March Books

Deception on Sable Hill by Shelley Gray  -- this is a follow-up book from the book I read last month; It takes place during the Chicago World's Fair, and features Eloisa Carstairs and her friendship with the Irish police officer Sean Ryan, as Detective Ryan seeks to find out who has been preying upon high-society women. 

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance -- I saw this book listed online and put it on hold with my library.  After several weeks - months even - it was my turn to read it.  And it was an interesting read about Appalachia.  I could relate to some of it regarding people I know.  It made me sad in many ways, but grateful, too, that people like J.D. were offered hope through positive role models.  It challenged me to be a good role model for others because that's more important than I might have thought. 

The Promise of Palm Grove by Shelley Shepard Gray -- I read this book one in the Amish Brides of Pinecraft series, and hoped it would get better, but it never really did.  Just a very predictable, rather silly and boring account of Leona and her friends traveling from cold, snowy Ohio to a warm winter destination.  Leona leaves behind a fiancé who doesn't take her thoughts into account, and she meets caring, thoughtful Zack.  End of story.

Bringing Jesus To The Desert by Bradley Nassif -- another colorful, informative book in this series; This one focused on Middle Eastern saints like Anthony of Egypt, Moses the Ethiopian, Makarios of Egypt, Pachomius, Melania, John the Little, and Simeon the Stylite.  The author is from a Lebanese family (though he grew up in Wichita, Kansas), and he gives examples from his own family. I'm also glad he included a few family pictures in this small book. 

A Texan's Promise by Shelley Gray -- Book 1 of The Heart of a Hero Series; eh, it was better than the last book I read of hers, but nothing special.  Since I had it here, I went ahead and read it before returning it to the library. 

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen -- another delightful book, and this one was a bit of a mystery.  Abigail moves to the Pembrooke manor after a solicitor contacts her nearly bankrupt father about a distant relative wanting his family to move there.  I enjoyed reading much of this while enjoying a lovely day or two outside.

Among the Fair Magnolias -- four short (~80 pages) stories from Tamera Alexander (the best of these four), Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser -- not my favorite stories by far

Bryson City Seasons: More Tales of a Doctor's Practice in the Smoky Mountains by Walt Larimore, M.D. -- My mom read this book years ago. I remember her telling me about these doctor stories from WNC, and I found this book the other day while browsing.  I enjoyed this because Bryson City is a charming place and it was so interesting reading about it back in the 1980s. Also, doctor tales are interesting to me. 

The Road to Somewhere: Travels with a Young Boy Through the Old World by James Dodson -- apparently this guy is famous in the golf-writing world, and he does look a bit familiar, but I got this book at a book exchange (I think), and finally got around to reading about the summer he and his 10 year old son, Jack traveled to various European destinations. I enjoyed the account especially to places I've been (Ghent, Paris) and places I'd love to go (all the rest of them!) At the time of this writing James lives in Maine, but I looked him up now and see that he and his wife live in North Carolina presently.  I wonder what happened to Jack (who'd be about 27 now..wow.).

Softly & Tenderly by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck -- This is book two in a series that I never started so some of Jade's story was reviewed in its pages.  It was fair, and a quick read. 

In the Shadow of Denali by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse -- first in the Heart of Alaska series;  Allan Brennan travels to Curry, Alaska, to get information on why his father died six years ago on a mountain-climbing trip. He meets the guide who took his father up Denali.

Courting Cate by Leslie Gould -- first in the Courtships of Lancaster County series; a very cute book about Cate and her sister Betsey, and the stranger in town who is suddenly interested in Cate (whom no one else wants to court).  Is Pete being bribed to court her? 

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen -- Emma travels with her father to the estate of two former students so her father - a tutor - can privately teach the troublesome twins.  Another good book with some mystery to it. 

The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders -- This is a Laetitia Rodd Mystery which my mom passed along to me after she finished reading this library book. The lady reminded me of the Murder She Wrote lady - or I kept picturing her anyway - during this story.  A pretty good story.

Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist - this is actually a book that comes before the other book I read about Texas spinster Essie Spreckelmeyer.  Now I know the story of how book two came to be.  She's a pretty funny, likeable character!

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas -- I saw this book on my library's website and put it on hold. It's a new book in a new Lady of Sherlock series.  Charlotte Holmes' deliberate fall from grace means she has to support herself.  She becomes the female Sherlock, and solves mysteries.  Pretty interesting book!

Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist -- sometime after the American Civil War, women were brought to the PNW as brides for men. However, some of those "brides" didn't know they were going over to marry. They had contracts to be domestic helpers, nannies and so forth. This book explores one such situation in a rather humorous way.  Anna believes she is going to be a cook for a lumberjack, Joe, and his crew.  But Joe needs a wife in order to keep the 640 acres of land he's been working the last decade.

Lydia's Charm by Wanda E. Brunstetter -- an Amish book about a young widow and her son, Josh, who move to Charm, Ohio, to live with Lydia's mom and ailing grandfather

A Haven on Orchard Lane by Lawana Blackwell -- When an aging London actress tries to come back to the stage, she falls apart and her estranged daughter checks her out of the hospital where she's recovering, and they live for a time in a small English village.  Thus is the setting for Charlotte and Rosalind's tale in this book.  I rather liked it!

The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould -- Part of The Women of Lancaster County series; this book is about Lexie, a nurse-midwife, who travels from her home in Oregon to Pennsylvania to get answers about her adoption. She works with a Mennonite midwife who delivers babies for Amish women, among others. 

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen -- Unlike most of her books, this one seemed to equally focus on a male character, dancing and fencing master Alec Valcourt, recently of London, but now in a small village after something scandalous happens in his family.  In this village, he meets Julia Midwinter who seeks to leave this boring, small place where her mother keeps a way-too-watchful eye. 

Hidden Affections by Delia Parr --  Harrison and Annabelle were forced to marry after their stage coach was robbed and they were handcuffed together. Yeah, a likely scenario, but whatever.  As Harrison seeks an annulment, they have to put on appearances of being a young couple in love. 

How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler -- After recovering from a bad accident, Deena moves from Atlanta to Bryson City, North Carolina, where her grandpa left her his cabin - if she promises to teach a cooking class to children in a community center for six months. 

The Trouble With Tulip by Mindy Starns Clark -- Jo Tulip writes a newspaper column offering household tips. In this book, she and her best friend Danny are caught up in solving a mystery about their elderly neighbor's sudden death. Was it just an accident or was Edna Pratt murdered?

The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth --  Three generations of midwives, Floss, Grace, and Neva tell parts of their stories and reveal secrets. 

All the News Unfit to Print by Eric Burns -- I found this at a book exchange or perhaps I bought it at the 25 cent sale, but I've had it way longer than Donald Trump has been President.  Yet, I felt it was something he would like to read because it talks about journalists and stories that have been made up or omitted or sensationalized or changed from centuries ago to not so long ago (copyright is 2009).   Some rather interesting stories. It had me googling certain people since I often like putting names and faces together. 

Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon -- book 1 in the Guardians of Justice series; U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor is assigned to protect a federal judge, Liz Michaels.

Blind Dates Can Be Murder by Mindy Starns Clark -- book two in the series about Jo Tulip; another mysterious death leads Jo and Danny on another adventure: this one involving some tough mafia-type guys and missing, stained money.