I just finished reading this last book in the Sisters of Holmes County trilogy. It was great! What is it about you ask? Well here is what Amazon.com says:

Lose yourself in Holmes County, where romance, suspense, mystery, and faith-filled Amish ways rule the day! Martha Hostettler is concerned about the continuous attacks being made on her Amish family. With a definite motive and a myriad of methods, Luke Friesen looks like the culprit. Determined to clear his name, Martha decides to play detective. What will the search for truth cost her?

My opinion: This was a good series. It kept me with it throughout all three books. I loved the mystery and relational elements. This family is not from Pennsylvania, but from Ohio. So we get a tiny bit of a different feel. These books are a fast read - I read this one in a couple of days after and before work. I think Brunstetter has a different take on the Amish than Beverly Lewis. Where Lewis makes the Amish seem strict and legalistic in their Christianity, Brunstetter shows her characters more faithful. Therefore I enjoy both authors - it possibly gives a fuller picture of what the Amish life is like. This book deals with depression, forgiveness and the “English” and Amish working and living together as family.

If you are interested in reading about different lifestyles and are fascinated by the Amish, this is a good book for you! I recommend it.

It’s not here!  But Hachette Book Group USA, whom we love, is doing another one of those huge 14 book giveaways over at Trish’s Hey Lady!  Whatcha Readin?

So head on over for your chance to win!

Since you guys haven’t had a chance to read the book, yet, we’ll push the rest of the discussion to next weekend…does that sound good?  Be sure to let anyone else interested know!

We met online for a chat to discuss the book and the discussion went all over the place! But I hope you have had a chance to read and finish the book now. There’s a lot to talk about, and we’ll be working off some of the discussion questions that Hachette provides as well as some of the things that come up in comments from you! So speak up!

You can access the discussion questions from Hachette here.

The first question, in short, is what constitutes true art? Laurel makes quilts, but her sisters dismisses as them mere handicraft.

Here are some of our thoughts, please share yours!
Sally Oh yeah, art, something I know so much about
Leah art - um, i would say it is an expression
Sally I do think that art includes lots of things and I would include quilt making
Leah I would definitely include quilt making
Amy I think art is the expression of the soul
Sally Especially since it’s called art quilting
Leah Her quilts sounded kinda morbid though, didn’t they? not sure if they would be my thing, but still would be art.
Amy I think it involves other things, like the discipline and knowledge of the craft

What did you all think? What is true art? Are Laurel’s quilts true art?

The second question involves Laurel’s mother. Laurel’s mother cut herself off from De Lop but continued to bring them canned goods. Do a person’s motives add or subtract to a charitable act?

Amy This is in many ways the question of the book to me.
Leah Well, I think the receiver of the charitable act can tell the difference, but hey, food is food when you are hungry.
Sally Yes, I think it’s all about motives and feelings. Laurel’s mom was trying to salve her conscience because she had severed all ties and she wanted to be perceived as a good person.
Amy Well yes. I do think it diminishes the charity, but like you said, it’s still being done.
Sally Maybe in the end the motive is what really matters. Is it guilt, desire, conviction???
Amy To the giver, the motive matters, to the one receiving, it matters less.
Sally I think it mattered to Bet in the book.
Leah Definitely mattered to Bet.
She came to love Laurel even though Laurel stayed distant from her.

What do you think? How important is motive in charity?

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the family relationships and the issue of poverty in the book! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for joining in this week everyone! I”ll be figuring out the final number of entries for everyone and holding the drawings sometime this weekend.

Our final topic is books that transport you. It’s hard to take a trip with rising gas prices so thank God we can travel through reading! What are some of your favorite books that transport you to a new place?

LEAH: The Mark of the Lion trilogy (excellent, excellent, excellent) places you right smack dab in the middle of Rome in the 1st century. Along with a great story, it really gives you the feel for the times and culture.

Beverly Lewis along with other authors have written some great stories about the Amish way of life that transports you right into their world. Their culture, way of dress and talk, delicious food, and religious beliefs are all described in these books as the story unfolds.

Finally, even if you are not a fan of the movie, you have to give J.R.R. Tolkien credit for having created a completely different world, creatures, languages, and geography in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Talk about imagination! These books transport us to places we can never actually go and yet still make us feel as if we’ve been there.

SALLY: It’s summertime and I like to think and dream about traveling. The book I just finished about traveling is Sisterchicks Go Brit. Kellie and Liz get a surprise trip to England. This book is loosely based on a trip the author Robin Jones Gunn took to research the book. In fact in the back of the book are pictures of many of the places mentioned. I like to read these books BEFORE I visit a place. Even though they are fiction, they have GREAT ideas. I would love to go to England and even though I prefer traveling with my husband, this might be a place I’ll have to find a sisterchick to go with. A sisterchick is a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you’re being a brat.

