Tracie Peterson has written a wonderfully layered story about a family torn apart by willful behavior and glued back together, piece by piece, with the inner working of God’s love and healing touch. The main character’s are two sisters who are reunited at a terribly trying time…their father is loosing his battle with cancer. This should be a time of sharing the caregiving load; however, the sisters have a lifetime of hurts and a lack of trust relating to one sister’s selfish, restless teenaged behavior that had far reaching consequences.
It is not all black and white….good sister/bad sister. Understanding what motivates people to do the things they do, even when it appears to be well intentioned actions, is something they must each try to see in each other; as well as, inside of their own hearts and minds. Pride and low self-esteem issues often allow people to put themselves into destructive life patterns and leaves other people bewildered about why some people leave a trail of pain and misery. Bad choices, when not corrected, tend to fester and cause more problems.
Learning to let God work out the trouble spots, and open hearts, is the underlying theme of the book. Supporting characters shine a light into the darkest recesses of the human spirit in the need to focus on mistakes and negativity from the past; rather than, to give benefit of the doubt when someone tries to make amends.
The need to love and be loved; and, to give and receive trust & forgiveness in return are the basis of most relationships; and, when those are damaged it is a long road back. This is the journey of Kathy and Amy (Sunny) and the restoration of their relationships, with God’s intervention.
Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Book Publishing Group published the book by Tracie Peterson in 2007. It is a work of Christian Fiction.
There is noone who writes of the dynamics of a family better than Ms. Luanne Rice. She is a consummate writer who is so gifted and talented in human interactions and the subleties of relationships; that there is no one else i would rather read when i want to feel so moved.
Crazy in Love, is a detailed study of such a family of intense and interpersonally connected individuals that you almost feel as if you are in the family because you know them and understand them so very well. The characters are well thought out and they are oozing genuiness through their pores. I loved this book. It’s subjects range from pride in your family, traditions, love, seperations, death, nursing home placement, guilt, birth, fear, trust and so very much more.
When i was finished….i wanted to pick up part two of the series….except…as far as i know…there is no such series. Come on Luanne…give us another installment in the lives of the Bennison women. It will be like one of my family reunions.
I have over the years been working on reading my way through the list of Luanne Rice books…i can honestly say that i have never been disappointed in one of them yet. When you have a desire to have an emotional connection…her books are sure to take you to places where you feel at home. See her website: http://www.luannerice.com
Skinny Dip is the story of a salacious marine scientist who seemed to have conned his way into his degree. His life’s work is about saving the Florida everglades; which in fact he care absolutely nothing about. Chaz Perrone has only one true love and that is himself. He has been hired secretely to work for a Florida multi-millionaire tomatoe farmer who is adding to the destruction of the everglades by the run off from his farms; he needs Chaz to doctor the water quality test results to keep him in business.
Chaz takes his beautiful young wife on an anniversary cruise to celebrate their second anniversary. He has ulterior motives (murder) because he thinks that she has found out the truth about his illegal activities. He “helps” her into the ocean off of the rail of the ocean liner. This is where the myterious workings begin to take an interesting turn. Revenge behaviors take root in this story in a variety of ways…not all of them are credible…but, fantasy-wise…the twists and turns are somewhat entertaining.
While the story has a way of keeping you tuned in….i myself could have done without the crude language and the overkill on his deviant personality. I understood in the beginning how bent Chaz was….by the end of the book…i felt that the author had almost turned him into a cartoon character of himself. He goes into a field of study that is far removed from his real interests; and, doubled with his character’s deep fear of the dangers involved with his job…it seems a bit unbelievable that he would be able to maintain his job long enough for the story to take place.
However, the issue of the destruction of the everglades is important enough to learn about by reading about people who serve their own interests before the issue of our healthy environment; there really are some people with that type of character. If you are bothered by extreme crude language or behavior…this book isn’t for you…if you can overlook it to follow the thread of the story…it is an interesting read.
Carl Hiaasen is the author and he lives in Florida. He knows the area well. So, it is good that this book brings an awareness to the public about the fragile balance that must be maintained for the health of Florida everglades. He has authored over ten books and has also written for the newspaper the miami Herald. This book was published in 2004 by Alfred A. Knopf. www.aaknopf.com
One Last Wish-Three Novels was written by Lurlene McDaniel. It is one of those books that combines a few short stories within it paper back covers. Lurlene McDaniel is a good writer. She has the ability to introduce you to her characters in a way that makes you feel like you have just met a friend that you want to know better.
The subject of all three books is death and dying which is not what i would call a pick me up sort of subject…but…it is a part of life. Because it is a part of life, it is nice to see the subject illuminated in a way that shows that a person has choices; some control over the way they die, when they have a disease/illness that is diagnosed when time allows them a period of time to prepare. The idea of quality of life over quantity of life is strengthened when you have read the stories; it puts things into perspective.
Even though dying is not a happy topic…i like the fact that Lurlene chooses to show each individual in the stories with personality and strength. She doesn’t gloss over the fact that if given the “ultimate” choice…they would choose to live; but, it does show degrees of individual dignity.
The books are moving…so make sure that you aren’t going through an emotional trauma when you read it 
…it just might push you to curl up in your bed all weekend.
Play Dirty is a work of fiction written by Sandra Brown. The premise of this book is that a man by the name of Griff Burkett is released from prison after five years. He is a former football player who was charged and convicted for throwing a game because he had owed gamboling money.
He has a hard time finding employment and is pretty much considered a pariah in the community. No one wants to hire him. He has no friends. He has no family. He is approached by a very rich man and his wife and asked to perform a very personal and confidential service for a large sum of money.
Against all odds…he goes against his better judgement and does what they ask of him…for the money. It all goes badly. In the end…he is pursued by a man who is bent on destroying him and his remaining reputation.
