Tag Archive | Anne Rogers

The Secret To Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Apr8

3 Legs On The Stool

The Secret To Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the most charming contemporary Christian novel that I read mainly in one sitting. I paused only to sleep. It is the second book in the Cape Cod Creamery series and can be read as a stand-alone. However, I recommend reading the books in order, so that you see character progression and development, as well as maximum enjoyment.

Cape Cod and family are the place to go when life gets tough. Family and the community offer love and care. It is surprising to witness healing coming in the form of six year old cowboy Leo. His warm, sunny nature and his openness, help souls heal. One cannot help but smile when he is around.

The story, once more, centres around the ice cream parlour. Now it is winter and the tourists are gone, it has to adapt and change. Likewise, we need to be adaptable as we start new chapters in life.

We all need lives that have purpose. “She’d hit her goal… there’d always been a vague feeling of emptiness… Is this all there is?” We need to make sure that are lives are centred on what gives meaning. So much in life is just chasing the wind. We need to find our purpose. Knowing God makes our lives meaningful. “Do you talk to God?” God longs to hear from us. Prayer is simply conversations with God. We need to listen as well as talk.

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The Wind Blows In Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

Apr4

Pearls Of Great Price

The Wind Blows In Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner is the most beautiful Christian contemporary novel about family, friendship and forgiveness.

All the characters are realistically drawn. They are an eclectic mix from an eleven year old boy to an eighty two year old woman. They all have things in common – they are all perfectly flawed human beings in need of a Savior and in need of forgiveness.

Everyone has a past. We all carry burdens that were not meant for us – whether we are eleven or eighty two. God wants us to give Him our burdens. He wants to exchange them for peace, hope and forgiveness. Often, we are our harshest critics. We need to receive His forgiveness and live in His peace.

Life is hard. Life without knowing God is even harder. We can receive His peace despite our circumstances. “When you have that [peace]… it’s enough. But without it, nothing is ever enough.” We cannot earn God’s peace. It is His gift to us.

We meet a troubled eleven year old and a troubled fifty year old who used to be a troubled eleven year old. Despite the age difference, both are very similar. They have both listened to the voices that have told them that they are worthless. They have believed the voices and repeated the mantra to the face in the mirror. God says they are loved. “Everything God makes has value, whether we choose to see it or not.”

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This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K Sproles

Apr1

True Riches

This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K Sproles is a beautiful Christian historical novel that will wash over you like a river, cleansing you as you read, and leaving you feeling peaceful.

This is a love story, not a conventional one, but a love story nonetheless. It surrounds Minerva, a ninety four year old woman who has missed out on love her whole life. Only now, as she nears the end, does she find a love that fulfills as the arms wrap around her. This is a love that reaches beyond the pages to envelop the reader. This is a beautiful love that time will not destroy.

We also see the love of a faithful dog. He guards. He protects. He mourns.

All her life Minerva has wanted a family. We learn that “kindness, caring, love makes a family. You don’t have to be blood to be the perfect fit.” Family look out for each other.

Secrets, burdens and guilt weigh heavy. We witness a soul that has been burdened pass this heavy load onto another, so it is carried beyond the grave. The reader’s heart breaks for a character when the secrets are unearthed and she realizes that her marriage was a sham and a lie. She has never felt ‘good enough’ and this has saddened her.

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The Vanishing At Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

Mar26

All The Broken Pieces

The Vanishing At Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright is a fabulous dual timeline novel that totally consumed me. I always love Jaime Jo Wright’s books. They entertain me and always leave me wanting more.

The action is set in present day, 1870 and 1801. We slip seamlessly between the three periods. 1870 and present day have parallel action and themes. 1801 sets the scene.

Castle Moreau has been in a family for a couple of centuries. It has always had an air of mystery. It is a place of foreboding that the locals avoid. What goes on behind closed doors, remains there. Secrets are contained within the very bricks and mortar.

We see the bonds between grandparents and their grandchildren. The bonds are there to protect and to nurture.

There is the theme of nature versus nurture. Are we destined to repeat the sins of our ancestors? If they were monsters, do we have monsters lurking within?

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