Category: book reviews

Book recommendations: Planned Spring reads

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading7 Comments

This spring I plan to read the following books (or I’m already reading them):

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I have seen at least one movie version of this one (the one from the early 1980s) but have never read the book and have been wanting to for a long while.

Description:

Follow young Mary Lennox as she embarks on a captivating journey that will unlock the secrets of her own heart and the hidden wonders of a long-forgotten garden. As Mary explores the magical realm tucked away within the walls of Misselthwaite Manor, she unearths not only vibrant flowers and lush greenery, but also the key to her own healing and happiness.

With the help of her newfound friends, including the spirited Dickon and the remarkably talented Colin, Mary learns to nurture both the garden and the fragile bonds of trust and friendship. Together, they breathe life into the barren landscape, uncovering the beauty and joy that can be found even in the most desolate places.

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

I started Sara’s first book – The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kipp – but abandoned it because it was hard to listen to during a stressful time of loss in my family. I will be going back to finish it because I did enjoy it.

I was interested in this book as well so I decided to give it a chance when I saw it on a list of books I could review for Clean Fiction Magazine (which is a place where readers of clean fiction can find book recommendations from many genres).

Description:

Shaken by her parents’ divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She’ll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother’s belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town’s history, her ancestors–and her estranged father.

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured–with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

I’ve always steered clear of Jaime’s books because anything creepy or related to ghosts, etc. is not really my thing. Jaime’s books are listed under Christian Fiction so they are clean, in case you are wondering. They are just creepy. I saw this one being offered as part of a book tour and decided to give it a chance. I have started it and, so far, I don’t like to put it down because I really want to know what happened.

Description:

In 1910, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer’s retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie’s quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington, who was last seen at the supposed crime scene in the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue. Just as Effie discovers what she seeks, she finds that the blood staining the walls will forever link her to a scandal she couldn’t imagine, and to a woman whose secrets promise to curse any who would expose them.

A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt’s bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister’s dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house’s claim to fame–the murder of Isabelle Addington. When a guest is found dead, the incident is linked to Isabelle’s murder, and Norah and Sebastian must work together to uncover the century-old curse that has wrapped 322 Predicament Avenue in its clutches and threatens far more than death.

Murder In An Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor

I’ve also started this book and I’m just as tied up in it as I am Jaime’s. This is my first book by O’Connor, who I had never heard of until a cozy mystery account on Instagram suggested it.

This is a wild Irish ride and I really am enjoying it. Must be the Celtic blood in me.

Description:

In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago.

It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest.

With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans and their business in danger of being shunned—murder tends to spoil the appetite—it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene.

I am continuing to read through the original Nancy Drew books and this is up next.

Description:


Nancy and her friend Helen visit their friend Emily Willouby at the Lilac Inn, which Emily now owns, to help her plan her wedding. Emily plans on selling inherited diamonds in order to help fix up the Lilac Inn. However, Nancy soon learns that someone has been impersonating her and making expensive purchases under her name. Soon after, Emily’s diamonds are stolen! Can Nancy find the thieves and recover the missing diamonds?

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Book recommendations/reviews for Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander and Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading3 Comments

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander was a cozy, quick read that launched me into modern cozy mysteries. It is the first book in the Bakeshop Mystery series.

Juliet Capshaw returns to her hometown in Oregon after suffering heartbreak while working as a chef on a cruise ship.

Hoping for a break from all the stress, she begins working with her mom at the family bakery. Her hopes for a peaceful settling-in are dashed when she discovers a body on the kitchen floor one morning.

This book had me hooked on the characters fairly quickly. There is a close relationship between Juliet and her mom and there are plenty of quirky and sweet characters to grow attached to.

Even though I am not a baker myself, I liked how baking was seamlessly woven into the story. I won’t lie – I did skip over some of the more detailed descriptions of the baking process and how it made her feel because it isn’t really my thing, but for those who absolutely love baking I know those descriptions will be something they will love to read.

Alexander does an amazing job of bringing her characters to life – whether it is in how she describes them or in how she creates a dialogue between them.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves super, super cozy mysteries.

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower

Crime and Poetry is the first book in the Magical Bookshop series by Amanda Flower. Violet Waverly rushes back to her hometown to help her ailing grandmother, only to find out her grandmother (Daisy) isn’t so sick after all.

Daisy owns a bookshop that Violet soon finds out is magical because the books pick their readers, which is hard to explain until you read the book.

