The Women of Duck Commander

Author: Kay, Korie, Missy, Jessica, and Lisa Robertson with Beth Clark
Pages: 260
Rating: G

Summary:
In the pages of this book, you'll find both fun and inspirational stories . . .

Kay shares the honest story of her relationship with Phil--and his wild and philandering years--and the challenges of being a teenage mother. Even more amazing, she shares the forgiveness she offered Phil and how they have now celebrated forty-eight years of marriage.

Korie tells of her first encounter with Phil when she was in just the fifth grade. At that first meeting Phil came right out and told her what good husbands his boys would make and that she should keep an eye on them. She also shares the reaction her parents had when she told them that she and Willie were getting married when she was only eighteen.

Missy tells the story of their daughter, Mia, who was born with a cleft palate, and their adjustments to this condition and Mia's joyful spirit that inspires them all.

Jessica recounts her first conversation with Jep and how unimpressed she was when Jep bragged that his dad was the Duck Commander Phil Robertson. She told him she'd heard of Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, and Duck, Duck, Goose-- but not the Duck Commander.

Lisa reveals the serious marriage problems she and Al had--problems that almost ended their marriage for good--and how they worked through those issues to have a more stable and loving marriage than she ever imagined possible.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book! I love Duck Dynasty, it's the main show I miss now that we don't have Cable anymore. For a little while, 1 season of it was on Netflix, but it's gone now and that makes me sad. I really enjoyed reading about this family! They are so humble, have so much faith, and they love each other so much! In the TV show, you don't hear quite as much about their faith, but in the book it really comes out. They are all devoted Christians, and they'll share with anyone who will listen. I particularly loved reading about all the problems Miss Kay had in her young marriage. To look at them now, you think their life is just roses, but it went through some serious rocky patches. Many women would have left their husbands, but Kay stuck it out and now their marriage is, as Phil would say, "Happy, happy, happy!" It was inspiring.

The one drawback to this book was that sometimes they reference things that apparently you should know about already? Maybe they're described in detail in other books? They only vaguely describe what went on and it left me feeling like I didn't get the whole story. So I guess I need to read the other books.

But in all, I just really loved to learn more about this family, more about what makes them work, and how dedicated they are to their faith and their family happiness. They talk so much about how it's not things that make you happy, but people. I love that.

Most Wanted

Author: Lisa Scottoline
Pages: 417

Rating: PG-13 (This is definitely an adult novel. I don't know that it would be easy for a teen to understand everything involved in this, but I also rated it PG-13 because there is a serial murder, and the crime scenes are described in detail. It's a tad gory. Very little language though, and no sex.)

Summary:
Donor 3319 Profile:
Tall. Blonde. Blue eyes.
Medical Student.
Wanted for Serial Murder.
Christine Nilsson and her husband, Marcus, are desperate for a baby. Unable to conceive, they find themselves facing a difficult choice they had never anticipated. After many appointments with specialists, endless research, and countless conversations, they make the decision to use a donor.
Two months pass, and Christine is happily pregnant. But one day, she is shocked to see a young blond man on the TV news being arrested for a series of brutal murders―and the blond man bears an undeniable and uncanny resemblance to her donor.
Delving deeper to uncover the truth, Christine must confront a terrifying reality and face her worst fears. Riveting and fast-paced with the depth of emotionality that has garnered Lisa Scottoline legions of fans, Most Wanted poses an ethical and moral dilemma: What would you do if the biological father of your unborn child was a killer?

My Thoughts: I thought this book was very interesting in it's premise, but I wasn't a fan of the style of writing. One thing that drove me nuts about this book was how every character's outfit had to be described in detail every time you met them (even if you only meet them once, for half a page). If Christine changed outfits for any reason, you get a full description. I read this for a book club and other people in the group actually liked the outfit descriptions, but I thought it was annoying. Sometimes it took forever to get places because of how much the author described things. Every time Christine enters or exits her car, the author specifies that she "chirps" the car either locked or unlocked. So unnecessary. There were also plot points that didn't really help the storyline in any way. For example, Christine briefly visits her parents and it's revealed that her dad has Alzheimer's and this has been very hard on the family, but this doesn't really further the plot and I feel like could have been something just mentioned, and not something to spend an entire chapter on. There are other instances like this as well.

