Lost Melody by Lori Copeland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jill's dream of becoming a concert pianist comes to an abrupt end when her hand is injured in a subway accident. She is putting her life back together when she is haunted by another dream. In this dream are disaster, destruction, and death. She feels compelled to warn the townspeople, but gets a mixed reaction--some who believe and prepare to evacuate and those who think she's crazy. Her fiance must also choose whether to believe Jill and put his political campaign in jeopardy or to turn his back on her and save his political career.

Jill feels called to share the information she receives in the recurring dream. Doing what one feels God has called them to do even in the face of opposition is the main theme.

This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.



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The Beach Trees by Karen White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Julie's younger sister disappeared without a trace when Julie was twelve. Her mother never gave up hope that she would be found, and when she died, Julie continued to search.

While working at an auction house in New York City, Julie meets Monica Guidry, a single mom and struggling artist who reminds her of her sister. Monica has secrets, her family in New Orleans, why she left them, and most of all, a heart condition. The heart condition takes her life and she leaves her son and half a beach house in Biloxi, MS to Julie.

Julie leaves her life in New York behind and sets out to find the secrets of Monica's past. Their lives are surprisingly interwoven and Julie learns the secrets she came for.

This was a page turner--never knew what would happen next. An interesting look at family dynamics and the results of secret keeping.

This book was borrow from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.

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Falling for You Again by Catherine Palmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Esther and Charlie have been married for nearly fifty years. Big changes occur when Esther drives the car off the back of the carport and into the backyard, when she begins to forget things and accuse others of doing things behind her back, when the doctor says her arteries are clogged and need to be cleaned out. Charlie discovers things about Esther he never expected.

This is the third book in a series of four. I enjoyed this book and the peek into the lives of the inhabitants of Deepwater Cove. I plan to find and read the other three books in the series.

I own this book. It was a gift from my husband.

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Softly & Tenderly by Sara Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jade and Max have been married for nearly two years. She has expanded her business and has two shops. Her mother lives with them. They have tried to have a baby, but have only had miscarriages. With the news that Max has fathered a child with his ex-fiance (who dies in a plane crash), Jade and her mother and mother-in-law head for Prairie City, Iowa. Beryl, her mother, to die. June, her mother-in-law, to deal with the latest affair of her husband. And, Jade to deal with Max's illegitimate son.

Another very good read about family, relationships, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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The Sweet by and by by Sara Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jade Fitzgerald left Prairie City, Iowa behind when she went to college in Tennessee. Now she lives in Whisper Hollow, TN and is getting married to Max Benson. She debates long and hard, but finally sends an invitation to her mother. Her mother and sister arrive three weeks early for the wedding. Their arrival forces Jade to confront things from her past that she thought she had left behind. Her mother must also deal with issues from their past before illness takes her life.

A complex story of family, relationships, forgiveness, and reconciliation. A very good read.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Raleigh is an FBI agent on an Alaskan Cruise. She is supposed to be vacationing/consulting for a movie being film aboard. Instead of a relaxing voyage, she gets caught up in a murder and the theft of valuable jewels. The pressure is on to solve these crimes before the cruise ends and the passengers (and possibly the culprit) disperse. Also thrown into the mix is her mother's nervous breakdown.

The story is fast moving and full of twists and turns. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more books by this author.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After seeing ads for the movie, I decided to read the book. It was a hard book to read--it kept jumping from the child's (Oskar) point of view to his grandmother's and his grandfather's. It would take a paragraph or so to figure out who was telling the story. It was disappointing--hopefully, the movie is better.

Oskar's father dies on Sept. 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center. Oskar finds a key in his father's closet and begins a search to find who and what it belongs to--hoping for a connection with his father.

This book belongs to me and was purchased with a gift card from Barnes & Noble.

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Tini: Trailblazer in the Wake of the Pitcairn by Abbie Le'ala Lam Yuen Watt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting account of the author's father's missionary work in American and Western Samoa--mostly post WWII. It includes pictures and many stories of triumph over difficulty.

It could have been edited more thoroughly.

This book was borrowed from E. W. Ryder.



