Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I think the message the book was trying to send was really good… but the writing didn't really lend itself to making it a deep-felt message, at least for me.
Some parts were really dumb… anything involving the ex-husband, for example. This book just fell flat for me.
P.S. Writing this a few days later… I just realized this is the author of Nightingale. Wow. This one was published in 2001. Nightingale was published this year. Her writing has improved A LOT. Realizing this makes me want to try some of her other books. Maybe this one was just a fluke.
I thought it was going to be a clean, somewhat religious story. I was very surprised when anything involving the ex-husband would bring in profanity and gross situations. It just felt dumb… not edgy, not realistic.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
I just read a book that I had read before...
… and I didn't really remember it. It's called: A Lancaster County Christmas (by Suzanne Woods Fisher) and I reviewed it back in December, 2012. Haha…
I did keep thinking it sounded sort-of familiar… I knew I had read a book before where an "Englisch" couple ended up in an Amish home over Christmas, but that's about all I remembered. I was convinced it must have been a different book, but after I finished it, I checked back and sure enough, I had read it before.
The first time, I had borrowed it from my mom (it was lendable through Kindle) and she had gotten it for free. I paid $1.99 for it this time, but it was nice to see from my original review that I mentioned that I wished I had gotten it because I would probably read it again. Haha! So I didn't feel too bad about the little bit I spent to buy it now. (I'm just a little disturbed that I didn't remember much about it. I usually get more of a "this seems familiar" feeling…)
I liked it the first time (which I only know from reading the review I wrote earlier) and I liked it this time.
Clean.
I did keep thinking it sounded sort-of familiar… I knew I had read a book before where an "Englisch" couple ended up in an Amish home over Christmas, but that's about all I remembered. I was convinced it must have been a different book, but after I finished it, I checked back and sure enough, I had read it before.
The first time, I had borrowed it from my mom (it was lendable through Kindle) and she had gotten it for free. I paid $1.99 for it this time, but it was nice to see from my original review that I mentioned that I wished I had gotten it because I would probably read it again. Haha! So I didn't feel too bad about the little bit I spent to buy it now. (I'm just a little disturbed that I didn't remember much about it. I usually get more of a "this seems familiar" feeling…)
I liked it the first time (which I only know from reading the review I wrote earlier) and I liked it this time.
Clean.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas (Judy Christie)
Why I have this book: I bought it on Kindle a long time ago… like four years ago. I know I started reading it at one point, but this time I finished it!
I liked this book… it gave me some good ideas of things to do to help me work on feeling more calm and peaceful during the holidays. The thing is, I don't really get stressed about gifts or anything like that. I just don't like feeling busy and surrounded by people all the time. (I'm an introvert!) But since that can't always be avoided, it's good to have some ideas to help keep things enjoyable instead of stressful.
Clean.
I liked this book… it gave me some good ideas of things to do to help me work on feeling more calm and peaceful during the holidays. The thing is, I don't really get stressed about gifts or anything like that. I just don't like feeling busy and surrounded by people all the time. (I'm an introvert!) But since that can't always be avoided, it's good to have some ideas to help keep things enjoyable instead of stressful.
Clean.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Falling for Her (Debbie Macomber)
Why I have this book: It's a part of the series I'm reading while I wait for the one book in the series that my friend told me to read. (I've been waiting about 2 1/2 months for that book!)
This was really a novella that probably doesn't add a lot to the whole story, but it was a fun addition to read while I wait for the other book. It's kind of a peek into another character's mind...
Clean.
This was really a novella that probably doesn't add a lot to the whole story, but it was a fun addition to read while I wait for the other book. It's kind of a peek into another character's mind...
Clean.
The Forgotten Garden (Kate Morton)
Why I have this book: I bought it for our book club this month.
Wow. So engrossing and intense! My friend and I listened to the first part on the audio version (my first time doing that) on a long drive. I found it more difficult to follow, but then, the book itself was a little confusing in the beginning. Lots of jumping back and forth from 1907 to 2005 in this book. It also took longer to get through on the audio version (as opposed to reading it), but it was fun to listen to the narrator's accent. :) Since I had my Kindle with me, I was able to go back and read things that confused me. I definitely do better with reading it myself instead of listening to an audio version. I think my mind wanders when I'm just listening...
Once I was able to get my bearings with what was going on in each time period, I really got sucked in. The last 20% of the book was intense, as I watched things come together and answers to all the questions were revealed. It was emotional! Well worth the read!)
Pretty clean. I think there were a few mild swear words, and there are some weird/creepy things that happen, but no graphic descriptions.
