Book Review: Through the Looking Glass

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking Glass is the story of Alice venturing into Looking Glass World through a looking glass! (which is all just a dream of course.)

This was a rather hilarious and intriguing book! Of course nothing made much sense in it but that's why it was so funny. I love how some of the characters talk or how some things are worded. I laughed out loud in several parts. So I will say that I quite enjoyed this little read. I read it on my iPod and would definitely want a real copy of it! I'll probably read both this book and Alice In Wonderland to my children someday, even if they are a little odd. :P

Book Review: Gone South

Gone South by Meg Moseley

 

The Charm of the South drew her back

to her family's roots. But when the town's old

resentments turn the sweet tea bitter,

can Tish find a welcome anywhere?

 

Leaving frosty Michigan for the Deep South was never a blip in the simple plans Tish McComb imagined for her life, dreams of marriage and family that were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident. Now an opportunity to buy her great-great-great-grandparents' Civil War-era home beckons Tish to Noble, Alabama, a Southern town in every sense of the word. She wonders if God has given her a new dream---the old house filled with friends, her vintage percolator bubbling on the sideboard.

 

When Tish discovers that McCombs aren't welcome in town, she feels like a Yankee behind enemy lines. Only local antiques dealer George Zorbas seems willing to give her a chance. What's a lonely outcast to do but take in Noble's resident prodigal, Melanie Hamilton, and hope that the two can find some much needed acceptance in each other.

 

Problem is, old habits die hard, and Mel is quite set in her destructive ways. With Melanie blocked from going home, Tish must try to manage her incorrigible houseguest as she attempts to prove her own worth in a town that seems to have forgotten that every sinner needs God-given mercy, love, and forgiveness.

 

I enjoyed this book quite well. It didn't really have any parts that I found boring and kept me interested throughout the whole story. The characters were likeable and it was very realistic how they talked and did things, unlike how some books can be. It was just kind of a simple story, nothing super in-depth, but still good. The only thing is that the end seemed to come all at once and it seems like it left some loose ends, but overall a worthwhile read. It was the first book I've read by this author and I would read more by her.

 

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.



Book Review: In Every Heartbeat

In Every Heartbeat by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Three best friends, three cherished dreams, three searching hearts...

As three friends who grew up in the same orphanage head off to college together, they each harbor a special plan for the future. Libby Conley hopes to become a famous journalist. Pete Leidig believes God has called him to study to become a minister. And Bennett Martin plans to pledge a fraternity, find a place to belong, and have as much fun as possible. But as tensions rise around the world on the brink of World War I, the friends' differing aspirations and opinions begin to divide them, as well.

When Libby makes a shocking discovery about Pete's family, will it drive a final wedge between the friends or bond them in ways they never anticipated?

I started this book months ago and would put it down here and there to read other books, but finally I took the time to finish it! It was actually really good. I had read the book before it in this series, "My Heart Remembers" and really liked that one, so I was eager to read this one as well. I think Kim Vogel Sawyer is a really good writer and would like to read more of her books. She isn't as cliche as some writers can be. I would say I liked the first half of the book better than the second, which is usually the opposite. But I remember being pulled in at the beginning, then at a certain point it got kind of boring. But I still wouldn't say it was bad. It was still a good book overall and had a really cute ending, although it does seem like there were a few loose ends and as far as I know there isn't another book in the series. But one good thing is that it had really likeable characters! I loved all three of the main characters. But anyway, a really good read and I would definitely recommend this series to others. The books have some of the same characters but focus on totally different characters so it's not a series that has to be read in order.

Book Review: Wishing on Willows

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?

A three-year-old son, a struggling cafe, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Cafe in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.
So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her cafe and a vital town ministry are located, she isn't about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won't give up easily. His family's business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin's gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.
With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal, and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of second chances.

I can't exactly say I loved this book, but neither did I hate it. Basically it was just average as far as books go, not great but not bad either. It was kind of a cute story and was definitely a simple, laid back read. It did have some good stuff in it but I also found it to be a little cliche and the story predictable. Typical romance, you know. I would say it definitely got better toward the end and it's sweet (though maybe a bit unrealistic) what Ian does for Robin. If a guy did all that for me I think I'd have no choice but to love him! Haha. Anyway, it was a cute little story.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Tea

So whilst I was considering writing a new blog post I asked on my Facebook page what I should write about and my sister suggested tea. So here I am, writing a blog post dedicated entirely to tea.

