"The Affair" by Lee Child (GIVEAWAY WINNER)

The Winner:  Sheri at Shut Up And Read

The Affair by Lee Child has a strong, likeable main character in Jack Reacher, a military cop who is told to go undercover to investigate a murder of a young woman. Once he gets to town, he befriends the local sheriff and together they try to solve the crime.

I really enjoyed this book because Reacher is so awesome and it has a good ending!
(Gerard's review--rating 5 stars)

Manny Boy (cat in picture above) chose our winner.  I just threw all the entries in the air between our two cats who were lying next to each other and the first and only name touched was by Manny which was Sheri.
I won this from our library's summer reading program and would like to pass it on to one of our blog readers if someone would like to have it. Leave a comment letting us know you are interested in receiving this book with an email so we can contact you. The winner will be chosen Saturday, July 21.


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 June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The Wings of Morning" by Murray Pura

Here's the book trailer for this one:






I enjoyed The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura very much.  This is part 1 of "Snapshots in History" series.  It is about Jude, an Amish pilot during World War I who agrees to fly for America in order to save his friends even though it means he will be shunned.  Lyyndaya and Jude develop a friendship which leads to a romance but their letters must remain at the post office because of the shunning.


This is the best Amish romance I've read because it didn't poke along and the main character was male instead of female.  I liked the description of the flying, the dog fights and the romance.  Parts were heart-breaking and very sad but it was really great to see how Jude maintained his faith while at war and managed not to kill anyone!  The ending was fantastic!

This book is so much more than just a Christian romance.  I loved this one because it had adventure, faith, forgiveness, group dynamics, clean language and romance without the sex scenes.  Murray Pura is a new author to me; I look forward to reading more of his books.
(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 June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Outlaw Platoon" by Sean Parnell and John Bruning

Outlaw Platoon:  Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning is an amazing book about Sean’s platoon fighting in Afghanistan.  It is gives so much insight into combat and what it’s like for our soldiers.  After reading about the horrible things that happen, I have a better understanding of what soldiers go through and why they are never the same when they come back from war.  I really liked the leadership analysis and the platoon dynamics.

It is interesting to see how such a diverse group of men can become like family and how they back up each other and sacrifice themselves to bring back the wounded and dying.  The writing was so good I felt as though I was right in battle with them.  This is an emotional and inspirational book that gave me a greater appreciation for our service men and women.  I think every American should read this one! 
(Karen's review)

WOW!  AWESOME!  After you read Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell and John R. Bruning you will gain a ton of respect for our men and women fighting over in Afghanistan. Sean holds nothing back which makes this book so good.  I could almost feel the bullets flying all around me!  Then ending brought tears to my eyes and pride in the U.S.A.   Thank you for your service, Mr. Parnell, and to the entire Outlaw Platoon.  God's blessings to all of you!
(Gerard'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.

"Home Front" by Kristin Hannah

Home Front by Kristin Hannah is an outstanding book! Jolene and Michael have two little girls. Their marriage is rocky at best, and then when things are at their worst, Jolene gets a call to be deployed and is off to join the war! Great writing to be sure. You will care deeply about Jolene and Michael and Betsy and Lulu. Will their marriage survive? Will Jolene be all right in the war? I really enjoyed this book a lot! Definitely a MUST READ!
(Gerard's review)

Karen read this one too:
Home Front by Kristin Hannah is a fantastic book about an ordinary family affected by war when the wife and mother of two girls gets deployed to Iraq.  This is a fascinating and emotional read that opened my eyes to the sacrifices soldiers and their families make to serve this country of ours.  At the beginning of the book, I didn’t like Michael, the husband, at all but he changed when he realized his family was what mattered most and stepped up when his wife went off to war.  Home Front gives insight into what war is really like and the struggles soldiers face in adjusting to civilian life when they come back. We both highly recommend this one!

Here's the trailer for this book:




If you would like to hear an audio clip from the book, click on this link:  http://media.us.macmillan.com/video/olmk/macmillanaudio/homefrontclip.mp3



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 March to the American Cancer Society.

