21-22: Two E-Books

Free!  Also easy reads during the time I sat in ICU waiting rooms...waiting for my sister to recover.

Rekindled by Tamera Alexander and The Most Unsuitable Wife by Caroline Clemmons, both ebooks, (downloaded at Amazon and iBooks, respectively), are both part of a series and were easy reads.

20: Crossroads

Author Wm. Paul Young's Cross Roads, a Christian fiction novel. introduces the readers to self-absorbed Anthony Spencer who soon learns what "in-between" means, as he also rediscovers what he missed out in life....love, companionship, and philanthropy

A read selected for our local bookstore's book club (a meeting I missed; later read the book), this novel echoes some of the themes in his previous novel The Shack.  Within both books, God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus are what we each need within our lives.  I find that so interesting, comforting, and hopeful, for that's what these three-in-one are to me.

This book I was reading during a difficult time in my life (my sister...like the main character...lay in ICU); I appreciated the gentle, spiritual reminders that this book brought.  The setting is the only thing Janet and main character Anthony have in common, though!   Giving she is; he is not.  Sacrificing she is; he is not.  Loving she is; he is not.  Full of faith she is; he is not...at least not in the beginning.

My concern with book? I have a strong Biblical background.  How would someone who does not read this novel?  What might he/she take from it differently than I did?  Do read the novel...no matter how much Bible learning you have.  Should you have little, then this would be an excellent time to pick up the Bible and read it also!

Happy reading!

19: A Heart of Devotion

Women Bible Cafe's March's fiction recommendation, A Heart of Devotion by Tia McCollors, shares the the hearts of two women Anisha and Sheir seeking to be closer to God as they make career and mate choices.

McCollors' characters come alive through dialogue and plot development, both moving the story line along at a rapid pace.  Girlfriends for years, Anisha and Sheri help hold each other accountable to a higher standard.  Challenged by jobs, family, and mistakes made with each, both women face trials, overcoming them as they each return to their Faith.

I appreciated how McCollors printed the Holy Spirit speaking to Anisha in bold italics.  Especially important for new or non-Christians, this illustrates how God does speak to His children.

If you enjoy Christian romance with a few roadblocks along the way, then this novel is one you will enjoy.

18: Up a Road Slowly

Recommended by Gretchen Rubin at The Happiness Project (she recommends three books per month...here are July's choices), this novel Up a Road Slowly, a young adult classic, explores the life of main character Julie who upon the death of her mother, goes to live with her aunt Cordelia.

A book that explores several rites of passages, including death, broken and distant relationships, life's choices, this was a quick and enjoyable read, one that I will place within my own classroom and book talk (have faces of last year's students that would enjoy this one).

Several years of Julie's life is encompassed within these pages, as we watch her grow from a little girl into one choosing which college to attend, along the way deciding to remain living with her seemingly stern aunt.

Again, the joy of a book club is reading books that might not have been my first...or even second...choice.  Up a Road Slowly was Rubin's February young adult recommendation, one that I completed in May...and am just now reviewing.  Something is wrong with this completion schedule!  Isn't life just too real at times?!

Enjoy!