What are you reading
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I'm quite a ways through the Louis Zamparini story. There is just one hint that this will eventually have a Christian bent and that is when he tells God that he will follow Him if He gets him out of his horrible situation (being in a lifeboat, lost at sea, for 31 days). He is now in a Japanese prison camp, since they are the ones that "saved" them. It is an exciting story. He was part of the track team that went to the Berlin Olympics!
I started another missionary bio last night - FLORENCE YOUNG. I'm just at the beginning of her life story and she has moved a number of times from England to New Zealand to Australia and back to New Zealand! I believe that her mission field will be the Solomon Islands!
I'm also reading a fantasy.
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Currently I am reading ROOM FOR LOVE by Marguerite Martin Gray (Suamalie Islands #6) . This is part of the series set in the fictional Suamalie Islands in the South Pacific. I have read the first 5, so downloaded several more. They are light and easy.
I will be starting NIGHT FALLS ON PREDICAMENT AVENUE by Jaime Jo Wright in audiobook. It will be very spooky and anything but light. I love her books, but probably won't read right before bed. I love how they are so spooky, but always resolve in a non-spooky way.0 -
I've read just one by her, Connie, and you are so right, they are spooky. I have a couple others by her but haven't found the courage to read them! LOL!
One of the fantasies that I am reading, the spin-off of the series I absolutely loved, isn't nearly as good. There was one very juvenile scene when the guys were getting shots during their preparations for being in the aeroforce - way TMI! I get a chapter or two read and am bored so go on to something else. So disappointing.
The other fantasy I started is probably a no-go as well. Much of it is about the power of this goddess. It's by an author I thought was Christian and offered by a publisher that publishes Christian fantasy, but so far there's been nothing Christian about it, and it doesn't appear to be heading in that direction.
I started WILLIAM BOOTH through Libby last night, very good! Also still working on FLORENCE YOUNG. Will get back to Louis Zamparini as well, but not enjoying that one as much as the other two.0 -
I am almost done with the WILLIAM BOOTH biography. Some things I can't say I agree with - when he did a wedding they would vow to be faithful to the Salvation Army as well as to the Lord - hmmm? What if God called them to something different? I'm still working on FLORENCE YOUNG and quite enjoying it. Haven't gone back to Louis Zamparini yet.
Read bits and pieces from three or four fantasies last night as well.0 -
I loved the Jaime Jo Wright book. I did choose light reading for before bed, though.
Currently I am reading THE ROADS WE FOLLOW by Nicole Deese (rom). It is about a famous singer and her family, and the journal of another lady that was in her original group. It has some romance (daughter), but I think I would call it women's fiction. It is very good.
I am listening to a book by a debut author. I'm not far into it, but it is very good as well. SECONDARY TARGET by Angela Carlisle (susp)0 -
I finished the William Booth biography. I didn't like how the Army was everything. When his son took control he moved every one of his siblings to a new place. Several weren't happy about this and resigned from the Army - and lost their relationship with their father! If you weren't dedicated to the Salvation Army he had no room for you in his life!
Reading still about Florence Young in the Solomon Islands, another very dangerous place for a missionary to be in the 1800's!
I finished WINGS OF WAR the fantasy spin-off I was reading. It ended better than it began.
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I am reading a set of Amish novellas. They came up in libby a few times and I kept delaying. I finally thought that I had better just check it out and read it. I am on the last novella. They are okay, but nothing special.
Amish Love Letters - libby
LOVE LETTER COURTSHIP by Shelley Shepard Gray (Amish)
S.W.A.K. by Charlotte Hubbard (Amish)
WRONG VALENTINE'S by Rosalind Lauer (Amish)
I just finished
SET IN STONE by Kimberley Woodhouse (hist) - this is the second book in her series about the bone wars and women paleontologists. It was very good.0 -
I finished the FLORENCE YOUNG biography. Probably a 4 out of 5. She was in the Solomon Island and lost quite a few loved ones to the violence of the tribes in that area!
I finished the Louis Zamparini story. He did give his heart to Jesus in the Japanese prison camp. Oh my, what a horrific place to be!
I am reading an Amish Suspense series by Ashley Emma, book two, AMISH UNDER FIRE. I have most of the books in this series, but they are also on KU.
I've started a couple of fantasy but haven't gone back to them.0 -
I started THE GARDEN GIRLS by Jessica R Patch. This is one of the longer Love Inspired books. It started out scary and creepy! I have heard it is really good, but maybe not at bedtime!
