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The Proposal Plot–marriage material?
The Proposal Plot
by Kathleen Fuller
Books that focus on the Amish are generally clean and wholesome because they are a reflection of Amish faith and beliefs. The Proposal Plot is no exception, but that doesn’t mean that every character is a model of good behavior, kindness, and self-control. There is plenty of room for these characters to grow. Nelson Bontrager has been hurt in wooing two different women and has sworn off women altogether. Ella Yoder has been raised to believe she is not pretty and not “marriage material” because she is bossy and argumentative. The two clash from their first meeting. Ella’s spoiled sister Junia, however, falls head over heels in love with Nelson’s slightly younger nephew, Malachi. The girls’ dad, the widower Barnabas, owns E&J’s Grocery store and is caught in the middle between his two constantly warring daughters.
Wendy, a successful New York City lawyer, needs some distance from the career ladder she has been climbing so she moves temporarily to Marigold, Ohio, and opens an office in a nearby small town. She lives with and becomes a caregiver for her aging, diabetic mother. Wendy is talented at mediation and can afford to accept only cases she chooses and work the hours convenient to her.
This story is a roller coaster of emotions and conflict as there are love/hate relationships throughout the book. There is also a conundrum for one of the characters as she tries to sort out her attraction to Barnabas versus her attraction to the Amish faith. Learning about the backgrounds of all these characters and watching them sort through their feelings makes for an interesting and enjoyable read and a breath of fresh air from the daily news cycle.
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, Christian, Religion, Romance
Notes: #2 in the Amish of Marigold series, but could easily be read as a standalone. It appears there will be three books in this series.
Publication: May 7, 2024—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
Regardless of what his future held, he had his family and his faith—and he was grateful.
But that would be a lie. Not that she’d been the most honest person all her life. She’d lied in court—what lawyer hadn’t? Over the years she’d lied to her parents more times than she could count, mostly so they wouldn’t worry about her or pry into her life. Most of all, she’d lied to herself.
I love having you with me. I just want you to know that I’ll be okay, whatever you decide.” She smiled. “God’s got my back. He always has.”
A Breath of Fresh Air–very tangled family relationships
A Breath of Fresh Air
by Jessica Redland
I have really enjoyed Redland’s books; they are clean romances. I had many interruptions as I was reading this one, but I was always eager to pick up where I left off. My one warning is that A Breath of Fresh Air ends with a very large and surprising hook—big enough that I will be revising my reading queue to move on quickly to the third book in the series. At the end, I turned the page to learn who the mysterious “C.” is only to discover that this person’s identity is still hidden. Several of the main characters have been working for a number of months to bring this person’s name to light, but as the book closes it is still a mystery to the reader.
A Breath of Fresh Air is the story of Rosie who manages the stable on a large, but run down, property. She cares for the horses and gives riding lessons to groups and individuals with the help of her mother. Mam is emotionally crippled by a very serious accident and can not make herself leave the estate grounds. Mam has raised Rosie on her own and has never disclosed to Rosie, or anyone, who Rosie’s father is.
There is a lot of heavy baggage that the characters have to carry. Rosie was badly bullied in school, but the most painful break was with her long time friend, Ollie. What in his background would cause him to join with the “Populars” in making fun of her?
There are a lot of themes that the author explores including dysfunctional families composed of tortured people. Bullying is a huge issue as well as secrets that hurt but are supposed to protect. Paternity issues and the treatment of unwed mothers play a major role in this book. The novel includes second chance romances and recovery from PTSD. In the midst of all of these negatives are folks of good character, a supportive friend, and people who dream and work to make their dreams a reality.
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, Women’s Fiction
Notes: #2 in the Escape to the Lakes series, but could be read as a stand alone.
Publication: January 10, 2024—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
Confidence could be such a funny thing. If I was at the stables, I could happily chat to anyone—any age or walk of life, but being surrounded by horses was my comfort zone, my domain, my safe space. This couldn’t be further from that.
“Your capacity to forgive is astonishing, you love your friends and family with a ferocity that’s so touching, and you inspire me every day to want to be a better person.”
