Not by Sight - Kate Breslin

Grace Mabry is filled with patriotism for her native England during WWI; having a twin brother serving in the war, she is certain that other able-bodied men should also be doing their part to help win and end the war.  Her passion results in her being sent to assist the war effort in a manner she did anticipate, as she serves on a farm with the Women's Forage Corps.  While there, she finds that everyone has secrets, and some are more dangerous than others.

While there were several intriguing components to this story - spies, the Women's Forage Corps, the care Grace put into showing compassion to the other women - it just didn't come together for me.  The storyline of seeing past a man's blindness and scars to see to his heart and convince him he was worth loving again should have been refreshingly different, but still somehow fell a bit flat.  Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this novel at this time, or maybe the story was trying to go too many places at the same time that none of it felt well-developed, but something was missing.

Even though I didn't love this story, I did appreciate the theme of not making assumptions about others, both for the good and the bad.  Everyone has secrets, but there is a story behind everyone's past, and a future even when there have been mistakes that seem unforgivable.

I give this book 2 stars, for my own personal tastes and lack of excitement about the story.

You can find Not by Sight HERE.
You can find the author's site HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers, in exchange for my honest review.

2015 - The Good, the Bad, the Surprising

Last year, my goal for books was 60, and I surpassed it to read a total of 87 books for 2014.  Not knowing what 2015 would hold in terms of reading time, I set my goal for 75 books, thinking it would be a stretch but attainable.  At year's end, these were my stats according to Goodreads:

79 books

25,257 pages

Average length: 337 pages

Longest book: Winter - 824 pages

If only I kept better track of books I picked up, but didn't finish, I think that page total would be significantly higher.  This seemed to be the year of disappointing books.  There were even a few books I had looked forward to with anticipation, only to find myself sadly setting them aside unfinished (After You, I'm looking at you).  Overall, I found myself frustrated with the quality of books I picked up this year.  Even still, I managed to give 6 books a 5-star rating on Goodreads. 

These were some of my top choices this year:

Non-Fiction

It's rare for me to even finish a non-fiction book these days, let alone give one 5 stars, but this was well worthy of both my time and my rating.  The combination of biography, WWII accounts, and history of crew as a sport was well done and incredibly interesting.


Fiction

I don't love everything by Charles Martin, but Water from my Heart was amazing.  In my review, I said "This is not a pretty book about someone who made an honest mistake with good intentions."  It's not always easy, or good, to read about someone's bad choices, but learning from someone else's redemption story can be thought-changing.

I was super excited to have won a copy of To Get to You, from Joanne Bischof this summer; I've enjoyed every one of her books, and this one was no exception.  I'm excited to see this series continue!

Children's/Middle Grade

It was a bit of a struggle to get my 7-year-olds to move from picture books to chapter books; one of them latched onto The One and Only Ivan on his kindle, and we loved reading it together.  I even bought him a copy of this in paperback to mark the first serious (325 pages!) chapter book he read.  It was so fun for him to talk to me about where we were in the book, and discuss the parts that were sad, or the parts that made us laugh.  I love having more book readers in my house!

My other 7-year-old is a bigger fan of audio books than paper books (although we're working on that), and The Mysterious Benedict Society series captured his attention early this summer.  The first audio book is in the 14-hour range, and he blew through it in less than a week.  We also read/listened to these as a family on our summer vacation drive, and we continue to refer to these characters even now, they were so fun!

Young adult/Sci-Fi

Another of my favorite authors, Katie Ganshert branched out this year under the name K.E. Ganshert to pen a series of young adult novels.  These were fantastic, and I was so glad she released them in quick succession, because I would not have wanted to wait long for each installment!  I convinced my book club to read them (even one who's typically very anti-sci-fi), and when the author ran a promotion where the proceeds all went to charity, i purchased another set for someone else who I thought would love them.


And so...

So while it wasn't a fantastic year for books in general for me, I did manage to pull several diamonds out; from all over the reading map, apparently!  Last year, I came up with a list of books I was excited to read in the year ahead, and I managed to read all but one of them this year.  While I would love to have books to list here to look forward to in 2016, I can't say I know of many.  I'm sure there will be some good surprises this year, but many of the series I'd been invested in seem to have finished up this year, and several of my favorite authors don't have any dates set for releases.

I am setting a goal of 75 books again for this year; that seems to be the sweet spot for me - enough of a stretch that I feel challenged, but when I hit a slump where nothing is catching my attention, I don't feel discouraged (by an arbitrary goal, I know).

Do you have goals this year?
Do you have books to look forward to?  What should be on my '16 list?
Did you read any of my favorite books?  What did I miss?