I am also reading a secular book that is supposed to be clean. It is for a kindle challenge that I didn't do because it had to be from a certain list. It is cute so far..a Cinderella retelling with "fairy dust". We will see. If it gets objectionable, I will page through it and read the ending. A MIDNIGHT KISS ON EVER AFTER STREET by Jaimie Admans.0 -
I'm almost finished with the FLORENCE YOUNG biography. I did finish the Louis Zamparini one, it was just alright! The Florence Young one is interesting. A lot like the other China Inland Missionaries I've read. Many of them had to flee during the Boxer Rebellion and then when WWII happened they had to leave because of the brutality of the Japanese as they flooded into China. Several had adopted children. She and two other women worked together and together they mothered this little orphan girl whom they adopted.
Not sure who I will go to next, but I sure am enjoying these stories.0 -
I totally loved A MIDNIGHT KISS ON EVER AFTER STREET by Jaimie Admans. I'm sure that I will read more in the series is the entire series is on KU. It had one instance of a word I am not comfortable with, but not an overly offensive word. The book was very cute, and no fairy dust involved.
I also finished:
THE SONGBIRD OF HOPE HILL by Kim Vogel Sawyer (hist) libby - SO good!
THE GARDEN GIRLS by Jessica R Patch. It wasn't quite as creepy as it started, but was very suspenseful.
LOVE ON A WHIM by Suzanne Woods Fisher - another really good one - part of her Cape Cod Creamery series.
THE VANISHED by Cara Putman (susp) - First book in her newest series.
Currently I am listening to LOYALLY, LUKE by Pepper Basham (rom). This is the third book in the series and by far the best. The first started with mostly all texts and emails. I don't enjoy epistolary novels that much. It got better the second half of the book. This book has random text conversations, but just a string of a couple that fit into the story.
Reading: RETURN TO BOONE'S HOLLOW by Kim Vogel Sawyer (hist). This is a follow-up to another of her books that I read, and I totally missed this one. It is on KU and the first book was traditionally published (LIBRARIAN OF BOONE'S HOLLOW). I guess it wasn't highly publicized since it wasn't on any library formats that I usually use for her books.
I am reading RETURN TO BOONE'S HOLLOW by Kim Vogel Sawyer (hist).0 -
I am almost finished with FOR A LIFETIME by Gabrielle Meyer. This one is the hardest one of the series for me to get into and I think that it is the time period (Salem Witch Trials, and 1912) as well as one of the characters that make it difficult. The two main characters are twins, both hate 1692 (I think that's the year) and have agreed that they will choose 1912 when they are of age to do so, even though one of the sisters would love nothing better than to change history and get out now! She is self-centered and a thrill seeker and speaks her mind despite the consequences. Her sister is mostly in her shadow, but also is the one who keeps her sister from going to far in the wrong direction. I am reading the e-book available through Hoopla, I couldn't find it in audio book and would have to wait forever to buy it at a reasonable price - LOL!
I finished NORMAN GRUBB. He was the SIL of CT Studd and ran the missionary society that his FIL started after he died. By faith he started a number a missionary stations in Africa and other places and trusted the Lord to send people to man them - and the Lord did. Not sure who I'll read about next.
I am also almost finished with a biblical time story, A HAND OUTSTRETCHED by Kirsten Panachyda. This story takes place just after Jesus' death and resurrection in Brittania. The girl in the story becomes an orphan and because of her father's relationship with the Chief and Queen of the land she ends up being a part of their family and becomes best friends with the younger daughter (kindred spirits as Ann of Green Gables would say). She meets an Angel of the Lord who gives her words she will need later, but she has no idea who he is because her tribe lives under a druid who is looking for the Light, but he also has no idea who this Light is. It's really interesting as they seek to find the Lord even in the worst conditions.0 -
Kim, I've noticed that Meyer's books are always highly rated, but I don't think I would enjoy them. For one thing, I don't care for time travel/fantasy, and then the Salem theme would be a turnoff for me. I'm currently reading The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser. It's a complex coming-of-age story set in Atlanta in 1962, so there's a lot I can relate to.0
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I think I liked the second book the best. She woke in three different times, the War of Northern Agression (
or Civil War (not)), Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Very interesting. The Salem theme is a turnoff for me, but it is interesting in that she tells the story with the behind-the-scenes intrigues (like their father paying someone to act afflicted and blaming someone he hated). There is a lot of angst that I feel as I read them because you get a time period that you want her to choose and a love interest that you want her to choose and you don't know which one it will be until the end!
I'm continuing to listen to ELIZABETH FRY, she ministered to those in the poorer areas of London and eventually to those in Newgate Prison. So far it is very good.
I'm reading a book that just came out, a fantasy, GLITCH SOCIETY 2. I do get a little befuddled as I read these because in the story there is old tech and new tech, and the Glitches can't work with new tech, but they can beef up old tech (like a polaroid camera) to make it do more than it was meant to do. They do have "powers" or a field of energy that they are able to manipulate old tech with. I just don't always understand what they are alluding to sometimes when they talk about some of the old tech. But, I am enjoying the story. I read my missionary stories until 9:30-10:00, about 2 hours, and then read my fiction for an hour or so.
