A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley

I really enjoyed this book. I think the book's cover was kind of strange - although once I read the book I understood the symbolism on the cover. At first look I thought the hand was covered in blood - yet upon a closer look one can see they are berry stains. 

Laura Gantt's mother dies suddenly and now she is left parentless. Her father supposedly died when she was 18 years old. He drown in the local lake although his body was never found. Then, neighbors begin reporting having seen sightings of her father. She is determined to find out the truth of her past and discover what happened to her father. Sean Halloran was Laura's high school sweetheart. Sean is still in love with Laura and wants to protect her from harm. He helps her to find out the truth. 

Here is a link to read the chapter one. 

It was a very good story. This story seeks to illuminate some of the issues families faced when the Vietnam vets came home. Some of the vets were broken inside. They struggled to be normal, to live a normal life afterwards. I know my own uncle struggled with things he saw in Vietnam. He would never much talk about it. At the heart of this book, it is a love story between Laura and Sean, who waited 10 years for Laura to come back. Wonderful story. I highly recommend reading it. 

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."

A Promise Kept

A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher is a book that is based on a similar path that the author walked. In the book, Allison was devastated when her marriage ended. She felt like God didn't answer her prayers. She also felt that God had told her he would saver her marriage. So when it ended she felt that God had not kept His promise to her. Yet in her heart she knew that God always keeps His promises. So she begins questioning whether she heard Him right. In our human form sometimes we can only see one way and expect that God will do things that one way. Sometimes God has a different way. Sometimes we also have to wait because promises are kept in God's time - not our time. We want things instantly. Often that isn't the way it works. This was a very good book. I really enjoy her writing style. It was a very enjoyable book. 

Ale Boy's Feast

From the Publisher:
The king is missing.
His people are trapped as the woods turn deadly. 
Underground, the boy called Rescue has found an escape.

Hopes are failing across The Expanse. The forests, once beautiful, are now haunted and bloodthirsty. House Abascar's persecuted people risk their lives to journey through those predatory trees. They seek a mythic city - Abascar's last, best hope for refuge - where they might find the source of Auralia's colors.
 
They journey without their king. During a calamitous attempt to rescue some of his subjects from slavery, Cal-raven vanished.

But his helper, the ale boy, falling through a crack in the earth, has discovered a slender thread of hope in the dark. He will dare to lead a desperate company up the secret river.

Meanwhile, with a dragon's help, the wandering mage Scharr ben Fray is uncovering history's biggest lie - a deception that only a miracle can repair.

Time is running out for all those entangled in The Auralia Thread. But hope and miracles flicker wherever Auralia’s colors are found.

This was a very different genre for me. I think it was very well written but this was book 4 in the series. I wish I had begun at Book 1. It was a little hard for me to get into the story and follow the characters. I think this is a book that my boys would simply love though.

This book was provided free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Awakening Faith By James Stuart Bell

Awakening Faith Daily Devotions from the Early Church by James Stuart Bell

About the Book:  In simple, updated language, Awakening Faith by James Stuart Bell provides a year of inspiring readings drawn from the earliest teachers and writers of the church---the Church Fathers. In every reflection you will be refreshed by deep wells of wisdom and spiritual insight. 'In the age of Twitter and Facebook, where glib sayings abound, one yearns to read some deeper wisdom about life and faith on a regular basis. Well, here you have it, a compendium of wisdom, devotion, and biblical insight from some of the most thoughtful and faithful Christians from the early eras of the church's history. And in Facebook sized posts. That's a nice change of pace!' ---Mark Galli, editor, Christianity Today

This book really came at the right time. I was looking for devotions that I could read just before bed. I love that time when it is quiet and the kids have gone to bed - to study and reflect. The book's message is timeless. The language was very easy to read and understand. This is just a neat book and I highly recommend reading it. Each devotion is a page long - so it is a nice quick read before heading off to bed. Really wonderful messages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

The Victory Club

The Victory Club was really a very delightful book. It follows 4 women during WWII on the homefront. Each has a different story and each reacts to the war in different ways. The four women become friends. Lucy talks the others into joining her one Saturday morning. It become a Victory Club. The concept is simple - they decide that instead of focusing on their own troubles and worries - they will focus on praying for each other, praying for others and doing things to help others. I really like Robin Lee Hatcher's writing style. The book is a Christian book - it has good values -- although not every character is able to live out those values. We just finished studying WWII and this was a nice fun read to follow that up. I recommending reading this - it is quite enjoyable. 

the first phone call from heaven by Mitch Albom

The end is not the end. Several people in the small town of Coldwater, MI receive phone calls from their dead relatives or friends. Are these really phone calls from heaven? The message is simple - the end is not the end. There is a heaven and it is wonderful. People are always looking for proof but belief in heaven is a thing of faith. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Believing is an act of faith. It is the one thing we must do. Jesus has done all the rest - he died for us, rose again, so that we might be saved. 

I enjoyed this book - it was a good read. At first it seems that the focus is the calls from heaven but truly the real message is one of healing for Sully. Many people, including Sully, have unresolved issues and being able to have one more phone call from our loved ones helps to tie up those loose ends - helps us heal through resolution. A lesson we can learn from this is to not leave things unsaid. Say the good-byes, say 'I'm sorry' and 'I forgive you'. Don't leave things undone. I think that is the gift that cancer can bring - those that fight that battle and win - have been given a unique gift of having starred at death - realized that death might be imminent - and then lived life with that knowledge, refusing to leave things unspoken and refusing to leave deeds undone. 

On the other hand, I have to say that I don't agree with everything the author believes. He has one comment - when the alive sister asks the dead sister - "Do you miss me like I miss you?" The answer from the sister in heaven is "every minute". (p283) My belief is that we will be worshipping God and so in awe of Him - we won't miss those that aren't there. Those are earthly feelings that incorporate sadness and pain. In heaven there is no more pain and sadness. I believe there is joy - and that we will be joyful for those that arrive but we will not be sitting around moping and sad until they arrive. 

The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher

Katherine had the perfect life. Then allegations surface that her husband, Brad, had misappropriated funds from a charity and had an affair. Are the allegations true? Katherine begins to doubt her husband. She has been married to him for over 25 years - shouldn't she know his character and trust in him? Brad is upset she doesn't have more faith in him. Katherine struggles with trying to find the truth and trying to find God in the midst of all the problems. How could God let her life just collapse like this?  Excellent book.