Final Installment in Winternight trilogy!

Several years ago I picked up the book The Bear and the Nightingale by Katharine Arden which I greatly enjoyed and wished there was a sequel. It turns out the book was the first in the Winternight Trilogy. So, I read The Girl in the Tower when it was published and just finished The Winter of the Witch.

I had greatly enjoyed the previous books and was really looking forward to the concluding volume of this series and the adventures of Vasya. Immediately, I noticed The Winter of the Witch is much darker in tone than the previous ones. As the title suggests, this volume really focuses on the main character's identity as a witch and the chyerti (translated devils or spirits). The juxtaposition of this darker magic or pagan influence and the strong role of the orthodox church feels odd at times, but given the time period of the book is fairly accurate. This combination also creates a story that does not fall entirely into the fantasy genre or the historical genre, but is a pleasing mix.

Finishing the book, I found it was an overall satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Readers truly do follow the main character's development over the course of the entire series. As such, I almost want to go back and re-read the entire series in succession in order to follow the arc of the character development and story line better. I'm certain re-reading would also allow readers to catch details that help to fill in the larger story as well which would cause some of the "a-ha's" in the final book to make more sense. As such, I recommend that readers read the entire series. S Reading a single volume, and particularly to read the concluding volume by itself, would not be a satisfying experience as it is definitely not a stand-alone novel. I do look forward to reading future books by author Katherine Arden.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book The Winter of the Witch via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you welcoming others?

You Welcomed Me: Loving Refugees and Immigrants Because God First Loved Us is a book you'll want to read slowly and thoughtfully. I actually finished it last week but needed to mull over the book before writing a review. Kent Annan has written several prior books and is no stranger to this topic as he has worked with refugees in numerous countries and leads the M.A. at Wheaton College's Humanitarian Disaster Institute.

Annan does a wonderful job of wedding stories from his personal experiences with statistics and Biblical teaching. A primary focus is Biblical teaching. Annan's prime emphasis is Christ welcomes us,(in fact he did while we were still sinners,) and as Christ-followers we need to be welcoming to others who are made in the image of God as well. His stories place you in the middle of a scenario and make you think "what if?" What if your home was destroyed and you needed to start over in a completely different country? What if your community or country was not a safe place to raise your family? Questions such as these and many others help you to imagine yourself in these situations. Beyond these questions, Annan tells the stories of specific refugees and immigrants as well as individuals who are assisting them. Numerous illustrations show how individuals in impoverished countries are sharing what little they have with refugees. Another memorable illustration told of a community who was going to accept refugees but was impacted by a devasting fire. The fire and damage helped the community residents to better identify with the refugees who had lost everything and they proceeded to welcome the refugees. These illustrations of generosity in the midst of despair are quite convicting.

Annan notes that when churches and communities welcome refugees, we are often the ones who are the most changed by the experience. Annan backs up these stories with a variety of statistics regarding the number of refugees and immigrants and points out that the U.S. receives a small percentage of the world's refugee population. Keep in mind that Annan does not advocate a completely open border. He indicates that we do need a vetting system even while we more generously welcome refugees. Annan also points out that countries near disasters and war zones accept many more refugees than the U.S.A. ever could but that we could do so much more than the current 0.2% of the world's refugees. Annan also does a marvelous job of debunking a variety of myths which surround refugee and immigrant populations such as they take American jobs or being a security risk. These statistics can be viewed in the following infographic provided by InterVaristy Press.

You Welcomed Me: Loving Refugees and Immigrants Because God First Loved Us is highly recommended. The book is highly engaging and accessible as it focuses on stories backed up with statistics rather than being an academic tome. Annan also provides specific practice challenges at the end of each chapter. These challenges take the reader beyond the book to actually engage with others, to share their stories, and to welcome them. Some individuals may find these challenges difficult to do not because they are hard but because they live in locations where the challenges are difficult to accomplish. For example, readers in rural areas may find it difficult to locate someone who is new to our country or locating a church or nonprofit that is working with refugees. Each challenge exists to help readers experience opportunities to welcome others and to break down barriers.

I was most excited to discover a FREE six-session video course has been created to accompany this book. I have not worked through this curriculum, but I believe it will provide the basis for much needed discussion about this topic. A FREE 13 page Family Toolkit is also available to help families discuss this topic. Both of these resources will help to make this already rich resource accessible to an even wider audience.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book You Welcomed Me free from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Romance with an Unexpected Twist

I recently finished The Light Over London by Julia Kelly. When I saw this book I was sold because I haven't read a World War II book that I haven't enjoyed. However, when I started reading this book I found that it is a marvelous blending of a contemporary story and a war romance with several unexpected twists.

Author Julia Kelly uses a found diary as the bridge to combine the story of Cara, a contemporary divorced woman who works for an antique dealer, and Louise, the author of the World War II era diary. The diary also is one aspect which leads to Cara learning her Gran's never before told war story and serves as the connecting point for a blossoming relationship between Cara and her charming new history professor neighbor. Kelly seamlessly transitions from contemporary times to World War II and back again. The story is so well told that readers will be surprised by at least one of the three twists which occurs at the end of the story.

On an "appropriate scale" this book barely registers a blip. Foul language was pretty much non-existent. This is a romance geared toward adult readers so there were veiled references to sex but nothing tantalizing or descriptive. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to high school readers on up.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book The Light Over London free via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Word for 2019

For several years now, choosing a Word of the Year has been one of those "New Year" things that many people tend to do. While I had flirted with the idea of choosing a word for the year previously, I will confess I have not experienced success with selecting a word that stuck with me and impacted my daily life. So, as December rolled around I saw where several friends chose their word of the year and several bloggers I follow had a series of blogs about choosing your word of the year. Given my previous experiences I did not sit down with determination to select a word but allowed the idea to germinate as I considered other potential "New Year" goals.