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

I know I'm way late to read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card since it came out years ago.  That being said, I thought this book was just AWESOME!  For sure my book of the month for April and will rank very high in my books of the year list!

The premise of this book is the government has tabbed Ender to be the next big commander.  He is taken away from his family and sent to "Battle School."  His brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine, also play interesting roles in this book. 

If you loved Hunger Games and The Maze Runner series, you will love this book too!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's Review:
I liked Ender's Game very much too.  I'm glad Gerard encouraged me to read it!  Ender is just six years old when the government rejected his older brother and sister and took him instead to train to be the commander to fight against the buggers out in space and save the world.  Ender is very smart and very endearing.  He doesn't want to kill anyone but excels in the battle games.  I liked how even though Ender was an "underdog" he was very clever and came out on top when others made things tough for him.  The only thing I did not like about it was the ending.

If you like stories about mind games, leadership, friendship, bullying, military strategy/training or science fiction, you would love this book!  Anyone with battle experience I think would identify with Enger.  We both highly recommend this one--it's awesome!

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.

"One September Morning" by Rosalind Noonan

I found One September Morning by Rosalind Noonan while browsing the library.  The cover caught my attention and the reference to Jodi Picoult made me get it.  I'm so glad I did!  I got into it fast.  The characters are people you will care about.  It's hard to put down and you will re-examine your thoughts on the Iraq war.  I liked the ending too.  You can't ask for much more than that in a book.  Pick it up if you see it, you will be glad you did! (30 stars)

Gerard (6/3/09)

I really liked this book about an army widow who wasn't satisfied with the army's report on her husband's death in Iraq and uncovered some disturbing facts about how he really died.  It also included the effects of his death on his family and how his feelings about the war in Iraq changed during his service there.  This book gave some insight into the Iraq war and gave me a new perspective on it.  One September Morning is a bit of a mystery because at first you don't know which soldier is the killer and then it turns to suspense as the killer puts his plan into action.  I read this in two days because it was captivating and I liked Abby, the main character who was the army widow.  I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries, suspense, PTSD, stories about military families or psychos.   

(Karen 6/7/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Hope Unseen" by Captain Scott Smiley and Doug Crandall is Amazing! (UPDATED)

Hope Unseen by Scotty Smiley and Doug Crandall is the true story of how God showed his love to Scotty Smiley and led him step-by-step along a very difficult journey, giving him many blessings in spite of losing his sight during a war mission in Iraq. Scotty is the first blind soldier to actively still serve in the army as a speaker and leadership teacher at West Point (thanks to his wife following her instincts and God). This book is very enlightening regarding the struggles blind people have. I really liked the emotional part of the book where Scotty shares his anger toward God and how he was able to recapture his faith and trust in God in spite of what God had allowed to happen to him. It is amazing that after he was blind he still was able to be adventurous: he surfed, climbed Mt. Rainier, skydived and accepted speaking engagements which all began with a choice he made to get out of his hospital bed and take a shower.

This book is so inspirational and encouraging. It started a bit slow for me but I’m am glad I chose to read it and finished it. At the end he shares some key points about transformational leadership on page 232 that I found interesting: 1) use unconventional strategies, 2) care about individuals, 3) demonstrate self-sacrifice, 4) communicate confidence. (
Karen's review 6/18/15, 4 stars)

Gerard read it back in 2010:
A Remarkable story!  Hope Unseen by Captain Scott Smiley and Doug Crandall works in so many ways.  Scott Smiley was a platoon leader in Iraq when a bomb blinded him for life but not before he helped save the men under his command.  He received the Purple Heart.  He climbed up a mountain, surfed in Hawaii, got his M.B.A. from Duke and won the MacArthur Leadership Award--all while blind!  This is also a great faith story.  He was strong in the faith of the Lord, lost it, and now he gives talks in churches to share his story, giving all the credit to the Lord.  This is an outstanding book!
(Gerard's review, 11/15/10)


 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"One Dog at a Time--Saving the Strays of Afghanistan" by Pen Farthing

One Dog At A Time by Pen Farthing is about a true hero.  This is an outstanding true story of Pen Farthing, a royal marine serving in Afghanistan.  One day he came upon a stray dog and just knew he had to do something to help that dog.  I really enjoyed this book A LOT.  This is a page turner that I did not want to put down.  I got into it quick and stayed to the end.  


