Archive | January 2025

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt

Jan7

There Once Was A City

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt is a powerful Christian historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in Warsaw during World War II as we follow twin sisters and their very different wartime experiences. Both are incredibly brave. Both fight the Nazis but use very different methods. One hides and passes on, Jewish children through an underground network. The other fights for the resistance. Neither shares their activities with the other in order to protect.

Warsaw bore the brunt of the Nazis persecution. Hitler wanted Warsaw razed to the ground – but reckoned without the brave spirit of the people offering resistance where they could.

Even the children were brave. They learned how to act and when to be silent. “You must never tell anyone who you are but you must always remember.” Roots and heritage are very important.

When persecution of the Jewish people began, many stood idly by but “what happened… mattered to me… I could not look away.” A character decided “I must do something.”

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The Knitting Club by Andie Young

Jan7

Supporting Each Other

The Knitting Club by Andie Young is the most delightful contemporary Christian novel that I read in just one sitting.

We see that God has a plan for our lives. He sends people to love, support and encourage each other. We see this clearly in the three main characters. Each one is unique. Apart they flounder. Together they are stronger. We need people in our lives. What unites the three characters is stronger than their differences.

The three leading ladies all have different needs. All are easy to empathise with. There is a twenty-one-year-old, a nearly fifty and a lady in her seventies. Each have different gifts that can help the others. They learn so much from each other.

Prayer is important. It unites us with God. “She included the women in her daily prayers.” We all need friends who pray for us.

God longs for us to come to Him. “She still possessed the strength she’d asked God to provide… Maybe He really was there. All she had to do was ask.” His love is freely given. All we have to do is to ask.

One of the characters has a very strong faith which is lived out. “She planted a seed in their hearts.” We plant the seed of faith and God waters it. Sowing the seeds of faith is a privilege and the greatest gift we can give another.

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The Cream Tea Killer by Judy Leigh

Jan6

Cosy Crime At Its’ Finest

The Cream Tea Killer by Judy Leigh is a most delightful, contemporary, cosy crime novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the third book in the Morwenna Mutton Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. However, for maximum enjoyment, I recommend reading the previous books first.

I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces as the Cornish summer season gets underway. We ‘experience’ the Cornish hospitality. “If you come here when we are closing, I’ll give you what’s left over, a pasty, a bit of cake, scones, some fruit, a bottle of milk.” Seal Bay is a welcoming community that offers hospitality and help to those in need.

There is a more worrying side as one of their own is washed ashore and shady characters are seen around. Fortunately for all, Morwenna Mutton, a modern-day Miss Marple is at hand to investigate, alongside the police. Her amateur sleuthing is second to none.

All the characters were well drawn and believable, Morwenna Mutton is sixty-three but is like a breath of fresh air wherever she goes. She is very sprightly as she cycles around the village.

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A Year In The Lives Of God’s Furry Angels by Kirby Lee Davis

Jan5

Absolutely Delightful

A Year In The Lives Of God’s Furry Angels by Kirby Lee Davis is an absolutely delightful book. I read the original book, and now I have read the newly released 2024 hardback edition which is positively charming.

The reader journeys through the twelve months following a young couple and their cat, and the other animals and humans whom they encounter along the way.

This is a cat lovers delight. Kirby Lee Davis has certainly captured the lives of cats in several walks of life. He gives them voices that seem believable to this cat lover.

We meet old Sebastian in the early months and see how devastating his passing is. For anyone who has loved and lost their fur babies, we can certainly empathise with Jessica. “She will always cling to her memories of Sebastian.” Other cats may come and go, each one taking up residence in our hearts.

For the rest of the year, we follow new kitten, Bridget who is full of joi de vivre and a young kitten’s natural curiosity. I certainly remember the climbing the curtain stage; the biting stage; and the fussy eating stage when we have had young kittens. “After several different attempts, Jessica finally provides a food Bridget likes.” We’ve all done it – pandered to our fur babies fussy eating habits!

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