A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin

The story of four women of different ages, backgrounds, and life  situations set during World War II, A Woman's Place helps us to see how life forever changed for women in America during that time. Virginia, wife and mother of two, longs to do something to help her country besides rationing food.  Rosa wants to get out from under her father-in-law's rule.  Jean wants to build a career and go to college before marrying and starting a family.   Helen will do anything to escape a house filled with bad memories. Austin once again delivers a wonderful story with vivid characters.  As these women work together in a factory they discover what a woman can really accomplish.  They also learn to love and rely on each other.  Austin is one of my favorite Christian authors and she doesn't disappoint in this novel.

Biography
I have loved to read since I was a little girl.  In fact, I remember
getting "in trouble" for bringing a book to the dinner table and
trying to read while eating!   Fiction is my favorite genre.  I
discovered Christian fiction through a book club at my church and was pleased to learn that there are some wonderful Christian books out there!  Now I lead the book club and love to research and find new authors.   So far my favorites are Lynn Austin and Terri Blackstock.

Happy Reading to You!

A snowstorm immobilizes Lexington , Ky. , in 1964, and when young Norah Henry goes into labor, her husband, orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Henry, must deliver their babies himself, aided only by a nurse. Seeing his daughter's handicap, he instructs the nurse, Caroline Gill, to take her to a home and later tells Norah, who was drugged during labor, that their son Paul's twin died at birth. Instead of institutionalizing Phoebe, Caroline absconds with her to Pittsburgh . David's deception becomes the defining moment of the main characters' lives, and Phoebe's absence corrodes her birth family's core over the course of the next 25 years. David's undetected lie warps his marriage; he grapples with guilt; Norah mourns her lost child; and Paul not only deals with his parents' icy relationship but with his own yearnings for his sister as well. Though the impact of Phoebe's loss makes sense, Edwards's redundant handling of the trope robs it of credibility. This neatly structured story is a little too moist with compassion

Review:  This book was wonderful.  I kept turning the page to see what happened next.  You really liked all the characters even the doctor that gave away his daughter. Great book club book, lots of discussion points.  I give it 3 stars.

I’m a firefighter, God, so I know I’ve been in some tough places before. But this . . . this not knowing the people I love . . . this is the hardest thing I can imagine.

The last thing Jake Bryan knew was the roar of the World Trade Center collapsing on top of him and his fellow firefighters. The man in the hospital bed remembers nothing. Not rushing with his teammates up the stairway of the south tower to help trapped victims. Not being blasted from the building. And not the woman sitting by his bedside who says she is his wife.

Jamie Bryan will do anything to help her beloved husband regain his memory, and with it their storybook family life with their small daughter, Sierra. But that means helping Jake rediscover the one thing Jamie has never shared with him: his deep faith in God.

Jake’s fondest prayer for his wife is about to have an impact beyond anything he could possibly have conceived. One Tuesday Morning is a love story like none you have ever read: tender, poignant, commemorating the tragedy and heroism of September 11 and portraying the far-reaching power of God’s faithfulness and a good man’s love.

Review:  I was touched by this fictionalized account of the calamity that affects us all. Ms. Kingsbury states that it was her way of working through the grief, and I am glad she wrote this book. The characters are very true to life, seeking God's will as well as running from it. Eric and Jamie go through tremendous transformation as God becomes real to both of them. It would be difficult to finish this novel and remain closed about God's hand in our lives.

I highly recommend ONE TUESDAY MORNING. It isn't a book that can be read all in one sitting. It takes time to experience, especially the scenes that take place on September 11. I felt as if I was right there with the characters in the book. For an emotional, yet uplifting look at God's everlasting love and mercy in our lives, ONE TUESDAY MORNING is not to be missed.

BOOK REVIEW of The Potluck Club 

By Barbara Weavil

Having grown up in a family and a small-town church that frequently held delicious, table-laden potluck meals, I found the cover and the title of this book most appealing. Each chapter about one of the lady club members was prefaced with a recipe and included her description of cooking and serving it, which left me salivating every time I sat down to read. I finally gave in to the temptation to cook some of the recipes and found them very tasty. 

Much more than just a book about food, The Potluck Club introduced me to an assortment of colorful characters who met once a month to eat and to pray, since the stated reason for their meetings was to pray for anyone in need of it. Along with a delectable dish of food, each lady brought to the club an assortment of personal or family problems, secrets and surprises that made the book fun, mysterious, emotional and good, light-hearted entertainment. The prayer club had begun as a small-town clique, but the arrival of a relative with a problem and the intrusion of a pushy out-of-towner forced the group to reflect upon their purpose and to expand their horizons as well as their prayer life. Their spiritual growth taught me some valuable lessons for living. 

The Potluck Clubis not difficult reading except for the need to turn back occasionally to clarify which first-person character is talking in each chapter. Just as in life, some of the personalities portrayed are more likable than others, but I guarantee that you will recognize their traits in many people you know. By the end of the book, I felt that I could walk into their hometown and instantly recognize each character.

I probably won’t try to bake Lisa Leann’s cinnamon rolls, but if she brought her famous confection to any of the clubs I am a member of, then I would happily grant her instant membership. I am looking forward to reading the sequel by Eva Marie Everson and Linda Evans Shepherd. 

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

Are you materialistic?  I would like to answer that question with a loud NO.  While I was reading the novel “Last Light” by Terri Blackstock, the loud NO kept getting softer and softer.  By imagining myself as a character in this novel, I found that I would truly have a hard time giving up all my creature comforts.
     In Blackstock’s novel a sudden massive power outage of unknown origin occurs; there is no electricity, planes fall from the sky like a ton of bricks and cars and water no longer run.  All the forms of communication we have come to rely on no longer work.  As the outage continues with no end in sight, the true character of each of the people in the novel is reveled.  As in real life, some of the characters are made of strong moral fiber and others are thieves and murderers.
     Blackstock’s novel is a thought provoking and suspenseful read that makes you question how you would respond in such a crisis.

BOOK REVIEW Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

The first day I bought this book, I sat on my desk and told myself I'd just read a chapter before I go to bed. That was 9pm. No matter how hard I tried, I could not put the book down. I found myself teary eyed, reading the ending, at 5am the next morning. Intending to read just the first few pages, I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting (with one bathroom break!).

Harvesting by Jodi Picoult

This is the fourth book that I've read by Jodi Picoult and it is my favorite so far. This is a beautifully written story about self-doubt, the chance to find yourself, and the bond that exists between a mother and child.

The novel begins in the present with Paige locked out of her own house pleading with her husband Nicholas to see their child,Max. The story continues from there, shifting from Paige's perspective to Nicholas'. We learn that Paige has been abandoned by her mother, then flees from her hometown after dealing with a traumatic incident at a young age. She soon falls in love with Nicholas, a soon to be doctor who's own star is on the rise. Paige is an artist at heart but abandons her own dream to help support the career of her husband. She soon becomes a mother herself and tries to be a loving one but doubts her ability to do so. She carries the burden of her mother's desertion. In order to stand on her own she has to go back to her past, to the mother who left her. From there she has to learn how to love.

This book differs from her others in that there is no mystery to be solved here, there is no court room scenes. There is just the tender story of two people, two souls that are meant to be together, and the journey that their lives take them on. Jodi has an incredible way with words and her storytelling here is absolutely superb. It is a book to be savoured.