The Women of Oak Ridge by Michelle Shocklee - A Book Review

  

I have read many books set during WWII, but none have been anything like The Women of Oak Ridge. This book has a very original plot. Through its dual timeline in the 1940s and late 1970s, the story of Maebelle Willett slowly and carefully unfolds. We first meet young Maebelle as she answers President Franklin D. Roosevelt's call to serve her country after being approached by a recruiter to work for Clinton Engineer Works, a Tennessee company involved in war work. We meet Maebelle as an older version of herself as her niece comes to spend the summer with her to do research on how living and working in the secret city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee impacted the lives of those who, mostly unknowingly, helped in the making of the first atomic bombs, and therefore in the death and destruction that resulted. The Women of Oak Ridge becomes a story of spies and espionage, a story that reveals how easily lines between right and wrong can become blurred. It also reveals the toll secrets and unforgiveness, even if it is for ourselves, can take on one's life.

Michelle Shocklee's careful research and skillful storytelling is masterfully displayed in The Women of Oak Ridge. Her use of the dual timeline to reveal information that carries the story forward and develops her characters is carried out with great precision, intricately weaving the story together. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Canyon of Deceit by Diann Mills - A Book Review

  

While Canyon of Deceit is filled with danger and intrigue, Diann Mills also weaves in a story of pain, regret, and a struggle with forgiving oneself and moving past the past. Through her two protagonists' efforts to locate a kidnapped eight-year-old daughter of a Russian professor teaching in Houston,Texas, they face the elements and terrain of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, terrorists, and multiple attempts on their lives. But through it all they find forgiveness, faith, and love. This book truly is a wild ride, one that includes helicopter crashes, explosives, lots of waiting, and a tumble down a mountainside. There is a mystery to solve as to who is behind the chaos, and another mystery for us to both accept and appreciate as we begin to see God's using it all for good, no matter what man's intentions had been.

Canyon of Deceit is an entertaining read that is highly engaging. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Dragon's Prophecy by Jonathan Cahn - A Book Review

  

My husband and I listened as the text-to-speech feature on my Kindle read The Dragon's Prophecy to us over several days. We were both amazed at the correlations Jonathan Cahn was able to draw between Scripture, Jewish traditions, the Hebrew language, and the history of Israel to the events of October 7, 2023. The information he provides is easily fact checked and much of the information is not obscure, but is available through mainstream news sources. The brilliance is in how Cahn links the information together, demonstrating the patterns that appear over time as Satan seeks to invert the reality of God and His people. Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NLT) states, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” So, it is not surprising that Satan's actions repeat themselves. When this is made clear to us concerning recent events, it may allow us to see things through a different lens.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Dragon's Prophecy from Frontline via NetGalley without obligation. The book is very interesting. I am anxious to reread the book, taking notes along the way this time through. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

  

A Sea View Christmas is the fourth book in Julie Klassen's On Devonshire Shores, and it is just as lovely as the others. The Summers family relocated to Sidmouth on the Devonshire shores after the death of Mr. Summers. In order to survive the daughters, along with their mother, opened and operate a guest house. Their stories and those of their guests make for delightful reading for fans of early 1800 historical fiction. Sarah Summers, the second eldest sister,has been a steady feature in each book. Now it is her time to shine, although she may be the last to realize it. Family, hospitality, and loving one's neighbor as yourself are consistent themes throughout the series with a touch of romance to help move the story forward.

A Sea View Christmas will delight readers with nostalgic Christmas and New Year games and traditions. Klassen's writing is filled with enough lighthearted fun to balance the weightier parts of the story, just as Sarah must learn to balance responsibility and the enjoyment of life. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox - A Book Review

  

I greatly enjoyed the most recent, beautiful, and poignant story by Amanda Cox. As with her previous stories, The Bitter End Birding Society is filled with beautiful souls who are finding their way back from painful circumstances often not of their own making. It is truly an encouraging story of beauty from ashes, beauty once hidden by loss, despair, and self-reproach and rediscovered by being re-introduced to the Creator through His creation. Nature has a way of healing hurting hearts when one allows oneself to sense God's presence and to let down one's defenses.

This story is the type that makes me very stingy with five star reviews because I need something to separate the truly special stories, like this one, from those that are merely very good. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Bitter End Birding Society from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Gelato at the Villa by Robin Jones Gunn - A Book Review

  

It is thrilling to be off on another travel adventure with two sweet friends courtesy of Robin Jones Gunn. There is always so much food, art, culture, and did I say food? And as always there are also important life lessons to be learned and shared. These lessons evolve over time as we travel to Venice, Florence,and San Mamete, meeting hosts who truly understand the meaning of hospitality and generously offer it to people along the way. We are blessed to see the impact that has on the lives of the recipients.

Robin Jones Gunn is a gifted writer, one who touches women's hearts in a special way. Her writing is tender as she ministers to readers who identify or empathize with the hurts experienced by her characters. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Gelato at the Villa from Revell without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

 

The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini - A Brief Comment

  

I only recently discovered Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series and have been reading the books out of order as they become available to me. This has not kept me from enjoying them immensely. The Union Quilters is a clean read that tackles many social themes of the Civil War era. It is well-written with memorable characters. I will continue to keep an eye out for books by this author in bookstores and on the Libby app.