Ivy Schneider is wife to a husband that travels 10 months of the year, mother to 3 children, daughter to an ailing mother whose husband ran out on the family years ago, and sister to two siblings who don’t hesitate to let the full responsibility of caring for mom rest on her shoulders.  Can you relate?  Anyone feeling the pressure of caring for young children and aging parents at the same time?  If so, this book is for you says Lisa.

I loved, loved, loved this book.  But to be honest with you, I have loved all of Lisa’s books and when I open a new one, I am already mentally prepared to love it!  Why do I enjoy her books so much?  Well, I think because with any of her characters I can always find some aspect that I relate to.  I love that her characters are not perfect and sometimes have quite unusual flaws.  Many times I can relate to one or more of the struggles the main character is having.  It’s like Lisa gets what women are going through.  And I think all this talk of characters is what it boils down to.  Her books have a story, but they are very character oriented.  The main thing is how the character in the book changes and develops through the grace of God.  And I want that for my own life, too.  I don’t want to wallow through my struggles forever without having learned and grown from them.

Plus I like her writing style.  And she’s funny.  So if you haven’t read a Lisa Samson book yet – well, what are you waiting for?  I recommend starting with Tiger Lillie or Songbird, my personal favorites.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Product Description
Something strange is brewing
at the Comeback Café

A grandfather’s song has turned a diner into hallowed ground. A contrary girl with a gypsy heart feels the tug of home. And a truck driver named Jedidiah keeps his foot on the gas, ready to sweep you into an unforgettable story of belonging and grace.

It’s the 1960s Midwest, and Ellee Crumb wants to change the world, starting with her mother, but she’s having trouble even getting her teachers to know her real name. So Ellee sits at the Comeback, her broken heart lying there on a table, when a three-armed waitress and a quirky stranger show up and hand her back the pieces.

An affecting tale, My Mother’s Wish will remind you of the power of grand hopes and effect of impossible expectations. You’ll witness the influence every life has on another, and you’ll find new reasons to believe in the comfort and joy in an everyday, American version of the story of Christmas: being known and loved, just as you are.

My Review: I loved this book!  It’s not a long book, but it packs a punch.  I love the themes of individuality, differences, and acceptance.  I cried like a baby at the end of the book.  It wasn’t sad, just very touching.  The book was very Christmasy.  The phrase “Christmas miracle” came to my mind.  If you need a gift for a person who may not like to read long books, or may not be much of a reader at all, I would recommend this book.  The story is great and you don’t spend days reading it.  I read it in about an hour.

You can buy it here.

Two sisters. One with a great job, fancy car, seaside cottage, and good-looking boyfriend who doesn’t demand much. The other with a devoted husband, two grown sons, and a stable home life. Each one is grateful for what she has, yet a bit envious of what the other has as well.

After Charlene’s marriage falls apart, she wants nothing to do with her hometown in Michigan. She moves far away, starts earning a lot of money as a real-estate agent, and sets up a life for herself by the seaside in Maine. She leaves behind her parents and her sister, Janni, who with her husband now runs the family’s maple farm. But as her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary approaches, Charlene knows it is time for a visit back home.

As soon as she arrives in Tappery, MI, she runs into the gossip she had expected – and dreaded. But during her time at home, she runs into a lot more than that. Her parents seem to be having problems – putting into jeopardy the anniversary bash! Her sister seems to be hiding something. And an old friend is causing her pulse to race. . .

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I found myself discovering as I read it that I am starting to enjoy books about older women – now, why could that be? These women are about middle age, I guess, and it is interesting for me to peek down the road a few years to see what sorts of emotions and situations I will be facing.

The book is funny. Diann Hunt has developed her characters well, and I liked the interplay between all the personalities. Some of the themes are universal – women dealing with their eating habits, people wanting to prove themselves to those who knew them first, children wanting approval from their parents and siblings, and of course, wanting to be known and loved by someone special. These topics are easy to relate to for most of us and make the book engaging.

