Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace

Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks is the second book in the “Confessions of April Grace” series by KD McCrite. This time, readers join April Grace as she starts middle school and prepares for a big change in her family.

April Grace is as funny as ever, and there were frequently points in the story where I laughed out loud. I thought that April Grace seemed older than 11 in the first book, but I don’t know that I think that in this book. There were spots when I did, but also quite a few instances where she seemed very much 11-years old.

Middle school proves to be a confusing adventure for April Grace as she deals with cliques for the first time, struggles with Algebra and wonders why all the girls are fussing over their hair, their outfits and boys. April Grace still considers boys nothing but a nuisance, so it will be interesting to see if her opinions start to change in book 3.

There is also a big change coming to the Reilly household. April Grace and Myra Sue know something is wrong with their mother, but are shocked to learn that a new baby will be joining the family. I really liked this subplot in the book, as April Grace slowly begins to accept this change. I thought her feelings were very real and very age appropriate.

With her mother on near bed rest, direction of the annual Christmas pageant falls to Isabel St. James. Isabel is making improvements in her behavior, but still frequently lapses into spoiled, cranky fits. She surprises everyone, most of all herself, when she realizes that she can command the attention and respect of a group of middle schoolers who would rather be almost anywhere else.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read. I think it would be appropriate for almost any age group. It’s geared toward Tweens, but I enjoyed it as a light read as an adult.

Note: I received a copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Wonder of Your Love

“The Wonder of Your Love” is the second novel in the Land of Caanan series. The nice thing about this series (at least these first two books) is that they are not sequential books about the same character. The first book, “Seek Me With All Your Heart,” was about two different characters who live in the same community of Caanan. You can read them independently without feeling like you are missing part of the story.

This book centers around Katie Ann Stoltzfus, a widow raising her late-in-life first baby. She meets and forms a friendship with Eli Detweiler, a relative of a family friend. They are attracted to each other, but neither one wants to start a relationship due to their very different stages in life. He has finished raising his children; she is just beginning.

This book was unlike many other Amish books that I have read. It provided a different portrait of the Amish. Granted, most Amish fiction seems to be a bit romanticized and idealized – but this book did a good job of portraying the Amish as real people with real problems. Despite living apart, they go through tough times the same way anyone else does. For example, Katie Ann is reeling from her deceased husband’s infidelity and the unanswered questions about his feelings and commitment to her.

I also enjoyed the character of Martha in the story. She is Katie Ann’s English friend who has been accepted into the Amish community. Martha is almost a second mother to Katie, a woman with a somewhat gruff exterior but a kind heart. She considers herself to be honest, forthright and a “snappy dresser.” I thought she was a hoot and added humor and liveliness into the story.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and liked the different perspective the author brings to Amish fiction.

Note: I received a copy of this book free of charge from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Out of Control

Out of Control was a great, page-turning read. Julia Gilliland is a book-smart young woman, and not nearly as helpless as independent rancher Rafe Kincaid thinks. They work together to solve the mystery surrounding a menacing, shadowy cave dweller. However, they both have a stubborn streak a mile wide … which hinders their progress and threatens to put both of them in danger.

I liked that it wasn’t a sappy romance, but rather a romance with a hefty dose of adventure, suspense and mystery woven into the story. I also really enjoyed the time period of the story, as well as the author’s descriptive portrayal of the rugged beauty of Colorado.

The author injected a few gender stereotypes into the characters’ thinking, which added some humorous moments to the story. The main characters’ perception of each other – a slightly nutty young woman fascinated with old dinner remnants and a bossy, uncultured rancher – are quite funny. Both think the other just doesn’t get it.

Although, when you think about it, the stereotypes seem old-fashioned, but it probably wasn’t uncommon in that time period for a man to think of a woman as delicate like a “hothouse flower” or prone to “leaking saltwater” from her eyes.

Part of the mystery was solved at the end of the book and part was not. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see how the story continues to unfold!

