The Third - Abel Keogh + GIVEAWAY

Hey guess what!?  We're giving away an

autographed copy of this book! 

See below for details!

Summary:  When Ransom Lawe, a recycler in the Pacific Northwest, finds out his wife is pregnant with their third--and therefore illegal--child, he's forced to choose between the government who proclaims a desire to save the planet and his hope for a place where his family can live in freedom.  But with the Cencus Bureau Sentinels closing in on his wife and unborn child, Ransom's choice will either save his family or tear them apart forever. (Summary from book - Image from abelkeogh.com - Book given free for review)

My Review:  I know what you're thinking.  Another dystopian novel?  Really?  Are you ever going to stop reading these?  Nope.  Never.  I love them.  The seemingly utopian society. The twisted morality. The character's struggle to survive.  They just, well, complete me (or something along those lines).  So, learn to deal with it.

Most dystopian novels begin in a outwardly perfect society before events uncover a seemy underbelly, but The Third skips over all that and drops you directly into a horrifying world where children are seen as a nuisance, and worse, expendable.  Ransom Lawe lives in our world, in 2065.  People are near starving, and third children are ripped from their mothers bodies by a tyrannical government bent on saving mother earth and controlling the population. 

I don't want to reveal much, but this story was disturbing and intense.  I am the mother of three young children and rarely find time to read during their waking hours, but after a few chapters I was desperate to read more.  All I can say is thank heavens for preschool...and naps...or I might have gone insane. 

I'd also like to give a nod (or a gigantic round of applause) to the author, who manages to keep this story free from the sex and language that seem to accompany other books.  While there is some violence, it is of the hand-to-hand combat variety and tame enough for an older YA reader. 

The Third tied up some loose ends, but there is much more of the story to be told.  As soon as I finished, I contacted the editor to confirm that there was another book and the author even let me read the first chapter (which is sure to torture me for a while).  I look forward to reading the next two books in the series when they are published.

My Rating:  4 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  Some hand-to-hand violence between characters, and one scene of violence towards an infant at the beginning (more of a "putting the child in danger" situation).

Sum it up:  An intense and evocative ride.

Read the first chapter or learn more about Abel Keogh here.

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Cooking with Food Storage Made Easy - Debbie G. Harman

Summary:  We have been counseled by prophets to keep a long-term supply of food on hand.  But once we have accumulated some food storage, what do we do with it?  Food storage is not just for emergencies; it's meant to help us sustain life today.

In this fun cookbook, Debbie Harman shows you how you can cook delicious meals and tasty treats your family will love with the food supplies that have too often been put away only for a rainy day.  You'll soon discover how to use storage items and other everyday ingredients to make tasty dishes a few times each week, which will keep your food storage in constant rotation--and save you money.  So, should disaster strike, you'll have plenty of usable food on hand--and you'll be an expert on knowing what to do with it.

Along with hundreds of fast and delicious family-tested recipes, you'll find:

• What you need to store
• How to use dry foods to add nutrition to everyday dishes
• How to store meats, beans, vegetables, fruits, grains, water, and more
• How to sprout your own fresh greens
• How to put together 72-Hour Emergency Kits for you and your family

Let Cooking with Food Storage Made Easy be your guide for making your food storage a valuable asset your family will enjoy.  (Image from http://www.countryconsultant.com/ and summary from back of the book.)

My Review:  I have been looking for a cook book like this!  Food storage is something we do (something LDS people do anyway) and this book is aimed at that audience.  I try to store food, but I'm not at the point yet where I feel confident using it everyday.  I'd hate to waste what I have, but I also want to use some so that I can  begin rotating my supply.  I want to know what goes in my food, what ingredients make or break a recipe, and if, heaven forbid, a disaster does occur, that I can cook food my family will actually eat.  Part of what drew me to this book was that it gives recipes using dried products you don't normally buy from the grocery store.  This book had those recipes!  It has so much of what I've wanted in a basics cook book: how to make fruit leather, suggested amounts to store more than just the basics, planting and gardening tips, jerky, the list goes on.  While I realize this may not be a cook book for the everyday chef, it's perfect for my needs and for someone interested in cooking with food storage. 

My Rating: 5 Stars

Sum it up:  This cookbook has just about everything you'd want to know about to storing and preserving your own food.

Secret Sisters - Tristi Pinkston

Summary:  Ida Mae Babbitt, president of the Omni 2nd Ward Relief Society, didn't mean to become a spy.  But when visiting teaching stats are low, and she learns that one family under her care is in financial trouble, she'll do whatever it takes to make sure they have what they need.  If that includes planting surveillance cameras in their home and watching them from a parked car in the woods...well, isn't that what any caring Relief Society president would do?

With the help of her counselors, Arlette and Tansy, Ida Mae soon learns there's more to the situation than meets the eye.

But it's all in a day's work for the Relief Society.  (Summary from back of the book, book given free for review and image from http://cranberryfries.blogspot.com/2010/04/secret-sisters-review.html)

My Review:  I'm always wary of literature written for and aimed at the LDS population.  The audience is so narrow and the topic so specific that unless you're LDS you probably won't enjoy the book and often it can lack real depth. 

While this book falls into the "LDS" category, there was much that I enjoyed and it contained more depth than others in the genre.  This is probably the first LDS lit I've read that had so much wit.  Ida Mae is a great character and such a spunky old gal that I almost felt like I was listening to my own inner dialog while reading.  She's constantly seeing the puns in life, saying and connecting them to situations, but without the dorky "did you get that?" line you typically see.  She enjoyed her own humor and the way it was written the reader can too.  She also kept her judgmental side in check, which was refreshing.

The story line was quite intriguing.  I was truly curious to see how the sneaking around would come back to bite them and it did.  Nice.  So often you see people get off the hook for doing something wrong even if it's for the right reasons.  And in real life, that's not always the case.  The story was going really well and I enjoyed the ending, though it was a tad cliched and the frying-pan scene was a bit of a let down.  It wasn't very realistic, at least for me.  

