He Should Have Told The Bees by Amanda Cox

May1

So Beautiful

He Should Have Told The Bees by Amanda Cox is an absolutely superb Christian novel that I absolutely adored.

This is a powerful read about life, love, loss and family. We learn that no one has a perfect life. We are all living lives, with private battles that no one knows about.

Sometimes what we believe about the lives of others is simply not true. We see what they choose to show us. Likewise, we are not responsible for the failings in others. “The lie still lives on inside me – the belief that my mother loved alcohol more than me… My mother has a substance disorder… It wasn’t the result of anything I did or didn’t do.” Alcohol abuse needs help and understanding in order to recover from. Often the root cause lies deep within.

We witness a character who has spent a lifetime trying to ‘fix’ her mother. “You couldn’t be the one to fill the holes in another person’s life… let[ting] God heal the wounds.” God is the Great Physician who will heal us if we just let Him in.

A character has known God but has wandered away. We witness a returning to the Father. “God help me to know what to do next… I don’t want to be motivated by my fear of all things that could go wrong. Teach me how to rely on you.” When we have faith, we do not need to fear, for God has got us and will hold us up.

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Being Dorothy: In A World Longing For Home by Michele Olson

May1

Coming Home

Being Dorothy: In A World Longing For Home by Michele Olson is a most delightful Christian tale. It is the second book in the Mackinac Island Stories but can be read as a stand-alone. I would recommend reading book one first for character continuity and progression.

Once more, the reader journeys to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The year is 1980 and there are references to the filming of the movie Somewhere In Time in 1979 (one of my favourite movies of all time), which was the focus of book one. We meet Piper and Cam, the leading characters in the first book.

In Being Dorothy, the focus is on another couple, Gideon and Dorothy. They are special agents running from an unknown threat, and have a marriage that is in trouble.

The couple do not know God. They have been running from Him but God is relentless in His pursuit of His children.

God uses people to accomplish His will. We need to have lives that are in tune with Him. “Thank you, Piper, for your boldness… I felt the nudge.” Sometimes God will ask us to do things that requires us to step out in faith, in order to help others in their faith walk. When God says ‘do it!’ Do not question, just do it! The fate of others may rely on our faithfulness.

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Murder By The Minster by Helen Cox

Apr30

Entertaining

Murder By The Minster by Helen Cox is a fabulous contemporary crime novel and the first book in A Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mystery series which promises to be entertaining.

Kitt Hartley is a well-read librarian turned amateur sleuth as her best friend is accused of murder. As with all amateur sleuths, Kitt Hartley pokes her nose into some dangerous situations in order to uncover the truth.

As with the fictional Miss Marple, Kitt Hartley also has a friend on the police force. She is urged not to investigate but this falls on deaf ears!

All the characters are well drawn and believable. There was some light-hearted banter, and I loved the inclusion of book quotes and titles by Kitt Hartley.

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The House Of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer

Apr27

Ripples

The House Of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer is a compelling historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a very unique novel. It opens as the Titanic sinks, but in another dimension – The Titanic survives! Parallel lives with subtle differences. Only two characters share this unique perspective, and for years, each believes the other to be a ghostly voice!

We see the devastation that World War I brings. A generation of young men, lost forever.

Those who returned home were scarred – physically or mentally or both. In August 1914 young men believed that war was glorious, an adventure. They were soon disillusioned. “There’s no glory in the waterlogged pits of death I walk through.”

The role of women was changing as they demanded the right to vote. Lives were opened up due to war, as the women stepped into the men’s roles. In fact, my own paternal Nanny said that the First World War gave her, her freedom as she worked in a munitions factory examining the shell cases.

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