Can the Afghan People Ever Know True Freedom?

Freedom's Stand  by J.M. Windle

Aid worker Amy Mallory returns from a trip stateside to find overwhelming and seemingly negative changes to the New Hope Compound.  The rescued women have been put to work doing the backbreaking job of carpet-making,  the area she secured to give them more living space has been turned into a business, and most troubling to Amy, several of the women have been married off to strangers.


Jamil has found peace traveling the countryside, using his medical skills as a healer and sharing the teachings of Isa Masih (Jesus Christ).   When he is unknowingly  filmed by a journalist and his faith is broadcast on YouTube for all the world to see, he finds himself behind bars in one of the most notorious prisons in all of Afghanistan.  He is accused of apostasy, and all Afghans know the penalty for apostasy is death.


Condor Security operative Steve Wilson thought he had seen the last of Afghanistan and is busy planning an extended tropical beach vacation.  When the young son of the friend who took over his assignment is diagnosed with Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant Steve insists on filling in so the family can be together at this crucial time.  If only Steve could find something to do that would fill his life with purpose...


The Afghan people still live without freedom ten years after the ousting of the Taliban.  Regardless of outside intervention the country seems bent on destroying and imprisoning itself from within.  Is there any real hope of freedom?  Of love?  Can anyone make a difference?


Freedom's Stand is the completion of the tale begun in Veiled Freedom.  While it's possible to read the story alone, you will miss the depth of the story if you try to do so.  This story is both riveting any meaningful.  Many times you will find yourself on the edge of your seat, and yet you will also find your heart aching for the lives and love of the Afghan people.  This is an important story that tells what life is like behind the news headlines.


The author, Jeanette Windle,  has done her research well, including an under the radar trip to Afghanistan.  In fact, her research is so detailed that it has prompted government agencies to question whether she has seen classified information.   She brings this world of to life through her understanding of  what it is like to work and live as a missionary in the "Hot Zones" of the world.


This book, and actually both books in this series, are five-star quality.  I would highly recommend picking up a copy of both Veiled Freedom and Freedom's stand to add to your collection of fine literature.

Simple Choices is a Great Choice

Simple Choices   by Nancy Mehl

Gracie is quickly regretting her choice to bring Mennonite teenager Hannah to Wichita for six weeks of art classes.   Hannah, dressed in tight jeans and a tank top, is throwing a temper tantrum that rivals any thrown by the typical American teenager.  And is that mascara and jewelery Gracie spies?  There is no way Hannah's parents are going to let her stay with Mr. Monahan and attend a specialized Art High School for her senior year.  Getting her back to Harmony looking like her old self is going to be hard enough.

Soon after returning the newly reinvented teenager to her parents, Gracie is devastated to learn the teenager has gone missing.  The police assume that Hannah has run away, but even though the teen has undergone some radical changes, Gracie knows she would never do that to her parents.  And to make matters worse, three other teenagers that fit Hannah's description have recently gone missing as well.  And on top of all this Gracie is trying to plan her wedding, and visit with her parents and ailing grandfather who have come to town for the wedding.

Plot twists and layers  keep the reader's attention throughout this well written story.  The true to life flaws and struggles faced by the Mennonite community in this book, make it more realistic than many works about sheltered societies.  Although this is book three in a series the author does a good job of bringing the new reader up to date on what is going on without seeming to retell the previous story.  I found this book to be a very enjoyable read.  It is neither a light or heavy read and I believe most readers will thoroughly enjoy it.  I confidently give it 4 stars.

This book was provided to me by Barbour Publishing, through NetGalley.  All opinions rendered are my own.

Be Alert: Suspect Using Poisonous Plants to Kill

Died in the Wool  by Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery

In this hometown mystery Monah, the town librarian, is  on a mission to get much-needed funds to purchase computers for her little library.  She's up against quite a bit of competition, including her boyfriend who wants the funds for police department improvements.


When her competition starts dying, fingers point to Monah as a likely suspect.  She has given them both water bottles right before they died.  Toxicology reports show that they died from Monkshood poisoning, but that doesn't narrow down the suspect pool, because the garden club sent out monkshood seeds to all its members this spring.  Since she knows she didn't do it, Monah realizes that she or her boyfriend might be next on the killers to-do list. 


