Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Judgment by Beverly Lewis

Hey again everyone! I just finished reading The Judgment by Beverly Lewis.  This is the second book in a three book series called the Rose Trilogy.  I posted my thoughts on the first book in this series, The Thorn, earlier this month.  Like usual, Beverly Lewis captured my attention at the very beginning.  She picked up the story in this book with such ease that the reader can easily follow the characters or catch up with their lives even if never having read the first in the series.  This is a rare talent for an author.

The Judgment is a story about the two Amish daughters of the Kaufman’s, Hen and Rose.  Rose continues on her search for true love as she is engaged to one man but has feelings for one she could never marry.  Meanwhile Hen is trying her best to salvage her crumbling marriage as it teeters on the brink of destruction.  In a wild turn of events, Brandon, Hen’s husband is in a car accident and Hen must take over his care despite their differences.  The question is will Brandon come around to the Amish ways or will he fight Hen for custody of their daughter to raise in the modern world.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.  The final book is called The Mercy. It will be released in September 2011.  You can preorder it here. 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

George Washington Carver by John Perry

I was attracted to this book, George Washington Carver by John Perry, because it contains many of my interests: science, religion, history, and determination.  It is about George Washington Carver, better known in scientific arenas as the “peanut man.” Born the son of a slave woman on a plantation, he became a slave himself.  From a young age Carver was very close to nature and in nature he saw God.  He grew up in a turbulent time where African Americans were discriminated against, but doors always opened for him to follow his dreams.  Carver was a very talented young man, succeeding in science and art. 

This book is written in a documentary format following Carver’s life from the plantation to Tuskegee where he finally settled down to work on his research.  Carver was known for giving hope to struggling African Americans fresh from the plantation.  He turned ordinary sweet potatoes and peanuts into everything from milk to rope. He found 265 uses for peanuts, 118 for sweet potatoes, and 85 for pecans.  All the while, he was rubbing shoulders with great men like Thomas Edison, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford, and President Roosevelt. 

From the beginning, I could picture this story as a documentary movie being narrated by a man with a deep voice.  This book paints an accurate image of the types of discrimination and problems encountered by an aspiring black man in the south in the early 1900’s.  If you want a book about a real man overcoming insurmountable odds, then this is the book for you. 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Thorn by Beverly Lewis

Written by The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Beverly Lewis, The Thorn is the first in a three book series called the Rose Trilogy.  As of today only the first and second books have been released.  The third is set to be released in September 2011.  

The main characters are Rose Ann Kaufmann and her sister Hannah (Hen).  When Hen was twenty-one, she married an “outsider” or English and left the Amish church.  Her younger sister Rose remained to care for their mother who had been paralyzed in a buggy accident a few years earlier.  

This story follows the life of Rose as she must choose between the man she has always loved and the Bishop’s wild, adopted English son, Nick, who cannot accept or embrace the Amish way of life.  Meanwhile, Hen is regretting her decision to marry an outsider and lately is wanting more for her four year old daughter that is being defiled by the many snares of the English world.  Throughout the story you see Hen reach back for the simpler times of life within her Amish heritage while Rose reaches out and wonders if Nick may be the one for her despite his English roots.  

This book weaves an intricate story of forgiveness, love, and hope. I reached the last page and immediately wanted to go to the next book to find out what happens. Beverly Lewis was raised in Pennsylvania near the Amish. If you like books about the intricacies of Amish life, this is a must read! 



You can buy this book here. 

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point by Barbara Howell


Splinters: The Pain, The Passion, The Point is a book that details Barbara Howell’s life through the years of being a farmer to a cosmetologist and finally to a woodworker.  I may be a little biased about this book -- because my grandmother wrote it -- but it is one of those books that have you crying one minute and laughing the next.  Barbara was forced to taking over her husband’s display case business when he developed cancer.  Yet no matter how bad or good the circumstances, her message throughout the book is, “It ain’t over till its over.”

This book is divided into three sections.  The first section is a biography detailing the events leading up to Barbara taking over her husband’s business.  The middle is the stories of some of her customers ranging from kids and their pez collections to racecar drivers.  The last section is a combination of humorous stories from traveling the country selling these wooden display cases.

This book will grab you at the beginning and not let you go till the last page.  You will feel the pain as you go through hardships alongside Barbara as well as the joy and happiness when she comes through them on the other side.  When you get to the last page, you too will know that, as Barbara says, “It ain’t over till its over.”


Cowgirl At Heart by Christine Lynxwiler


If you are looking for a good clean Christian romance book then Cowgirl At Heart by Christine Lynxwiler is a must read!

