Book Review: Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette

I am going to declare this right up front. This is the best book I have read this year. The writing draws you in. The descriptions of the landscape paint a vibrant picture. And the way the food is described, can I just say Yum!

Until the Mountains Fall is the third book in the Cities of Refuge series. The story follows Rivkah, a young widow, and Malakhi, her dead husband's brother. To follow the law, Rivkah is betrothed to Malakhi to raise up a son for her late husband. Malakhi has loved Rivkah from afar and is happy to marry her, but Rivkah only remembers the brat he was as a child and doesn't see the fine young man he is becoming.

She runs away from the unwanted betrothal. Rivkah has a very hard life after leaving her family. Malakhi finally finds her and must figure out a way to release her from her master.

This was such a lovely story. Brings you right in and carries you through to the end.  I know I couldn't put it down.

I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

Book Review: The King's Shadow: A Novel of King Herod's Court by Angela Hunt

The King's Shadow is Book 4 of The Silent Years Series. This is a series that doesn't have to be read in a particular order. The silent years refers to the period of time between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament when God did not speak to the Jewish people.

There are two main characters in this story. One is Salome, the sister of King Herod. The second is Zara, Salome's handmaid. Salome is a selfish and resentful woman. Zara is a child at the beginning of the story. She grows into a selfless and compassionate woman.

Salome loves her brother, King Herod. She tries to help him keep his power safe. She hates the king's wife and mother-in-law who are always gossiping and plotting against her and eventually the king. There is a lot of intrigue revolving around the king's sons. Affiliations with Marc Anthony help the king stay in power but his power is threatened by Cleopatra.

When King Herod took the city of Jerusalem, Zara's father died and her mother was paralyzed. Zara was given the opportunity to become the handmaid of Salome when she was just a girl. She learned how to please her mistress and learned the inner workings of the court. When she grew up,  she wanted to have a family of her own.

I really enjoyed this story. It brings a lot of insight into what it might have been like in King Herod's court. Zara was a nice counter-balance to Salome. I thought the ending was very appropriate.

I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

Book Review: Empty Nest, Full Life: Discovering God's Best for your Next By Jill Savage

Empty Nest, Full Life is aimed right at me! Both my children will be heading off to college in the fall. It helped me identify what was bothering me about them leaving. The book had very practical advice on how to relate to my kids as adults. It had topics about relating to our spouse, our friends and ourselves now that the kids are out of the house.

The book was divided into two main parts. Part 1 was about letting go. It talked about letting go of our expectations, guilt, opinions, traditions and your child's problems. I personally find that letting go of guilt and my child's problems to be the hardest for me. The advice in these chapters were very helpful to me.

Part 2 was about holding on or grabbing hold of. Some of the topics were grabbing hold of new passions and friendships. Holding on to your marriage and God's hand. I found the topics about friendship and marriage to be the most helpful to me.

This book is aimed at a Christian mom. I highly recommend.

I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White Review

The Number of Love is the first book in a new series from Roseanna M. White.  Margot, the main character, was previously introduced in A Song Unheard.  Margo is a codebreaker in World War I.  Her mind sees numbers and patterns everywhere. She even prays in numbers. After the war, she wants to go to university and study mathematics. She doesn’t want to be the traditional wife and mother. She has goals and dreams.

Enter Drake Elton. He is her best friend’s brother and secretly a spy for England stationed in Spain. When he gets hurt and sent back to England, he falls for Margot. She declares she has no use for romance but slowly her feelings for Drake intensify.

The tension rises as enemy spies are about. Margot needs to break the code they are using so Drake can stop them.

I really enjoyed this story.  Margot is a well thought out character.  Her journey from extreme logical thinking to finally accepting and giving love was very believable.  The plot with the enemy spies was exciting. It was nice to learn more about codebreaking in World War I.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

Top 5 Books I Read in 2016.

2016 was a year of changes. I went from working 30 hours a week at the library to 40 hours a week. Dave and I both took on the role of teacher for our homeschooled kids. Our puppy grew and matured. Our son turned 18 and was able to vote in the election. Our daughter got her first job. She is a shelver at the library where I work.

My goal for 2016 was 45 books. I only read 35. Probably about a third of them were ebooks. 5 were nonfiction. 18 were by authors I hadn't read before. 2 of them I didn't like.

In the order that I read them, here are my top 5 of 2016.

