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Whistler–a story within a story
Whistler
by Ann Patchett
The beautiful cover of Whistler depicts a horse. Whistler’s story is essential to this work of fiction although the horse is not actually a character in the book, which is most definitely character driven. Patchett has created a tale that shows both the dark and the light sides of her characters. Not all of them are likable, but all are lovable—and flawed.
Daphne and her sister Leda are the adult children of their mother Abigail’s first (failed) marriage to Buddy who wanted to be a good parent, but really did not know how to parent and was unhappy in his job. He left the family to return to his parents’ traditional life as a lobster fisherman. He demonstrated his love, not by what he said, but by what he did for the family—showing up to shovel snow, keeping the batteries in the car’s emergency kit up-to-date.
Daphne is married to Jonathan, an older man (70) who is somewhat insecure in Daphne’s love because his first wife died of cancer and because older men are perpetually attracted to Daphne who is only 53. Jonathan has a caring way of showing his love to Daphne, never overburdening her with jealous behavior.
Skip and Polly have been friends to Eddie, Abigail’s second husband, going back to college days. Abigail divorces Eddie after a few years of marriage, and Daphne has always believed it was her fault. Much of this book explores the relationships of these characters and what actually happened to cause Abigail to insist on a divorce.
These connections are an important part of Whistler revealing that people in our past are still a part of us. Polly has achieved the “perfect” life materialistically; but something is still missing, and she works to control the people in her life with “Stay with me.” When those efforts reach a climax, Daphne says of Polly, “I was still undecided as to whether I disliked her intensely or felt terribly sorry for her.”
Patchett’s writing is excellent and filled with little lines, some poignant, some principled, sprinkled throughout the text. In talking about smoking she has Eddie remark, “Children are righteously abstemious where any pleasures not available to them are concerned.” Later, he shares an important decision with Daphne: “I’m never going to be angry at anyone ever again.” Out of all the wonderful writing in this book, my favorite passage is the last page. Don’t rush to read it first, however, as the rest of the book is the background for these wonderful lines.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction
Notes: I enjoyed my discussion of Whistler with my book group and credit many of the ideas in this review to individual members. They added so much to my perspective of this book.
Publication: 2026—Harper Collins
Memorable Lines:
“I wanted him to be in love with me. That’s what I wanted. … It’s an awful business,” she said. “Loving another person.” “It is,” I said, and for the first time in a long time, I remembered that I loved her, or more precisely, I remembered she was a person who had lived her own autonomous life full of mistakes and disappointments and judgments and thwarted love.
How was it that a weekday trip to a museum with my husband had plunged me back into childhood at the age of fifty-three? I knew what Leda would say. She would say it was because childhood never leaves us. We seal the room up and cover it in sheetrock. We dry and sand and paint, but the pocket of history remains and sooner or later someone always winds up tapping on the wall, commenting on the way it sounds strangely hollow in there, and then the whole thing comes tumbling down.
“Your mother and I both have a small shard of glass in our hearts where the other is concerned: her disappointment, my shame, her regret and my regret. This helps to pry it loose. All these years later, you can still pry something loose. There’s no sense carrying shame and regret into the next life.”
The Reluctant Healer of Halifax–man-made disaster
The Reluctant Healer of Halifax
by Terrie Todd
narrated by Naomi Mayo
Knowing nothing about the Halifax explosion, probably the biggest man-made disaster in Canada’s history, I entered this audiobook in complete ignorance. The author, Terrie Todd, pulled me into the horrendous story and didn’t let go until the main characters had some closure. There were lots of unhappy endings in The Reluctant Healer of Halifax, but there were also many examples of faith and courage.
Oliver Hamilton returns from France during WWI with only one eye and a damaged face. Convinced that no one would be able to look at him, he breaks off his relationship with Pearline Campbell without even consulting her feelings. Only a few days later, the Halifax explosion occurs, killing and maiming thousands. Both of the main characters have to step up to help others. They both lost family members and part of the book deals with the search for one of Pearline’s brothers. Meanwhile, there are many children in Halifax without homes, and Pearline takes in some of them with the help of her former maid, now considered a part of Pearline’s family.
All of the characters experience growth and answer God’s call in ways they would never have considered possible. I enjoyed listening to this book. Naomi Mayo is an excellent narrator, and I never had to wonder who was speaking or whose point of view framed each passage.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Inspirational, Christian
Notes: 1. Fellow blogger Carla inspired me to read/listen to this book. She is Canadian and one of the many challenges she has taken on this year involves reading books about Canada and by Canadian authors. You can find her review here: Carla Loves to Read.
