What I'm Reading.

In case you were wondering on a busy SAHM with three kids under three running around all day finds time to read . .. well, we spend a lot of time outside.  The boys play and I read.  I don't garden and hate weeding so . .reading is my best option :-) 

Synopsis: Wrapped up in dreams of boys and marriage, 13-year-old Virginia Eide is brought back to a harsh reality when her uncle loses his job and his whole family is forced to move in with the Eides. Slightly resentful, Virginia doesn't fully understand why Jim can't just get another job. Visits to "Soo City," a housing camp for the homeless on the edge of their town, open Virginia's eyes. Along with her doctor father, Virginia helps care for the homeless. Virginia also begins to realize that God may not only have a place in her day-to-day life but has plans for her entire lifetime. Tatlock's first novel brings the Depression era to life, especially in its depiction of the of Soo City residents. Recommended, especially as an alternative to the romances and thrillers that usually populate Christian fiction.
My Opinion: I truly enjoyed this book.  It is told from the viewpoint of Virginia Eide and, as I read it, I felt liked I learned everything I could about her and grew through her.  The story grows as she grows and becomes less of a little girl and more of a young women.  It is a book that you can read on a rainy day, curled up with a blanket and a cup of Hot Cocoa. 

My Rating: * * * *  4 stars - such a good book all the way around. 

Synopsis: Chiaverini’s latest offering is another in her series of novels intended for the holiday season. To follow The Christmas Quilt (2005), The New Year’s Quilt (2007), and a novel leading up to Thanksgiving (The Quilter’s Kitchen, 2008), she needed to get a little more inventive this time. The Quilter’s Holiday concerns a tradition taking place the day after Thanksgiving. The quilters’ circle gathers at the Elm Creek manor for a daylong marathon to create holiday decorations or gifts. The group pauses in their work for a scrumptious potluck lunch of dishes made from Thanksgiving leftovers. This year, in the midst of an early snowstorm, they also renew an old cornucopia tradition. Each quilter inserts a quilt block into an antique cornucopia, representing something for which they are especially thankful. Although the novel is a continuation of the long-running Elm Creek series, it may also be read as a stand-alone story evoking the holiday spirit. Longtime fans of the series will learn more of the quilters’ backstories and get delightful hints of what will follow in subsequent novels. A must for series fans.

My Opinion:  This is another book in the series "The Elm Creek Quilters".  I have enjoyed all of the books in this series but I liked the way that this one told the stories of the current quilters - I prefer the life stories verses the history style books in this series.

My Rating: * * *  Three stars :-)  Yes, I enjoyed the book but I also found that I skimmed quite a bit of it because information was repeated within chapters as the story was told from the different points of view.

 A Son Comes Home
Synopsis: Having fled his Indiana home after his brother's tragic death, Chris LaRue must overcome his bitterness to reconcile with his father, who is seriously ill.

My Review: My mom gave me this book and told me that I wouldn't be able to put it down and she was right.  From the first chapter to the last I wanted to read to find out how it ended.  And  . .it ended it well!!  This is another book that is told from the different points of view of the main characters in the story so you really see the minds of those telling the story.  I love how it really is a story of the Prodigal Son but in so many ways (it all comes together at the end and you will know what I'm talking about )

My Rating: * * * * * Yes, that is 5 stars.  It really was that good - I think I could pick it back up today and re-read it and learn more about the characters.

The Power of a Positive Mom
I have finally picked this book back up and am doing it with my daily devotions.  It has been so long since I started this book that I've actually started it over again and, amazingly, as I read the introduction chapter, I didn't even remember 1/2 of what I had read before.  I've really slowed down with this book and feel like I will take so much more away from it this time.