A Stillness of Chimes

Mar 22 at 10:22 PM

A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley is an entertaining novel set in the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Prospect.  Laura, Sean, and Cassie all grew up there and since Laura has returned to settle her mother's estate all are back together again.  The death of her mother has left Laura regreiving the drowning death of her father,Elliott, when she was 18 as well as mourning her mom.  His body was never found and the rumors were all over town of various sightings of him roaming the wilderness surrounding Prospect.  Laura's dad had been a Viet Nam vet and the war had changed him but he was always loving to her and she had loved him.  She was torn: if he was alive why did he leave her and her mom? but oh how see would love to see him again and hear him play and sing once more and just one more time tell him that she loved him.  Sean had a drunk for a dad and Laura's dad had saved his life then taught him to not only play the stringed instruments he played but also to make them thought not as artistically as Laura's dad Sean was very talented and hardworking.  Sean had however seen Elliott do something that he had not shared with anyone that could change everything.  Working together Laura and Sean start to uncover the mystery while continuing to keep their own secrets about Elliott. 

 

I thoroughly loved this story.  There is a love interest but the most important part of the story is the mystery.  I kept wanting to read the last page so I could read the book without the tension but I resisted and I hope that you do also.  This book would be of interest to any female of any age which was interested in the subject matter and I would recommend reading it.

 

This book was supplied by Waterbrook Multnomah for this review.

two are better than one review

Two are Better is a novel by Tim and Debbie Bishop who are a middle aged couple who have never married before but have always wanted to be married.  The two met and over the course of several years fell in love after becoming very good friends.  They met over the Internet in 2003 and after getting to know each other decided to meet in person which graduated into good friends and eventually into an engagement in 2010 and quickly married in the same year.  The couple planned to marry and then for their honeymoon bicycle across the United States from Pacific to Atlantic during Debbie's summer vacation from her job at school.  Tim had just retired from his job and so had plenty of free time.  Debbie was busy with end of the school year activities so Tim planned not only the wedding but also the cross country trip.  Neither however had time from their April engagement until their June wedding did not leave time to train (though both were physically very active) for their cross country trip or even to get to know their bikes and new equipment.  Tim and Jim Massey, Debbie's cousin who lived in Oregon, were putting the bikes and equipment together the night before the couple left.  They had few rules but among them were that they would attend church services on Sunday if possible.  They though that they were packing light but during the trip lightened again and forwarded the excess to their home.  They knew that their trip was in excess of 3000 miles and that they had 2 months to complete it and still get Debbie back in time to start the next school session. 

As I started reading this book I didn't think that I was going to like Tim.  Debbie had stated that she wanted to carry her share of the load during the trip but when it became evident that she would not physically be able to do this especially with the physical ailment that occurred he still did not help her even after watching her fall with the bike from exhaustion.  When her physical ailment finally became debilitating did he rescue her and transfer some of her load to his bike and they shipped some back home.  Could be that it just took him that long to figure things out.  I enjoyed the ride and it helped me to decide that I am pretty sure that I am cured from ever thinking that I should undertake that long of a trip on a bike.  I had no idea of the toll it took on the body.  I also think that their marriage benefited from having to depend on each other for most of their needs.  It is also something that must have taken a bigger chunk of money than I would have thought and that they maybe would have been better off it more would have been spent on some of their equipment or the repair of it.  This couple spent as many of their nights as possible in motels and ate in restaurants along the way so they had some hot meals not cooked over campfires which was most likely more nutritious. 

I did end up liking both characters in the book and loved the book and its adventure. It would be suitable reading for any age group that is capable of the reading level.

I received this book from              for this review.

seven secrets to praying

Seven Secrets to Power Praying by Jane Glenchur is a guide to improving, increasing or starting your prayer life.  It is an easy to read guide which manages not to read preachy.  She pulls from her own experiences in life as she tells the Keys to praying (petition, passion, presence, preparedness, and perseverance).  She then expands to the 7 secrets: Say yes first, Give God your password, Tap into God’s heart, Toss the pros and cons list, know when to give up, Open locked doors, Employ the power of testimonies.  She then describes how the reader can further expand their relationship with God further including increasing your daily Bible reading, deepening your prayers, and tightening your own time management skills.