2. The author has notes on the historical accuracy of the book including what events were changed and why.
3. #6 in the Enduring Hope series. Each book is a standalone written by a different author.
Publication: 2026—Oasis Audio
Their Surprise Reunion–being gentle with her heart
Their Surprise Reunion
by Shelley Shepard Gray
Kayla Harding holds on to her self-respect during the hardest of times—when her husband of three years wants a divorce, when the divorce leaves her financially and emotionally devastated despite her husband’s affair being the cause of the split, and when she is literally hungry because her salary as a part-time clerk at a card shop won’t cover the most basic of expenses. Swallowing her pride she resorts to a food bank at Loaves of Love where clients and volunteers also make bread for the needy.
Sean Copeland volunteers at Loaves of Love where he meets up with Kayla and they recognize each other. They had attended the same small high school. He was a football star, and now he is assistant coach and teacher at Medina. He assumes that, like him, Kayla is at Loaves of Love as a volunteer, and she is too embarrassed to correct him.
Their Surprise Reunion takes the reader through their backgrounds and their current home situations. Sean is a widower with an adorable six year old son and a supportive extended family. Kayla’s boss has perfected meanness in her leadership style with lots of gaslighting and ultimatums. Read this romance to watch the pair struggle through the need to be honest about their pasts and their feelings for each other. Kayla is sweet and kind, and Sean treats her with the respect she has always deserved, but rarely received. The story is touching, and the characters are worthy of a happy ending. Read Their Surprise Reunion to see if the pair gets one.
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: General Fiction, Romance
Notes: 1. #1 in A Matchmaker Knows Best
2. Clean
Publication: April 29, 2025—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
“Personal problems don’t give folks the right to take out their bad moods on everyone else, though.”
Making someone else’s life easier was a gift that kept on giving.
The Summer of You and Me–honesty in the family
The Summer of You and Me
by Denise Hunter
Maggie is a teacher in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but she and her adorable four year old daughter travel to Seabrook, North Carolina, “a sleepy seaside town poised between the more popular Outer Banks and Myrtle Beach” for the summer. They will be staying in the home of her in-laws who are traveling in Europe. This is a big emotional decision for Maggie whose military husband Ethan passed away five years ago in Pakistan.
The summer is full of positive interactions with Ethan’s brother, Josh, and his sister, Erin. They have all been good friends for a long time. In fact, Josh, two years younger than Maggie, fell in love with her as a young teenager, but she fell hard for Ethan. How could Josh compete with his older brother when he was clearly too young to date Maggie? They became the best of friends, and no one ever knew that Josh loved Maggie. But Josh was always there for Maggie.
One summer evening, Maggie spies Ethan at a carnival, only it couldn’t be Ethan! That evening catapults the pair into a search for the truth that takes some interesting side paths that bring Maggie and Josh together and then apart in an emotional roller coaster ride.
The Summer of You and Me explores the intricacies of family dynamics and how dysfunction in a family affects individuals. Even positive relationships can produce misunderstandings that change how a child views themselves, carrying unhealthy perspectives into adulthood. The characters in this story are interesting and are trying to do their best for everyone else, but things don’t always go the way they were intended. The impact of the fallout can be disastrous. The story holds a lot of surprises and tension as Maggie and Josh try to negotiate their changing relationship and solve the mystery of Ethan’s doppelgänger. I enjoyed the clean romance that combines mystery with relationships and psychology.
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: Christian, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publication: April 22, 2025—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
As Josh entered, Mom greeted him in such a way as to maintain civility while still making him feel unwelcome. It was a special gift.
He didn’t feel like a friend. Friends didn’t make your heart wobble your chest. They didn’t make your knees go noodly or your skin vibrate with life.
God, help me. She winged the ancient plea heavenward. Hopefully He would forgive the ambiguous request. She couldn’t seem to formulate anything more meaningful.
An Amish Christmas Star—three Amish Christmas stories
Buggies, Trains, and Automobiles
by Shelley Shepard Gray
Ellie Coblentz is called back from vacation to help her Grandmommi. John Miller receives a phone call that his father, from whom he has been estranged for almost fifteen years, is on his deathbed. John needs to travel quickly if he wants to get to the nursing home before his father passes, something he is not sure he wants to do. It is a few days before Christmas when the two meet at a bulletin board searching for ways to get from Pinecraft, Florida, to Holmes County, Ohio, in bad weather. As strangers, they make for unusual travel partners, but God has a way of bringing them together under the difficult travel circumstances as they find themselves stranded several times along the journey. In addition to some crazy hired drivers, they also encounter some very kind and helpful people who think helping others is a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas. This is a sweet Christmas story that I think I would enjoy rereading.
