November Book Reviews! @JanSikes3 @frank_prem @LBroday @JillWeatherholt @pokercubster @SLMarchisello #writingcommunity #bookreviews #whattoread #mustread #readersoftwitter

Here are the great books I read in October that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.

A Noble Bargain

By Jan Sikes

I read and loved the first book “Beggar’s Bargain” and was eager to jump into a new story in the series. Oliver Quinn took care of his loving family after his father was killed in a work accident. His dream is to become a professional baseball player. Rose Blaine takes care of her family after losing her mother. The difference between the two is in one home there is love and respect while the other one is full of fear and abuse. When they meet at a local dance, Rose immediately captures Oliver’s attention. A friendship develops as Oliver tries to figure out how to help Rose. When Rose’s home situation reaches a critical point, she and Oliver strike a bargain. He will drive Rose and her brother to their aunt and uncle in St. Louis and they will introduce him to a famous baseball player, her uncle. This is a story of strong contrasts. On one side Oliver’s family is there for each other and they treat each other with kindness whereas Rose’s father and business partner are both cruel and each day it’s a challenge for Rose to survive. Some heavy subjects like abuse and rape were addressed, and Rose’s home situation had me worried. Yet, she had a strength that I could admire that bloomed under some kindhearted help. Oliver’s nonjudgmental nature and willingness to do the right thing, regardless of personal gain, were admirable. It was nice to see characters from the previous story and catch up on their story too. Oliver’s family and Rose and her brothers captured my heart, and I lost sleep not being able to stop reading. This is a story I highly recommend, and think is Ms. Sikes’ best yet.

Pilgrim: Volume 1

by Frank Prem

“Pilgrim: Volume 1” is a thoughtful collection of poems woven together with the word pilgrim. The blurb called “Pilgrim” small wisdoms, but it felt bigger to me as it touched on our journey through life. There are little illustrated feet that creatively guide us to the next poem. A quick but powerful read. Here are only some of the words that touched me: “listen pilgrim/do you hear/the stillness/even the sound/of a cicada/is embraced/in the silence…”—thought sound, “…listen to the sound/of your inner self/when you contemplate/your transformation/you know/this too/is an elemental magic”—elemental alchemy,” and “this is the nature of time/and what is a life/but time/spent/waiting”—natural waiting. These are poems that are meant to be read more than once. I highly recommend this poetry collection!

Wildwood Healer: A Novel

By Linda Broday

Sicily lives alone after losing the only man she loved years before and is the town healer. She gathers herbs and mushrooms to help the local people. She was the closest thing they had to a doctor during the Great Depression. One day, she finds a dog on her doorstep and later finds the young teen who has been hiding in the woods. She takes him in and helps everyone she can including abused wives. I was invested in Sicily and the town from the first page. There were some kind people but also some cruel and corrupt and Sicily had the strength to stand up to them. The story deals with serious issues such as abuse, hunger, mistreatment of children, and corruption, but at its heart, it’s about Sicily’s kindness and determination to do what’s right. I loved the relationship between her and Tate and how she handled a person from her past. The setting was lush, and I could easily picture living in this town during a difficult period in our history when people had so little. But this is where Sicily shone a light and offered solutions instead of despair, making this a hard read to put down. A well-written historical story that captured my heart, I can highly recommend it.

Guarding Her Christmas Secret: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance

By Jill Weatherholt

Hannah Simpson moves to one of my favorite fictional towns, Bluebell, CO. She wants to start over after a tragic loss. Cody Beckett becomes the legal guardian of his best friend’s six-year-old twin girls, McKenzie, and Madison. He gets a call that McKenzie is causing some issues and has to deal with the teacher, Hannah. Although he trains companion dogs, he has no idea what he is doing with the girls. Hannah and Cody have different opinions about how to handle McKenzie. But soon they find themselves thrown together to plan a Christmas festival. The twins are thrilled to have the four of them spend time together, and Hannah is drawn to the dogs in training. I’m happy whenever I visit Bluebell and see old friends. I loved how Cody stepped up by taking the girls, but at the same time didn’t trust himself to raise them. He has a big heart that shines through to the girls and pups. But it’s the slow-burning friendship and attraction between Hannah and Cody that makes this a page-turner. He is patient with Hannah, even not knowing her story and having his fiancé break up with him while Hannah has to deal with her past and loss. Of course, it helps they both have the local grocery store owner looking out for the two of them, along with the girl’s intentions. It’s a heartwarming Christian story that focuses on hope, family, and second chances. I can highly recommend this, especially for reading around the holiday season.

