Where the Light Fell: A Memoir by Philip Yancey

Where the Light Fell: A Memoir
by Philip Yancey
Convergent Books
Pub Date 05 Oct 2021

Philip Yancey is an engaging author who writes accessible, thought-provoking prose. I have read earlier books he has written, for which he says this book, Where the Light Fell, is a sort of prequel. Those earlier books mark Yancey as a singular author and thinker, one that raises the awareness and thought of his readers. This memoir confirms the author's clear perspective and honest voice.

I did not expect this memoir to engage me as it did. I found myself eager to return to reading it whenever I had to break off from reading. (Do memoirs normally grab readers like that? I did not think so.) I particularly enjoyed the detail of Yancey's early life so challenged by circumstances. His successful career as an author did not prepare me for the story of how he came to be the thoughtful, honest narrator of the Christian life. In particular, Yancey has a voice that finds the truth of the Christian walk, alert for legalism and integrity in the spreading of the Gospel. After reading this memoir, I better understand and now highly value his perspective. I'm returning to read those earlier books once again.

If you are curious about spirituality that is authentic; if you have questioned the line between observing Biblical obedience and the freedom that the Gospel is purported to bring; if you value free will within the Providence of an all-powerful God, you will want to read this book. So much more than a simple memoir, it is a slice of honest perspective into the reality of life, both now and to come.

From Convergent Books, with a publication date of 05 Oct 2021.
Thanks to the author, publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read this unique, valuable story that moves this believer closer on the Christian journey.

How to Train Your Dad by Gary Paulsen

 How to Train Your Dad 
by Gary Paulsen
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) 
Pub October 5, 2021

Paulsen's book is spot-on for teens who live in the normal USA, where big cities and subways are not part of the experience, making do with what they have, dealing with parents who have their own strong vision of what life should look like, and needing more room to grow into adulthood.

This is a young-adult version of the dry and often slapstick humor for which author Patrick McManus is well-known: life in all its glory and goof-ups.

The flavor of the narrative isn't for every YA or middle grade reader, but it will be just right for many. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for a chance to read an advance copy. Coming October 5, 2021.

The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice
Book 2 in the Thursday Murder Club series
by Richard Osman
PENGUIN GROUP Viking
Pub Date: 28 Sep 2021

Best book I've read so far in 2021!

The first in the series was a surprise pleasure: unexpectedly compelling. And this second release, due out 28 Sep 2021 from PENGUIN GROUP Viking, surpasses the first in intricate plotting, characters I appreciate and empathize with, and my wanting more, more more of this group at Cooper’s Chase, the posh retirement village.

It can't be easy for an author to continue to develop characters without changing the original qualities that made readers love them initially. But Osman manages that deftly. And the new faces he brings into the Thursday Murder Club circle make the story richer and more evocative.

Thanks to Penguin and #NetGalley for the chance to read ahead of the release date. I am excited to report that you'll want to get your hands on this second book about the TMC as soon as you can!

Time Villains

 

Time Villains 
by Victor Piñeiro
SOURCEBOOKS Kids
Pub Date 06 Jul 2021 

This is a fresh approach to adventure for middle graders!

This summer I have an opportunity to be a MG librarian for summer school, and I was looking for an engaging adventurous read-aloud for my 6th graders. This new release answered with its tales of surprise, family and friends, adventure, and challenges. It offers a unique plot set-up, one that quickly engaged those students who are already moderately (or more) engaged in school. I also appreciated the fresh vocabulary it offered, along with the unobtrusive clarifying phrases for that vocabulary.

A good read, and thanks to Sourcebooks Young Readers and #NetGalley for the chance to preview this strong entry in the MG catalog. Releasing July 6, 2021. Add it to your To Purchase list!

Tender Is the Bite (Chet and Bernie Mystery #11)

 

Tender Is the Bite (Chet and Bernie Mystery #11)
by Spencer Quinn
Forge Books (Pub Date 06 Jul 2021)

This eleventh release in the Chet and Bernie series is excellent: the plotting is smooth and polished, and the read is a compelling one. (These books are always the kryptonite to my to-read pile: Everything comes to a halt so I can dive into their latest story. This one runs true to that pattern.)

The usual (and better than usual) humor is evenly embedded, the characters and the crimes are those readers care about without being uncomfortably gritty, and Bernie's relationships continue intriguing -- but satisfying as well. Tender is the Bite ends with Bernie (and Chet) comfortably situated and just ready for the next great adventure that author Quinn will share (soon, one hopes). The over-all feel of this release is comfortable: enough good moments, satisfying relationships, bad-guys taken care of, and the reader leaves feeling good for/about Bernie and Chet.

