Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

This was my first foray into Christian Fiction. I had it sitting on my bookshelf for a while, but it just didn't appeal to me based on the cover. Well, it's true, don't judge a book by it's cover!

Redeeming Love is the story of Angel...or Amanda or Tirzah or Sarah depending on which point in the story you are. It takes place during the California Gold Rush. Angel is a prostitute in a town in California when Micheal Hosea sees her in the street and is determined to make her his wife. Quite an unlikely scenario given he is a good Christian farmer and she lives in a brothel.

The story takes you back and shows you how Angel ended up where she is. She had a horrific childhood that I just can't imagine. But Angel does not give up this life easily. She is determined at first that all she is is a prostitute. She runs away from Michael's farm multiple times. She causes a rift between Michael and his brother-in-law. Her heart is hardened and she is determined to not let anyone in.

Michael loves her and stands by her and rescues her time and time again despite her resistance towards him. It is a great story that is reflective of the kind of love everyone is searching for. The kind of love that doesn't judge and accepts you completely.

It is a great story with lots of twists and turns along the way. At some points I found myself frustrated because I thought their love for each other was too much. But the story sucks you in and just when you think things are getting wrapped up, the author throws another twist in there.

I highly recommend this book even if you aren't a Christian. I don't think it is too "preachy" and either way it is a great story that is sure to get you hooked.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!

The Lottery: and Other Short Stories by Shirley Jackson

This was an interesting book of short stories by Shirley Jackson. You might have read The Lottery in high school English (I remember having to study that story). If you haven't read it- spoiler alret- stop reading. It is the story of this village that holds a lottery. The twist is the "winner" of the lottery gets stoned to death by the other villagers. It is really disturbing.

This book reminded me of other weird "classics" like The Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye. The little stories are like car wrecks...you just can't look away and after it is over you are kind of like what the heck?

One story tells about a little boy who starts kindergarten and everyday when his parents ask him about school, he tells them stories about a terribly misbehaved boy in his class named "Charles". When the mother goes to the Parent-Teacher conference she asks about Charles. Turns out there is no "Charles" in the class.

Another story tells about about a woman who befriends a new neighbor that moves in the cottage down the street. She suddenly stops being friends with her when she hires a black man to tend her garden.

Then there is a story about a boy on a train who is told an awful story by a man about how the man killed his wife.

I think there are 24 stories in all in the book and they are each a few pages long, so they were good to read a couple before bed each night.

They were all somewhat disturbing, but in a good way? if that's possible? The kind of stories that stick with you and make you think.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

I LOVED this book! You probably know Jodi Picoult as the author of My Sister’s Keeper. It was the first of her books that I read and I was hesitant to read any others because I thought they would never live up to My Sister’s Keeper. With that book I couldn’t stop reading because of all the emotional drama and cried my eyes out. With this one I couldn’t stop reading because I was enthralled with learning more about the Amish culture and I just had to figure out the truth!

The book tells the story of a dead infant found on an Amish farm and the big city attorney that immerses herself in the community as she defends her young unmarried Amish client against murder charges. Her client is determined to be the infant’s mother and the investigators say the child was not a stillborn and was most likely smothered to death. But as you learn more and more about the Amish beliefs and values the more impossible it seems that an Amish girl would be capable of doing something like that. So what is the truth?

Ellie, the big city attorney, doesn’t even want to take on the case at first and ends up having to move in with the Fisher family as part of Katie’s bail agreement. She gets a first hand look at the Amish lifestyle and their values as she tries not only to come up with a defense for her client but comes closer and closer to the truth of what really happened.

There are so many twists and turns as more and more pieces of the story are revealed. I loved learning more about the Amish and how for them community and fitting in are everything. They just want to live a good Christian life and fit in with the rest of the community and serving each other. I loved piecing the clues together to try to figure out where Katie’s baby came from, what happened to it, and where her life would go after the trial. It was great. I am officially a Picoult fan now!

Another 5 out of 5 stars for Picoult!

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

I saw a book by this author in Barnes and Nobel called Along for the Ride. I loved the cover and found out the author was from Chapel Hill, so I immediately went home and added a bunch of her books to my Paperbackswap wish list.