Things happened—unexpected, horrendous, life-changing things—but what was important was how we picked ourselves up after them, made our peace and moved on.
Murder Most Fair–grief
Murder Most Fair
by Anna Lee Huber
What is the best way to grieve? Murder Most Fair weaves that theme throughout a captivating mystery by Anna Lee Huber. This novel has its basis in the spy and undercover operations of the Great War (WWI). The espionage secrets of that period are held close by those involved because of the Official Secrets Act which binds them through honor and legalities. It is in this atmosphere that Verity Kent, a spy, and her husband Sidney Kent, a war hero also engaged in undercover work, pursue what appears to be the frivolous, carefree lifestyle of the young rich.
In reality, like so many of that period, Verity and Sidney are working through grief—for Verity, the personal loss of her beloved brother Rob and for both of them, the witnessing of many soldiers and civilians killed or maimed in the conflicts. The couple is also struggling to avoid the clutches of the evil Lord Ardmore in a different type of war fallout. Meanwhile, we get a first hand view of the hatred many in England felt for all Germans. Verity’s great-aunt Ilse manages to obtain legal entry to Great Britain along with her German maid. Ilse is but a shell of her former self after surviving the war in a country where even if you had money, there was nothing to buy. Malnutrition and starvation were rampant.
The mystery becomes deadly as it progresses. Sidney and Verity are asked to investigate on the side as the local law officer has never handled a murder case. Verity’s relationship with her family is highly stressed as she has not been home in five years, including for her brother’s funeral. Her absence was quite painful for her mother.
Huber’s descriptions are outstanding, evoking a visual and emotional picture. She places the reader in the middle of the setting along with the characters. Her plot is intricately crafted with threads that seem to go nowhere…until they do. This is a good historical novel with suspense to keep you turning pages.
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: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Notes: #5 in the Verity Kent Mystery Series. I haven’t read all the books in this series, but Huber provides needed background information, so this book could be read as a standalone.
Publication: August 3, 2021—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
I wrapped my juniper-green woolen jumper tighter around me and breathed deeply of the air tinted with the smoke from the hearths burning inside, the earthy aroma of autumn decay, and a faint tinge of saltiness from the sea a short distance away. The breeze sawed gently through the trees overhead, rustling the leaves like castanets…
“Well, the Jerries weren’t happy to sit in their mudholes and cesspits any more than we were. We were both just cogs caught up in the higher-ups’ wheels of madness.”
Most of the war dead, of course, had not been repatriated, instead being buried in France, Belgium, Gallipoli, Palestine, and other far-flung places on the globe. But nonetheless I could feel their absence like the missing notes of a song or the lost verse of a poem.
Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All
Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All
by Karen Ehman
Have you ever stopped to think about the “aweful” (and sometimes awful) power our tongues can have? Like, maybe, when you put your foot in your mouth…again? Or, perhaps, you have pondered the good in your life when someone spoke words of kindness and encouragement. Karen Ehman has written a special, down-to-earth book for those interested in taming the tongue: Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All.
This book is humorous and full of anecdotes. It is also biblically based and gets REAL about the issues that all honest women will admit arise in their lives from time to time—especially in this digital age. Ehman addresses various problems of communication including listening, talking to God before talking to others, gossip, flattery, and anger. She shares verses from Proverbs as the original tweets, and they are powerful. It turns out the Bible has a lot to say about what we have to say.
Ehman concludes Keep It Shut by summarizing tips and tricks derived from the body of her book as a quick and easy way to refer back to those truths. She discusses ways to find time and opportunities to get away with God for a few minutes or hours to be grounded in Him so you can make Godly decisions about what to say and when to say it. She lists ten verses that will “help you watch your words.” She has questions to ponder to help you examine your motives and decide if something is gossip or not. Ehman doesn’t stop at the negative. She also includes “powerful phrases” to speak to various people in your life and Scripture verses, quotes, and phrases that you can photocopy and display around your home or office as reminders.