Before Violet knows it she’s wrapped up in a murder mystery when a man named Benedict Raisin dies clutching a copy of Emily Dickinson that he bought at Daisy’s bookshop. Even worse for Daisy is that Benedict left her in his will.

This is a book that takes you on a wild journey full of magic and craziness. I’m not usually a fan of “magical” books. I prefer my cozy mysteries to have at least a little bit of reality to them but I’ve read Flower’s other magical series – The Magical Garden Series – and really liked it.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the magical garden because it featured more about spells and that’s not really my thing. It may, however, be something other readers enjoy. I also felt that the timeline for solving the mystery was completely ridiculous. But there were magical books involved so of course it would be solved fast. A little bit of suspending belief isn’t a bad thing when reading a cozy mystery though.

I don’t know if I will continue this series because I didn’t connect with Violet as much as characters in other series by Flower but I might since I liked the book overall.

Have you read either of these? What did you think?

Book Review: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading, everyday musings7 Comments

The cover of Miracles on Maple Hill caught my attention at a used book sale so I grabbed it up to read with my 9-old daughter at some point. There are actually two covers to the book – the original and the updated one I have.

When a friend mentioned she was reading the book and then I saw someone else online mention they were reading it, I decided I would read it for fun as well. I read it in February but it is timely that I am writing about it during Middle Grade March, which is when some readers pick up middle grade books to read or read again.

I don’t usually read middle-grade books at any time but last year I read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr and enjoyed it so decided I’d try another one. I now, incidentally, have a stack of them I want to read.

The story follows Marly and her family as they visit her mother’s grandmother’s house in rural Pennsylvania. The family lives in the Pittsburgh area but decides to visit Maple Hill to help Marly’s dad who is dealing with PTSD from being a prisoner of war and presumed dead. The book doesn’t specify which war but the book was published in 1956 so it could either be World War II or the Korean War.

Marly’s family includes her mom, dad, and brother Joe. When they arrive in Maple Hill, Marly’s mom hopes that the time at the farm, even if it is only weekends, will help her husband feel better and less hopeless.

When they arrive they meet neighbors of Marly’s Mom’s grandmother, Mr. and Mrs. Chris. It’s a little confusing is Chris is the man’s first or last name since the wife calls him both during the book, but it doesn’t really matter. They are a sweet older couple and when Marly first meets him he is tapping maple trees for sap.

According to information online, Sorensen based the book on her real-life experiences while visiting Edinboro, Pennsylvania.

Someone I follow (though I can’t remember who) had mentioned that this book took place in Pennsylvania but I completely forgot that until I started it. The fact that the book begins and ends during maple syrup collecting and cooking season was interesting to me since that is the season we were in when I started the book.

My husband, in fact, had just come back from a demonstration at a local farm where they collect the sap and make maple syrup. He had attended it for work as a reporter/editor at the local paper and I suggested he use a quote from the book for his story. He ultimately rejected that idea even though he liked the quote.

“The sap running gives me a feeling I can’t describe,” Mr. Chris said. “Like it is the blood of the earth moving.”

Mr. Chris has a lot of great quotes in the book including: “Everything has its own sap, I guess,” he said. “It’s got to rise, that’s all. Nobody knows why. It’s like the sun in the morning.”

There was one disturbing scene in the beginning of the book that made me almost abandon it. In the scene Marly finds a nest of baby mice. Her mother is disgusted and tells her husband to do something about it. He tells Joe to throw the nest into the stove downstairs where they have just started a fire.

Marly is horrified but the rest of the family doesn’t understand what her problem is. The mice can carry disease, they argue. They needed to go. To Marly the mice were alive – they were potential pets and she decides she can never just accept that a life can be snuffed out because it is inconvenient. She is comforted when Mr. Chris agrees when he discusses the mice living in his sugar shack and how they have become his friends.

I’m glad I didn’t give up on the book based on that scene, however, because it is a pivotal motion that launches off changes in the family as the book progresses. We go from a dead and dark feeling inside the father where baby mice don’t matter to him to a place in his life where life becomes bright and enjoyable again. I won’t spoil how we get there or the incidents that show that but it is very heartwarming when it begins and continues.

I sobbed through much of the last three chapters of the book. Things became tense, the family had to rally together, and I wasn’t sure who would be left when it was over. I knew this was an older book and they didn’t always end on a happy note (hello Old Yeller) so I read it with trepidation. I will not ruin the ending for those who never read the book but I will say I was not disappointed with the ending and felt a sense of hope based on it.

According to Wikipedia, the Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum in Edinboro features an exhibit dedicated to the book and the author.

