Stacking the Shelves (9)

August 31, 2013

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. This weekly meme is a way to spotlight the new books acquired during the past week.

Reviews:


 Burning Sky by Lori Benton (Blogging for Books)
Andi Unexpected by Amanda Flower (Zonderkidz)
Beneath the Dover Sky by Murray Pura (Harvest House)


Bought:

 Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings
The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden
Submerged by Dani Pettrey
Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon
Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander


How has your week been with books? Any good ones?

August Review

August 30, 2013

This month has been a wonderful month for reading! I have read so many fantastic book! August has also been good month also for the fact that I met my reading goal for the year. I hit my 55th book. So, I upped my goal to 75 and have kept on reading.

I have finished 17 books for the month of August and that is the most I have ever read in a month! This month has been full of good books and some amazing books! It's been some of my best reading. I'm also surprised I was able to read as much as I did considering how busy it's been.

Here are the books from August...

 Books I've Reviewed:


Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House)
Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma (Booksneeze)
Whispers from the Shadows by Roseanna M. White (Harvest House)
The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (Blogging for Books)
Tattler's Branch by Jan Watson (Tyndale House)
Review for Tattler's Branch will be posted September 5th for blog tour.
Burning Sky by Lori Benton (Blogging for Books)
Andi Unexpected by Amanda Flower (Zonderkidz)



Books I Bought:

The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund
Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz
Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz
Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee
The Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund
Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden
The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen
The Red Siren by MaryLu Tyndall
Submerged by Dani Pettrey


How was your month? What were your favorites this month?

Kid Favotie Friday: Puppies

Ok, I focused on out feline friends last week. This week I will dedicate Kid Favorite Friday to the our canine friends.

There is the good and the bad with pups, just like kittens...however, the destructiveness of the puppy seems to leave them by the time they reach a year...usually. Their cuteness draws us in though.

So, the good, the bad, and the ugly of puppies through books.


 Arthur's New Puppy by Marc Brown
Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman
The Bearenstain Bears' New Pup by Stan & Jan Bearenstain
Bad Dog, Marley by John Grogan
Clifford's Puppy Days by Norman Bridwell
The Bearenstain Bears' Trouble with Pets by Stan & Jan Bearenstain


Did you have any favorite book featuring pups?

Review: Andi Unexpected by Amanda Flower

Title: Andi Unexpected
Author: Amanda Flower
Publisher: Zonerkidz
Pages: 224
ISBN: 978-0-310-73701-8
Publication Date: September 24th, 2013

Synopsis:
After the sudden death of their parents in the jungles of Central America, twelve-year-old- science geek Andora "Andi" Boggs and her diva teenaged sister, Bethany move to rural Killdeer, Ohio to live with their eccentric twenty-something aunt. And while the timeworn house has been home to the Boggs family for generations, Andi feels far from at home. Exploring the attic in her grief, she discovers proof of another Andora Boggs in the family tree hidden in a Depression-era trunk. Despite the meddling of the citizens of Killdeer, Andi and her new friend, Colin Carter, are determined to find out who this first Andora was, and how she vanished, and why no one in town wants to talk about her. As more and more unanswered questions pile up, Andi and Colin must decide who they can trust with their secrets and who is interested in Andora's story for the wrong reasons.
Review:
Andi Unexpected lived up to it's name, in a good way. I was expecting a fun kids adventure, but I got so much more. Andora "Andi" Boggs is a girl who has had her whole life turned upside down. She has lost her parents and her home. Everything that a child thrives on is gone. She and her older sister Bethany and relocated to Killdeer, Ohio, to their grandparents old house, that their aunt now lives in. Her sister is on the war path and Andi seems to always be in her sight for attack. Andi meets an unexpected friend, Colin, shortly after arriving. With his help, her adventures begin.

Andi and Colin are what you would consider the geeky kids, and I'm not knocking that because I myself am one and proudly proclaim it. Andi has such a passion for science. She took after her parents in that way. Colin is the kid that loves history and with Colin around offering up his knowledge, Andi soon starts expanding her reading into history. Andi also does her best to learn about her sister, knowing that her anger comes from losing their parents, and tries to giver her space and time to heal.

Amanda Flower presented a kids mystery that was fun to follow with an interesting insight into the Great Depression. She was able to make history come alive and kept the pages turning and my mind guessing where we were going to go next.

I will say, I would recommend this book to kids 12 and older. There are some heavy subjects presented, but not in a hard or harsh way. Andi and her sister have lost their parents so, there is talk about them being orphans. There is also talk about the financial issues in the Great Depression and the strain that it caused. Then how the financial problems affected families and the kids and the work that was required of them and the sacrifices that were made.

