Bible stories come to life

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Shadow of the Storm (Out From Egypt, #2)

Out of Egypt Series

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve been hearing the stories about the Jewish peoples enslavement and subsequent journey out of Egypt since before I had the ability to remember. The stories have always been somewhat removed and far-feeling….ancient even. However, The Out of Egypt series by Connilyn Cossette brought these stories to life and I now see the people in the Bible stories with faces, and emotions, and with reality.

Counted With the Stars follows Kiya, a young lady who was once a member of the wealthy families, being sold into slavery by her own family. As one can imagine, this comes with some difficulty after such a lavish lifestyle. Kiya is sent to the home of an old family acquaintance to take care of a demanding wife of a merchant. Along her journey to survive her new surroundings, Egypt is experiencing plagues and she is caught in the middle of her two paths in life.

In the second installment, Connilyn Cossette continues Kiyah’s story but focuses on Shira, a Hebrew girl who helped rescue Kiyah out of Egypt. Set in the first part of the 40 years of wandering, Shira is being tested along with the Jewish peoples. She is being torn in becoming who her family says she should be and who God wants her to become. Will Shira find her voice and take up her calling?

The third book in the Out of Egypt saga was my least favorite but still a good read. I had hoped for a continuation of the characters I had grown to love and know but instead they were only barely referenced with no details. Thus, this book could be read as a standalone.

Alanah is a fierce girl who is determined to gain revenge on the Hebrews who destroyed her life by killing her father and brothers. After being wounded in battle, a Hebrew man named Tobiah comes to her aid. They are married under Jewish law but the differences in their cultures soon become evident and Alanah must decide if she wants to join a family with Tobiah as her husband or if she wants to remain an outsider and seek the revenge she was so eager to get.




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Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

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Brooklyn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Disclaimer – I watched the movie before I read the book (and loved the book even more!).

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin takes readers on a journey from Ireland to New York during the 1950s. The book is written in a melodic tone with such ease that I could not put it down; I yearned for more. Toibin has the ability to take everyday people and situations and bring out the extraordinary in them. Although there was nothing remarkable about the main character, I found her remarkable. The book is broken into four parts and I felt as though each part really could have been its own novel.

The story follows Eilis, a painfully ordinary young woman from a small town in Ireland, on the verge of being placed in a new world. Eilis leaves behind her mother and sister to travel to America and make a better life for herself. While in Brooklyn, she gets a job at a department store, takes night classes, and meets Tony, a charismatic Italian boy from a large family. After finally settling into her new life, she receives devastating news from Ireland that threatens to derail her. Should Eilis live the life she dreamed of in Brooklyn or the one she should have had in Ireland?

Recommended for those that like Jojo Moyes and Nora Roberts. This would make a perfect vacation read.



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Be Safe, Love Mom: A Military Mom’s Stories of Courage, Comfort, and Surviving Life on the Home Front by Elaine Lowry Brye

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Be Safe, Love Mom: A Military Mom's Stories of Courage, Comfort, and Surviving Life on the Home Front

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Elaine Lowry Brye is an expert on surviving the military. As a veteran, daughter and granddaughter of soldiers, wife of a serviceman, and mother to four children in the military (all representing different branches), Elaine gives the most comprehensive advise for those with loved ones serving.

From the very start, this book is filled with page after page and story after story, of the bravery those left behind showcase. Not only does the reader feel like they know Elaine and her family but the other families whose stories are included as well. She gives practical advise and hope to those who love someone who are called to serve without judgement. Some of my favorite stories are when Elaine humbled herself by talking about moments when even she couldn’t keep it together. She also describes her time in country when she worked as a teacher in Kabul and when she was invited to introduce First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2012 Democratic Convention (and when she needed a boost from behind from Vice President Biden to get back up a step).

This book is a must read if you have anyone serving (or even if you don’t). It will give you a sense of understanding and hopefully inspire you to help those that sacrifice so much for our freedom and country. Even if you are not a fan of the military, this is a must read. I also recommend it to fiction writers who are needing a perspective on the homefront.



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Soldier’s Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers by Gary Paulsen

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Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen is a quasi-true story about Charley Goddard from Minnesota who enlisted in the Union Army when he was 15, during the Civil War. Paulsen based the story and events on Charley’s real life but exaggerated some of the battles to fill out the plot.

Charley is an innocent young man when he enlists in the Army, thinking he will never see battle. He is driven by doing the right thing and often sees himself as an outsider in the ranks. Before too long, Charley is faced with the realities of war. In the end, it changes who he is and what his life will become.

This book starts off extremely slow but eventually picks up and I was able to get thought he last several chapters quickly. Charley seems distant and I would have preferred to have the voice of someone more invested in the unit. Overall, it would be a good read for reluctant male readers in the middle grades, if they can get past the first 3-4 chapters.



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Still Me by Jojo Moyes

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Still Me

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I was not a fan of Still Me by Jojo Moyes. Although I love her writing style (that’s what helped me finish the book), the plot was severely lacking in interest. I just wanted to slap some sense into Lou and be done with her story.

