Still Life in Shadows by Alice J. Wisler

This is not your typical work of Amish fiction. Instead of a romanticized view of the Amish way of life, the author portrays some of the realistic problems that could happen in an Amish family.

Gideon ran away from his Amish family over 15 years ago and has adapted well in his new way of life as co-owner of an auto shop. He is known as the "Getaway Savior," a nickname he has earned by helping Amish youth leaving the Amish way of life adjust to a modern way of life. Even though he has escaped from the Amish way of life, he still bears the scars both physical and emotional from the abuse of his father and has a difficult time in developing meaningful relationships.

An autistic teen girl named Kiki enters his life along with her older sister Mari. He also gets reacquainted with his brother Moriah who has also left the Amish family they grew up in. Moriah has not adjusted to modern society as well as Gideon and brings a host of problems into Gideon's life.

Gideon struggles to help Moriah while feeling guilty and responsible for Moriah's poor choices. At the same time, he tries to come to terms with forgiving his abusive father and his need for forgiveness by God.

I enjoyed the story and the characters and felt they were for the most part well developed. The struggles were real and at times, heartbreaking. I would recommend this book for a different look at the Amish way of life.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for this review.

True Woman 201 by Mary A. Cassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss

This study guide is one of the most engaging I have seen. The layout and photographs are beautiful. Based on the guidelines for women found in Titus 2, the book is a 10 week study with 5 lessons to be done individually each week. Highly recommended for women of all ages. This review was offered in exchange for a free review copy by the publisher.

The Art of Losing Yourself by Kate Ganshert

By having the art of losing yourself, can you find yourself again in the midst of brokenness and pain?

As half sisters, Carmen and Gracie could not be more different. Carmen has great job as a meteorologist at the local TV station, has a high school football coach named Ben as her husband, lives in a nice house and goes to church on Sunday. From the outside it looks like she has a perfect life. Gracie on the other hand is a teenager who runs away from Carmen's and Gracie's alcoholic mother, gets in trouble at school and is an expert on pushing people away. As Gracie comes to live with Carmen and Ben, the brokenness of their lives comes to the surface.

Carmen is overwhelmed by the grief she is feeling after repeatedly having miscarriages. As she pushes Ben away in her grief, she throws herself into restoring a run down motel owned by her Aunt Ingrid. Ingrid is in a nursing home suffering from dementia and Carmen clings to the hope that restoring the motel can bring Ingrid and her some measure of peace and hope.

Gracie is also involved in the restoring of the motel as well as struggling to fit in at school. When a star football player befriends her, she is not sure she can trust him with who she really is. After so much rejection and loss in her life, Gracie struggles to find out who she is and who she wants to be. Along the way Gracie and Carmen work to repair their broken relationship.

This is a story that is hard to put down. The emotions are so raw and real that you feel as though you really know the characters. The story is not wrapped up neatly at the end but you feel a sense of hope in the ending.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

Sarah Brown is the daughter of abolitionist John Brown. After suffering an illness as a child, Sarah is unable to bear children so all of her passion and energy is poured into her father's work in the underground railroad. As a talented artist, Sarah incorporates symbols in her paintings, which in turn are maps for the underground railroad. She becomes one of the Underground Railroad's leading mapmakers. As tensions rise and the country is heading for the Civil War, Sarah's work becomes more important, but she has to make difficult sacrifices along the way.

Fast forward over 150 years later and Sarah's story is running parallel with that of Eden Anderson, a modern day woman struggling with infertility. Eden and her husband Jack have just purchased an old home in the suburbs of Washington D.C., and Eden discovers the porcelain head of a doll in an old root cellar of the house. This doll is the link to the underground railroad and the history of what happened in that home and to Sarah.

Both Eden and Sarah share the same struggles in not being able to bear children. I enjoyed Sarah's story much more than Eden's story. Eden was a difficult character for me to like. All in all, though the story of Sarah carries the day and makes this book an enjoyable one to read. The story of Sarah is based on the real Sarah Brown which makes the telling all the more interesting.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Reservations for Two by Hillary Manton Lodge

France, Italy, food, a long distance romance, and a mystery from the past are all included in this book which is the second in the "Two Blue Doors" series. Juliette was a food editor and now is embarking on managing a brand new restaurant with the help of her brother. She has a lot going on in her life besides a career change. Her mother is undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, she is traveling to France to uncover a mystery involving her French grandmother and she is involved in a long distance romance with Neil. Neil is an immunologist in Memphis while Juliette's work and family are in Portland, Oregon.

As Juliette deals with the uncertainty in her life, she struggles to deal with her mother's illness and the long distance relationship and where it may be headed. Juliette discovers her grandmother's letters at the family chateau in France. She reads them on her return home to solve some questions about her grandmother and her life during World War II. The letters make for interesting reading and I thought they were the best part of the book. The letters may guide Juliette in dealing with her present challenges.

Cooking and food is very much a part of the book and there are recipes interspersed throughout the book. Culinary enthusiasts will enjoy that part of the book. I did not read the first book and was lost as to the story line in the beginning of the book. I think it may be difficult to initially get into the book if you have not read the first book in the series.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review

A Nice Little Place on the North Side by George F. Will

This is a wonderful book for die hard Cub fans. The author takes a look at the Cubs baseball team and their historic home, Wrigley Field. As Wrigley Field enters its second century, George Will takes a look at this iconic field and the up and down (mostly down) history of its ball team. The book is a collection of many stories of past teams and important events and the personalities that have come to be associated with the team. I was especially interested to learn why the outfield has its ivy covered walls. This story along with many others makes enjoyable reading for any baseball fan.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Pharaoh's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

This book brings ancient Egypt and the book of Exodus alive. Anippe, daughter of Pharaoh, and sister of King Tut lives a life of fear after seeing her mother die in childbirth. Married at an early age to a Egyptian soldier who is sent off to war soon after the wedding, she is terrified of getting pregnant and giving birth. While her husband is off to war, she pretends to be pregnant after finding a baby floating in the Nile near her bathhouse. She manages to deceive the members of the household and the royal family, but lives in constant fear of her secret being found out.

The boy Mehy (who is Moses) grows up and is trained to be a prince and a warrior in Egypt. The lives of Mehy and Anippe are closely interwoven with the Hebrew slaves especially those who work in the linen making industry which Anippe overseers. The lives of the Hebrew slaves and their worship of El-Shaddai contrasts with the Egyptian gods and Pharaoh who is seen as divine. The Egyptians live in fear and turmoil at the whims of Pharaoh and the cruelty of his guards.

This is a fascinating look at the life of Moses from the perspective of his surrogate Egyptian mother along with the culture of Ancient Egypt. It is an engaging story that shows the faith of the Hebrews as well as the bloodshed and savage politics of Egypt. This books makes that time period come alive. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt and Biblical fiction.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.