The Ledger by Steven Manchester is a gritty contemporary Christian novel that is powerfully written with a clear message at its’ heart – God is with us, always – even if we don’t feel His presence. Even if we don’t acknowledge Him. God will never leave us alone.
“It’s difficult to watch our children make horrible mistakes and not intervene” are words spoken by God in the novel. He is our heavenly Father. The same words can be true of earthly parents. We have to give our children space to grow. “I’m going to worry about my little girl for the rest of my days… It’s the price I have to pay for being a parent.”
The setting is within a state penitentiary in Mississippi. We follow three characters – a long-serving inmate; a long-serving officer; and an inspector of conditions – only one of them feels far from God and has a very black heart. The other two come to know God, realising “true pain is feeling distance from God.” Bodies may be imprisoned but souls can be free.
We all have free will. We all make choices and must live with the consequences. We see the pain caused to God when His children choose the wrong path but “I can’t give you free will and then force myself on you,” says God.
God longs for each of us to come to Him. Sometimes it is a dazzling Damascus-road experience, at other times it is a gentle Emmaus-road experience. “God don’t use a microwave when He’s cooking. He uses a crock-pot.” God never gives up on us.
Stikki The Squirrel: Tree Spirits by Jane H Wood is a very charming children’s novel and perfect for the over eights.
The reader joins a family of squirrels just before Christmas. With snow on the ground, the daddy squirrel hunts further afield for food. He meets some vicious foxes. His mate is determined to save him. Together the pair are caught up in an unwanted adventure.
The reader sees the kindness of a young girl and her father to the squirrels. And we hear of the chaos caused by the family cat!
All the woodland animals work together to support the young squirrel family. We see that together we are stronger.
Stikki The Squirrel: Tree Spirits is a very delightful novel to be enjoyed all year round.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Stikki the Squirrel: Tree Spirits.
Join Stikki and his mate Rella on their second exciting adventure—full of mystery, danger, and the wonders of magic found in the most unexpected places.
Winter has arrived in Hazy Hills Wood, covering everything in a blanket of snow. Food is hard to find, and the animals are getting hungry. To make things worse, there is a scary food thief on the prowl.
Stikki heads out into the cold to find his secret stash, but when he doesn’t come home, Rella goes searching for him. A frightening journey looms ahead as Stikki and Rella are forced to confront their enemies and the dreaded longlegs.
Deep in the heart of the ancient wood stands the animals’ sacred ash tree. When Brodboar the badger spots something strange high on the tree’s branches, he is shocked by the discovery and begins to worry. Is it a warning?
With Stikki and Rella still missing—can the woodland animals work together to find their friends before it’s too late?
Jane H. Wood is a multi-award-winning author who enjoys writing stories for children and young adults. Jane’s wonderful animal adventure books have captivated readers of all ages, earning her acclaim for her vivid storytelling and enchanting illustrations that feature in her Stikki the Squirrel books.
Jane lives in the sunny seaside town of Worthing on the south coast of England, with her husband, Peter. She has two grown-up sons and is a proud grandmother as well. Jane enjoys art, photography, hand crafting activities, and writing children’s stories. Jane is an animal rights advocate and environmentalist, and she supports a few animal welfare charities.
Dear Life by Rachel Clarke is a powerful and heartbreaking true account of the author’s life as a palliative care doctor.
The book speaks straight to the heart as we witness the love and care given to those facing their final days. They are given dignity and they are given choices, treated as individuals who still have a life to live, albeit a short one. “Living and dying are not binary opposites. The dying… are still very much alive.” The dying are aware of just how precious and just how fragile life is.
In a world where we hurry about, worrying about this and that; we need to pause and ask “would this matter on your deathbed?” What matters at the end is love and family. Have we lived a life of love? “In the end, when death bears down, there is always this, the love of others.”
In our modern world we are shielded from death. “In Britain, less than a century ago, death in the home was so frequent, so commonplace, that family members regarded the witnessed loss of their loved ones as entirely expected – entirely normal.” Today, we shy away from death. It is the last taboo.
The Names by Florence Knapp is a powerful contemporary novel that consumed me from the start. It is a very unique read – one life; three names and the imagined life of a baby with each of these names. The characters and scenarios are similar but different.
What’s in a name? Our names have meanings. For some, a name will conjure up a certain type of character which one either admires or dislikes. Names have the power to produce strong responses. Our names may reflect our character.
One of the leading characters is a baby. We follow his life at various key moments. He is the boy with three names that produce a sliding doors moment. He reflects the names he has been given. “A boy called Bear is someone who will be soft and cuddly but also brave and strong.”
There is a bond between the baby and his sister who is nine years older, and also their mother. We witness the cruelty of domestic abuse. It is horrifying to see the effect on the nine-year-old daughter who learns to be invisible and already knows how to placate her father.