In Still Me, Louisa Clarke goes to New York to once again find out who she is….WHY DOESN’T SHE KNOW YET?!?!?! She is working as an assistant for a posh family and trying to find out where she fits in. There are several bumps along the way but they don’t stay true to their nature in all of them. Characters such as Nathan, Sam, and Lily are talked about throughout the book and their stories help unfold Lou’s.

Having read the entire series, I wish I would have stopped after the first one.





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Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

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Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall, #1)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sarah, Plain and Tall is a cute story about how a little girl, Anna, and her brother, Caleb, meet Sarah, a would be mother to them. Since the death of their mother, shortly after Caleb was born, their Papa has been lonely and raising the two children. He decides to take out an advertisement for a wife and mother. Sarah, a spinster from Maine answers the ad and is soon on her way to the prairie.

This book is a sweet story but I think it is difficult for the young age its written for to understand it. My daughter who is 9 read this with me and was not captivated by the story as much as a girl 30 years ago might have been.

Recommended for a read-a-loud to young kids.



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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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To Kill a Mockingbird

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a reread for me. I first read To Kill a Mockingbird, like most people, in high school. I remember not being impressed with it and read it only because it was assigned. I reread it this past year because so many of my students were reading it and I wanted to recall details about the story.

Upon my visitation to Maycomb, Alabama again, I found I really enjoyed the writing and crafting of this book much more than the plot. The story follows Scout, a young girl who witnesses racism on a daily basis. Her father is a prominent lawyer and is defending Tom Robinson who is a black man charged with raping a white woman. Through the story, it is clear Tom Robinson is not guilty but will the people of Maycomb agree?

Recommended to those who had to read this in high school to reread.



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After You by Jojo Moyes

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After You (Me Before You, #2)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After You is the continuation of the story that began in Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I absolutely fell in love with the the main character, Louisa Clark, in the first book and still enjoyed her in this second installment.

After You follows Lou as she tries to come to terms with Will’s death. Unexpected people show up and she discovers more about the man she loved and lost. I enjoyed this books darker side. Lou is going through a tough time and becomes depressed joining a support group, trying to find herself again. This story holds so much truth about losing someone you love but we do see glimpses of the old Louisa.

I have already started the third book and cannot get enough of this series. The writing is superb!

Recommended to fans of quirky stories or fans of BritLit.

Purchase this book here.

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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I cannot say enough wonderful things about Me Before You. There have only been a handful of times a writer has grasped me the way Jojo Moyes has. Her writing is captivating to say the least. I could not put this book down and immediately started the second in the series, Me After You, and can not wait until I get to read Still Me, next.

Will Traynor was a well-to-do man who never said “no” to an adventure until one day, crossing the street, he was hit by a motorbike and left paralyzed. Louisa Clark is a quirky girl with no direction, content in her mundane life. When Will’s mother hires Louisa to be his companion, both of their lives are changed. Filled with laughter, excitement, heartbreak, and love, this book is an emotional roller coaster that will have the reader crying from joy and pain.

Me Before You, actually made me cry. From happy, hopeful tears to flat out ugly crying with smudged mascara running down my cheeks. I will admit, the plot did not interest me but this has quickly become one of my favorite books of all time because of the way Jojo Moyes is able to grab a reader’s attention and keep it.

Recommended for those who like emotional stories. Good for fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Everything Everything.

Purchase this book here! Now!

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Give Them Wings: Preparing for the Time Your Teen Leaves Home by Carol Kuykendall

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Give Them Wings: Preparing for the Time Your Teen Leaves Home

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book after winning a copy from the publisher. It was a contest I entered because I wanted to read this book. I would have bought it had I not won a copy. After reading it, I will buy more copies to pass along to friends and family. The author even included a sweet personal note

Give Them Wings: preparing for the time your teen leaves home, by Carol Kuykendall and Krista Gilbert, is a must read for all parents, especially moms. Carol Kuykendall wrote this after her kids left home for college and has recently updated the title with Krista Gilbert to include the extra things youth today deal with. Carol takes the reader through the teen years and how to prepare your child for the adult world they will face. She gives great inside on making connections and memories before they go but also being intentional about the things they need to know, such as using the Post Office.

Although my daughter is only nine years old, she is already beginning to separate from me and Carol reassured me this is a normal thing and I really feel easier about this new transition coming up. When I talked to my husband about our daughter not wanting/needing me so much anymore, he laughed and was like, “yeah…..so….” but for me, it was unexpected and devastating. I could not imagine a world where I’m not the center of my daughter’s life and its great knowing I’m not alone. I now feel like I can not take it personally and be a better mom, showing Gods love and grace in this season. Carol also walks the reader though the actual saying goodbye. I feel I can use her wisdom and apply it to my situation and make the most of a difficult time.

The only critique I have and the reason it does not get a full five stars is because I would have like a little more detail and stories about exact challenges and specific things the writer did. She did have one great part written from her son’s point of view and I would have liked to hear more of that voice as well. Other than that, this a wonderful guide. Carol and Krista do not put any pressure on the reader but instead, I felt as though they were holding my hand and facing my fears with me.

I highly recommend to those who have children entering the teen years (so they have time to prepare) but also for those whose teens are leaving the house or need to leave the house.

Purchase the book here at Focus on the Family.

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