Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I loved this book. I'm not gonna lie... it's a tough read in parts, but it grabbed onto me and I was stuck in it every free moment. (I made extra free moments so I could stay stuck.)
I had never heard of the Tennessee Children's Home Society before reading this book. What a dark part of US adoption, and I can't help but wonder how much of this adoption "black market" still exists. I have no doubt that it does happen in places around the world, but I hope and pray that the majority of adoptions are on the up and up. As an adoptive mom, that certainly is my prayer. It helps me to understand the stricter requirements that have been put in place in my daughter's birth country. Even though I think it has complicated the process too much (and to the point of hurting the children as far as the waiting times and the chance to bond at a younger age), I can see why agencies and countries need to be very careful.
This book involves some tough subjects, including abuse of every kind. However, I was impressed that there was not one swear word in the entire book. Considering the evil of some of the characters, I was surprised that the author didn't have them using coarse language. I'm very happy about that.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Monday, August 14, 2017
The Underside of Joy (Seré Prince Halverson)
Why I have this book: I had it on my Amazon Wish List for a long time, and when the price dropped enough, I bought it.
I really liked this book. Could have done without the swearing, although it didn't seem as glaring as in a lot of other books. Maybe because I could picture my own Italian great-grandparents speaking the same way, although I don't remember them swearing quite so much. ;)
The ending could have been drawn out a little more for me. The Epilogue tied things up, but I would have preferred to see it happen. Still, it was good. I probably just wasn't ready for it to end.
The writing really drew me in and I still am thinking about it a few days after finishing. I'm glad I read it.
There is quite a bit of swearing in this book, including the F-word. (Although the author doesn't write out the whole word. There's more the "F---" type thing going on.) There is some sexuality, but not really graphic in description.
I really liked this book. Could have done without the swearing, although it didn't seem as glaring as in a lot of other books. Maybe because I could picture my own Italian great-grandparents speaking the same way, although I don't remember them swearing quite so much. ;)
The ending could have been drawn out a little more for me. The Epilogue tied things up, but I would have preferred to see it happen. Still, it was good. I probably just wasn't ready for it to end.
The writing really drew me in and I still am thinking about it a few days after finishing. I'm glad I read it.
There is quite a bit of swearing in this book, including the F-word. (Although the author doesn't write out the whole word. There's more the "F---" type thing going on.) There is some sexuality, but not really graphic in description.
Friday, August 11, 2017
The Amish Blacksmith (Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I know I swore off Amish stories, and I still stand by that. The only reason I read this is because my good friend said that she knew I swore them off, but she really enjoyed this one. I read it strictly out of friend-loyalty and because I always trust her judgement when it comes to books. :)
I admit that I enjoyed this book, as well. I gave it three stars on Goodreads. I could pick apart a few things with the writing, but I wasn't that bothered by it. The Amish characters didn't seem as Amish as in other books I've read. They way they spoke, for example, didn't seem to fit the setting, but that actually made it feel more relatable. I liked the overall theme of the book (allowing ourselves to have deep emotions, whether painful or joyful) and I enjoyed the light escape it provided during a hectic month at my house.
Clean.
I know I swore off Amish stories, and I still stand by that. The only reason I read this is because my good friend said that she knew I swore them off, but she really enjoyed this one. I read it strictly out of friend-loyalty and because I always trust her judgement when it comes to books. :)
I admit that I enjoyed this book, as well. I gave it three stars on Goodreads. I could pick apart a few things with the writing, but I wasn't that bothered by it. The Amish characters didn't seem as Amish as in other books I've read. They way they spoke, for example, didn't seem to fit the setting, but that actually made it feel more relatable. I liked the overall theme of the book (allowing ourselves to have deep emotions, whether painful or joyful) and I enjoyed the light escape it provided during a hectic month at my house.
Clean.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
What I Saw and How I Lied (Judy Blundell)
Why I have this book: My friend recommended it, so I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I couldn't get my nose out of this book. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it was a captivating read and kept me up past midnight so I could see what happened. I had all the feels with this one.
I just put the author's other book on hold.
There were a few swear words and some mild sexual situations.
I couldn't get my nose out of this book. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it was a captivating read and kept me up past midnight so I could see what happened. I had all the feels with this one.
I just put the author's other book on hold.
There were a few swear words and some mild sexual situations.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Everything, Everything (Nicola Yoon)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
Okay, if I could just take out the swearing and one event in particular, this would be very close to a 5 star book for me. The story itself is fascinating, funny, emotional, and eyebrow-raising surprising at times. I think it's probably written for a teenage audience, but I would stay it's more appropriate for the YA crowd (although that might be pushing it for Christian readers). It's too bad it wasn't a bit more "clean," because I very much enjoyed this book.