Overall, I honestly enjoyed the book and was glad to have a chance to get to know Ida Mae and her quirky Relief Society presidency.  (It painted a very realistic picture of what a Relief Society President does for her ward on a daily basis.)

My Rating: 4 stars

Sum it up: A quirky read for a female LDS audience.

Bumpy Landings - Donald J. Carey

Summary: All his life, Jordan MacDonald has dreamed of taking flight and soaring above the majestic mountains of his native Hawaii, but he doesn’t dare disobey his mother, who has absolutely forbidden him to fly. Suddenly everything changes when, spurred by the pain of a failed relationship, Jordan begins working toward the coveted pilot’s license. Just as he finds love again, Jordan’s lies start to close in around him, and he soon learns that a life full of dishonesty attracts more turbulence than he’s ever faced in the air.


Set against the exotic backdrop of the Hawaiian islands, this thrilling tale of romance and self-discovery is a perfect vacation from the average love story. Join Jordan as he tests the limits of friendship and finds out just how far his dreams can carry him. Entertaining and engaging, Bumpy Landings will take you to new heights with each turn of the page.  (Summary from book - Image from goodreads.com - Book given free for review)

My Review: I haven't traveled a lot, but by reading you can go anywhere the book takes you—this book took me to Hawaii. I’d like to say I laid on the beach and soaked up the sun and enjoyed the lush green vegetation, but I didn’t.  Instead, I was involved in a young man’s life and his search for someone to love. The story line took several twists and turns but the basic plot centered on his love life, or lack of it, depending on which part of the book you were reading. I actually found parts of Bumpy Landings rather painful to read because they reminded me of what my social life was like when I was much younger—it was hard to relive that. That being said, I feel like this book would have made a good “young adult” fiction book. It was a very light, easy read with very few, if any surprises.

The plot was not deep so it was easy to follow, but I wanted more -- something to make me think, keep me wanting to read, and wondering what would happen next. It was a “happily ever after” story, and for some that would be enough. For me, I would have liked more than just lush green surroundings and fragrant exotic flowers.

My Rating: 3 stars

Sum it up: A light “happily ever after” read with a predictable ending.


(Reviewed by Chris)

Matched - Ally Condie

Summary: In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion.  Matched is a story for right now and story-telling with the resonance of a classic.   (Summary from book - Image from www.allysoncondie.com )

My Review:  There used to be more than one hundred songs, one hundred works of art, and one hundred poems. That was before the Society destroyed the rest -- burned them all -- in an attempt to create a simple and egalitarian civilization. Cassia’s life is simple, perfect in fact, until a technological glitch in the Matching program, and the consequences that follow, cause her to doubt the government that keeps her safe. Soon she is forced to choose between the life she has always known and a life without guarantees…with someone she loves.

Matched probably won’t go down in history as an epic work of fiction, but it reminded me of a lighter version of some of my favorite (mostly YA) dystopian novels: The Hunger Games, The House of the Scorpion, The City of Ember, Uglies, and most especially 1984, The Giver, and Fahrenheit 451. While these books vary in their particulars, they all follow the journey of a character, content (or at least resigned) to conform until something happens that causes them to question their designated place and the power of the government that holds the reins. Most include mildly dark subject matter or controversial themes that speak to our fears for the future. In these areas, Matched is no different. The shared structure with all these novels led to a certain amount of predictability, but the details are what set this novel apart. Ally Condie’s spin on a standard plot was different enough to retain my interest and the addition of one of my favorite poems was icing on an already tasty cake.

Matched fit well into the young adult category (12+) and could slip easily into children’s fiction if it weren’t for a romantic element that isn’t usually found in that genre. The writing style was incredibly easy to read, perhaps a little too easy, but I was impressed with Condie’s ability to write a squeaky clean romance that was actually interesting*. If I had a glass box to sit in so that my children wouldn’t climb on me, I could easily have finished this book in an afternoon. Alas, I am fresh out of glass boxes, and it took me a week to read. Once I got some quiet time, I finished in one sitting.

I understand that Matched was created for the younger set of young adults, and is fairly perfect for them, but I wish it had been designed and written for an older audience. As a YYA novel, it lacked the richness of language and description that would have put it over the top (for me). I also had a horrible time with the name Xander and could not stop picturing Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (in his less attractive years). It killed the mood on so many occasions, which now that I think about it might have been the point.

Overall, I had fun with this book. It isn’t anywhere near the level of Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, or 1984, but those who like the Uglies Series or City of Ember, might find something to entertain. Personally, I am not happy that I have to wait until November 2011 to read its sequel, Crossed, and November 2012 for book three.

*Let’s admit it. Pride and Prejudice aside, sometimes they are just boooooring.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For even the most sensitive reader: Have at it.  There is some very mild thematic material that comes across much worse when I type it (e.g. euthenasia, genetic engineering, governmental tyranny) than it actually is in the book. 

Sum it up:  A futuristic tale of love, sacrifice, and a young girl who would not go gently into that good night.

The Dark Divine - Bree Despain

Summary:  Grace Divine -- daughter of the local pastor -- always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learned the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

My Review:  Bree Despain’s The Dark Divine is a clean and entertaining paranormal romance, with an ending that was better than I expected. Despite this semi-success, the basic plot—a young girl, torn between her love for two very different boys—is exceedingly overdone. I mean, how many teen vamp/wolf/witch/ fairy/dragon/wraith romances does a bookstore really need?  I can usually handle a cliché plot as long as something in the book surprises me enough to read into the wee hours of the morning. There were moments where a character channeled one of the Twilight Trinity, but towards the end, I caught an inkling of something interesting that grabbed my attention.  I did finish the book in record time and, for that reason, I’ll probably read the next one (The Lost Saint, releasing 12/28) if it ever falls into my lap.