Too Read!
4 out of 5

About the Author:
Amanda Flower is an Agatha Award-nominated mystery author (Maid of Murder), who first caught the writing bug in elementary school. She is also the author of Andi Unexpected, the Andi Boggs series, Appleseed Creek and the India Hayes series. When she’s not writing, she works as a librarian at Ursuline College near her hometown of Tallmadge, Ohio. Visit her online at www.amandaflower.com and www.isabellaalan.com.





Thank you to Zonderkidz and DJC Communications, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest opinion.

Review: Burning Sky: A Novel of the American Frontier by Lori Benton

August 29, 2013

Title: Burning Sky: A Novel of the American Frontier
Author: Lori Benton
Publisher: Water Brook
Pages: 404
ISBN: 978-0-307-73147-0
Publication Date: August 6th, 2013

Synopsis:
I remember the borders of our land, though I have been gone from them nearly half the moons of my life. But who there will remember me? What I have seen, what I have done, it has changed me.

Abducted by Mohawk Indians at fourteen and renamed Burning Sky, Willa Obenchain is driven to return to her family’s New York frontier homestead after many years building a life with the People. At the boundary of her father’s property, Willa discovers a wounded Scotsman lying in her path. Feeling obliged to nurse his injuries, the two quickly find much has changed during her twelve-year absence—her childhood home is in disrepair, her missing parents are rumored to be Tories, and the young Richard Waring she once admired is now grown into a man twisted by the horrors of war and claiming ownership of the Obenchain land.

When her Mohawk brother arrives and questions her place in the white world, the cultural divide blurs Willa’s vision. Can she follow Tames-His-Horse back to the People now that she is no longer Burning Sky? And what about Neil MacGregor, the kind and loyal botanist who does not fit into in her plan for a solitary life, yet is now helping her revive her farm? In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, strong feelings against “savages” abound in the nearby village of Shiloh, leaving Willa’s safety unsure.

Willa is a woman caught between two worlds. As tensions rise, challenging her shielded heart, the woman called Burning Sky must find a new courage--the courage to again risk embracing the blessings the Almighty wants to bestow. Is she brave enough to love again?
Review:
Burning Sky is the debut novel by Lori Benton and I can't wait to read more by her. Lori Benton from the first page captured my attention and never let it go till the end.

Burning Sky to the Mohawk tribe she was carried off to or Wilhelmina (Willa) Obenchain as she was called by her parents and friends before she was taken, is trapped between the two worlds she has now lived in. Willa lived with her parents and grandma in the log cabin on the frontier of New York State during the Revolutionary War. She lived with them till she was fourteen, the day she was carried off by a band of Mohawks. Willa was taken as a replacement for another child that had been lost. She was adopted into a clan and had a new family, even though it wasn't what she wanted. Over time, she adjusted and had a life amongst her new people. Twelve years later, her new life was snatched away from her with only the memories and heartache as company. Not knowing what else to do, with no connections to her Mohawk life, Burning Sky or Willa as she starts to refer to herself heads back to her old home.She arrives to her family's house to find it abandoned and the barn burnt to the ground. There are no signs of her parents and worse, there is a rumor around the settlement that her parents were Tory. Her family's land has been seized by the government with other Tory land in the area to auction it off.

Neil MacGregor was a formally trained doctor now working as a botanist for the American Philosophical Society. He has been commissioned to go into the frontier to help document and create a field guide of the flora and fauna of New York State. In his travels, he has some misadventures that leads him to be knocked unconscious on the bordered of Willa's land with, a fractured wrist. Willa cares for him till he is able to take care of himself. Neill has every intention to leave as soon as he is able, but something keeps him around Willa's land longer.

Willa is a woman who has had to deal with two major traumas in her life, but she keeps pushing through. After the second trauma, she is determined to live her life alone and away from anyone, not wanting help or to be close to anyone. Willa has closed herself off. Not only does Willa deal with heartache, but she also has to find out who she really is. Fourteen years of her life, she lived on the frontier on a farm, then for twelve years, she lived as an adopted Mohawk daughter. She lives between two worlds and both pull her in their direction, but she has to figure out where she belongs. Some people in the settlement were and are her friend, while others see her as nothing more than used garbage after her life with the Mohawks.

Burning Sky pulls you in. Lori Benton has captured this time and has brought it to life with her smooth and beautiful writing style that keeps you wanting to read more. There is mystery involved with Burning Sky and as you read, you will be led to your answers with Willa and Neil. Burning Sky was a hard book for me to put down. I had to know what was going to happen!