Keep It Shut had a surprisingly big impact on me, giving me a lot to think about. One example is the “white lie.” Yes, I do tell white lies occasionally to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Ehman discusses the dangers of that and offers alternatives. I recommend Keep It Shut for the humor, the chatty presentation, and the Godly truths found in its pages.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction
Notes: Ehman addresses women in her book because psychologists have shown that women speak a lot more words every day than men (20,000 compared to 7,000). Of course there are exceptions, but in general women have a lot more opportunities to get in trouble because of things they say than men. Men, the biblical truths in this book would not be wasted on you either!
Publication: January 6, 2015—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
Don’t say something permanently painful just because you are temporarily ticked off.
All the humans you encounter throughout the course of the day are “on purpose” people. God plopped them into your life for a reason.
When we harden our hearts and let every little offense poke a hole in our happiness, we only hurt ourselves…But when we soften our hearts with love for others, and toughen our skins against their barbs, we are better equipped to show the compassionate love of Jesus to a watching world.
Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection
Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection
by John E. Sarno, M.D.
Dr. Sarno, through many years of treating patients with back pain, has discovered what he considers an epidemic of back pain in the U.S. and states that usually the cause is not an accident or a degenerative disease. He attributes it to repressed emotions, usually anger or anxiety, and says that the stressful situation that causes the Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) does not always have to be resolved for the pain to go away. The patient just needs to recognize the mind-body connection that he is experiencing.
I have not tried to apply Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection’s seemingly simple techniques; I have only read the book. Dr. Sarno’s detailed discussion of the failure of traditional medicine’s handling of back pain does make sense. He advises someone with back pain to consult with a doctor to get that perspective, but then evaluate their symptoms in the light of his thesis. He also says many other conditions such as eczema, headaches, and irritable bowl syndrome may be attributable to repressed emotions also.
Dr. Sarno cites a lot of anecdotal evidence as well as data gained from surveys of patients to support his theory. He does not claim to understand how the brain can exert such powerful control over the body, but reminds the reader that there are many things about the way the brain works that are not completely understood yet. Dr. Sarno is a medical doctor, not a salesman, not a slick businessman ready to perform on morning TV. His background is displayed in his writing style, and my 4 star rating reflects that. His bold stance against the traditional and unsuccessful medical view of back pain and his obvious enthusiasm for helping those with back pain rates 5 stars.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Health
Notes:
- Much of the book is technical. The chapter about his technique is vague, maybe because it is so simple and we expect more bells and whistles from modern medicine. Because of these factors, I found the Appendix particularly valuable. It is comprised of “Letters from Patients” and shows concretely how various patients have applied his theory and their results.
- Having finished this book on the mind/body connection, which deals primarily with the power of repressed emotions, I was amazed as I started a fictional book to discover at least four prominent references in the first chapter to how the characters realistically reacted viscerally in various ways to stress inducing moments. I reflected that if people instantaneously respond physically (tightening muscles, a sinking feeling in the gut) to anxiety, then Dr. Sarno’s connection of repressed emotions and body pain seems rational even if ignored by the medical community.
Publication: Original 1991, Kindle 2001—Hachette Book Group
Memorable Lines:
Though the low back is the most common location for an acute attack, it can occur anywhere in the neck, shoulders, or upper and lower back. Wherever it occurs, it is the most painful thing I know of in clinical medicine, which is ironic because it is completely harmless.
It is not the occasion itself but the degree of anxiety or anger that it generates that determines if there will be a physical reaction. The important thing is the emotion generated and repressed, for we have a built-in tendency to repress unpleasant, painful, or embarrassing emotions. These repressed feelings are the stimulus for TMS and other disorders like it. Anxiety and anger are two of those undesirable emotions that we would rather not be aware of, and so the mind keeps them in the subterranean precincts of the subconscious if it possibly can.
Traditional medical diagnoses focus on the machine, the body, while the real problem seems to relate to what makes the machine work—the mind. TMS is characterized by physical pain, but that acute discomfort is induced by the psychological phenomena rather than structural abnormalities or muscle deficiency.
education pathways 