Review: Night Light (Restoration #2) by Terri Blackstock

Title: Night Light (Restoration #2)
Author: Terri Blackstock
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: July 4, 2006 (first published January 1st 2006)
Edition: Paperback (355 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Mystery

Series: Restoration Series (#2)
Night Light by Terri Blackstock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Branning family and their neighbors are adjusting to no electricity, running water, electronics, and having to grow or barter for their food. The six of them have about all they can do to provide for themselves. Suddenly, four children are added to their family, and the family and some church members take on helping dwellers of an apartment complex. And just when Deni thinks her life is settled, she discovers it isn't, and she has to make a difficult decision as to whether she wants to merry the man she is engaged to or whether she needs to stay with her family and community.

This book was as engaging as the first in the Series. The characters continue their spiritual journey, and Terri Blackstock writes more about each in this compelling story. Real life struggles don't dim because the lights go out!

Review: Six Years in the Hanoi Hilton: An Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in Vietnam by Amy Shively Hawk

Title: Six Years in the Hanoi Hilton: An Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in Vietnam
Author: Amy Shively Hawk
Publisher: Regnery History
Publication Date: March 13th 2017
Edition: Hardcover (320 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• History
• Military
• Vietnam War

Six Years in the Hanoi Hilton: An Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in Vietnam by Amy Shively Hawk

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In 1967, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot James Shively was shot down while flying an F-105 Thunderchief aircraft over North Vietnam. He was captured and held prisoner there for the next six years. He returned home in 1973, went to law school and served as an attorney in both private practice and government service. As a prisoner of war, Jim Shively served his country with honor and distinction. He was a man of great character and conviction.

I am blessed to have had the opportunity to read this biography. There is much I can take away from this book and apply to my own life. So many have endured so much for the love of this country. And I am thankful for each and every one who has made the choice to protect our freedom.

Lynn's List (August 25, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of My Grandmother by Kate Hennessy
• Darktown: A Novel by Thomas Mullen
• The German Girl: A Novel by Armando Lucas Correa
• The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home by Sally Mott Freeman
• Linda Fairstein Boxed Set by Linda Fairstein (first three Alex Cooper mysteries)
• Darkness Visible: a Memoir of Madness by William Styron
• Sophie's Choice by William Styron
• Ahead of Time by Ruth Gruber
• Haven by Ruth Gruber
• Raquela by Ruth Gruber
• K-9 Korea: The Untold Story of America's War Dogs in the Korean War by J. Rachel Reed
• Six Years in the Hanoi Hilton: An Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in Vietnam by John Mccain and Amy Shively Hawk
• The Last Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II by Don Brown and Capt. Jerry Yellin
• Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson by William Hazelgrove
• The Burning of the White House: James and Dolley Madison and the War of 1812 by Jane Hampton Cook
• Strange Beauty: A Portrait of My Son by Eliza Factor
• Everything We Lost: A Novel by Valerie Geary
• Self-Made Woman: A Memoir by Denise Chanterelle Dubois
• Sulfur Springs: A Novel by William Kent Krueger
• Behind Enemy Lines by Wendy Holden and Marthe Cohn
• The Girl I Used To Be by April Henry

Review: Last Light (Restoration #1) by Terri Blackstock

Title: Last Light (Restoration #1)
Author: Terri Blackstock
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: October 1, 2005
Edition: Paperback (381 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Apocalyptic
• Christian Fiction
• Contemporary
• Mystery
• Post Apocalyptic
• Suspense
• Thriller

Literary Awards:

• Christy Award Nominee for Suspense (2006)

Series: Restoration

1. Last light
2. Night Light
3. True Light
4. Dawn's Light

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One minute all is running smoothly. Cars are moving on the roads and planes are flying. The next minute, cars are stopped where they are and planes are falling out of the sky. Electronics no longer work. There is no electricity. And the Brannin family is caught up in the chaos , having to struggle to survive daily life and figure out how to live without the conveniences we are all so used to. And, in their community a murderer is on the loose.

I have yet to read a Terri Blackstock book that had little to teach me, and this one is no exception. Each of the characters had so much to tell about life, love, commitment, a relationship with God, and a whole lot more. I am looking forward to reading the three remaining books in the Restoration Series.

Review: The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Title: The Life She Was Given
Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Edition: Kindle (304 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Adult
• Mystery

The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Lilly Blackwood has been denied so much. She is locked in an attic bedroom, and never allowed downstairs. Her only contact with the outside world is the little she can see from the window of her room. Then, one night her mother comes to her room and tells her they are going to the circus. But, instead of going as spectators, Lilly is sold to the circus owner. Despite everything, she builds a life there. Makes friends. Falls in love. Gets married.