Other than that, I did think it was an interesting story. And I liked that it was clean. After seeing the news report with the arrested serial killer that looks astonishingly like her donor, Christine and Marcus try to find out the identity of their anonymous donor. The sperm bank refuses to comply. They decide to sue, but Christine can't wait for a lawsuit, so she drives up to the prison to ask the alleged killer straight out. She ends up investigating the most recent murder on her own, because she begins to doubt the alleged killer's guilt. It's interesting, keeps you turning pages for sure. I wasn't a fan of how quickly it all wrapped up though. If you like detective TV shows, go ahead and read this one. I liked it, but didn't LOVE it.

When Crickets Cry

Author: Charles Martin
Pages: 334
Rating: PG - no swearing, no sex or innuendos, but some of the descriptions of heart surgery/traumatic events are a little intense.

Summary:

A man with a painful past. A child with a doubtful future. And a shared journey toward healing for both their hearts.
It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town. A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand. But the little girl’s pretty yellow dress can’t quite hide the ugly scar on her chest.
Her latest customer, a bearded stranger, drains his cup and heads to his car, his mind on a boat he's restoring at a nearby lake. The stranger understands more about the scar than he wants to admit. And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives.
Before it's over, they'll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry . . . and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. Particularly because you're sure the whole time that it's going to be a story about lost love and newfound love, but it's not. The main character, Reese, lost his wife 5 years ago from a heart defect she'd dealt with her entire life. Reese had known her since they were children, and had gone to medical school and become a renowned heart surgeon, all in pursuit of ultimately being able to fix his wife. When she dies anyway, he loses himself, and goes into hiding, per se. He starts going by his middle name, moves to a small town where no one knows him, and cuts all ties with his previous profession.

And then Reese meets Annie, a little girl with the same heart problem as his deceased wife.  She needs a heart transplant but, since she's so small, only the best will do. She's holding out for that perfect surgeon. Now Reese just has to decide whether he can confront his painful past and be the person Annie needs him to be.

I really thought this book was excellent. It's compelling, the storyline is really good, even though it gets vague in places, religion is weaved throughout but isn't overwhelming, and the ending is surprising! I actually got to what I thought was the end, and stopped for a few days because I was so upset about what happened. But then I finally finished it and the ending was not what I thought it was. You may want to give this one a try. It's a sweet story, and like I said, you totally think Reese is going to find a new woman or something but that doesn't even happen. It's all about Annie. And I love that. It doesn't have to be a love story that brings someone out of depression.

I'll Give You The Sun

Author: Jandy Nelson
Pages: 371
Rating: PG-13 (probably 10-12 F-words in this book, but very little other swearing.)

Summary:
At first, Jude and her twin brother are NoahandJude; inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them.

Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor.

The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

My Thoughts: I really love this author. She is just so so amazing with words! I don't even know how she thinks up the things she says, but they make complete sense, even if it's something I never in a million years would have thought to say. For example, towards the beginning, Noah talks about how walking around in the art museum makes him feel like his skin fits, how "it didn't once bunch up at my ankles or squeeze my head into a pin." What great imagery! What an artistic way to explain how he felt free to be himself! I just love the way she writes.

All that aside, I also loved the story. I have never actually read a book where one of the main characters was gay. It just isn't something that interested me/it kind of made me uncomfortable. But Nelson does an amazing job of writing Noah. Noah is gay, but he's kind of afraid of it, as I'm sure most kids in his position feel. He wishes he wasn't like this, he's afraid of what his family will think if they ever find out, but he can't stop what he feels. Seriously, just such a great novel to create understanding towards kids who are struggling with their sexual identity. 