I'm still working on the Gabrielle Meyer story as well.
I really liked A HAND OUTSTRETCHED. It isn't a fantasy, but the story takes place in an ancient time, right after Jesus' death and resurrection and in the wild and ungodly land of Brittania. There is a druid in the story who is "good" and looking for the Light. He meets a bard who can give him the answers he is seeking and he meets those who tell him about Jesus. He returns home to find everything changed because an evil druid has been influencing the queen and the chief (husband and wife). It has a strong Christian message compared to many "Christian" books today.
I think I read THE SWAN HOUSE years ago and really liked it!0 -
I am reading FOR A LIFETIME by Gabrielle Meyer as well. I am at 56%. I also do not like the Salem Witch trials, but I am learning a lot about them from the book. That's a part of history that I have always shied away from. The chatter about the book on facebook is that it is the favorite of the books by many of the readers, but at this point I liked both of the previous books much better (they were both WOW books for me). I have 44% to change my mind, though.
I have a bunch of Carol finalist books checked out, so I'm not sure what audiobook I will land on. I just finished BABY PROTECTION MISSION by Laura Scott (LIS). I have another LIS checked out in audio and 2 finalists. Most of the finalists I found in ebook through Libby (so they come up in kindle) or in KU. A few I found on ebook on hoopla and I'm not sure I want to fool with reading on hoopla (they are Love Inspired novels, so not books that are going to become favorites).0 -
I finished FOR A LIFETIME by Gabrielle Meyer. I gave it 5*, but don't rank it among my absolute favorites for the year. I had a love/hate relationship with the book. It definitely kept my interest and was well written, I just didn't like the subject of half.of.the book. If I had not read the first 2 and enjoyed them so much, I probably would not have read this one, but I'm glad that I did.
I have no idea where to go from here.0 -
I am about 5% away from the end and I did cry a bit at the near end of the story! I was up until 1:30 last night trying to finish it! I liked the ending better than the first 2/3 of the book. Book two was my favorite of the three, then one, and then this one. I bought the first two, but don't plan on buying this one. Wow, there sure were a lot of people who time? (I can't remember what they called themselves in the book) in this book!
I'm almost done with my missionary biography. She did so much for prison reform in England. Her husband was a friend of William Wilberforce as well! So fun running into people that I've read about in the past!
I'm enjoying my fantasy Glitch Society 2 as well.0 -
I did a couple Carol award finalists. One was an audiobook and I kept getting distracted easily while listening. That doesn't happen if I am really enjoying the book. Of course, it was Regency and that is definitely not my favorite. The other was an Amish novella. It was pretty good, but I rarely rate novellas above 4*.
RETURN OF THE MONARCHS by Beth Wiseman (Amish) 4* Carol finalist
GARDEN OF THE MIDNIGHTS by Hannah Linder (hist) 3* - had a hard time keeping interest - Carol finalist
Currently reading the Holly Anna Paladin Mystery series.
RANDOM ACTS OF MURDER by Christy Barritt (cozy)
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I'm currently reading THE SECRETS SHE KEPT (True Crime Junkies Book 7) by Christy Barritt0
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I need to get back into the True Crime Junkie series. I read book 1 and then got distracted. I'm not reading nearly as many books right now, and library books (new releases) keep coming up, so other books get put off.
Current:
THE WARSAW SISTERS by Amanda Barritt (WW2 Poland)
ENGAGED TO THE SINGLE MOM by Lee Tobin McClain (LI)
I will go back to the Holly Anna series when I finish the WW2 book. I am going to try to go back and forth between a library book and KU book.0 -
Oh, yeah, you posted this AM which means you are alright. Praise the Lord!
How are you liking THE WARSAW SISTERS? I have that one on my wishlist.
I finished my missionary bio and enjoyed it very much. I believe it was about ELIZABETH FRY. They all get muddled in my mind, there have been so many. I went back to the book I'd gotten for free, 7 CLASSIC MISSIONARY BIOGRAPHIES. The first one about Amy Carmichael was very confusing and the end of it was a bit disheartening because she shared quite a bit about the wickedness in India, but the second one is much better and I can follow it much more easily.
I quit reading a fantasy that was the 3rd book in the series. It's by Shari Tapscott, SUNSET HORIZON. I've read quite a few books by her and until she wrote a book with her husband I hadn't run into this problem. Some of her scenes go right to the edge of sexual content and it causes the mind to fill in the blanks - not for me. There was perhaps one or two scenes in the first two books, but this one had at least two so I quit reading it.