Griff is basically a good guy at heart who is misunderstood in both large and small ways. He doesn’t trust others enough to communicate what he is really feeling, most of the time. This sets him up to find himself in the middle of a murder investigation.
The story line is a bit far fetched, what with a police officer with a vengence who literally gets away with murder…but, Sandra Brown is a writer with great skill…so the reader overlooks alot.
The only problem i have with this particular book is the raunchy language at times. It is a shame that someone with Ms. Brown’s writing skill finds it necessary to use this type of language to set a scene. I do love her books…but this is getting to be more of a problem for me when i read them.
`Play Dirty was copyrighted in 2007 and is published by Simon & Shuster.
Karen Kingsbury has written another fabulous book titled, Family. I loved this book because it has many of the elements that make up my family situation.
The book is written about the Baxter Family. Throughout the book, the main theme is God’s unfailing love and care woven throughout a person’s difficulties and successes.
Unbeknownst to John Baxter’s children…he and his late wife had conceived a child before their marriage which they were forced to give up through adoption because of Mrs. Baxter’s parents. They went on in their relationship to get married and have four other children. They longed for their missing child. Yet, they prayed for him throughout his life. God rewarded them with an eventual reunion.
The four children knew nothing of this other missing sibling. They each come to terms with the idea of having an adult sibling that they knew nothing about in their own way. This requires adjustments in understanding how they can bond with someone who is part of them and yet doesn’t have the foundation from growing up with them. Yet, God inexplicably binds them together from their DNA, to their faith, and a desire to know one another and form a relationship.
God’s guiding hand provided Mrs. Baxter’s dying wish to meet her adult son. He had the opportunity to meet her a day before she passed away. Her husband later hired an investigator to find his son…who turned out to be a very famous actor.
The son struggled with is faith. He comes to know God again…and seeks out an eventual relationship with his father…but hesitates on meeting his siblings out of respect for their privacy. He doesn’t want them to have to deal with the paparazzi and all of the craziness that goes along with being famous.
Scattered throughout this book, Family, is the reenforcement of the idea that God takes care of his children. He knows what we need even before we do. He has his hand in things that we dont see…and he works everything out for our own good…even when we can’t possibly see a way for that to happen.
I highly recommend this book for anyone struggling with their faith and their choices in life.
This book, Family, was published in 2006 by Thorndike Press which is an imprint of Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation.
Karen Kingsbury has written another wonderful story called, “When Joy Came To Stay. Many parts of this particular book are hard to read because of the subject matter…depression.
Ms. Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors because of her ability to capture and hold true intimate and realistic nuances of human interactions. She is very good at helping you climb into a characters thoughts.
The main character is traumatized by her past actions regarding rebellion of her religious upbringing. She made poor choices and became pregnant before marrying the love of her life. She gave the child up for adoption because the child was not the child of the man God had chosen for her. The mistakes are many…she gave birth without telling her future husband and pretended to enter into marriage as a virgin.
Her years with her husband were overshadowed by her grief and anger at having given up her daughter for her husband. They are childless in their marriage. She blames him for expecting perfection…even though he was unaware of her sacrifice. This haunts her until she is driven to a breakdown from her depression. The book explores outside appearances and the contrast that goes on inside someone who is struggling with depression. Decisions are often colored by our impressions and are not always accurate.
Woven wonderfully throughout the story is God’s faithfulness in our lives even when we don’t realize it or deserve it. The story is also close to my heart as i was a foster parent for over 18 years; and, am an adoptive parent. My heart ached for the child involved, as well as for the workers and the biological mother. Nothing is simple when it comes to real life human emotions when it comes to children…and it shouldn’t be.
Make sure you have the tissues ready when you read as the story will move you. I recommend this book to anyone who struggles with depression, with giving or receiving a child through foster care or adoption and anyone with a heart; pretty much for anyone living and breathing! Enjoy.
The publisher is Multnomah, an imprint of Waterbrook Press a division of Random House; it was published in 2007. You can write to the author Karen Kingsbury at: rtnbykk@aol.com. She lives in Washington State which is also where I lived with my military husband at one very special time in my life.
Pandora’s Daughter, written by Iris Johansen, has left me feeling as if i have committed gluttony of the written word. I have a love/sick addiction to her books. I pick it up and i don’t stop reading until i have consumed the whole book. By the time i am done reading, my eyes are blurry and i realize i have forgotten to eat or drink.
The book centers around a woman named Megan who is living the life of a doctor. She is having a little trouble keeping herself un-involved emotionally in her cases. She cares deeply; others find this troubling. One night driving home she is driven off of the road by a maniac.
She is successful in avoiding death; but, is deeply upset when she gets home to her Uncle. She later discovers that her whole life has been “constructed” by two men who set out to protect her from some evil men who have been on a mission to destroy her since she was a young woman.
Her memory has been put in storage for years. She has flashes of memory that confirm things she doesn’t want to admit… she hears voices. Megan finds out she is a Listener. The flashes of memory scare her. They also underscore that she and her mother have shared extra ordinary abilities; and, she is conflicted about being her mother’s daughter.
She disovers things, about the past and her mother, that she finds unbelievable. She discovers the meaning of Pandora’s Daughter as she leaves her profession temporarily to explore her family history.
There is an undercurrent of intrigue with the FBI, and, an international hitman is mixed into the story for good measure. There’s blood and gore; as well as some mystical mechanics of the mind. It is a typical Iris Johansen masterpiece. She makes us connect, with her characters, in such a way that is hard to say good bye to them.
The book was #1 on the New York Times Bestselling list. It was copyrighted in 2007 and was published by Johansen Publishing, LLP.