Horse Camp was not what I expected at all, but then that was the same way the twins in the book felt when they were sent to their Uncle's farm when their mom had to go to jail and their dad went off to start a new church. Their mom called it "horse camp" to make it sound like fun, but it only had two old mean horses with mostly pigs and chickens. This is simply a YA novel about getting along with people and not judging others. The most exciting part for me was when the tornado hit and Percy and his friend took cover in a culvert.
I didn't care for this one much but it was a quick read so went ahead and finished it. Basically Christians are portrayed in this book as hypocrites, self-righteous and judgmental. I do not recommend this one.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
"Horse Camp" by Nicole Helget and Nate LeBoutillier
Labels:
brothers and sisters,
divorce,
dysfunctional family,
farm,
forgiveness,
hypocrisy,
religion,
twins
Sunday, May 11, 2014
"Love Letters To The Dead" by Ava Dellaira
It started as a school assignment--to write a letter to a dead person, but for Laurel, it's not that simple. She is still dealing with the death of her sister, May. As she writes letters to dead people, they learn about her life now and what led up to the death of her sister.
There is some very good stuff here and the letters are very well written. This was a page turner for me! Give it a chance. You will be glad you did.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
There is some very good stuff here and the letters are very well written. This was a page turner for me! Give it a chance. You will be glad you did.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
death,
forgiveness,
Gerard's favorites,
high school,
page turner,
teens,
YA
Thursday, March 20, 2014
"The Deepest Secret" by Carla Buckley
The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley has two main story lines: a hit-and-run accident and a young boy who cannot be exposed to light of any sort. Because there is even more to this book than that, including lots of "wow" moments and believable characters, I loved this book and consider it a "must read." It is my book of the month so far for March! They don't get much better than this!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
This
was a fast-moving book for me because it kept me wondering if Eve is
ever going to confess. My feelings about Eve and her husband changed as
the book progressed, but I liked Tyler all the way through; Melissa not
so much. This is
a good thought-provoking read that kept me turning the pages and would
be great for a book club discussion.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
Similar to Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner and Defending Jacob by William Landay.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
The Deepest Secret
by Carla Buckley is about Eve, a hit-n-run driver who accidentally
killed her best friend’s daughter. She finds herself in a real dilemma
because she has a teenage son, Tyler, with a very rare disease who needs
special care. Her husband is a lawyer who works out-of-town a lot and
only comes home on weekends. She also has a lying teenage daughter,
Melissa who has secrets of her own. This book poses a lot of questions
along the way. Tyler is like a prisoner in
his own house because UV rays can be deadly for him. He is only
allowed out after sundown but manages to know more about their neighbors
and what goes on in the neighborhood than anyone else in his family.
Each person in the family has a secret.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
Similar to Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner and Defending Jacob by William Landay.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
family,
forgiveness,
Gerard's favorites,
love,
marriage,
must read,
page-turner,
suspense
Monday, January 20, 2014
"Timepiece" by Richard Paul Evans
Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans is about a couple in the early 1900's--their love, grief, forgiveness and loyalty. It is an emotional romance between Mary Anne (David's secretary) and David (wealthy business man) who find great happiness together but also experience tragedy, losing a child. This is an interesting and enjoyable
read including some excerpts from David's diary, but it took me a little time to get used to the writing style.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
crime,
death,
emotional. racism,
family,
forgiveness,
grief,
heartbreaking,
love,
romance,
sad
Saturday, January 18, 2014
"The F It List" by Julie Halpern
T
The F It List by Julie Halpern is about two young teen girls, Alex and Becca. Becca has Cancer and made a list of things she wanted to do. Alex, her best friend, helps her accomplish them. I loved this book! I got into it and cared about both of the girls. I liked how they handled the stuff life threw at them, and it was a lot! Plus, it has a great ending!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)
The title turned Karen off this one.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
The F It List by Julie Halpern is about two young teen girls, Alex and Becca. Becca has Cancer and made a list of things she wanted to do. Alex, her best friend, helps her accomplish them. I loved this book! I got into it and cared about both of the girls. I liked how they handled the stuff life threw at them, and it was a lot! Plus, it has a great ending!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)
The title turned Karen off this one.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
Cancer,
forgiveness,
friendship,
romance,
YA
Thursday, November 14, 2013
"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth Is Disappointing
Allegiant by Veronica Roth is the third book in the Divergent trilogy. It is about friendship, forgiveness and doing the right thing and family bonds.
