NEW READ-ALONG: HEIDI by Johanna Spyri

Amber at SEASONS OF HUMILITY is once again hosting a read-along. This time we will be reading HEIDI. I read this book when I was a child and loved it so I am looking forward to reading it again and seeing if I enjoy it as much as an adult. Here are all of the details from Amber's blog. Hop on over there and read all about it and feel free to participate!

• The read-along will start Wednesday, January 1, and end Friday, January 31.

• We'll read 1 chapter per weekday for a total of 23 chapters. (You can use the weekends to catch up or get ahead if you'd like!)  

• Discussions will take place here on Fridays (January 10, 17, 24, 31) for a total of 4 discussions.

• I'll(Amber) provide ideas and questions, and you can take part through commenting on the discussion posts here or creating your own blog posts!

I hope you will choose to join us. Read-Alongs are so fun and I love discussing books any time! 

The Christmas Book Shoppe by Miranda Atchley

Trudy gave up her job as a librarian to come home to Christmas, Arkansas and run her Aunt's book shoppe. Trudy loves her book shop, which also has her apartment above the shop. When her cousin who now owns the book shop decides to close the shop right before Christmas Trudy has no idea what she is going to do or where she is going to live.

The Christmas Book Shoppe is a sweet Christmas read. I enjoyed the town of Christmas, Arkansas and I also enjoyed the characters. Trudy's customers were quite entertaining and her friends were loyal. I thought the romance a bit forced and unlikely, but since it wasn't the central part of the story I can live with it. A sweet novella that is perfect for a quick Christmas read.

Seconds To Live by Susan Sleeman

Dustee and her twin sister are in the Witness Protection program. Dustee is a hacker who has worked with the person known as Phantom. The last known partner of Phantom was brutally murdered so it is imperative that Phantom is caught. Taylor is a WITSEC deputy in charge of keeping Dustee and Dianne safe. Now someone has hacked into the WITSEC computers and may be selling the names and locations of witnesses. FBI Agent Sean Nichols and his team are sent to work with the marshals to find Phantom and secure the leak. Sean and Taylor have had an online friendship for awhile now, but this is the first time they will be meeting and they

are both nervous about what it will mean to their relationship. With Phantom desperate to find Dustee and seek revenge all of their lives are in danger, will they find who they are dealing with before anyone else is murdered?

From the opening paragraphs to the very last paragraph, SECONDS TO LIVE was a roller coaster ride of excitement! There is so much suspense and danger, just like I like! We don't know who Phantom is until the end so that adds to the suspense of the story. Sean and Taylor's relationship is sweet, I like that they had an online relationship so that they at least sort of knew each other when they finally met in person. Both Sean and Taylor had trust issues from circumstances in their pasts and that added another dimension to what I like about author Susan Sleeman's books, there are always spiritual lessons to be learned from her characters. As they learn to trust and put their faith in God, the reader too can relate and hopefully do the same.

A FAVORITE QUOTE:

"One thing he'd forgotten, an important thing: God didn't betray. Didn't turn His back. He was always the same loving God. Always wanting the best for His children."

A great reminder both for the characters and for the reader.

This is book 1 in the Homeland Heroes series. I'm excited to read more!

**I received a copy of the book from Netgalley and also a paperback copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own**

Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

Once again Violet Waverly is on the case! Along with the her bookstore Charming Books, a magical store that always seems to know what a person needs to read and always knows what books to throw into Violet's path in order to give her clue's as to who a bad guy is. This time around the store is set on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Not only does the book keep flying off the shelf for Violet to read, but it is also found on the dead guy! A Private Investigator that has been spying on Violet. She is sure that he has heard some rumor about her shop being magical and is determined to expose her. When one of Violet's students disappears it looks suspicious and Violet is determined to find her and help her. Will she be able to help Jo before a killer gets to her?

I always enjoy Amanda Flowers cozy mysteries and the Magical Bookshop Mysteries happen to be one of my favorite series that she writes. I love the story behind the bookshop and how the bookshop helps point Violet in the right direction. As always Emerson the cat and Faulkner the crow crack me up and Emerson sure knows how to escape and show up in the strangest places. Rainwater and Violet have progressed along pretty quickly. I almost thought I had missed a book somewhere! I love how David knows that Violet is not just going to sit back and let him investigate, but at the same time I get frustrated with Violet for not listening to him and putting herself in danger! I have to admit I was a bit surprised at the who-done-it. When we were introduced to the character it ran through my head that maybe...just maybe, but then I changed my mind and didn't think of that person again. I enjoyed the story and definitely look forward to the next in the series!

Christy by Catherine Marshall: Read-Along Final Discussion

This is our final discussion on CHRISTY. Thanks so much to Amber at Seasons of Humility for hosting the read-along! I've enjoyed reading this story again and it remains as one of my all-time favorites.

QUOTES AND THOUGHTS:

"I've known a few girls in my life, Christy, but I don't believe I've ever met one as stubborn and as know-it-all as you are." Thank you. I was just thinking the same nice thoughts about you." I had to laugh at this! Both are very stubborn. ha!

