Hello, lovely readers,
I love reading, and while I try to write a blurb for each book, I don't have a central location to share the books I have read and recommend. So here is my solution... Some of these books I have already written about, but I will keep the page updated with more books I have read. I mostly read historical fiction, but I always take recommendations for other books, so please contact me (link).
Some of my favorites...
1. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith- Cassandra, as a narrator, is endearingly honest and candid--sometimes poetic, sometimes practical.. The story that emerges is so fresh and captivating in part because she comes to the page with her emotion and excitement still glowing from whatever event has just transpired. The story is set in the 1930s English countryside, where Cassandra, her sister Rose, their brother Thomas, and step-mother all live at the whims of their father, who wrote one groundbreaking book but now suffers from writer's block, and they fear he will never write again. They have been living practically rent-free in an old abandoned castle, but they are still "romantically destitute." Rose is so desperate for a change she makes a deal with a gargoyle that could be a devil or an angel, that is when life at the castle begins to change with the arrival of two brothers and the chance of love for both Rose and Cassandra. It's impossible not to get wrapped up in her story, her emotions, her fantasies, and her disappointments.
2. Emma by Jane Austen- I know a few people who despise Emma because she is spoiled, headstrong, and sometimes puts her own thoughts and feelings above those around her. She is blind to the dangers of meddling in other people's lives, and her imagination and perceptions often lead her astray and hurt the people around her. That is probably why I love her... because while she is all those things, she is always hopeful, she has a strong sense of rightness, and when she fails, she continues to fix herself (even if it leads to more blunders). I also love the story because of Mr. Knightley, who, though he knows all of Emma's faults, continues to love her, wants her to be a better person, and is not afraid to call her out when she needs it. I think that's the kind of person I want to love me.
3. A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers- I find reading this book when I am going through a low point in my faith is really reassuring. Hadassah has just lived through the Roman capture of Israel, where she watches her entire family die of starvation, disease, or other reasons, and now she is sold into slavery. She feels she barely has enough strength to continue on, but she is put to the test when she develops feelings for a handsome aristocrat, and she struggles to find ways to share her faith in a society that has outlawed Christianity. The story deals with dependence on God, dark temptations, family tensions, false religion, and tragedy...some of the things we deal with today. "Rivers uses these elements to weave a gripping story that allows God to show His strength and prevail as the hero." I also recommend the second book in the trilogy, Echo in the Darkness, but I wasn't a big fan of the third book.
4. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell- When seventeen-year-old Molly Gibson's widowed father remarries, her life is turned upside down by the arrival of her vain, manipulative stepmother. She also acquires an intriguing new stepsister, Cynthia, glamorous, sophisticated, and irresistible to every man, but she has her own secrets from the past. The two girls begin to confide in one another, and Molly soon finds herself a go-between in Cynthia's love affairs - but in doing so risks losing both her own reputation and the man she loves. I like this book because the writing makes it clear that Molly is beautiful on the inside, but her outward appearance is often overlooked because she is quiet. This is one of the few times I would say the mini-series is slightly better than the book because, sadly, Gaskell died before finishing, and the mini-series is able to give Molly a happy ending that I think Gaskell would be proud of.5. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen- I actually like all of Jane Austen's books, but Emma and Sense and Sensibility are my favorites. I consider myself an Elinor Dashwood but wanting to be a Marianne. Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing, unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip. Meanwhile, Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Though their parallel experience of love - and its threatened loss- the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.
Historical Fiction...
1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers- It is a retelling of the book of Hosea. It takes place in the 1850s during the California gold rush. Sarah "Angel" is sold into prostitution as a young girl, and though she is more beautiful than any other girl, she is also cold to the world around her (makes sense with her background). Then one day, Michael Hosea walks into her life, telling her they will get married, she laughs it off, thinking he just has empty promises. But he comes to her rescue, though she agrees to marry him, her heart is hardly in it. She runs away, and Michael always comes to rescue her. Even though she starts to love Michael, something inside her stops her from truly letting Michael into her heart. It is a great book to remind me how deep and all-consuming love God has for us.
2. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly- This is the novel that introduced me to the writing of Jennifer Donnelly, and I fell in love with her writing. And her storytelling abilities. Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come
true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel
guest Grace Brown (from Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy)
asks her to burn a bundle of secret letters. But when Grace's drowned
body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers the letters reveal the
grim truth behind a murder. Now she must decide whether to pursue her dreams or follow her family's wishes.
3. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley- History has all but forgotten...In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...
4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah- I am not a big WWII reader, but I fell in love with this book. The story is about two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who live in German-occupied France. Vianne just tries to survive the war, making tough choices between right and wrong, and between life and her farm, to save her child. Isabelle is more rebellious and joins the resistance against the Nazi's. It is a powerful story and kept me on the edge of my seat till the end. The book jacket put it best: "With courage, grace, and powerful insight, best-selling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years of experience, by ideals, passion, and circumstances, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrated the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime."
5. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman- After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherborne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day's journey from the coast. To this isolated island, Tome brings his young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby cry on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is "a gift from God," and against Tom's judgement, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, they return to the mainland and come face to face with the reality that their choices have devastated the lives of people they have never met. It is beautiful, but I did have to have the tissues close to me. I also see they are making this into a movie... yeah I will not be wearing massacre to this one. 
6. The Lake House by Kate Morton- Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined. Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as an author. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone...yet more present than ever. 
7. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.- It is 1939, Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger has lost her mother and brother and is living as a foster child outside of Munich, who scratched out a meager existence for herself, stealing when she encounters something she can't resist--books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and the power of words. She shares the stories with her neighbors during bombing raids and makes an unlikely friendship with the Jewish man hiding in her basement. I thought it brought to light a part of history I had never considered and told the story from the interesting perspective of Death. Blending the Past and Present...
1. First Impressions by Charlie Lovett... The book and the story line were so intriguing I couldn't put it down... I am missed my T-stop while reading this. I don't want to give anything away. But imagine if one day you found out Jane Austen plagiarized Pride and Prejudice? What would you do to protect that secret? I don't want to give any spoilers so here is Amazon's description:
In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.
2. The Story Teller by Jodi Picoult- Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t. Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths to which we will go in order to keep the past from dictating the future.
3. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley- History has all but forgotten...In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her.
Classics...
1. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Just re-read it and it was more beautiful than I remembered. The first time I read it I was annoyed at Fanny because she wasn't like the other Austen heroines as she did not speak her mind and she allowed her aunt and cousins take advantage of her. However, as time has passed and I have grown up a bit, I find her to be a heroine to admire because she constantly puts others first, and when push comes to shove, she will stand up for herself. I think she also learns that her opinion is important and that she has a voice... Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighborhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation. Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine and subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, one of her most profound. 
2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell- skilfully weaves a compelling love story into a clash between the pursuit of profit and humanitarian ideals. When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the North of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In North and South Gaskell skilfully fused individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale created one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.Present-day fiction...
1. Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay- I picked it because of a possible Jane Austen connection... kept reading because it was a lovely encouraging story about Samantha Moore who is a foster kid always getting lost in the world of books. She finds more comfort in book than real life (sounds familiar). The book is written in letter format as she writes to her anonymous benefactor, "Mr. Knightley," and through the letters, she lets her heart open up. It is a christian book but it doesn't hit you over the head with it. I think I lost my heart a bit to Samantha.
2. The Princess by Lori Wick, it was my 3rd time re-reading it... I don't think I have re-read any book minus my Jane Austens. The story is kind of sappy and corny but with all that I am going through I needed to escape into a book that is like a comfort blanket. It takes place in the fictional country of Pendaran where it is a strong tradition (almost law) that the prince has to marry by the time he is 26. Nikolai is still a grieving widow so he can't imagine dating another woman so he agrees to an arranged marriage. Through a friend of the family his parents find Shelby. After Nikolai and Shelby marry they have to learn how to be a true couple.
3. The Chance by Karen Kingsbury-
Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree and wrote letters to each other, sealing them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them in 2013, the year Nolan’s time traveling books say all the mysteries of the world will be understood. Now, as that date approaches, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom living in a tired apartment and trying to make ends meet. Nolan, now an NBA star, has dealt with terrible personal tragedies that fueled his faith and athletic drive in equal measure. Ever since his father and coach succumbed to a heart attack, Nolan has suffered from a transcendent loneliness. Drowning in an ocean of grief, he often thinks about Ellie and the innocence of their childhood days together.4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- I will say you need tissues to read this book... Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has brought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
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