I was anxious to read this one but it was so confusing at the beginning. Perhaps because it was so long since I read Insurgent. This one was disappointing. It moved slow, not much action until the last quarter of the book when things picked up, but then I didn’t like the ending. There were some good parts but most of it was just strange and confusing. I liked the first two in the series much better--Divergent and Insurgent.
I enjoyed reading the author's explanation of why she chose the gutsy ending she did. It is full of spoilers though so I suggest you read the book first and then check out "About The End of Allegiant."
(Karen's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
brothers and sisters,
death,
Dystopian,
family,
forgiveness,
friendship,
romance,
series,
YA
Sunday, July 7, 2013
A Children's Ebook: "Candy and the Cankersaur"
Image source: Amazon |
(Karen's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
children's book,
forgiveness,
friendship,
fun read,
jealousy,
pets,
pictures,
quick read
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
"The Cat That God Sent" by Jim Kraus is a Favorite of Mine!
Great Book--Petey even looks like me! |
Although the cat shares its thoughts with the reader, it acts like a real cat and does not talk English but communicates the way real cats do. For me, this gave the book more credibility. There are even discussion questions in the back which could make this a good book club read. I liked the idea of how God used the cat to help both Jake and Tess and to get more people to come to church. I loved it and look forward to reading this author's other book, The Dog That Talked to God! This is a must read for all cat lovers!
(Karen's review, 5 stars!)
Hey, if you like cats, you have to read this one! Petey, the cat is sent by God to help the new preacher who is struggling with his faith. He also has to protect a young girl named Tess who got dumped by her boyfriend. He likes going to church and people come just to see him! He is a good cat, like me and even looks like me as you can see in the picture of me with the book. This is a must read for all cats and cat lovers!
(Manny's review)
Author's blog: Jimkraus.com
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
abortion,
cat lovers,
cats,
Christian fiction,
church,
faith,
forgiveness,
funny,
humor,
Karen's favorites,
must read,
prayer,
pregnancy,
redemption,
secrets
Thursday, April 11, 2013
"The Key on the Quilt" by Stephanie Grace Whitson
It even had kittens in this book! |
With some blossoming romances as well as interesting lives and insight into prison life, I think this would be a good book club read and highly recommend it to women, especially if you like quilting. It does have discussion questions in the back. This is the first book I read by this author, just found it browsing at the library but think I will read more by this author.
Read my Teaser if you like.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
forgiveness,
friendship,
God,
historical fiction,
historical romance,
prison,
series,
Whitson
Friday, March 15, 2013
"The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult is so good! Wow, oh wow, where to start? It is about an old man who was a German S.S. guard at a Nazi war camp. Now he wants a favor from a woman, one she is not sure she can do. There are several good story lines in this book. You get the Nazi guard story, a fantastic story from the young girl’s Jewish grandmother who was in the death camp, and the story that she was writing, which is sort of what the book is based on. I just loved it! As usual for Jodi Picoult’s books, the ending is shocking!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Friday, October 26, 2012
"Be Still My Soul" by Joanne Bischof
Like romance, historical fiction? Then read this! |
Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof is her first novel, a wonderful Christian historical fiction romance set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lonnie (17) and Gil (21) are forced to marry even though they barely knew each other. In the beginning of the book, I felt bad for Lonnie and then about midway through, I started feeling bad for Gil. They went through some tough times but Lonnie kept holding on to her faith that God was looking out for her. This was a tear jerker for me, as they encountered heartache and physical pain. I liked how the kindness of strangers brought healing to their marriage. This is just the first book in The Cadence of Grace series which is based on I Peter 5:10:
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.As I was reading this book, I couldn't help but think of how this couple would benefit from reading Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs. I highly recommend this book if you like clean romance novels. It also contains a reader's guide so would make a good book club selection. I look forward to reading her next book, Though My Heart Is Torn.
