Wonderland Creek

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Wonderland Creek Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Lynn Austin

About the Author:

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.

Extended family is also very important to Austin, and it was a lively discussion between Lynn, her mother, grandmother (age 98), and daughter concerning the change in women's roles through the generations that sparked the inspiration for her novel Eve's Daughters.

Along with reading, two of Lynn's lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. And two of her inspirational fiction books were chosen by Library Journal for their top picks in 2003, and 2005. One of Lynn's novels has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.

About the Book

Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.

Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal.

But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated--not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and myster--and especially romance--are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wonderland Creek, go HERE.

My Review
I could certainly relate to Alice, a bibliophile who loves to read stories about others but has trouble engaging fully with real-life friends and family. I liked the book, though the pace was a bit slow at times. The characters were well developed and felt like friends by the end. I especially loved Lillie and her wisdom and spunk.

Who Is My Shelter?

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Who is My Shelter Thomas Nelson (March 1, 2011) by Neta Jackson






About the Author:

Neta Jackson is the author of the popular novel series, *The Yada Yada Prayer Group*, and a spin-off series called *The Yada Yada House of Hope.* These novels were inspired by a real women's Bible study and prayer group that, as Neta says, "God has used to turn my life upside down and rightside up." Neta and her husband, Dave, are also an award-winning writing team, best known for the Trailblazer books--a forty-book series of historical fiction for young people about great Christian heroes (see www.trailblazerbooks.com). The Jacksons are members of a multi-cultural church in the Chicago area, and the parents of three grown children, including a Cambodian foster daughter, all with families of their own.




About the Book:

In Jackson's fourth Yada Yada House of Hope Christian evangelical novel, Gabby Fairbanks is now settled in her new apartment at the House of Hope. But she is being pulled in several directions at once and has some hard decisions to make.



Philip, her estranged husband, is in a lot of trouble with a rogue cop from whom he borrowed money and also with his partner at the commercial development firm after he takes company money to cover his gambling losses. Lee Boyer, the Legal Aid lawyer who has become a friend to Gabby, now wants to be more. Gabby must decide whether to give Philip another chance, as their sons, Paul and PJ, hope, and she turns to the folks at Manna House, where she works, and the Yada Yada Prayer Group to help her discern God's plan for her.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Who is My Shelter, go here.

My Review:
I enjoyed this final book (which I received free from the publisher for my Kindle) in Neta Jackson's Yada Yada House of Hope series. I read all of the Yada Yada Prayer Group books as well, and this was a satisfying conclusion to Gabby's story. I like Jackson's characters and am glad that the Baxters and other familiar Yada Yada faces still play a significant role in the spin-off books. I wasn't sure when the House of Hope series began how it would all play out, and though the ending of Who Is My Shelter? didn't surprise me, it also wasn't what I was expecting. Some elements of the plot seemed unrealistic, but not so far-fetched as to be unbelievable. As with her other books, Jackson's shares her faith and wisdom throughout the book without being overly didactic or preachy. I look forward to her future projects!

Save the Date

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Save The Date  Thomas Nelson (February 1, 2011)  by  Jenny B. Jones    


About the Author:


I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series and So Not Happening. I would also like to take credit for Twilight, but somewhere I think I read you’re not supposed to lie.


When I’m not typing my heart out (or checking email), I teach at a super-sized high school in Arkansas.


My students are constantly telling me how my teaching changes their lives and turned them away from drugs, gangs, and C-SPAN.


Okay, that’s not exactly true.


Some facts that are true include:


I've always been refined!


A. I got my camera confiscated by big boys with guns at the American  Embassy in Europe this past summer. O la la!


B. I once worked in a seed mill office and cleaned out mice on a regular basis. Ew.


C. I’m a former drama teacher.


D. I didn’t pass my drivers test the first time. Or the second…


E. I attract stray animals like a magnet.


F. I used to assemble and test paint ball guns for a local factory...


Since my current job leaves me with very little free time, I believe in spending my spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits such as:


-watching E!
-updating my status on Facebook
-catching Will Ferrell on YouTube and
-writing my name in the dust on my furniture


I’d love to hear about you, so drop me a note. Or check me out on Facebook.


About the Book:

You’re invited to the engagement of the most unlikely couple of the year.
When the funding for Lucy’s non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair, former professional football star and heir of Sinclair Enterprises—the primary donor to Lucy’s Saving Grace organization. Alex Sinclair has it all . . . except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Both Lucy and Alex have something the other wants. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancée in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn’t quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart – and her future – on the line.


Save the Date is a spunky romance that will have readers laughing out loud as this dubious pair try to save their careers, their dreams . . . and maybe even a date.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Save The Date, go HERE.

My Review:
I enjoyed this fun and funny—but not fluffy—romantic comedy and had no trouble relating to its geeky, curly-blonde-haired heroine. 
 

Snow Day

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Snow DayFaithWords (October 11, 2010)
by
Billy Coffey


About the Author:

When you’re raised in small-town Virginia by a redneck father and a Mennonite mother, certain things become ingrained. And when you marry a small-town girl and have two small-town kids, all you want to do is pass those ingrained things along.

