may - june 2017

note from me:

dear reading friend,

happy summer! how has your summer been going? i injured my knee earlier this summer and it has forced me to slow down considerably... which has been hard, i admit! so my favorite son and i have been catching up on shows like fixer upper and the food network channel while i keep my leg elevated and iced!

i'm so excited to share my five star reads with you!!! if you're going out of town, heading to the beach or somewhere else fun, don't forget to grab a book or two (!) and share what you read with a friend or a family member!!!

while you're in between reading, remember to "let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see you good deeds and moral excellence and [honor and recognize and] glorify your Father who is in heaven." matthew 5:16 the amplified bible

let me know how you're letting your light shine by emailing me at thereadingmom@gmail.com! i love hearing from you!!! and thank you for sharing this blog site with all the women in your life :o)

blessings & happy reading!!!

susan, your reading mom
jer. 29:11


fiction:

alabaster: what is most precious is also most fragile by chris aslan is a novelized narrative to a familiar bible story. this story is gripping and written in a manner that tugs on your heartstrings.  i love what all the women in the village tell their daughters: "a woman's honor is as fragile and as beautiful as a butterfly's wings. what is a butterfly without wings, except a worm? remember this. guard your reputation, for it is more precious even than a husband or sons." This is a short and easy-to-finish book, but the content is thought-provoking, powerful and is a mesmerizing read.

bread of angels is a fictionalized story of lydia in the bible, the seller of purple and a convert of the apostle paul by tessa afshar. i love how afshar takes her readers back in time (ad 25, to be exact) and weaves a story of a young girl who must help her father in his dye business. she alone holds her father's secret recipes to the rich purple dyes that make any material vibrant with color. after a tragedy in her young life, lydia often lives with fear, uncertainty and a lack of confidence in her skills.  when a series of horrific events unfold, lydia must flee her beloved hometown and find a way to make it on her own in a culture that looks down on unmarried women. all along the way, you will see God's hand on her life and eventually, she will see it, too! this is an addictive and engaging read, so clear your schedule and plan on getting to know lydia, seller of purple.

love story continues the baxter family collection by karen kingsbury. if you haven't already fallen in love with the baxter family, then this one will definitely win you over!!! karen's characters are flawed and very much human, but the grace of God is so evident in their story. john baxter is interviewed by his grandson for a heritage project and this means he must go back to that place in his heart and mind when he first fell in love with elizabeth. their love story of nearly thirty years is not without painful memories and heartache but it's also one of commitment, love and faith. it's almost like a prequel to the baxter family series if you've been following them like i have been through the years. i like the powerful reminder of how we're impacted by family and by love.

what hope remembers is all about second chances. as the third book in the misty willow series, amy somers has burned her bridges but the life of luxury is what she misses most from her old life. gabe kendall was in the wrong place at the wrong time and he paid the price for it. after serving his prison sentence, he goes to misty willow and helps out his aunt tess who doesn't tell him that it's more than she can handle financially. there's an offer from a developer and when Tess changes her mind, that's when the trouble begins. If you love a little romance and some mystery, then this one is definitely calling your name!

naomi's hope is the third and final installment of jan drexler's journey to pleasant prairie series. naomi schrock is settling into her indiana amish community in 1846 with her adoptive son, davey. widower cap stolzfus moves in nearby and becomes a friend to davey. when a troublemaker from his past shows up as a minister, cap struggles with forgiveness. then a family shows up to the settlement claiming that davey is the nephew of their now deceased sister and brother-in-law. when davey follow his "real family," naomi's heart is broken to pieces. naomi must learn to trust God and cap must learn to leave things in God's hands.

runaway, the is a debut novel from claire wong. rhiannon lives in a small welsh village and after an angry exchange of words with her aunt, she makes good on her threat to run away. she makes her way into dyrys wood and must figure out a way to survive. alone. her disappearance causes a rippling effect among her community and a dark story comes to light that has been woven in stories by the village story teller, maebh. when two tourists come to town in search of some answers, rhiannon has no idea of the difference they will make in her life. together, they may have a part in keeping history from repeating itself. this is a breathtakingly beautiful story about community and the power of forgiveness.

melody carlson invites readers to the historic city of savannah in her latest, under a summer sky: a savannah romance, book 3 in her series, follow your heart. nicole anderson has been feeling stuck and her mother knows it. mom decides to take matters into her own hands and before nicole has time to process things, she is sent off to manage a friend of the family's art gallery in savannah! feeling highly unqualified, nicole has to navigate through angry employee issues in the gallery, parenting issues and being caught between two brothers and their ongoing sibling rivalry conflict! it's not exactly the quiet summer of painting she anticipated. but at last she's unstuck finally! you're going to love this feel good and heartwarming story!!! and thanks to melody, travel and tourism to savannah has just increased by 100%!!!

trusting grace by maggie brendan wraps up the series, virtues and vices of the old west. in this story, brendan takes readers back in time to 1866 in montana territory. grace bidwell is a young childless widow who is trying to maintain her late husband's farm while taking care of her father who has suffered from a stroke. grace loves children and is outraged when she discovers three young siblings camping out on her land with no adult nearby. meanwhile, her best friend is trying to set her up with her husband's new partner in his law firm. will grace choose a life of leisure or take a risk with the father of the three young children? you'll have to read this one and find out the outcome!