Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson

I received a complementary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  The Civil War has just ended and tension is still in the air.   Laura comes from a family that supported the north.  She finds herself drawn to a handsome Captain.  Meanwhile her sister, Carissa is betrothed to a former confederate.  They don't find what kind of man he is until after the wedding.  The book had potential.  I didn't like Carissa or her story line.  This was a large portion of the book.  I find it unbelievable that her family would allow Carissa to be courted by, much less marry the man that she did.  The author paints Carissa as a very needy, spoiled, well-off girl.  As soon as she gets married, this seems to change.  She suddenly cares about what people think (she didn't seem to care before).  There were a lot of things about the book that I found unbelievable.  This made it hard to enjoy the story.  I would give the book 2.5/5 stars.

Surprised By Laughter: The Comic World of C. S. Lewis by Terry Lindvall, PH.D.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through their BookSneeze program.  This book talks about the humor that is found in much of C. S. Lewis's work.  The author is trying to show us why Lewis found laughter so important, and what part it played in his work and in his life.  I was very excited to receive this book.  I have always been fascinated with Lewis.  I thought that this would be a great way to learn more about the man and his work.  I found this book very hard to get into.  The author has a Ph.D. and I felt that it was written more as a scholarly article than a book for the everyman.  I found the writing had to read, and became confused early on.  I was not able to finish the book.  I think that the author knows his stuff, but it was not conveyed very well.  I would give this book 2/5 stars.

Finding Our Way Home by Charlene Ann Baumbich

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Water Book Publishers.  Sasha Davis was the principal ballerina for her dance company until she had a career-ending fall.  Now, she is back home in small town Minnesota alone.  Needing help she hires Evelyn Burt to move in and take care of her.   The both discover much about each other in the time that they spend together.  This was a fun book.  I enjoyed the recovery that was portrayed.  Sasha had not only physical, but emotional and spiritual injuries to overcome.  My heart broke for Donald.  Evelyn also had to go through a rough patch and I liked how she came out stronger than before.  Both Sasha and Evelyn realized that life doesn't always turn out as expected.  Sometimes, when one door is hut, another even better one is opened.  The characters were fun.  The book was well written and I enjoyed reading it.  I would give it 3.5/5 stars.

Be the Mom by Tracey Lanter Eyster

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers.  Tracey Ester shares many traps that we can fall into as mothers, and gives us suggestions on how to avoid, or overcome these traps.  She talks about: Just-a-Mom trap, Me Mom Trap, Martyr Mom Trap, Busy Mom Trap, Mirror Mom Trap, Tomorrow Mom Trap, and They Say Mom Trap.  Through out the book we are reminded of why we are doing this.  That we have been privileged to be blessed with these children, and that we are never doing this alone.  Some of the traps were things that I definitely see myself falling into.  Most of the tips were things that I had heard before, but it was a good reminder of what I should be doing.  I felt like the book was a good way of bringing all of the information together.  I like how each trap was discussed, and how they were shown to interrelate.  Overall I enjoyed the book.  I felt like there was good information, and encouragement for all moms.  No matter what trap we happen to be in, there is always hope for improvement.  I would give this book 4/5 stars.

My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House.  Kate Donovan has come to Redbud in need of a break.  She is burned out at work and tired of trying to find a husband.  Immediately upon her arrival, she meets Matt Jarreau.  Former NHL star turned contractor with a sad past.  Kate decides to be his friend and is determined to bring him out of his shell.  Little does she know that he will become so much more than a friend.

I really enjoyed the character of Kate.  She seemed like a very down to earth girl, trying to make the best of her life.  We don't learn much about Matt, other than that he is very "hot".  Matt's personality is not really developed.  There were parts of the book that I felt like the author wanted to be funny, but I did not find them funny.  The side characters were fun and quirky.  I enjoyed the old people and the path the Velma and Morty take in their romance.  A lot of the book was spent with both characters thinking that there was no way that the other person could possibly like them, when they obviously did.  The religious aspect of this novel felt like an afterthought.  Also, when Kate didn't get what she wanted, she quit going to church.  If she was a religious as was implied, I don't think that that would have happened.  It was a fun read, but it was rather shallow.  I would give it 3/5 stars.

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

I received a complementary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.  I enjoyed reading parts of this book.  The characters were interesting.  The setting sounded incredibly peaceful and beautiful.  I wanted to characters to sort out their problems and find the happiness they so desperately wanted.  Amelia and Michael had such an unexpected meeting.  They shared many of the same problems, and they were able to help each other find the solutions they needed.  I found myself wanting to know more about Elizabeth and her story.  I wanted more details about how and why she left.  What her life was like away, and why she decided to come back.  I found parts of the story very unbelievable.  Amelia and Michael accidentally meet one night.  And the next day Amelia is going to Michael's home town to stay for the weekend.  Michael says that he is concerned about his relationship with his family, but he doesn't act like it.  He knows how it will look showing up with a girl, but he does it anyway.  Amelia becomes best friends with several people over the short weekend that she is there.  These people are the best friends that she has all of the sudden.  Did she not have any friends before?  The part that I found the most frustrating was that it felt like Amelia was constantly bemoaning her life.  She didn't' want to go on tour, she didn't want the life that her father, and her agent had planned for her.  But she wasn't willing to do anything about it, but complain about it.  Her father is portrayed as very loving.  It seems that Amelia never told her father what she wanted, she just let him assume that she wanted the same things that he did.  If she has just let her feelings be know she would not have had the problems she did.  I found the characters interesting, but I there were enough frustrating parts of the story that I would give it. 2.5/5 stars.

Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook.  Hulda Klager is able to look at plants and see their strengths and weaknesses.  She has a dream of creating better plants.  She only had an eighth grade education, but she was able to make great advancements.  She started by creating a larger, crisper apple.  She then moved onto flowers, eventually settling on Lilacs.  She was able to amazing things, eventually creating over 250 new varieties.  She suffered many tragedies in her life, but she was always able to pick up and move on.  Her flowers helped her to cope with the losses in her life.  I enjoyed this book immensely.  It was very well written.  I loved Hulda.  I found her life fascinating.  I would give this book 4/5 stars.