If you do read it, just know that the "bonus" chapter after the story might take it all down a notch for you. It's kind of like a "deleted scene," but it feels out of place and actually takes away from the story for me. I guess that's why it wasn't kept in the story. I'm just not sure why the author included it at the end.
This book contains swearing (including the use of the Savior's name as an exclamation of emotion). I'm happy and somewhat surprised that the F-word was NOT in this book. It seems to be commonplace now in YA reading. There is some description of family abuse and premarital sex.
Okay, if I could just take out the swearing and one event in particular, this would be very close to a 5 star book for me. The story itself is fascinating, funny, emotional, and eyebrow-raising surprising at times. I think it's probably written for a teenage audience, but I would stay it's more appropriate for the YA crowd (although that might be pushing it for Christian readers). It's too bad it wasn't a bit more "clean," because I very much enjoyed this book.
If you do read it, just know that the "bonus" chapter after the story might take it all down a notch for you. It's kind of like a "deleted scene," but it feels out of place and actually takes away from the story for me. I guess that's why it wasn't kept in the story. I'm just not sure why the author included it at the end.
This book contains swearing (including the use of the Savior's name as an exclamation of emotion). I'm happy and somewhat surprised that the F-word was NOT in this book. It seems to be commonplace now in YA reading. There is some description of family abuse and premarital sex.
Monday, August 7, 2017
The Greek Village Series Books 1-3 (Sara Alexi)
Why I have this book: Okay, so longish explanation. I'm pretty sure I got Book 6 of this series for free or very cheap, but I hadn't read the earlier books, so I found this edition that contained the first three books for pretty cheap.
And to make it more confusing, once I finished reading this volume (with the first three books), I looked to see how much the fourth book was, and I discovered that the second book in this volume is really the second (or first?) book in another series by the same author, and therefore what I have as Book 6 is really Book 5 or Book 7 or something. I don't even know.
This volume contains:
The Illegal Gardener
Black Butterflies
The Explosive Nature of Friendship
In any case, I wasn't even sure if I would buy Book 4, because the books were only kind of interesting to me. They were good, but not really good enough for me to keep going. At some point I'll probably read Book 6 (?) since I have it, but I'm not going to buy any of the rest.
I gave this volume 2 stars on Goodreads. If I had the option, I'd probably go with 2.5, but I can't bring myself to go with a solid 3.
Also, these books needed to be cleaned up with a good proofreader/editor.
There are some swear words, a "mild" description of marital rape, and same-sex relationships are a part of one story.
And to make it more confusing, once I finished reading this volume (with the first three books), I looked to see how much the fourth book was, and I discovered that the second book in this volume is really the second (or first?) book in another series by the same author, and therefore what I have as Book 6 is really Book 5 or Book 7 or something. I don't even know.
This volume contains:
The Illegal Gardener
Black Butterflies
The Explosive Nature of Friendship
In any case, I wasn't even sure if I would buy Book 4, because the books were only kind of interesting to me. They were good, but not really good enough for me to keep going. At some point I'll probably read Book 6 (?) since I have it, but I'm not going to buy any of the rest.
I gave this volume 2 stars on Goodreads. If I had the option, I'd probably go with 2.5, but I can't bring myself to go with a solid 3.
Also, these books needed to be cleaned up with a good proofreader/editor.
There are some swear words, a "mild" description of marital rape, and same-sex relationships are a part of one story.
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Candle in the Darkness (Lynn Austin)
Why I have this book: I got the Kindle version for free back in 2013.
I enjoyed this book. It didn't have the depth that some of the author's other books have, but it kept me engrossed throughout. One thing I really liked is that it explained a lot about the Civil War in a way that was simple enough to understand —like why the war started and how it progressed. It was a complicated time with all the various battles and leaders, so it was nice to have a more simple explanation for how things went down.
I also liked seeing the conflict through the eyes of a Southern girl whose family owned slaves, but who also felt slavery was wrong. I wonder how many Southerners had that conflicted viewpoint.
I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads, but I really would have liked to give it something closer to a 4, like a 3.7. I guess I should round up and go ahead and give it a 4. :)
This Christian novel is clean. There are a few mild descriptions of battle wounds.
I enjoyed this book. It didn't have the depth that some of the author's other books have, but it kept me engrossed throughout. One thing I really liked is that it explained a lot about the Civil War in a way that was simple enough to understand —like why the war started and how it progressed. It was a complicated time with all the various battles and leaders, so it was nice to have a more simple explanation for how things went down.
I also liked seeing the conflict through the eyes of a Southern girl whose family owned slaves, but who also felt slavery was wrong. I wonder how many Southerners had that conflicted viewpoint.
I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads, but I really would have liked to give it something closer to a 4, like a 3.7. I guess I should round up and go ahead and give it a 4. :)
This Christian novel is clean. There are a few mild descriptions of battle wounds.
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