The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel is a dark novel set in a rural Kansas rich family.  This story tells the tale of why the lead character, Lane Roanoke, can't control her emotions, why her mother doesn't love her, and why her mother can never go home again.  The story begins with the suicide of Lane's mother, Camilla.  Lane is sent back to her grandparents to live.  The huge house seems strange and weirdly put together but her grandfather seems nice and her grandmother though more distant is so much better than her mother who was mean to her and occasionally tried to strangle her.  Allegra is mostly nice to her and the two become fast friends.  Allegra is the first person who Lane feels an attachment to and loves her as she might her own sister if she had a sister and Allegra loves her equally.  They fight like sisters would but by and large love and stand by each other.  Throughout the story this novel goes back in time to tell of their mother growing up in this house and the darkness of this rich family unfolds.  Yates, the grandfather, molests all the family members starting at about 14 years of age and like many molesters convinces the girl that she made to decision and that this was love.  When Lane returns to Roanoke she begins to understand the love that her mother had for her when she left and never returned. 

This is a difficult book to read.  It is well written in that it brings out many of the feelings of incest that the victim feels especially if the perpetrator is skilled in manipulation.  It also brings out many of the widely accepted feelings of the community especially if the child pervert is a rich well known person of good reputation.  It is easy to tell that this author has a good understanding of this subject and does a good job of taking the reader through the experience.  I will repeat this is a difficult book and subject to read but it is well written.  Read this book with caution.
I received this book from Blogging for books for this review.

Faithful Finance by EmilyG. Stroud

Faithful Finance by EmilyG. Stroud is a book written by a financial advisor qualified to give advice.  That in and of itself is a good reason to read this book.  This is the book for 40 somethings wanting to be ready for retirement when the time comes but yet be financially responsible when it comes to spending their money.  This book advises on not only preparation for retirement but having fun while younger also.  This book puts no stress on having money-it is a reward for hard work.  I liked how this book inserts a plan for figuring out how you are doing financially and how to correct it if it will not prepare you for how you want your future to be going.  There are parts of the book which touches on planning for your future if you are younger (get your education and all that you plan to get while you are young) but it is mostly a book for those in the sandwich years.  This book tells the reader how to plan for your future so that you can live without fear--if you are not saving correctly now then how to correct your saving plan so that you will be ready for when it comes. 

I had hoped that this book would help me as an older reader of this book to figure out if retiring early would be something that I could easily do now but I found the book weaker in this respect.  I wish that I had found this book when I was 40 or so because this book seems more geared to those readers and planners.  That being said I found this interesting to read and a good source of information on budgeting and sticking with a budget through the years with adjustments along the way.
I received this book from Handlebar for this review.

Home All Along by Beth Wiseman

Home All Along by Beth Wiseman is the newest edition of the Amish Secrets series.  In the novel just prior to this one Charlotte was settled into her brother's home after he died.  This home was situated in an Amish community and also did not have electricity.  Charlotte had gotten used to wood heat and lanterns but but she sure missed having an oven.  Charlotte had also developed a relationship with an Amish man named Daniel Byler.  In this edition Daniel wants her to take the next step and become baptized and join the Amish completely then marry him.  In fact Daniel is considering breaking from the Amish in order to marry Charlotte but something is holding Charlotte back and she wants to wait a while longer to decide.  If that is not enough, Daniel's mother is very ill with her late in life pregnancy and cancer has returned to her dear friend, Lena.  Lena was such a close confidant for her during her time of decision-making.  Then Charlotte's long lost sister, Andrea, who was adopted out of her family when she was a baby drops in to live with Charlotte along with her baby daughter, Bella in her tiny house with no electricity.  Andrea was a whirlwind of activity as well as a mooch.  Andrea's plan was to get as much out of Charlotte as she could before she moved on.  Andrea didn't plan however to find a sister that she could love.  Charlotte and Andrea learned to love each other for who they were and develop the family that they never had before.

I love reading Beth Wiseman books and when it comes to series I just can hardly wait until the next one comes out.  Ms Wiseman well develops her characters so they seem as if they could be real.  Read this story to follow how Charlotte learns and lives the Amish way and then decides whether she is ready to join the church as a full member and not look back or see any regrets in her decision.  Is Charlotte ready to marry Daniel?  Is Charlotte just considering joining the church so that she can marry Daniel?  All this and more is what Charlotte must consider as she plans her future.  I loved this book and I think that you will too.
I received this book from Booksneeze for this review.

May the Faith be with You (NIRV) Bible

May the Faith be with You (NIRV) Bible is a new Bible for children written in the New International Reader's Version especially to be easy to read and understand.  There are 6 sections interspersed throughout the Bible which answer the questions that children may ask such as in the section at the beginning one of the questions is, what is the Bible? as well as a list of all the books of the Bible in the order they appear in the Bible and what is contained in each such as Genesis is in the group of the Law.  In the New Testament there is in one of the section dividers a list of the parables and where they are located as well as a list of verses of the Bible to read when you are having various feelings such as when you are angry, jealous, or lonely as well as many other feelings.  Now this Bible is not just a children's Bible but rather it is the actual same version as any other NIRV Bible it just has special helps which make the Bible more helpful for the young reader.  This Bible would make a good presentation Bible for churches or Sunday Schools to gift young readers .   In addition is well bond to be able to take the hard knocks that will happen.  The cover and the dividers have a Star Wars inspired design.  I would suggest this version of the Bible for young girls and boys of around 8 years and up.  The intended audience is 6-10 years old but I think that this Bible would be difficult to study for those younger that about 8 years.
I received this book from Handlebar for this review.

Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews is Ms. Andrews newest novel from the history of the Bible.  Ms. Andrews writes beautifully of the characters from the Bible remaining true to the Bible as well as written history but then brings their story to life in the novel format.  I love how this author tells the Biblical story of these women and shows their importance and strength while living their life as God had planned it.

Judah had bowed to the pagan gods of the people who surrounded them.  The king openly worshiped the wooden and golden idols of the times instead of the one true God, Yahweh.  But King Ahaz had a son who was the 2nd born son who studied under Isaiah, God's prophet. Hezekiah was learning the law and was learning to love and trust the one true God, Yahweh.  His friend, Hephzibah, was also learning the law as daughter of the prophet, Isaiah.  These 2 loved and married each other and ruled the Jewish kingdom during the time that Assyria was attacking Judah after Israel had already succumbed to idol worship and had been overtaken.  Hezekiah torn down the high places and Judah had resumed worship of Yahweh.

This book beautifully tells the love story between Hezekiah and Hephzibah as well as telling the history of our Old Testament story contained within the section of the Bible know as Kings and Isaiah.  I love how this author tells the story in such an interesting way only adding to the story where necessary for clarity, continuity and interest.  She begins her novel with a character list which defines which characters are added or named when unnamed and their title or purpose in the story.  Then she tells the story of Hezekiah and Hephzibah's journey of faith with the assistance of Isaiah.  Read this book if you have trouble reading or understanding the Old Testament stories--this book will bring the story alive and increase your interest of Bible study.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.