New Creations by Sarah Hanks Review

 

New Creations was a wonderful, touching story. Different than the previous books I have read by the author, but just as good. 

I loved that this book was based on true events and was in honor of her grandfather, or Papa. 

Like the other books I have read of hers, there are multiple timelines. This time there are three timelines. Young Floyd's story takes place in the years ranging from 1954 to 1970, though the majority of that time line takes place in the 1960s. Then there is the 1990s time line, which is where we see Floyd's granddaughter Emira as a child. Emira is based on the author's life. And then there is the timeline from 2010 when Floyd is an older man and Emira is an adult. 

Elderly Floyd is retiring and despairs that his life has not been what he set out for it to be. He feels like he hasn't done anything important in life as all he ended up doing was running a barber shop. So, he makes an impulsive decision to sign up for a mission trip, a mission trip that he may not get to go on because of all the obstacles that keep popping up. However, as we read the past timelines, we see all that Floyd has accomplished, all the lives he has impacted. 

I love the way the author intertwines the stories. We'll see Floyd dealing with things in 2010, yet then we see things that happened when he was a young man, and then see those events being referrenced in one of the later timelines. 

I felt for Floyd as I watched him struggle in each timeline, trying to find the path that God wanted him to be on, trying to do his best, yet seeming to fail or always make mistakes. 

So many emotions were stirred in this story. I found myself laughing a lot, but there were also times I found myself in tears. I cared for these character and loved reading this story. 

Here's one of the quotes that stuck with me, "Floyd shook his head. He hadn't done anything noteworthy. God had radically intercepted his life. Changed its trajectory. All he did was bask in the love God had lavishyed on him and point other people in that direction. It hadn't been hard. It was an overflow of what God had done in his heart."

Definitely a book I recommend. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team, and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - August 16, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I am currently reading an ARC of Under the Stars by Cali Black as a member of the launch team. 

I'm also reading an ARC of Murder Goes Caroling by Malissa Chapin as a member of the launch team.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Under the Stars by Cali Black:

"Grady Wilder stared at the teenager in the cinnamon roll-shaped hat."

What's up the hat? And why is Grady staring at the teenager wearing the hat?

Murder Goes Caroling by Malissa Chapin:

"A swirl of stinging snowflakes whipped around Piper Haydn as she battled Wisconsin's winter."

I liked the author's use of the words "stinging" and "battled" to show Piper seemed to be up for another difficult adventure. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Under the Stars by Cali Black:
 

"'Do I detect doubt? Are you doubting my skills?' She feigned offense. 'Eliana might be the woman you've beeen waiting for. This might be your last first date, Grady. Get excited. Go have a nice dinner with a beautiful woman.'"

Murder Goes Caroling by Malissa Chapin:

"'How's this outfit for caroling?' She wore a white A-line jumper, green tights, a red and white striped turtleneck and poinsettia earrings the size of sugar cookies.
'You're a Christmas carol in the flesh,' Piper said, hugger her friend.
'Oh, good, because Lincoln saw me at Ruby's and said I resembled a frightening elf.'
Piper rolled her eyes. 'Brothers.'"

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. Here's the link to the one I finished:

New Creations by Sarah Hanks

Friday Fun - August 9, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I am currently reading an ARC of New Creations by Sarah Hanks as a member of the launch team.

I also just started My Refuge by Ashley Al Saliby.

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  New Creations by Sarah Hanks:

"Floyd Douglas ducked as a fist sailed toward his head."

Well, that is concerning. Why is someone punching Floyd?

My Refuge by Ashley Al Saliby:

"Eden's hospital room looked just as gray and bleak as always, but somehow it seemed alive with rhythm, this morning."

Bleak with hope?

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

New Creations by Sarah Hanks:
 

"Suddenly, the entire idea seemed ludicrous. Why had he even considered it? Father Larry didn't know him. He hadn't set foot in the shop. They hadn't seen each other in fifty years. What could the man reveal to him about himself that he didn't already know?"

My Refuge by Ashely Al Saliby:

"Grateful to see that her grandmother was still snoring and oblivious, she moved quietly back into the bed. She was just getting settled when the night nurse slipped in to check her stats. That would have been awkward if she had found me by the window, Eden thought sleepily, sinking deeply into her pillow."

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. I already shared the links to those reviews. But, I did finish one book from a previous week, so here is that review:

The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer Review

 

What a powerful story of God's redemption, forgiveness, and love.

I absolutely loved this book and fell in love with the characters. The story is told from the points of view of three of the characters, Birdie, Ephraim, and Ophelia. 

Birdie is one of the young ladies that found herself in a situation she wished she hadn't been in. When we first meet her she is living and working in a brothel and is clearly ashamed of the fact that she is there. 

