Weekly Book List: September 17-23

I'm so happy it is Thursday! =)


The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen (Adult Fiction)
Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance--as well as clues about her mother--Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart.
I LOVED this book! It was just as great as Lady of Milkweed Manor and in many ways even better! It's very exciting that books written about the era of Jane Austen are becoming more popular! Recommended!
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No Place For A Lady by Maggie Brendan (Adult Fiction)
After the death of her father, Crystal is relieved to be leaving the troubles of her Georgia life behind to visit her aunt Kate's cattle ranch. Despite being raised as a proper Southern belle, Crystal is determined to hold her own in this wild land--even if a certain handsome foreman doubts her abilities. Just when she thinks she's getting a handle on the constant male attention from the cowhands and the catty barbs from some of the local young women, tragedy strikes the ranch. Crystal will have to tap all of her resolve to save the ranch from a greedy neighboring landowner. Can she rise to the challenge? Or will she head back to Georgia defeated?
Book 1 of the Heart of the West series. This was a fun Western Christian romance. Some of the plot was too coincidental but I really enjoyed it.
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A Promise For Spring by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Adult Fiction)
England-born Emmaline Bradford pledged her life to Geoffrey Garrett and then bid him farewell when he sailed to America. Although Geoffrey anticipated only a short separation, several years passed before he was able to send for Emmaline. By then the fiery flame of her youthful love had all but died. Shocked by the conditions on Geoffrey's Kansas sheep ranch, Emmaline wishes to return to England immediately. Geoffrey offers a compromise: If Emmaline promises to stay until spring, he'll pay her return fare if she decides to go back to her home country. When spring arrives, will Emmaline return to England, or will she marry Geoffrey and carve out a life with him in Kansas?

The main character of this book was really whiney. I didn't like it very much.
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Into The Wild by Sarah Beth Durst (Juvenile Fiction)
The Wild is a fairy-tale world -- at least it was until the fairy-tale characters escaped -- but lately it's just a mass of hungry vines stuffed under Julie's bed. Julie, her mom Rapunzel (yep, that Rapunzel -- think long hair, tower, prince), and her brother Puss-in-Boots (okay, he's a cat) do their best to keep it hidden and under control. But Julie's sick of living with the Wild -- it eats her jeans and sneakers whenever it wants! Junior high is tough enough, even with a normal family.
When someone makes a dangerous wish that sets the Wild free, it grows and grows and quickly begins to devour Julie's entire Massachusetts town. The Wild is hungry, and this time it wants its characters back for good.
Julie must venture deep into the Wild and outsmart wicked witches, feisty giants, and super-cute princes in the ultimate quest to save her family. She fights her way to the heart of the fairy tale and discovers she must risk everything or lose her chance to live in the real world... and if Julie can't find a way to defeat the happily-ever-after, she'll never see her family again.
Pretty good modern story about a young girl that gets pulled into a fairytale... but not just one fairytale story.... all of them combined. It wasn't my favorite but it was interesting and clean enough. 
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Bachelor's Puzzle by Judith Pella (Adult Fiction)
In this historical romance, ladies in the church quilting circle have their daughters compete with quilting squares to win the new bachelor pastor's heart.
Book 1 of the Patchwork Circle series. This book was fine. The plot was too slow for me but it is good, clean fiction.



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Just Another Girl by Melody Carlson (Young Adult Fiction)
Aster Flynn is stuck. She has to spend all of her "free" time with her younger sister, Lily, who, though fifteen, is mentally handicapped. At age seventeen, Aster should be hanging out with friends, dating boys, and working at a fun job. But her dad's MIA, her mom is always at work, and her older sister Rose is too self-centered to give her any help. It's not that Aster doesn't love Lily--it's just that for once she'd like to be able to be a normal teenager. So when a cute popular guy seems to take an interest in her, Aster hatches a plan. Somehow she has to get her workaholic mom and deadbeat dad to be the parents Lily needs so that Aster can have a life of her own. But can she ever get her parents to start acting like adults? Is this new guy worth the trouble? And, most importantly, will Lily get hurt in the process?
This is by no means Melody Carlson's finest work. It was okay but the main character seemed pretty shallow and her older sister has some problems. It's Christian fiction though so it's pretty decent compared to most teen fiction out there.

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Weekly Book List: September 10-16

I didn't get to the library last week so I didn't have many books to read for this week, but I have a lot of books for this coming week!
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Meet Dorothy Day by Woodeene Koenig-Bricker (Biography)
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, once declared: "Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed that easily." Nevertheless, the cause for her canonization began in 2000, and her prophetic example remains a provocative challenge to the status quo that cannot be easily dismissed. This intriguing biography of the highly controversial journalist and social activist draws from her voluminous writings and the testimony of people who knew her well. It explores the connections between Day’s formidable public achievements and her private life of prayer, Scripture study, and devotion to the Sacraments. The result is a stirring portrait of a champion of justice for the poor and oppressed who worked tirelessly to awaken the conscience of a nation.
It was interesting but kinda boring.
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The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (Autobiography)
Helen Keller would not be bound by conditions. Rendered deaf and blind at 19 months by scarlet fever, she learned to read (in several languages) and even speak, eventually graduating with honors from Radcliffe College in 1904, where as a student she wrote The Story of My Life. That she accomplished all of this in an age when few women attended college and the disabled were often relegated to the background, spoken of only in hushed tones, is remarkable. But Keller's many other achievements are impressive by any standard: she authored 13 books, wrote countless articles, and devoted her life to social reform.
I tried reading this when I was younger but just didn't understand it. When I picked it up this time though, I loved it!
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Tomboy Bride: A Woman's Personal Account of Life In Mining Camps of the West by Harriet Fish Backus (Autobiography/Nonfiction)
A true pioneer of the West, Harriet Backus writes about her amusing and often challenging experiences with heart-felt emotion and vivid detail. New foreword by Pam Houston and afterword by author's grandson Rob Walton are featured.