I'm reading the third book in an Amish Suspense series, AMISH AMNESIA. I can't remember the author's name, but it's about a special group called CPDU and so far they have had three cases dealing with the Amish! In this one an Amish girl had been kidnapped and held for years. She finally escapes but her kidnapper is stalking her.
I'm kind of reading a regency romance too, but it's not catching my attention at this point, so I read a chapter and go on to something else.
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Kim - I liked the Warsaw Sisters. I'm not sure I would have chosen it as a Carol finalist, but it was very good. WW2 Poland wasn't an easy or light read.0
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Oh man, I'm sure it wasn't. I believe they were the first country that Germany took over, weren't they? Opened up the eyes of the world as to what was coming.
I'm still working on the ones I mentioned before.0 -
Poland wasnt the first invasion, but was the one that started WW2.
I am reading BRAVING THE VALLEY by Rebecca Hartt. This is suspense about a missionary being taken out of Venezuela before she was killed. I'm just starting this book and it reminds me of the young missionary couple that was just killed in Haiti. The wife was the best friend of one of our friends. They grew up together. She is devastated, but at least she knows she is in Heaven without a doubt.
Link about couple: https://apnews.com/article/haiti-young-missionaries-killed-gang-violence-ba69910971aaa0542233d6bd2a947d78?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share0 -
I saw that that had happened. I hope that they are able to get the bodies safely back home. I'm so sorry for this loss.
I am continuing to listen to the biographies and auto biographies in the book about the 7 Missionaries. The one that I am reading is almost done and was very interesting. He was ministering to cannabalistic people, I believe in the Samoan Islands. A war broke out among the different tribes and one of the "great chiefs" was determined to kill this missionary. Several times he faced off with warriors and each time he told that that His God was with him and if they killed Him God would punish them - they left him alone and he did escape. He went on to the Austrailian Outback.
I finished AMISH AMNESIA. Amazon says I read it, but it must have been long enough ago that those brain cells have died off! I didn't remember it. I'm not sure I'll go on with the series though, each story is similar.
I finished a fantasy called ECHO OF THE FAE. Echo is the name of the girl in the story. I enjoyed it.
I finished THE WALLFLOWER'S UNSEEN CHARM by Rose Pearson, a regency. It was cute.
I started a story called RUTH by Caryl McAdoo but it was a little too frank for me so I didn't finish.
I finished ELIZABETH FRY (I can't remember if I mentioned it earlier), a missionary bio.
I finished GLITCH INVASION by Anna Travis, a fantasy. Very good.
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I finished THE LADY WITH THE DARK HAIR by Erin Bartels. It was a dual time line and dealt a lot with art. It was really good. I really hadn't heard anything about it, but it came up on libby.
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Same stuff!0
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I finished my missionary bio of FRANCIS ASBURY, very good. It was odd hearing him called Frank throughout the story! I started on LILLIAN TRASHER, she started an orphanage in Egypt. She was called to go to Africa and she did her planning and working towards that end all on her own, she just followed where God led. She met different people along the way who provided for her needs and eventually led her to Egypt (which is in Africa). Her first orphan was a sudden event, a very sick baby. She was determined to help this child and in helping her she heard God's call to open an orphange in Egypt, which had none at that time. Really enjoying this one.
I'm jumping around in my other reading, a couple of re-reads and a couple of new reads. I'm more consistent in staying with the re-reads than the new reads, nothing is grabbing me right now.0 -
I finished my LILIAN TRASHER biography. Oh my, there were times that she had 900 orphans in her home and had no idea how she was going to feed and clothe them. They all prayed and the next day she was called into the United States Embassy and they had a shipment of food and clothing that a shipper had left behind! She was able to feed the children for a couple of months and they wore these clothes for years! Amazing.
I'm re-reading the second book in a fantasy series called SONGKEEPER.
I'm reading a Luana Erlich Mylas Grey book A DAY AGO. So far it is pretty good. A senator's daughter goes missing and he is sent to find her.
I'm also reading about HUDSON TAYLOR but it's actually written from the viewpoint of a companion of his.0 -
I finished Hudson Taylor and am reading about William Carey. Having trouble staying into this one. This is part of the 12 bios in one book.
I'm continuing to read my re-read of SONGKEEPER. This is one occasion where being forgetful is nice. I remember bits and pieces of the story, but it's like reading a new read!
I'm also continuing with the Luana Ehrlich book ONE ? Can't remember the whole title, but it's very good.
I read a short novella last night PRINCESS OF THE KNIGHT, an intro to a series by Dalena Taylor. It was alright, went rather quickly at the end though.
I got a free book from Vanetta Chapman SECURITY BREACH, it's an intro to her CYBER DIVISION series, although the series was out awhile ago. I have all the books in the series, so I need to go ahead and start reading it!0