Suspects abound in this cute cozy mystery.  It is a good read for when you want something lighthearted and easy to read.  Several times I thought I knew who did it, but I kept changing my mind.  Right up until the end of the story,  I was still searching for the answer to this pleasant who-done-it.  I give it 3 Stars.


Died in the Wool is book two in the Massachusetts Mayhem Mysteries, part of the Hometown Mystery collection by Barbour Books Publishing. 


I was provided with this book by the publisher through NetGalley.  All opinions rendered are my own.

Who controls the publishing industry?

From editors and acquisition agents to CEO's and authors, many hands hold a piece of the pie in determining what goes on in the publishing industry.  But there is one person who holds more power than any other: you, the reader.

As the reader you have the power to tell others in the industry what books to publish.  Will a publishing house invest in 14 books on how to repair a leaky faucet, or 14 romantic suspense books?  It depends on what you buy.  If if you never, or rarely, buy a book you are telling the industry that they really don't need to publish anything new for you to enjoy.

This week I purchased  6 books.

• 
  
• My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren
• 
  
• The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin
• 
  
• The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis  

      (somehow this one disappeared from my set )

• 
  
• Crossfire by Jeanette Windle
• 
  
•  Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle 
• (already read @ library)
• 
  
• Freedom's Stand by Jeanette Windle

My 14 year old  used the last of her funds to buy Field of Blood by Eric Wilson, 

and my 12 year old was told she needed to do some extra chores to earn money if she wanted to buy Lights, Action, Lily by Nancy Rue. 

I have plenty of books at home, a library nearby, and a pile of unread books for review that have been given to me by the publisher. Why would I spend my hard earned money (or in this case a gift card) to buy books when I could possibly read them for free?  I purchased them to tell the authors to keep writing.  I purchased them to tell the publishing houses to keep publishing books by these authors.  Of course, I also purchased them because they are really great books.

Many avid readers, including myself, can not afford to purchase every book they read (at least if they want to eat),  but most of us can buy at least some books.  If reading great books is important to you, then you can likely find a way to purchase some.  It may mean less trips to the theater,   less cable channels, or (horrors) less fancy coffee, but it can be done.  Unless you want to be reading memoirs of a dryer lint collector in the future, do yourself a favor and buy great books.

Come Visit a Rose-Red City Half as Old as Time*

Petra:  City in Stone  by T.L. Higley

In Petra: City in Stone, I  felt like I was being whisked back in time to this ancient lost city.  Historically accurate without sounding like a history book, Higley takes the reader on a journey of what might have been, mixed right alongside  the story of what was.  Higley does a spectacular job of creating a feel of the life and structure of the city.


Cassia's waiting for the circumstances to be right to get herself and her young son away from her abusive thief of a man Aretas, but how can a woman with a young son survive without money or a place to go?  Especially when Aretas will certainly come after her and punish her for leaving.  When the opportunity finally presents itself, Cassia takes young Alexander and leaves for Petra, the city of her husband's birth.  She is hoping to find his estranged family and ask them to take her in.

The Treasury at Petra

Watching his betrothed and his friends as they are fed to the lions, Julian is afraid his brash and outspoken behavior as a leader of the followers of The Way will soon mean death to his prominent family.  Julian steals away to Petra, the city of stone, hoping to start anew and make a new name for himself as a talented sculptor of stone.


Petra, the ancient city carved into the desert rock is a place where worship of demon gods abounds.  A small group of followers of Christ know it's only a matter of time before open persecution begins.  When both Cassia and Julian are pulled into the care of this group, things will never be the same.  Can Cassia learn that love must be shared out of abundance and that abundance can only come through Jesus?  How long will Julian run from his God given call to leadership?  The life of Cassia's son Alexander hangs within the answer to these questions.

Siq, a narrow passage that is the only road into Petra 

I really enjoyed reading this book, and will look for new titles in this series to read in the future.   I give it 4.5  stars.


This book was provided to me for review by NetGalley.  All opinions rendered are my own.


* "a rose-red city half as old as time" is a line about Petra in a sonnet by John William Burgeon

Ordinary People Thrust Into Quite Unusual Circumstances

The Skin Map  by Stephen Lawhead

I don't typically read sci-fi or fantasy books.   This being said, I committed to reviewing this book and I intend to give it a fair review.