One of the things I loved about this book was that Kellie and Liz visited places they had read about in British literature. They spent a great deal of time visiting places made famous by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. They were gone a week or a little more and were able to pack so much in! They visited three cities; Olney, Oxford, and London. They had taste delights and grew to prefer tea over coffee. They stayed close friends through it all and their relationship with God was at an all time high. I love these books because they enable you to visit a place vicariously. I love reading them before I visit a place, and I love reading them to see if I may want to visit a place. The sisterchicks have been to many places. Each book has a different pair of sisterchicks, but they are all middle-aged with teenagers or grown children.

AMY: A book I read this year that transported me out of my everyday life was The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen. You can read my review here. She really brought the life in Siam (Vietnam now) i 1920’s to vivid reality. There’s a scene that takes place during a storm that was particularly horrific and had me cringing!

Another book that took me to a new place was Memoirs of a Geisha. I love this book so much and I thought it really brought the life of a geisha to reality for me. I was just newly moved to Japan when I first read it, and it helped me become more curious about the country. I even got my own geisha photos made when I visited Kyoto!

What are your favorite books that have transported you to another place? Write your post, link back here (which is to say–put a link to this post in your post) and then sign the Mr. Linky! Thanks for all of the fun and great reading recommendations everyone! The Girl Who Stopped Swimming Discussion begins tomorrow and our August group read will be announced on Monday!

1. Yvonne 2. Monica @ Paper Bridges 3. Kimberly Kaye 4. jessi

5. tracy(bookroomreviews) 6. Mrs S | Blue Archipelago 7. Emma 8. Nise\’

9. Kristinia - Loving Heart Mommy 10. J. Kaye\’s Book Blog 11. bunny

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Today’s topic is summer reading activities. What we love so much about reading is that it expands our world! If you have any fun traditions or activities that you share with your kids or students that have to do with reading, today is the day to share them.If you don’t have kids, maybe you have a bookclub that does has some fun traditions or you enjoy organizing your books in the summer. Be creative and share with us!

LEAH: I like to read books with my kids that have something to do with the activities that we are naturally doing. For example, Christmas stories at Christmas time, stories about camping when we are going camping, pumpkin-carving stories in the fall. So for the summer, we will be reading school vacation stories such as “When It’s the Last Day of School,” Fourth of July stories such as “Fourth of July Mice,” and beach stories such as “Swimming With Dolphins.” My mom (Sally, who also writes for this blog) has been great about supplying my girls with all sorts of seasonal books and it is so much fun. Reading books like these add to the anticipation of the events you have planned for the summer.

Because of the way our school year runs here, my girls only have the month of July off for summer vacation. However we will have a week or two where not much is going on. I would like to take advantage of that time to do some extra reading. This year we will be reading about plants and how they benefit human life. I will have my girls help me plant some little flowers or herbs so that their reading can come to life. They can watch the process of growth and be involved in the care of nurturing the plants. (Lord knows I need the help with my serious lack of green thumbs!). This is one simple activity that most people could do during the summer months. SALLY:First, buy and read the book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck” by the wonderful Dr. Seuss. Then make some oobleck! Here is the recipe:

1-1/2 cups of corn starch
1 cup room temperature water
green (or whatever color you want) food coloring

Mix the ingredients and allow children to play with the mixture. When “pushed” together, the mixture will appear dry and solid; as children let go of the mixture, it flows like a smooth liquid.

What can you do with oobleck? Try making it into a ball. Does it bounce? Try to pull it apart, slowly and then quickly. Hold it in your had to see what happens. Does it stick to the table?

Have fun!

What are your summer reading activities? Write up a post and share! Be creative! It doesn’t have to be kid related. Invite your readers to join in the fun by linking back here and then come sign the Mr. Linky with a direct link to your post (and NOT your general URL). Remember, everyday of participation earns you an entry in the contest pool.

Just a reminder that our group discussion of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming starts on Saturday!

We all love books, but how about magazines? Magazines are perfect for the shorter flight or poolside (so your book doesn’t get wet), don’t you think? What are your favorite magazines or what magazines would you recommend for book lovers? Or is there a magazine we should stay away from? Our thoughts are below, but we can’t wait to read yours!

LEAH: I just ordered a subscription to Family Fun magazine and can’t wait to browse through it for some good ideas to do with the kids this summer. This magazine is full of everything from craft projects to ideas for decorating or organizing your kids’ rooms to lists of fun activities for kids and families going on around the country. I think sometimes I get stuck in a rut of doing the same sorts of things with my kids and I look forward to some fresh ideas!

