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All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese

Nov4

Heart Warming

All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese is the most beautiful contemporary Christian novel that will leave you smiling as you celebrate the goodness of God.

The story is about the riches of life. These riches are never found in possessions or bank accounts. These riches are found in people. We see characters’ lives opening up as they realise that their true worth is found within. They are more than the clothes they wear. They are more than all their mistakes. They are all priceless sons and daughters of the King.

The main setting is in a house for older teens who have left the foster system. They are all trying to make a life, whilst carrying their baggage from the past. They “were more than the scars they wore from their pasts.”

Everyone is unique and everyone has individual talents. We need to celebrate our uniqueness and stop trying to mold ourselves into the shape of another. “Stop trying to hide what God has created to be seen.” Celebrate the gift you have been given.

 None of us know what tomorrow brings. We need to trust God and “don’t borrow worry.”

Lives are not always able to be controlled by us. Things will always happen that are out of our control. In the midst of the storm, rest in the arms of the Father. Trust His timing. “God continued to prove His timing was right on schedule. Even when that schedule wasn’t made by me.”

A character has known God but drifted away. “I spoke to the God I’d believed in as a girl.” All of heaven rejoices when the prodigal returns home.

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The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson

Oct25

Beautiful

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson is a most beautiful contemporary novel that I really enjoyed.

The novel is written in two time periods – ‘then’ and ‘now.’ It is in the first person of Shelley Woodhouse. The reader gets to know her intimately from the age of six. We see how she functions. She is a very likable and believable main character.

There is an ethereal beauty to the novel despite the difficult theme of domestic abuse. Laura Pearson presents it with sensitivity. We see some of the abuse through the eyes of a child. “I sat in my bedroom wondering whether my mother might be dead.” There are some heart-breaking themes as well as some beautiful ones as we see Shelley Woodhouse being loved and protected by her grandmother.

Our upbringing shapes us. “Dad left and I don’t want to risk anyone else deciding to go.” Shelley Woodhouse aged six, has decided that she must be a ‘good girl’ so no one else ever leaves her. It is a motto she lives by.

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When Memory Whispers by Johnnie Alexander

Oct24

A Steadfast God

When Memory Whispers by Johnnie Alexander is a simply wonderful Christian dual timeline novel. It is the second book in the Echoes Of War series and also part of the Mosaic Collection.

The novel is set during 1944 in London and in 1997 America, as a character looks back over her exploits during World War II. She has been silent for years, now is the time to release the secrets.

We witness the greatest sacrificial love in action. It is a love that goes so deep that for safety’s sake, the most treasured one must be released. Love over-rode a heart that wanted to hang on. Love let go.

We see that in times of war, characters either choose to cling to God or to run from God, as a character decares: “Where are you God? Don’t You care what’s happening to us?” In the devastation of war “she longed to believe God was listening.” In times of uncertainty “what does your strength rely on when the storm is raging?” We need firm foundations of faith or we will be lost. “Every day I choose to build my faith on solid rock.” God is that solid rock, that firm foundation.

In contrast with an unsure faith, we see a firm faith which reminds us of the words of Jesus’ disciple “where shall I go? Only You have the words of eternal life.” A character declares “I can’t blame God… Faith needs to be our light in these dark times.” In uncertain times we can rely on a certain God to give us “a contentment that had to come from God.” A character has firm foundations. “After all that he’d lost, he hadn’t forsaken God.”

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The Lost Letters Of Christmas by Lisa Renee Ruggeri

Oct12

Christmas Cheer

The Lost Letters Of Christmas by Lisa Renee Ruggeri is a charming children’s Christmas novel that is perfect for ages ten years and over. It is a novel that will delight you whatever your age as you receive a little bit of Christmas magic.

We see the effects of loneliness on two generations of girls who have lived in the same house. “She felt so far away from everything she loved” … due to a house move. The other young girl, twenty five years earlier had felt unloved and ignored, even by Father Christmas after she had written letters. “My parents don’t care about Christmas… They don’t even see me… I wanted to feel like I mattered to someone… I guess you’re [Santa] too busy, or maybe I’m not worth it.”

Both girls react differently to loneliness. One withdraws. The other throws herself into a project in order to give herself a purpose.

There is a mystery to solve – who is the little girl from twenty five years earlier?

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