The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea–recreating yourself
The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea
by Liz Eeles
Heaven’s Cove is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of cities like London. It is a place of peace, calm, and community. The downside is everybody knows everybody’s business. The upside is having people who genuinely care and will help when a neighbor is in need. Isla and Caitlyn are sisters who due to family problems have been shuffled around. Their grandmother Jessie, a resident of Heaven’s Cove, is their last carer. Caitlyn had to fill in the “mother” gap for her ill mom and then her younger sister. She was anxious to escape from Heaven’s Cove and those extra responsibilities and she did, leaving Isla to care for their grandmother.
In The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea life does not turn out well for either sister, and they do not maintain the close relationship of their youth. When their grandmother, always a riddle and puzzle lover, passes away she gives her granddaughters a final riddle to solve as part of their inheritance. The book includes romances, broken relationships, a dip into history, and teenage angst. Isla, Caitlyn, and Maisie (Caitlyn’s stepdaughter) all have issues to work through from their pasts. Most of the characters are likable. The unlikable ones are intentionally written as mean, narcissistic, and overbearing. Liz Eeles is a good writer, and I hope she will create more books for this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction,Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. Heaven’s Cove Book #6 can be a standalone. I have read all of the published books in this series and have enjoyed each one of them. There are a few characters who make cameo appearances in subsequent books, but the town itself is the backdrop that holds the series together. You really can jump into the series at any point.
2. Clean with a little mild swearing.
Publication: October 19, 2023—Bookouture
Memorable Lines:
Once upon a time, they were so close you could hardly have passed a piece of paper between them. Whereas now they were separated by a chasm of difference and resentment.
Paul definitely would not be happy. She usually did what he wanted. To be honest, she usually didn’t mind, and it avoided him sinking into a sulk. He was a champion sulker.
It must be nice being a robin, Maisie thought, watching its bright yellow beak bob up and down: no family dramas to deal with, no scary school, nothing on your mind except finding the next juicy worm.
The Amish Matchmakers–romance for the matchmakers
The Amish Matchmakers
by Beth Wiseman
Two Amish elderly sisters, Esther and Lizzie, own the Peony Inn and two neighboring cottages which they rent out. The sisters have a reputation in their community as matchmakers, but in this story they turn their skills on each other. They love each other so much that neither wants her sister to be alone or lonely if she passes first. When retired Englisch dentist Ben Stotzfus leases one of the cabins for 6 months, each determines to make a match for her sister, but both widowed women are actually attracted to Ben.
Another part of the plot introduces Ben’s granddaughter Mindy. Ben was semi-estranged from that part of his family, but now that she is grown they have reconnected. Gabriel is an Amish young man who works for the sisters at the inn, mainly when they need outside work done. He and Mindy meet when an accident occurs at Ben’s cottage. A spark flies upon their meeting but they wonder if anything can come of it since Amish and Englisch romances often have bad endings.
As older adults, Ben and Esther have medical issues that they try to keep secret. Lizzie is an energetic, feisty woman who is an avid reader of romances. She has decided that the cottage is haunted by the ghost of a previous tenant even though that concept is not part of Amish beliefs. Esther frequently has to rein Lizzie in, suggesting that she get rid of books on ghosts and serial killers and calling her out on some lies.
Depending on the issue, the antics and interactions of Esther and Lizzie can be serious or humorous, but their actions, although sometimes extreme, are always well-intentioned. The setting centers around Thanksgiving and Christmas giving an Amish holiday air to The Amish Matchmakers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance, Christian, Religion
Notes: Standalone
Publication: October 17, 2023—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
“Gott had a plan. I believe that when things fall into place easily, it was meant to be.”
He truly did believe laughter was good for the soul, and he’d seen plenty of instances where a person’s joyfulness had prolonged their life.
He could lie, but she’d see through him. Mothers has a superpower when it came to lying.
The Burnout–surfing/life metaphors
The Burnout
by Sophie Kinsella
Sasha is the Director of Special Promotions for Zoose, an app for a travel company. It was her dream job for several years—until it wasn’t. It happened gradually as the creative founder stopped being hands on, delegated a lot of authority to his brother, and the management became top-heavy. Several people quit her department in disgust and were not replaced increasing Sasha’s work load. Sasha’s complaints went unanswered. Her burnout was not pretty, and she ended up with her doctor signing off on a a three week leave. Sophia departs London for the Rilston Hotel on the beach in February. It’s cold and out of season there, and the hotel has gone downhill from the posh remembrances of her childhood, but at least she is separated from an endless parade of emails from all over the world and nonsense from the company’s “empowerment and well-being officer.”