Another thing I love is in the end, Noah and Jude both realize that they never really knew their parents as well as they thought they did. They made assumptions, made too much out of innocent comments. Noah believes for years that his dad dislikes him and that they have nothing in common. He has completely forgotten the things they used to enjoy doing together, the amazing things they DO share. It's eye opening, for sure.

This book was not predictable. I wasn't sure where it was all going to end up or what was going to happen, and there was a twist towards the end that totally surprised me. This book was definitely worth reading. I hope Nelson writes more books because she is really incredible!

The Kitchen House

Author: Kathleen Grissom
Pages: 365
Rating: PG-13 - there are no graphic descriptions, but a girl is raped, and a boy is sexually abused (this is just implied but it's pretty clear what is going on). There's also some violence.

Summary:
In this gripping novel, a dark secret threatens to expose the best and worst in everyone tied to the estate at a thriving plantation in Virginia in the decades before the Civil War.

Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.

In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master’s opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.

Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, Grissom’s debut novel unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds.

My Thoughts: I had kind of a hard time with this book. Sometimes I got so frustrated with the plot I had to put the book down for a while. It's one of those books where it just seems like bad things keep happening and nothing ever really gets better! And it definitely doesn't have a neat and tidy ending where everything is suddenly happily ever after. One slave that Lavinia is very close to ends up being sold, and you never find out what happens to her. She's just gone.

I thought it was definitely an interesting book - to be written mainly from the perspective of a white girl, who as an indentured servant doesn't really fit into either the world of the slaves or the world of the white family she serves, is an interesting perspective. But I felt frustrated because so many things would have worked out better if the characters had just communicated! If the captain had told his family Belle's true identity as his daughter, if someone had explained to Lavinia the status quo of black vs white. Lavinia is kind of naive and of course, since she is thrown in with the negro slaves of the household, she comes to love them as her family. But she never really understands the way things work, and what the slaves can and can't legally do. She just doesn't get it, and that causes some problems. No one ever properly explains it to her. I also felt like there wasn't enough of a wrap-up at the end. There's this big climactic crazy scene where the poop totally hits the fan, and then like 3 pages later the book is over. I would have liked more of an explanation of what happened next. And there is a sequel, but it's not about the same main characters. It's the next generation.

But I do have to say that the book was humbling to read, because I think the author very realistically described the reality that black slaves had to deal with during this time period. They could be sold at any time, for any reason. For that matter, they could also be killed at any time, for any reason, with no repercussions. Families were not guaranteed to stay together. They had no real say in anything. It was a terrible way to live. But what impressed me the most was the intense faith in God that the slaves had. They are always talking about how things are the will of the Lord, how the Lord is taking care of us, etc. How many reasons they had to believe God didn't love them, had abandoned them, or maybe even didn't even exist! But they held on, maybe because they had to believe there was something better out there. It was the only thing that kept them going each day. Just amazing, really.

In all, I probably would recommend this book, but just be warned, it doesn't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

Garden Spells

Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Pages: 286

Rating: PG-13 (this is definitely an adult novel. There were a few too many curse words, and I wasn't pleased with the descriptiveness of the sex in it. It's not extremely graphic, it doesn't go on and on for pages, but the little that there is I felt was too much. I like my sex references in books to be super vague.)

Summary:
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures. A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants - from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys - except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before. When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down - along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy - if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom - or with each other

My Thoughts: I felt like this was a good story, I really enjoyed the little bits of magic laced in, and I thought the characters were well rounded, etc. As I said above, I wasn't comfortable with how descriptive the sex scenes got, even though it wasn't bad enough for me to close the book and say I'm done. I liked how the book switched perspectives several times so you get to hear from each character. I'm going to check out more by this author, because she came highly recommended, but I'm hoping her other books are better. I wasn't super enthralled by this one.

Me Before You

Author: Jojo Moyes
Pages: 369
Rating: PG-13 (There's one time the main character has sex with her boyfriend, but it's not descriptive. I was much more bothered by the fact that the F-word is in this book probably 10-15 times.)

