishing, sunbathing, and swimming. It’s one of my favorite things to do! What better place to read the novel In the Shadow of the River!
What are your favorite things about summer?! And do you have any anticipated reads to devour by the pool or pond? I am looking forward to reading Remarkably Bright Creatures.
In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart
Topic or themes I saw: Prayer, loyalty, playing your role.
Read it if you love:
✔️River stories
✔️Stories with shows and acting
✔️Family bonds that go beyond blood
✔️Stories in the 1800’s
Story: I was really intrigued by how Gabhart wove together the external plot of actors playing roles to the way the characters did it in their real life. I also loved the setting, I’ve never read any books set on a River show boat!
It seemed there was a decent amount of backstory upfront in this book. For me it may have held my attention better if it had somehow been scattered through the present action with Jacci and the reader finding out throughout the story instead of presented upfront.
Main takeaway: I absolutely loved this quote/thought and am still chewing on it. “Did you love her? Not enough. Never enough, but I do love you enough. How much is enough? Enough to do what is best.” I am always intrigued by the word enough. Enough isn’t perfection, it’s doing the best you can and doing what you see is best in each situation.
Thank you Revell for a gifted copy, all opinions are my own.
The Long Journey to Jake Palmer by James L. Rubart
Topic or themes I saw: Not feeling good enough. Faith over doubt. Hiding who you are, but desiring freedom to be seen and loved.
Story: I love Rubart’s novels. They are so unique in the sense that they aren’t fantasy, but they have this otherworldly element. This book paints such a beautiful picture of breaking free from the fears and bondage that holds onto us. There was one scene that was a physical adventure, but it portrayed a spiritual analogy so beautifully I read it a few times in a row.
Main takeaway: None of us are perfect. But we are perfectly loved by our Father and we are worth it all.
Some quotes I loved:
“…do not allow doubt to cloud your mind.”
“How tragic to live a life where you are loved for what you are instead of who you are.”
The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green
Topic or themes I saw: Strained father-daughter relationships. Finding the Father’s love. The impact of a mother’s love.
Read it if you love:
✔️Historical Fiction
✔️Christian fiction
✔️Ancient Egypt
✔️Prohibition Era
✔️Detective type stories
✔️New York settings
✔️History rich novels
Story: You know how some books, the story is engaging and amazing, but then you hit the end and it is so well done the rest of the book is even more stunning? This was one of those. Chefs kiss.
This novel dives into Manhattan and the world of Egyptian art in 1925. It follows Joe and Lauren as they track down forgers of Egyptian art. As I read this story, my mind kept going back and forth between believing someone was truly the bad guy and no maybe they aren’t! I love books I can’t quite pinpoint if the characters are good or bad.
Main takeaway: We don’t have to earn love, we have our Father’s love.
“Ancient history isn’t the only past worth preserving.” Oh how I loved this quote. I have a heart that sees stories and worth everywhere. We may feel small and insignificant in the scope of something as big as Egypt history, but that doesn’t mean our past isn’t worth preserving. We may never know how God can use or redeem it.
This quote made me stop and ponder too: “I’m losing both of you to the ancient past because you don’t like the present and future.”
For our trip to Aruba, I wanted the perfect read. He Should Have Told the Bee’s was just that! This book is currently up for pre-orders. As an author, I know how incredibly beneficial pre-orders are. So if you plan to buy this book, I suggest giving it a pre-order! If you follow Amanda on social media, she has been doing some fun pre-order giveaways as well!
He Should have told the Bees by Amanda Cox
Topic or themes I saw: Abandonment, anxiety, healing from trauma, and belonging and purpose.
Read it if you love:
✔️Contemporary Christian fiction
✔️Books set on a farm
✔️Character driven novels
✔️Women’s fiction
✔️Strong settings
Story: This novel instantly sucked me in with its intrigue and emotion. I resonated deeply with the characters from nearly page one. Cox’s books have a way of doing that to me, and this was no exception. I absolutely loved the little girl who befriended Beck as well as the animals. The animals even had personalities of their own which was so fun! The story was heart tugging and beautiful at the same time. The way Cox integrates the theme and character’s stories together was both entertaining and perfection. Another of my favorite reads and I highly recommend it!
Thank you Revell for the gifted advanced reader copy! All opinions are my own.
The Heart of the Mountains by Pepper Basham
Topic or themes I saw: Rescue, second chances, redemption, healing through Christ.
Read it if you love:
✔️Appalachian stories
✔️Strong setting. The mountains 😍
✔️Tender romances with deep thoughts
✔️Stories with a beautiful mix of hard and humor
Story: I absolutely loved this setting! It was vivid and alive and I felt completely immersed in the 1919 Blue Ridge mountain life. The obstacles Cora encountered upon arriving had me laughing one minute and gripping the arm rests on my chair the next. Every character was so well crafted and real, taking on a unique personality. The Heart of the Mountains was filled with hard, deep things as well as humor, rounding it out to be just perfect 👌🏻. The mountain life in this novel is hard and rigid, but Cora is gentle and compassionate. This contrast was full of beauty and tension.
Main takeaway: “Even in the hard, you found the worthwhile and good. That takes a special person.”
The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron
I read this novel with my fiction book club girls and we got to chat with the author, Kristy, over Zoom! She is the sweetest!
I love the WWII era and this novel transported us there in beautiful and heart tugging ways. I absolutely loved learning about the made up syndrome K disease. I had no previous knowledge of that. I loved this quote: “War was a leveler. Regardless of age or nation or language spoken, it could not, and never would be powerful enough to overtake love.”
This was the kind of book for me that didn’t hook me in at the beginning and I was trying to decide if I wanted to keep at it. I did and I’m so glad because it came together so nicely! This novel follows Maisie Dobbs in two different timelines of her life. In 1929 the story focuses on Maisie and her investigations, which leads to a retreat for war wounded soldiers from WWI. The second timeline is Maisie’s earlier years and how they play into who she is now. The heart of the story is the trauma and effect of war.
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Read it if you like:
✔️Clean stories
✔️Stories of mental health
✔️Stories with veterans
✔️Stories with a hint of mystery and intrigue
✔️Stories of hope and sad mixed together
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