Thursday, February 6, 2025

Ultimate Guide to Planting & Growing Vegetables at Home Book Review

About the Book:


The all-in-one go-to guide to gardening!

  • Comprehensive resource acts as both a complete how-to guide and question and answer resource for your garden
  • Over 70 common garden vegetables and herbs are profiled, including arugula, new potatoes, tomatoes, scallions, snap peas, bok choy, figs, radicchio, artichokes, sage, sorrel, and more
  • Prevent pests and diseases and learn how to control them, including aphids, blight, blossom end rot, gray mold, caterpillars, flea beetle, leaf miner, powdery mildew, white fly, tomato split, rust, and more
  • Taking an organic approach, raised bed gardening, projects to support plant growth, plant care and protection, soil treatments, composting, and more helpful expert advice

Every gardener needs at least one comprehensive gardening book on their shelf. Ultimate Guide to Planting & Growing Vegetables at Home is that book!

This is an all-in-one resource for beginner to advanced gardeners, with chapters on what you need to think about before starting a garden, planning, prepping, choosing the vegetables, sowing, growing, small space gardening, raised bed gardening, container gardening, vertical gardening, harvesting, and more.

The editors of Creative Homeowner cover essential topics including where to put your garden, projects to support high yield plant growth, protection and care of plants, soil treatments, disease and pest treatment, chitting potatoes, a tomato spotlight on different varieties, and so much more!

This information-packed ultimate guide features over 70 plant profiles, including potatoes, lettuce, beetroot, radishes, figs, radicchio, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, sweet corn, sugar peas, sage, sorrel, mint, thyme, and more. Included are beautiful full-color photos to help you along the way.

My Review:

There is a great deal of information in this book illustrated with many photos. Some of my favorite sections included the extensive information on composting, how to build and use raised beds, and what plants go well together. The little insert on which plants can grow so well that they will become weeds was a good warning. I liked their detailed instructions on vegetables like potatoes and carrots. There is information on how to store them. There are even a few recipes included.

This is a good, all around book for those who would like to grow their own vegetables.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


Creative Homeowner, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver Book Review

About the Book:


1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author's initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?

My Review:

I grew up honing my love of mysteries by reading Agatha Christie. I have always been interested in that mysterious period of her life in 1926 when she went missing for a while. Oliver has created an interesting mystery plot around it. I did not know about the Detection Club nor the chess dens popular in London at the time. Oliver has included a number of historical characters in this novel. Dorothy Sayers runs around on a motor cycle and Gilbert (G.K.) Chesterton talks about God. It was fun to see how their fictional characters corresponded to what I knew about them.

This is an entertaining novel involving historical mystery writers actually solving a mystery. They revealed some of their own ideas and rules for mystery and plot development. I enjoyed it.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

 

About the Author:

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of three mystery series: the seven-book suspense series, The Jessica James Mysteries; the three-book middle grade kids’ series, Pet Detective Mysteries; and the four-book historical cozy series, The Fiona Figg Mysteries, inspired by those trips to the Green Hills Library.

Currently, Kelly is the Vice President of Sisters in Crime.

When she’s not writing novels, Kelly is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.

Boldwood Book, 256 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Protecting You by Robin Patchen Blog Tour Book Review

About the Book

Book: Protecting You

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: February 4, 2025

In a high-stakes game of deception, two rivals must work together to bring down a ruthless terrorist.

After Alyssa’s dream of working in US intelligence is thwarted, she leaves her mundane profession to pursue a career as a cyber investigator. Though she aces every case she gets, securing enough customers to pay her rent proves challenging. When a lucrative commission comes along, she thinks she’s hit the jackpot. But this client isn’t the British entrepreneur he claims to be. And then her old nemesis interrupts their meeting with a startling move.

NSA agent Gideon Todd is floundering in his new role as a single father to a surprise daughter, but he still has a job to do. He follows a tip about a terrorist, only to be shocked when he finds his old college adversary dining with the notorious killer. Maybe there was a better way to step in than by posing as Alyssa’s fiancĂ©, but it was the best excuse he could come up with to insert himself into their meeting.

Gideon once stole the job Alyssa coveted, and now the last thing she wants is his help. But when he explains who her client really is, she realizes she’s in way over her head. Dariush Ghazi knew exactly what he was doing when he targeted her. She’s trapped. She must go along with a dangerous scheme, pretending to help him while working with Gideon…or end up dead.

