Book Review and Giveaway: Stealing Home by Allison Pittman/4 Stars

About the book:

It’s 1905 and the Chicago Cubs are banking on superstar Donald “Duke” Dennison’s golden arm to help them win the pennant. Only one thing stands between Duke and an unprecedented ten thousand dollar contract: alcohol.

That’s when sportswriter David Voyant whisks Duke to the one-horse town of Picksville, Missouri, so he can sober up in anonymity. He bides his time flirting with Ellie Jane Voyant, his unofficial chaperone, who would rather hide herself in the railway station ticket booth than face the echoes of childhood taunts.

Ned Clovis, the feed store clerk, has secretly loved Ellie Jane since childhood, but he loves baseball and the Duke almost as much–until he notices Ellie Jane may be succumbing to the star’s charm.

Then there’s Morris, a twelve-year-old Negro boy, whose only dream is to break away from Picksville. When Duke discovers his innate talent for throwing a baseball, Morris might just have found his way out.

Four individuals, each living in haunted isolation, each harboring a secret passion. Providence brings them together. Tragedy threatens to tear them apart. Will love be enough to bring them home?

My thoughts:

It's not often that books and sports come together at the same time for me. I happen to dearly love a good dose of both, and this book was the perfect solution. Baseball happens to provide the backdrop for this story, and I was a captive spectator through the whole thing. I cheered along with Duke as Morris continued to practice his pitching, and with Ned as he hoped to make a catch with Ellie Jane. Allison Pittman has created a masterpiece of a book with delightful characters and an enjoyable story that will definitely stick with you.

4 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

One other thing....

If you'd like a chance to win a copy of Allison's book, simply leave a comment at the end of this post with your email address like this--yourname at gmail dot com--or something similar. Sorry, but if you do not leave your email address, you will not be entered in the giveaway. Your email address is the only way I can contact you. Giveaway is open only to US residents, and the winner will be announced on Monday, June 8th.

Amish Love

What’s all the hubbub about Amish fiction? Major media outlets like Time and ABC Nightline are covering it, and authors like Cindy Woodsmall are making the New York Times bestseller list regularly. What makes these books so interesting?

Check out the recent ABC Nightline piece here (http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7676659&page=1) about Cindy and her titles When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. It’s an intriguing look at Amish culture and the time Cindy has spent with Amish friends.
And don’t forget that Cindy’s new book The Hope of Refuge hits store shelves August 11, and is available for preorder now.

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P.S. If you have not read Cindy's first series of books, let me encourage you to pick them up at your local bookstore or order them online. In my opinion, she is handsdown the BEST author of Amish stories in the marketplace today. Each one of these books will just grab you from the first page, and will not let go. You will not be disappointed, I guarantee it! :o)

Wonderous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermuda Onion where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun.
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I've been working up a list for the past week to participate here, and this may be my favorite meme to date. I hate it when I come across a word in a book and I have no idea what it means. This meme gets me motivated to keep track of such words, and then, expand my vocab just a little bit more. So, here goes.....

garrulity -- n.
the quality of being garrulous; talkativeness; loquacity

expatiate -- v.
to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion

expostulate -- v.
to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate

Wow, that was fun! I feel just a little bit smarter today than I did yesterday! :o)

Book Review: A Passion Denied by Julie Lessman/5 Stars

About the book:

A Passion Denied, is the story of Faith and Charity’s little sister, Lizzie, a shy bookworm who dreams of a fairy-tale romance. It unfolds a man’s dark past and a young girl’s shattered dreams … and the God who redeems it all.

Elizabeth O’Connor is the little sister John always longed for. With a fire for God in his belly, he has been her spiritual mentor since she was thirteen, sharing her love of literature and her thirst for God. But when his gangly protégé blossoms into a beautiful young woman bent on loving him, he refuses to act on the attraction he feels. His past won’t let him go there.

Unfortunately, “Lizzie” won’t let him go anywhere else…until his dark and shocking secrets push her away.

My thoughts:

If you are looking for the greatest series in Christian fiction right now, then look no further than the Daughters of Boston series by Julie Lessman. I put off reading these books for months (why, I have no idea), but they were so well worth the wait. Never have I read such an edgy series that just sucked me in so much that I couldn’t seem to read fast enough.

I have to admit that this third book, A Passion Denied, was probably my favorite of the Daughters of Boston series. While the first two are wonderful (and you definitely should read them in order), book three brought a little bit more “real life” to the whole picture. Faith and Charity are now married, and thus, have to deal with the joys and challenges that married life brings. Also, Marcy and Patrick’s relationship has a wrench thrown into it that just adds more depth to the story. I felt that Julie did a great job of giving insight to both the good and the bad with each couple, all while giving advice through her characters on how certain situations should be handled. Scattered throughout the book are numerous snippets of Scripture that help prove the points Julie’s trying to get across, and not once does it come across as preachy.

So, with all that said, don’t even think about starting this series if you’re not willing to stay up ‘til at least midnight or later! Every single book in this series has been nothing short of fantastic, and I cannot wait for more!

You can find Julie as well as other info about all her books at http://www.julielessman.com/.

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  It comes in spades in all of Julie's books!