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Christmas Treasures by Thomas Kinkade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this latest book we visit several characters who find "treasures" during the Christmas season.
Reverend Ben and his wife, Carolyn, learn anew that life is a treasure and so is their lifework. Reverend Isabel learns to treasure small town life and the sense of family in a traditional congregation. Richard and Regina learn to treasure Regina's inheritance, steady jobs, and a chance to make their family come together and stay together--and also the value of an old book.

Another heartwarming visit to Cape Light--a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a story of a Border Collie--from the dog's point of view. It chronicles mostly the time period of a severe winter storm--there are some references to past events and the epilogue carries over to the summer.

Rose is Sam's dog. They have a working relationship on the farm--each doing their job--neither being very affectionate with the other, though both respecting the other. A winter storm is coming and Sam and Rose work to prepare the farm's barns, shelters, and animals from the cold. They work together as a team, feeding and watering the stock, rounding up stray cattle, goats and sheep, and getting things secure. Calamity strikes when Sam tries to rake snow from the roof of the barn creating an avalanche that swallows both Sam and Rose. Rose is near the edge of the avalanche and is able to crawl out from under the snow. She looks for Sam and can't find him, then decides he must be under the snow. After several hours of digging (til her feet are raw and bleeding), Rose uncovers Sam, who is alive, but with multiple injuries. They manage to make it to the house. Phone lines and power are out. Sam shoots a flare for help.

Help arrives by helicopter the next day during a break in the storm. Sam begs Rose to come with him, but she refuses. While Sam is getting medical treatment, Rose manages to save most of the livestock, though she is barely alive when Sam returns.

An interesting story from a different perspective. A good read that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

This book was borrowed from T. H. Pulliam.

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The Pact by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Chris and Emily have been together all their lives--Chris was even in the delivery room when Emily was born. Their families are neighbors and they grow up together as close as twins. At age thirteen, they began dating. Their parents envisioned their wedding in the near future.

How then did Emily end up dead from a gunshot wound? Chris is accused of her murder and spends seven months in jail awaiting trial.

Jodi Picoult tackles tough issues such as love, loyalty, family dynamics, and teen suicide.

This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.

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False Pretenses: A Novel by Kathy Herman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zoe's secrets are about to catch up with her. These secrets could endanger her business, her friendships, her marriage, and even her life.

Zoe runs a Cajun restaurant with her husband Pierre. Mysterious notes begin to appear saying, "I know what you did". Zoe is able to keep Pierre from finding the notes. She tries to make right a wrong she committed years ago, but the notes keep coming.

Who is sending the notes? What do they want from Zoe? How can she tell Pierre the truth about herself, and if she does, will he leave her?

This was an interesting page turner with new plot twists that kept me reading to see what would happen next. Honesty, forgiveness and grace were central themes.

I borrowed this book from the Allen County, KY public library.

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A Dublin Student Doctor: An Irish Country Doctor Novel by Patrick Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This sixth book in Patrick Taylor's "Irish Country..." series is set in the 1930's and follows Dr. Fingal O'Reilly though his days as a student doctor.

Fingal has always wanted to be a doctor. His father, a professor, wants him to be an engineer. The elder O'Reilly refuses to fund Fingal's education as a doctor. Fingal joins the Navy for four years to earn and save the money he'll need for med school.

He begins school, finds time for rugby, boxing, and courting. A couple of setbacks during his senior year changes the course of his life as he puts the sports and courting on hold to devote his time to study. He also must decide whether or not to specialize. When the year ends, he has missed his big chance to play rugby and lost his girlfriend. His father dies soon after he graduates, and the direction he'll take his career becomes clear.

Another interesting look at life in a different time and place, and at how "small" decisions can be life changing.


This book was borrowed from T. H. Pulliam and was actually a Doubleday Large Print Edition.

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The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an action/adventure thriller where innocent people are sucked into a search for an ancient relic.

In the Biblical story of Cain and Abel there is no mention of the murder weapon that Cain used to kill Abel. According to some ancient legends, the weapon was a book. This story picks up the search in Florida and travels to Cleveland, OH and the birthplace of the Superman comics.

Murder, mystery, intrigue, betrayal, secrets, relationships--all in the course of the quest for Cain's murder weapon and the "mark" that God left on him.

I appreciated that this adventure tale was told with little or no foul language and that the violence portrayed was within the context of the story.