"But relationships can be kept intact without compromising one's own beliefs." Oh so true! We can stand firm without losing love or respect for someone that doesn't agree with us. Love is going to win someone over long before hurtful words or actions ever will. 

"By then I was a bit wiser and had learned that there's only one way to give advice to the young: give it, and then be perfectly unconcerned as to whether they take it or not. God alone is capable of managing other people--even our own children." I don't know if I can agree with the "then be perfectly unconcerned" part of this quote, but I agree with the give advice and then let God handle it. Especially with adult children. They have to learn to make their faith their own. They have to make mistakes and grow just like we do. 

"Lord God, You are the Creator, I am the created. I am helpless, as helpless as all other men. As a doctor, I thought I knew something." I think that the doctor had a rebellious heart. He knew he was fighting the Lord, but he allowed bitterness and pride to get in his way. He was rebellious when he and Margaret got together, then resentful after Margaret died, then prideful thinking that he didn't need God and could do things on his own and then finally he was faced with not being able to help someone he loved get better. He had to turn to the Lord. I love how the Lord knows exactly what is going to bring us to Himself. 

Typhoid! Ack! These last chapters are dealing with all of the sickness in the Cove. What an exhausting disease to have to fight. I would have been so frustrated dealing with the people! They have all been affected in one way or another by this disease and yet they still would insist on drinking the same water and living in unsanitary conditions. Ignorance is not bliss in some cases!

I like Miss Alice's observation to David:

"But perhaps there was another reason, I wonder, David, if thee didn't see in the ministry the chance to tell others what to do--for a change, But it doesn't quite work out that way does it?"

At home David was always told what to do and he saw the ministry as his way to tell others what to do. A sad reason to be in ministry for sure. I really don't think David knew who he was as an individual. He was definitely searching. For a young man that has gone through seminary he had no clue who the Lord was. He had a lot of flowery speech and a certain moral code, but no clue about a relationship with the Lord. Sad...

I have always had a love hate relationship with the end of CHRISTY. I love that Christy and the doctor sort of found each other in the end, but I would have been more satisfied if we at least knew something of the "after" of that finding. Or maybe even a bit more wooing and cooing between them! I think that the book leaves out a lot of interaction between these two characters and we are only given highlights of their relationship so I definitely wouldn't have called this book a romance. I think my big take-away at the end was doctor MacNeill's yielding to the Lord. His salvation experience so to speak. That is what always touched my heart.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Which story of sickness, whether hopeful or heartbreaking, affected you the most?
Christy's because it resulted in Neill's finding faith. It made me sad to read about Lundy's murder of Tom...it showed what happens when hate is handed down from generation to generation. Bird's Eye blamed it on Lundy being stupid but Bird's Eye is the one who passed on that hate. I could PREACH a whole sermon here! Ack!

2. Were you satisfied with the conclusion of the story? If so, what did you like most about these last chapters? If not, what do you wish might have been different?
I kind of answered that in the last paragraph of my thoughts. I definitely was left with questions and a desire for more closure. 

3. What was your favorite part about Christy? Do you plan to read other books by Catherine Marshall, either fiction or nonfiction?
I love all of the character growth in Christy. I love the faith elements. Loved Miss Alice's wisdom. I even loved the characters struggle with faith issues and finding out who they are. I have read JULIE by Catherine Marshall many many years ago. I haven't read any of her nonfiction works and probably won't. If you ever want to read a story like Christy then I would suggest that you find a copy of MISS WILLIE by Janice Holt Giles. Another favorite!

I hope that you enjoyed reading about the read-along or if you participated then I hope you enjoyed my posts. Thanks again to Amber for hosting! Her read-along's always are fun!

Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

Brenna's husband has left her for a younger woman. Now he wants custody of their two children. Backed by his rich father, they look for anything to discount Brenna's ability to parent. Brenna is quickly spiraling downhill and it looks like her ex will get his way, but a man from her past steps in to help Brenna.

Nate is a smoke jumper and has put his life on the line more than once. When he rescues a family from a fire and is burned terribly he returns to his hometown to recuperate. Nate's father has just been pardoned by the governor after spending 14 years in prison for the death of Brenna's father. Whom he swears he didn't kill. Nate was also accused all of those years ago of setting fire to the church that Brenna's father was the pastor of. Now Nate must face the father he has always wanted to make proud and the town that has always accused him of the fire he didn't set.

I have likes and dislikes about this story. I liked Nate's character. I thought he was perfect hero material. I loved how humble he was and how he was willing to give his fellow jumpers credit for the daring rescue he performed. I loved how he stepped in to help Brenna through her problem. I loved that they had a past when they were younger and that they seem to pick up where they left off. Brenna on the other hand annoyed me. Thoroughly! I'm not a fan of hysterical/weak women and Brenna was both. Yes, it added to the drama of the story and some people really like that in a story, but for me I just wanted to slap her and tell her to buck up and fight back and quit sabotaging herself! I liked how everything was all wrapped up in the end and once again Nate was a hero.