Note: I received a copy of this book at no charge from Bethany House Publishers in return for an honest review.

The Blessing

The Blessing is broken into three parts. The first part serves as an introduction to the blessing, as well as a bit of history behind it. The second and section of the book details the components of the blessing, and is followed a section with examples of what happens in homes where some or all of the aspects of the blessing are absent. The book concludes with what to do if you miss out on the blessing, and a brief section on how to craft a blessing for your children.

Believing that I have received the blessing (several times over) from my parents and not yet having children myself, I was curious to see if I would find the book applicable to my life. As it turns out, there are many references in the book regarding the blessing as it applies to marriage.  It’s all about communication!

The authors incorporate a plethora of real life examples. While they help illustrate the points the authors are trying to make, I think the book could have been shortened without losing any of its impact by reducing the number of examples.

The authors also used biblical references to support the message of the book. I found it very interesting to see the corollaries the authors drew between the biblical stories and the various aspects of the blessing.

Toward the end of the book, the authors included a section on what to do if you missed out on the blessing. They emphasized “accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.” With the breadth of scenarios the authors present throughout the book regarding the various aspects of the blessing, I thought to offer being saved as the main focus of what to do if you missed out on the blessing to be narrow in scope. It was a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise thorough and well-written book. I was left wondering where the practical advice was that would apply to people of all Christian faith traditions.

Overall, I found the book to be very insightful, engaging and thought-provoking. I would definitely recommend it to others, albeit with the heads up that there are multiple references to “being saved”.

Note: I received a copy of this book free from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

The Sweetest Thing

I really enjoyed The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser, and highly recommend it. Set in 1930s Atlanta, this novel explores faith and friendship during the Great Depression. It’s the story of the unlikely friendship that forms between Anne “Perri” Singleton and Mary “Dobbs” Dillard. Perri comes from a wealthy family and is used to a life of comfort and privilege. The individualistic Dobbs is the daughter of an itinerant minister…very much Perri’s opposite.

The story begins with a tragedy in Perri’s life. Shortly thereafter Dobb’s arrives in Atlanta to stay with her aunt, and becomes a close friend and confidant of Perri. Unknown to Perri, Dobbs is no stranger to tragedy, which helps her relate to and understand Perri in ways her other friends cannot. Family secrets, jealousy and their very different backgrounds threaten their bond … but in the end each girl comes of age a stronger and more confident person.

I was initially drawn to this book because it takes place in Atlanta. I don’t live far from where the fictional Perri and Dobbs lived, so I recognized many of the neighborhoods, streets and landmarks mentioned in the book. It really made the book come alive for me in vivid detail.

Shortly after finishing The Sweetest Thing, I found out that the author was doing a book signing in Atlanta. I really loved this book, and was thrilled about the opportunity to meet the author. It was my first book signing and I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and learning more about Elizabeth Musser.

One thing I found particularly interesting was her thoughts on faith, both in general and in the context of the book. Though faith is a part of the novel, it is not as overt as I thought it might be. She expanded upon the theme of faith in her presentation, which I found thought provoking. I’d like read the novel again after hearing her speak, as I think I may glean things I missed the first time around.

Additionally, Elizabeth Musser grew up in Atlanta, and her grandmother was the inspiration for Perri’s “thousand dates” in the novel. It was fun to hear about her grandmother, and seeing the display featuring her diary and Washington Seminary yearbooks was a true highlight!

I got permission from the author to take a few pictures of the display table ... check out the pictures below (click on them to make them larger):

Elizabeth Musser signing books

The display table with family history objects related to the book

Her grandmother's diary

The history of Washington Seminary, now part of the Westminster Schools

Money Saving Secrets of the Amish

Author Lorilee Craker is familiar with the Amish community, having been born Mennonite. Her idea for the book “Money Saving Secrets of the Amish” came about when, like many Americans, her family began to feel the effects of the financial fallout in 2008. She learned that not only have the Amish emerged relatively unscathed by the financial fallout, in many cases they have actually thrived. Her curiosity piqued, she set out to discover how the Amish are so adept at successfully living within their means … even when providing for a typically large Amish family.