There is a lot of humor as her mother pretends to be her very demanding PA and insists via morning telephone calls to the hotel that the staff provide Sasha with certain items that will help her on her “wellness journey” including kale smoothies and noni juice both of which are disgusting when they finally locate them for her. Her seaside room has boarded up windows, but she can spend her days in a decrepit beachside cottage that is destined to be torn down. The characters working at the lodge are just that—characters. They try so hard to please, but are very quirky. Sasha is too nice to complain or explain that she really would prefer to have crisps and a choc bar.
Sasha is not looking for romance which is good because one of the few guests is Finn, a man who also has burnout. They start not wanting to be anywhere near each other, but then discover that they both were surfing students of Terry back in the day. Everyone loved Terry who was part excellent surfing instructor and part philosopher.
The plot in The Burnout develops nicely with a growing friendship and false starts at a relationship. The pair collaborate to determine who is leaving mysterious messages in the sand. They meet up with their hero Terry again, and they find themselves a part of the small community of the town where everyone knows their business. I enjoyed the eccentric characters and felt like I was joining in on their celebration of Terry. Everyone had “Terry quotes” memorized which related to both surfing and life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Notes: Some inappropriate language and sexual references in regard to sexual organs and libido, but no open door scenes.
Publication: October 10, 2023—Random House (Dial Press)
Memorable Lines:
Finn feels safe and trustworthy. And most important, he gets it. He knows how I feel. Just to meet someone who’s been through something similar is such a relief.
Infinite waves. Infinite chances. You can’t dwell or think about what might have been. There’s always another wave. Although you have to be looking the right way to see it.
It seems most art experts are happy to spout on endlessly about their own opinion, So my method is: Let them do that while I get on with drinking the free champagne. And when they pause, say, Stunning, isn’t it?
My Family and Other Animals–adventures of a young naturalist
My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell
Ready for a boring book about animals? You won’t find it in My Family and Other Animals. Since the author Gerald Durrell (Gerry) was a naturalist from the age of two, there are plenty of animals in this book. He observes them and collects them when his family (Mother, brothers Larry and Leslie, and sister Margo) move from England to the Greek island of Corfu. Both the family and Gerry’s collection of animals are a continual source of humor for the reader with responses ranging from smiles to raucous laughter. Each of the family members is a unique character, but they argue and discuss issues until they arrive at a group “family” decision and act on it.
The story is told by Gerald as an adult looking back on Gerry’s adventures of which there were many. Ten year old Gerry was allowed to roam the island with his dog Roger exploring flora and fauna at his leisure. Occasionally, to Gerry’s dismay, the family would decide to rein him in by providing a tutor. They procured several knowledgeable men at various times, but it was apparent that Gerry’s passion for animals would dominate any efforts at education. When they arrive, Spiro, a local taxi driver and fixer, adopts them and helps them during their stay with any needs they might have. Gerry meets a lot of the locals during his roamings and they always welcome him and offer him refreshment as they chat.
Durrell is a wonderful author whether he is describing natural beauty, the mating of turtles, the parties hosted by the Durrells, the quirks of his siblings, or his observations of small, black scorpions living in the crumbling garden wall. As they are want to do, there were often animal escapes resulting in family meetings to decide what they were going to do about that particular animal’s housing. Occasionally animals were banned from the house, but at no time did the family try to stop Gerry’s proclivity for cultivating interactions with nature. They seemed to understand that it was as much a part of his nature as writing was to Larry, shooting to Leslie, romance to Margo, or cooking to Mother. Their adventures and interactions will keep you turning pages to see what they will do next.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Memoir, Humor
Notes: #1 in the Corfu Trilogy.A 4 season TV series, The Durrells in Corfu, was made by Masterpiece Theatre.
Publication: 1956—Penguin Books
Memorable Lines:
The cypress trees were whipped like dark pendulums against the sky, and the olives (so fossilized all summer, so still and witchlike) were infected with the madness of the wind and swayed creaking on their misshapen, sinewy trunks, their leaves hissing as they turned, like mother of pearl, from green to silver. This is what the dead leaves had whispered about, this is what they had practiced for; exultantly they rose in the air and danced, whirligiging about, dipping, swooping, falling exhausted when the wind tired of them and passed on.