In their quest to dismantle Dariush’s network of evil, Gideon and Alyssa risk sacrificing each other—and everything they hold dear.

Prepare to dive into this gripping tale of enemies turned allies, a fake engagement, and a deadly conspiracy.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

This is another good inspirational romantic suspense from Patchen. Her writing style is to concentrate on character feelings and thoughts more than a tight plot. Callan and Alyssa had known each other before so there is an underlying current of romance throughout the action. The plot is complex. At one point, Alyssa and Callan have escaped the clutches of the terrorist. However, the CIA wants her to go back to working for the terrorist, assuring him of her loyalty. Of course that leads to suspenseful events. That plot strategy did not work well for me. We readers have both Alyssa's and Callan's thoughts in a sort of alternating points of view narrative.

This novel is part of a series and there are some references to events from earlier books, such as Callan finding out he had a daughter. I do feel this novel can be enjoyed on its own. It is a good one for readers who like suspense and a focus on the characters and their thoughts.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the previous book in this series, Sheltering You.

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

More from Robin

Picture this:

You’re a cyber investigator, sitting across from a client in a Boston restaurant. It’s the first time you’ve ever met the man in person, but you’ve worked for him before. In person, he isn’t like you’d imagined he would be.

His arrogance doesn’t impress you, and he’s giving off a slightly creepy vibe, but he’s polite enough when he hires you to locate somebody for him.

It should be a simple job, right up your alley. He hands over a check, and you glance at the number. All those zeroes. This one job will keep your new business out of the red for months.

You slide the check into your purse and shake your client’s hand, still reveling in the knowledge that your business isn’t going under, not this month.

And then you hear a call from across the room. “Darling!”

You know the endearment can’t be directed at you. You’re nobody’s darling.

Still, you glance toward the too-loud patron and realize it’s Gideon, your fiercest rival.

You haven’t seen him in years, and even back when you were in college together, you’d barely been more than acquaintances.

When he was offered the CIA job you coveted, your thoughts turned altogether uncharitable toward the man who’d bested you one too many times.

Gideon must be mistaking you for someone else.

But he locks eyes with you. Wearing a wide smile, he reaches your table, leans close, and presses his lips to yours.

The kiss lights a fire that warms you to your toes. You ignore the reaction, though it takes considerable effort.

What in the world is he doing?

His whisper is so low that you barely hear him. “Trust me. Go with it.”

Trust him?

How are you supposed to trust him when you have no idea what he’s doing? Or why?

Before you can come up with a suitable response—and really, what are you supposed to say?—he stands and thrusts out his hand to your client, introducing himself as…

Your fiancé.

And then things really get interesting.

This is the scene that presented itself to me before I knew anything about Protecting You. After I wrote the first chapter, and with the help of wonderful brainstorming partners, I fleshed out the idea, turning it into a full-length novel.

This story features a single father who’s trying to figure out how to fill that role, a beautiful cyber-investigator, and a familiar enemy working to exploit the heroine and her entire family.

I’m so excited about this one. I can’t wait to hear what you think.

(And don’t worry. It’s not written in second person. Wouldn’t that be annoying for 300 pages?)

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 5

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 5

Book Looks by Lisa, February 6

For Him and My Family, February 7

Pens Pages & Pulses, February 7

An Author’s Take, February 8

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 9

Texas Book-aholic, February 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 11

Holly’s Book Corner, February 11

Betti Mace, February 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 13

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 14

Pause for Tales, February 14

Blogging With Carol, February 15

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 16

Stories By Gina, February 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, February 17

Blossoms and Blessings, February 18

Leslie’s Library Escape, February 18

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize of a $100 Amazon gift card AND a box of goodies including a print copy of Running to You, a Welcome to Nutfield coffee mug, and a few surprise goodies!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54148


I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.) 


Monday, February 3, 2025

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano Book Review

About the Book:


Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

My Review:

I don't know how Cosimano does it but the humor keeps coming. This time It was Finlay's mother who made me laugh out loud. And, while there are hints at steamy sex, I am so glad Cosimano keeps it at that, just hints. There are no graphic scenes included.