Be Sweet is available from Thomas Nelson Publishers. It includes a Reading Group Guide at the end.

About the Book: Paige Woodward is a woman without choices. Her destitute mother’s only hope for a cure isn’t covered by insurance. When a dream opportunity arises at a brand–new pharmacy, Paige is willing to keep quiet about her past to make sure she lands the job.
For Clarissa Richardson, the dream of running her own pharmacy comes to a screeching halt when her grandfather hires a too-perfect new girl who seems to be hiding somethig. How far will they go to protect their dreams for tomorrow?
What will happen when one woman’s last hope means ruining another woman’s greatest dream?
My Review: Let me tell you what kind of book this was…I picked it up intending to read just a few pages, and a couple of hours later I was done! It was a real page turner.
Part of what I found so fascinating was the inner working of a pharmacy. Okay, not only fascinating but also frightening. I’ve never read a book in this setting before so it was very interesting. It also heightened the urgency of drama of the situation the characters found themselves in. Admittedly, one character was more likeable than another, but I really appreciated the way Cushman developed the idea that any sin or wrongdoing can harm us, not just the big ones. There are also some great secondary characters.

The pacing was perfect. It moved along at a brisk pace and really engaged my emotions as I felt like Paige was treated unjustly! There was also a little bit of romance and most importantly hope.

You can visit Kathryn Cushman on the web here, where you can find her blog and sign up for her newsletter. If your book club has selected Waiting for Daybreak, she’ll even have a chat with you on the phone! Check out Waiting for Daybreak on Amazon.

About the Book: A novel of psychological suspense in which a private adoption’s dark consequences play out years later, at an elite prep school in the Berkshires.

My Review: That has to be the shortest synopsis I’ve ever found for a book, but it’s pretty accurate. This book has a huge cast of characters and they are all quite different from one another. We are treated to male and female, adult and teenager point of views throughout the book. While the adoption is where we begin, the book is about so much more.

I had a hard time putting this book down as the inner worlds of each character were revealed. I sympathized greatly with some, and rather hated others. Pornography and the role of sexuality in people’s lives plays a significant role in this book. The spiraling effects of each individual decision was fascinating to me and the truth that our decisions impact the people we love was really driven home for me.

There’s also an exploration of the role of feminism in today’s world. The character of the artist Claire represented this greatly, and there were so many little nuggets of wisdom tucked within the pages. I was struck by this particular passage as two of the characters discuss feminism. One has just said that everything is open to interpretation depending on your own life experiences. Claire responds:

Maybe, but then everyone’s justified in their thinking and there’s not right and wrong. Laws become arbitrary decisions. That doesn’t work either. Then you have teams. You’re either on one team or another, right or left, Red Sox or Yankees–even the judges on the Supreme Court. It becomes more about the teams and players than the issues.

I thought that was so true. But this quote perfectly sums up this book for me:

It’s been my experience, Mrs. Golding, that teenagers seem to yearn for the truth in the same way that adults yearn to ignore it….If nothing else, it’s always liberating.

If you’re looking for a book with strong character development that’s also a bit of a thriller than I recommend this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it and as I wished I had someone to discuss it with when I was finished, I think it would make a great book club selection!

Somebody Else’s Daughter is published by Viking Adult a division of Penguin. You can find a Q&A with the author and reading group guide here.

Please note that there is a lot of frank sexual talk in this book as well as some explicit language.

About the Book: Sometimes you have to leave your life to find yourself again…

A lonely corporate wife who runs away from home. An elderly woman facing a devastating loss. A top executive adrift in the world after he’s fired. Set on beautiful Pawleys Island, South Carolina, here is a novel about second chances occurring at the most inopportune times in life. In three parallel journeys Joanna, Paul and Grace walk away from lives they thought they wanted, only to rediscover a part of themselves they’d all but forgotten.