The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead has a well developed plot and enjoyable story-world.   The book is written  well, and I enjoyed author's  British English.

The story follows an extremely boring and mundane British couple Kit and Wilhelmina who are thrown into more adventure than they ever hoped for when Kit's long lost grandfather introduces him to the concept of lay lines by setting him up to cross into one.  When he finally returns to present day, he is late to meet Wilhelmina which causes her to be angry.  To prove that it is not his fault, Kit drags her to the place where he crossed over and attempts to help her cross as well.  She does, but ends up in an entirely different time and place than Kit.  Of course now that she is "lost in time" it is Kit & his grandfather's mission to find her and make things right.

I really did not understand many of the aspects that may have been easy to follow for readers of this genre.  I had to look up lay lines, because the idea was just confusing me, and it was confusing for me to keep track of the different layers of what was going on.  The whole omniverse idea while interesting for a moment, was not something I enjoyed as an integral part of the book.  Although the plot twisted greatly at some points, at others it seemed to go on, and on, and on.

I think overall what I took away was that this is a good book, but it just was not for me.  It was not introductory level in it's genre.

I give it 2 stars from the perspective of someone used to reading books that take place in our dimension.

This book was given to me for review purposes by BookSneeze.  All opinions are my own.

Reading as a S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G exercise

Do you tend to read books from a selected genre or two?  Would you rather read a mediocre book within your "reading comfort zone" than a great book outside that zone?

A few weeks ago I ordered  and committed to  review a book that I thought looked like it was full of suspense.  It is titled The Skin Map and is by Stephen Lawhead.  I knew the authors name sounded familiar and that he was thought of as a really good author, but I couldn't think offhand of any of his books I had read.  This isn't unusual since I read so many books each year.

Only when I began reading it did I realize that although it contains plenty of suspenseful moments it was actually more of a Fantasy/Sci-fi/Adventure book.  I thought to myself, "this will be a great literary stretching exercise for me."  I knew that I had never completed a book like this before.  Well, let's just say it was a s-l-o-w read.

I proud to say that I finished it, because there were moments that I didn't think I would.  Does this mean that it wasn't a good book?  Definitely not.  From a literary standpoint it was very well written.  It fulfilled its job and I believe it will be quite well liked by fans of this genre.  Will I be reading the sequel?  No.

Does that reflect poorly on me?  I don't think so.   I read to relax.  My life is full of enough stress, and when I read  I don't want to think too hard.  Reading this genre is work for me.  My brother would probably be horrified to know that I have never completed even one of the books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and unless they are required reading for a course I almost certainly never will.  But I wouldn't expect him to enjoy a contemporary romantic suspense either.

So what does this teach us about book reviews?  They are only a guide.  Every reader needs to decide for himself  whether a book is right for him.  Although a review can warn you of a book that was poorly written, much of what the reviewer  says is subjective.  I'm glad there are books written that I will never like.  Those books were written for other people.  Since each of us are unique individuals we need all kinds of books.

Now...I just have to sit down and make myself write that review.

Wolfsbane: Ronie Kendigs best work yet!

Wolfsbane  by Ronie Kendig

This is the most amazing book I have read in a long time.  It has a high intensity, quick moving plot that doesn't sacrifice depth of character.  Descriptive settings cause the reader to feel like they are living the adventure alongside the characters.  The characters, though unique, feel true to life and experience struggles and sins that aren't solved in the blink of an eye.


Just when you think she's packed everything into the plot, Ronie Kendig adds another layer.  This book is worthy of 5+ stars.  It has just the right balance of adventure, suspense, and romance.


Wolfsbane is the third installment in Ronie Kendig's Discarded Hero's series.  It follow's the story of  former Green Beret Canyon Metcalfe and demolitions expert and senator's daughter Danielle Roark.


After finally escaping the clutches of a Venezuelan general who has been keeping her as his personal sex slave, Dani Roark is plucked from the sea by Range Metcalf.  She brings critical information she has gleaned to the authorities only to have them tell her that her info seems too perfect.  They accuse her of working with the general and soon she faces the option of trial as a traitor and possible execution, or a return trip to the land of her captivity to prove  her information correct.


Meanwhile Dani meets Canyon Metcalf, Range's brother who immediately feels drawn to her in all the ways he doesn't want to be.   Not only does his past make it impossible to love her, but Range has claimed her as his girl.