This series just keeps on being entertaining and funny. While this is far down the line in the stories, I feel it can be read well on its own. Books by Cosimano are great for those who enjoy Janet Evanovich books about Stephanie Plumb.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


You can read my reviews of the earlier books in the series: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, and Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun.

About the Author:


Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a People magazine pick and was named one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021. The third book in the series, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, was an instant New York Times bestseller. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in HuffPost and Time. Cosimano lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia. Photo credit: Holly Virginia Photography

Minotaur Books, 336 pages

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Sunday, February 2, 2025

The Three O'Clock Calls by Tom Smith Book Review

About the Book:

Bright, persistent ringing ripped Tom from sleep. He rolled over, fumbled for the reading light beside his bed, and reached for his phone. As he answered the call, he saw the time: 3:00 a.m. Nothing good comes from a three o’clock call.

My Review:

Smith has written a novel exploring the most painful experiences of his life and how his Christian faith has sustained him. There is tragedy and grief, healing and learning to live with loss. Woven throughout is his sustaining relationship with Jesus Christ. It contains good examples of salvation, including being saved but still struggling with sin and being saved moments before dying.

Smith experienced tragedies that may be trigger situations for potential readers, including the death of a child and the abuse of an alcoholic father. While these situations are hard to read about, there is encouragement in also reading how faith sustained Smith and others in his family. This book is also a good example for those who are considering writing a faith building book about their own experiences.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


About the Author:


Tom Smith was born in Jacksonville Florida and resides in Middleburg Florida. He is married to his wife, Nora, of 38 years and have two daughters, Kayla and Danielle. Tom enjoyed reading children’s books to their daughters when they were growing up. He is inspired by young minds with vivid imaginations and wise words. He is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). He is also the proud owner of the real life “Boss Bandit”.

Visit his website at https://www.BossBanditBooks.com

Westbow Press, 134 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Saturday, February 1, 2025

The Thomas Sisters by Kathryn Spurgeon Blog Tour Book Review

About the Book

Book: The Thomas Sisters

Author: Kathryn Spurgeon

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release date: August 29, 2024

Five tightknit sisters. Five interwoven stories. One book.

Based on the true lives of closely connected sisters.

As the harsh winds of the 1930s Dust Bowl strip the Oklahoma ground of its fertile soil, and the Great Depression becomes imminent, the Thomas sisters struggle to hold onto their families, their faith, and one another. To survive their storms, they must let go of their secrets and grief and trust in the strength of sisterhood. Based on true stories.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

Spurgeon takes us back to a time when life was hard and marriages were not always wonderful. We read about the lives of five sisters, what their lives were like and how the sisters supported each other. Some of the events are interesting, like a church bazaar, making soap, and giving birth. But there are many serious issues in this story like spousal abuse, death of a child, alcoholic husband, a son who isn't like other boys, confrontation with the KKK, and much more.

This was a hard book for me to read and may be for others if their childhood or marriage included similar difficult experiences. This book takes the concept of dysfunctional families to a new level. It is also a good example for writers who are interested in creating a fictional account of their family.

My rating: 4/5 stars..


About the Author

Kathryn Spurgeon, an Illumination Award-winning author, publishes inspirational, historical novels based on true events. Her novels include the Promise Series, and the Thomas Sister Series, both set in the 1930s in Oklahoma. She also writes and publishes devotionals, nonfiction, and poetry. A native Oklahoman, as a married teenager, Kathryn spent two years in South Korea where she adopted two babies. She and her husband have six children and eighteen muti-racial grandchildren.

More from Kathryn

Old Fashioned Dark Fruit Cake

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 egg

1 3/4 cups flour

1 pkg mincemeat

2/3 cup molasses

1 cup cold coffee

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup pecans

1 1/2 cups raisins

Mix sugar, shortening, and egg until fluffy. Add flour, mincemeat, and molasses. Add soda to the cold coffee, then add to mix. Add vanilla, pecans, and raisins. (Instead of raisins, or also, I use candied cherries, candied pineapple and dates cut up.) Cook 300 degrees for two hours in an angel food cake pan. Put a cookie sheet under the pan. Cook on bottom rack.