By the time a certain amount of order had been restored, all the baby scorpions had hidden themselves under various plates and bits of cutlery. Eventually, after impassioned pleas on my part, backed up by Mother, Leslie’s suggestion that the whole lot be slaughtered was quashed…Roger and I went and spent the afternoon on the hillside, for I felt it would be prudent to allow the family to have a siesta before seeing them again.
The hill-top seemed to have its own breeze, albeit a baby one, for no matter how hot it was below in the valley, up in the three olive groves the tiny wind played constantly, the leaves whispered, and the drooping cyclamen flowers bowed to each other in endless greeting. It was an ideal spot in which to rest after a hectic lizard hunt, when your head was pounding with the heat, your clothes limp and discolored with perspiration, and the three dogs hung out their pink tongues and panted like ancient miniature railway engines.
Dating Can Be Deadly–quilts and goats at the county fair
Dating Can Be Deadly
by Amanda Flower
In Holmes County, the Amish and the Englisch have their own traditions, but in general they get along well. The Holmes County Fair draws both groups in. Protagonist Millie Fisher, known to her friend and sidekick Lois Henry as the “Amish Marple,” has been widowed for a number of years and has gradually become comfortable with that role. So, this year, Millie enters a special quilt in the fair and allows her grandson to show her two mischievous goats Phillip and Peter in the goat competition. With the fair as the background, there are many threads in the plot of this amusing cozy mystery. When Millie and Lois discover the body of one of the quilting judges and the shredded quilt of the inimitable bishop’s wife, Ruth, the two sleuths are compelled to investigate.
There are lots of ups and downs in the plot as suspects are found in the most unlikely places. There are romances for both ladies. The most compelling part of the plot for me deals with a little abandoned Amish boy whose grandfather doesn’t want anything to do with him. Millie’s heart goes out to the sweet, fearful child, and she is stuck in the middle of a legal, moral, and Amish cultural dilemma.
As always, Englischer Lois with her colorfully dyed, spiky hair and her best childhood friend Millie, a faithful Amish widow are as different from each other as they can be. They remain devoted to each other. They find themselves involved in a case that leads them into lots of adventures. Lois is famous for her tote bag in which she carries something for every emergency. Millie’s investigative skills are top notch as are her matchmaking skills. This is another fun book in the Amish Matchmaker Mystery Series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #5 in the Amish Matchmaker Mystery Series. Amanda Flower brings new readers into the series quite well, but I recommend reading the previous books in the series because they are good and they make the humor more predictable.
Publication: October 24, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
As soon as she said that, my guard went up. Lois had said to me once that any time an Englischer said something was very simple, it was the opposite, and they typically spoke in a way that was meant to be ambiguous.
“Sometimes when a person turns their passion into an occupation, they begin to resent it. I don’t want that to happen to me.”
You are only poor when you want more than you have.
The Book Club Hotel–reconnecting
The Book Club Hotel
by Sarah Morgan
The title The Book Club Hotel certainly prepares the reader for a bookish read. Indeed, Sarah Morgan’s clean romance does have a book theme as a trio of college friends reunite yearly to relax, catch up, have fun, and discuss a chosen book. They are turning forty this year, and each is at a personal crossroad. Erica, who teaches crisis management to businesses all over the world has never managed to commit in a relationship. Her father had walked out of her life the day she was born. Her bitter mother raised her on the necessity of being independent. Claudia has just been abandoned by her boyfriend of ten years and has lost her job. Anna, known for her homemaking skills and perfect relationship with her husband Pete, is dealing with the impending departure of her twins as they prepare to leave the “nest” to fly off to college.
The story is set at the Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont, an idyllic setting at Christmas time. Claudia and Anna are puzzled by Erica’s choice of a rural Christmasy locale for this year’s getaway. It is very out-of-character for the unromantic Erica. There must be some secret agenda behind her selection.
The lives of these three women intersect with that of the owner of the Maple Sugar Inn. Hattie, a young widow, is the mother of a sweet and precocious little five year old girl Delphi. Their dog Rufus adds fun to the tale which revolves around the trio’s friendship, Erica’s draw to the inn, drama over two bad tempered employees who try to control the inn and its owner, and a handsome, kind Christmas tree and organic food farmer who lives next door. It’s a good read!
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Notes: An unexpected bonus for me is that the book has a strong
Christmas theme with decorations, snow, hot chocolate, and traditions.
Publication: September 19, 2023—Harlequin
Memorable Lines:
“It’s hardly a gift at all. It’s a book, and my sister and I think of a book as a necessity rather than a luxury.” “A necessity is something you need,” Gwen said, “like food or water.” …”Books can take you to a different world.”