Grace Divine is a faithful pastor’s daughter and, consequently, the story touches on topics of charity, forgiveness, selflessness, and grace. Over all, I thought Despain put forth a good effort, but has a long way to go to counter the increasingly affected world of modern YA fiction. Clean YA paranormal romances are no longer a dime a dozen, so if you aren’t terribly picky about plot originality or character depth, The Dark Divine would be a good one time read.  And try to ignore the last line.  It's an eye-roller.  I know.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars   For the sensitive reader: I was surprised by some swearing (mostly biblical, but not entirely) and an attempted, but ultimately unsuccessful, sexual assault.

Sum it up: An entertaining, but mostly ordinary YA paranormal romance. I’m not entirely opposed to reading the sequel, but I won’t be hunting it down.

Princess Academy - Shannon Hale

Summary:  High on the slopes of rocky Mount Eskel, Miri's family pounds a living from the stone of the mountain itself.  But Miri's life will change forever when word comes that her small village is the home of the future princess.  All eligible girls must attend a makeshift academy to prepare for royal life.  At the school, Miri finds herself confronting bitter competition among the girls and her own conflicted desires to be chosen.  Yet when danger comes to the academy, it is Miri, named for a tiny mountain flower, who must find a way to save her classmates--and the future of their beloved village.  (Summary from back of the book and image from http://3.bp.blogspot.com)

My Review:  I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  Princess books usually don't call to me because the plot is so predictable and most of the story line for Princess Academy felt fairly predictable. The bandits section was where Hale broke from the typical girly-fairytale routine--and it definitely added some adventure and suspense.  It brings a levity to the otherwise trite storyline.  Girls today need to be wary of strangers, and putting themselves in situations where they could get hurt.  This story, in a way, introduces that subject to younger readers.  I believe this book is aimed at a 5th,  6th or 7th grade girl.  I do think my 8th grade girls could enjoy it--I just know they are starting to get into more adult topics at my school by 8th grade.

The overall message and ending felt right, and not just for a fairytale. It felt right for real life. Sometimes the dream really isn't what you want or need. Sometimes you have to realize that what you have it better than the grass on the other side of the fence. I loved the message of learning and how it broadens your horizon and breaks boundaries, perceived or not. I liked the empowerment for women this book promotes. It didn't do it in a way that belittles men and for that I admire Hale's writing all the more. I think this is a great book for younger readers in the YA group. I will definitely be recommending it to my students.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars--for YA books.  For an adult it's more like 3.5 stars.

Sum it up:  A fun twist on fairytales.

Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe - Marylee Daniel Mitcham

Summary:   It's 1973 when Rosalie Wolfe and her daughter Meadow leave Cincinnati and head to rural Kenucky where Rosalie hopes to "find" the God she feels abandoned by.  Both mother and daugter are excited by their God-seeking adventure in different ways and romanticize being poor like the "poor people" God is known to love.  Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe is a first novel more complex in design than its simple, religious plot would suggest.  Don't beware, but be aware!  The novel's name on the book's cover is Mitcham's name for HER novel, while a similar title on the Contents page is the character Rosalie's name for HER novel about someone she calls Hannah Wolfe; a voice within a voice within Mitcham's voice.  On the final page, Mark Twain checks in from the Dead with an AFterword; will wonders never cease?  (Summary from the book - Image from www.anaccidentalmonk.blogspot.com - Book given free for review) 

My Review: Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe is not for the dimwitted or lackadaisical reader. It took me a while to wrap my head around the concept of a book within a book (Hannah Wolfe’s Blacktime Song within Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe)—a story written by someone written by someone else. Add to that the foreword written by a character in the novella, a memoir (Counting Down) written by an entirely different character, and a postscript written by Mark Twain and I guarantee that you have never read a book like this one.

The story of Hannah Wolfe is, at turns, disturbing and poignant as she and her young daughter, Meadow, attempt to carve out a new life in a tumbledown cabin in the Kentucky backwoods. As she develops a relationship with a drifter that is a mixture of attraction, violence, and mental instability, Hannah is both plagued and uplifted by his nearness, as well as the prying of an officious neighbor, and a nay saying figment of her imagination, known only as The Cowboy.

I expected Hannah Wolfe’s Blacktime Song to focus on Hannah’s spiritual transformation and found that it was more quirky than introspective and not as earth shattering as I hoped. As it was, Hannah came, she lived in a cabin, and she somehow lost her inner Cowboy (thank heavens), but I’m not certain how it came about or the precise catalyst for The Cowboy’s dismissal. Despite all this, there were moments between Hannah and Meadow, mother and daughter, that were breathlessly written, and I could relate to the closeness that can come of that particular familial relationship. I instantly loved Meadow; her youthful curiosity and joie de vivre were endearing and, even when things took a momentarily darker turn, she still stuck fast to my heart.

With so many characters turned authors in this book, I am extremely curious as to which parts, if any, contain hints of the real author, Marylee Daniel Mitcham. How much of her is Rosalie? How much of her children is Meadow? Or vice versa? How much of her characters’ hopes and realizations, are, in fact, her own?

In Counting Down: A Memoir, written by a character named Rosalie, Mitcham fleshes out the story of Hannah and Meadow. It is in this section that Rosalie talks about her and Meadow’s conversion to the LDS church. I enjoyed the ideas she conveyed about Mormonism, theology in general, and the importance of having a personal relationship with God, and a sense of spiritual awareness. Counting Down seemed more contemplative than Hannah Wolfe’s Blacktime Song and, because it dipped its toes in the font of Mormonism, I understood it. It spoke my language.

I love Mitcham’s distinctive use of language and the way she can wring new thoughts from me with a simple phrase. She also has a rare talent for perceiving the divine in the everyday—of noticing the sacred hidden within the secular—which I truly appreciated in her non-fiction book, An Accidental Monk and the Counting Down portion of Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe.

Side note: I would actually recommend reading the novella Hannah Wolfe’s Blacktime Song first, then reading the foreword, followed by Counting Down: A Memoir of Rosalie Wolfe. I found reading them in that order made it easier to work things out in my head.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars   For the sensitive reader: The spiritual themes of Counting Down: A Memoir ran in stark contrast to some of the sexual scenes and language found in Hannah Wolfe’s Blacktime Song. They are there, and though not entirely shocking, still bothered me a bit in the context of the book.