Wow. So engrossing and intense! My friend and I listened to the first part on the audio version (my first time doing that) on a long drive. I found it more difficult to follow, but then, the book itself was a little confusing in the beginning. Lots of jumping back and forth from 1907 to 2005 in this book. It also took longer to get through on the audio version (as opposed to reading it), but it was fun to listen to the narrator's accent. :) Since I had my Kindle with me, I was able to go back and read things that confused me. I definitely do better with reading it myself instead of listening to an audio version. I think my mind wanders when I'm just listening...
Once I was able to get my bearings with what was going on in each time period, I really got sucked in. The last 20% of the book was intense, as I watched things come together and answers to all the questions were revealed. It was emotional! Well worth the read!)
Pretty clean. I think there were a few mild swear words, and there are some weird/creepy things that happen, but no graphic descriptions.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Within My Heart (Tamera Alexander)
Why I have this book: I finally borrowed it from the ebook library. I had it on hold a long time ago (when I read the first two books in the series), then when I finally got it, I realized it wasn't a Kindle version and I didn't know how to read it OR return it. So it finally expired 3 weeks later. (Sorry, everyone behind me… but considering how long it took to get it, I think others had the same problem.) I put it on hold again, because I finally knew about iBooks. BUT… once it came off hold, I couldn't figure out how to get it onto iBooks.
I finally downloaded the Overdrive app and that made it pretty easy. I read it on my iPad, and while it wasn't ideal (my Kindle is so much lighter), it worked fine.
ANYWAY… I liked this third book in the Timber Ridge Reflections series. It seems rare anymore that I have a book that I keep wanting to read, even in the daytime (as opposed to just before bed). I enjoyed this one enough to pick it up throughout the day. It's a light read, but with enough depth that it kept me invested the story and characters.
I will definitely look for other books by this author.
This Christian series is clean.
I finally downloaded the Overdrive app and that made it pretty easy. I read it on my iPad, and while it wasn't ideal (my Kindle is so much lighter), it worked fine.
ANYWAY… I liked this third book in the Timber Ridge Reflections series. It seems rare anymore that I have a book that I keep wanting to read, even in the daytime (as opposed to just before bed). I enjoyed this one enough to pick it up throughout the day. It's a light read, but with enough depth that it kept me invested the story and characters.
I will definitely look for other books by this author.
This Christian series is clean.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Kilmeny of the Orchard (L.M. Montgomery)
Why I have this book: I heard about it from someone online… it must have been a favorite of hers or something. Anyway, I've had it for a few years on my Kindle, and I needed a "K" book for my Alphabet Challenge, so I decided it was a good choice.
I'm not really sure what to think. It gave me that sort of dark, disturbing feeling a couple of times, like when you read parts of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. (Although I think pretty much all of Wuthering Heights was creepy.) I wasn't expecting that.
I also had a hard time feeling the love story… it wasn't really fleshed out much and the heroine was so "childlike" that I don't really get a grown man falling in love with her. It felt a little obsessed and weird to me.
I don't know… I guess I want to find the charm in it because of the author (I love Anne of Green Gables), but it was just okay to me. And I still feel a little disturbed about it...
Clean.
I'm not really sure what to think. It gave me that sort of dark, disturbing feeling a couple of times, like when you read parts of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. (Although I think pretty much all of Wuthering Heights was creepy.) I wasn't expecting that.
I also had a hard time feeling the love story… it wasn't really fleshed out much and the heroine was so "childlike" that I don't really get a grown man falling in love with her. It felt a little obsessed and weird to me.
I don't know… I guess I want to find the charm in it because of the author (I love Anne of Green Gables), but it was just okay to me. And I still feel a little disturbed about it...
Clean.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Christmas in Apple Ridge (Cindy Woodsmall)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
This is a collection of three books:
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
The Christmas Singing
The Dawn of Christmas
Turns out I already had read (and reviewed) the first one. I realized that as I was reading it. I think I liked it better the first time (according to my review).
The other two were nice. They all are really just light reading. I admit that I have a hard time thinking of the characters as Amish… meaning, I know they are, but I still can't shake the pictures of the Amish I have in my mind from when a bunch of them were on trial for cutting off beards and stuff. It kind of soured the association.
And I'm still curious why authors focus on stories in an Amish setting, especially when they aren't Amish.
Clean.
This is a collection of three books:
The Sound of Sleigh Bells
The Christmas Singing
The Dawn of Christmas
Turns out I already had read (and reviewed) the first one. I realized that as I was reading it. I think I liked it better the first time (according to my review).
The other two were nice. They all are really just light reading. I admit that I have a hard time thinking of the characters as Amish… meaning, I know they are, but I still can't shake the pictures of the Amish I have in my mind from when a bunch of them were on trial for cutting off beards and stuff. It kind of soured the association.
And I'm still curious why authors focus on stories in an Amish setting, especially when they aren't Amish.
Clean.
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