This book is written in a way which speaks to the reader as if they are carrying on a conversation with the author.  This author really speaks to me the reader in a friendly way and makes the reader really see that increasing their own prayer life is a no brainer improvement into anyone’s life.  She points out how those of us with tight schedules can easily find time to place prayer into our daily life and how that very act can increase our time to do other things.  All of us have wasted time in our schedules which we spend doing things not nearly as valuable to our eternity as prayer.  God is happy to and just waiting for us to ask for blessings for which we are not asking.  This book spoke to me and I do not easily say those words.  I have read many books which are “good for me” but this book forced me to look as my life and desire to change it.

This book was provided by Chosen which is a division of Baker Publishing Group for this review.

heaven and earth review

Between Heaven and Earth by Steve Berger is a thought provoking small book providing insight on preparing oneself for a life in heaven.  Steve as a pastor has undoubtedly had his thoughts firmly placed on spending his eternity in heaven but the untimely death of his 19 year old son in a car accident certainly increased his thoughts on this subject.  Steve’s book provides a simple to understand Bible based manual on preparing for eternal life in heaven.  He provides scriptural background for all of his thoughts and preparations.  Though Steve certainly discusses the grief and sadness that the death of his son, Josiah, brought into his life he chose not to dwell upon his death but rather to focus on the beauty of his son’s certain home in heaven with his eternal father.  Steve’s life and that of his family changed forever when Josiah died but rather than despair over what he had lost Steve has made to choice to work to make sure of those around him have the opportunity for this same salvation.
Steve further includes in the book that if you are planning for life in heaven that it should be self evident to anyone who just watches you.  That you should have your hand in the harvest of souls for Christ.  He then provides the plan for helping in Christ’s soul harvest.  In the book he quotes James where it is stated that faith without works is dead and Steve states that many want their faith to get them into heaven but that Christians should want to take many with them when they go.
I enjoyed this book and it certainly makes the reader contemplate on whether they could be doing more to insure that the many mansions the Jesus has prepared for us are full.
This book was provided by Bethany House for this review.

pursit of Tamsen Littlejohn

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by
> Lori Benton is the newest historic romantic novel by this
> author.  This novel is set in the late 18th century of
> the state of what is now Tennessee.  At the time was
> called Carolina (as a part of North Carolina) or as Franklin
> depending upon their political leaning or it could be called
> by the particular tribal names is one happened to be one of
> the native people in the areas quickly filling with white
> people claiming ownership to the land.  It was a time
> of ownership—ownership of peoples of different races or of
> women—either by title or merely by lack of rights.
> Tamsen Littlejohn has grown into womanhood being groomed to
> be married above her station by her stepfather who uses
> might and anger to control Tamsen’s mother as well as
> Tamsen herself though her mother takes all the punishment
> from his hands.  When her stepfather, Hezekiah Parrish,
> kills her mother in a fit of rage after Tamsen rejected his
> latest choice for her husband Tamsen flees the town with a
> man she has just met, Jesse.  When Tamsen runs she
> doesn’t even know his name for the first few days.
> This story tells of the hardships faced not only by the
> whites settling the new areas as well as the well-settled
> natives of the area who are constantly having their lives
> upset by new treaties and breaking of the old ones
> previously signed.
>
> This book is a good one by Ms. Benton that anyone would
> enjoy reading.  She has remained true to history as
> well as written a novel which holds the readers
> interest.  It is a difficult to put down novel though
> it is too long to be easily read in one setting (378
> pages).  This book tells how a person can remain true
> to their faith in Christ even when faced with severe
> adversity and only resorting to violence when faced with
> their own death or that of loved ones.  I would
> recommend this novel to any woman or teen.
>
>
> This book was provided by Waterbrook Multnomah Press for
> this review.
>
>