This book belongs to me and was purchased at Dollar Tree.

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The Dark Side of Innocence: Growing Up Bipolar by Terri Cheney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After writing the book "Manic" which describes her adult life dealing with being bipolar, Terri Cheney wrote this book describing her childhood growing up bipolar.

As a child, Terri knew there was something different about herself. She had a dark side that she nicknamed "The Beast". The Beast tormented her and urged her to behave in negative ways--attempting suicide several times (the first time at seven), battling with her family, skipping school, taking dares. The manic side of her kept her awake nights, helped her be a top student in spite of missing so much school, kept her involved with many extra curricular activities (cheerleading, student council,contests,etc.).

This was a compelling story of a child coping with two very different controllers of her life while trying to keep them both a secret and to fit in with her peers.



This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.

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Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book deals with tough contemporary issues such as parenthood, family, infertility, and homosexuality.

Max and Zoe are married for nine years. They both have fertility issues and turn to invitro to try and have a baby. They struggle through miscarriages and a near term still birth. Their marriage crumbles.

After their divorce, Max loses himself in alcoholism and Zoe throws herself into her job as a music therapist.

They both get a second chance at life--Max gets religion and joins his brother's church--Zoe finds love with Vanessa. Zoe and Vanessa marry and want to have a family. Zoe has frozen embryos left from her relationship with Max. She goes to the fertility clinic to see if she and Vanessa can have them. The clinic says Max has to agree. Max wants to give the embryos to his brother and sister-in-law since they are also having fertility issues.

What follows is the legal tangle of who the eggs belong to, whether a gay couple would make good parents, media frenzy, religious attitudes toward fertility and homosexuality, and the impact of all that on the relationships between Max, Zoe, Vanessa, Max's brother Reed and sister-in-law Liddy.


This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.

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Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacob and Lilly marry in haste--will they repent in leisure? Jacob has loved Sarah for years. Lilly gets drenched on the way to Sarah's wedding to Grant. She stops at a nearby barn to get out of the weather and finds Jacob hiding. He has stolen a neighbor's horse that was being beaten and is shot in the arm. They help each other--he gives her dry clothes of his mother's, she checks his wound and promises to create a diversion at the wedding so that he can get the groom, a vet, to check his arm. They arrive together at the wedding, which causes a stir. Before things settle down, the local policeman barges in looking for the horse thief. He accuses Jacob, but Lilly claims he was with her and couldn't have stolen the horse. To save her reputation, Jacob announces their engagement.

What follows are the ups and downs of their relationship as they figure out how to be married. Throw in a case of depression (Lilly's mother), schoolhouse vandalism, misunderstandings, and they have more than just the usual adapting to deal with.

As the Lord blesses their efforts to be true to each other, Jacob sets in motion a plan to show Lilly his love in a tangible way with a traditional wedding quilt--which comes together in a very nontraditional way.

This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.

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1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this last book of the Cedar Cove series, Debbie Macomber wraps up a Christmas reat. Not only does she wrap up loose ends from all the previous books, but gives a new Christmast story to enjoy as well.

Beth and Kent divorced three years ago--nothing big broke up their marriage, just a series of little things that drew them apart. Their college age daughters are coming to Cedar Cove to visit Beth and say that Kent wants to come too. Imagine everyone's surprise when Kent shows up--with Danielle.

Beth also has ten Labrador puppies to find homes for before she goes on vacation with her daughters on the day after Christmas. (The puppies are a springboard to wrapping up the stories of other residents of Cedar Cove).

Will Baily and Sophie, Beth and Kent's daughters, have the Christmas they hope for? Will all the puppies find homes?

This book belongs to me and was purchased at Goodwill.

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Learning to Love: Sugar and Spice\Love by Degree by Debbie Macomber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In the first story, Sugar and Spice, Jayne is a stereotypical children's librarian looking for a date to her ten year high school reunion. She becomes friends with Riley, a mysterious neighbor, who agrees to be her date for the reunion. Misunderstandings, mishaps, and mystery occur before the final happy ending.



In the second story, Love by Degree, Ellen is an older college student playing house mother to three freshman boys. In exchange for cooking and other house hold tasks, she receives a cut rate on rent. Enter Reed, owner of the house and brother to one of the boys. He is unaware of the housing arrangements and not too happy. Misunderstandings and misery occur before the final happy ending.



