Review: Pretense by Lori Wick

Title: Pretense
Author: Lori Wick
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Publication Date: July 1, 2005 (first published July 1998)
Edition: Paperback (708 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance

Pretense by Lori Wick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book chronicles the story of the Bishop family's life journey: Marrell Bishop, loving wife and mother; Paul Bishop, army officer, husband and father; Mackenzie Bishop, eldest daughter; and Delancey Bishop, younger daughter. Each of them experience both hard times and transformative times in their faith journey.

This story is so rich in character--both in writing and in personalities. I could spend many more hours with these people. I still feel a kinship and close connection with each one every time I revisit their story. This is not a superficial story about "he/she said" or he/she did." It is a close-up view of life as it is experienced by these characters--so much so that I forget they are fictional. Like "Sophie's Heart", this is one of my favorite and best-loved books.

Review: The Death of a President: November 20-November 25, 1963 by William Manchester

Title: The Death of a President: November 20-November 25, 1963
Author: William Manchester
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Edition: ebook (736 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• U.S. History
• U.S. Presidents

The Death of a President: November 20-November 25, 1963 by William Manchester

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the definitive account of President John F. Kennedy's assassination which took place on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Approximately ten weeks later, the author was approached by the Kennedy family and asked to write this account.

I have read several books on the subject, and, in my view, this is the best of the best. The detail is astounding, and the book presents an expansive picture of the events in almost minute-by-minute detail.

If you are looking for a basic overview of the subject, this is not the book for you. I will have to revisit this book several times in order to assimilate more of the detail contained in these 736 pages.

Review: Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick

Title: Sophie's Heart
Author: Lori Wick
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Publication Date: September 1, 1995
Edition: Paperback (425 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance

Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sophie wants to come to America, and when her name comes up on the immigration list, she leaves her native Czechoslovakia, and begins working in a restaurant in Chicago. But she is lonely. One day, she attends a Bible study. She is a believer, and there she meets Janet. Janet's brother is struggling to raise his three children, after the tragic death of his wife, and Janet, knowing of his need, and Sophie's wish to live somewhere more quiet, brings Sophie and the family together. Everyone is nervous about the arrangement, but they agree to give it a try. Their lives are changed forever as they struggle to adjust to the changes life often brings.

This is a wonderful story of love and faith and God's provision. I read this marvelous book many years ago, and have just revisited it again. It is a treasure.

Lynn's List (November 24, 2017)

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

• Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden
• The Death of a President: November 20-November 25, 1963 by William Manchester
• 13 Hours by Mitchell Zuckoff and Annex Security Team
• Ballot Blocked: The Political Erosion of the Voting Rights Act by Jesse H. Rhodes
• Return of the Dambusters: The Exploits of World War II's Most Daring Flyers After the Flood by John Nichol
• Mother Angelica by Raymond Arroyo
• Her Christmas Protector by Terri Reed
• The Lies Within by Jane Isaac
• Beautiful Girl by Shiloh Walker
• Pieces of Me by Shiloh Walker
• The Dark Room by Jonathan Moore
• The Hours That Remain by Keith Barker
• The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle
• The Home Place by Carrie La Seur
• What She Knew: A Novel by Gilly Macmillan
• If My Father Loved Me by Rosie Thomas
• The Breakdown by B. A. Paris
• Forever Mine by Erin Nicholas

Review: The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain

Title: The Stolen Marriage
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Edition: Kindle Edition (384 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Mystery

The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tess DeMello was about to begin the life she had dreamed of; completing her nursing degree, and merrying her childhood best friend. But one night, and one mistake changed all that. She is suddenly in a loveless marriage, faced with hostility from her new family and even some of the town's people of Hickory, North Carolina. Her new husband doesn't seem to want to touch her, and he spends many nights away from home using his work at the family's furniture factory as the reason.

In 1944, WWII is raging and so is a polio epidemic. The people of Hickory come together and build a polio hospital. Tess wants to work there, but faces strong opposition from her mother-in-law and husband. And then there is her discovery of secrets her husband seems to be keeping from nearly everyone.

This is a great story. Not only does it capture the time and the mood of the country, it also is replete with strong characters who embody both the good and the bad in human nature. You can count on a Diane Chamberlain book to do that. This is one of my best reads of 2017; one I shall revisit again and again.

Lynn's List (November 17, 2017)

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

• Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House by Donna Brazile
• Lindbergh: The Crime by Noel Behn
• A Child Is Missing by David Stout
• Night of the Ice Storm by David Stout
• Artemis: A Novel by Andy Weir
• His Alone by Alexa Riley
• I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven
• Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs by Rachel Jeffs
• Wish You Were Mine by Tara Sivec
• Innocent Bystander by Craig Rice
• Opening Arguments by Jeffrey Toobin
• Stranger No More: A Muslim Refugee’s Story of Harrowing Escape, Miraculous Rescue, and the Quiet Call of Jesus by Craig Borlase and Annahita Parsan
• A Place at Our Table by Amy Clipston
• Lily's Mountain by Hannah Moderow
• The Girl Who Came Back by Susan Lewis
• Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
• Cold Revenge by Lee Weeks
• Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win by Luke Harding
• The Last Hostage by John J. Nance
• Selena's Secret by María Celeste Arrarás
• Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes
• River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope by Marcia Wilkie and Naomi Judd
• The Helen Trilogy: Fever Dream, Cold Vengeance, and Two Graves Omnibus by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• Crossing the Thinnest Line: How Embracing Diversity from the Office to the Oscars Makes America Stronger by Lauren Leader-Chivee
• Columbine by Dave Cullen
• Angel Baby by Richard Lange
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
• Lone Survivor by Patrick Robinson and Marcus Luttrell