Aunt Til loved to make fruitcake. The recipe has been in the family for over 120 years.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 1

Vicky Sluiter, February 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 2

Texas Book-aholic, February 3

For Him and My Family, February 3

lakesidelivingsite, February 4

Lots of Helpers, February 5

Pens Pages & Pulses, February 6

Holly’s Book Corner, February 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 7

She Lives To Read, February 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 9

Pause for Tales, February 10

Leslie’s Library Escape, February 10

Cover Lover Book Review, February 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 12

Stories By Gina, February 13 (Author Interview)

Books Less Travelled , February 13

Batya’s Bits, February 14

Giveaway

 

To celebrate her tour, Kathryn is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54147

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Friday, January 31, 2025

Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy Book Review

About the Book:


Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as a self-promoting egomaniac known mostly for his catastrophic failures. Instead he was a courageous innovator who pushed the boundaries of polar exploration and paved the way for the ultimate conquest of the North Pole—which would be achieved not by dogsled or airplane, but by airship.

American explorer Dr. Frederick Cook was the first to claim he made it to the North Pole in 1908. A year later, so did American Robert Peary, but both Cook’s and Peary’s claims had been seriously questioned. There was enough doubt that Norwegian explorer extraordinaire Roald Amundsen—who’d made history and a name for himself by being first to sail through the Northwest Passage and first man to the South Pole—picked up where Walter Wellman left off, attempting to fly to the North Pole by airship. He would go in the Norge, designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. The 350-foot Norge flew over the North Pole on May 12, 1926, and Amundsen was able to accurately record and verify their exact location.

However, the engineer Nobile felt slighted by Amundsen. Two years later, Nobile returned, this time in the Italia, backed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. This was an Italian enterprise, and Nobile intended to win back the global accolades and reputation he believed Amundsen had stripped from him. The journey ended in disaster, death, and accusations of cannibalism, launching one of the great rescue operations the world had ever seen.

Realm of Ice and Sky is the riveting tale of the men who first flew the most advanced technological airships of their time to the top of the world, risking and even giving their lives for science, country, and polar immortality.

My Review:

This book introduced me to a whole new realm of polar exploration. I'd been taught in school about Peary reaching the North Pole and Byrd flying to it. I never even knew there were others who flew airships in polar exploration. Levy's writing style is like being taken to the very scenes of the adventures. He explains how Wellman wanted to use the latest flying technology. At the time he felt it was the airship rather than the emerging but untried airplane. I was amazed as Levy explained the preparations, the tons of food and supplies, and the logistics of getting the airship ready. Continuing on with Amundsen and finally Nobile, I felt like I was right along on their journey's. The latter part of the book detailed the dramatic survival and rescue efforts after disaster struck Nobile's airship.

I was amazed at these men committed to this form of adventure. The airship was at the mercy of the weather and Levy makes us feel like we are right there with the crew, fighting the elements and experiencing the mechanical problems. He is great at recreating the events, including the words and actions of the people involved.

This is a good book to be introduced to an era and style of exploration not widely known. Levy makes you feel like you are a part of the adventure. I recommend it to all who love reading about dangerous adventures.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


About the Author:


Buddy Levy is the author of more than half a dozen books, including Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk; Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition; Conquistador: Hernán CortĂ©s, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs; River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana and the Deadly First Voyage Through the Amazon. He is coauthor of No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon and Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior. His books have been published in a dozen languages and won numerous awards. He lives in Idaho. Photo credit: Alaina Mullin

St Martin's Press, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Thursday, January 30, 2025

When the Avalanche Roared by Lauralee Bliss Blog Tour Book Review

About the Book

Book: When the Avalanche Roared (A Day to Remember Book Five)

Author: Lauralee Bliss

Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Release date: January, 2025

The Day Hope Seemed Swept Away

Enjoy a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.

Lillian Hartwick has been in the small railroad town of Wellington, Washington, caring for her cousin and assisting the postmaster when February snows bring all train traffic to a halt. Slow-witted but kind Griffin Jones, who works odd jobs for the railway while enduring taunts from other workers, has tried his best to gain Lillian’s interest, but she is engaged and waiting her fiancĂ©’s arrival from California. Predawn thunderstorms on Tuesday, March 1, 1910, trigger a devasting avalanche, sweeping two trains down Stevens Pass. Lillian and Griffin work together to help survivors, including Griffin’s tormentors. In the midst of the catastrophe their feelings for each other grow. But is it enough when Lillian’s fiancĂ© finally arrives in the spring, ready to claim her as his own?