Summary:
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.


My Thoughts: So this book, and it's accompanying movie, has been all the rage lately. I probably would not have picked this up except that my book club chose it for the month of July, so I read it.

I do have to say that it is very well written. I read the whole thing in 3 days. It never gets boring or tedious at ALL and it's very emotional. You really understand the way everyone is feeling.

That being said, I'm not sure if I particularly like the story. Will is not just wheelchair bound, he's a quadriplegic. Everything has to be done for him. He has to be fed like a baby, bathed, moved around, everything. He's totally helpless. And, the worse part is, even though he can't MOVE his body parts, he can still feel pain in them. Will wants to commit an assisted suicide. When Louisa finds out, she sets out to convince him that life is worth living, even if it's not the life he intended for himself.

Spoiler, Spoiler, Spoiler...if you don't want to know how it ends, STOP READING NOW!

Surprise, surprise, Louisa ends up falling in love with Will, despite his paralysis. And, Will falls for Louisa. However, none of this changes his mind. He still wants to commit suicide. It's heartbreaking to read how his mother feels about all this, how Louisa feels. And I agree with Louisa when she tells Will he is being selfish. He tells her that her love is not enough for him. He can't stand to live life like this even with the love of his family, of Louisa, and with so many things that he CAN do. It frustrates me because his brain is still there, the essence of who he is still exists. In the end, he does go through with the suicide, and everyone just has to accept it, because that's what will make him happy. The book is apparently supposed to be giving us an idea of why it would be ok for someone to commit an assisted suicide. And I don't really know how I feel about it, especially in a situation such as was presented in this book. I don't think you should end your life just because it didn't go the way you wanted it to. I think about how I would feel if a loved one of mine wanted to do something like that and I just can't even stand it. It's really horrible. 

So anyway, if you choose to read this book, you'll definitely not be bored, but I don't really know how I feel about the overall message of it.  
 

Pilgrimage: My Journey to a Deeper Faith in the Land Where Jesus Walked

Author: Lynn Austin
Pages: 238
Rating: G
Summary:
The opportunity to tour Israel came at a good time. For months, my life has been a mindless plodding through necessary routine, as monotonous as an all-night shift on an assembly line. Life gets that way sometimes, when nothing specific is wrong but the world around us seems drained of color. Even my weekly worship experiences and daily quiet times with God have felt as dry and stale as last year's crackers. I'm ashamed to confess the malaise I've felt. I have been given so much. Shouldn't a Christian's life be an abundant one, as exciting as Christmas morning, as joyful as Easter Sunday?
With gripping honesty, Lynn Austin pens her struggles with spiritual dryness in a season of loss and unwanted change. Tracing her travels throughout Israel, Austin seamlessly weaves events and insights from the Word . . . and in doing so finds a renewed passion for prayer and encouragement for her spirit, now full of life and hope.

My Thoughts: I really enjoy Lynn Austin's religious fiction, and when I saw that she'd written her personal struggle with faith, I decided to read it. I'm so glad I did. I learned so much. Austin is truly a biblical scholar. She knows her Bible stories, and she has learned so much from them. It was refreshing in a way, since in the LDS church we focus so much on the Book of Mormon and the lessons we learn there, the Old Testament stories are kind of an afterthought and often fall by the wayside. I loved the way Austin delved deep into some of the most familiar but also some more obscure Old Testament stories, and gleaned amazing and profound lessons. I found myself underlining (in light pencil since it's a library book) and bookmarking page after page as I read. Plus, it was also really neat to learn the history of some of the places she visited in the book, since all of them were significant Bible locations. I highly recommend this book. I promise you'll learn something and maybe even be inspired to make a change in your life! I'll leave you with some of my favorite quotes.