Sum it up: A thoughtful, but quirky, work of fiction that pokes, prods, and compels you to engage in spiritual reflection.

If you’d like to learn more about (or purchase) Blacktime Song by Rosalie Wolfe, or read An Accidental Monk online (reviewed here), then visit Mitcham’s blog http://www.anaccidentalmonk.blogspot.com/

The Hourglass Door - Lisa Mangum

Summary:  Abby's senior year of high school is going according to plan:  good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail.  But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down.  He's mysterious, and interesting and unlike anyone she's ever met before.  Abby can't deny the growing attraction she feels for him.  Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around.  Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteenth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves.  (Summary from book - Image from amazon.com)

My Review:  Lately, I’ve needed to read something brainlessly romantic. It’s a sanity thing. I do hope you understand. I loved Lisa Mangum’s first book, The Secret Journal of Brett Colton, and had heard a lot about her newest novel, The Hourglass Door, in a move-over-Edward, kind of way, and figured it would fit the bill nicely.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of The Hourglass Door. I was so engaged that I wanted to physically yank Abby away from oh-so-boring Jason and throw her bodily at Dante, an exchange student who, among other things, made me add Italian accents to my list of thing I find irresistible (alongside chocolate and Elizabeth Berg novels). Unfortunately, this book follows the same path as Fallen or Evermore; I was interested until I was bored. My transition from one emotion to the other linked directly to finding out Dante’s Big Fat Secret. (SPOILER HERE) He travels through time. Frankly, it was all a bit weird and the whole river/bank setting felt a whole lot like a whitewashed Summerland. (SPOILER ENDS). I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting that and I didn’t particularly care for it.

While the story starts strong, its conclusion felt entirely set up. The location of a certain key object was obvious from the second it became an issue and a variety of other plot twists were easily predictable. I appreciate that Lisa Mangum was able to create romantic tension between her characters without tossing them headlong into the bedroom, but there were times when I actually rolled my eyes at their syrupy, overly dramatic dialogue. When it comes down to it, I can turn my back on both this book and its characters, and not feel even remotely distressed. I think that it might find more of a following with younger readers who are so blinded by Dante-lust they can’t see straight through the book.

My Rating: 3 Stars. (4 stars for a YA, 2 for an Adult) For the sensitive reader: As far as I can remember, you’re in the clear.

Sum it up: A promising paranormal romance that fails to make its mark.

Band of Sisters - Annette Lyon

Summary:  When the war on terror calls their husbands to duty, five LDS women are left behind to fight battles of their own: Kim, newlywed and pregnant, frightened of what the future might bring.  Brenda, struggling to manage three unruly boys and a crippling bout of depression.  Jessie, secretly grappling with mixed feelings about her emotionally abusive husband.  Marianne, wrestling with a rebellious teenage daughter.  And Nora, the seasoned Army wife with perfect hair, an immaculate home--and an ill-tempered mother dying of cancer.

Knowing that the separation of deployment is extremely difficult, Nora gathers the wives together every week to share lunch and burdens.  In good company, they worry over safety in the field and stability at home and offer one another counsel and comfort.  But as their personal crises build, each woman faces the risks of forming deep bonds of trust.  And when tragedy strikes, they must confront the painful realities of war that pull families apart and bring friends together as sisters.  (Image from http://rebeccairvine.blogspot.com and summary from back of the book.  This book was given to me free for review.)

My Review:  I'm torn on this book. The issues raised, the message sent, and the overall feeling the book evoked deserves a high rating. That said, the writing wasn't all that spectacular--errors that were hard to ignore and things that felt over analyzed--and there were times that I had a hard time wanting to even read it. I know some of that was because of the writing.  "Belabored" fits how the writing of the women's thoughts were portrayed, which after a while you could see coming a mile away. The only other explanation for why it was hard to read was simply because the book evoked the loneliness that I can only imagine a deployed soldier's wife would feel. I'd recommend it to people, but I don't think I'll ever re-read it again.

That said, by the 200th page I was very attached to the women and their specific needs and trials.  I felt my heart breaking with Marianne.  I felt the panic as Kim approached labor and delivery for the first time and without her husband.  And Nora's experience shedding the many facades she'd been taught to uphold, I believe, can't help but speak to many LDS women.  I believe all women deal with this to a certain extent or another, but how the book is written it is specifically directed toward the pressures LDS women face.  If you can stomach all the details that make up the thoughts of the women, you'll be able to get to the point in the story where you love the characters and race to the end of the story.  

My Rating: 4 stars--because it hit some very emotional chords with me.

 Sum it up:  A moving tale of women brought together by their husband's deployment in Afghanistan.

I'll Know You by Heart - Kimberly Job

Reviewed by Chris

Summary: The day Stephanie Roberts met Jared Wakefield, she didn’t realize they had met before. Running from an abusive marriage and trying to safeguard her children, Stephanie turns to Jared for support—but he needs more from her than she might be capable of giving. With her abusive husband looming in her past, the difficulties they must overcome seem insurmountable.

Is it possible for love to conquer all? I’ll Know You By Heart is a timeless romance that explores the possibility that relationships span the entire realm of eternity—a story about abuse, hardship, and betrayal—ultimately a story about the healing power of everlasting true love. (Image and Summary from Valor Publishing)

My Review: I’ll Know You By Heart was given to me by Valor Publishing to review and found it very compelling. The topic, spousal abuse, is a sensitive subject that some might find difficult to read. I only say that because if I were living in an abusive relationship I wouldn’t want to read about someone else’s abuse. There were some places in the book where the descriptions of the abuse were very graphic—definitely not for young children or the sensitive reader. That being said, I will say, I found this book hard to put down. There was Saturday’s Warrior type feeling to it that made me want to keep reading. The two main characters had both been in different types of abusive relationships, both were suffering in their own private way, yet they were brought together in an unexpected way to help each other heal and learn to love again.

