The Dog that Saved Stewart Coolidge by Jim Kraus

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The dog, Hubert, shows up one day and begins a life of crime. He sneaks into the grocery store and steals bones to eat. With no one to look after him, he is a very hungry stray. Stewart bonds with the dog but it is his job while working at the grocery store to stop the bandit thief. Stewart ends up taking the dog in which is how he meets Lisa, his neighbor who lives in the apartment below him. Lisa, would like to be a reporter for a major newspaper or television news some day. Currently, she writes occasional articles for the local small town newspaper. She begins to write about the thieving dog and her articles start to gain national attention. Yet, Hubert, who is at the center of all the attention, seems to have just one thing on his mind - it seems that Hubert wants to see Lisa and Stewart have a relationship together. The dog's antics seems to bring them closer together. 

It is a truly wonderful read. I enjoyed it and it is so nice to read a story where the characters, while not perfect, are striving to have a relationship that is Godly. Even though, they live in close proximity, they keep the relationship pure. It is a great story especially if you like stories with animals that almost have human characteristics. 

Book review Kill Shot by Susan Sleeman

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and well written. I liked the characters. They were believable and real. A deadly new weapon, self-steering bullets, is stolen and FBI agent, Rick Cannon is in charge of the investigation to recover the weapon and prevent more deaths. The investigation leads him to Dr. Olivia Dobbs, when two of her patients are murdered using the self-steering bullets. A mutual attraction develops between Rick and Olivia as they hunt for the killer and try to recover the bullets. It's a great book. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know how it ended. I have ordered the first book in the White Knight series, Fatal Mistake and can't wait for it to arrive.

The Underground Girls of Kabul

I enjoyed reading this book. I think we take a lot of granted here in the United States. It is hard for me to relate to a culture where being a girl is not valued and where mothers will dress their girls as boys. I find it sad to think that women are so devalued. Still the inner strength those women have to find ways to survive and thrive in such an oppressive culture is amazing. This was a wonderful read. I think it is important to read books that give us insights into other cultures so we can have a better understanding. Truly a fascinating book.

Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

I simply loved this book. It is very well written. It keeps your attention as you just want to find out what happens. The story begins with a flashback in time - our main character, Jeremiah Prins is an old man sitting in jail. His daughter asks him to tell his story. He realizes that "to tell our story makes us human and to be human is to tell our story." p. 275. His flashback is the story as he begins to journal it for his daughter to read after he is dead.

It is an amazing story --- the author's own father and grandmother survived the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Dutch East Indies. They ended up in an internment camp where they endured brutal treatment by the Japanese. The setting for The Thief of Glory is in such an internment camp. The author depicts the difficult struggles faced by those in the camp. It truly is a very good book. This is a story that needs to be told so that events like this can be prevented from ever happening again. It truly is horrific what the Japanese allowed to occur in the camps. Truly horrific.

The book highlights the struggles of a 10 year old boy --- boyhood rivalries, family dynamics and first loves. It is also about reconciliation and forgiveness for others and forgiving one's own actions. 

A wonderful quote from the book ---

"I did not like him, but in that moment I could feel love for him. It would be wonderful if we could always see that what we have in common as humans outweighs our differences." p. 310

I highly recommend reading this book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for a honest review.

An Italian Wife by Ann Hood

I sincerely cannot recommend this book at all. I finished this book only because I kept trying to figure out what the purpose of the story was. Why did the author write it and what was she trying to say? In the end, I just think the book is a very sad commentary on what is going on in America today. The family immigrated to America from Italy. Josephine is the matriarch of the family. Her marriage was an arranged marriage which she was never happy with. She has seven children and the book then goes into their stories. Yet, it isn't always clear who you are reading about and how they tie into the family. The family is hugely Catholic but it is not a saving type of faith. The priest even has sexual relations with Josephine and one daughter lusts after the priest. There is alot of sex described in the book. It is way to graphic for my tastes. The later generations depict girls that are empty -- turning to meaningless sex and drugs to fill the void. No one in the book is happy. They all seem to dislike their family, hate their marriages. It is really sad. I am not sure why I even stuck with it and read to the end. It never got better. While I agree that America's culture is on a downward spiral and this book probably depicted some of the horrible, ickiness of our culture, I guess that I prefer to read books that inspire and lift up, that teach us to reach beyond our depravity and seek something better. At least if the book can't inspire or teach something it should be entertaining. This book lacked all of that. It has nothing to offer really. Still not sure why I finished it. Certainly will think twice before picking up another book by this author. 

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks.

The story bounces between Ira and Ruth's story and Sophia and Luke's. Ira is at the end of his life remembering back on his life with his love, his beloved wife Ruth. Luke is just beginning his life with Sophia. It is not until the end of the story that we find out how the two couple's lives intersect. It is a fascinating story. Here is a link to the author's website. Click here. The book really kept my attention. It is a wonderful story. The title is a reference to life being a long ride --- it is also a reference to Luke's profession which is bull riding. I highly recommend this book. It is a wonderful love story. 

Worry is the dark room in which negatives are developed