Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs

I had not read the first of this two-book series, so when I began, I had difficulty getting into it. The Scottish brogue also caused me to read much slower than usual. But before long, I was quickly waiting for the next event.

I knew this was a paraphrase of the story of Ruth and Naomi in the Bible, so I watched for pieces of the story. There was enough difference that I had to look carefully, which I enjoyed. Being a writer myself, I like the nuances and added subplots that Ms. Higgs used.

I knew Elizabeth was supposed to marry the rich landowner, so I worried when she almost fell in love with someone else. But not to fear, it came out just as it did in the Bible. The lead character's love and care for her mother-in-law endeared her to me. Since I am also a seamstress, I emphathized with her as she sewed, by hand, all those dresses for the staff at Lord Jack's manor.

This was an excellent book and I did not want it to end. I received this book from Waterbrook Multhomah for my honest review.

The Crossing

Serita Jakes' new book, THE CROSSING, is a page-turner, for sure. There are many subplots and the book held my interest well.

It centered around a ten-year-old murder of a beloved high school English teacher, and some of the people involved. It was easy to relate to each person as the dialogue moved from one to another.

My only problem with the book was that, while touted as a Christian book, it dealt mostly with issues that were not Christian. There was a large amount of drinking involved, and some illicit sex.

There were not many references to the Christian life. Instead, the main character got drunk a couple of times, and a lot of action took place in a bar.

The main part of the book centered on a police investigation of the murder. It was a little disjointed, and I was confused a time or two when things came together.

Every once in a while, the author would inject a Christian comment,but I would not recommend this book for a church library. There was no vile language, but the situations were clearly secular.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review.

The Women at Holly Oak

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner is a story of generations of women who lived in an old house in the South. The old house had walls of pictures of women who had lived there, women who were said to still haunt the house.

When Marielle marries Carson, who had been married to one of the women who died very young, she came to live at the house, and began to believe the stories about the ghost.

The ghost was thought to be Susannah, who lived there generations before. But when Caroline returns, she shows Marielle some letters written by Susannah during the Civil War and begins to dispel her fears.

This is a story of people trying to find peace and love, trying to rid themselves of old fears and memories. One of the goals of Marielle and Caroline is to sort out who these women were. Another is to make a happy home for Carson's two children, and for the future children of Marielle and Carson.

This book was a little hard to read at first, because it was filled with lots of people that had to be sorted out in my mind. After I got into reading the old letters written during the Civil War, and came to understand the people, it was an enjoyable read.

This book was sent to me free from Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review.

Kristen Heitzmann -- Indelible

This book was a little hard to get into, because I didn't know it was the second in a series. However, I found out quickly. It gave informtion as if I already knew the characters and I had to look back several times to figure out what I was reading.. Soon, though, I was into it because it was such a good book. It is extremely well written and engaging. Keeps your interest very well, even if I was not familiar with the characters.

Trevor, an outdoor sportsman, saved a little 3-year-old from a mountain lion's jaws. His unmarried aunt, Natalie, was watching and thanked him profusely. The child's parents were in and out a few times in the book, but mostly it revolved around these two characters, their idiosyncracies and eventual attraction for each other. Trevor had some hangups from childhood, and so did Natalie, like we all do.

The real mystery began, though, with an unknown person taking children from their homes and then sending letters and pictures to Trevor. Because of his childhood problems, this upset him greatly. And because of his macho nature, he had to figure out what was going on. That is defined near the end of the book.

Another character figuring highly in the story was Fleur, a blind artist with a gallery near the outdoor shop of Trevor and the sculpture studio of Natalie.

The book is compelling, hard to put down. The ending is surprising. And I'm going to read the first one now!

Author Rene Gutteridge

Another new author I found during the summer of 2011 is Rene Gutteridge. I read two of her books, and they are as different as day and night.

Troubled Waters is the story of a woman who has not seen her parents for almost twenty years, because of a disagreement with her father. When he dies, she reluctantly goes home for the funeral.

At home she reconnects with her mother and many secrets are revealed. This almost 400 page book was hard to put down, and I ordered a copy from Amazon to send to my 92-year-old mother who reads even more than I do. What a great book.

I was delighted to see Gutteridge's name on another book at our library, so I checked it out. It was totally different--a police drama, on the order of books written by Randy Alcorn. This book, A Splitting Storm, is about storms in nature and storms in the lives of people.

Both these books are Christian fiction. I hope to be able to read more books by this author.

Author Judith Miller

I am an avid reader. It's not unusual for me to read two or three books a week. This week I picked up two books by Judith Miller at our public library, thinking they were a series. They were stand-alone books about the same subject--the Amana Colonies of the 19th century in Ohio. This was a religious communal group. They shared meals, the people were assigned jobs that benefited the community, and they had strict rules of conduct. They were somewhat like the Amish, but were a distinct sect apart from them.

The first book I read, Somewhere to Belong, was full of twists and turns. The plot was woven around two women, two secrets, and many subplots of those secrets. It kept my attention, and I read it in two days--all 364 pages.

The second book, More Than Words, centered around a young lady who was a writer. Of course, she was taught not to be prideful, and she thought she was doing wrong when she allowed someone to submit her work. I finished this 361 page book in two days, also. Judith Miller introduces plots and follows them through, sometimes with an unexpected twist.

I had not read Judith Miller's works before. I can recommend them wholeheartedly to people who like Christian fiction. Somewhere to Belong was my favorite of these two books. If you can only choose one, that would be my pick for you.

Mercy Come Morning by Lisa Bergen

Krista is a 38-year-old history professsor in a college in Colorado, but she has never forgotten her lost childhood. She grew up with an absent father and a mother who treated her indifferently. When her mother is near death in Taos, New Mexico, she reluctantly goes to be with her. Her mother never regains consciousness, but Krista battles with memories from her past. A close friend of her mother's who has always befriended her helps her to see her mother in a different way as she grows closer and closer to death from Alzheimers.

When Krista finds diaries and letters and reads them, she comes to understand her mother better and is able to clear her mind of some of the things that beset her for so long.

The imagery in this book is tremendous. Bergen's description of the countryside is colorful and alive. As Krista remembers things, she also remembers historic events, so the reader gets a history lesson as well as an enjoyable story. Krista also remembers Christmases through her life. This book's first title was Christmas Come Morning.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review.