Children also suffer when one spouse is abusive to the other. Kimberly Job was very good at helping us, as readers, see and feel what they, the children, felt—loving both parents and not knowing what to do with the whole situation, feeling betrayed when someone you love beats up another person you also love, being without a father/mother when you need them the most and feeling betrayed by that same parent.

My heart felt like breaking for Stephanie many times throughout the book as she dealt with one blow after the other both physically and emotionally; yet she still kept going, working to keep her children safe and provided for. I would love to say I “enjoyed” this book, but to me enjoyment is equated with happy feelings. Instead I will say I’ll Know You By Heart was a very good book, one I would highly recommend. It gave me a glimpse at something I have never experienced before and made me very grateful for a very loving spouse.

My rating: 4 stars

Sum it up: A stirring book of heartbreak, devastation and renewal.

Summer in Paris - Michele Ashman Bell

*Review by Chris*

Summary: Kenzie Williams has it all: wealth, friends, popularity, talent. But when her father declares bankruptcy, her whole New York City would turns upside down. Her parents’ solution, while they sort through their problems, is to send Kenzie to live out the summer with her relatives in Paris. . .Idaho!

Feeling like she’s been sentenced to three months in Hickville Prison, Kenzie arrives in Idaho feeling like a square peg with name-brand clothes, crammed into a round, horribly podunk hole.

Leaving everything she loves behind, Kenzie is forced to get up at the crack of dawn, do chores, and hang out with her cousin’s loser friends. She feels like she’s about to die . . .until she meets Adam White, the town outcast, who has been accused of killing his best friend and is being blamed for some trouble that’s been happening around town. Not only is Adam the best-looking guy she’s ever met, he’s also the most fascinating, and Kenzie is determined to get to know him better and discover his secret.

But, the longer she stays in Idaho, the more she realized, Adam isn’t the only one keeping secrets in Paris. (Summary from book - Image from amazon.com)

My review: I received this book to review from Valor Publishing. My first impression was that I didn’t like the cover, it looked kind of boring. I guess that was the whole idea. When Kenzie first arrived in Paris, Idaho she couldn’t believe she was going to be spending the entire summer with a bunch of “hicks”---b-o-r-i-n-g. She learned, like I have learned many times, that “you can’t judge a book by its’ cover.” Summer in Paris was a good, clean, uncomplicated young adult book. It actually took me back (a long way back) to my high school days and some of the feelings I had then—trying to fit in and feel important without sacrificing what I knew was right. Topics such as split families (divorce, separation), financial problems, teen drinking and vandalism were all covered while still keeping the book fun and easy to read.

While Summer in Paris was not one of the most amazingly exciting books I have ever read, it was still a good book with a strong moral message where good triumphs over evil in the end.

My rating: 3.75 stars

Sum it up: You can make good come out of what looks like a bad situation.

Agent in Old Lace - Tristi Pinkston

Summary: Shannon Tanner has it all, a perfect family, perfect job, perfect boyfriend—or so she thinks. What Shannon doesn’t know is that her boyfriend, Mark, is stealing money from her father and making millions doing it. When Shannon learns Mark’s secret, he turns on her, and Shannon’s life abruptly goes from perfect to perilous.

In an effort to protect Shannon, the FBI assigns their only female agent to go undercover as her personal bodyguard. But when the agent gets injured the day before the assignment, they turn to the next best thing: their top agent, Rick Holden—in a dress.

Life seems safe again for Shannon with Rick by her side and Mark apparently gone for good. Then Shannon gets word that her best friend has been kidnapped, and it becomes clear that Mark isn’t going to stop any time soon. Shannon realizes the only way to save herself and her friend—and stop Mark once and for all—is by sending Rick, her only source of protection, away. Can Rick save Shannon before it’s too late?
(Summary from book - image from deseretbook.com)

My review: I am not a writer by any stretch of the imagination (which you can probably tell when you read any of my reviews) but I am a reader, and I know when a book I’ve read is a good read or not. This book, Agent in Old Lace, was a good read. It was a short book, only 182 pages, but those 182 pages were filled with action, suspense, mystery, romance (every book needs just a little romance) and even a fair amount of humor. Some authors try to make their books longer by adding what I would term as “filler”. Agent in Old Lace did not have any filler in it whatsoever. Every word in the book was important—it said what needed to be said to keep you wanting more. This book will definitely be in my “books to be read again” category. Thank you Tristi for a fun and entertaining read.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Sum it up: A great book to read when you need a break from everyday life (and everything that comes with it).

Shudder - Jennie Hansen

Summary: Darcy and Clare grew up as best friends, sharing trials and triumphs from preschool through college graduation. Now they’re sharing an apartment in Boise, Idaho, where Clare just landed a great job and Darcy is pursuing a teaching certificate. There’s only one problem: Blaine, Clare’s boyfriend. His chauvinistic, know-it-all ways set Darcy’s teeth on edge. Darcy vows not to let Blaine ruin her lifelong friendship with Clare, but when Blaine insists on moving in, Darcy suddenly finds herself alone.

The estranged friends forge ahead on seemingly separate paths. Engaged to Blaine, Clare becomes trapped in ugly family politics and vicious treatment from her fiance. Darcy finds a temporary home with Darlene, an accident victim seeking live-in help, but a twisted plot soon threatens their safety. Clare’s wedding briefly reunites her with Darcy, yet the friends have never been farther apart. And when Clare finds herself in mortal peril and finally calls upon Darcy to help, it might be too late.

My review: Jennie Hansen has been a favorite author of mine for many years. She writes a great suspense novel with just enough romance in it to satisfy the romantic is all of us (women). I was a little hesitant to read Shudder at first because the summary on the back of the book sounded a bit confusing—too many different story lines that could possibly get all tangled up. After many positive reports from different people I finally decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed.

