Quick read (Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes – Robin Jones Gunn)

>I have a soft place in my heart for Robin Jones Gunn. Through her Christy Miller series, I got to know God and grew in my faith every single time I reread any of her books. That still happens when I read the Christy Miller, Sierra Jensen, Katie Weldon, or Glenbrooke series.

I recently received a review copy of Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn that I read in a span of three hours. Big type, somewhat surface, and overall a very quick read. It was interesting to read, as I enjoyed the Dutch history and culture woven throughout the two Sisterchicks’ adventures.

Throughout the story, Gunn weaves a theme of overcoming fears, of both the past and the future. Summer has an abnormal test result…definitely scary. Noelle has a past that she hasn’t addressed and an estranged relationship with her father. Both address their issues and their fears as they are loose in Holland and ridiculous adventures follow. I felt like this book was very surface…there were only a few parts of the story that went beyond surface level in terms of the characters and their lives and their growth.

Overall, a good, quick read. Enjoyable. I received this book for review from WaterBrook Multnomah (thank you!) and have expressed my opinion in this review.

Interesting, enjoyable, thought-provoking novel (Lady in Waiting – Susan Meissner)

>I have had my review copy (thank you, Waterbrook Multnomah!) of Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner for the last week and a half. Every evening, I look at the book then look at the clock. I typically finish most books that I start before I fall asleep that night, and with teaching the next day most days, it’s hard to find time to start a book early enough in the evening. I know that’s weird, but it’s how I do things because I get so invested in the characters.

Anyway, FINALLY, tonight was the night. And I am so thankful I waited and gave myself a full evening to read, stop, process, read, enjoy, read, etc. this book. What an incredible story Susan Meissner weaves!

Jane and Jane are two women, centuries apart but similar in many ways. I was amazed as Meissner brought each Jane story to a semi-climax then moved on to the other Jane just when I couldn’t stop reading! I must admit that I contemplated skipping ahead to find the next section of the Jane I was devouring.

Jane Lindsay, Jane Grey, and Lucy Day are complex women but Meissner writes their stories with beauty and grace. I was impressed with the attention to detail, as well as, simply put, the good storytelling.

I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and Christian fiction. While it wasn’t too overtly pushed, I felt like I grew and was challenged in my own faith as I read this book. Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for the review copy of this great book. I was not asked to write a positive review…it’s positive due to Meissner’s lovely story.

Hilarious! (Save the Date – Jenny B. Jones)

>The last book I read by Jenny B. Jones (Just Between You and Me) had me, like my ten year old self, huddling with a flashlight and hoping no one would notice. And while this time it was an iPad and I was hoping my husband wouldn’t notice, it felt the same to be so engrossed in a good book that I couldn’t put it down. Reading Save the Date felt the same. I could NOT put it down.

Lucy needs money. Alex has money. Alex needs popularity for his election, and Lucy seems to provide it when she’s near him. Let the mayhem begin. While I was a little put off by Clare and her continued presence, by the end of the book I was rooting for her and her hilarious companion.

Funny, heartwarming, and engaging…everything I hope for in Christian chick lit. I laughed aloud more times than I can remember and, at the end of it all, I really appreciated the deeper themes of trusting and abiding. Way to go, Jenny B. Jones. And, most impressive, she is a teacher! AMAZING! I can barely manage sleeping and eating, not to mention just thinking about thinking about maybe writing a chapter or a sentence. Or thinking about writing a blog post/book review for this book that I loved reading OVER two weeks ago. 🙂

Thank you to Thomas Nelson BookSneeze for providing a complimentary review copy of Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones. I really enjoyed it and, although I was not asked to write a good review, I can’t say enough about how much I loved this book.