rich in years review

Rich in Years is an uplifting book about aging in America.  Mr. Arnold tells many stories of the priviledge all of us who have lived life here on Earth and have less time ahead of than we do behind us.  But in this book also is a reminder that we do not know the day or the time of our death and that we always should be prepared for the end here on Earth and the beginning that awaits us.  He tells us of the time that we now have that we did not have when we were raising our children and that we should use that time wisely doing productive things for those around us.  We should be not only doing and sharing with and for those that we love but also making amends to those to whom we have done wrong.  Our forgivness of others is not only for them to be able to go on celebrating with more happiness but it is for the forgiver also.  The weight is now off our shoulder and onto God's.  This walk that we call life we should enjoy.  Take the time to thank those in your life who have made your life more blessed. The life that we have been given is a gift.  Take a look around and see all the blessings that are around us--the simple and the complex--the Lord God He made them all.  Mr. Arnold and his wife have taken the time to interview many older people who are now facing death and letting them tell their story so that we do not feel afraid to walk through that door of death that Jesus is on the other side of-"for it is only when we die will new life begin."(page 151)  Some of these people have spent a lifetime celebrating and working for God's plan for them and some only come to God as it is obvious that their life is short.  All came though and all are rewarded in God's plan for no matter how much we do we only can come to the Father through Grace. 

When I picked this book I did not expect it to speak to me as it did.  I expected it to be a sad book but I have to say that it is a happy book on preparing for one's own death and it is easier now to look forward.  As it is stated in one of the stories that I do not know what it on the other side of heaven's door but I do know who is there and I look forward to that time whenever it comes.  It is a quick good read for anyone facing death and we all are--some sooner/some later.  The book has scripture throughout to support the view stated and that would make it a good study companion for a group study also.

This book was provided for this review by Handlebar.

quilted heart review

The Quilted Heart is 3 novellas in one book.  All of which have in common Mrs. Elsa Brantenberg's quilting and Bible study.  The women of the little St. Charles community meet here to try to understand the trials of their life after the ending of the Civil War.   In the first, Dandelions on the Wind, Maren who is an immagrant to the country as a jilted mail order bride too poor to return back to her home she lives with Mrs. Brantenberg and cares for her little 4 year old granddaughter, Gabi.  She has grown quite close to the family that is until Gabi's father returns from war Maren becomes uncertain of her future and gets a job in town so that she can earn money for her passage home--buuuuut she feels pulled toward Wooly, Gabi's father.  What to do, what to do.  Bending Toward the Sun continues the story but takes it up for the point of view of Emilie, another community woman from the quilting/Bible study.  Emilie has been helping her father run the general store of St. Charles.  While all of her friends are paring off with new male interests she has no real interests outside of helping her aging father run the store but Mr. Heinrich has bigger plans for his daughter, he wants Emilie to go to the University and further her education.  Then just to spice things up she meets again a boy who has grown into a man during the war.  He has an Irish background and her father is sure that an Irish man is not good enough for his daughter.  The story continues on in Ripples Along the Shore Caroline has all during this book not heard from her husband.  She is afraid of what to think--she doesn't think he could have been killed.  She would have felt it wouldn't she have?  Garrett Cowlishaw has come into town in order to lead a wagon train to the west and into California.  Caroline instantly hates him because he was a Confederate soldier.  Even though St. Charles is in Missouri which had gone with the south this group is decidedly antislavery and Caroline just can't stand the thought of this Confederate in her town--that is before he told her he would see if he could find out the where abouts of her husband and so she decides to trust him.

 

These stories are all good and I like that though the story is a continuation of each the plot is different in each.  I have like all of Ms Hodgson's books and so of course I liked this one.  I think that this is the best that she has done so far.  This book would be good reading for girls and women of any age and I would encourage your reading this book.

 

I recieved this book from Waterbrook Press for this review.