The First Hostage by Joel Rosenberg



I read this in January. I love Joel Rosenberg's novels. They are suspenseful, thrilling almost prophetic. This is the second book in a series. The story is about journalist J. B. Collins. It starts where the previous book left off. ISIS has attacked an event in Amman, Jordan and the President of the US is missing. It is a breath taking, heart thumping read.


The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson



I read this in May. It is the summer before World War I in a town called Rye in East Sussex, England. The story follows Beatrice Nash who comes to Sussex to take a school teacher position and Hugh Grange who summers in Rye with his aunt. As the two get to know one another and draw closer together, the war starts. The characters are so well drawn that I was emotionally invested in what happened to each of them. Not just the main characters but the supporting characters as well. The story made me laugh and cry.


The Valley of Dry Bones by Jerry Jenkins



I read this in September. This story takes place in a California that hasn't had any rain in years. It has been declared inhabitable and almost everyone moves out of the state. But there are some holdouts. Some of the people who stay are Native American tribes, outlaws and a faith based group. The focus is on the faith based group. They stay to provide help to those who chose not to leave or couldn't leave. They have built an underground compound to help them survive the harsh weather conditions and the outlaws. There are problems within the compound as well as outside. As I read this story, I found that I needed to keep drinking water. The descriptions of the dry, arid conditions made me feel dry.


The Invisible Library and The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman




I read these books in October. The Invisible Library and The Masked City are Books 1 & 2 of a trilogy. Book 3, The Burning Page, comes out in January 2017. The Invisible Library sends out spies to procure books from many different alternate realities. Irene is sent to retrieve a dangerous book from an alternate London. Her assistant, Kai, is not quite what he seems. They join forces with a local detective who is much like Sherlock Holmes. They have to find the book while avoiding Fae, werewolves and a rogue Librarian. In the second book, Kai is kidnapped and Irene must ask Kai's intimidating relatives for help.  She has to go to a high chaos Venice alternate reality to try to find him before he can be auctioned off. As a librarian myself, I want to know how to apply for a job at this library! These stories were a lot of fun. The characters were well written. I can't wait until the next book comes out.


Crosstalk by Connie Willis




I read this in October. Connie Willis is one of my favorite Science Fiction authors. Her time traveling novels are wonderful. This is a stand alone novel. Briddey and her boyfriend, Trent, are going to get an EED. An EED is a neurological surgery to allow 2 people to feel each other's emotions. When Briddey wakes up from surgery, it is not Trent she senses. And it is not just emotions but thoughts that she is receiving! Soon, she has to learn how to cope with hearing the thoughts of everyone around her. This story is funny, warm and geeky all at once.

So there you have it. It was very hard to only choose five. I look forward to what stories the next year will bring to me.

Happy New Year!

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my honest opinions.

Review: The Calling by Rachelle Dekker

The Calling is a sequel to The Choosing. The Calling is told more from Remco’s point of view. Remco and Carrington are now living outside the city with other Seer’s. Remco is becoming overwhelmed trying to protect the group and rescue other Seer’s from the city. He is frequently told that he needs to surrender the fear that drives him but he can’t do that. His fear consumes him and almost destroys him and those he loves.

I thought that this was a good middle book. It continued the story from The Choosing and the ending is satisfying even though the story is not done. Some of the main themes of letting go of fear and trusting in the Father remind me of the themes in Ted Dekker’s stories. She was definitely influenced by her father. This was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to the conclusion.

I rate it 5 out of 5.

My kids are mirroring my reading choices.

During the school year, my kids check out books from the school library. They choose these books without any input from me. Recently, I asked them what they were reading that wasn't related to their schoolwork. I was so surprised when they brought out their books. They had each chosen a book that I loved!

My 14 year old son was reading Black by Ted Dekker! I love Ted Dekker's books. I can't say I have loved all of his books but most of them are very dear to me. Black is certainly high on my list of favorites. I have probably read it 5 times. As he reads further into the book, I anticipate some good discussions about the themes in the story.

My 12 year old daughter had just started The Song of Albion (Book 1, The Paradise War) by Stephen R. Lawhead. As soon as she showed the book to me, I walked over to my bookcase and pulled out my copy of the book. She decided that she would rather wait until summer and read it with me. It has been a long time since I read it so that sounded good to me.

It thrills this book lover's heart to know that I can share some of my favorite books with my kids.