The central theme to the book, domestic violence/spousal abuse, was handled in a very sensitive way while still allowing us, the reader, to feel a little of the horror involved, and Clare’s feelings as she lived through it. We were also able to feel the helplessness Darcy felt when she couldn’t provide the help Clare needed physically or emotionally. The additional story lines, though secondary, kept everything moving along at a very exciting pace. It also allowed us to experience a “happy ending” in spite of all the sadness.

My rating: 4.25 stars

Sum it up: The realities of life aren’t always happy. That’s why we have fiction. A very good read.

Crossfire - Traci Hunter Abramson

Summary: Special Agent Vanessa Lauton is living a lie. For the past year She’s been posing as a member of the Dominican Republic’s most powerful crime family in order to infiltrate a Caribbean terrorist organization. When her CIA contact has a heart attack, he’s replaced by U.S. Navy SEAL squad member Seth Johnson—the man Vanessa nearly married six years before. And suddenly the heat is on, in more ways than one.

Terrorist kingpin Akil Ramir sequesters Vanessa and Seth in his Nicaraguan fortress, where they learn of an impending attack on American soil. The Saint Squad is dispatched to calm the storm, but even their heroic efforts can’t stop multiple threats from escalating. Adrenaline rises as the squad confronts enemies who will stop at nothing to sabotage national security—and Vanessa finds herself caught in the crossfire. (Summary from book - Image from traciabramson.blogspot.com)

My review: Having read all of Traci Abramson’s books I can honestly say they just keep getting better. Crossfire, her 7th book and the third in her Saint Squad series, had me in its’ clutches after the first few pages and didn’t let go of me until the very last page. The suspense was enough to keep me turning pages as fast as I could but not enough to scare the wits out of me (some books, though very good, I can only take in small bites if they get too suspenseful). The plot was very believable and not so involved that I had a hard time keeping track of everyone and everything. Everything kept moving along at a smooth but fast pace. The romantic tension between Seth and Vanessa was not over done and definitely G or PG rated.

In the end, I didn’t want the book to end. I tried reading it slowly (which didn’t happen) just so I could savor it a little more. I loved this book. Can’t wait for her next book in the series to come out.

My rating: 5 stars

Sum it up: A fast paced suspense novel that keeps you wanting more.

The Christmas Sweater - Glenn Beck

Summary: If you could change your life by reversing your biggest regrets, sorrows, and mistakes...would you?

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder--and money tighter--since his father died and the family bakery closed...Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.

What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.

Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family--and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell--to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart. (summary from book - image from save.org)

My review: This month for book club we decided to all pick different Christmas stories and then get together and share those stories over cocoa and Christmas goodies. Theoretically, we'd all be uplifted by the condensed versions and leave refreshed and overflowing with Christmas cheer. Gosh, I hope everyone else has better stories or we're all out of luck.

Beck’s writing wasn’t exceedingly wonderful in the beginning, but I was willing to put it aside since the story seemed to be heading in the right direction—a typical Christmas story with a young, self-involved boy, about to learn his lesson—up until the loss of both his parents. After that, the book took a bit of a nosedive. The middle and latter half of the book were so full of Eddie’s unhappiness that it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by all the angst. Though I suppose Beck’s version was probably an accurate picture of what a child suffering the loss of his parents would act like, I got a little tired of Eddie’s griping and taking his anger out on everyone. It went on for so long that I started to lose interest (and Christmas cheer).

Beck also tried way too hard to force his message through the mouths of his characters, instead of letting the story speak for itself. Eddie’s Grandfather and the mysterious Russell (who kinda creeped me out) hardly spoke a word that wasn’t a mini-lecture or symbolic story designed to deliver precious truths to the reader. Truths they may have been (and were), but I was so irritated by the delivery that I tended to skim through their monologues. Still, I was hoping for one whopper of an ending to turn it all around.

At this point, I guess I should have been expecting the ending I got. I’m going to do something here that I rarely do. I’m going to SPOIL THE ENDING. So, if you actually want to read this book, you might want to stop reading here. Okay. I warned you. It was all a dream. Yup, a dream. Eddie’s mom didn’t die and he ended up getting the bike he always wanted. I won’t pretend that I didn’t like the happy ending better – it was the kind of ending you’d expect from a Christmas story--but I was still MAD! I'd read 2/3 of a book about Eddie’s hurt, rage, and a mountain of his convoluted internal (and external) dialogue and it was ALL FOR NOTHING. Grr.

The only thing that saved this book from a full-on 2 star rating was the fact that I felt that the message he was trying to deliver about the Atonement and achieving personal happiness was important. Had the story been about 150+ pages shorter and focused more on telling the story and less on forcing the obviously important message, I think it would have made a much more uplifting Christmas read and, ironically, the message would have been perfectly clear.

PS. In case you're wondering, like Glenn, I'm LDS and I like a lot of what he has to say politically. I feel bad about this review, but it's honestly how I felt. I think he should stick to selling inconvenient books and arguing with idiots.

My rating: 2.75 Stars

Sum it up: Good beginning. Good end. Soul-sucking middle with a good message that gets lost in all the lecturing.

Methods of Madness - Stephanie Black

Summary: It's been three years since the terrible night Emily Ramsey suffered a double tragedy-the death of her sister and the disappearance of her fiance. She deserves another chance at happiness, and gentle, adorable Zach Sullivan is the perfect man to mend her shattered heart. But from the moment Emily opens the hand-carved box holding a glittering diamond solitaire, she's seized by an unshakable fear; she's going to lose Zach. That's exactly what Monica, Zach's ex-girlfriend, is banking on. Bitter with envy, Monica will stop at nothing to sabotage Zach and Emily's romance. Troubling notes show up in Emily's mailbox, fanning the flames of suspicion. A bloody photograph sends her reeling. But when someone is brutally murdered, will Emily be able to escape suspicion and the possibility that she might be next? (image and summary from amazon.com)

My Review: This book drove me crazy, which is probably what it was supposed to do. I found myself getting very frustrated because everyone thought “poor Emily” was going crazy, that she was losing her mind and not remembering things that supposedly happened to her. I kept thinking “when is all this madness going to end?” As far as I was concerned there was a little too much “madness” and confusion. There were too many people involved in all this “madness”. At times it was hard to keep track of what everyone was doing and whose side they were on. By the end of the book the issue of too many people was resolved. There was a good climax and the final resolution was very plausible.