Elyse McCord is the shy daughter of a con man adopted into a good home and raised to be a strong Christian.  Her innate love of dogs causes her to find herself in a very dangerous situation trying to save a helpless starving animal.  Andrew Stone, a man trained to protect himself, is after the man who murdered his wife.  Neither of these people is willing to open their hearts and lives to the other for fear of being hurt.

This book follows the lives of these two people, wounded by their pasts, as their lives intertwine following a chance encounter where Andrew attempts to save Elyse from a wild man with a gun.  It’s not long before they must make a choice between love and forgiveness or fear and living alone with their insecurities. 

The reader can feel the chemistry between the characters as the story unfolds. Christine Lynxwiler portrays the emotions experienced by the characters in such a way that the reader feels the same things the character feels: love, anger, fear, disappointment, and happiness. I liked this book because it portrayed a message that people can be courageous even when they don’t think they have what it takes.

Gifted Hands: The Story of Dr. Ben Carson


Gifted Hands is the story of famous neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson.  This book is an in depth look at Dr. Carson’s rise from the poor neighborhood of Detroit being raised by a single mother to an internationally known neurosurgeon pioneering the way for Siamese craniopagus twins to be separated and both babies survive. 

Having gotten my degree in Biology, this book drew me in with all the biological terms and conditions as well as a closer look at what goes on in an operating room during a multiple day procedure.  I also loved the way that all through the book, the reader is constantly being reminded that even someone from the lowest economic level or worst home life can push past their own limitations to eventually go to Yale and become the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at a renowned hospital like Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.   

I had read this book a while back but when Dr. Ben Carson came to the college I attended to give the Commencement Speech to the graduating class, I immediately wanted to go home and read this book again.

I believe that this book will encourage you to reach past the limits others have placed on you and accomplish wonderful things in life.  


Saturday, July 16, 2011

An Official Introduction


Now that I've got a few book reviews off my chest, I want to take a minute and introduce myself properly. As it states on the About Me page, I am a Medical Assistant and am currently looking forward to getting my Masters in the future. I have loved books and reading for a long time (the collection of Agatha Christie novels I have proves this!). With all the books I've been reading lately, my sister (the real techie of the family) suggested that I start sharing my thoughts and reviews on the books I read. I will try to avoid spoilers, but still give enough information that followers would know whether or not they would like to read the books themselves.

I am currently reading The Thorn by Beverly Lewis so be watching for a review on that one when I get it finished.  Being from Tennessee and living in close proximity with many Amish, I love to read books by authors such as Beverly Lewis who write about the Amish and their way of life.  Many of the books I mention here may be placed in those settings. I also love to read a good Christian fiction relating to medicine or animals as well as some non-fiction detailing real events in someone’s life.  But no matter how many books I read, I never get tired of reading murder mysteries.  

So I hope you will continue to follow me on this reading adventure and maybe I can point you in the direction of a book you can enjoy and maybe one that can change your life! 

The Shack by WM. Paul Young


The Shack is a book about the immense and overwhelming love of a Father.  The main character in this book is Mackenzie Allen Philips or Mack as he is referred to in most of the book.  While on an outing to a park with his children, the youngest, Missy, is abducted by a serial killer. In a shack back in the woods the only evidence that she has been killed is found. In the middle of Mack’s darkest depression, a letter arrives from someone claiming to be God inviting him to the shack for the weekend. 

This book follows Mack through his pain to the point of forgiveness, not only for the man that killed his daughter but also for himself.  Throughout this book, God is portrayed over and over as a loving Father who sent his Son to save us. Even in the midst of unspeakable pain, the Father is always there, always loving, always forgiving. 

If you are a person going through a difficult time and just need to know that someone bigger and more powerful than anyone on earth loves you, then this is the book for you. You will be captured by the love and forgiveness that flows from the pages of this book as you are drawn in by the words of the Father.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom


The Hiding Place is a must read.  It is the true-life story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family in their watch shop in Holland right in the middle of the Holocaust.  Corrie and her family were Christians assisting with the underground movement to save the Jews when the Holocaust reached over the German borders into Holland.  

This book forces the reader to go back into the Holocaust and really look at what the people that lived in the Germany and Holland faced on a day-to-day basis.  The Hiding Place causes you to look at the Holocaust through a different set of eyes; rather than merely observing from a distance, each page draws you in and causes you to feel that you are living in the horrid concentration camps in Germany alongside the Jews.  I loved the way all through the book you are constantly reminded of God’s amazing love and unending grace despite circumstances that reminded you of Hell itself.  

This is a book with almost a spellbinding effect.  I couldn’t put it down.  I had to know what was going to happen next.  It mixes just the right amount of humor and anecdotes with the horribleness of the war to keep the reader with one hand poised to turn the page and see how this story will end.