Books were her hobby. Reading kept her going. …all Anna had to do to relax was pick up a book and she was immediately transported to another world.
“What do you think of this dress?” “It’s too black. It needs more glitter. Or maybe feathers. I have some in my art box. We could stick them on.” Glitter? Feathers? That was what happened when you asked a five-year-old for fashion advice.
Fight Back with Joy–seeking “a life radiant with joy”
and Fight Back with Joy Bible Study
by Margaret Feinberg
Margaret Feinberg was already an author and speaker when she had the rug pulled out from under her with a cancer diagnosis. With painfully candid honesty, Feinberg shares her journey through the medical and emotional roller coaster that her life became. She and her husband Leif struggled together to find joy in a very difficult situation. They always found God to be faithful as they pursued good health for Margaret and a closer relationship to Him.
Fight Back with Joy chronicles their struggles and recounts how they found joy in the little things. At no point does she exaggerate or minimize her spiritual, physical, or emotional battles. She includes practical advice and examples of their pursuit of joy which was often difficult. Feinberg shows how the things she learned can be applied to the many struggles that her readers undergo, not just physical illness.
The workbook is intended to be used by groups or individuals in corporation with a video series of Margaret’s teachings on joy. I did not have the videos, but that did not hinder my use of either book. The study helps the reader to dive deeper into what the Bible has to say about the struggles of life and our response to them. The book would be valuable even without the workbook, but I certainly would not advise trying to use the workbook without the teachings in the book.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Religion, Christian Life, Personal Growth
Publication: 2015—Worthy Publishing
Memorable Lines:
When we fight back with joy, we no longer size the character of God according to our circumstances, but we size our circumstances according to the character of God and his great affection for us.
When everything goes awry, we are tempted to rush past, stuff, deny, or file the situation under “unmentionables.” We will do anything to make the chaos subside. Something inside us lunges to grieve, but we stiff-arm the impulse, forcing ourselves to keep it together.
…one of the fastest ways to receive joy is to give it away. One of the best ways to be lifted up is to lift up others.
No matter what adversity we face, we can turn our eyes from what’s before us and refocus on the God who fills us with joy. Instead of only seeing adversity, we become alert to Christ, who has overcome all things and for whom nothing is impossible.
Pax, Journey Home–repercussions of war
Pax, Journey Home
by Sara Pennypacker
illustrated by Jon Klassen
When you read Pax by Sara Pennypacker, you will probably want to have closure on several fronts. What happens to Peter? What happens to Pax? Will they ever unite? Will Peter ever return to live with Vola or will he return to his old home?
In Pax, Journey Home the focus is no longer the war, but the aftermath of the war—deserted towns, water poisoned with heavy metals, and animals who have died or fled. Peter joins the Water Warriors in a junior capacity and is able to help some of the adults with his survival skills. Peter’s story turns more tender here as he finally deals with grief and guilt.
Like the first book, Pax, this book provides many opportunities for discussion about war and its impact on families. It adds to that framework environmental topics related to war.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Children’s Fiction
Notes: 1. Ages 9-11
Grades 3-7
2. I liked this book better than the first. Although this book shows Peter confronting issues from his past, in Pax, Journey Home, he overcomes them. He learns how to be strong and brave in his decisions. There is more positivity and gentleness in this book. I do advise reading Pax first.
Publication: January 31, 2023—Balzer + Bray
Memorable Lines:
Memories were so treacherous. Always lurking under the surface, ready to bushwhack you with a blade to the heart when you weren’t careful.
“Well, that is not what I believe.” Vola said it in a completely neutral voice. No challenge, no judgement on someone who believed something else. Peter had come to appreciate Vola’s technique. It defused things, let the other person hold a different side without asking for a fight.
When they’d pulled into the outpost, she’d advised him again. “Fill your cup whenever you can,” and this time he’d understood that she wasn’t talking about water and his eyes had stung.
Pax–a boy and his fox
Pax
by Sara Pennypacker
illustrated by Jon Klassen
Pax is supposed to be a middle grade book, but its themes require more maturity than most young people of that age can muster. The costs of war are central to the book as the characters have to deal with its emotional effects on individuals and families. Trust and treachery, anger and emotional abuse, and love, promises, guilt and truthfulness are all issues that come into play in this book.