Chet the very-good dog's side narrative provides focus for humor as well as for keen insight into the greater human drama of the story. (Was there more of that monologue than usual? No, couldn't have been. This is Spencer Quinn, one of the best human story tellers around after all. So forget that thought.)

This books stands alone as a fun read, but it will be much richer for those who have read the earlier books in the series. Forge Books releases this title July 6 - you can have it in your hands in two days! Such a great read. Thanks to Forge and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance release copy.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson

The Audacity of Sara Grayson
by Joani Elliott
Meryl Moss Media / Post Hill Press 
Pub Date 25 May 2021 

I expected this book to be mostly fluff and relationship drama. I was pleasantly surprised.

Instead, the majority of the book tells of Sara grappling with actually authoring the book her mother charged her with (an interesting novel about novel writing). And through that process, Sara finds herself, her place in life and the world, and the stories of her family and her parents and their lives. Along the way, she finds a significant other who delightfully fits the niches of Sara's life and fulfills her in ways she didn't expect.

This book is well-written, appropriately humorous, and  the main characters are substantial and well-developed. Again, I expected more superficial characters (was it the bunny slippers on the cover that caused me to underestimate this wonderful surprise of a book?). Author Elliott successfully proved me wrong. There was significant depth of emotion and relationships in this read.

I found the first quarter of the book slow to start (perhaps my mistaken expectations). But I quickly engaged with Sara and her family and her challenges, enjoying the humor along the way and the evocative settings and developments further in the book.

Meryl Moss Media / Post Hill Press have this slated for release on May 25, 2021. This will be a reliable pleasure to read. 

Three Missing Days (Pelican Harbor series #3)

 

Three Missing Days
Colleen Coble
Thomas Nelson Publishers

The Pelican Harbor trilogy offers excellent action adventure, usually starting about the last third of each book. This final book in the series stays true to form, showing evidence of masterful plotting and a steady, enjoyable romance.

The protagonists are sympathetic and generally engaging. At times, in my opinion, one character or another reacts exaggeratedly in an attempt to convey a particular characteristic, so perhaps consistent characterization may be a weak point in an otherwise strongly compelling series. This is balanced, however, by an authentic and realistic portrayal of a Christian faith playing out in times of the characters' happiness as well as suffering. I appreciate the author's deft ability to show an important reality often missing from many novels I read.

Each book in the series is an excellent read in itself, and together, the full story arc is a pleasure. I highly recommend beginning with the first and reading them through.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the chance to read this third book early. After finishing the second book, I was fixated on reading the third! Publication date is April 6, 2021. Be ready for it!

Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter

 

Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter

by Timothy J. Keller

Viking Press

The brilliance of Keller's writing lies in this: heart-changing content made accessible.

This profound book is just that: life-changing, and open and accessible.

Easter is coming. But Hope in Times of Fear reaches beyond a particular season and shows how the angst of our current situation is swallowed up in the overwhelming hope and reassurance that the Christian possesses.

I especially appreciate Keller's explanation of the "Already-But-Not-Yet Kingdom." It helps encourage and strengthen my Christian life as I more clearly understand my place in and out of history.

To be published March 9, 2021, this is a read that feels warm and encouraging. With its basic thesis that "the resurrection [and] the Great Reversal bring us both the power and the pattern for living," it will communicate the eternal promise to believers and to consider-ers.

A must read that will surprise you - and leave you in a different place emotionally and spiritually.

The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep

 

A wobbly beginning that did not engage me - but the writing became stronger and the book turned into a great read. For me, the amateurish cover on the book put me off, although it does accurately portray the essence of the main characters.

This is a worthwhile read, and I hope it might be the start of a series. 

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway - thanks to the author and publisher, Barbour Books (pub January 2021)

The Lady Has a Past (Burning Cove series) by Amanda Quick

 

The entire Burning Cove series is a fun, fresh setting for Amanda Quick (yes, we know her by other names as well), and I've enjoyed each of the five novels.

This latest novel (fifth in the series, publication date 04 May 2021) has a different feel. It is largely set outside of the town of Burning Cove, but each of the characters and the action revolve around the place, the resort, and the club. In fact, the book ends with even more of the characters moving to make Burning Cove "home."

The feel of the relationship between the two main characters is different: a little more acerbic, a little more friction, and it's fun. Best of the book, I thought, was the further development of the relationship between Luther Pell (nightclub owner, and so much more) and Raina Kirk of the Burning Cove detective agency. There's more to Raina than we've been told!