Lynn's List (November 10, 2017)

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

• Quicksand by Nella Larsen
• Against the Wind by Lee Dipietro
• Unbreakable Bonds by George H. Bush, Connie Morella, Dava Guerin, and Kevin Ferris
• Racing for the Bomb by Robert S. Norris
• Defiant Courage by Astrid Karlsen Scott, Tore Haug, and Harald Zwart
• Someday You Will Understand by Nina Wolff Feld
• Disaster! by John Withington
• The Good Earth Trilogy by Pearl S. Buck
• Dobryd by Ann Charney
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and George Ford
• Because of You by Mari Carr
• City of the Lost: A Thriller by Kelley Armstrong
• Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor
• The Boston Strangler by Gerold Frank
• Written in Blood by Layton Green
• Angels Walking Box Set: Angels Walking, Chasing Sunsets, and Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury
• Someone You Love Is Gone: A Novel by Gurjinder Basran
• The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Amal Clooney and Nadia Murad
• Bonfire: A Novel by Krysten Ritter
• The Missing: A Novel by C. L. Taylor
• The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon
• Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Barack Obama and Pete Souza
• Dawn's Early Light by James Patterson and Jessica Scott
• Alone by Cyn Balog
• Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner
• Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O'Donnell
• The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
• Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values by Keith Olbermann
• Texas Bride (Mail-Order Bride #1) by Joan Johnston
• Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
• The One That I Want: A Novel by Allison Winn Scotch
• The World War II Collection: The Miracle of Dunkirk, Day of Infamy, and Incredible Victory by Walter Lord
• The Survivor by Thomas Keneally
• Escape from Sobibor by Richard Rashke
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
• Nelson Mandela: No Easy Walk to Freedom by Barry Denenberg
• Hear My Sorrow: The Diary of Angelo Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker (Dear America) by Deborah Hopkinson
• Innocent Victims: The True Story of the Eastburn Family Murders by Scott Whisnant
• The Michigan Murders by Edward Keyes

Lynn's List (November 3, 2017)

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

• Slay Bells Ring by Karen Rose Smith
• A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
• American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent by Kevin Maurer and Tamer Elnoury
• Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins
• Beehive by Andy Hoffman
• Gray Matter by Shirley Kennett
• The Girl in the Basement by Ray Garton
• Out of Bondage by Mike Mcgrady and Linda Lovelace
• The Evil That Surrounds Us: The WWII Memoir of Erna Becker-Kohen by Kevin P. Spicer, Martina Cucchiara, and Esther-Maria Nagele
• Bless Her Heart by Sally Kilpatrick
• Have You Met Nora? by Nicole Blades
• In the Midst of Winter: A Novel by Isabel Allende
• The Quilting Circle by Amy Lillard
• Winter Wishes by Fern Michaels, Susan Fox, Jules Bennett, and Leah Marie Brown
• The Linda Wolfe Collection: Five True Crime Classics by Linda Wolfe
• Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews
• Hell Hath No Fury by Charles G. West
• After the Fire by Marlaine Delargy and Henning Mankell
• Burke and Wills: The triumph and tragedy of Australia's most famous explorers by Peter Fitzsimons
• American Justice 2017: The Supreme Court in Crisis by Kimberly Robinson
• Washed Away by Geoff Williams
• Within Reach by Barbara Delinsky
• A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
• Body and Soul by Frank Conroy
• Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature by Linda Lear
• The Dolphin in the Mirror by Diana Reiss
• A Man Worth Marrying by Phyllis Halldorson

Review: The Game You Played by Anni Taylor

Title: The Game You Played
Author: Anni Taylor
Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Edition: Kindle (400 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery
• Psychological Thriller

The Game You Played by Anni Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Phoebe and Luke Basko are grieving the loss of their two-year-old son, Tommy, snatched from a neighborhood playground. Six months go by with no discernable progress in the investigation. Suddenly the Basko's begin receiving notes that seem to refer to their son. The police don't believe the notes are from the person who took Tommy, and Phoebe is left to unravel the mystery, the whereabouts of her son, and whether or not he is dead or alive.

This story had so many twists and turns, it nearly left my head spinning. Each of the characters had secrets they preferred to keep hidden. And the trauma and grief in the aftermath of a child abduction was well portrayed. Looking forward to more from this author.

My Reads (October, 2017)

At the beginning of each month, I publish a list of books I have read the previous month. By clicking on the links in the list, you will be taken to my review of that title. Happy reading!

• The Godfather by Mario Puzo
• The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
• Fade to Black by Amanda Stevens
• The Bay at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain
• The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti
• The Lies We Believe: A Suspense Novel by T.K. Chapin
• The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Concise History (Second Edition) by Don Munton and David A. Welch
• Christy by Catherine Marshall
• Big Girls Don't Cry (Dundee, Idaho, #6) by Brenda Novak
• Sister Sister by Sue Fortin