A Recipe for Friendship

Lyle Troyer suggests his wife, Heidi, host another cooking class only this time for children to help their two foster children make friends in "The Celebration." What she doesn't expect as she plans and presents the classes are the many issues-some good and some bad- that the children bring with them. To complicate matters, a new family has moved into the neighborhood. Velma thinks life has dealt her a bad hand from wrecking her only car, her oldest daughter leaving home and there's not much money even with her husband working. But Velma and her family get a much needed boost when yet another tragedy strikes. Heidi and Velma both learn a thing or two about trusting God. This is Wanda Brunstetter's third book in the Amish Cooking Class series. Doing a children's cooking class is a great idea, I think I would have taken my children if I had had the opportunity. This book follows Brunstetter's usual style of writing. At times I felt the dialog was stiff but overall it was a good story-line. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

You are the Song I Sing

Music crosses racial, ethnic, and cultural lines. It soothes the soul. It tells a timeless story. In "The Melody of the Soul" by Liz Tolsma, music becomes the lifeline for Jewish Christian Anna Zadok and her grandmother and Nazi officer Horst Engel during WWII. Anna's family is deported from Prague, leaving her to take care of her grandmother. But soon after her family's deportation a Nazi officer moves into the ground floor apartment making Anna's life more tension filled and fearful. Her only solace is playing her violin which the Nazi Regime has declared illegal. But Anna continues to play. Officer Horst hears Anna playing, the music penetrating his soul, his psyche. When it comes time for Anna and her grandmother to be deported, Horst risks everything to save them. The story is quite moving, tears will fall for the cruelty to mankind and as one cheers for this displaced group to out-smart the Nazis. I received a complementary copy of this book from Litfuse and was under no obligation to post a review.

Financial Savvy

I have read other financial books in the past but none compared to "Faith Finance" by Emily Stroud. I actually had this book read in a day. It was that well written, understandable, and had great illustrations. Stroud even provides a budget template that may be very helpful to some people. She also discusses the 10/10/10/70 rule concerning how to disperse ones money. I found the section on investing for retirement enlightening as that time-period quickly approaches in my life. At the beginning, Stroud writes her goal for the book as "an overview of what a successful financial plan looks like in real, everyday life" (p. 21). She does all of this a with faith based foundation. I applaud her for accomplishing this goal in a down-to-earth, coherent style. I received a complementary copy of this book from Handlebar Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Secrets of Ivy Hill Library

Regency Romance. Mystery. Jane Austin. If any of these interest you, reader, then you will be delighted to read "The Ladies of Ivy Cottage" by Julie Klassen. In this second book of the series, Rachel Ashford has gone from living the life of a gentlewoman to one of having to earn a living. Her father left her his entire collection of books so the women of the community, known as the Ladies Tea and Knitting Society, encourage her to start a "subscription library." Support in the community comes in many ways, particularly with anonymous donations that hold clues to why James Drake came to Ivy Hill. Her friend, Mercy, is caught up in her own problems: becoming the guardian of one of her students and a possible suitor. The book started out slow but I think that is because I had not read the first book. I soon was caught up in the story and the characters and could not put the book down. I received this book from Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review.

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Faith Journey

As a child I was delighted to hear my fourth grade teacher read "Little House on the Prairie" to the class and later watch the series on television. I continued to read the entire series on my own. Then as an adult I read the series to my children and began to collect all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. So to read Stephen W. Hines' book on Laura Ingalls Wilder's faith journey entitled "A Prairie Girl's Faith" was inspirational. Life as a pioneer was tough, tougher than what we can imagine in today's world. To understand Laura's faith is come to know the real Laura as she matured into womanhood and in her later years as she began to write about her pioneer life. If you love "Little House" series then don't miss reading this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.