God knows that we all need to be brought out to the desert from time to time to free us from our comfortable self-sufficiency. If He strips us of all our own resources, we just might learn to lean on Him. (pg 21)

It's easier to camp beside the Dead Sea's bitter waters mumbling "Poor me. Why doesn't God help me? Why can't I feel His presence?" than it is to search and climb and stretch spiritual muscles that have become flabby from lack of use. (pg 47)

Spiritual growth and vibrant faith in God don't happen in isolation, but under pressure. Without the danger of threats from Pharaoh, we never would have to decide if we're going to trust in our own chariots and horses, or in God. (pg 60)

Perhaps my first prayer should be for a deeper love and compassion for others, a heart like God's own that looks beyond the outward sin and sees individuals the way that He does. Before I start sounding a warning, I need to earn the right to be heard through acts of love and kindness. (pg 164).

Meeting with God is more like an appointment at the vision center to get my glasses adjusted - and maybe finding out that I need a new prescription altogether. My daily quiet time isn't an item to check off on a to-do list but an appointment with The Boss to get my priorities realigned and a new assignment to complete.  (pg 227)

Wonder

Author: R.J. Palacio
Pages: 313
Rating: G

Summary:
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

My Thoughts: I feel like this was a really good book for elementary and middle school students to read to help them be more accepting and kind to others who are different from them. I read it quickly, it's not hard to read, and I love that the chapters are all only about 3 pages long so it's easy to take breaks or read just a little at a time. I'm not sure I really liked how it changed perspectives several times, and there were a few storylines that didn't relate directly to Auggie but that I was still curious about that never really got resolved.

Reading this book reminded me of an experience I had when I was about 5 or 6. There was a little boy in my class at church who was severely deformed. I'm not sure if he had been in a fire or what, I don't remember, but he was blind, was missing a foot and a lower arm, didn't have much in the way of ears, and his skin was really scarred all over like he'd had a lot of severe burns. I was TERRIFIED of this kid. My dad had to come to class with me whenever that kid came to church because he scared me so badly. No matter what my dad did, he couldn't convince me that this was just a normal kid and I had nothing to be afraid of. I'm not sure if I would have been too young, but I think something like this book could have helped. I couldn't see past this kid's face to who he was inside, which is something that Wonder addresses quite a bit. Anyway, definitely worth the read, especially if you know someone who has a situation similar to Auggie's.

Wonderland Creek

Author: Lynn Austin
Pages: 385
Rating: PG
Summary: Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But the happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real one. To top it off, Alice loses her beloved library job because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.

Longing to run from small-town gossip, Alice flees to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the tiny coal-mining town of Acorn, a place with no running water, no electricity, and where the librarians ride ornery horses up steep mountain passes to deliver books. When Alice is forced to stay in Acorn far longer than she planned, she discovers that real-life adventure, mystery - and especially romance - may be far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

My Thoughts: Lynn Austin is quickly becoming a favorite author for me. She writes clean, Christian novels in an non-annoying way. I've read a lot of Christian novels that always have this one character that is so sappy and annoying with the way they just live their religion so perfectly and basically act like God pretty much lives in their house. I just feel like those characters are totally unrealistic. This novel does have an old woman, a former slave named Lillie who has had just a litany of terrible things happen to her in her life, but is committed to God and is always saying things like "Just trust in God. The Lord knows what he's doing." But Lillie also has quite a personality, and is involved in some events that seem pretty shady at first, including helping a man fake his death and funeral. I just feel like Lillie is much more of a realistic character than those you typically find in Christian novels.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, even though the historical fiction part isn't as huge as in some of Austin's novels. The packhorse librarians were a real thing during the Depression, which I thought was really interesting. Also, the town Alice visits happens to be in a 60 year feud between two of the families that make up the town. It reminded me of the Hatfield's and the McCoy's. Alice really learns a lot about herself and about caring for others as she works herself into the lives of these humble mountain people. She does find love, but the book is not centered around that story, and it's not all sappy and ridiculous. Austin is pretty tame with the way she writes her love stories. If you're looking for a good, CLEAN adult novel...check this out! I've read two other books by this author, and I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy more of them.