Skip ahead twenty years. Julia Blackwood has grown up in the same house where Lilly was kept in the attic room. She has now inherited her childhood home on the deaths of her parents, conditional upon her living there. Julia is troubled by her difficult childhood, and she finds clues that lead her to believe she has or has a sister. Eventually, she has to come face-to-face with devastating family secrets.

This book is definitely not light reading. The intensity of it caused me to want to stop reading several times. Yet, I felt compelled to read on and learn the truth of the Blackwood family secrets. In the final analysis, that very intensity of characters in struggle caused me to come away appreciating this book a great deal.

Lynn's List (August 18, 2017e)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Corpse in the Campus byHarry Glum
• All Things in Their Place by Caroline Petricola and Giulia Dell'Uomo
• Down For the Count by Martin Holmén
• Seeking Sarah: A Novel by Reshonda Tate Billingsley
• Gathering the Threads: A Novel by Cindy Woodsmall
• Tiny House on the Hill by Celia Bonaduce
• The Magnesium Miracle (Second Edition) by Carolyn Dean
• A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor
• Ghost of the Innocent Man: A True Story of Trial and Redemption by Benjamin Rachlin
• The Promise of a Letter by Kathleen Fuller
• The Complete Titanic Chronicles by Walter Lord
• The World War II Collection: The Miracle of Dunkirk, Day of Infamy, and Incredible Victory by Walter Lord
• John Kennedy by James Macgregor Burns
• The American Experiment by James Macgregor Burns
• F.D.R., My Boss by Grace Tully
• The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker

Lynn's List (August 11, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Hillary Clinton: American Woman of the World by Cheryl Harness
• The Good Fight: The Feuds of the Founding Fathers (and How They Shaped the Nation) by Elizabeth Baddeley and Anne Quirk
• Willa Cather by Hermione Lee
• The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain
• The Kat Bronsky Thrillers: The Last Hostage and Blackout by John J. Nance
• The Luke Garrison Series: The Disappearance, Above the Law, and A Killing in the Valley by J. F. Freedman
• A Promise of Ruin by Cuyler Overholt
• Ordeal: A Mystery by Jorn Lier Horst
• The Good Daughter: A Novel by Karin Slaughter
• Any Dream Will Do: A Novel by Debbie Macomber
• South Pole Station: A Novel by Ashley Shelby
• The Hunger Moon by Suzanne Matson
• Worth the Fighting For: A Memoir by Mark Salter and John Mccain
• The Moores Are Missing by James Patterson
• The Lying Game: A Novel by Ruth Ware

Lynn's List (August 4, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Her Mother's Hope (Marta Legacy Series Book 1) by Francine Rivers
• One Sweet Kiss: An Amish Summer Novella by Kelly Irvin
• The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
• Lieutenant Taylor Jackson Collection Volume 1: Field of Graves by J. T. Ellison
• Lieutenant Taylor Jackson Collection Volume 2: The Cold Room by J. T. Ellison
• McKettrick Men Complete Collection: McKettrick's Luck\McKettrick's Pride\McKettrick's Heart by Linda Lael Miller
• Web of Deceit (Agents Under Fire #1) by Susan Sleeman
• Web of Shadows (Agents Under Fire, #2) by Susan Sleeman
• Double Exposure (Justice Agency #1)by Susan Sleeman
• Dead Wrong(Justice Agency #2)by Susan Sleeman
• No Way Out(Justice Agency #3)by Susan Sleeman
• Thread of Suspicion(Justice Agency #4)by Susan Sleeman
• Dark Tide (Justice Agency #5)by Susan Sleeman
• The Restoration Collection: Last Light, Night Light, True Light, Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock
• Lights Out by Ted Koppel
• Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod by Ray E. Boomhower
• The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me by Paul Joseph Fronczak
• The Award: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Where the River Ends by Charles Martin
• My Life to Live: How I Became the Queen of Soaps When Men Ruled the Airwaves by Agnes Nixon
• An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal
• Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny by Christine Caine
• The Final Judgement by Daniel Easterman

US Amazon Kindle Store

• 77 Days in September by Ray Gorham
• Daunting Days of Winter by Ray Gorham
• All the Little Children by Jo Furniss
• The Dean's List: (Making the Grade #1) by Kelly Collins