LIBRARY CORNER
JUNE, OCTOBER, DECEMBER 2008
JUNE
On the "New Books" shelf, you will find Mindy Starns Clark's most recent book, Whispers of the Bayou. This suspenseful, stand-alone novel combines a complex mystery with a vivid portrayal of the Deep South and its Cajun history. Miranda Miller has no memory of the five years spent in her grandparent's antebellum estate before moving to New York with her Aunt Janet. Summoned to the deathbed of the family caretaker, she hopes to rekindle some of her memories. She does not expect to be plunged into a nightmare of secrets and deceptions. In the midst of the action, this book shows how God can take the darkest circumstances and use them to light a bright path leading to the future.
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The five book Million Dollar Mysteries series by Mindy Starns Clark should definitely be read in order as the story line builds from book to book. Beginning with A Penny for Your Thoughts and working its way through the nickel, dime and quarter before concluding with The Buck Stops Here, this engrossing series features Callie Webger, a private investigator and attorney who works for a mysterious philanthropist names Tom. Callie's job is to investigate charities and, if they are on the up and up, donate money on behalf of her employer's J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation. Along the way, murder and intrigue always seem to complicate things!
As the series begins, Callie is still grieving several years after the accidental death of her husband, and pouring all of her considerable talents and energies into her job. Tom is a kind but distant boss, a mere voice on the phone. As the series progresses, Tom eventually shows up in person, forcing Callie to deal with her growing attraction to this man who seems to have so many secrets.
Tom obviously has feelings for Callie as well, and she know that she must let go of the past in order to embrace the future. Problems arise when Callie learns that Tim is tied to her past in ways that she never could have imagined. As Callie is forced to reevaluate everything she thought to be true, she's faced with the biggest question of all: Is her faith in God strong enough to carry her through the test of a lifetime?
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Tina and Delana both enjoyed Julie Klassen's first novel, Lady of Milkweed Manor, also located on the "New Books" shelf. This is the story of Charlotte Lamb, a 19th century vicar's daughter who makes a mistake, is turned out of her home, and finds herself a resident at The Manor Home for Unwed Mothers. Cut off from her family because of her "fall", Charlotte is further mortified when she discovers that one of the physicians serving "Milkweed Manor" is her former suitor. Each challenge Charlotte faces teaches the reader about redemption and the beauty of sacrificial love. While the conclusion to the novel is rather abrupt, one interesting technique that Ms. Klassen employs is to print a tidbit about milkweeds, nursing, or childbirth at the beginning of each chapter. These little bits of history are tied nicely to the prose.
OCTOBER
Last fall (Nov. 2007) we wrote briefly about a husband and wife who write using the pen name of Hannah Alexander. This month we would like introduce another series written by this team that several of us have enjoyed. The books are all part of the Hideaway Series, but it is not absolutely necessary to read them in order. While each of the novels takes place in the small town of Hideaway and some characters may intersect, the protagonist in each book is different.
In the first novel, appropriately titled Hideaway, E.R. doctor Cheyenne Allison's life is in turmoil when she loses her younger sister and is faced with a malpractice suit. Forced to take a leave of absence, Cheyenne retreats to a quiet farmhouse in Hideaway, MO. It seems like the perfect getaway until a dangerous vandal strikes the community and her medical skills are needed even as Cheyenne discovers she may be the next target. Other novels in this series are Safe Haven, Last Resort, Fair Warning and Grave Risk. Each of these books is a page turner that draws you into the lives of the characters.
DECEMBER
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2.
Melody Carlson's The Christmas Bus is appropriately set in Christmas Valley, Oregon just before Christmas. The town is in an uproar because the pastor's wife, Edith, has taken Hebrews 13:2 to heart and opened their Bed and Breakfast home to some rather odd birds during the holidays. To make matters worse, she offered shelter to a bankrupt couple with a baby on the way ... and they've parked their hippie bus right in front of the lovely Victorian parsonage! Can the spirit of Christmas prevail with this eyesore spoiling the Norman Rockwell scenery?
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Have you ever considered escaping all the holiday madness? That's exactly what five ladies from the Lakeside Baptist Christmas Club do when they leave their cares behind to enjoy a week in Jamaica in Jamaican Me Crazy: A Christmas Escape by Debbie DiGiovanni. However, when their luggage is lost, the hotel mixes up their reservations, and they have one sleepless night after another, the women begin to wonder if this sunny holiday is worth all the trouble. Plan your "escape" without purchasing a ticket and curl up with this fun story.
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In The Treasure Box by Penelope Stokes, you will meet Vita Kirk, a travel writer who doesn't travel. Vita has spent years building walls to avoid the pain that can be caused when you allow yourself to care about others. When she buys a beautiful old tin box to store her CDs, she decides to research its origins on the internet. Just as she finds a promising link, a thunderstorm hits and her computer crashes. Once the electrical service resumes and she can turn on her computer again, the only program she can access is for "The Treasure Box." The program leads her back in time and on a journey of self-discovery before her life returns to normal. The strange thing is that her "new" normal isn't what she remembers.
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Here are two stories from Terri Blackstock that will make you examine what God expects of you as a Christian. In The Listener Sam Bennett suddenly finds he can hear the thoughts of other people. He is not hearing mundane musings but people's deepest needs. Is he going crazy ... or about to experience a miracle beyond his wildest dreams? The second offering, The Gifted, follows three friends rescued from the rubble of a California earthquake. They soon realize that something miraculous happened during the earthquake...something beyond their comprehension. Understanding their newly acquired powers is difficult enough, but when the gifts suddenly vanish, even greater questions arise about the origin and obligations of these miraculous gifts from above.