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  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    The anthology is no longer available. It was a couple of years ago. I am surprised that she hasn't re-published the novella. I still have the anthology in my kindle but it won't let me share it. There were 12 novellas in it, and they used it to become "USA bestsellers". Unfortunately before the publishing date, two of the authors passed away, one from Covid and the other from a heart problem (Marion Ueckermann and Shoshanna Gabriel). Just on a side note, Shoshanna Gabriel wrote "x-rated" books for years and got saved and started writing Christian fiction. I just looked up the books written by some of the other authors, and none of them are available on Amazon, either. There was probably an agreement that they couldn't publish outside of the anthology for a certain period of time.
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
    edited July 2023
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    Yes, I edited my post that I eventually did see that anthology but that none of the stories is available.. it's disappointing, but oh well. And thank you for even checking to see if it was available to loan btw.

    Last night I started reading THE EXTRAORDINARY DEATHS OF MRS. KIP by Sara Brunsvold. I'm not very far in and already I can see why it was the best book you read last year, Connie.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I finished:
    A STARLET SPY by Rachel Scott McDaniel (WW2) - It was very good!
    HOPE FOR CHRISTMAS Christmas by Elizabeth Maddrey (romance) - This was part of a boxed set that came up on hoopla. They lowered my allowance by 5 books, so I only had one book left. This set came up and it has 6 books in it, and is over 40 hours long. I like her books and had been listening on YouTube, but I had one that was so soft that I couldn't hear it comfortably. I finally went into the office (rarely used) and opened my desktop, turned the volume to max and then set my speakers to max and made it through the book. I tried the next in that series and it was just as soft, so hadn't done any others. This is working out great.

    Current:
    HOPE FOR TOMORROW by Elizabeth Maddrey (romance)
    THE ONE WHO KNOWS ME by Joan Embola (new adult) - I haven't really gotten too far into it. I didn't realize that it was collegiate when I checked it out. The library got the series and I decided to try it. The next book is medical and then is workplace, so I think the series will get away from the college kids. We will see.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I am still listening to the Elizabeth Maddrey series. I am enjoying them. It is basically about the grandparents ranch and their grandchildren (which they have never met) start showing up. It has a good Christian message and they are fun.

    I finished THE ONE WHO KNOWS ME by Joan Embola. It was very good and had a great Christian message, but had a couple instances of strong slang. I have the next one checked out, but I may just turn in back in. If a "clean" fiction has some slang it bothers me but does not offend me, because it isn't claiming to be Christian. It really bothers me in Christian fiction...I expect to not have to deal with it in CF. Rant over.
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
    edited July 2023
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    I finished THE EXTRAORDINARY DEATHS OF MRS. KIP this morning. It was thought-provoking and touching. Thanks for the recommendation, Connie
  • Restfinder
    Restfinder Posts: 2,351 Member
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    I'm wanting to read an Amish series by Mary Alford. I have book one, and Hoopla has a few of them so I should be able to read most of them if not all of them. I think I've read the first one, but it's been awhile.

    I'm almost done with Grace Alyward. What a great biography. She went to China on her own, working for a female missionary there. They open an inn for the mule merchants and read Bible stories to them. She ends up going all over China as the foot inspector when they were outlawing foot bindings. She ends up getting a Chinese Citizenship so she can adopt the children that are simply left somewhere or sold by unscrupulous people who find them and then sell them. The first child she got she bought for 9 pennies, so that was her name. The first boy came when 9 pennies saw him and told everyone that if we each eat a little bit less we will have enough for him - his name was Less! I'm just past WWII when Japan invades China, very interesting! She becomes a beloved person who started out as a white devil when she first got there! All of these missionary stories I am listening to through Hoopla have been very good.

    I'm still working on some fantasy stories. I finished the ARC read I got.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I am currently listening to THE ALL AMERICAN by Susie Finkbeiner (?). It is pretty good. It takes place during the 1950s, cold war and the communism scare in the US.

    I have the newest Nancy Mehl and a Toni Shiloh Christmas book checked out. I'm not sure if I will start one of them, or read a KU book. I have now ran out of hoopla audio book borrows and have started on Scribd audios. I don't want to go through them.too quickly or I will get cut off. I can also.do the free YouTube audiobooks.
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
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    I'm reading WRONG ABOUT MR. WRIGHT by Chautona Havig. I don't usually care for 'Christmas in July' stories, but so far the focus isn't primarily on Christmas.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I am reading the Tara Grace Ericson series, Main Street Mindon. I am currently on book 3 (first on YouTube, next 2 I already had and book 4 is checked out on KU). I am enjoying it.
  • Restfinder
    Restfinder Posts: 2,351 Member
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    I finished GRACE ALLYWARD (not sure of the spelling of the last name), a missionary biography. Very good. At the end of the book it mentioned that there was a movie made about her - THE INN OF THE 7TH HAPPINESS (or something like that). It's a classic movie which I saw years ago.

    I'm out of Hoopla borrows for the month so will start a new biography in August!

