Review \\ To Love and Cherish by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

I haven't disappeared completely! With my school schedule I've had a tough time finishing books, so I've had nothing to review for ages. This one took me at least a month to read. It's a good one, though!

~~~~~~~~~~

Melinda Colson has a rather tragic past, but her future is promising. She works as a lady's maid and her employers spend their winters on Bridal Veil Island, where Evan Tarlow works year-round as gamekeeper. Melinda anxiously awaits a proposal from Evan before she must leave with her employers, but her hopes are dashed when no proposal comes. To Love and Cherish is a story of love and doubt, reconciliation and faith. It's spattered with a few edge-of-your-seat moments and a few aggravations, making it a well-rounded historical fiction tale.

Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller have teamed up once again to deliver a new series based on the fictional (but based on true) island of Bridal Veil. It's a beautiful setting, and, as always, Peterson and Miller craft interesting characters and a heart-warming story.

To Love and Cherish is the second book in the Bridal Veil Island. I haven't read the first one, but through a few internet searches I was assured that each book is on its own. Now I'm curious to find out if that's really true or not, but I'm leaning towards believing it because I didn't feel lost when I started reading this one. I haven't read many of these Christian fiction/historical/romance novels where the characters actually start out in love. I admit it takes away a bit of the suspense, but, like others, you still know how its going to end.

My favorite part of the book is the setting. I can see why the characters fell in love with Bridal Veil, and I wish I could go there myself.






I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Review \\ Louder Than Words by Jenny McCarthy

Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism by Jenny McCarthy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm going through a section at my library about autism and this was my first stop. I've heard some from Jenny McCarthy on talk shows and was inclined to believe she was anti-vaccination all the way, but her book really shows her heart on the matter.

The best part is the end, when she describes her inability to accept doctors' Band-Aid approach, always looking beyond the symptoms to find a cause. Though her thoughts on autism's cause(s) are only theories based on research, she gives readers an opportunity to see into the world of autism and learn how to confront it and even, maybe, heal it. Evan's story is amazing to read.

The two issues I have with the book are as follows:

1) The book is written by a mom, not a doctor. That said, there are benefits to reading a book about autism that is written by someone who is enduring it on a daily basis. On the other hand, though, a doctor's more qualified opinion would be nice.

2) Jenny McCarthy is a rather crude lady, and there seems to be a never endless string of f-words and the like filling the pages of Louder Than Words. I decided to look past it, but it was excessive and unnecessary.

View all my reviews

Review \\ Running for My Life by Lopez Lomong

\\ About the Book \\ Running for My Life is not a story about Africa or track and field athletics. It is about outrunning the devil and achieving the impossible faith, diligence, and the desire to give back. It is the American dream come true and a stark reminder that saving one can help to save thousands more.Lopez Lomong chronicles his inspiring ascent from a barefoot lost boy of the Sudanese Civil War to a Nike sponsored athlete on the US Olympic Team. Though most of us fall somewhere between the catastrophic lows and dizzying highs of Lomong's incredible life, every reader will find in his story the human spark to pursue dreams that might seem unthinkable, even from circumstances that might appear hopeless.

With perfect timing Thomas Nelson releases Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games, the incredible story of U.S. Olympic long distance runner Lopez Lomong. This book takes you from the lows of poverty and kidnap to the highs of qualifying for the Olympics. It seems unreal at times, but Lopez constantly reminds readers that his story is possible only because of God.

Lopez's journey to the U.S. is pretty spectacular, as is his desire to do everything he can to help his family and friends in South Sudan. 4 South Sudan is a foundation he started alongside World Vision to bring clean water, education, and healthcare to Sudan. The Olympics? Well, that's just a favorite past time.

I can't recommend this book enough.

Lopez is running in the Olympics today!! I will be cheering him on!

\\ Info \\
Title: Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Author: Lopez Lomong
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Number of Pages: 240
ISBN: 1595555153
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

What's On My Nightstand \\ July 2012

I still have several reviews in the works, but I'll at least tell you if I'm for or against these books. :) I'm trying to keep up a better blogging schedule, so instead of posting several reviews in one week and then nothing for months, I'm scheduling one post every Tuesday. Hopefully it'll stick, though school is right around the corner.

Books I Read:

1. Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore. A YA novel about humans, angels, and demons (and all of this in Christian fiction). I thought it would weird me out but I ended up really enjoying it. Even if you're skeptical, you should check it out.

2. Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson. The second book in the Land of the Lone Star series. I liked it much more than the first, but Peterson's style has become a bit tiring for me. I'm losing the ability to believe that all people "back then" spoke so properly, and if one more person gets kidnapped/held hostage/or faces some sort of life and death situation in the last chapter I might not be able to handle it. (Still, it was a good love story.)

3. Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock. This was my first Tatlock, and I really enjoyed it. I'll be reading more from her.

4. Forevermore by Cathy Marie Hake. My sis told me to read this book, so on her recommendation I picked it up from the library. Why have I not read any of Cathy Marie Hake's books before now? I don't know. In a word Forevermore is charming. I have to read more of the series.

5. The Widow of Saunders Creek by Tracey Bateman. Whoa. I'm trying to branch out more in fiction, and this book is more along the lines of Angel Eyes. It deals with the supernatural, namely the possibility of ghosts. This is Christian fiction as well, so you can expect Bateman to stay close to biblical truths when presenting her characters with ghost-like appearances and the like. It's a really good story wrapped in a bit of suspense, and I enjoyed it a lot. Full review coming soon.

6. A Charmed Life series by Jenny B. Jones. The entire YA series in one, A Charmed Life includes So Not Happening, I'm So Sure, and So Over My Head. I won this collection in a giveaway and I really liked it. Jenny B. Jones is an author I've only read in Brio Magazine and SUSIE Magazine, so I was interested in her book-length fiction. She is an hilarious author, and I definitely want to read more of her books. I'm donating this book to a 7th grade reading teacher's class library, where I'm sure plenty of teenage girls are going to enjoy reading about Bella's crazy but ordinary life.

My Nose Is Stuck In:

1. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Still, I know. This book is so big, though, that I'm taking my time working through it. I love this book.

2. Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games by Lopez Lomong with Mark Tabb. This is an amazing, eye-opening story that gives me the chills every time I pick it up. I'll definitely be rooting for you, Lomong!

That's about it for now. I'm moving from my fiction frenzy to all non-fiction for a while, which I'm quite a fan of. I'm considering challenging myself to read only non-fiction until the next Nightstand post, but, I admit, I'm a little scared. I might just try it though. I'll let you know next month if I succeeded.

Please leave links to your posts in the comments. I can't wait to add more to my to-read pile!

2012 Reading Goal: 32 of 50

Happy reading,

Review \\ Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson

\\ About the Book \\ When Laura Marquardt first meets Brandon Reid, their encounter is anything but pleasant. But when the two are seated together at a dinner party, they soon find that they share similar interests--Laura desires to educate blacks, and Brandon, as a white officer over colored troops, eagerly supports her cause.
When Laura's sister, Carissa, marries her Confederate beau, Laura finds herself in a difficult situation when she overhears plots to kill Union soldiers. Though in her heart she feels she should share this information with Brandon, Laura fears she will betray her sister's trust and possibly endanger her sister's life. And when Brandon's motives for pursuing her come into question, her heart is even more conflicted. Where is God leading her?

After feeling a bit of disappointment over the first installment of Tracie Peterson's Land of the Lone Star series, I had my concerns when I received Touching the Sky in the mail. Turns out I liked it much better than Chasing the Sun, and that is a very good thing.

Touching the Sky at first doesn't seem to be linked to Chasing the Sun at all. It could very well be a stand alone novel except for a small part at the end that reminds us of the previous book. This book focuses on Laura Marquardt, a wise young woman who is keenly aware of the changes the end of the Civil War has brought to her hometown of Corpus Christi. I love her character because she is smart and honest about everything. 

When Captain Brandon Reid asks to court her, Laura is pretty much ecstatic, though (of course) she doesn't let such emotion show. Soon, however, she realizes that Captain Reid might be leading her on in order to gather information to harm her sister Carissa's Confederate beau. Wise Laura is suddenly torn between two loves, and her decision will not be easy. 

As always, Tracie Peterson creates intriguing characters that keep us loving her stories. I'm a little annoyed at Peterson's tendency to throw together some dramatic, rushed ending. (I can count several of her books in which this happens.) However, her writing remains steady and her stories interesting, so I guess I'll be all right with her endings. My only other pet peeve, as I've been trying to diversify my fiction selections lately, is that her dialogue is so stiff and so proper. Do we really believe that people back then didn't use contractions? I wonder.

Though you could easily read this book without reading the first in the series, I think it would be best to start with Chasing the Sun. Touching the Sky only begins Laura's sister Carissa's story, and the next book is devoted to her and a character from the first book. I'm hoping that one will be really good, because I think it has the best potential of the three.

\\ About the Author \\ Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

\\ Info \\

Title: Touching the Sky

Author: Tracie Peterson

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Publication Date: June 1, 2012

Number of Pages: 336

ISBN: 0764206168

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!