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

This is another good addition to the series drawing attention to major disasters in U.S. history. Bliss's book reveals the emotional toll of such a disaster. She weaves human stories around the historical facts, incorporating fictional characters as well as historical ones. Her Author's Note identifies the factual people who did historic recovery work after the disaster.

Bliss includes a few additional sociological issues. One is the class distinction of the day, the wealthy looking down on the common laborer, especially one who could not read. Another is the after effects of experiencing such a disaster, both on those who lost loved ones and those who helped after the most deadly avalanche in U.S. history. The novel has a very good faith message too. I recommend it.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

I have a special interest in this novel as I live a short driving distance from the Wellington site. I have hiked the Iron Goat Trail, wandered through the snow sheds, read the memorial plaques identifying the now long gone buildings, peered into the original Cascade Tunnel, and looked down to the west entrance of the new tunnel finished in 1929. If you would like to see some of the photos I took on that hike, you can see the tunnel here and the eerie snow sheds here

 

About the Author

Lauralee Bliss has always liked to dream big dreams. Part of that dream was writing, and after several years of hard work, her dream of publishing was realized in 1997 with the publication of her first romance novel, Mountaintop, through Barbour Publishing. Since then, she’s had twenty books published, both historical and contemporary. Lauralee is also an avid hiker, completing the entire length of the Appalachian Trail both north and south. Lauralee makes her home in Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family.

More from Lauralee

Pure Joy

Lauralee Bliss, Author of “When the Avalanche Roared”

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…  James 1:2 NIV

How does one equate a scripture like this with the death and destruction inherent in natural disasters? It seems an oxymoron to expect joy when faced with twisted metal and broken lives, such as in the deadliest avalanche in American history depicted in When the Avalanche Roared. Even now I think of the natural disaster of the hurricane that just recently destroyed mountain communities in western North Carolina, with homes and lives swept away in an avalanche of water and mud. So it was back in March, 1910 when a mile wide bank of snow detached from Windy Top in the northern Cascades of Washington State, slamming into three parked trains near Wellington, sending cars and sleeping passengers tumbling into the ravine. Over ninety lives were lost.

This could be considered a trial of supreme magnitude. Yet scripture commands we consider joy in the midst of it. The word joy evokes smiles and laughter, peace and satisfaction. It brings to mind Jesus resting in the boat in the midst of a raging storm, tossed about on high waves while the disciples huddle together in abject fear. After He calms the seas He asks them, “Where is your faith?” It demands the human mind look away from apparent destruction to something higher. To look beyond what one sees to the unseen. To trust God even when nothing appears trustworthy.

When the Avalanche Roared delves into the flames that spark, not from smoldering locomotives in a ravine, but within a small rail town that banded together in the wee hours of a frigid morning to rescue others. The destruction is evident. But the grit and determination of those who dug out people from heavy snow solidified by rain and cared for the suffering while their town remained isolated from the world speaks of a picture far greater than the picture of destruction. So it is today with communities swallowed by mud and trees and splintered fragments of homes as reminders of a destructive hurricane. Beyond the visual are the outpouring of help and compassion and holding the hands of those weakened by disaster in gestures of hope and resolve. And in this, a new birth of joy is realized.

God created us to find joy in struggle, to develop perseverance to achieve a goal despite what is thrown our way, to realize that when we do, we truly lack nothing. And therein we find lasting peace even in the midst of catastrophe.

Strangers unite to help the hurting.

A friend flew from Florida to North Carolina and arranged with this store owner for a free truckload of water for communities devastated by the hurricane.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 30

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 30

Stories By Gina, January 31 (Author Interview)

Pens Pages & Pulses, January 31

Texas Book-aholic, February 1

Blossoms and Blessings, February 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 2

Lighthouse Academy Blog, February 3 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

Life on Chickadee Lane, February 4

Connie’s history classroom, February 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 5

Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 6

Betti Mace, February 7

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 8

Cover Lover Book Review, February 9

Holly’s Book Corner, February 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 10

For Him and My Family, February 11

Pause for Tales, February 12

Leslie’s Library Escape, February 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lauralee is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon eGift Card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54145

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)