The book won the 1957 Newberry Medal and was illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush.

Sorensen, who was born in Utah, was called a Mormon writer but once said she did not have a great deal of interest in Mormons or the faith. Despite that, she wrote several adult books tying her faith into life and is considered by most to be a Mormon author – even though most of her books had nothing to do with the Mormon life. She wrote seven children’s books and nine adult books.

I enjoyed Maple Hill and will be looking for other books by her to read in the future.

Have you read this or any of Sorensen’s other books?

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit review and did we really mean never again?

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading7 Comments

Title: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Author: Judith Kerr

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Rating: 5 out of 5

I was roaming the bookshelves in the children’s section of our local library a few months ago when a book title caught my attention: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.

I felt like this was an odd book for the children’s section, even if it was middle grade, at least based on the title. I took it home and started to read it and was pulled in quickly. The only issue was that the book was old and the mildew smell triggered my allergies and gave me a weird headache. I really wanted to finish the book, though, so I found a cheap copy on Thriftbooks and prayed it wouldn’t have that “way too old” book smell.

It did have a bit of an old book smell but it wasn’t enough to keep me from reading and finishing it last week. While the topic of this book is heavy, there are some humorous and sweet moments that balance out the dark subject matter.

The book is written by children’s book author Judith Kerr and is semi-autobiographical. It is the first book in a four-book series called Out of The Hitler Time. Kerr wrote 48 children’s books besides this series. A German movie based on When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and directed by Oscar-nominated director Caroline Link was released in 2019, the same year Kerr died at the age of 95.

I plan to watch it and write about it in a future blog post.

 Kerr changed the name of the characters and fictionalized parts of the story of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, but the story is very close to the real-life story of her and her family and their escape from Germany in 1933.

In the book, Anna is the main character’s name. She has a brother Max and her parents who are just called Mama and Papa. Anna’s family is Jewish and her papa is a newspaper columnist who has been very critical of the Nazi party.

In the beginning of the book, as it begins to appear it will become a reality that the Nazi party will be elected, Anna and her friends begin to discuss Adolf Hitler and what his election might mean for the country. They aren’t sure what to make of him or the Nazi party but Anna’s non-Jewish friend, Elsbeth, announces to Anna that after Hitler gets elected he’s going to “take care of the Jews.”

“It’s another picture of that man,’ said Elsbeth. ‘My little sister saw one yesterday and thought it was Charlie Chaplin.’

Anna looked at the staring eyes, the grim expression. She said, ‘It’s not a bit like Charlie Chaplin except for the moustache.’

They spelled out the name under the photograph. Adolf Hitler.”

Anna wakes up one morning after this discussion and finds out Papa has disappeared. Mama tells her that her father has gone to Switzerland and they are all going to meet him to live there, though she isn’t sure for how long.

Since the family can only take enough to fit inside a few suitcases, Anna has to decide which toys to take with her.

“Deciding which toys to take was the hardest part. They naturally wanted to take the games compendium but it was too big. In the end there was only room for some books and one of Anna’s stuffed toys. Should she choose Pink Rabbit or a newly acquired wooly dog? It seemed a pity to leave the dog when she had hardly had time to play with it, and Heimpi packed it for her. Max took his football. They could always have more things sent on to them in Switzerland, said Mama.”

Heimpi is the family’s nanny. She’s supposed to move with them, but in the end, she can’t get across the border and finds a new family to work for.

The family leaves on a train and while traveling Anna begins to feel sick. Her Papa left with a cold and it’s clear she now has it. By the time they arrive in Lake Zurich, Switzerland, Anna is extremely sick and falls in and out of sleep for days as she tries to recover. At one point the doctor that comes to check on her says he’s concerned she might not make it.

When she wakes up recovered, she learns the details about her father’s escape and her surroundings. Her brother, Max, explains to her what has happened in Germany. Hitler has been elected and their house was raided by the Nazis.

Trying to make light of the situation, Anna and Max joke about the toys that Hitler is probably playing with at their house, including Pink Rabbit. The joking is their way of dealing with the sadness and fear, of course.

“When she was safely back in bed, she said, ‘Max, this . . .  confiscation of property, whatever it’s called – did the Nazis take everything – even our things?”

Max nodded.

Anna tried to imagine it. The piano was gone . .  the dining room curtains with the flowers. . . her bed . . .all her toys, which included her stuffed Pink Rabbit. For a moment she felt terribly sad about Pink Rabbit. It had had embroidered black eyes – the original glass ones had fallen out years before – and an endearing habit of collapsing on its paws. Its fur, though no longer very pink had been soft and familiar. How could she have ever chosen to pack that characterless wooly dog in its stead? It had been a terrible mistake, and now she would never be able to put it right.