This book took me a while to read. It was interesting but not a favorite. And she's not a "tomboy" bride... the mining camp was called Tomboy. =)

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Faith (Brides of the West book 1) by Lori Copeland (Adult Fiction)
When their pastor father dies suddenly, leaving little money, three sisters realize that they need to take drastic action to survive. Each answers a newspaper ad soliciting Christian brides. Faith goes to Texas, where her intended, a well-to-do rancher named Nicholas Shepherd, seems to be having second thoughts. While her wedding is repeatedly postponed, Faith meets a local widower and decides to teach his blind son Braille. In time, Nicholas begins to realize that he may have lost Faith to another man.
I was thrilled with this book! I'm always so excited to find good, clean romance!
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Weekly Book list: September 3-9

Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen (Adult Fiction)
In this inspirational historical romance debut novel set in 19th-century England, a young pregnant woman is forced to make difficult choices. Twenty-year-old Charlotte Lamb is the daughter of a heartless English vicar, as we discover when she becomes pregnant and he throws her out of her childhood home. Vulnerable and unprotected, she is forced to a lodging place for unwed mothers. Soon, Lamb must make decisions involving true love and sacrifice, providing many powerful turning points throughout the story.
I really enjoyed this book! It was very similar to Jane Austen's books. It wasn't something really young teens should read but I think it is appropriate for older teens. I love the cover!
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The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry (Juvenile Fiction)
When Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at her evil aunt's jewelry store. Then, on the very same day, a mysterious visitor and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop, setting in motion a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda's path. In this magical story filled with delightful surprises, Lucinda will dance at the royal ball, fall under the Amaranth Witch's spell, avenge her parents' death, and maybe - just maybe - capture the heart of a prince.

A really great fairytale. Kind of a Cinderella story. Similar to Gail Carson Levine's books. There was nothing really objectionable in it, just a little crude humor/boasting. Love this cover too!
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The Edge of the Sword by Rebecca Tingle (Juvenile Fiction)
The eldest daughter of King Alfred, spirited Fl d is well educated and loves studying, almost as much as being with her mother and sisters or wandering the West Saxon countryside with her brother Edward. She understands that she is expected to marry, but the 15-year-old is dismayed to learn how soon this destiny must be fulfilled. Her betrothal to the much older Mercian King Ethelred curtails her independence beyond endurance. She resents her new round-the-clock bodyguard, Red, although she is curious about the slave collar and bracelets that the free man wears. When Fl d uses her considerable intelligence to evade Red's protection, the horrifying consequences change their relationship. Red becomes Fl d's tutor in weapons and warfare, training her as a battle leader, a role she will be forced to play before she becomes a bride.
Wonderful! It ended up being the perfect thing to read this week because my literature book for school, Beowulf, was quoted in it. It is appropriate for most readers but it would probably make most sense to 14 year olds and up.
Didn't really like this cover, she looks angry! (which she isn't)
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The Far Traveler by Rebecca Tingle (Juvenile Fiction)
A scholarly girl with no interest in the riding, swordplay, or politics that absorb her widowed mother, Wyn is surprised to learn that her uncle, the West Saxon King Edward, has arranged her marriage to a much older earl in order to solidify a political alliance. Then her mother's unexpected death throws Mercia's future into a state of uncertainty. With King Wilfrid of Northumbria eager for an alliance with Mercia, Wyn's uncle insists that her marriage take place immediately or that she enter a convent. Knowing that either choice will mean the downfall of her country, Wyn decides instead to flee. Disguised as a boy, she passes herself off as a scop (itinerant bard) and adopts the name Widsith ("Far Traveler").
The sequel story to The Edge On the Sword. Just as great! Same rating as the other. This cover is cool!
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A Circle of Silver by Maxine Trottier (Juvenile Fiction)
In 1760, thirteen-year-old John MacNeil, a skilled artist, leaves England and his beloved twin sister to join his father on a journey to the Canadian wilderness, where his role as official cartographer brings him often dangerous adventures, including an encounter with Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawas.
An easy read. It was similar to Gloria Whelan's Island series. Appropriate for all readers. All the items on the cover have significance in the book!

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Beowulf translated by Charles W. Kennedy (Literature)
Beowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem of unknown authorship, dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between the 8th and the early 11th century, set in Denmark and Sweden. Commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature, Beowulf has been the subject of much scholarly study, theory, speculation, and discourse.

Certainly not something I would choose to read, but it was pretty interesting in it's own way.
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Still reading:

Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fisher Backus (Autobiography)

I'm having fun reading this -it's just taking me a while to get through it.








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