Star of Wonder
by Charlotte Hubbard
Lizzie Zehr is a young Mennonite woman with a flamboyant, creative flair. Raised by her two sisters, first one who passed with MS, and then the other who was a talented, but perfectionist baker, Lizzie has felt stifled by them. She finds freedom in a job in a new bulk store in Promise Lodge. A lot of the Old Order Amish have moved there to be away from a mean-spirited Bishop.
Raymond Overholt is another creative who travels from Coldstream to Promise Lodge. His goal, however, is to sell art he has created from barnboard wood decorated with Christmas messages and stars. He just doesn’t enjoy or fit in well in his family’s dairy farm. So when offered a seasonal temporary job at the store in Promise Lodge, he accepts.
If Lizzie and Raymond have a future together, there will be a lot of opposition to overcome arising from the Amish leaders in Coldstream and Raymond’s family. It will take a change of heart by the leadership there and perhaps a change of circumstances. It will take a Christmas miracle!
Starlight Everlasting
by Rosalind Lauer
Rachel and Luke Coblentz began courting when they were quite young. They kept putting off their wedding in hopes that Rachel’s mother would recover from cancer and be able to be a part of the ceremony. Unfortunately, she passed away, leaving the family with seven children and a mountain of medical bills. As young marrieds, they feel an obligation to pay off the debts, but Luke is unable to find a job in the town of Joyful River. He gets a low paying factory job in Maple Run, but that means he and Rachel must live apart 5 days out of the week. This becomes a crisis for the young couple when Luke is required to work on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Meanwhile, Rachel has restored an abandoned Christmas store in Joyful River. It is doing quite well, and she is able to help with the care of her younger siblings, but she misses Luke so much! They reach out to God and rely on him to give them the wisdom and faith required to help them through this difficult season.
Truman is one of Rachel’s young siblings, and I came to love him as much as Rachel does. As Rachel describes him, he is “odd.” He doesn’t understand social signals, but he “has a good heart.” Although bullied, he doesn’t retaliate. He is very smart and memorizes things quickly.
I enjoyed all of these novellas. They were able to tell a whole story in less space than a novel, and I didn’t feel that anything was missing.
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: Christian, Religion, Romance
Notes: These novellas offer the reader the Christmas spirit relying on the story of Christ’s birth as well as the cultural decorations and themes that are celebrated by non-Amish.
Publication: September 30, 2025—Kensington
Memorable Lines from Buggies, Trains, and Automobiles:
When she looked back for Kramer, he was gone, and the truck was too. “I didn’t hear Kramer’s truck leave. Did you?” John stopped and stared. “It was like he vanished. That sure was strange, ain’t so?” “Usually I would agree, but I’m starting to think that he was our own guardian angel,” Ellie said.
Memorable Lines from Star of Wonder:
Best of all, though, she had a new circle of friends who shone as brightly as one of Raymond’s gold stars when the morning sunlight hit it. And for that, Lizzie felt extremely blessed.
Memorable Lines from Starlight Everlasting:
Gott had guided the wise men with a star. It seemed simple and yet profound. Gott was guiding all of his believers each and every day. And that was what had led Luke here tonight. Faith.
The Finders Keepers Library–caring and helping
The Finders Keepers Library
by Annie Rains
I was immediately enchanted by the format of The Finders Keepers Library. Each chapter begins with a quote, usually bookish, always by a famous author (from Lamott to Tolkien and many in between), and always pertinent to the content of the chapter. I am quite familiar with starting chapters with quotes, but sometimes they are obscure, obtuse, or irrelevant. Not in this book where they are charming and relatable! Each chapter also begins with a pencil sketch of flowers emerging from a book. This illustration has a special meaning because one of the main characters, Eleanor, owns the free library created by her deceased husband along with an extensive garden. They combined their hobbies in a way that engages the community.
Savannah is in between jobs and has just had a troubling medical diagnosis, lupus, that she is learning to live with. Rather than go to her parents’ home, she has a long overdue visit with her beloved Aunt Eleanor who could really use her skills with plants to get the garden in shape for the wedding of a friend of Savannah. Eleanor’s next door neighbor is Evan who was Savannah’s close friend every summer when she came to visit. When they parted ways after high school graduation, they lost touch with each other although neither forgot the “what could have been” of their relationship. Now they are at a different place in their lives. Evan is divorced and has newly become the custodial parent for his grieving daughter. Savannah’s partner of two years walked away when she got her lupus diagnosis. Eleanor has not left her house in a year since she was hospitalized from a bad fall. All of these really nice characters, plus several more, have issues to work through and obstacles in the way. Annie Rains weaves several sweet romances into this story of people helping each other. I highly recommend it.