‘I always knew we should have brought the games compendium,” said Max. “Hitler’s probably playing Snakes and Ladders with it this very minute.”

‘And snuggling my Pink Rabbit!’ said Anna and laughed.

But some tears had come into her eyes and were running down her cheeks all at the same time.”

The family stays in a small tavern (or a Gasthof) in Lake Zurich for the next six months. Papa looks for work but it’s hard to find a paying job in newspapers in that area.

The family is mainly welcomed into the community. Adjusting to their new life is a challenge but eventually, they make friends. During one playdate with their new friends, a new set of children come to play. Their family is visiting the lake but they don’t want to play with Anna and Max because they are Jewish.

At one point their uncle Julius, who isn’t actually their uncle but a family friend who they call uncle, visits and tells their parents about how bad things are getting in Germany. He decides not to leave and laments about missing going to the zoo with the children. The letters he sends to the family in the future are coded and get sadder and sadder each time.

Anna had once imagined what it would be like to have a tough life after reading a story about someone who had a rough life but became famous. She thinks about this on her tenth birthday, which she celebrates in Switzerland instead of Germany where she wanted to be instead.

“Am I ten yet?” asked Anna. Papa looked at his watch.

“Ten years old exactly.” He hugged her. “Happy, happy birthday, and very many happy returns.”

And just as he said it the boat’s lights came on. There was only a sprinkling of white bulbs around the rails which left the dock almost as dark as before, but the cabin suddenly glowed yellow and at the back of the boat the ship’s lantern shone a brilliant purply-blue.

“Isn’t it lovely!” cried Anna and somehow, suddenly, she no longer minded about her birthday and her presents. It seemed rather fine and adventurous to be a refugee, to have no home and to not know where one was going to live. Perhaps a a pinch it might even count as a difficult childhood like the one in Gunther’s book and she would end up being famous.

As the boat steamed back to Zurich she snuggled up to Papa and they watched the blue light from the ship’s lantern trailing through the dark water behind them.

“I think I might quite like being a refugee,” said Anna.

Eventually, Papa needs to find work and travels to Paris to look for a newspaper job. He returns and takes Mama with him so they can look for a place to live. They leave the children but they are checked on by the tavern owner.

The family moves to Paris and they all have to learn French, which is a struggle for Anna until one day it clicks for her and she begins to speak it fluently.

By then, though, Papa has decided they will move to England in hopes he can find even more work as a columnist and writer. A movie company has even offered to make a movie from a screenplay he’s written. From what I understand the second book in this series continues the family’s story while in England.

There are so many moving and heartbreaking quotes in this book.

When Anna tells her father she doesn’t want to leave Paris, he assures her they will return again one day.

″‘We’ll come back,’ said Papa.
‘I know,’ said Anna.
She remembered how she had felt when they had gone back to the Gasthof Zwirn for the holidays and added, ‘But it won’t be the same- we won’t belong. Do you think we’ll ever really belong anywhere?’
‘I suppose not,’ said Papa.”  ‘Not the way people belong who have lived in one place all their lives. But we’ll belong a little in lots of places, and I think that may be just as good.‘”

Link, the director of the film based on the book, said about the story that “it is not shocking but still deep.”

That is exactly the takeaway I had after reading it. I hope to read the rest of the books of the series soon and when Little Miss is a little older I will either read the books to her or have her read them herself.

I started this book in July or August and finished it about two weeks after the massacre occurred in Israel on Oct. 7.

I’ve read many stories about the horrible treatment of the Jews during and prior to World War II either fictional based on real events or non-fictional.

I won’t get too much into the specifics of the conflict currently going on right now, but I will say that I’ll never get used to the complete idiocy of hating a group of people simply because they are of a different faith or ethnicity than you. I’ll also never get used to the barbarism and sick actions against the Jewish people since pretty much the beginning of time. On October 7 we saw it happening again.

I found myself crying as I read the book because, after the Holocaust, the world said, “Never again,” but here we are again, letting it happen and, once again, turning a blind eye to the fact that antisemitism is very real and still very much alive.

Book review: A New Leash on Life

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading, everyday musings2 Comments

About the Book

Book: New Leash on Life

Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo

Genre: Christian Fiction / Cozy Mystery

Release Date: October, 2023

How Is a Missing Military Working Dog Related to Two Local Fires?