My Review: I generally love novels about self discovery and I really enjoyed The Richest Season. It was at times heart wrenching, frustrating, and hopeful. The pages slipped quickly through my fingers as I eagerly turned each page to discover what each character was going to do next. It is in many ways a quiet book, one to curl up with and enjoy. The characters feel very real and at times make surprising and disappointing choices. But they are each on a journey to uncovering their hearts and selves.

The dynamics of the relationships are also very interesting and at times unexpected. I loved reading about Joanna and Grace’s evolving friendship and the healing that they eventually brought each other. It was simple and direct, yet touchingly portrayed. I enjoyed learning to like Paul throughout the course of the book, just as Paul also learned to like his true self. There were a few stories I wouldn’t have minded receiving more background or development in, but they weren’t the focus of the book, so it wasn’t entirely necessary.

If you are looking for quick and enjoyable read then I recommend The Richest Season.
You can visit Maryann McFadden’s website. You can also read a sample chapter there.

The Richest Season was published by Hyperion in June of 2008.

About the Book: As a child in 1920s West Texas, Annarose sees life and intelligence in everything, but after she is exiled to Los Angeles at 13, she loses her connection to spirit, and finds herself searching for what she has lost through intellectual pursuits.

As she matures, her philosophical studies and supportive friendship with a gifted musician lead to an awakening and she travels to Mexico to become a writer. Her relationships with Artist Frida Kahlo and Crisanto, the man who becomes her lover, connect her to the beautiful, wild, free, and happy. She embraces all that they and their country represent and thus begins her transformation to writer-but before her transformation is complete, Annarose must return to the life she left as a child.

Haunting and evocative, this sweeping literary fiction will stay with readers long after the last page.

My Review: I was interested in reading this book because I knew little about this time period in Texas and California, let alone Mexico. I grew up in the mid-west but currently live in Southern California and have greater interest in that sort of history now. So I found that part of this book to be very interesting as well as the racism and struggles the Mexican immigrants faced. Additionally, the true to life character of Frida, which you may know from the Selma Heyack film, plays a role in this book. Strangely enough, having seen that film enabled me to have some prior context in my brain to imagine that part of this story.

The prose is very pretty in this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Annarose’s journey, as she grew. I think I could identify with some of her feelings at various stages in her life as she sought to come to terms with her own identity. The characters are all very vivid and well drawn.My favorite part was when Annarose was in Mexico and this seems to be the central most important part of the book as well. This is a novel about finding oneself or finding wholeness and is also labeled as new age fiction. I do think that while I may not agree completely with the author’s philosophy, there is much inspiration to be found in this book.
You can learn more about Candis C. Coffee at her website. You can also check Mariposa out on Amazon.

Book Description
The Church Split Has Not Extinguished Their Love, But the Demands of One Man Still Stand in Their Way….

Caleb Yoder’s father has forbidden him to court Nellie Mae Fisher, but words alone cannot stop Caleb’s devotion. Yet if he continues to pursue Nellie, he risks losing everything. Nellie, too, is torn. She longs to marry her Old Order beau but cannot ignore the gentle pull she feels toward the faith of her New Order family. Can she and her beloved satisfy the expectations of the People while remaining true to their hearts?

My Comments: I loved this book!  Beverly Lewis does such a great job helping you understand the life of the Amish.  This series takes it a step further and tells about a group of Amish who discover a real relationship with Jesus and what happens within their community as a result.  This group reads and studies the Bible.  The reaction each group has to the other is fascinating – reminding me of legalistic Christians and those who are more grace-driven.  It speaks of change and growth as well as salvation.  Of course the love story is between two people – one of whom will stay with the “old way,” and the other whose family has become involved with the “new way.”  Even though I thought this book moved slowly at the beginning – I had a hard time putting it down once I got “hooked.”  This is the second book of a series.  The first book, “The Parting,”  more clearly introduces the main characters and some of the drama which is ongoing in the stories.  I have already preordered the third book, “The Longing” due to come out the first part of October.  If you love reading and learning about different types of people and lifestyles – this is a good series of books for you!

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.