Rating: 2.5 stars I had to take this book in small bites.

Sum it up: A young lady tries to prove her sanity to herself and those around her.

Illuminations of the Heart - Joyce DiPastena

Summary: Trained in the art of illumination in the far-off city of Venice, Siri is directed by her late brother's will to the county of Poitou in France, where she enters into the guardianship of her brother's friend, Sir Triston de Brielle. Once in Poitou, Siri hopes to find employment in an illuminator's shop--until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of his late wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears and uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife's shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri's face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then Triston's past returns to threaten them both. Will his tragic life with Clothilde be repeated with Siri? Trapped between the rivalry of the king's sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. But how can he bear to lose her again?

Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman's shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and pain. But can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston's soul and make his heart beat for her alone?
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Chris’s Review: You are pulled into Illuminations of the Heart in the first few pages by an attempted kidnapping and, for the most part, are not let go until the end of the book. I found the story of Siri (Siriol di Calendri) and Triston to be a sweet, tender romance. They had their problems to work out, as we all do, but in the end they were together. Triston was a very strong person morally. He didn’t drink, he didn’t sleep around and when he gave someone his oath it was binding. He was also a typical knight—he fought for his honor and the honor of the woman he loved. Siri was young, vibrant and beautiful. She was also of the same moral character as Triston, so their relationship was not something I was embarrassed to read about.
The action in Illuminatons just kept coming and coming. There was plenty of sword and fist fighting, racing off on horses, and falling down stairs to keep anybody reading; unfortunately, the same action was repeated too many times, just by different characters. I also found myself getting lost wandering around in the genealogy, trying to figure out who came from whom and where this all fit in with the story.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Sum It Up: It was a good story and a good read, it just wandered too much for my tastes.
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Mindy’s Review: I’m secretly (or perhaps, now, not-so-secretly) a huge fan of romance novels where the woman is saved by the tall hero. Perhaps it’s because I was 5’10” in the 7th grade, but I haven’t really had much opportunity in my life to be play the petite damsel in distress and so every so often I like to live vicariously. So. Sue. Me. Illuminations offered the perfect opportunity to live out that particular fantasy quite alot.

There were parts of this book that I really liked. Illuminations is blessed with a much better writing style than some LDS lit I’ve read and kept from going over the romance/sex line that I have drawn in my head. However, while I enjoyed the basic plot of the story I felt that it’s essence sometimes got lost amid an extensive tangle of schemes, villains, family histories, and historical tie-ins. Occasionally it was a little bit confusing trying to keep track of who had betrayed whom, who killed whom, and whether it was on accident or on purpose.

The medieval setting allowed for some valiant chivalry and sizzling romance, but the plot was so laden with assaults to Siri’s virtue and duels fought in her honor as to be almost laughable. Seriously, how many times can a woman go into a room with a man she doesn’t particularly trust before she learns to either a) not go into the room or b) carry a much bigger knife.

This book, while very enjoyable, would have benefited from being whittled down to a shorter, simpler love story. However, if you are in the mood for a scorchingly romantic (yet fairly clean) book with a lot of twists and turns rescues and then even more twists and turns rescues, then you will likely find happiness within the pages of this book.

My rating: 3 Stars

Sum it up: A fun, romantic story that (while occasionally confusing) was nice and sizzle-y without all the sex.
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Kim's Review: I picked this up during the weekend, I wanted to have plenty of time to get into it before I put it down. I will admit that I was a little skeptical at first, I was unsure about the content being something that could hold me. That being said, I did enjoy this book. It wasn't at all what I expected and I really felt engaged with the characters, but not nearly so with their surroundings. As a historical fiction I wanted more about the history, the lifestyle, etc.
Although the storyline was basic, it was well written. The author obviously had these characters in her head long before they were developed on paper.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Sum it up: A good love story, with precious little else to hold you in your seat.
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AVERAGE RATING : 3 Stars

You can find this book on Amazon or Deseret Book.
You can also visit Joyce's Blog or Walnut Spring's Press for more information on this book.

Would you like to win a free autographed copy of this book?!?! Just comment on this review and you'll be entered to win.

The Route - Gale Sears

Summary: Zipping along life's highway . . . Fifty makes you think. Thirty makes you morose, and forty makes you panic, but fifty makes you think. Half a century, and what is my life? Does it resemble anything I dreamed at sixteen, or expected at twenty, or hoped at twenty-five? What am I doing here? . . . I thought of climbing to the top of a high mountain in Tibet to consult a wise man, but I like vacations where there is indoor plumbing and vegetation. Since I already attended church, I thought perhaps I could pay closer attention. Maybe I'd been missing a great fundamental truth. Well, come to find out, I had been missing something. . . . Carol, a middle-aged wife and mother, is pondering the meaning of life. On a trip to the grocery store to find some energizing dark chocolate, she sees a sign asking for volunteers to deliver meals to the elderly. When Carol decides to take a chance and help out, she¹s in for a life-changing and route-altering‹ experience. (summary from galesears.com - image from walnutsprings press)

Here at Reading For Sanity, we are of several minds (and ratings) on this book. Here’s three opinions from three reviewers who are at different places in their lives.
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Chris’s Review: I loved this book! It drew me in on the very first page and didn’t let go of me until the last. I found myself riding along with Carol as she delivered meals, getting to know and love the people she delivered the meals to, and feeling the emotions she felt as she got to know each person. The names on Carol’s delivery list became more than just names to her (and me), they became real people with amazing lives.