Snuggle with your trusty hound and settle into a small-town mystery in book 6 of the Gone to the Dogs series.

Air Force veteran Dr. Lane Bishop and Nora Hernandez’s romance has cooled. He is busy working as a researcher at the vet school, and she’s busy with her restaurant and opening an antique shop. What Lane hasn’t told her is his PTSD, which manifests mostly with nightmares, makes him believe he’s damaged goods. But that is about to change when he meets a stray pup that acts a lot like a military working dog.

When a tornado hits Brenham, there is damage in the downtown area and a fire is ignited in Nora’s new store. A Belgian Malinois dog is seen at the fire and later Lane sees him at a wedding venue where an explosion occurs. Not long after, a second explosion rocks Brenham and sends Nora and Lane on a hunt for the person responsible. Will the pair find the guilty party before more damage is done to the city’s landmarks? And will Lane find the words to tell Nora how much he loves her before it’s too late? 

Click here to get your copy!

Review

This is the second book I’ve read in this series and I enjoyed it, especially the romance mixed in with the mystery. This was a to-the-point mystery that wrapped up without a ton of clues but that was okay – the clues weren’t needed to make the story interesting. It was fast paced with a new development in almost every chapter but not so fast paced that it was unrealistic or ridiculous.

I loved the main characters, even though I have not read a cozy mystery where there was a POV from two people before. I don’t know if I really liked the switching back and forth at first but I really loved both characters so it started not to bother me as much.

The supporting cast in this book was also a book to the story.

The plot line of the military dog drew the elements of the mystery together and I was pleased with how that part of the story resolved. The ending was somewhat predictable but I didn’t mind that because it ended how I hoped it would.

Though I felt there were a couple of plot points that didn’t quite come together for me, I still enjoyed the book and would read more in the series. This book came at a good time in my life when I needed a clean and wholesome book to read.

About the Author

Kathleen Y’Barbois a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and bestselling author of more than one hundred books with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she is a member of the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division, Texas A&M Association of Former Students and the Texas A&M Women Former Students (Aggie Women), Texas Historical Society, Novelists Inc., and American Christian Fiction Writers. She would also be a member of the Daughters of the American Republic, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a few others if she would just remember to fill out the paperwork that Great Aunt Mary Beth has sent her more than once.

When she’s not spinning modern day tales about her wacky Southern relatives, Kathleen inserts an ancestor or two into her historical and mystery novels as well. Recent book releases include bestselling The Pirate Bride set in 1700s New Orleans and Galveston, its sequel The Alamo Bride set in 1836 Texas, which feature a few well-placed folks from history and a family tale of adventure on the high seas and on the coast of Texas. She also writes (mostly) relative-free cozy mystery novels for Guideposts Books.

Kathleen and her hero in combat boots husband have their own surprise love story that unfolded on social media a few years back. They make their home just north of Houston, Texas and are the parents and in-laws of a blended family of Texans, Okies, and one very adorable Londoner.

More for Kathleen

You’ve most likely seen military working dogs (MWDs) on television shows or in the news. Maybe you’ve seen police dogs in action or read about them. They’re often fierce looking and always well-trained and intelligent. Along with their handler, the MWD is a brave and not so secret weapon in the military and law enforcement world. And did you know that an MWD always outranks his or her handler? It’s true.

I was very aware of all of this, but I had no idea what happened to these dogs when they were too old or perhaps physically unable to continue in their roles. People retire from their careers, so it makes sense that MWDs would as well.

I first learned about retired MWDs from watching my friend Ronie welcome a gorgeous Belgian Malinois, Vvolt, to her family. Anyone who knew the family or came to know Vvolt through social media fell in love with that dog. With his ears cocked just so and his bigger-than-life personality, I knew I had to write about him someday.

When I was given the opportunity to co-write a cozy mystery series with my dear friend, Janice Thompson, I knew one of those books would have to include an MWD. Because MWDs are used in so many situations, from military police work to bomb sniffing to PTSD care and more—I had to narrow down the choice of what my dog would be doing. I won’t give anything away, but I can tell you that Pal, the fictional Belgian Malinois in NEW LEASH ON LIFE is very good at what he does. He also loves a good Whataburger when his regular kibble isn’t available, but I digress.

When I set out to create the personality for Pal, I looked to what I knew and loved about Vvolt. Big personality, toothy grin, and the ability to run and jump like a champ were all included in my dog’s version of the MWD. And like Vvolt, my MWD develops a strong bond with his handler and the family who welcomes him into their home. Pal is loyal, friendly, and apt to stand between his people and danger at the slightest provocation.