SALLY: I have three favorite magazines: TV Guide (which is a real magazine now); Today’s Christian Woman; and Prevention. TV Guide keeps me up with enough entertainment news and lets me know what’s on when. Today’s Christian Woman has a mix of information for women from all walks of life, and Prevention has good information on how to take good care of myself. Prevention magazine even has yummy low-fat recipes to try. Their web site has information about skin care, exercising, and supplements. I like it!

AMY: My favorite magazine is Entertainment Weekly. I devour each issue as soon as it comes! I like Entertainment Weekly because it is not a gossip magazine (well, there might be a little!) but more focused on the actual entertainment! It’s informative with in-depth reviews, interviews, and industry news. What I really love is that it covers all areas of entertainment..film, television, books, music, and the stage. I have gotten so many book ideas from EW. If you don’t subscribe, but love all of those things, I highly recommend you give it a chance!

Your turn! Take any angle that you want! Be creative! Just talk magazines! Be sure to link back here so your readers can come visit and then sign Mr. Linky with the link to your post (and NOT your general URL) We’re having a blast reading everyone’s posts…thanks so much for participating!

Yesterday we talked about what we would be reading, but what will your kids be reading? You definitely want them to use some of this free time they have on books! We need suggestions for all age groups! If you don’t have kids, you can still share some of your favorite books from when you were kids, that you read to your grandkids, or your nieces and nephews. Today is the time to talk about books for kids from age 0-18!LEAH:
Age group: 0 -5. I love Kathleen Long Bostrom’s books about God for children. “What is God Like?” and “Who is Jesus?” are books I’ll be reading to my toddler this summer. The pictures (illus. by Elena Kucharik) are beautiful and the language is simple and true.

Age group: 4 -8. Want learning to continue on into the summer? The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library is a great series for young children and early readers. These rhyming books will not only be great practice for my beginning reader, but we’ll also be learning as we go. Other titles include Clam I-Am (about ocean life), Oh Say Can You Say What’s the Weather Today? (about, um, weather!), and many more.

Age group: 7 - 10. The Pony Pals books by Jeanne Betancourt are about a group of 3 girls who love horses and the adventures they have together. I think she has about 25 books in the series now, so these could keep your 1st -3rd grader busy for a few hours this summer! We have only read the first few and based on those I would recommend these more for girls than boys, and they are especially good for horse lovers!

SALLY: Reading List for Primary Grades
I think summertime is a great time for children to begin and continue reading book series. I would like to share some of my favorite series and authors with you.

The Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborne
Nate the Great - Marjorie Weinman Sharmot
Cam Jansen - David Adler
Henry and Mudge and Poppleton - Cynthia Rylant
Horrible Harry - Suzy Kline and Frank Remkieicz
Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey
Junie B. Jones - Barbara Jones and Denise Brunkus
Marvin Redpost - Louis Sachar
Jigsaw Jones Mystery - James Preller
Curious George - H. A. Rey
Amelia Bedelia - Peggy Parish
Black Lagoon Series - Mike Thayler and Jared Lee
Any book by Robert Munsch
Magic Schoolbus - Joanna Cole and Bruce Degan
Berenstain Bears - Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
Mandy - Lois Gladys Leppard
Boxcar Children - Gertrude Chandler Warner

This should be enough to get you started!

AMY: Young Adult
I’d like to recommend a great series for teen girls. It’s the Hollywood Nobody series by Lisa Samson. Hollywood Nobody and Finding Hollywood Nobody are available now, and Romancing Hollywood Nobody is released this summer. These are great books that will appeal to a broad range of teenage girls. Even better, if you’re not a teen, you’ll still enjoy it!

Your turn! Once again, take any angle you want but today is for children’s and teen books. Just write your post, link back here and invite your readers to participate, and then sign the Mr. Linky (with the link to your post and NOT your general URL). Remember that everyday you participate is an entrance into the contest pool!

Welcome to the Summer Reading Extravaganza! Our goal today is to get a bunch of reading ideas to help pass these hot summer days!
So we’re asking…what’s your favorite beach read or what’s in your beach bag? Here are our answers:
LEAH:
Anything by Mary Higgins Clark would be a great beach read for me. I like her books for easy reading because her mysteries always get me hooked, they are clean, and usually not too graphic, morbid, or heavy.

For moms of young children looking for a humorous read, this is a great book! Its about a group of moms who communicate with each other as part of an email loop. It has some great characters who go through circumstances all moms of young children can relate to. Its nice to feel that you are not alone!

be sweet by Diann Hunt. This one is acually going in my beach bag in the next couple weeks. I haven’t read it yet, so no review yet, but be watching for one in the next month of so. I love the cover and it is a story about sisters which I always enjoy being as how 1) I have a sister, and 2) each of my daughters has 2 sisters and I am very interested in anything I can do to help them become friends. I haven’t read anything by Diann Hunt, but this one looks good. I’ll let you know!

