"Where Courage Calls" by Janette Oke

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke is about Beth, a young woman who shows courage by leaving her nice home in the east to move west to teach in a school in a mining town.  Thinking she will be free from Edward, the man her parents would like her to marry, is disappointed to see him on the same train and hear he will be stationed out west too!  Beth soon makes friends with the townspeople, teaches school at the pool hall, starts a Bible club for the children and then even adds teaching English to some miners!  When one of her students almost dies from drinking some hooch, she even becomes involved in the investigation and finds a new love interest in Jack.

This Christian fiction book moved slowly and I got bored by the end, really looking forward to finishing it so I could start another.  Beth was like super woman.  She did quite a bit of praying and the whole point of the book was that God is in control as Beth surrendered to Him to show her what he wanted her to do.  It was okay but Beth just seemed a little too perfect. 
(Karen'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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Spunky's Diary" by Janette Oke

I was looking for some light fun reading for my vacation so when I saw this child's book called Spunky's Diary by Janette Oke, I just had to get it because my cat is named Spunky and I like Janette Oke.  This book though is about a puppy named Spunky and is sort of cute because the puppy writes about his adventures at the playground, at a farm, at church, and running loose trying to find the school.  I especially liked the line describing church:  "It seemed like a great place, with lots of men that wanted to play chase."

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

A Bride For Donnigan (Women of the West #7) by Janette Oke

I liked A Bride For Donnigan by Janette Oke because both characters were well developed and the plot was unusual about man out west and two of his friends ordering brides from overseas. Three women were matched up with the three men, sight unseen. When the woman arrived, they married right away. It was a fun and interesting read, and revealed the adjustments that were involved in making the marriages work. One did not. Donnigan felt a strong responsibility to teach his children and prepare them for life after death, but had to search the scriptures himself to find out about God and how to get to heaven because there was no church near by. It was a very enjoyable read!

(Karen's review May 2, 2008)