Ephraim Overly is the son of Isaiah and Ophelia. We meet him when he comes with his father to the brothel where Birdie is. They are there to reach out to the ladies and offer them a place to live and become free of their lives of sin. 

Though the story is mainly told from Birdie and Ephraim's points of view, we occasionally get to see the story from Ophelia's point of view. 

As the story progresses the author shows how the ministry work of the Overlys impacts not just Birdie, but the other women living at Hope Hill, plus their son Ephraim as well. We also see their struggles in the community. To me, this was a good reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace, mercy, and His forgiveness. 

There was quite a bit going on in this story. I loved how the author slowly revealed the backgrounds of characters and how secrets were uncovered. I had some suspicions on how things were going to turn out, but the author surprised me with some revelations. 

A wonderful Christians historical fiction story. One I highly recommend.

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - August 2, 2024

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, and First Line Friday.

This week I have two books to share with you.

Last week I read Home for Christmas by Heidi Chiavaroli for one of my reading challenges.

I just finished reading If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer for another one of my reading challenges. 

        Book Beginnings on Friday     

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join C arrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selections:

  Home For Christmas by Colleen Coble, Carol Cox, Terry Fowler and Gail Gaymer Martin:

"'I've come for my niece.'"

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was cleared up in the following sentence.

If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer:

"She'd only been home from school for two weeks, and already her father was trying to marryher off."

She didn't seem too thrilled with that prospect.

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is normally hosted over at Freda's Voice. But Anne from My Head is Full of Books is taking over for a while. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections:

Home For Christmas by Colleen Coble, Carol Fox, Terry Fowler, and Gail Gaymer Martin:
 

"Eden felt a rising sense of excitement. For too long she had followed the same schedule day after day, month after month, year after year. She was in a rut, and it felt good to break out, to smell the fresh air, to see something beyond the city limits of Wabash, Indiana. She clambered into the front passenger seat and fastened her seat belt."

If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer:

"A sigh slipped from her lips as she wove her way through the dispersing congregants. Did such a man exist? She wanted to believe he did. That God would cross his path with hers when the time was right. But would she recognize him when that day came? Or would she be so jaded by past disappointments and fearful of future hurts that she failed to take the risk required to find love?"

Reviews:

Last week I shared two books in my Friday Fun post. I have finished one of them, so I'll share the link to my review below. I also already posted the reviews to the two books above. 

The Tea Chest by Heidi Chiaravoli 

Home For Christmas by Colleen Coble, Carol Fox, Terry Fowler, and Gail Gaymer Martin

If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer

Home For Christmas Novella Collection Review

 

I loved this collection of four novellas. Each novella focuses on one of four siblings who were separated as children. We see them as adults who each have their own issues they are working through, plus see relationships that are developing in their lives. Each sibling is at a different place in their spiritual lives and faith plays an important role for all of them. The first story focuses on Eden, and she is the one who starts the process of trying to find her long lost siblings: Crista, Angelina, and Tim. Each story is written by a different author, but the stories are interwoven perfectly. It's not a secret that the siblings will reunite, seeing as it is right on the cover "Love Reunites four orphaned siblings in interwoven novellas." The joy of the story is reading each novella, getting to know each sibling and learn their story, and discover HOW they are finally reunited. The only thing I wish (and this could be a spoiler) is that more time was spent on the actual reunion and we could have seen more of their lives after they discovered each other.

I found this book while looking at books written by Colleen Coble in my library. I had never heard of this book before and I am so glad I found it. And while it is titled "Home for Christmas," the majority of the book does not take place at Christmas time, as we are seeing the siblings' lives leading up to the special Christmas.

Definitely a book I recommend.

The Tea Chest by Heidi Chiavaroli Review

 

I loved this dual timeline story. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read more of her books.

This story takes place in both present day and colonial Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1773, during the time of the Boston Tea Party. What connects the two time lines is a tea chest that was originally one of the chests that tea was dumped from in 1773, which then eventually makes its way to our protagonist in present day.

Emma Malcolm is the daughter of a loyalist, but is drawn to a Patriot named Noah. She questions where her loyalty lies.

Hayley Ashworth is a lieutenant in the US Navy who is determined to become an elite Navy SEAL. The book actually begins with her in the middle of her training before it goes back to six weeks earlier where the majority of the present timeline story takes place. This is where we see the struggles she has and what she is trying to work through before she heads out for the grueling training and testing.
Both women go through some grueling testing in their lives and show remarkable courage and learn important lessons, including in their spiritual lives. I loved watching each woman's journey and seeing their respective relationships with the men in their lives evolve. I also loved how the author wove the story of the tea chest into both timelines and how we got to learn more about it through seeing it in the past and through the research the present day characters are doing.

There were a couple of things that were revealed through the present day research that I wish we hadn't known until it was revealed in the past storyline. But that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.
This is a book I highly recommend.