Archive | September 2019

Unspoken Words by Shari J Ryan

Sep19

Coming October 16th… A Teaser Now

Excerpt

The house in front of me was a vivid shade of blue—bluer than the sky but no darker than the ocean. The color reminded me of a blue-bird. The windows were framed with a shade of forest green, and there were two small windows on each side of the matching door. The roof was old and tattered, but supported the one lonesome dormer-window in the attic. The flower beds beneath the front windows were empty but I imagine they were full of vibrant blossoms in the spring and summer. Trinkets clung to the windows from the inside where a fire illuminated an empty table covered with a freshly prepared dinner. 

I wasn’t standing in front of that house to admire the unique colors and decor.

They gave me a task. 

Sven shoved his elbow into my side as he walked passed me, continuing down a line of Jewish men and women who were waiting for their next order. “Charlie, kill that woman. She is out of line,” Sven asserted his command with an authoritative intonation. 

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The Witness Tree by Denise Weimer

Sep16

God’s Callings

The Witness Tree by Denise Weimer is a marvellous Christian historical tale. It will both educate and entertain as factual details are woven into a fictional story. The novel is set in 1805 and the reader hears about the interactions between the Moravians and the Cherokee – some good, some not so good. Over the whole book lingers the fragrance of God.

We all have dreams and desires of our heart. When God is the Author of those dreams in our hearts, they cannot fail. All will be accomplished but in God’s perfect timing.

There is the pioneering spirit as new lands open up. The desire to bring the Word of God to the Cherokees motivates a move. Moravians and Cherokees learn each other’s language so they can communicate. It is important to be able to read God’s Word in your own language.

Education brings freedom and choice. The Moravians were forward thinking in educating girls as well as boys.

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As the Light Fades by Catherine West

Sep15

Grace, Love, Healing

As The Light Fades by Catherine West is a powerful contemporary story about family, love, trust and new beginnings.

Once again Catherine West has produced a delightful set of characters who warm the reader’s heart. None are perfect. They are realistically flawed making them easy to identify with and to love.

Families are complicated affairs. Some members gel, others don’t. Children should always come first, when their needs aren’t being met by those who should love them the most, the reader’s heart breaks.

There are marriages in trouble. Marriage is a partnership and it takes work. The reader celebrates when the atmosphere revives.

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The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory

Sep14

Lives Lived And Lost

The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory  – oh wow what a heart breaking historical read focusing on women, their bonds and their will to survive.

The novel is set in Berlin in 1989 as the wall is coming down, as well as in 1942-1945 in Berlin, Ravensbruck and Auschwitz. This is a novel that will haunt the reader long after the last page is read.

We cannot survive in isolation. If we are alone, we will lose hope. If we lose hope, we die. The women in the camps supported each other, willing each other on in their fight to survive. The reader marvels at their strength, their love and their sacrifices. “Greater love hath no man than that he lay down his life for a friend.”

In contrast to the love, there is the guilt – in moments of weakness and a desperate desire to survive, things were done that would haunt forever. Moral codes were blurred and broken in the camps.

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