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, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #1 in the Love in Bloom series
2. Clean
Publication: April 16, 2024—Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Memorable Lines:
“If you ask me, a cup of tea and a good book is the best kind of medicine.”
“I think sometimes, when we’ve been wounded, we humans like to push people away, to prove our greatest fears.” She looked at him again. “What fear?” She shrugged. “That we’re unlovable.”
Knowing that someone loved you enough to bother you when you wanted to be alone was always better than leaving that person alone and letting them believe that no one cared.
Murder on Tour–plot within a plot
Murder on Tour
By V.M. Burns
Samantha Washington is an independent bookstore owner in North Harbor, Michigan. As a local author with her first book, a cozy mystery, to her credit, she is invited to be on panels at the North Harbor Book Festival hosted by Michigan Southwestern University.
When a publicist is murdered, Samantha (Sam) recruits her Nana Jo and her friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village to join her in solving the crime. It turns out to be more difficult than one would imagine as Sam uncovers among the authors multiple layers of affairs and treachery that could rival a soap opera.
This series is unusual in that Sam is writing historical fiction. We witness the process in spurts as Sam turns to her laptop frequently when she is blocked or needs a break in her investigations. The occurrences in the book she is writing with a setting of 1939 mirror in some ways the current crime. The first time I read a book in this series I found the technique somewhat distracting. In Murder on Tour, however, I thought it played well. Either the author has become more skillful or I have incorporated this style into my reading mindset.
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: Mystery
Notes: #9 in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone
Publication: November 28,2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“But don’t discount the importance of escapist fiction. Books are subjective, and people read books for different reasons. Given everything that’s happened in the world, many of us need to escape to maintain our sanity.”
These women didn’t know a lot about mysteries, but they would defend me to the death if anyone said an unkind word about my book. Some days, you need people like that in your corner.
He stared at me for several beats…I didn’t flinch. I taught English to high school students who could smell fear a mile away. Woe to the teacher stupid enough to blink during a stare-down. But he was good. Really good.
Rediscovering Christmas–finding joy after tragedy
Rediscovering Christmas
by Mindy Obenhaus
What does it take to weaken a Christian’s faith in God? In the case of Tori Stallings it was the death of her husband and her mother and the complete destruction of her home by fire. These sequential catastrophes in just a few years time left Tori devastated despite the support she had from friends, family and co-workers.
Tori had learned to be independent over the years as her confident and dashing husband Joel devoted more time to his country than to his family. His quiet brother Micah quit the military when his brother died to try to pick up the pieces for Tori and her son Aiden. His secret is that his friendship with Tori was more than that when they hit their teenage years, but he kept his crush hidden when she was obviously attracted to Joel.
Tori and Micah are thrown together when she loses her home and she and Aiden move into the family home Micah shares with his mom. Aiden, an adorable six year old, never really knew much of his dad, and Uncle Micah became the father substitute in his life, a relationship Micah and Aiden both enjoyed.
Although there is a growing attraction, Tori and Micah need to get over the feeling they are doing something wrong since Tori is his brother’s widow. Also, Tori is angry with God, and Micah knows that he can’t pursue a relationship with her until she works through her anger and realizes she needs to put her trust for the future in God’s hands.
There are multiple obstacles to be overcome and lots of good people to help them as they face the issues that come when disasters strike and faith is tested.
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
Notes: 1. It was only when I reached the notes at the end of the book that I realized that this book (#6) is the last of the Hope Crossing series, so it certainly could be read as a stand alone.
2. This was my last Christmasy book for 2024 and it made a fitting ending. Faith and having the heart of a servant were threads all through the book. In the process of righting her relationship with God, Tori also rediscovered the joy of the Christmas season with help from Micah. Christmas decorations and traditions reestablished for their first Christmas after the fire helped Tori rediscover Christmas as well.
Publication: November 26, 2024—Harlequin
Memorable Lines:
None of them spoke because there’d been nothing to say. There was no room for platitudes at a time like this. He was certain Tori would hear her fair share of those over the coming days, weeks and months. But he and his mom cared about her too much for that. Sometimes the best thing you could do was to let someone cry.
“…you’ve faced more than your fair share of loss in recent years. It stands to reason that you’d be hurting and angry. But be aware, my friend, while you might try to run from God, you can’t outrun Him. And I know this for a fact because He loved me enough to pursue me even when I chose not to trust Him.”
