Washington's Lady

I've discovered I can read while riding the recumbent bike at the gym.  Which is great for two reasons:   1) the time goes by so much faster! 2) I'm flying through the books!

Anyway, I recently read Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser. I've read four other novels written by her and enjoyed them....but I didn't realize she wrote historical books based on real people.   I really enjoyed this book focusing on Martha Washington.   I believe the author did a great job of sticking to the facts yet presenting a great story.  I'm no expert on our first First Lady but I know enough to see that the story is mostly true.  It's told from Martha's point of view and I think we forget just how much heartbreak she had suffered before she met George---losing her husband and two children.  Worth reading if you enjoy historical novels!

A word about Nancy Moser's other books....she has a great way of writing books with plots that are very different from the norm.  I always find them to be great reads!   I've enjoyed The Time Lottery and its sequel, Crossroads, and John 3:16.

Rachel Hauck

I've seen books by Rachel Hauck over the years and mostly ignored them. I'm sure they are fine books but the chick-lit light romance type don't really entice me. Not long ago one of hers caught my eye....The Wedding Dress. Since I'm a sucker for anything wedding-related, I picked it up. Here is the blurb on the back cover:


Four brides. One Dress.

A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.

Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress…or feel certain she should marry Tim. Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new—shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed.”

Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history—and its new bride—begins as a distraction
from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who

have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within 

the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love.

“The story of four loveable women, miraculously bound by one gown, whose lives span a century . . . will take your breath away.” —Beth Webb Hart, bestselling author of Love, Charleston


Needless to say I bought the novel and read it. I found the plot very intriguing and I really enjoyed every page. 

Just about a month ago I was browsing in the bookstore and say another of hers called Once Upon a Prince (Royal Wedding Series). I picked it up and while it was much more predictable and less mysterious I still enjoyed it. I plan to continue reading the series.

Beach Reads

Just thought I would compile a list of some of my favorite beach reads in Christian fiction!

1. The Guestbook by Marybeth Whalen
http://www.amazon.com/The-Guest-Book-A-Novel/dp/0310334748/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370914277&sr=8-1&keywords=The+guest+book

2. The Beach House by Sally John
http://www.amazon.com/Beach-House-Book/dp/0736913165/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370914506&sr=1-9&keywords=Beach+house

3.  Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble
Those of you who love the Outer Banks will particularly love this one!
http://www.amazon.com/Tidewater-Hope-Beach-Colleen-Coble/dp/B00B2S4XTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370914817&sr=1-1&keywords=Tidewater+inn

To Whisper Her Name

I just finished this great book by Tamera Alexander.   Set just after the Civil War, the story takes place at Nashville's Belle Meade Plantation.    Young, shamed widow Olivia Aberdeen arrives at the plantation to stay with her mother's dear friend and her family.   A young soldier, Ridley Cooper arrives at the same time to study under horse trainer Robert Green.  You see in the prologue that Cooper and Green met in an unusual circumstance during the war.   I would characterize this book as historical romantic fiction.  While the romance is the main part of the story, there are several other sub plots involving horse training, the plantation owner's past life, war stories, and the former slaves.  I am not usually one to read romance novels but I picked this one up because it was Civil War era fiction, which I enjoy.  I was pleasantly surprised that even though you can surely figure out where the romance is headed, the other parts of the story made it an excellent read.  

Other Civil War era books I've enjoyed:

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin (set in Richmond)--there are two others in the series also
All Things New by Lynn Austin
A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner
The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks (not Christian fiction, but a great read!)

Click on the Civil War tab at the bottom of the post and you can see some reviews of these books.

The Verdict: Left Behind series

Well, I made it through book 8.

Loved the first three.  Sped through them and couldn't wait for the next.
Books 4 and 5 were a little less riveting for me.
Books 6 and 7, to me, seemed a little out there.  
Book 8....did not like.  Made myself finished then wondered why.

I think it was worth my time to read through some of the series, but as I read more of the books I  found I wanted to read more nonfiction exploring the end times instead of these.   I think the further into the tribulation the authors got, the less biblical descriptions there are so it seemed more made-up.   Just my two cents.  

I've discovered a great author!

If you like suspense (which I do!), you need to check out Brandilyn Collins.
http://www.brandilyncollins.com/books.html

The book club read Deceit last year and we all enjoyed it.  This year we read Gone to Ground and I thought it was a excellent read.   I actually read the entire book in two hours (while in the bathtub!)
I liked the way she presented the story. Each chapter began with a newspaper article and the story was told in the voices of three women who were involved in the mystery in some way.

Shortly after finishing that one I found Brink of Death at Goodwill and picked it up.  It was well worth the dollar I paid for it.  It's the first in a series and I look forward to reading more.  This book centered around a former courtroom artist who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation of a neighbor.  The local police ask her to work with the surviving victim to make a sketch of the suspect.

I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.  I like the way she subtly weaves in the Christian aspect of each story.  The plots are engaging and the characters are interesting!

Way behind on Left Behind

No one would accuse me of ever being on the cutting edge of ANYTHING, even reading.  I've been voraciously reading Christian fiction for over 8 years now, and I've just now decided to read the Left Behind series.  I know, I know!  Way behind on Left Behind.  I always avoided it because there was some controversy over it.  And let's face it, no one really knows what will happen at the Rapture.  But since I'm now an expert on have done a study on Revelation with Beth Moore (not actually WITH her, of course) I felt ready to handle it.  I actually like it so far.  I'm on the 3rd book and finding them hard to put down.  If you read my post about cliff hangers, you know that I am really impatient in waiting for the next book in a series I'm reading.  So it's actually good for me to read a series after ALL the books have been written.  It seems that the authors are sticking true to the prophesies found in Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc.  There is just a lot that has to be made up because, well, it hasn't happened yet. (If it has, ya'll, we're in trouble!).  

Anyone else want to add thoughts on this series?  Anyone?