Pal’s person in NEW LEASH ON LIFE is Dr. Lane Bishop, a Texas A&M University research veterinarian and Air Force veteran. Lane deals with nightmares that came out of his military experiences. As you can imagine, this causes an issue or two with Nora Hernandez, the woman Lane adores but has not shared his worries with.

Then along comes Pal, a stray (or is he?) with a habit of disappearing and then turning up at the most unlikely places just when he’s needed. I won’t give away the story, but let’s just say that sometimes it takes an animal to show the humans what needs to be done.

Perhaps all this talk about MWDs has you curious about them. Maybe you’re someone who would love to explore the opportunity to give a retired MWD a second chance. Check the Airforce 37th Training wing’s website for details on how this can be done: https://www.37trw.af.mil/Units/37th-Training-Group/341st-Training-Squadron/Military-Working-Dog-Adoption-Program/ .

NEW LEASH ON LIFE is the story of new starts and second chances, of how God can doesn’t just use humans to achieve His purposes. For this and so many other reasons, the tale of Lane and Nora and Pal is dedicated to the memory of Vvolt and his people.

Well done good and faithful servant.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 26

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 26

Wishful Endings, October 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 27

Texas Book-aholic, October 28

Karen Baney Reviews, October 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 29

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, October 30

Boodock Ramblings, October 30

Lighthouse-Academy, October 31

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 31

Blogging With Carol, November 1

For Him and My Family, November 1

Holly’s Book Corner, November 2

Mary Hake, November 2

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 3

Splashes of Joy, November 4

Pause for Tales, November 4

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 5

Bigreadersite, November 6

Cover Lover Book Review, November 6

Labor Not in Vain, November 7

Life on Chickadee Lane, November 7

Lily’s Book Reviews, November 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/28973/new-leash-on-life-celebration-tour-giveaway

‘Book review, recommendation: Abiding in Him: A Life Together in Ministry by Bettie and Barry Gilbert

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews3 Comments



When you deal with chronic illness, it isn’t easy to always stay upbeat or hopeful.

You feel as if God can not use you because you struggle to even leave your house, let alone go out into the world and preach the gospel.

Bettie Gilbert and her husband Barry learned over the years that not even chronic illness, various attacks on their joy, and heartache could stop God from using them to further his kingdom.

That’s the story that is written in Bettie and Barry’s new book Abiding in Him: A Life Together in Ministry.

This beautiful book which can also be used as a devotional was written in the past year by Bettie and Barry and is published by Chronic Joy, a wonderful organization that Bettie is a part of. The organization helps support those who struggle with chronic illnesses.

The book is full of inspiring stories, poems, Bible verses, and reflective questions to help bring you through your own trials, questions, and journey, whether you are in ministry or not. Each chapter ends with a beautiful prayer and three questions to help you focus on your own life.

This is a book for those of you in ministry, yes, but for any of us who face trials no matter what we do in life.

This is a book full of hope in a hurting world, a reminder though how God worked through Bettie and Barry’s life that he can and will do the same for us — maybe not in the way we want or expect but in a way that we need and will, many times, blow us away.

You can learn more about Bettie and Barry’s beautiful book on the Chronic Joy webpage. (https://chronic-joy.org/abiding-in-him/) or you can order it right from Amazon.

Just a closing, thought, Bettie Gilbert’s writing changed the way I think about chronic illness, especially the one I deal with. Her writing reminded me that we are called to worship God in all things, even the hard things. She made me think about how for those of us with a chronic illness will rejoice that much more in heaven because we will know what it is to not have full health on earth and then realize it in our heavenly bodies.

Thank you, Bettie, for your inspiration, your words, and your faithfulness.

To read Bettie’s past words about her journey through ministry and life check out her archived posts on her blog (as she’s currently in retirement from blogging).

Book review and giveaway: Dog Days of Summer

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading, everyday musings5 Comments

Book: Dog Days of Summer

Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo

Genre: Christian/Mystery/Romance Fiction

Release date: October 2022

Trina Potter, Nashville country music star, buys a ranch near her hometown in Brenham, Texas, to help her niece open a rescue facility for dogs. Her presence in town stirs up some old high school rivalries—and romance. Finding property to buy is a challenge, convincing her mother to move there with her is daunting, and navigating a string of strange accidents is perplexing. Sometimes Trina feels like she’s purchased her own three ring circus instead of a beautiful piece of land. But her first priority will be figuring out who wants Second Chance Ranch shut down before they even have the grand opening.

