Re-Entering the Blog World... Maybe... We'll See...

This is my attempt to re-enter into the blogging world. I have been so bad the last few years! I am going to set the goal of blogging at least once per week in the new year! This isn't going to be a long blog, so enjoy the pics of my brother, sister and me with our significant others! Also, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

The Shape of Mercy Book Review

A book about the Salem Witch Trials? How could it not get any more exciting than that?

The Shape of Mercy is a great book that follows three ladies, Mercy Hayworth, Lauren Durough and Abigail Boyles, who all have very different stories, but somehow they are intertwined by love.

The book begins with Lauren Durough a girl who is the only child of a very wealthy businessman. She tries to live a "normal" life throughout the book, by living in the dorms at her college, finding a regular job and trying to make "normal" friends.

Lauren begins working for an older lady in Santa Barbara who has an old diary from a girl named Mercy Hayworth of the Salem Witch Trials. Lauren has been asked to transcribe it and so she begins to read the diary. Abigail, the older lady, helps with the deciphering of some of the words and as she does her and Lauren form an odd sort of friendship.

During the time that Lauren is transcribing the diary she meets Raul, who she mistakenly believes to be some f the "help" at a party for her uncle. It turns out he is a firend of her cousin who goes to school with him and is a premed student. Lauren then makes another mistake in thinking that now he is just another privileged kid easing his way through college. The reality is that he has worked hard to get where he's at and Lauren comes to realize this as they end up liking each other and subsequently begin dating.

Lauren finds out some disturbing things about the diary as she finishes it and is not happy with the way things end. She has an argument with Abigail and things blow up. As the book ends Lauren and Abigail find a way to reconcile and they learn that mercy can have many different meanings.

"The girl in between has learned that mercy is defined by its giver." - Susan Meissner


I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

By the Numbers...

To my wonderful husband,

1- The number of children we have together. Hopefully another one sometime in the future, but until then we definitely have the cutest kid around!


2- The number of years we lived in Orange County. Some of the best times and hardest two years of our marriage. Especially since I was the one bringing home the bacon. ;-)


3- The number of "big" mission trips we've been on together. I LOVE that we were able to experience Kenya together and that we were able to serve the kids in London with each other and that we got to go to New York again, but this time serving God.


4- The number of folding chairs we used to have until you told me to put one in the shower to sit on after I sprained my ankle and it soaked through to the cardboard part. But that's okay cuz it just means we can now only have three people over instead of four. ;-)


5- The number of years we've now been back at Mag and I wouldn't change it for anything. Even though I was super hesitant to come back to Riverside we knew this is where God wanted us to be and still does!


6- The number of times you've been to Nashville for Lifeway. I love that you get to consult for/work with them, but when are you gonna take me again? Just don't take me when it's 90 degrees and the humidity is at 90%.


7- The number of times we've moved. Which is crazy, but I think we may be pros at it now. Do we ever have to move again? :-)


8- The number of spiders a person swallows on average in a lifetime. I'm thinking it might be more for you, since you tend to get bit by spiders a lot!


9- The number of times I've asked you if I could have a turtle and no matter how sad I look and how much of a puppy dog face I give you I'm still told to go research it and then we can discuss the whole turtle as a pet thing. :-)


10- The number of years we've been married. Through all the crazy, beautiful, sad and happy times these last ten years I love you more each day! I wouldn't change the last ten years for anything and I can't wait for 60 more! :-)

I LOVE You! Happy 10th Anniversary Mikey!!

Book Review: Lady in Waiting

Lady in Waiting is written by author Susan Meissner. A new author to me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Most of the novels I read tend to follow a girl in her early twenties, unmarried who falls in love and the couple live happily ever after.
This novel is very different in that it follows two different ladies and at different times in history. The first lady is modern day Jane Lindsay, who lives in New York, is in her mid to late forties, married and runs an antique store. The story begins with her husband telling her he wants to live apart from her for awhile. As the story progresses she finds a ring in some piles of merchandise sent to her antique store. This ring belonged to the Lady Jane Grey, whose story is told through the eyes of Lucy Day, the dressmaker. The novel then goes back and forth between Jane Lindsay's life and the affect of her separation and Lucy Day's story of Lady Jane and her tragic life.
The novel takes the two stories and shows a picture of love and the choices we make for ourselves as women. Whether you have been married for many years, such as Jane or were never married to the one you loved, such as Lady Jane Grey the take away from this book is that you have choices to make and you must stand up for what you believe in.
I love the way that Meissner used the historical figure of Lady Jane Grey as a parallel (using the ring) to the modern day Jane Lindsay. She captured the beauty and grandness of the 16th Century, but also showed the dark and frightening side of the Reformation.
I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a novel filled with history that is intertwined with love, romance and women standing up for that in which they believe.

I have not read any other novels by Susan Meissner, but I am definitely putting her novel The Shape of Mercy on my must read list. You can check out any of these novels on Amazon.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

This book is set in a North American city, most likely in the Midwest, and tells the story of two unlikely people who meet, fall in love through a series of events and at the end attend a magical ball together.

The problem with this book is that although you get to know the characters they never really feel as though everything is fully divulged. The characters did not seem to be well developed for my taste. It was almost as if the author has known these people her whole life and expected you to know who they were too, but never by revealing too much.When something is revealed about a character it seems to be glossed over very quickly. The end of the story was wrapped up too quickly in my opinion and could have gone on for at least two more chapters in order to give the characters a little more time to develop. The magical fantasy part of the story was also never really explained and even though it had some parallels to Christianity it was never really clear.Maybe my expectations for the book were too high and I should have just enjoyed the easy reading that it was, but I just want to be able to tell it like I see it. :-)

If you are looking for a book to read that gives you romance and fantasy rolled into one this is the book for you. Enjoy yourself as you dive into a new world of wizards and magical romance!You can watch a trailer for the book here. Also, you can buy the book on Amazon if you click here.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"