Death by the Book by Julianna Deering

I just finished reading "Death by the Book" by Julianna Deering. It was not a book I really enjoyed -- I'm a busy mom and like to read but I felt like this book moved along so slowly that I didn't really look forward to having time to read it.

The book is set in (?? not sure, early 20th century maybe??) England and the main characters are folks who seem to live lives of leisure, interspersed with privately investigating crimes. Drew (the main character) has some kind of an "in" with the local police and is key in investigating mysterious murders all around him. He is also waiting for a "yes" to marriage from his love, and is trying to win over her aunt. Multiple murders occur and the police and Drew gather clues to try to figure out who is the killer. The end is kind of odd, but resolved.

I felt that this book was very dry and stilted, and sloooowww moving. I would not really recommend it. It did not have objectionabe parts, just very blah (basically not my style). If you look at other reviews of this book it appears that a lot of people really enjoyed this book, so I'm guessing it's just a case of it's not my type of book. Maybe it is yours :)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Knitted headband pattern

My 13-year old daughter made up a knitting pattern!! :) It's for a sweet headband -- quick and easy to make! Give it a try!

:) Here are the instructions:

(size 10 needles)

Cast on 8 stitches

YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog

repeat this for every row till you hit your desired length to either tie it in a knot or else end it shorter and attach elastic so that it is stretchy.

Bind off.

YO = yarn over

K2tog = knit 2 together

Storming the Black Ice by Don Brown

Do you like military suspense books? Here's one for you! Storming the Black Ice by Don Brown is a military-suspense type book, published by a Christian publisher, and though there's little "Christian-y" type stuff, it IS a pretty clean book, not saturated with swearing as some suspense books are.

The book centers over a fight for oil found under Antarctica, claimed by Britain and Chile. They are attacked by forces from Venezuela and Argentina. British military and civilians are captured, and an American/Chilean crew save the day. :) Basically that's it. There are many side-stories and some character development,(oh, and lots of submarine info) but that's the big picture.

There are side stories about loyalty and military service, love and romance, family, faith(well, a little), intrigue, death, and more. Some of the characters are introduced just to die shortly. Others have a peripheral part of the story. The hero (Austin) is a hero of good character, seems like an all-round great guy, wise and militarily cunning.

Some parts of the story seemed a little weird or strained, such as the mystical nun that shows up in multiple places, speaking words of wisdom. Also, Austin's child's mother who flies from Britain to Chile when she hears of his capture in Antarctica -- and then her best friend and child who also come to Chile. Really?? Sounds a bit unrealistic and really quite unnecessary to the story.

The role of the guy from Texas who was Chilean -- a little confusing and kind of peripheral as well.

Despite these kind of irregularities, I would recommend the book. It was an interesting story with a happy ending :) ALSO -- my husband, who's not much of a reader, raced through this book--thoroughly enjoying it. That says a lot as well!

I received this e-book for free from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley

I began reading the book, A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Mosely primarily because of the title. It sounded very. . .surreal, or maybe just quirky. Though the title didn't really seem to personify the story, I'm still glad I read it.

The book revolves around sadness and mystery and some love. Laura has "come home" because of the sad situation of her mother's death and the need to take care of her property. Even at the beginning of the story there are rumors going around town about her father being sighted around the area (her father who died when she was a young girl). Her old boyfriend (who her father was a kind of mentor to) still lives in the area as do many of her childhood friends and associates. The rumors bring up hopes in Laura that perhaps her dad IS still alive, hiding out.

This is a story that you need to read without me giving away too many details. The details and different characters are scattered throughout the book and some are meaningful and others not that much. Some of them are anticipated, others quite a surprise.

So -- did I like it? Yes, pretty much. It was a bit hard to get into, because it was kind of like you just fell into it, but then the story caught you up. As far as pace -- it was a little slow, but it was not toooooooo slow. Ending? The ending was happy-ish, so I liked that :) Predictability? Yes, pretty predictable (but I like that too). Religious? Not too. I thought it was a Christian fiction book, but I don't think it was very Christian-y. It was not objectionable, however. A nice clean read.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if you're looking for an entertaining, not too quick read. I thought it was a nice story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

It Had to be You by Susan May Warren

Yes!! A great book! (after my last loooonnnggg and disliked book that I read for review (here)) I was SO happy to start into this great Christian fiction book It Had to be You by Susan May Warren.

This book is a wonderfully enjoyable read, with many dimensions -- it follows two major characters through several different plot strands. It is a romance, but not just that. Also touched upon in the book are themes of hope and grace, redemption, letting go, boldness, and faith.

