Roseanna’s Reads
Audio
I’ve had this one sitting in my Audible library for a while but hadn’t yet gotten to it. Last summer I read and loved Bob Goff’s two books, Love Does and Everybody Always. When I saw that his wife, Maria, had published a book as well, I knew I wanted her perspective on their crazy, love-filled ministry of a life.
In Love Lives Here, we get Maria’s perspective on what it means to live a life ruled not by fear or regrets or minutia, but by love. While Bob is jetting off to Uganda, changing the world, she’s usually at home, building their world and maintaining it. I loved getting her POV on what it really means to make a home for a family to always want to come home to, and how important it is to love the people right in front of you, all the time. I’m much more like Maria than Bob, so I found this book so edifying!
For My Bookclub
This month’s book club pick is A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris
I have somehow not ready any Lisa Harris before! Which I had to remedy. =) I really enjoyed this story and had no desire to put it down once I’d started it. It was fast-paced and jam-packed full of action, with some unexpected twists and surprises. I admit there are times when I read romantic suspense and feel like the romance part is just tacked on and/or weird, but that wasn’t the case with this one at all. The characters had known each other in college, so there was already that “remember when?” aspect to their relationship, which I always love. And the suspense! Oh my gracious. This book has me seriously contemplating building a bunker and becoming a prepper. 😉 (I’m only kinda kidding.) I love it when a story is that real!!
For the Interview
I’ve discovered it’s oh-so-much nicer to interview someone when I’ve read the book(s) we’ll be talking about, LOL. So before my interview with Johnnie Alexander this month, I spent the weekend with two of her novellas. They were very different, but I enjoyed both of them so much!
First was her selection in The Erie Canal Brides Collection. I absolutely loved the concept of a postmistress for a character, and the fact that the climax tied back in with that theme–so brilliant! To top it off, her heroine brought to mind my Culper Ring Series (she hadn’t read these or anything, but it was a super fun coincidence for me!), almost combining Winter from Ring of Secrets with Julienne in the free novella A Hero’s Promise. It was so much fun to revisit themes from the abolitionist movement, but in a setting I’d never explored!
Match You Like Crazy is, by contrast, a contemporary romance set on a tropical island. A perfect beach/vacation read! It was super fun, cute, and unique. Had me wanting to dive beneath some turquoise waters and dig my toes into the sand for sure!
With the Kids
Several years ago, we read The Candymakers by Wendy Mass as part of our homeschool–it was the fun Friday read. Well, when we heard there was going to be a sequel, we were SUPER excited and promptly pre-ordered it. This was one of the only books my son was eagerly awaiting the arrival of, LOL. But for some reason or another, we never actually got around to reading it together. So we decided to remedy that!
In this book and the first one, we follow 4 very unlikely friends through some outlandish adventures that involve mysteries, spies, special talents and abilities…and lots and lots of candy. 😉 So. Much. Fun! (And for fans of Wendy Mass’s other books, some beloved characters make cameos as these 4 go on their road trip!)
Rachel’s Reads
Hi folks! I am super excited to share my current reads with you. You may know me as Bookworm Mama as well as being Roseanna’s Assistant! I LOVE books and sharing my love of books with others! Here is what I’ve been reading this month…
Audio
I love listening to Rachel Hauck’s books on audio. Her narrator, Lisa Larsen, captures the story with feeling and emotion. I’m only about halfway through at the moment and it is so good!!!
With a beautiful Victorian house at the center of this story, this split-time romance, filled with secrets and trauma and pain…Will be sure to wrap its arms around you. I love the way that Rachel Hauck weaves the past and the present together in a meaningful and memorable way.
For Fun/Review
FINALLY finished the completed version of The Number of Love. WOW…y’all…And I’m not just saying that because I’m writing this ON Roseanna’s blog…but this is seriously her BEST! I’ll be reviewing this on my blog soon. You can pre-order your copy today!
If you don’t know what this book is about…Margot DeWilde is a codebreaker in Room 40 during The Great War. She thinks in numbers. She is an unusual heroine, but the way that Roseanna wrote her, I could FEEL her. Seriously…just go order it, you won’t regret it!
Folks…I made a grave mistake the other night. I started reading a Jody Hedlund book…at 11pm…Oh boy. I got VERY little sleep that night, let me tell you. And unfortunately, I’ve been pretty busy during the day, so, I’ve been up late EVERY NIGHT trying to finish it. I’m almost done. But you should be very proud of me that I actually took the time and did DISHES and LAUNDRY this week…Typically, when I crack the pages of a Jody Hedlund book…all school and housework goes out the window!
With the Kids
Are you ready for a terrible truth? I have never read this book…Well, not that I remember anyway. And I decided to start this with the kiddos and so far they like it! Of course, we are only about 1 chapter in so far lol!
For the summer, we are going to use THIS cleverly constructed reading calendar for the kiddos. I am so excited to spend time reading with them this summer. My oldest, just finishing 1st grade, has gotten a really good grip on reading and LOVES discovering new books.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Jody Hedlund kept me up late with that book, too. I’m sure The Number of Love will, too, when I start it. I loved Secret to Die For and Memory House (book version). Never read Wendy Mass but my girls have liked her so perhaps I should read some of her books 🙂