    I'm re-reading PRIORITY UNIT by Susan Page Davis. I'd read the first two books in the series quite awhile ago, so am re-reading the first two to get back into the story.
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
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    I finished WRONG ABOUT MR. WRIGHT by Chautona Havig. Even though it ended up having quite a bit of Christmas in it, I still enjoyed it. Haven't started anything new just yet.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I needed some light reading and I had book 1 checked out on KU, so I decided to go for it. They were pretty good, but by the time I got to the last book (actually I read book 4 last), there weren't many surprises. They were still solid 4*, though.
    Cowboy Confessions
    MR NOT RIGHT FOR HER by Jo Grafford (rom)
    MR MAYBE RIGHT FOR HER by Jo Grafford (rom)
    MR RIGHT BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW IT by Jo Grafford (rom)
    MR RIGHT AGAIN FOR HER by Jo Grafford (rom)
    MR YEAH, RIGHT. AS IF…by Jo Grafford (rom)

    I also listened to FINDING US by Tracie Peterson (historical). This was really good. This is book 2 in her newest series on the Alaska-Yukon exhibition in Seattle in 1909. I had to make myself turn it off to do my kindle books, since I don't have that many audiobooks right now, I am trying to space out the Scribd books to see if that keeps them from blocking me from listening to too many in the same genre, Tomorrow I get my hoopla borrows back, and they have gotten a ton of new books.

    Right now, I have nothing going at all. I need to find something before bed.
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
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    I'm working on TWICE SOLD TALES - again, by Chautona Havig. I started it the other night but haven't gotten very far
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    IN THE SHELTER OF HAWTHORNE HOUSE by Sarah E Ladd (historical) Regency is absolutely not my favorite but this was good.
    GLADWYNN GRANT GETS HER FOOTING by Lisa Howler (cozy) Cute. Glad she is writing more of them.
    EXPIRED PROMISE by Lisa Phillips (susp) very good!
    TWO TO TANGO by Kathleen Fuller (rom)

    Currently:
    HIDDEN AWAY AT PROMISE LODGE by Charlotte Hubbard (Amish). I have enjoyed this series because it is a small community of Amish and Mennonites in central Missouri and reminds me of the ones in my Mom's area.

    I will probably start COUNTDOWN by Lynette Eason tonight before bedtime.
  • Restfinder
    Restfinder Posts: 2,351 Member
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    THE SCENT OF FEAR by Mary Alford - Amish Susp
    ELEFTHERIA by J Grace Pennington - Sci-fi
    BEFORE BEAUTY by Brittany Ficther - fairy tale (book 1 in this series)
    Re-reading PRETENSE by Tara Grayce

    I got a book at the Thrift Store yesterday, HEARTS OF FIRE: Eight Women in the Underground Church and their Stories. It's part of Voice of the Martyrs. I ran into a friend in the Thrift store and she said that there are at least three versions of this, so we are going to share!
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
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    I picked up TWICE SOLD TALES by Chautona Havig last night and finished it this morning. This one was SO good. Imagine my delight in discovering that this story about a woman and her recently inherited book store mentioned titles and quotes from other books. The Mrs. Kip book is mentioned several times (and heartily recommended by the owner of the bookstore), which tickled me since I just recently finished reading it. She even mentioned the author by name. That was a standalone... I'm thinking about starting one of her series that I downloaded on her birthday.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I finished:
    JUST THE NICEST PERSON by Christy Barritt (True Crime Junkie #1) KU 3.5* - definitely not my favorite of her books.
    POSTCARDS by Elizabeth Maddrey (rom) really good!
    Water’s Edge Series -
    WITH YOU BESIDE ME by Juliette Duncan (book 3) -Australia - It has been a long time since I read one of her books and I really enjoyed it.

    Current
    ALL I WANT IS YOU by Juliette Duncan (book 4) KU

    I am starting THE RETREAT by B E Baker tonight. I have previously read several of this series and I found more on scribd. When I started to check out a book on hoopla, the daily quota had been met. The library I get the most borrows from has put a lot more restrictions and lowered their allowances. I could make it up by using Bill's card or another library on one of my devices, but their selection had been fairly stagnant.... But they added a bunch of books last week.

  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
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    I read TWICE TOLD TALES before I read Mrs. Kip and missed the mentions and quotes from it. I probably hadn't heard of it at the time, so it didn't register with me. I was going to pull it up on my kindle, but it was one that I didn't get on her birthday. I didn't have time to research all of the way through. I could re-read using KU, I guess. Oh well...too many books, not enough time.
  • cmsienk
    cmsienk Posts: 18,382 Member
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    I started a Chautona Havig series - Aggie's Inheritance. Book 1 is READY OR NOT. The premise is hard to fathom - a woman and her husband die, leaving their 8 children in the care of her 22 year old sister (that's Aggie's inheritance). So far it's a good read.
  • connierandel
    connierandel Posts: 1,708 Member
    edited August 2023
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    That was my first Chautona series. I really liked it...but that girl.was.definitely in over her head.

    Current: POSITIVELY PENELOPE by Pepper Basham -epistolary is NOT my favorote! I read the one before it and about half way through it started into the story and got much better. Hopefully.this one will as well. It is so highly rated and recommended that I don't want to DNF until I get a bit further.

    THREAT DETECTION by Sharon Dunn (LIS) - just getting started on it.

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