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Click here to get your copy!

MY REVIEW

If you are looking for a cozy mystery with entertaining characters, then Dog Days of Summer is a good choice.

The book starts off pulling you into the story with characters who are downhome, even though one is a famous country singer.

This is the second book in the series, but you don’t have to read the first one to know what is happening in this one.

Y’Barbo writes characters who are very relatable.

A few sections dragged a little bit for me, but that’s merely my opinion. Other readers may not mind a little meandering. I felt that there could have been a bit more information about the main character’s singing career but that’s because I was interested, not because there was anything wrong with how it was written. I wasn’t a huge fan of how the love story was tossed in there as a plot point. It didn’t feel flushed out to me. The love story and the ending felt rushed to me but other readers may feel the pacing was just fine. Overall, this was a clean, cozy story that left me with a happy feeling at the end.

About the Author

Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and bestselling author of more than one hundred books with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she is a member of the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division, Texas A&M Association of Former Students and the Texas A&M Women Former Students (Aggie Women), Texas Historical Society, Novelists Inc., and American Christian Fiction Writers. She would also be a member of the Daughters of the American Republic, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a few others if she would just remember to fill out the paperwork that Great Aunt Mary Beth has sent her more than once.

When she’s not spinning modern day tales about her wacky Southern relatives, Kathleen inserts an ancestor or two into her historical and mystery novels as well. Recent book releases include bestselling The Pirate Bride set in 1700s New Orleans and Galveston, its sequel The Alamo Bride set in 1836 Texas, which feature a few well-placed folks from history and a family tale of adventure on the high seas and on the coast of Texas. She also writes (mostly) relative-free cozy mystery novels for Guideposts Books.

Kathleen and her hero in combat boots husband have their own surprise love story that unfolded on social media a few years back. They make their home just north of Houston, Texas and are the parents and in-laws of a blended family of Texans, Okies, and one very adorable Londoner.

More from Kathleen

Do you love dogs…or cats…or both…? I’m firmly in the “both” category. Since childhood I’ve always lived in homes that had at least one or the other, usually several of each. With every dog or cat comes at least one good story. One of my favorites is the tale of Bandit, the inspiration for the cover of my cozy mystery DOG DAYS OF SUMMER.

Once upon a time there was a black and white dog named Bandit. He was an English Springer Spaniel by birth but was completely convinced he was human. Bandit loved his people—three growing boys and a baby girl—even more than he loved popcorn and playing keep away (his version of catch). After many years, Bandit’s people grew up and he grew old. Toward the end of his very long and pampered life, he was plagued by the unwanted and yet much appreciated friendship of an ornery orange-striped cat named Baby and a snooty pedigreed feline named Fifi.

Everyone loved Bandit…except the territorial squirrel who lived in a tree in our backyard in Southeast Texas. From the moment Bandit joined the family, the furry fellow was determined to rid himself and his backyard of the trespassing canine. The squirrel’s favorite tactic was to tease Bandit until the dog chased him up a tree. Once treed, the crafty critter would run around the trunk just out of Bandit’s reach. Once the squirrel tired of this, it would retreat to a limb. There, the battle of the backyard beasts would commence again but with the squirrel lobbing pinecones and the dog trying to catch them.

While every good story has a beginning, middle and end, unfortunately at the end of this one there was no winner in the dog vs. squirrel wars. A job transfer led us to Houston where squirrels were in abundance in our new neighborhood but none of them were nearly as much fun as the one Bandit left behind. The last time I spoke with the owners of our old house, they told the funniest story: they loved their new home, but there was this squirrel in the backyard that kept throwing pinecones at everyone.

In DOG DAYS OF SUMMER, I tell the story of another Texas backyard. This one is located in Brenham, Texas, and it is about to become a very special place for some very special dogs named Patsy and Cline. Have I mentioned these dogs belong to a country singer named Trina who has a mother named Mama Peach who happens to own a cat named Hector that dislikes almost everyone and can open doors? Then there’s the problem of the next door neighbor and his penchant to forget to close the lid on his grill when he’s cooking? Did I mention that Patsy and Cline enjoy nothing more than whatever they happen to find on an unguarded grill? While the two furry scoundrels are rounding up trouble next door, there is even more trouble happening at the building site for Second Chance Ranch Dog Rescue on the other side of the property. Apparently not everyone is happy about the new neighbors. The mystery is who that person might be. While you’ve got to read DOG DAYS OF SUMMER to find out, I can give you one hint: it’s not the squirrel!

