Book Review: Bamboo & Lace

Bamboo & Lace by Lori Wick is a light romantic novel, an enjoyable read with a message, and a fun vacation. Who doesn't want to occasionally escape to Hawaii?

After being raised in a remote Asian village, the main character, Lily, finds herself in an exciting yet overwhelming world when she arrives on the island of Oahu. Watching Lily discover kitchen appliances, modern conveniences, and the grocery store for the first time gave me cause to reflect on the many things we take for granted and how much joy we miss when we rush through our multitasking lives.

A look into the Asian culture and the subservient status of women was both disturbing and thought provoking and again brought me back to the realization of how fortunate we are to live in a democracy.

As Lily struggles with choosing family honor or true love, the book shows in a masterful way how God can break through stubborn pride, change hearts, and move mountains.

Troublesome Creek Series Book Review

Jan Watson's Troublesome Creek was the winner of the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Contest. She has since written two more books about her main character, Copper, and if you like historical fiction, you'll love this series.

The book begins in 1881 in the Kentucky mountains and transports the reader back to a simpler time. I laughed when Copper's stubborn ways got her into trouble because I've been there so many times myself. And, my heart mourned when she faced tragedy and loss because I've been there too.

Escape into Copper's world and prepare to be enthralled for many hours of reading pleasure.

"Fireflies in December" Book Review

This historical novel addresses the issue of prejudice and the widespread influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1930s. While reading the book, I thought about how far we've come as a society,how far we still have to go, and how God will always be there to see us through it.

It transported me back in time and melded with stories my grandma used to tell me about growing up in south Georgia. I don't know if she witnessed burning crosses or white-robbed men, but I'm sure she knew about them. She talked some about the 'colored' family that lived near them and about being dirt poor ... the house she grew up in had dirt floors. This leads me to believe the Ku Klux Klan most likely visited the area, but it is only speculation.

When she talked about the 'colored' family, she never talked about them with disrespect or prejudice. Perhaps her family's lack of social status had something to do with it, perhaps a lack of white supremacy indoctrination, or maybe just blissful ignorance in her case. I'll never know. I do know, however, there was still a separation of color even at the lowest level of social class and prejudice would eventually rear its ugly head even in her family.

Thank you, Jennifer, for a great read, a reminder of America's imperfect past, and a look at what can be accomplished through faith, friendship,and Christian love.

"Vanish" Book Review

Tom Pawlik's "Vanish" is the Christian Writers Guild 2006 Operation First Novel winner. Since it is in the supernatural thriller genre I love to read and write, I fully expected to enjoy this book and it didn't disappoint.

It was top notch. In my opinion, it was as good as any Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti book I've read. It drew me in so much that I kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen next and I even finished reading it in one evening.

I love a suspense thriller that leads me down a road where I think I know what is going on, encourages me to figure out where it is going and how it is going to end, and then either totally catches me by surprise or is similar yet different than I imagined.

"Vanish" is just such a book. My thought process was anticipating the true identity of the creatures as spiritual beings, but the circumstances were completely different than I thought they were and the ending was a surprise.

Thank you Tom. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.