The series is fresh, this latest title has enough variety to satisfy those who have read them all, and there's time to line up your own copy the first of May.

Thanks to NetGalley and one of my favorite publishers, Berkley, for the chance to read an early copy

Murder in the East End 

(Kat Holloway Mysteries #4)
Jennifer Ashley
published by Berkley Press, August 2020

What? Kat Holloway dismissed from her position? To be homeless and unable to support her daughter?

The Kat Holloway Mysteries make up an excellent series, with a structure that is unique in my experience: The action, suspense, and mysteries are experienced through the viewpoint of a unique character, a young, single and highly-competent female cook for the upper levels of British society. These books are not a comfortable "cozy," but offer genuine suspense and threat. A realistic look at the lives of the un-rich and famous of these times.

In this fourth release in the series, Kat again finds herself working with Daniel McAdam and her network of friends and supporters. She is called on to locate missing orphans, and in doing so, she comes up against murder, threats against herself and her family, and the secrets of strangers, including her own and those of her friends. And for some come-uppity minor aristocrat to fire Kat? Yes, it happens!

Whenever there is a new release in this series, I try to immediately read it. So far, each book merits this focus! Murder in the East End releases August 4, 2020, and you'll want to pre-order or be on your local library's wait list. Another cxcellent read.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview.

Jack Reacher's 23rd is Past Tense

Past Tense, A Jack Reacher Novel
by Lee Child
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Delacorte Press
November 5, 2018


The many attributes that have made us love Jack Reacher are evident once again in this 23rd release in the series. Jack's sense of justice, his willingness to fight when needed, and his near invincibility are once more in play. But Past Tense gives us a broader view of Jack's family background. Just how many Reacher families can there be in a small rural area?

What's different about this book 
Actual coincidence plays a larger part in the plot development than I remember from past titles in the series. And the randomness of Jack's being at the exact spot there is a chilling case of victimization makes for a different but still engaging story. There are some skim-able areas in the development of the story, but by and large this is an entertaining read that continues to develop the larger-than-life figure of Jack Reacher.

What I'll do now that I've read it 
This book will make a solid gift for family and friends who, as I do, love to read about Jack Reacher. And for those libraries where our Lee Child books go quickly, we'll be sure to have this new release on hand on Nov. 5.  Perhaps not the best Jack Reacher yet, but a welcome new addition.

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The fourth and best Murderbot: Exist Strategy

Exit Strategy 
Fourth in The Murderbot Diaries
by Martha Wells
Macmillan-Tor/Forge
October 2, 2018

This series is the best-kept secret in the "we love reading!" world, and this fourth and final book in that small, treasured series is the best. 

The novellas have won big-deal awards, and for once, it's easy to understand and applaud those awards.

The small, quick-to-read titles make book-talking this to a new reader a breeze, and it encourages reluctant readers to give it a chance.  That the titles have come out in print makes it easy for librarians. 

Though the titles are Sci-Fi, I have recommended this to readers of all genres -- it's just that good! I've heard this series described as a Sci-Fi Jack Reacher, but Murderbot is better.

The main characters wry humor (not to say snark), his strategic thinking, and the action and suspense make this a very entertaining read.  We care about the characters, even those that may not be sentient, and we care about the outcome and that justice triumphs. Great reads.

There are tantalizing rumors of a fifth, full-length novel coming later that will start a new arc. We should be so lucky!

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"The Point" -- a fresh take on post-human powers for late teens

The Point

by John Dixon
Publication August 7th, 2018
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

Scarlett's teen years as misfit, trouble-maker, and dare devil come to an abrupt halt when, on her graduation day, the inexplicable power she has discovered within herself gets her "recruited" to The Point, a shadowy mirror world to West Point. 

This is a compelling "new adult" or young adult book that is hugely entertaining.  The fresh take on beyond-natural powers that develop in the main characters provides an engrossing tale of action and suspense. 

Because the book straddles the line between YA and new adult, readers will want to be aware of issues of strong language and a couple of needless, graphic sexual references (otherwise the romance is well-handled and typical for older teens).

This is an entertaining read for both YA and adults.  The Point is well worth the time to read and enjoy.

Julián is a Mermaid - is a charming read

Julián Is a Mermaid
written and illustrated by Jessica Love Candlewick Press

May 2018

This picture book is perfect is so many ways: 
   the loving Afro-Hispanic abuela and her mijo so perfectly drawn and the crucial expressions so accurately rendered; 

  the Afro-Hispanic community members rendered so faithfully along with subtle humor sketched in as well; 

  and the straight-forward story of the 5- or 6-year-old protagonist captured by the beauty and elegance of some passing mermaid costumes and transforming himself into a mermaid with everyday objects around the house. 