Christy by Catherine Marshall: Read-Along Discussion 6

For information on the read-along head over to our host Amber's blog at Seasons of Humility This week we are discussing chapters 33-39.

QUOTES AND THOUGHTS:

"...I learned that true forgiveness includes total acceptance. And out of acceptance wounds are healed and happiness is possible again." Miss Alice's story was brutal. Such an awful thing for a young innocent girl. But I love how her community embraced her and loved her. And I especially love how her experience formed her faith. If the community had shunned her or condemned her I wonder if she would have had such a deep faith. Instead they showed her the love of God, forgiveness, cleansing, love. We all need that lesson of forgiving and loving our fellow Christ followers. 

"Such morbid introspection," Miss Alice added crisply, "was nonsense. Either God exists--or He does not. If He does, either an individual has a relationship with Him--or that relationship has been severed. Indigestion or arthritis can't change the bottom fact that God is or the unfailingness of a single one of his promises."I love this reminder that even when we cannot feel that God is with us we can know that He is. Our faith doesn't need to be based on an emotional experience or feeling. 

"Thee must know, Christy. My daughter Margaret Seebohn Henderson--became Dr. MacNeill's wife."This was no new revelation to me since I have read the book before. But the portrayal of Dr. MacNeill and his wife Margaret in the TV show and in the book are two very different scenario's. I prefer the book much better! She's dead before we even meet her! 

"Also, I saw for the first time that we have to accept people the way they are and not be shocked about anything." Easier said than done. People still manage to shock me!

"...I understood that the reason we have to accept other people is simply because God receives us just the way we are." And I'm forever grateful!

"I was wishing that I felt easier about Ruby Mae's decision, made while I was in Asheville to marry Will Beck. She was still not quite fifteen, Will only sixteen." Well yes, this did raise my eyebrows! How sad to be all worn out before you even reach 20! They are still children and being forced to act as adults! Ack! And the whole wedding scene was quite sad. 

"Once I had let David kiss me, a barrier had gone down; each kiss was easier and more natural than the last. So every time we were alone, David would reach out for me."

"What bothered me most was that though David acted as if he loved me, he never really used the words." Oh David! He is so lost. For a clergyman he has no concept of who God is and it shows in all of his actions and interactings. I think he has an affection for Christy, but I don't think he has a love for her. The condescending way he speaks to her when she is excited about a subject or when she comes to him with spiritual questions boggles my mind. I want to slap him silly and send him back to seminary! 

"Beyond that, however, my resentment was directed at God Almighty Himself. I wondered why Fairlight had been taken by typhoid rather than someone not quite bright or someone old and crippled, whose children were grown and whose life was almost over anyway? Why were the good and the beautiful so ruthlessly plucked?" Ahhhh, the question of the ages! Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? I think those of us who have been in church long enough have pat answers to this question, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't pop up in our heads when something happens that rocks our world a little bit. Christy's grief over Fairlight's dying was so heart-wrenching, but I loved how it sent her on a faith quest.

"Then, with an intuitive knowing, I had been sure that indeed it does matter how we live our lives, that there is One who cares. Thinking of that, I knew that it was wrong not to speak out my rebellion to the one at whom it was directed. I could at least give Him a chance to defend Himself." I love how she sought her answers from the Lord. 

"Christy, those who've never rebelled against God or at some point in their lives shaken their fists in the face of heaven, have never encountered God at all." God isn't going to get His feelings hurt. He can take our questioning, He can take our anger, He can take our sorrow. He can take all of that and give us a peaceful heart even when we don't understand why.

"I knew now: God is. I had found my center, my point of reference. Everything else I needed to know would follow." So true! On this journey of life if we keep our eyes focused on Him we will learn more about His character and our faith will deepen. Such a great reminder! 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Answer any or all three of these questions in the comments section or in your own blog post!

1. What do you think of the Folk School idea that Mrs. Browning shared with Christy? Do you feel like it would be beneficial to the people of the Cove? It sort of reminded me of a Montessori schooling. I think there are some communities that would definitely thrive in an education like that. I don't think it is for everyone though.

2. Do you find nighttime and darkness bothersome or appealing? Have your feelings changed since childhood?I really think that all children are afraid of the dark. Dark is associated with bad things happening. I prefer light, but when I sleep I want it totally dark. I get a bit disoriented in the dark and sometimes I wake at night and wonder what a noise I hear may be, but as an adult I think my perspective is a bit different than when I was a child. 

3. What are some of the things you hope will happen or be resolved in the last chapters? (Or, if you've already read the book, has anything stood out to you differently so far while reading the book this time around?)Since I have read the book before I do know what is going to happen. Ummm, I don't know that anything new has stood out in the book this time around. I do appreciate Miss Alice's steady faith and calmness. I appreciate her Quaker silences as well. I also appreciate how Christy has been able to work through her anger at God and her sorrow over losing Fairlight. Annndddd, it just occurred to me that I may want to give David a break...he too has questions, he just isn't vocal about them...

That wraps up this week's reading. Next week is our last week! We will be discussing Chapters 40-46. Hard to believe we are almost finished!