This one - No Love Lost by Lynn Bulock - will also be going in my beach bag. (Lucky me, I’ll be going to the beach a couple times in the month of July! The perks of living in a tropical country!). This one is a murder mystery - a Love Inspired Suspense book. I’m hoping the story will be engaging and the plot unique enough to help me pass those long hours of lying in the sun and listening to the waves while sipping on some tropical fruit drink - oh wait, I have 3 kids. Well, hopefully I’ll be able to get some reading in once they finally pass out for the night! I love mysteries and this one looks good - again, I’ll let you know!

SALLY: Well, this is a great time to talk about this because I just filled it! I have five new books I plan to read in the next three weeks.

1. Between Sundays - by Karen Kingsbury - This book deals with the world of professional football. A retiring 49ers player promises his dying son a super bowl win. The hope of this win lies in an up and coming new player. The information on amazon.com says that the needs of foster care children are interwoven into the story and readers may be convicted to take some action in this regard.

2. The Shack - by William P. Young - I just HAPPENED to pick this book up at Sam’s Club not knowing anything about it. All of a sudden I keep hearing about this book. I’m told it’s life changing. The story is about a family who had their daughter abducted during a family vacation and find she may have been brutally murdered. It seems to deal with the hard questions in life such as “where is God when it hurts.” I can hardly wait to read this, but I’m forcing myself to save it a few more days.

3. I ordered two books by Tim Downs an author I also just learned about. The titles are: Shoo Flypie and Chop Shop. These books are also murder mysteries with a Christian world view. I heard the author on Family Life Today and it sounds like a great series. These are called the Bug Man Series. The main character is a forensic entomologist who helps solve murder mysteries - do we see a pattern in the books I plan to read?

4. The last book I want to read in the next couple weeks is “By Reason of Insanity” by Randy Singer. I love, love, love his books! This book is about an attorney who specializes in the insanity defense. The back cover has five sentences:

A series of unsolved murders.

A woman who knows too much.

A lawyer in over his head.

Sometimes, insanity is the only way out.

Sounds like my kind of book!!!

Just to even things out a little - I just finished reading three books about the Amish and Debbie Macomber’s “Twenty Wishes.” All of these books were slice of life enjoyable books which I will elaborate on later.

AMY: I’ll admit it! I love a good lighthearted book! I have a few recommendations and then I’ll also tell you what I plan to read!

If you love chick lit (like me) the best in Christian chick lit is Susan May Warren’s Josey series. Everything’s Coming Up Josey and Chill Out Josey are available now, while Get Cozy Josey is coming out this summer. I also love Camy Tang’s Only Uni. For general market chick lit, I really love Sophie Kinsella. Can You Keep a Secret and The Undomestic Goddess are both available in mass market paperback, so you can pick them for a reasonable price.

I’d also recommend any of the Heartsong Mysteries Presents books. I haven’t read them all, but so far I’ve noticed that they are pretty light hearted and fun.

Now as far as what I’m looking forward to? I recently acquired The Host by Stephanie Meyer which looks interesting. I’m also really looking foward to A Mile in my Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson (I have to admit I really love that title), Daring Chloe by Laura Jensen Walker, and Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (they wrote The Nanny Diaries)

Looks like I’ve got a busy summer of reading ahead of me!

Now it’s your turn! Just write up a post on your blog about books you’re going to read this summer or give us some recommendations of some favorites you’ve read in the past! Feel free to add pictures and be as creative as you want in your post. Just make sure you link back to this post so that your readers can come find more suggestions themselves! Then come back here and leave a link in the Mr. Linky with the link to your post (and NOT your general URL) Remember you get an entry into the contest pool if you participate in today’s activity! Happy Reading everyone!

Don’t forget that next week is the Summer Reading Extravaganza! To get you started on thinking about what to write, here are the topics we’ll be covering: your favorite beach reads, summer reading ideas for your kids, summer reading activities, and the magazine you most want to flip through on the plane!

Don’t forget that if you want to be eligible for the prizes, you need to invite your readers to join in the fun!

5 Minutes for Mom was kind enough to agree to feature the Summer Reading Extravaganza this weekend. Why don’t you support them back by visiting their great stores at A Rocking Horse to Love and Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles. While you’re at it, you can also find more mom owned stores here.

I’d also like to thank the following readers for posting about the Summer Reading Extravaganza:
Bunny
Kristinia
Tracy
J.Kaye
Yvonne
Blue Archipelago
Lindy
Jessi