With a purposely vague setting in terms of location and time, the author uses two points of view to tell this story—that of Peter, a twelve year old boy whose mother has recently passed away and of Pax, the fox Peter rescued when Pax was just an orphaned kit. Peter’s father goes away to war leaving him with his grandfather, but making him desert his pet. That is so much grief for a boy!
Wracked with guilt and worry, Peter sets out to find Pax while Pax waits and then searches for Peter. The reader follows both characters through adventures and misadventures. Another interesting character is Vola, a wounded veteran who has difficulty recovering from the physical and emotional traumas of war, but tries to help Peter. Several characters in the book suffer from what we would call PTSD or shell shock. There are also generational issues as Peter’s father has difficulty with anger and Peter doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps.
The writing is excellent, and Pax is ripe with topics for discussion. Our book group debated various issues related to the book and reread passages to clarify our understanding of some underlying meanings. When it was time to close down our meeting, we still had concerns we could have pursued.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Children’s Fiction
Notes: 1. Ages 9-11
Grades 3-7
In looking at reviews in Amazon after I finished writing my review, I found that readers were mixed on the appropriate reading level for the subject matter. Whereas my book club of adults found it to be emotionally challenging, many readers in online statements thought it was appropriate. This is not the kind of book you want to hand to a child to read on their own. Instead, it needs to be read with an adult at home or in a classroom and include lots of discussion.
2. I was unhappy that some of the storylines seemed incomplete, but the author published a sequel: Pax, Journey Home in 2023 which I have checked out from my library to read.
Publication: 2016—HarperCollins (Balzer + Bray)
Memorable Lines:
“I have more than everything I need.” Vola sat. “I have peace here.” “Because it’s so quiet?” “No. Because I am exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing. That is peace.”
“So which is it? You going back for your home or for your pet?” “They’re the same thing,” Peter said, the answer sudden and sure, although a surprise to him. “And you’re going to do this no matter who tries to stop you? Because it’s the right thing for you, at your core?” Vola made a fist and thumped her chest. “Your core. Is that true?”
Peter remembered Vola asking him which side his father was fighting on. Peter had answered her, stunned that she would even have to ask. “The right side,” he’d added, indignantly. “Boy,” Vola had said, and then “Boy!” again, to make sure she had his attention. “Do you think anyone in the history of this world ever set out to fight for the wrong side?”
An Amish Cinderella–sweet focus on family
An Amish Cinderella
by Shelley Shepard Gray
Levi Beachy is humble, but he has achieved fame as a blacksmith and a welder, His sculptures are valuable and sought after. He takes on Clayton as his apprentice, a young man who spent most of his years as an orphan in a children’s home. Levi has not thought through the details of the apprentice’s stay—food, lodging, etc. His sweet adult daughter Heart refuses to have Clayton stay in a small unheated attic room over the workshop with spiders, mice, dust and no bathroom facilities. Levi and Heart have been on their own for four years since Heart’s mom Katie passed away. Heart reminds Levi that his wife would never have allowed his treating the young man that way.
Although Levi is physically large and strong and his demeanor is gruff, he actually has a soft spot for children and animals. Levi is patient with his apprentice who works hard and appreciates all Heart does for him. Another important character is Mary who lives close by. She is a widow who helps take care of people in their final days, as she did for Katie Beachy, and those recovering from injuries and sickness. She involves the Beachy family in taking care of a white pet “fancy” rat and also her dog Virginia with five new pups.
An Amish Cinderella displays the trust the characters have in God even during hard times. It shows that God is not a magic genie to deliver wishes, but He does have a plan for our lives and we can count on Him. There are two gentle romances within this tale that is both pleasing and a page turner. This book showcases Amish and English being able to interact to pull together and help others.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, Christian
Notes: #3 in The Amish of Apple Creek series, but perfect as a standalone because, judging by the publisher’s summaries, the characters do not overlap—just the setting. In fact I thought it was a standalone until I was finished and did a little research.
Publication: September 26, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
That was the thing about Levi Beachy. He was a mess of contradictions. He was the biggest man she knew and twice as gruff, but never harsh. Actually, she’d never heard him raise his voice to anyone. Likely, it was because he had no need to. Between his size and his continual scowl, most people in the area were anxious to do what he wanted and get out of his way.
Though most people’s childhoods were the same, it was different in a home. There were two realities that permeated every waking hour. One was that his parents hadn’t wanted him, and the other was that no one else seemed to want him, either.
Why hadn’t he ever let go of his control enough to feel such joy?…Laughter felt good. It felt cleansing. Hopeful, even. The Lord sure worked in amazing ways.
education pathways 