Haiku for the Midnight Hour

By Dawn Pisturino

“Haiku for the Midnight Hour” is a collection of what Ms. Pisturino calls experimental, with a fun twist of darkness. There are seventeen categories, including Home Alone, Creatures in the Night, Fairy Tales, and From Outer Space. I did read it as close to midnight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are just a few of my favorites: “ramshackle old house-/ready to fall—hiding ghosts/abandoned spirits”—House, “full moon at midnight/stares boldly at old tombstones/dead come back to life”—Tombstones, “snakes slight through the/grass with eager hunting for/hypnotized victims”—Snakes, “mummy wrappings and/gray ash trail across the floor/unholy wand’ring”—The Mummy, “Cthulhu calling/stretching his tentacles through/space fracturing minds”—Cthulhu, and “moon maidens dancing/under full moon waxing big/pregnant with magic”—Moon Maidens. This is a fantastic poetry collection for Halloween reading, but also for any time of the year. A read I will enjoy more than once and can highly recommend it to poetry lovers.

P.S. I Forgive You

By D.G. Kaye

I read “Conflicted Hearts” and understand what the author grew up with. I could easily relate to an unhealthy childhood and what it requires as an adult to get past it. In “P.S. I Forgive You” Ms. Kaye has cut off communication and contact with her mother to heal and live a better life. But when her mother is dying, a pang of guilt creeps in and another layer of healing comes into play, forgiveness. Whether you do it in person or allow yourself to forgive from a distance, it can heal that pain carried around. This book was a journey to understand her mother while taking care of herself. We all must walk our paths in life and Ms. Kaye found a powerful one that inspired me as a reader and survivor of a damaging childhood. In life, love and liking can be separate truths. We can wish them well but not aspire to be a part of their lives, and we can forgive them to heal ourselves. The author incorporated this wisdom into an interesting reflection on her life and the lessons she learned. I can easily recommend this, especially if you come from a not-so-perfect family too.

Secrets of the Galapagos

By Sharon Marchisello

Giovanna lost her business and fiancé because of a clever con artist. She goes on a cruise with her grandmother to the Galapagos Islands to regroup and perhaps run into the con artist. Giovanna’s relaxing snorkeling trip takes a dark turn when she realizes she has been left behind and the woman she was with is missing. Everyone ignores her inquiries about her new friend and then tragedy hits the cruise ship, and the police become involved. Giovanna is immersed in more than one mystery, with her past coming into the mix. Giovanna is a fun character who is determined to find answers. Her relationship with her grandmother, who has a strong mind adds a lot of depth to the story. But it’s the islands that captured my attention. The setting was beautifully brought to life through the descriptions. I could feel the ocean breeze, see the fish when they snorkeled, and imagine the island’s celebrity turtle, Tio Armando, the passengers were all eager to see. Giovanna’s investigations lead her into danger and an attraction to the local detective. “Secrets of the Galapagos” was an entertaining mystery with a few twists and turns, and an exotic setting that I’d love to visit someday.

Blog Tour Schedule for Miracles and Ghosts

Sandra Cox: November 1^st A Perfect Ghostly Christmas

Liz Gauffreau:  November 5th Miracle in ER

John Howell: November 6^th A Man and His Cat

Colleen Chesebro: November 7^th At the Mall & video

Jacqui Murray: November 12^th The Red Truck

Jan Sikes: November 13^th Christmas Reunion

Engage your inner child by reading a book! D. L. Finn