Canyon's team  is given the assignment of going into Venezuela to protect Dani and help her get the proof she needs.  Canyon promises Dani that he will protect her, and never leave her behind, but he soon realizes that he is not ultimately in control.


If you only read one book this year, this is the one I recommend.   It will be released July 1, 2011.


This book was provided to me free of charge to review by NetGalley.  All opinions rendered are my own.

Hairdresser Accused in Missing Body Case

Missing Mabel by Nancy Mehl

When Hilde Higgins, hairdresser to the recently departed is called in to tidy the tresses of 87 year old Mabel Winnemaker, she is shocked to her roots to discover the body has been switched.  Before long, fingers are being pointed at Hilde accusing her  of  inventing this conspiracy to cover her own pilfering of  Mabel's diamond ring.  Hilde knows she is innocent, but the evidence is found in her handbag.  Who would set her up, and why?  Although Hilde comes up with several suspects, none of them seem likely.  Hilde's life seems to be in tangles.  Can she straighten things out before her life is trimmed short.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The characters are amusing and the story is captivating.  It moves along at a brisk pace and all the questions are tied up by the end.  It is the perfect book for when you want a good relaxing read that doesn't require too much thinking on your part.  I give this book a solid 4 stars.  Although it's not a blockbuster, it does the job it was called to do quite well.

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and her son, Danny. She’s authored nine books and is currently at work on her newest series for Barbour Publishing.

Nancy says,  "I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

When can a suspense novel be life changing?

Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins

Brandilyn Collins delivers yet another stay-up-all-night-till-you-finish read with the release of her new suspense novel Over the Edge.


Janessa McNeil seemed to be living the best time of her life until someone purposely infected her with Lyme disease.  Why would someone do this to the  friendly, likable housewife and mother?   Janessa's husband is one of the leading researchers discounting the existence of chronic Lyme disease, and the perpetrator believes that seeing his own wife suffer will cause change the mind of the unfeeling Dr. Brock McNeil.  What the perpetrator doesn't realize is that things aren't as they seem in the McNeil marriage, and Janessa will soon be left alone to deal with a disabling disease her husband thinks is all in her mind.  Now, the perpetrator is threatening to infect the McNeil's nine year old daughter as well.  Since Dr. McNeil believes this to be a ruse by his wife, and Janessa is too sick to even think, what is to stop him from succeeding?


Drawn from the pages of the authors own battle with chronic Lyme disease, this is a book that will grip you and not let you go.  Deep characters, an amazing plot, and filled with Brandilyn Collins trademark Seatbelt Suspense, this book shares a message that will reach to your heart.   If  you, or someone you know suffers from Lyme Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, or has undiagnosed muscle weakness, joint pain, or confused thinking, this book is an absolute must read.   If not, it is still one amazing work of art.


Definitely 5 Star Worthy


This book was given to me by NetGalley for review purposes.  All opinions rendered are my own.

Warning: Environmental Disaster in Progress!

Disaster Status  by Candace Calvert

When an environmental disaster in progress becomes a media circus and danger to the community Pacific Mercy  Charge Nurse Erin Quinn calls for reinforcements.  What she gets is Fire Captain Scott McKenna, a handsome  incident commander who insists on doing everything by the book -even when that means refusing Erin entry into her own E.R.  Tempers flare and sparks fly as these two battle it out, each trying to do their version of the right thing.

I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 in this series and was expecting book 2 to rate at the same level.  In many ways it does.  Author Candace Calvert builds deep, believable characters with all the quirky nuances that make them, well...characters.  The plot took off right from the start, built in intensity as the story went on, and did not disappoint.  This being said, I did not enjoy this book as much as book 1.  It seemed that throughout this book Calvert was setting the stage for book 3.  She took too much time building characters and situations that did not matter to this book.

This book would be great for a book club wanting a light read.  There are many aspects that would make for great discussion,  especially the differences between being a strong woman and a woman of strength.

I am only giving this book 4 stars, but would definitely still choose to read it if I were going back to make that choice.   Even though this book can be read as a stand alone, I suggest reading book 1 first as it will help you understand the relationships between the characters better.  All 3 books in this series are currently available, and as of today (5/2/11), Critical Care is available as a free download for Kindle at Amazon.