Before Christmas I drove to St. Louis for the day. While driving down the interstate, I had a word pop into my mind that really resonated with me. Over the last two weeks, I have continued to mull over and consider this word as a possible word for the year. I have found the word "Intentional" is quite applicable to the other goals I have for the coming year. So during 2019 I plan to be intentional about life rather than just letting life happen. So, there will be some "go with the flow" because sometimes there has to be and that it will be an intentional choice not to make a fuss about something. I plan to be intentional about what I do, how I spend my time, what I put into my life in terms of physical, spiritual, and mental nourishment, and what I put into other people by speaking and writing positively. Intentional sums up my attitude and plans for 2019 yet does not pigeon hole what I plan to do.

As we begin a new year, a fresh start, and all those things, do you have a word for your year? Are you planning to pursue specific plans or goals? Share a comment describing your word, goals, or plans.

Regency Romance

Recently when I needed a break from some non-fiction reading, I picked up Making of Mrs. Hale a fun regency romance by Carolyn Miller.

It turns out this book is the third in the series Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope. I had not read the previous books in this series but did not find that a problem when reading the book although familiarity with the others may be useful.

Author Carolyn Miller utilizes alternating viewpoints to tell the story of Julia and Thomas. This works very well particularly at the beginning of the book when the recently wedded couple is separated and is uncertain if their relationship is intact. Given a variety of meddling relatives who are more concerned about societal opinion mixed with a bit of mystery and military intrigue and the reader is left wondering if Mr. and Mrs. Hale will survive. As this is a Christian romance published by Kregel, there is a Christian element to the story. For the first half of the book, the Christian element was largely unnoticeable beyond the romance being very "clean" and no inappropriate language. Later in the book, the Gospel message is woven into the story and also emphasizes the importance of not judging others.

Overall, I found Making of Mrs. Hale an enjoyable book. It was also an appropriate read for the season as Christmas is a brief part of the story. I would recommend this book to others looking for a fun, lighthearted book to read. It is appropriate for teens and up. I am also intrigued enough that I will most likely seek out the previous books in the series and other books by this author as well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book, Making of Mrs. Hale, free from Kregel via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tired of Outrage?

Christians in the Age of Outrage by Ed Stetzer belongs are your list of books to read next. When I first heard of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. So, when I won an ecopy via GoodReads, I was very excited. I was not disappointed, and I know you won't be either.

Stetzer organizes Christians in the Age of Outrage into three parts. Part 1 "Why the Age of Outrage?" describes the reasons behind our current culture of outrage. Stetzer provides research describing what has created the outage but does not point fingers or cast blame. After laying this foundation, Stetzer moves on to unpack four "Outrageous Lies and Enduring Truths." These lies include both items Christians believe about secular society and those that secular society believes about Christians. Stetzer carefully describes each untrue belief and then provides the truth. After dispelling these lies, Stetzer moves on to "The Outrageous Alternatives to Outrage." Readers are reminded of how they should be living and encouraged to take additional steps to move away from outrage to outrageous love.

As expected, Ed Stetzer wrote an incredibly well-researched book. He references research conducted by the Billy Graham Research Center where he is currently employed and Lifeway Research Center where he was previously employed. Stetzer also references numerous news stories and other research which are noted at the end of each chapter. Although well-researched as an academic work should be, Christians in the Age of Outrage is also accessible to everyone and an engaging work. While reading, every other sentence seemed to include an amazing quote or thought.

While reading Christians in the Age of Outrage, I felt like I was sitting down with a trusted friend or colleague. Stetzer anticipates every question that comes to mind and answers it in the next paragraph. While reading this book, it is important to remain open-minded. It is easy to approach the book and think that it applies to other people. However, Christians in the Age of Outrage can function as a mirror where you examine yourself (some planks in your eye perhaps?) and discover the changes you need to make, if you let it. I highly recommend Christians in the Age of Outrage for everyone. This book would be an excellent resource for a small group study or the basis of a Sunday School class. Believers everywhere need to get this book and take it to heart!

Speaking of small group studies, Christians at Our Best: A Six-Week Guide to Living in the Age of Outrage is scheduled to be published in February. Obviously, I haven't read it yet, but from the table of contents it look to be a wonderful study focused on part 3 of this title.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book, Christians in the Age of Outrage, free from GoodReads. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Lady of Astoria Abbey

The Lady of Astoria Abbey was by an unfamiliar author and an unfamiliar publishing house, but the book blurb sounded most interesting and like something I would enjoy. Historical romances is a favorite genre of mine and I rarely read a book I don't like.

As I read The Lady of Astoria Abbey, I did enjoy it for the most part. I found the book a little tedious at the beginning while author, Anita Stansfield, set the stage for the story. After the setting and characters were established, the pace of the plot picked up some. Due to the book blurb, I anticipated a great deal of the plot. There is a significant twist that occurs toward the end of the book, but astute readers will not be surprised by the direction it takes. The main character, Bess, is likeable to both readers and the fellow characters but is almost too good to be true. Readers are drawn to her character due to the hardships she has experienced. I found myself glad when she allowed her true feelings to show and stood up for herself on several occasions. None of the other characters are as well-developed.

While I enjoyed Anita Stansfield as a writer and would read other books by her, I do not see myself running out to read every book she has written. After receiving the book, I looked up Covenant Communications to learn more about this publisher. I found that this publisher is a leading LDS publisher. As such, the book was very wholesome in terms of romance and language. The characters attended church and prayed as appropriate to the time period, but there was not any discussion of faith. As such, I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Readers who enjoy a clean read but do not a book that is preachy would enjoy this title.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book, The Lady of Astoria Abbey, free from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”