The story follows Eden, a daughter who doesn't see her own potential as herself, one who wants to do right, but is afraid of being hurt. She is the big sister to a hockey star who she tries to take care of and keep out of trouble. She is an obituary writer who longs to write feature articles. Her place in her family is sort of as an observer, or, in her own words, a cheerleader. Other main characters are Jace, a professional hockey player; Sam, a dad and restaurant owner; "John Doe," who is. . .well, an unknown; Owen, Eden's brother; and many others.

I don't want to give you much more information, because it is a really great sweet strong story. I highly recommend it! :) You will want to read and read and read it! (you may stay up much later than you had planned to, just so that you can finish the book, as I did!) :)

I was not familiar with Susan May Warren and her books (here is a pic of her, shared by Tyndale Publisher) After reading this book, I will certainly be looking for more of her books! This is actually in a series of books about the Christiansen family (Eden's family)--I'd love to read all of them! I really enjoyed this author's style of writing, and the book in general!

I would certainly recommend this book! It is an easy, fun read; problems are resolved, and it has a happy ending. :) Just what I like to read! :)

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my review of this book. I was not required to write a positive review.

Here's a link to a Q&A with the author regarding this book, in case you'd like to check it out. (here)

Thank you to Tyndale Blog Network for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Praying for Boys by Brooke McGlothlin

Do you have young sons? This book may inspire you to pray for them in distinctive ways! The book Praying for Boys by Brooke McGlothlin is subtitled Asking God for the Things They Need Most. The author reminds us that boys are different than girls in many ways and encourages moms to celebrate their spirits.

The book is a series of short chapters--2 or 3 pages, then a series of Scriptures with a _________ for your son's name to help you pray Scripture for your son. The chapters end with questions "for reflection or discussion."

I think that anything that encourages/reminds you to pray for your children is a good reminder! I do have a son, and he is definitely unique from his sisters and stretches us all in certain ways ;) and enhances our family life for sure!

The author of this book has two sons, aged 7 and 5. I think her prayer suggestions and discussion topics and ideas that she covers are sweet and valid.

The book seems geared toward moms of younger kids (which makes sense I suppose, good prayer habits should begin early!) I have a son who is a young teen--I think many of the narratives in this book are a bit simplistic at this point for us. However, the Scriptures are a great thing to refer to and use, for example, "May ________________ taste the goodness of your Word (Hebrews 6:5)" I think that these were the most valuable part of the book for me. If I had younger kids, I'd probably appreciate this book a little more.

The book would be great for a small group or Bible study of moms of young boys.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Emma of Aurora (Trilogy) by Jane Kirkpatrick

This is a book review for the book Emma of Aurora by Jane Kirkpatrick; it's a trilogy, all 3 of the books together in one large volume. Since it is a book that I had agreed to review, I feel bad about not reading the entire thing, but

I.just.cannot.stand.to.read.any.more.

Usually when I agree to read it I go through with it all and read the book even if I don't like it, but I feel that I've wasted enough of my time by slogging through the first book of the volume. Bleh. So -- my review IS my opinion of the book, right? Well, I have certainly read enough to share an opinion.

I really dislike this book. It's hugely long (1153 pages), which would have been awesome had I liked the series! I think it's a great concept, putting all 3 together -- so often when I read one of a series I'd love to have the next book(s) in the same volume, so it's not just the size.

The book is about a religious cult-type community, following the leadership of one man who is seen as close to God. The men take their direction from him, as do the (more silent) women. The main character, Emma, is a young lady who becomes a wife and follows her husband out west to look for new land. Emma is kind of a whiner and deceitful, and throughout the first book at least does not seem to change. They go out west and have an incredibly horrible time, hardships are a never-ending saga, and when the leader of the original colony comes to check it out, his disapproval adds to the negatives. Book 2? ahhhhhhhh!!!! bad to worse!!!! :/ Yikes!!! I don't want to tell you. Emma's life? and family? ---------------------------

The book is long and incredibly slooooooowwwww and b-o-o-o-o-r-r-r-r-ing. So I stopped reading it. Blah. I really did not want to finish it. When I have time to read, I don't want to read this type of writing. I DO feel bad about not reading more than half of the book, but I certainly have an opinion.

On the other side. . .if you look on Amazon or other book review places, people have given glowing reviews for this book! So. . .obviously I'm not the norm when it comes to this book!

Would I recommend it? NOPE!! But apparently other people like it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.