I was curious about this book – mostly about whether it would contain practical, applicable advice or whether it would suggest that readers start canning fruit and line drying their laundry. I was quite relieved that it was the former.

The author has an engaging writing style, and injects quite a bit of good-natured Amish humor into the book. She offers both “Plain” and “Fancy” examples to illustrate the principles she discusses, which were interesting and at times insightful.

I particularly liked the part about delayed gratification and the Marshmallow Study, as well as the ensuing examples that illustrated that the rewards can be twice as sweet, if you will, when you don’t spend impulsively.

The biggest question with all financial books is: how useful/helpful/relevant is the information in the book? With this book, I would say that it depends on where a person is on their financial journey.

I grew up with sound money principles that I have now applied to my own life. As a result, most of the content in this book was not new information to me.

For someone who is new to personal finance or who has fallen into debt, I think this book would be a helpful starting point. The book is not a roadmap out of debt, but the principles it offers are tried-and-true and, if applied, could easily help someone start down the road to financial independence.

Overall, I found the book to be quick and engaging read, as well as a nice reminder of basic financial principles. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Max on Life

Max Lucado is a popular Christian author and speaker. In his latest book, Max on Life, he tackles many of the questions he has been asked over the years. The book is a large – and insightful – FAQ resource.  The questions are grouped by categories, and I really liked the topical index in the back of the book that made it easy to find questions related to certain topics.

Max answers each question with a brief, easy-to-read essay. His overall tone is gentle counsel and hopefulness, and his responses are conversational and encouraging.

I was interested in reviewing this book, as I am familiar with Max Lucado, but had not read any of this previous works. This book was a great introduction to his ministry.

I also liked that most of his responses were applicable to Christians in general, rather than a specific faith tradition. This book was not at all “preachy” and there was no finger-pointing. In fact, I’d say that his responses would be applicable to almost anyone – it’s a great guide to living a good life.

I enjoyed reading through the book, in no particular order, to learn what he had to say about the many different topics. Due to the breadth of material in the book, he was not able to give a “deep dive” on the questions. Often that was adequate, but there were some questions where I would have liked to have been able to read more about what he thought on a particular issue.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace

In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite details highlights from 11-year old April Grace’s summer vacation, told from the often-hilarious perspective of April Grace herself.

April Grace seems older than her 11 years in her thoughts and observations. The book is geared toward Tweens, but as an adult, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading April Grace’s musings and antics!

I did feel that at times the author tried a little bit too hard to make April Grace funny, but there were also quite a few parts where I laughed out loud. April Grace says (or thinks) what everyone else is thinking, but is too polite to say!

The story line was quite enjoyable. April Grace deals with snooty new neighbors, an older sister who things she is Queen Bee and her beloved Grandma trying to impress the new man in her life.

The new neighbors are as rude as can be, yet April Grace’s parents do the Christian thing (for entirely too long in my opinion) and take them in. I thought the author did a good job of slowly allowing those two characters to grow and develop. And, of course, it took April Grace telling it like it is for part of that to happen.

April Grace’s sister worships the new neighbors, and takes emulating Isabel St. James a little too far. I did like the irony that her sister wants to be seen as fashionable, proper and elegant … while being saddled with the decidedly country name of Myra Sue.

April Grace can’t wrap her head around her grandma dating, wearing makeup or … gasp … kissing her boyfriend, which makes for a very amusing subplot of the story. Not to mention, this man is extremely loud, extremely obnoxious and seems to be hiding something – which April Grace picks up on, but no one believes her. I really liked the mystery woven into the latter half of the story.

All in all, an enjoyable book I would recommend to others!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.