Too Read!
5 out of 5

You can purchase Burning Sky at Amazon, ChristianBook, Barnes & Noble and Mardel
About the Author:
Lori Benton spent her late teens and early twenties pursuing a career as a wildlife artist, attending the Maryland College of Art & Design before she began painting professionally. When not writing or researching, Lori can be found exploring the mountains of southern Oregon with her husband, Brian. Burning Sky is her first novel. For more information of Burning Sky or Lori, check out her website www.loribenton.blogspot.com/

You can read the first chapter of Burning Sky HERE.



Thank you to Water Brook Press and Blogging for Books, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday: Stranded

August 28, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It's a way to highlight the up and coming books you are looking forward to.

Waiting On:
Title: Stranded
Author: Dani Pettrey
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: September 1st, 2013

Synopsis:
From GoodReads
When her friend vanishes from a cruise ship, reporter Darcy St. James isn't satisfied with their explanation that she simply left her job of her own accord. Something isn't lining up, and Darcy believes the only way to find the truth is to put herself in Abby's position. Within days, Darcy learns her friend wasn't the only person to disappear mysteriously. Last summer, a woman vanished under almost identical circumstances. 

Gage McKenna has taken a summer-long stint leading adventure excursions for the passengers of various cruise lines that dock for a few days of sightseeing. He's surprised to find Darcy working aboard one of the ships, investigating a troubling report. Something sinister is going on and the deeper they dig the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.
Why I'm Waiting:
I just finished the first book of the Alaskan Courage series and I'm ready to visit the McKenna family again! I have time to read book 2, Shattered , before Stranded is due to be released.

What are you looking forward to?

Submerged

August 27, 2013

Title: Submerged
Author: Dani Pettrey
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 313
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0982-6

Synopsis:
A sabotaged plane. Two dead deep-water divers.

One single clue.

Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey, Alaska, again. She has a past, and a reputation—and Yancey's a town that doesn't forget. She's returned only to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash, but then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.

Cole McKenna can face dangerous rescue dives. He can face the fear a murderer may be threatening his town. But facing the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart...but doesn't seem to be the same girl who left Yancey ten years ago. And he's not the same guy she left behind.

Racing against the clock and a rising body count, Bailey and Cole must move beyond the hurts of their pasts to work together until the truth of what is hidden in the depths finally surfaces.

Review:
This is the first book I've read by Dani Pettrey and I'm glad it is a start to a series! Submerged brings you to Alaska and into the wonderful lives of the McKenna family. It also brings you into a world of mystery and suspense that keeps you reading long into the evening.

Submerged follows Bailey Craig on her return visit to Yancy, Alaska after the death of her aunt. The only family she really ever had. Only for that reason, does Bailey go. In high school, she was the easy girl of the school, but years have passed and she is no longer who she once was, but she knows people can have long memories. Bailey works hard to get things settled for her aunt's property and is ready to go and leave her old life completely behind her for good, until Cole McKenna, her ex shows up at her door wanting help. Seeing him, Bailey battles her memories of the hurt she caused him and the guilt of her actions. Submerged isn't just a mystery/suspense, but also about Bailey's own personal battle of overcoming her past.

The oldest of the McKenna clan, Cole has had the responsibility to care for his younger siblings after the death of their parents when he was in college. He has done the best he can. Two of his sisters and a brother have stayed close to home, but one of his brothers has left and isn't heard from much. After the struggles of losing his parents, Cole came to God and started to work with the youth of his church. He remembers the pain he dealt with from Bailey, but learned to move on from it and forgive and wants to help the teenagers in his area. Cole is a great hero! I loved reading about him and his family and the closeness between him and his siblings is heartwarming.

Submerged was a fun read that put and interesting spin on Alaska's history. It also made me miss Sunrise Beagle. Alaska has the best coffee/hot chocolate/food shacks. I was pulled into the story and felt I was there enjoying another Alaska summer. Can't wait to read more!

Too Read
4 out of 5

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon: Wrap-Up

August 26, 2013

Bout of Books
It is last day for Bout Of Books and time to wrap it up. I had a fun time participating in my first ever Bout of Books, and I look forward to the next go around!

I hit my goal! I'm thrilled to say that. This past week has just been crazy busy, so it was nice to reach goal of three and even start in on a fourth!

Read:


 Tattler's Branch by Jan Watson (Review will be posted September 5th for the Tyndale Blog Tour)
The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen (Review)
The Red Siren by MaryLu Tyndall (Review)

Currently Reading:
Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Challenges:

Wrap-Up:
All-in-all I was happy with how I did.

Books Finished: 3
Pages Read: 1,317


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