This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.



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The Mercy by Beverly Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rose misses her friend, Nick, a rebellious Englisch boy adopted by the Bishop's family. He leaves the community after the mysterious death of his foster brother.



Rose's sister, Hen, takes care of her estranged husband after an auto accident temporarily blinds him. Will the Bishop's visits soften Brandon's heart to Hen's longing for faith and family?



Rose's brother and sister-in-law introduce her to Isaac from a neighboring community. Will Isaac join the church and propose?



Faith and family triumph in this third book of the Rose Trilogy.



This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.



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Breathe by Lisa T. Bergren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Odessa has consumption. She travels to Colorado Springs, CO to a sanatorium along with her brother, Dominic, and sister, Moira. The year is 1883--consumption had already taken the lives of their mother and several siblings. Their father has sent them to get treatment for Odessa.

Odessa is admitted to the sanatorium where she befriends Sam O'Toole and Bryce McAllen. Moira is courted by the local sheriff. Dominic is supposed to open a bookstore (their father is in publishing) but does so reluctantly--he would rather fight.

Sam O'Toole dies mysteriously, leaving directions to a treasure to Odessa and the deed to his land to Bryce. Unknown persons are willing to kill for that information.

Moira gets a leading role in an opera and wants to direct her own life. At their father's untimely death, Dominic must settle his affairs and make life changing decisions.

Odessa learns that her life and times are in God's hands and to be thankful for whatever time she has. Moira and Dominic go their separate ways and will presumably have adventures and learn lessons in the next two books of the series.

The story moves fairly rapidly from one adventure to another with nice resolution for Odessa.

This book was a free Kindle book that I downloaded to my Kindle.

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A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was a life changing road trip for Bethanne, her ex-mother-in-law, Ruth, and her daughter, Annie. The road trip was Ruth's idea--she planned to attend her 50 year high school reunion in Florida--and she wanted to drive and see the country. For years, her husband had promised such a trip, but died without fulfilling the promise. Bethanne volunteered to go with Ruth--in part to keep her children from worrying--and in part to consider whether or not she wants to reconcile with her ex-husband, Grant. On the night that Annie thinks her boyfriend, Vance, is going to propose, he instead announces his plan to tour Europe for a year without her. She asks to go along on the road trip so she can get away and think about her future.

The first day out, the trip takes a turn from Ruth's planned route--thanks to Annie. Annie continues to change the itinerary--they end up going to Vegas, the Grand Canyon--but Bethanne and Ruth get things back on track for a stop in Branson, MO.

Along the way they reunite with an old friend, have car trouble, meet a group of bikers,and discover more about themselves and each other.

At the reunion, Ruth rekindles a romance with her high-school sweetheart. Bethanne must now choose between her ex-husband, Grant, and Max, one of the bikers they met along the way. Grant is familiar and comfortable, Max makes her feel alive. Annie hears from Vance, whose trip hasn't turned out the way he thought it would and is lonely. She must decide whether she wants to reunite with Vance who is familiar or start something new with Jason, whom she met in Vegas--or Craig, the grandson of her grandmother's new love.

This book was borrowed from the Edward Ward Carmack public library.

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Over the Edge: A Novel by Brandilyn Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Taken from events in the author's own life, Over the Edge presents a medical mystery.

Janessa McNeil's husband, Brock, is a renowned scientist on the subject of Lyme disease. He maintains that Lyme is easily treatable with a short round of antibiotics and that chronic Lyme does not exist. While he is away at a conference, someone breaks into his home and infects Janessa with Lyme (pouring a vial of infectious ticks into her hair as she sleeps). The onset of the disease is rapid and dramatic (due in part to the coinfections that came with the ticks).

Will Brock change his views on Lyme once Janessa is symptomatic? How does the disease affect not only Janessa but their daughter? Who broke in and infected Janessa and will she be the only one he infects? Why does the unknown man want anyone to get Lyme?

This was a real page turner as I kept reading to find the answers. Not only was it an engaging mystery, but there are also resources at the end of the book for anyone wanting more information about Lyme disease and its treatment.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lost December is a modern retelling of the story of the Prodigal Son.