The Choir Immortal - Katie Schuermann

In The Choir Immortal, a sequel to The House of Living Stones, we return to the town of Bradbury, Illinois, just in time for a wedding, a celebration that the whole congregation of Zion Lutheran Church has been looking forward to.  However, as can be expected, things start to go awry, beginning with the church's air conditioning units failing, and turning more serious as a participant ends up in the Emergency Room.  The book's plot line continues to take a serious turn, but the people of Zion will rise to meet the challenges head-on, and more importantly, together.

In my review of The House of Living Stones, I'd mentioned that I loved the characters of Zion Lutheran Church, and that continues to hold true in this sequel.  The secretary, Mrs. Scheinberg, is still quirky and blunt, but is the glue that holds many of the characters together, even the more prickly ones.  Blaine, the eyeliner-wearing pianist gets more of a place in this story, and we begin to see how he's gotten to where he is, and we get a glimpse of where he's going.  Evan, the formerly grouchy, unknowable organist of Zion, begins to come out of his shell, and falls lovingly into his role of grandfather, and even mentor to the lost Blaine, teaching him what it truly means to forgive and why we must.
Blaine: "Have you forgiven Shirley?"
Evan: "I have."
"Why?"
"I am compelled to forgive her."
"Why?"
"Because I am forgiven by Jesus."
"Forgiven of what?"
"Of hating Shirley."

This book is sprinkled with scriptural truths like this; even amidst the silliness of Robbie mis-naming the plants he's working with ("We're planting a hibiscuit"), we hear about eternal joy tied to mortal sorrow ("Death may hold no sting for the Christian, but it sure did its best to leave a scar."), we learn about our need to lean on God through the tough times ("God will never give us more than we can handle, right?" "I suspect He always gives us more than we can handle, that we might turn to Him again and again and again."), and we learn how to lean into each other for support.

I still wish that some of the characters had more depth to give the reader a more vested interest into the story as a whole, but I did feel that this book was an improvement over the first.  I hope that this series continues, so that we may continue to delve into the lives of these very interesting and quirky characters!

I give this book 3 stars; while I feel that it was an improvement on the first in the series, I'm still hoping for more from these fantastically unique characters!

You can find The Choir Immortal HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

The Wedding Chapel - Rachel Hauck

Jimmy Westbrook, affectionately known as "Coach" to generations of Heart's Bend football players and fans, has kept a secret from most of the people who think they know him.  Sixty years ago, he built a wedding chapel on his father's land, for the woman he intended to marry.  Sixty years later, he's still single and figures maybe it's time to sell the chapel.  First, however, a magazine wants to photograph the chapel, and sends Taylor Branson, a former Heart's Bend resident, as the photographer.  Taylor's own marriage and family issues are tangled in knots, but she senses something in Jimmy and the chapel that needs to be settled.  Sixty years and 3 generations of secrets might bring more truth than anybody bargained for.

I was looking for a light romantic book to escape into for some easy summer reading, and a book called The Wedding Chapel seemed just the ticket.  However, much like the characters, I got more than I bargained for.  Without giving any spoilers, this book gives the reader a lot to think about regarding marriages and how lightly some folks enter into them, what gives folks the right to be called family, and how to change the family legacy one's been handed.  Even with the knowledge that a character is trying to change the patterns he lives out, he acknowledges that "it was hard to harvest words that were never sown."  The book also highlighted how seeing people you love work through their own difficulties can give you courage for your own.  "[Their] journey had righted a lot of relationships this past year and set a course for new ones.  But not without the tears that come with confession, repentance and forgiveness."  Even with courage to change, change is not easy or without consequences.

There were so many good things about this book, but there were a few that gave me pause and kept me from rating it higher.  Every character seemed to have secrets, and while they were hinted at heavily, not every secret was eventually revealed.  Also, while the author did a great job of taking the spotlighted relationships of her main characters seriously, there were several major issues, life choices, and character traits that were brushed aside lightly and almost winked at, as if not a big deal.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  I liked that relationships weren't perfect, and that there were consequences to misunderstandings and bad choices.  I also can't help but like a character who's "stuck more this place than Lorelai Gilmore is to Stars Hollow." Ahem.
I give this book 4 stars.