I’ve told you mine; now tell me your favorite dog or cat story. I can’t wait to read them.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-gift card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2244a/dog-days-of-summer-celebration-tour-giveaway

Book review/recommendation: The Do Over by Sharon M. Peterson

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading, everyday musings1 Comment

Book: The Do Over

Author: Sharon M. Peterson

Genre: Romantic Comedy/romance

DESCRIPTION:

“Look, you’re a nice girl but I don’t think we should see each other anymore.” The voicemail ends and I freeze in the dentist’s chair as I realize… I’ve just been dumped on live radio.

It took the most humiliating break-up for me to see that my life is in serious need of a do-over. Cue my anti New Year’s resolutions that even I can’t fail at:

  1. Stop dating. (Men are the worst.)
  2. Stop trying to lose weight. (I’m never giving up chocolate.)
  3. Stop working so hard. (Selling mortgages is not my dream career.)
  4. Stop trying to live up to unrealistic expectations. (Start living my best life.)
  5. Stop trying to please my mother. (It’s not possible.)


But it turns out number five is harder than I thought, as she begins her campaign to get me back with my ex. So, what’s the perfect solution to keep her out of my love life? An imaginary boyfriend—at least he was supposed to be imaginary until I blurted out my neighbor’s name…

Nate, the bad boy next door with gorgeous hazel eyes, a razor-sharp jawline and a mysterious scar, might be hot, but he’s definitely not my boyfriend. Now all I need to do is stick to my resolutions while also keeping my interfering family away from my non-existent lover who has no idea that we’re fake dating. What could possibly go wrong?

MY REVIEW:

The Do Over by Sharon Peterson is the second romantic-comedy book I’ve read this year with this title but this particular version was a lot more fun, with a much more likable main character and love interest. Not only that but the icing on the cake was a sassy, Southern grandma who kept the humor level all the way to the top.

This book was a fun read, and I needed a fun read with all the stress in the world these days. It kept me hooked from the beginning and even though a couple of parts were a little predictable, they were predictable in an entertaining way. The main character’s full name was definitely not predictable but I’ll let you read the book to find out the story behind that.

Peterson promised a fun ride from page one and delivered on that promise all the way through. If a writer can make a dentist appointment a hook to pull this reader right into their book, then they have some talent. I hate dentist appointments, but I carried on through that first chapter because I just had to know what happened.

Every character Peterson introduced was likable or interesting in their own way, from the main to the minor supporting characters.

I’m not always a fan of the “fake boyfriend” trope in romance novels but Peterson handled it in a realistic way that didn’t leave me rolling my eyes.

She also managed to weave in social issues without making them preachy or letting them weigh the book down with unnecessary heaviness for a romantic comedy.

If you are looking for a fun, fast read that will leave you with a smile and make you forget your problems for a little bit, then this is a book I encourage you to pick up and immerse yourself in.

Book Review/Recommendation: The Uncertainty of Fire

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews1 Comment

Book: The Uncertainty of Fire

Author: Stephanie Daniels

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Description:

What price will she pay for following her heart?

Chicago, 1871. Sixteen-year-old Whimsy Greathart would rather fight against Chicago’s child labor practices than attend her privileged family’s high society events. And a very public social blunder only strengthens her resolve to use her influence for good.

On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, her tenderhearted choice leads her into danger and results in life-changing consequences.

With her world turned to ash, she must rely on the mercy of poor relations to rebuild her future and is forced into the very labor system she wished to fight against. As Whimsy staggers under the weight of street gang violence and hazardous working conditions, a chance at deliverance persuades her to make a promise. One she intends to keep. But now she must determine whether it’s God’s heart she’s following or her own.

A Top Faved Christian story on Amazon’s Kindle Vella. Now available in paperback and e-book.

My Thoughts

The Uncertainty of Fire is a book full of excitement and intrigue wrapped around a well written and researched story based on events that happened during and after the great Chicago fire of 1871. The book follows Whimsy, a young woman with a compassionate heart who faces unthinkable trials.

The characters are rich and well developed and easy to love – or hate when necessary .

Once you start, be prepared to be unable to put the book down without blazing your way through to the end to find out what happens. Whimsy’s life takes so many twists and turns you’re never quite sure what might happen next.

While there is heartbreak in the pages of Whimsy’s life, there is also hope, healing, and joy.

Daniels does an amazing job pulling you into the story and never letting you go. I’m looking forward to her next book, which I’m sure will be just as enthralling as this first one.