"....but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."
I Timothy 4:12, 13

Monday, June 13, 2011

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs

Here Burns My Candle   -     
        By: Liz Curtis Higgs

Here Burns My Candle is an excellent book!  I have read several books by Liz Curtis Higgs and enjoyed them all!  This book is set in Scotland during the Jacobite Rising.  It is set in the Lowlands but the main character is a highlander married to a Lowlander.  Elisabeth Kerr has been raised on superstition for her religion but does not get any satisfaction and cannot understand why until she starts reading the Bible.  She learns the only way to happiness is through God only.  This revelation has changed her life and helps her to cope with the heartaches that are coming her way.
Her mother who is a Lowlander and relishes her social status has many secrets she wishes to remain hidden.  Which way should she be swayed when Bonnie Prince Charlie rides in with his Highlanders?  Should she support him and the Jacobites or stay loyal to England?  There will be consequences either way. 
Be sure to visit eighteenth-century Scotland to find out how God works in the lives of these two very different women whose lives have been thrown together because of their love for the same man.  A motherly love and a wifely love.

You can go here  http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/  to learn more about Liz Curtis Higgs and her books.

Happy Reading!
Missy

Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse  -     
        By: Julie Klassen
The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen is a very good book.  It is about a young lady, Mariah, who made a mistake and is banished from her father's house.  She finds a home in her aunt's gatehouse where she and her companion is basically ignored by her aunt. 
Captain Matthew Bryant has one goal in mind, to win the heart of his lost love by proving himself worthy to her and her father.
Then he meets Mariah when he rents her aunt's manor.  She is not the woman he wants to marry, so why is he so intrigued about this girl with her many secrets? 
This book is very well written and hard to put down.  There is a couple of spots that I felt was too descriptive of Mariah's indescretions that I feel could have been left out though.

Missy

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn

Lion of Babylon

I loved this new book by Davis Bunn.  I hate politics and do not always pay attention to what is going on.  I know the basics, but most of it is just too confusing to try to figure out.  I know we went to war because terrorists bombed the twin towers on 9/11.  Aside from that I have never eally understood what was going on over there, until I read Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn.  He explains what is going on in Iraq without being boring.  It's like somthing just clicked in my brain while reading it  This book would great for a man or woman because it is not a romance book at all.
Lion of Babylon is about an ex CIA operative who gets pulled back into service when an operative who is a good friend of his goes missing in Iraq.  When he arrives in Iraq, he actually joins forces with the Iraqees to find out what is going on, there is more going on then just a missing person.  Is he missing because of political reasons or religious reasons?  How do the religious factions in Iraq and Iran tie in with his disapearance?  Will God help him on his quest to unravel the truth?  This is a must read for everyone to help you understand the political, socila and religious aspects of the war we are in right now.  Davis does an excellent job of interweaving a fictional story with the facts of what is happening right now. 
If you don't care about any of that, read it anyways for a great suspenseful, focus grabbing book!
Unfortunately the book will not be available until July, but you can pre-order the book here:  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=lion+of+babylon&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1



Be sure to follow this link http://www.scribd.com/doc/55895986/Lion-of-Babylon  to read the first chapter!


Davis Bunn is an award-winning novelist whose audience spans reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Visit Davis at www.davisbunn.com .

Here is a quote from Davis about the book:
"This is the first time I have based a story upon my experiences of working and living in the Middle East. I wrote the outline over a six month period, coming back to it time and again between other projects.


My desire was to have half the story told from the point of view of an Arab Christian. I asked myself:

• What does it mean to live as a member of a minority faith?

• What are the current circumstances faced by such a person and their family?

In order for such issues to NOT get in the way of the overall story, I needed to grow utterly comfortable with this man, his world, and his ‘skin’, during the outlining phase of the writing process.

Then I just sat on it for months, knowing I needed something more, but not sure what it was. Finally I showed it to my editors at Bethany House Publishers. It was only when I received their feedback that I felt the book begin to genuinely solidify.

In general, the crucial change between outline and first draft is the climax. I have never had my first vision of the climax actually become the book’s culmination. Lion of Babylon is no exception. As usual, what I envisioned as the climax actually became one of the crucial moments LEADING to the climax. I find I like this uncertainty, this unexpectedness. If I don’t know, the reader normally can’t anticipate."

Be sure to reserve your copy today!

Happy reading!
Missy

Davis Bunn

I just wanted to share a nice comment I got from Davis Bunn about the book review I did for him.

"Dear Missy,

I just wanted to thank you for the truly beautiful review. I have commented publicly about how you really came to grips with the story's heart, and now having reread your comments I wanted to write you personally and say how much the words have meant. There is not often that chance to read a critic's response and say, 'they really got it!' In your case, it not just went to the heart of what we intended, but was written with such lovely crafting. I really appreciate the time and effort that went into this, and hope your health issues are now in the past.

Warm personal regards,

Davis"

Pretty flattering!

I'm sorry I haven't written much lately!  I've been pretty busy.  To see what I have been up to, check out my other blog:  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/   I've been baking, sewing and trying to get my house clean, not to mention a new kitten!  She's only about five weeks old.  She's a rescued feral kitten.

My two nine month old kittens have been pretty good babysitters though!  LOL
Have a great day ya'll!
Missy