You can find A Wedding Chapel HERE.
You can find the Author's website HERE.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

She Makes it Look Easy - Marybeth Whalen

Ariel, her husband David, and their 3 boys are finally "movin' on up," to a nicer neighborhood.  She's sad to be leaving behind her neighbor friend, Kristy, but more excited to be moving into a beautiful house and eager to make new friends.  Justine, her husband Mark, and their two girls live in the house behind Ariel's new house - the house of Justine's best friend Laura, whom she's sad to see go.  Reluctant, at first, to befriend the new family, Justine eventually makes Ariel's acquaintance and takes her under her wing to introduce her to the "right" people in the neighborhood, and to teach her to get her life organized.  Ariel sees Justine as a mentor and friend, the perfect woman with the perfectly clean house and perfectly behaved children, someone she can only aspire to be as her boys burn their energy with dirt and noise.  As such, Ariel finds herself taking Justine's advice on everything, including who she should be friends with, and how she should spend her time.  The more that Ariel puts into the friendship, the more she starts to suspect that the friendship is lopsided, and perhaps Justine isn't interested in Ariel for the same type of friendship that Ariel is looking for.  If she's not spending time with Ariel for the friendship, what is she using Ariel for?  And is "using" Ariel what she's really after?

I'm not sure where to start with this review; the book was definitely well-written, I was sucked into the story of these vastly different women immediately.  However, when a character turns into someone you not only don't like, but who seems to have no hopes of redemption within the story, it takes a bit of life out of the story.  The only good that one could take from this story, then, is the side of the character who realizes that nothing is as it seems, and that even those who look like they're living perfect lives usually have problems beneath their bright smiles and perfect clothes.  With that in mind, it's easier to accept one's own shortcomings and faults as part of life.

While I felt the book was intriguing, it fell short for me on any redeeming story line.  There were a few hints of growth on Ariel's part, but the downfall of Justine was left hanging with no hope.  Even the prologue indicated that there may have been regret, but not remorse.  Also - the book never circled back to the prologue, leaving the reader to wonder what happened in the space between the book's closing and its opening - not leaving any pleasant options.

I give this book 3 stars.  It was a quick read, and I read most of it hoping the characters would realize the paths they were on and change them, but it just left me feeling incomplete.

You can find She Makes it Look Easy HERE.
You can find the author's site HERE.
(This does seem to be an earlier release from this author, and I have enjoyed other, later, publications more than this one)

I received this book from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Hidden Places - Erin Healy

The family lodge in the small town of Evergreen, Colorado was built with the purpose of hiding people who needed a safe place of refuge, but over the years has become a place of secrets and discord among the family itself.  11-year-old Kate is good at keeping secrets, but some secrets aren't safe for a child.

The complexity of this story makes it tough to discuss succinctly.  You can talk about the family relationships, or the consequences of a bad decision, or the importance of speaking up when you see something wrong.  You could discuss gang violence and how violence begets violence.  There's the thread of family legacies and what should be passed down through the generations.  Or you could converse about the role of a Good Samaritan.  This book has so many layers and characters that swirl around each other and contribute to a brutal, yet redemptive, tale, that a short review wouldn't do it justice.  And a long review would only spoil the story.

While I can't wholeheartedly recommend this book without reservation, due to its brutality and violence, I can say that there's much to be taken from the narrative of lives gone wrong, and the simplicity of a child's trusting and helpful nature, if you can get past the hard parts.  For without darkness, how would we recognize the light?

i give this book 3.5 stars.

You can find Hiding Places HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.
Or connect with her on Facebook HERE.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Irish Meadows - Susan Anne Mason

Set on a horse farm in Long Island, New York, in 1911, Irish Meadows is a story of family loyalty and where those boundaries fall when loyalty's limits are pushed over the line.  Colleen and Brianna O'Leary have always bowed to their father's wishes, but what will they do when he wishes them to marry for profit and alliances rather than love?  Gilbert Whelan was taken in by the O'Leary family and raised as a son when he had nowhere else to go.  What kind of loyalty is owed for that kind of debt?

Something about the tone, or perhaps the cover itself, gave the impression that this book was to be mainly about Gilbert and Brianna.  Gilbert, returning home from college, to express his gratitude to the O'Leary family, but then hoping to strike out on his own, but finds himself being enslaved by the bonds of that gratitude debt.  And, Brianna - no longer a child, but a young woman, pinning her hopes, and perhaps her heart, on her childhood friend returning with the education she longs for.  And yet, their storyline was not what drew me into this book; instead, it was the sister Colleen, the older sister seen as the flighty flirt, looking for fun wherever she can find it, all the while being the apple of her daddy's eye, it was her character who exhibited the most depth and heartfelt emotional change.

There were other moments and characters that did keep me interested in this book; the aunt, long estranged from her brother, but to whom Brianna ran when she needed space and time; the secrets that everyone was holding onto that, only by their revealing, led to healing and forgiveness.  These things were worth reading the book for.  Brianna's and Gilbert's characters, however, frustrated me.  When things did manage to come together for them, it felt more like an accident than that they'd actually changed or worked through the things they needed to come to terms with.

Either way, I did enjoy the book, and I give it 3 stars.
This was the first in a series, so perhaps we'll see how the O'Leary family continues to cope with the issues in their midst.

You can find Irish Meadows HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review.