Forget the politics and the ethos of social judgment -- and just enjoy this book.

All Things New: Heaven, Earth, and the Restoration of Everything You Love

All Things New: Heaven, Earth, and the Restoration of Everything You Love

by John Eldredge
Thomas Nelson
September 2017

Once in a long while, you read a book, and you can hear the impact of it plop all the way to the bottom of your soul. You know the impact will resonate for years to come - and you hope it will guide your thinking for the rest of your life. This is such a book.

There is nothing that more powerfully shapes our life than knowing about the life to come. This book serves as a powerful, illustrated lesson in understanding what God meant when He said He was making all things new. And that lesson serves as the anchor, the lifeline of our hope that sees us through the pain and devastation of this life.

Eldredge's book is required reading for all humans. 

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Inspector Gamache and the best yet: Glass Houses

Glass Houses 

by Louise Penny
Minotaur Books
August 2017

Penny's absolute mastery of complex woven story lines lived out by achingly dear characters appears at its strongest in this, her latest release in the Inspector Gamache series. 

If you haven't read it yet, hurry to do so.  And if you haven't begun or advanced through the series, slow down to savor and enjoy each book.

In this release, Gamache is pushing the boundaries of his career, as well as his personal life and reputation. The stakes could not be higher. Yet the amazing resolution that Ms. Penny paints makes you hold your breath, hang on for the cliffhanger moments, and then rejoice at the (amost) completely wonderful ending. 

As a reader who often doesn't trouble to read the second in most series, I have already begun the count-down to when I can look for the next new release.

Peace to you, Ms. Henry, and deep thanks for the consistent pleasure your writing provides.

Hunting Hour by Mizushima - newest release in a great series

Hunting Hour
     book 3, Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series
by Margaret Mizushima
Crooked Lane Books
Aug 2017

This entire series is increasingly a pleasure to read. From the beginning with Killing Trail, the story line of a rural Colorado sheriff beginning her work as a K9 officer is engaging and character-driven.

This third book shows Mattie Cobb growing in confidence and her awareness of relationships with the folks around her. The life of the small town of Timber Creek is realistically complicated, and the residents respect Mattie's work and are grateful for the strategic help she and her dog Robo provide.

Author Mizushima does an excellent job positing a compelling and opaque mystery in each book, as well as developing characters the reader cares about and relationships that matter, change, and deepen.

The series is a pleasure to read - and this third entry is the smoothest and most enjoyable.

A compelling graphic novel: Park Bench

Park Bench

by Christophe Chabouté
Gallery 13, Threshold, Pocket Books
September 2017

In the graphic novel format, Chabouté's warm, evocative story is a delight to the eyes and the mind.

With the warm, loving pathos of Silverstein's The Giving Tree, the slow, steady passage of days, seasons, and years in Park Bench shows the reader the multiple stories and people who have played out their lives in the presence of the park bench.

It is those stories, and the bench's witness to their value, that make the book compelling. The story reads calmly, peacefully, poignantly. The depth of communication through the simple drawings makes the impact all the more powerful. You'll want to enjoy --and share-- this one.

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Invictus: a YA sci-fi powerful read for all!

Invictus
by Ryan Graudin
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Strong writing, extraordinary plotting, and masterful resolution of the story line describe Graudin's latest young adult thriller that is too good to restrict to just teen readers.

What's different about this book 
Science fiction may not be the genre for every reader - but intelligent and compelling characters are.  A mystery and suspense setting for life and death events is. And the need to keep turning the page, to find out what happens next is just what most readers want.

One of the trickiest issues with YA books is keeping the material suitable for such a wide range of reading preferences. Language, sensitive topics, graphic or not graphic discussions:  All these are tip-toe matters for librarians who share reads with teens.  Graudin amazingly avoids the "inappropriate" content without losing a smidge of relevance, interest, or power.  Perfectly appropriate does NOT equate to boring or  weak with this work.  

Graudin's latest novel blew me away.  I don't do sci-fi, and I seldom do time travel. But this story of family, growing to wisdom, and valuing friends and courage was an exceptional read. This book will engage you, tantalize you, and refuse to let you forget it.  Grab this one. It's a keeper.

What I'll do now that I've read it
While I may not do sci-fi, my library patrons DO! And this will be an compelling title to talk about, share, and promote.  Awards and praise will be forthcoming for this book, due out in September 2017.

Soli Deo Gloria 

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