Like believing the best life is one lived in the country enjoying the pleasures it provides—summer nights beneath the stars, rocking chairs on the front porch, deer grazing in the fields. And believing that no matter how iffy life can get sometimes, there are some things that are eternal and unchanging.

But above all else, believing that in everything there is story waiting to be told.

That’s where I come in.

Billy Coffey was raised on stories. The first ones came on the front porches of relatives, tales laced with local charm and deep meaning. Then came the stories from people like Max Lucado and Robert Fulghum, who write with a charm and deep meaning of their own.

Billy lives with his wife and two children in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. If you drive by his house, you’ll probably spot him on the front porch. If you do, give him a wave. He’ll wave back.

About the Book:

In this debut novel, Peter is a simple man who lives by a simple truth—a person gains strength by leaning on his constants. To him, those constants are the factory where he works, the family he loves, and the God who sustains him. But when news of job cuts comes against the backdrop of an unexpected snowstorm, his life becomes filled with far more doubts than certainties.

With humor and a gift for storytelling, Billy Coffey brings you along as he spends his snow day encountering family, friends, and strangers of his small Virginia town. All have had their own battles with life's storms. Some have found redemption. Others are still seeking it. But each one offers a piece to the puzzle of why we must sometimes suffer loss, and each one will help Peter find a greater truth—our lives are made beautiful not by our big moments, but our little ones. (2010)

To read an excerpt from Snow Day, go here.

My Review:
I admit it. I'm not a winter person, and though I enjoy fall, I don't enjoy the fact that it ushers in snow, icy roads, and darkness in late afternoon. Every time I picked up Snow Day, I felt the urge to shove it under my bed so I wouldn't have to think about snow!

But once I did get past my winter prejudices, I found a charming, hope-filled story and a narrator that drew me in. I enjoy Coffey's quiet wisdom and his voice. Through Peter's eyes and the everyday encounters he has with people he meets on his snow day, the reader learns valuable lessons about community and how good can come out of suffering and loss.

If you've never visited Coffey's blog before, take a moment to do so. You won't be disappointed!

Fall Into Reading 2010

I recently saw the following quote and found it an intriguing idea:

"It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between." — C.S. Lewis

With that in mind, one of my goals for the Fall Into Reading challenge hosted by Callapidder Days this year is to to alternate new titles with old ones. I also plan to finish some books I have previously started but set aside for later, which I've marked with an asterisk.

Here is my reading list for the challenge (if a book is crossed out, I've finished reading it):

*The Good Earth (Pearl Buck)
1984 (George Orwell)
*The Princess and the Goblin (George MacDonald)
*Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
Snow Day (Billy Coffey)
The School of Essential Ingredients (Erica Bauermeister)
The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye (Nancy Springer)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)
Jayber Crow (Wendell Berry)
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron (Stephanie Barron)
*Mere Churchianity (Michael Spencer)

I also want to recommend a reading tool I recently discovered—the ReadMore app—as it may be helpful to other Fall Into Reading participants. You can see all the features on the Demo video at the link above, but basically, it lets you set up a virtual bookshelf, keep track of how much time you've spent on a book, and see how long it will likely take you to finish that book based on your current reading rate. It would be a great way to keep kids' reading logs and track their daily reading assignments, which is why I originally downloaded the app, but I like it so much that I've been using it more than my daughter has. At $1.99, it's more expensive than the apps I usually get (i.e., free), but it's well worth the $2!

If you want to add me as a friend on Goodreads, you can find my profile here, or leave a link to your profile in the comments.

Have a great fall!

A Gathering Storm

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


The Gathering Storm Summerside Press (August 1, 2010)


by Bodie and Brock Thoene

About the Authors:

Bodie and Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 50 works of historical fiction. Over twenty million of these best-selling novels are in print. Eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers’ minds and hearts.

Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.

Brock has often been described by Bodie as “an essential half of this writing team.” With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role as researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, The Zion Covenant and The Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college classrooms.

Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and seven grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.

Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.



About the Book:

As Nazi forces tighten the noose, Loralei Kepler, daughter of a German resistance leader, must flee her beloved Germany. But is any place safe from Adolf Hitler's evil grasp? Loralei's harrowing flight leads her into the arms of needy child refugees, who have sacrificed everything in exchange for their lives, and toward a mysterious figure, who closely guards an age-old secret.

Explore the romance, the passion, and the danger of the most anticipated series of the last twenty years.

Born from the highly acclaimed and best-loved novels of three generations of readers -- The Zion Covenant series and The Zion Chronicles series -- Zion Diaries ventures into the lives of the inspiring and intriguing characters who loved intensely, stood up for what was right, and fought boldly during Hitler's rise to power and the dark days of World War II.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Gathering Storm, go HERE.


My Review:
I just started reading A Gathering Storm and will post more thoughts on the book later.

First post of 2010?!?

I suppose I should just admit that Facebook and Twitter have all but killed off this blog.