Monthly Archives: May 2015

This #TripAroundTheSun

25 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Out West Trip, Reviewed Books

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A trip around the sun

What will you do with this day? How will you spend this trip around the sun? I honestly had never thought of it in those terms. I love the reminder from authors Mark Batterson and Richard Foth, that we are only granted a certain number of trips around the sun. It is totally up to us how we spend them. Batterson and Foth dare us to choose adventure. They ask us to consider experiences over possessions.

A Trip Around the Sun consists of twenty chapters with a contribution from each author in every chapter. My favorite of the twenty was Playing for Keeps (Chapter 11). Specifically, I loved Mark Batterson’s words regarding being famous in your home with your kids. Making memories and sharing moments with our kids while we have the opportunity is priceless. His thoughts were a good reminder to be intentional. This summer my husband and I are taking our boys on an extended vacation to visit some of the most beautiful places in the States. We have been counting down for the last year and I can’t wait to live this adventure with them for 42 trips around the sound. We decided on this trip long before I read this book, but I could not help but feel my excitement renewed. (The packing was making me regret a little.)

This book is a great encouragement and might be the nudge you need to live each day as if it were the only one you had left. Life is so short and I am always thankful for the reminder. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I have not been compensated in any way.

Book Review: As Love Blooms

21 Thursday May 2015

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As Love Blooms

I have become a raving fan of books by Lorna Seilstad. She writes about women who are high achievers but are also quirky and fun. I especially enjoyed the personality of Tessa who is the main character in As Love Blooms. She is talented in her own right but is willing to share her life and dream as a part of a team. I have read many of Seilstad’s books and As Loom Blooms is as wonderful as her prior titles.

This novel is book three in Seilstad’s The Gregory Sisters series. I love when I can follow a story line and a family through a series of books, but by no means do you need to have read the first two in order to enjoy this book. As Love Blooms easily stands alone. However, if you have read the prior books, it is delightful to see old friends further down the road.

One of the best things about this book and Seilstad’s other titles, is that you can share them with whomever you please. They are appropriate for young and old. Her romance is subtle but believable. If I had one wish, it would be for more page time between Tessa and her love interest, Reese. I say this because my favorite pages were about the relationship shared between these two characters!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated an all opinions are my own.

Book Review: Until the Harvest

15 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Books I LOVE, Reviewed Books

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Until the Harvest

Author Sarah Loudin Thomas has found her niche with her lovely and endearing stories. Her covers are always inviting and I am always drawn into her novels in the first few paragraphs. She has a way of creating characters that are lovable and have real struggles. I loved that Thomas picked up the story line from her debut novel, Miracle in a Dry Season. While I was a little shaken by a shocking event in the first pages, I was happy to see old friends in this new novel. (Dying to tell you, but no spoilers!) Having said that, you can pick up with this title without having read the first.

In Until the Harvest, we meet Henry Phillips who is the son of Casewell and Perla Phillips from Miracle in a Dry Season. Henry is wanting to quit college and find happiness with his fiddle and wherever that might lead him. An unexpected tragedy followed by an unlikely friendship change his life forever.

Thomas did not disappoint with Until the Harvest, she writes a guaranteed good read and I am so glad I didn’t miss this one! I enjoyed the subtle and growing relationship between Henry and Margaret. I am anxious to see if their story is continued in her next title.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review (I would have purchased this book anyway! Sarah Loudin Thomas is on my list of favorites) All opinions are my own and I have not been compensated.

Book Review: Reservations for Two

08 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Food, Reviewed Books

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Reservations for 2

About the Book

Food writer-turned-restaurateur Juliette D’Alisa has more than enough on her plate. While her trip to Provence might have unlocked new answers to her grandmother’s past, it’s also provided new complications in the form of Neil McLaren, the man she can’t give up.

Juliette and Neil find romance simple as they travel through Provence and Tuscany together, but life back home presents a different set of challenges. Juliette has a restaurant to open, a mother combating serious illness, and a family legacy of secrets to untangle – how does Neil, living so far away in Memphis, fit into to her life?

As she confronts an uncertain future, Juliette can’t help but wish that life could be as straightforward as her chocolate chip cookie recipe. Can her French grandmother’s letters from the 1940’s provide wisdom to guide her present? Or will every new insight create a fresh batch of mysteries?

My Review

Reservations for Two is an interesting read that moves slowly but deliberately through the life of Juliette D’Alisa who has a lot on her plate. As Juliette travels, we get to know her love interest, Neil, and her extended family. Author Hillary Manton Lodge also includes some amazing recipes to coincide with delicious dishes mentioned throughout the story. This was perhaps my favorite aspect of this novel! I can’t wait to try the Home-Style Tiramisu. I loved the interesting details that are included with each recipe like tiramisu translated is “pick-me up.”

Beyond the recipes, I did feel a little lost in the first few chapters. This title is book 2 in Lodge’s Two Blue Doors series, and I am wondering if reading the first book is a must. There were so many characters right out of the gate and I felt a bit topsy-turvy trying to keep them straight. Neil was problematic for me as well, mostly because I did not feel chemistry between him and Juliette. Lodge had plans for that, but they had so much page time…I kept waiting for more between them.

Overall, this book will not make my must read list for 2015, but it was decent in its own right. Lodge writes well and has a knack for details. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

About the Author

Hillary Manton Lodge is the author of Plain Jayne, a Carol Award Finalist, and Simply Sara, an ECPA bestselling book. A graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism, Hillary discovered the world of cuisine during her internship at Northwest Palate magazine. A storyteller at heart, in her free time she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, watching foreign films, and exploring new walking trails. She and her husband live in Portland, Oregon.