Even though this book is YA (young adult), I thought I would like it, I mean I liked Twilight and Harry Potter right? Well, I have spent the last week reading this book and trying to get in to it, but I just couldn't.

I hardly ever quit a book, but I had so many good ones to read on my bookshelf that I just couldn't justfy wasting my time on it if I didn't enjoy it.

I still have a few of her other books, so maybe I will give her another try at a later date, but as for this one...it was too slow and simple and just did not pull me in.

Since I didn't even get half way through I feel like I can't give it a rating.

Have you read this one or any other of Sarah Dessen's books?

You can check out the rest of them HERE

The Next Big Thing by Johanna Edwards

Kat Larson is dating a guy in London whom she has never met. They met online and sad thing is they like each other but he thinks she is a size 4. In reality she is over 200 pounds. Kat keeps putting off meeting each other in person so she can loose the weight and then everything will fall into place and her life will be perfect. When she hears about the casting for a new reality show called From Fat to Fabulous, she jumps at the chance. She makes it to the finals and is flown out to Los Angles and eventually cast on the show!

Most of the book centers around her experience on the show. She shares a house with the other contestants and is taped 24/7. They are locked off from society and are given different competitions to earn money for their bank. From working out for an hour each day, to guessing the weight of each of your competitors to the closest pound, the girls slowly build up their banks and the one with the most at the end gets to take home the money in her bank! They also have a Tomb of Temptation filled with every sweet snack and comfort food imaginable to tempt the girls.

Later in the show a shocking twist throws not just the competition, but Kat’s life into a tailspin. And it is all Live on TV for all of America to see.

I really enjoyed this book. Seeing the inner workings of a reality show, Kat’s thoughts about dealing with weight issues, and the twisty turvy plot line with Kat’s love life, all kept me thoroughly entertained. It reminded me of a Jennifer Weiner type of book.

Overall, I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult

I LOVED this book! I read My Sister's Keeper a few years ago and picked this book up because I thought the plot seemed really intriguing. I had started to read it a few times throughout the year, but I couldn't get in to it. This time I was determined to get in to it.

After I got past the first few chapters I was HOOKED. The story jumps between "Then" and "Now" and tells the story of Chris and Emily and their families. Chris and Emily and their parents were almost like on family. They lived next door to each other and took vacations together. Chris and Emily grew up together and were just about as close as two people can be. They started dating as teenagers. The book opens with the death of Emily.

They find Emily shot in the head and Chris holding her dead body. Chris tells them it was supposed to be a double suicide, but he apparently passed out before he could take his life.

As the police investigate the situation and you get flashes of before all this happened and different story starts to take shape. Did thes two love-struck teenagers really plan a double suicide? And why?

These two families, who were like one, are torn apart by the tragedy.

Throughout the book, the plot thickens with almost every page turn. You get more pieces to the puzzle, see things from Emily's perspective, and more and more plot lines develop with each chapter.

I could not put it down all weekend.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Any other Jodi Picoult fans out there? Which one should I read next? I was thinking about picking up "Keeping Faith" because it sounds interesting but I've heard some of her books are disappointing. Any Suggestions?

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

It took me a while to decide to read Firefly Lane because of the size. It just looked so thick sitting there on my bookshelf. But the cover and title were cute and it was a book about friendship that followed these characters through over 3 decades of their lives, so I figured I would have to like some part of the book.

It didn't disappoint. The storyline kept my attention the whole time and even though I should have seen the ending coming I didn't because I was so busy waiting for something else to happen that never did!

The story is about Tully and Kate who become best friends in middle school when Tully moves to Kate's town. Kate has the perfect little family, but she is somewhat of a dork and Tully seems so cool and interesting to her. Tully has a bad family life. Her mother is drugged out and not much of a mom at all. She spends most of her childhood being raised by her grandma, but goes to live with her mom for a brief period across the street from Kate.

The story follows them through most of their lives together. I loved watching their friendship evolve and the different stories throughout their teenage years, 20's and 30's. From getting themselves in trouble and dreaming about the future as they ride their bikes down Firefly Lane as teens, to their first jobs and loves in their 20's, to how each of their chosen life paths play out in their 30's. Even though the characters are somewhat one dimensional and predictable at times, I still liked their story and the author puts in enough sub-plots to keep your attention throughout the book.

It is a pretty good book and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.