by admin | Jun 6, 2009 | Books
“…when a woman takes a spiritual journey of faith, hope, and love, promising to trust in God. Then she’s a daughter of the promise.”
– page 236
Plain Pursuit is the second book in the Daughters of the Promise series by Beth Wiseman. This volume focuses on Carley who has given up on her dreams of having a husband and children following a devastating accident. After being asked to take some time off from her job as a reporter, Carley decides to visit her friend Lillian who has married an Amish man. Still grieving her mother’s death and changes in her own life, Carley has distanced herself from God. As she becomes involved in helping Lillian’s family through a crisis, she begins to find the peace she seeks and her growing relationship with Noah makes her wish for things she is afraid can never be.
Beth Wiseman brings the characters and events of Plain Pursuit to life with vivid description and dialogue. Her portrayal of Amish life is fascinating and seems to be realistic. I found the narrative about shunning to be particularly interesting as Wiseman tells all sides of the story including the shunned person, their family and friends as well as how shunning appears to the outsider.
I enjoyed Plain Pursuit and would recommend it, especially to those who find Amish life of interest to them.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Carley has given up chasing her dreams. Now her dreams are chasing her.
Carley Marek experiences culture shock when she visits her friend Lillian’s family on their farm deep in Amish country. She’ll get an article out of the visit–and maybe some of Lillian’s new found peace will somehow rub off on her.
Just when Carley is getting used to the quiet nature of the Plain community, Lillian and Samuel’s son falls ill. But the local doctor who can offer the most help has been shunned by the community and forbidden to intervene.
As David’s condition deteriorates, Dr. Noah determines to do whatever it takes to save the boy’s life. Carley is caught in the middle–drawn to Noah, wanting to be helpful in the crisis–and confused by all their talk about a God she neither knows nor trusts.
Carley must decide what in life is worth pursuing . . . and what to do when she’s pursued by a love she never expected.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
When best-selling novelist Beth Wiseman was introduced to the Amish, she gained an appreciation for their simple way of life and began writing love stories featuring this beloved group of people. Her first novel was the best-selling Plain Perfect. Beth and her family live in Texas. Visit bethwiseman.com
by admin | Jun 3, 2009 | Books, Giveaways
I have one copy of Scream by Mike Delosso to give away to a lucky reader. If you would like to win a copy, please leave a comment on this post no later than Sunday, June 7. I will announce the winner on Monday, June 8.
by admin | Jun 3, 2009 | Books
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Scream
Realms (March 3, 2009)
by
Mike Dellosso
I reviewed Scream in March. To read my comments about the book click here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Mike now lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Jen, and their three daughters. He writes a monthly column for Writer . . .Interrupted.
He was a newspaper correspondent/columnist for over three years and has published several articles for The Candle of Prayer inspirational booklets. Mike also has edited and contributed to numerous Christian-themed Web sites and e-newsletters.
Mike is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the Relief Writer’s Network, and International Thriller Writers. He received his BA degree in sports exercise and medicine from Messiah College and his MBS degree in theology from Master’s Graduate School of Divinity.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Otherworldly Screams…
A Madman on the Loose…
This Time the Stakes Are Higher Than Ever
While talking to his friend on the phone, Mark Stone is startled by a cacophony of otherworldly screams. Seconds later, a tragic accident claims his friend’s life. When this happens several more times–screams followed by an untimely death–he is compelled to act.
Battling his failure as a husband and struggling with his own damaged faith, Mark embarks on a mission to find the meaning behind the screams and hopefully stop death from calling on its next victim. When his estranged wife is kidnapped and he again hears the screams as she calls from her cell phone, his search becomes much more personal and much more urgent.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Scream, go HERE
by admin | Jun 2, 2009 | Giveaways
I have one copy of Stealing Home by Allison Pittman to give to one lucky reader of this blog. If you would like to enter, please leave a comment on this post no later than Sunday, June 7. I will choose a winner randomly and will announce the winner Monday, June 8.
by admin | Jun 2, 2009 | Books
MY REVIEW:
Stealing Home is a book about life in a small town in Missouri in the early 1900’s – particularly about four very different people and the circumstances that brought them together and changed their lives and the town forever. In Stealing Home each of the main characters comes to life through the detailed portrayals penned by the author so that the reader can identify with and care about each of them. The baseball theme set the pace for the entire narrative and added a unique element to the novel.
As in her earlier books, Pittman is not afraid to deal with tough realities – this time racism and alcoholism as well as the stigma faced by a handicapped person. Journal entries by Morris scattered throughout the book reveal a keen insight into the people of Picksville as seen through the eyes of a young black boy who is almost invisible to most residents because of his race.
Stealing Home is a story of despair and hope, triumph and tragedy, bad and good, but most of all redemption. It shows the way basically decent people can overcome their differences when someone else just does the right thing.
Stealing Home is a wonderful book that I would recommend to all readers. I suggest that you pick up a copy for yourself as soon as possible. You can find more information on the Random House website.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
It’s 1905 and the Chicago Cubs are banking on superstar Donald “Duke” Dennison’s golden arm to help them win the pennant. Only one thing stands between Duke and an unprecedented ten thousand dollar contract: alcohol.
That’s when sportswriter David Voyant whisks Duke to the one-horse town of Picksville, Missouri, so he can sober up in anonymity. He bides his time flirting with Ellie Jane Voyant, his unofficial chaperone, who would rather hide herself in the railway station ticket booth than face the echoes of childhood taunts.
Ned Clovis, the feed store clerk, has secretly loved Ellie Jane since childhood, but he loves baseball and the Duke almost as much–until he notices Ellie Jane may be succumbing to the star’s charm.
Then there’s Morris, a twelve-year-old Negro boy, whose only dream is to break away from Picksville. When Duke discovers his innate talent for throwing a baseball, Morris might just have found his way out.
Four individuals, each living in haunted isolation, each harboring a secret passion. Providence brings them together. Tragedy threatens to tear them apart. Will love be enough to bring them home?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Allison Pittman spent seventeen years as a high school English teacher, and then shunned the advice of “experts,” quit her day job and set out to write novels that bring glory to God. She relishes inspiring other writers and leading the theater arts group at her church. She and her husband and three sons live in Universal City, Texas.