Mr. Farthing, I thank you for your service and God bless you and your wife for the great things you are doing for these dogs.  Thanks for sharing your wonderful story with us--you are a true hero!

From the back flap about the author, Pen Farthing:

He and his wife, Lisa, share their home in the English west country with five dogs, walking them in two shifts!  They also manage the Nowzad Dogs charity, which was set up to help relieve the suffering of animals in war-torn Afghanistan.  For more information, please visit www.nowzaddogs.com.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer

Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer tells the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL player who gave it all up to join the fight in Afghanistan.  The two best parts of this book to me were the early years of his life, which I knew nothing about, and when he got to Afghanistan.  The author really gives great insight into Pat.  His thoughts especially make for very fascinating reading.

(Gerard's review 11/7/09)

"Hannah's Hope" by Karen Kingsbury

Hannah's Hope by Karen Kingsbury, part of the Red Gloves series, is a nice story but very predictable and not very believable about a girl whose mother was traveling a lot and not home who married an ambassador to Sweden and the girl thought he was her father but later found out he wasn't, but that her real father was in the army over at war in Iraq. Prayed for her parents to be home for Christmas and mother came home to clear up all the media mess about their family that the girl created by going on a public search for her biological father and he got sent home early once he was rescued from being held prisoner.

This is a quick read but it contained some good suggestions in the back on ways to encourage servicemen.
(Karen's review 11/07)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Horse Soldiers" by Doug Stanton

Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton was 700 pages in a large print book and I hated to see it end.  It's a great book!  This is going to be the BEST BOOK I read all year!  I just wish this could be made into a movie.  

It is an amazing story of a group of men who are special forces who, after 911, go to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.  I don't want to tell you too much because I want you to read this book!  

You will be proud to be an American after you read this.  Mr. Stanton, thank you for putting this story in print--fabulous job!  I also thank the men of the special forces in this book for your service!  God Bless!  I give this one 700 stars!

(Gerard's review 8/14/09)

Nubs, The True Story Of A Mutt, A Marine & A Miracle by Brian Dennis, Mary Nethery, Kirby Larson

Nubs, The True Story Of A Mutt, A Marine & A Miracle by Brian Dennis, Mary Nethery, Kirby Larson is an amazing true story about the persistence of a war dog who finally made it out of Iraq and found a home in California.  The Marine who helped him is the one who wrote the book and although parts are very sad, it has a very happy ending!  I loved the colorful pictures throughout the book too.  It only takes about 15 minutes or less to read but it's a great story!
(Karen's review 12/7/09)

This is the story of a dog named Nubs who was befriended by Major Brian Dennis.  What a story this is!  Nubs went through unbelievable odds to find Brian and Brian went through a lot to help Nubs get out of Iraq and to California.  This is a feel good story.  Read it, you'll be glad you did!  (100 stars)
(Gerard's review 12/7/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Fading Echoes" by Mike Sielski

Fading Echoes tells the story of Bryan Buckley and Colby Umbell.  They both played high school football against each other in Pennsylvania.  Then both made the decision to join the service.  The first half of the book deals with their high school careers and the second half with their military careers.  I enjoyed it!

(Gerard's review 12/05/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is an interesting romance involving a single mom who took care of her elderly mother and helped her with the kennel, and a vet who felt the photograph he found of her in Iraq brought him luck so wanted to find her because he felt he owed her.  He walked across the country with his dog to find her and had a little run-in with her ex who happened to be the Sheriff.  He also had a dog who traveled with him which added to the interest of the story for me.  This was a good read if you’re looking for a light family type story with some suspense tossed in.  I liked it!

(Karen's review 10/25/09)