Luke Crisp has worked in the family business since he was twelve. When he finishes grad school, his father wants to turn the business over to him. Luke would rather tour Europe with friends from school. He takes his trust fund, refuses his father, and begins his adventure.

His funds run out--so do his friends. He finds himself homeless and loses what little he has left. When Carlos finds him he has just been mugged and has only the clothes he wears. Carlos gives him a job and hope. As Luke rebuilds his life, he finds what is truly important to him.

A heartwarming story, predictable to a point given that it is based upon another story, but with some surprises along the way.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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Angel's Den: A Novel by Jamie Carie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emma marries Eric, a handsome man with an evil soul. She, of course, doesn't realize his dark side until they are married. Eric plans an expedition to follow the route of Lewis and Clark and establish trading posts along the way. He hires Luke, a cartographer who had traveled briefly with Lewis and Clark, to be the cartographer of this expedition. At the last minute, Eric insists that Emma accompany the group. What follows is murder, abuse, disaster, a love triangle, forgiveness, and a surprise ending.

Two peeves which contributed to the three star rating: 1) at Emma and Eric's wedding they light a unity candle--the year is supposed to be 1808--a few minutes of internet research on several sites puts the origin of the unity candle in the last 30 to 50 years 2) the book's epilogue ends with the main characters telling each other what has happened in the last seven years--as if they didn't already know.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY public library.

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Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sabrina is a waitress in a Nantucket cafe. Tucker runs a boating tour company and comes to the cafe for coffee every morning. They meet in an online chat room and form a friendship. When Tucker sends his picture to her, Sabrina realizes that she knows him from the cafe. Unfortunately, he is tied to mistakes she has made in her past and she decides he must never find out who she is.

Tucker knows who Sabrina is, but wants her to reveal herself. Not knowing the secret of her past indiscretion, he tries to pressure her to admit that she is his chat room correspondent.

Forgiveness is an important aspect of the story as Sabrina must accept God's forgiveness as well as Tucker's--and Tucker must forgive Sabrina for her mistakes.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY library.

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House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bailee, Geena, and Piper gather at the family's summer home at the request of their father. Fifteen years have passed since they were there last--the summer their mother died.

While there they open the Pandora's box of family secrets which include their mother's mental illness, the life and death of a brother they never knew they had, and their belief that their father murdered their mother.

Forgiveness and honesty are central themes--each character has their own journey toward openness and forgiveness.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY library.

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I'm No Sleeping Beauty, You're No Prince Charming, and There's No Fairy God Mother in Sight! by Cate Howard
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

If you remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon and the portion called "Fractured Fairy Tales", this is very similar. The author took familiar fairy tales and rewrote them--most with female lead characters who learn not to depend on Prince Charming or Fairy Godmothers/fathers to solve their problems.

There were a couple funny ones, but most were only mildly amusing.

This book was given to me as a gift.

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We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals that Changed Their Lives Forever by Benjamin Mee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Benjamin Mee uprooted his family and together with his mother, sister, and two brothers bought a failing zoo in Dartmoor. This book describes the highs and lows of getting the zoo up and running--escaped animals, buildings to refurbish, mountains of paperwork and forms, haggling for loans, staffing ups and downs, and much more before they were able to open in July of 2007. In addition to the struggles to get the zoo operational, Benjamin's wife, Katherine, suffered the recurrence of a brain tumor.

This was a very interesting story of a family's struggles to overcome the obstacles and succeed in making their dream come true.

This book was borrowed from the Allen County, KY library.

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Life's That Way: A Memoir by Jim Beaver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book chronicles a year in the life of Jim Beaver, actor, playwright, and film historian. During the course of this year his two year old daughter was diagnosed with autism, his wife with stage IV lung cancer, his brother-in-law with a stage II brain tumor, his father-in-law was in a hotel fire and developed pneumonia, his own father's health deteriorated, and his grandmother died. The book is a collection of emails that he wrote to family and friends at that time.

The immediacy and rawness of emotion are apparent in each email. It was a hard read because of this. In addition to the joys and sorrows recorded, there is gratefulness to the many people in their lives who helped and supported them throughout the year. There is also an element of faith that I didn't expect to find in the lives of "Hollywood" people.

This book belongs to me and was purchased at Dollar Tree.

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