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
Christian fiction,
faith,
forgiveness,
historical fiction,
Karen's favorites,
marriage,
redemption,
romance,
series,
tear jerker
Monday, August 13, 2012
"Leota's Garden" by Francine Rivers
Touching Christian Fiction |
Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers is very good about an old lady, Leota, who was totally misunderstood by her kids and her granddaughter (Annie) and a college student (Corey) who met her through a sociology project because he needed a case study. While using Leota as his case study project, Corey got to know her as a person and gained a better understanding of the elderly. Leota had an overgrown garden which she couldn't take care of because her arthritis was so bad, but was delighted that Annie decided to restore it for her. There's a lot of tension between the mothers and daughters which makes this such a sad story. The grandmother is feisty and loves her visits from her granddaughter who is a college student, and hopes to set things right between herself and her children before she dies.
I liked Leota's Garden very much because Leota was such an interesting character. This novel gives insight into the issues of aging and caring for the elderly in an amusing and touching way. It's an emotional read that I had a hard time putting down.
Other books I liked by Francine Rivers:
Redeeming Love
The Scarlet Thread
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
aging,
Cancer,
Christian fiction,
death,
family,
forgiveness,
Francine Rivers,
mothers and daughters,
relationships,
sad,
sociology
Monday, May 14, 2012
"Calico Joe" by John Grisham (UPDATED)
Calico Joe by John Grisham is really, really good! It's about a relationship between a son and his dad off the field as well as on it. The gist of the story is the dad, a major league pitcher, hits his son's favorite player with a ball on purpose, knocking him out of the game. I liked the dialog between the son and the dad. The ending was sort of predictable, but I liked it anyway. I think you would have to be a major league baseball fan to appreciate this book, but it's a quick read and entertaining! Enjoy and play ball!
(Gerard's review)
Karen's review:
Calico Joe by John Grisham is not one of his
better books. It’s about a pitcher to beaned an outstanding rookie,
Joe, permanently ending his career. This book shows baseball at its
worst. The most disturbing part of this book
was when the pitcher was actually teaching his 11-yr-old son the fine
art of throwing at a hitter’s head. The highlight of the book was Joe’s
willingness to forgive the pitcher. It does address the issue of dying
and it was said how many regrets the pitcher
had.
I thought this book was okay but liked other books he wrote much better. This is not a baseball book I would recommend.
We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"The Returning" by Ann Tatlock
The Returning by Ann Tatlock is contemporary fiction about a family of five: Andrea and John who have three children: Phoebe-5, “Rebellious” Rebekah-16 and Billy-17 with Down Syndrome. The story starts with John returning from prison after being gone five years for manslaughter. At first, he feels like a stranger in his own home and is frustrated with himself for not being able to find a decent job to support his family and accepts a busboy job from his brother-in-law. His son, Billy, is really the only one who gives him a good welcome and encourages the others to accept him too. Phoebe is afraid of her dad and Rebekah hates him. Andrea hopes they can put their family back together again and longs for his love but John holds back and falls into adultery once again. I liked how John didn’t give up on his family and worked at rebuilding his relationship with each of them.
I liked this book a lot because I found myself caring for all the characters and was glad it has a happy ending. Second chances and forgiveness is the theme of this novel. I’d say this is Christian fiction at its best! I highly recommend this one if you like stories about realistic family struggles with happy endings.
(Karen's review) Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.
Labels:
brothers and sisters,
Christian fiction,
family,
forgiveness,
marriage,
parenting,
prison,
Tatlock
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
"Love Lifted Me" by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck
This Christian fiction book is about the marriage of Jade and Max. When Max wants to go and coach a high school football team, Jade goes along, but things don't go very well. I liked this book some but was not riveted to it. It's worth a try.
(Gerard's review: 3 stars)Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!
Labels:
Christian fiction,
family,
football,
forgiveness,
marriage,
south
Friday, December 2, 2011
"True Colors" by Kristin Hannah
What a neat novel True Colors by Kristin Hannah is! It starts off following the lives of three sisters from when their mother died while they were teens. Aurora is the peace maker who settled for marriage to “Mr. Boring” while the eldest daughter, Winona, an attorney, loves her younger sister’s fiancé and longs for her father’s approval. Vivi Ann, is engaged to a real nice guy, but isn’t in love with him and follows her heart and passion when Dallas , the new ranch hand shows an interest in her. The plot thickens when Vivi Ann goes against her family and marries Dallas who gets arrested for murder! This is a great story that shows the bond between sisters as well as a contemporary romance and the struggle of a single mom whose husband is rotting away in prison.