“We’re not called to understand everything that happens in our lives. We’re called to trust Him with our lives, come what may.”
A Christmas Duet–musical inspiration
A Christmas Duet
by Debbie Macomber
If you are looking for an easy and fast read with a Christmas setting, I can recommend Macomber’s Christmas romance A Christmas Duet.
Hailey is a high school music teacher. She has been composing music since she was a child, but she lost her motivation when her expected fiancé popped her bubble saying she needed to abandon her dream because she was not good enough to make it in the music industry. Three years and one destroyed relationship later she decides not to go home for Christmas. A friend offers a family cabin where she can seclude herself and compose to her heart’s content in little Podunk, Oregon.
When Jethro (aka Jay) is sent to rescue her from a “rabid raccoon” in the cabin, there is immediate attraction which only intensifies when they discover their shared interest in music. He used to be in a band and now is establishing his own production company.
What starts out as a quiet, inspirational time deteriorates rapidly when Hilary’s sister Daisy, who is obviously having an issue, surprises her as do a succession of others who don’t seem to understand the concept of being alone.
I don’t want to disclose any more of the plot, but it is fun and Hilary and Jay are both great people. My one small problem with the book is that Hilary’s mother is overkill in the “you need to get married and have grandchildren for me” department. Her actions certainly add tension to the plot, but I hope no one really is as pushy with their daughters as this mother is. Jay’s mother is much more reasonable and for me believable as a character. This is a feel good Christmas romance that I very much enjoyed.
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, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publication: October 15, 2024—Random House (Ballentine)
Memorable Lines:
Not until his vehicle was out of sight did Hailey panic. She didn’t cook. What was she thinking? The poor man didn’t have any idea of what he was getting himself in for.
Since she’d taken a job at the high school, she’d become staid, caught up in routine and rarely venturing beyond what was comfortable. Being with Jay felt like she’d walked from winter into spring, where everything felt fresh and new.
This secluded cabin had more traffic than a Macy’s department store during the holidays.
Christy–Appalachian teacher
Christy
by Catherine Marshall
Christy, who lived a protected childhood in Asheville, NC., was nineteen years old when she answered God’s call through the head of a missionary society to move to Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1912. Her job was to teach 67 mountain children who had not had steady opportunities for “book learning.” In fact, the one room school house held only a few much used texts for the students. Christy had to take on the additional duty of procuring books and other needed supplies as donations for her students.
In entering Cutter Gap by foot on a cold, snowy day that had finally thawed out enough for the postman to get through, Christy was crossing into another world with its own customs and unique phrases passed down from Scottish heritage. She was startled by the poverty, unsanitary living conditions, and firm adherence to superstitions. Christy was a witness to feuding and its deadly consequences, but she also discovered in the people kindness, grace, and a heart-felt joy in music.
Christy is the story of author Catherine Marshall’s mother as a teenage teacher. As historical fiction, it is more factual than imaginative. Marshall weaves the many tales she heard from her mother into a story that pulls the reader into a culture struggling for survival in the Appalachian mountains. The descriptions in the book paint a picture of the beauty and the harshness of nature in the mountains.
The characters in the book are well developed. One of my favorites is Miss Alice, a Quaker lady admired by all. She travels among three communities on horseback doing everything from administrative work to nursing the sick. She has deep spiritual insights born of experience. The author also reveals traumatic events in Miss Alice’s past that help her understand the tragedies the mountain folk have to cope with on a daily basis. If there ever was a nonjudgmental character, it would be Miss Alice.
This classic deserves a read or reread; a visit to Cutter Gap is one you will enjoy!
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian, Classic
Publication: 1967—McGraw-Hill
Memorable Lines:
Surely one of the chief differences between the veteran teacher and the recruit must be that the experienced can never find enough time, whereas the ingénue struggles to fill the hours, looks forward to dismissal time as a reprieve.
“…if we will let God, He can use even our disappointments, even our annoyances to bring us a blessing. There’s a practical way to start the process too: by thanking Him for whatever happens, no matter how disagreeable it seems.”
I realized something else…there was more to this gracious offer than met the eye. Fairlight Spencer was not just volunteering to do some washing and ironing for me; she was also holding out to me the gift of her friendship. Among the mountain people, this was the most cherished gift of all. It was a breakthrough of those walls of reserve that had so far seemed impenetrable.
“And as for religion being vague—well, it isn’t. It’s been the delight of my life to find God far more commonsense and practical than any human I know. The only time I ever find my dealing with God less than clear-cut is when I’m not being honest with Him. The fuzziness is always on my side not His.”