Tea is definitely a huge part of my life and I will admit I am a tea addict. Well, more than likely a caffeine addict, but still, most of my caffeine consumption is in the form of tea.Every morning I enjoy a nice cup of black tea, enriched with cream and sugar. Sometimes I'll enjoy a couple more cups of tea later on in the day, but it's a sure thing that I'll be consuming at least one cup of tea everyday. Not only do I love the stuff, but I'm also a bit of a tea nerd (insert nerd emoticon here). I happen to know that there is black tea, green tea, white tea, red tea, blue tea, gold tea, and herbal tea, and I also know which of these contain caffeine and how much caffeine the caffeinated ones contain. I also know which teas cream or milk will curdle in. So if you're interested, here's some tea information.
The three teas that contain caffeine are black, green and white. Black tea has the most caffeine but still not nearly as much as coffee. Green is next and white has the least amount. As far as cream curdling, this will result in any citrus or berry herbal tea, but not in black tea that is citrus or berry flavored. Curdleization (made that up) will result in some green teas. Usually if the tea is pink or red in color it will curdle, but if it's the usual greenish yellow color of green tea it won't curdle.
What is my favorite tea, you might ask? Well, my favorite is definitely black tea, but what flavors? Irish Breakfast is one of my favorites as well as peach flavored black tea. (which sadly is hard to find.) I also love a raspberry flavored black tea called Raspberry Royal. Today my morning cup of tea was called Black Pearl. Now while there are several "plain" black teas, they all have a slightly different flavor. These flavor differences are kind of hard to describe, but they are most certainly noticeable! Okay... I'm done being a nerd. :B (and there may be some other kinds of tea that I don't know about, so I don't know EVERYTHING about tea. :P)

Book Review: Echoes

Echoes by Robin Jones Gunn

Will Lauren learn to trust her heart before she loses her chance at love?

Crazy things always seem to happen to Lauren Phillips, but even she wasn't expecting her fiance to break their engegement. Hoping to lift her spirits, her brother Brad gives her a new computer---along with a few suggestions for how she can improve her social life online. Soon Lauren connects with a mysterious man who identifies himself as a fellow God-lover...someone she knows only as K.C.

As she takes tentative steps into a new life, Lauren increasingly enjoys her new online friendship with K.C. But she can't bring herself to hope for something more and risk relinquishing the safety that distance provides her bruised heart.

After a year of corresponding, Lauren finally has an opportunity to meet K.C. Is she willing to risk everything, including more heartache?

This was a lovely book! It was well written and easy to read. I breezed through it in less than a week. It was a very cute little story, a nice light read. I believe I liked it better than "Secrets", the first book in this series. This one was the third, and while there are some of the same characters in this book, it's not a series that has to be read in order. The end nearly brought a tear to my eye. This is a book I'd recommend to anyone who's in the mood for a light and fairly happy read!

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Note

I just finished this book this afternoon.

The Note by Angela Hunt

En route from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Tampa International, Flight 848 bursts into flames and crashes into Tampa Bay. All 261 passengers and crew are killed. For one week, newspaper columnist Peyton MacGruder and her fellow reporters cover one of the nation's worst air disasters in years with overwhelming and numbed emotions.
Then a woman Peyton's never met gives her a plastic bag that has washed up behind her house. The bag contains a note, almost certainly from the doomed flight, with a simple yet wrenching message:

                                                     T-

                                                        I love you. All is forgiven. 

                                                                                              -Dad

Combing through the passenger list to find the victims whose children's names begin with T, Peyton is determined to deliver the note to its proper owner. A quest which will prove as important to Peyton's own life as to the mysterious T.

This book was very good and an easy read. I had read one other book by this author which ended up to be a bit on the weird side, but this book was quite different from that one. The outcome is surprising and a few parts nearly moistened my eyes. A very good read that I would recommend to others.