I loved this book because the characters were so believable and the story line drew me in and wouldn’t let go! I liked how the author brought in the horses and ranch activities, how she shared with the reader how the son felt growing up without his dad through his journal entries, and the family dynamics. It’s a love story about love, hope, forgiveness, betrayal, family ties, second chances, heartbreak and redemption. I highly recommend this one!
(Karen's review) Have you read this one? What did you think of it?
You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.
Labels:
betrayal,
family,
fathers and daughters,
forgiveness,
Kristin Hannah,
love,
marriage,
murder,
prison,
redemption,
sisters,
women
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
“The Crossing” is a complicated mystery about a 10-yr-old unsolved murder case that is re-opened. Claudia saw her English teacher, a friend, killed on the bus after a football game. The teacher shares her last thoughts with the reader right before she dies which was an interesting way of giving clues about the killer. Claudia had nightmares and panic attacks so her husband, the D.A., decided to re-open the investigation and found things that were overlooked.
This story attempts to show the depravity of man and God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. Some people repented and sought help and others didn’t with tragic consequences.
I didn’t really get invested in any of the characters and didn’t care much for this one. It moved along pretty good, I was interested to find out who the killer was (although that didn't make sense to me) so I guess that's why I didn't care for it much. It just wasn't as good as I expected it would be.
(Karen's review)
(Karen's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?
You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.
Labels:
Christian fiction,
crime investigation,
death,
domestic violence,
forgiveness,
marriage,
murder,
mystery
Monday, May 23, 2011
"Night Road" by Kristin Hannah (UPDATED)
This book would make an excellent Hallmark or Lifetime movie! Night Road by Kristin Hannah is the story of three teens, two girls who become friends and the twin brother of one of the girls who falls in love with her friend. One night they drink and drive and the outcome of that mistake tells the story of this book. What made this book so good to me is that you care about each and every one of the characters. The writing is that good and also I liked the beautiful ending! Well worth your time to read this—it's a winner!
(Gerard's Review)
I loved Night Road by Kristin Hannah! This is such a heartbreaking story that delves into friendship, teenage drinking, family relationships, dealing with grief, love and forgiveness. Lexi is a very lonely but nice girl who grew up in foster care for most of her life. She becomes best friends with another lonely girl, Mia, who comes from a very good family. Lexi falls in love with Mia’s twin brother, Zach, the homecoming king. Mia’s parents, especially her mother, Jude, are thrilled Mia has a friend and treat Lexi as a member of the family. In one night, everything changes, just two weeks before graduation when the three good friends drink, drive and get in a car accident that leaves Mia dead.
This is just an amazing read. I could feel the emotions the different characters went through and couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lexi, the driver of the car. Zach, Lexi and Jude all played the blame game, mostly blaming themselves. I can’t say enough good things about this book! The characters were likeable and realistic, the plot is well done and certainly sends a strong message not to drive drunk. I have to read more books by Kristin Hannah—this one was so good! I highly recommend it to parents and teens or anyone who likes a good love story. This is definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year!
(Karen's review)
Other Reviews of this book: Sheery's Place loved it!
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.
(Gerard's Review)
I loved Night Road by Kristin Hannah! This is such a heartbreaking story that delves into friendship, teenage drinking, family relationships, dealing with grief, love and forgiveness. Lexi is a very lonely but nice girl who grew up in foster care for most of her life. She becomes best friends with another lonely girl, Mia, who comes from a very good family. Lexi falls in love with Mia’s twin brother, Zach, the homecoming king. Mia’s parents, especially her mother, Jude, are thrilled Mia has a friend and treat Lexi as a member of the family. In one night, everything changes, just two weeks before graduation when the three good friends drink, drive and get in a car accident that leaves Mia dead.
This is just an amazing read. I could feel the emotions the different characters went through and couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lexi, the driver of the car. Zach, Lexi and Jude all played the blame game, mostly blaming themselves. I can’t say enough good things about this book! The characters were likeable and realistic, the plot is well done and certainly sends a strong message not to drive drunk. I have to read more books by Kristin Hannah—this one was so good! I highly recommend it to parents and teens or anyone who likes a good love story. This is definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year!
(Karen's review)
Other Reviews of this book: Sheery's Place loved it!
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.
Labels:
contemporary,
death,
family,
forgiveness,
grief,
Karen's favorites,
Kristin Hannah,
mothers,
must read,
recommended,
romance,
teens,
women
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