The author did what a good author is supposed to—she made me feel like I was part of the story that was unfolding. I laughed at what “old age” sometimes makes people say, I cried because of all the sadness and loneliness in their lives, I felt anger at the way some of their children treated them and I even felt guilt (mostly because I have and 86 year old mother and a sister who lives in an assisted living center). The characters ranged from kind, gracious and loving people living in nice, but humble homes, to ornery people living in trailers or run down apartments. Their stories were all different but in the end they all needed what Carol could and did give them---LOVE.

My Rating: 5+ Stars

Sum It Up: I was telling people about this book before I’d even finished it. I would recommend it to anyone. It was a wonderful read!
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Emily's Review: I was intrigued by the summary of this book. It looked to be a nice read with the possibility of introspection and occasional bits of wisdom. And gratefully, that is what I got.

I appreciated that this was a book about a fifty-year-old woman, written by someone…ahem, who I would guess is about that age as well. The introduction of the book explains that this is a novel based on the author’s similar experience. Because of its basis in reality it has a perfectly plausible “plot” (really more of a collection of moments and events), and the authors thoughts and reasons for starting this volunteer experience are those I could imagine myself having. Okay, so actually I have thought these things (minus the being fifty part) and even looked up the meals-on-wheels in our area.

The narrator of the story serves a group of people that I found as fascinating as she did. As I read of her interactions with them I felt like I got to know them just as she did. Introducing the reader to these people is the point of the story and the part I most enjoyed.

This book fits in the category of “what I’ve learned in my life” memoirs (I’m assuming its mostly true, even though billed as a novel) and functioned best under that role when simply telling the story. It was less successful when the author pointed out “what had been learned,” generally by using (over-using) the phrase “I made a mental note to…” I could have done without nearly every “aside” of this type; they watered down the message by taking away my own incentive to try and seen the meaning in the stories she told.

My Rating: 3.5 stars – Worth reading, not life changing.

Sum it Up: A nice read with the possibility of introspection and occasional bits of wisdom.
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Heather’s Review: Gale Sears begins her novel, The Route, in a uniquely captivating manner. It almost seems like the narrator of the story, Carol, is writing a letter to the reader about what it feels like to turn fifty after spending life as a SAHM when all the children have left home. Carol speaks in a witty manner about filling the void in her life, quickly drawing the reader in. Unfortunately the book quickly loses momentum in the next chapter as the story turns from an amusing narrative of one lively lady’s life to a chronicle of her volunteer experiences with brief glances into the lives of the seniors she delivers meal to. Carol loses her substance and charm, becoming a character that merely exists on Thursdays (her volunteer day).

I longed for more detail into Carol’s life and felt that this lack of information left Carol a one-dimensional character.I would not consider this novel especially thought provoking, however it did contain quite a few enjoyable antedates and quotes worth a minute or two of pondering. The story overall, while leaving much to be desired, did a good job of showing the benefits of volunteering from both the receiving side and the giving side. It left me longing to be of more service to others.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars, I wouldn’t say that I didn’t like it, I just didn’t find it as enjoyable as many of the books I have given 3 stars to.

Sum it up: A quick and mildly entertaining glance into the power of volunteering and the beauty of age.
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AVERAGE RATING : 3.67 Stars

Available at Amazon or Deseret Book.

Don't forget to check out Gale's blog or Walnut Springs Press blog for more great book suggestions.

Would you like to win a free autographed copy of this book?!?! Just comment on this review and you'll be entered to win.

All the Stars in Heaven - Michele Paige Holmes

Reviewed by Chris

Summary: Ever since the woman he once adored told Jay Kendrich he was a chivalrous hero, he has tried to live up to the praise. But when things don't work out with Jane, moving on and dating other girls proves to be a chore. That is until he meets fellow Harvard student Sarah Morgan. Although Sarah is a freshman studying music and Jay is in his third year of law school, he discovers they have much in common. He has also discovered that getting to know the shy pianist is painful. The last thing Jay expected from his friendly advances was to be assaulted by a brawny stranger. It is abundantly clear that someone wants him to stay away from Sarah. If only he could. As long as she can remember, Sarah has lived under a watchful eye. While her father insists it's for her own protection, Sarah feels imprisoned. As she begins to believe that those she has trusted most don't have her best interest at heart, she is driven further from her respected father and closer to Jay. But their love will come at a high price as the pair edges closer toward to a truth that is darker than either of them could have imagined. (Summary and image from seagullbook.com)

My review: All the Stars in Heaven was written as a companion, but not necessarily a sequel, to Counting the Stars. Jay Kendrich has had a very rough life—part of which included a drug addict mother who died of an overdose. He turns his life around and enters law school at Harvard. While at Harvard he meets Sarah Morgan, a 24/25 year old freshman music major whose life is totally controlled by her overbearing police chief father who, I might add, is controlled by J.D. Rossi, a mob boss. Sarah has never had her hair cut, never ridden a bike, never gone out on a date, never used a blower dryer for her hair or worn makeup. Jay opens us a whole new world to Sarah who in turn gives meaning to his life.

The mob connection in this book provided an element of suspense that kept me engaged and wanting more, until the end of the book. There were many twists and turns in the plot leaving me wondering who the “bad guys” were and who the “good guys” were—who I could trust. Once or twice I had to stop reading just to give myself time to de-stress from what I was reading about.

There was also just enough romance to keep the romance junkie in me happy. I particularly liked how Jay treated Sarah—like she was a beautiful flower just starting to bloom. He helped to nourish and promote the blooming.

The book was a typical LDS fiction, nothing objectionable in the content, but only 2 or 3 references to the LDS (Mormon) Church. I’ve read plenty of Christian fiction and some of it tends to get a little to preachy for my tastes. This was not the case with All the Stars in Heaven. Any religious references were subtle—Mormons and food storage. Anyone could read it and enjoy it.

My rating: 4 stars

Sum it up: Although I didn’t absolutely adore this book, I did find it a very enjoyable read. It left me with a good feeling.