I Feel So Unnecessary

Something Yellow  By: Laura Templeton 324 pages Publisher: Page Spring Publishing  Publication Date: October 2013 Genre: Romantic Suspense Buy it: Amazon B&N Add it on Goodreads Synopsis: It has been thirteen years since Holly’s nine-year-old sister, Rachel, disappeared without a trace. It has been thirteen years since Holly left her hometown. It has been thirteen years since Holly’s first love and high school boyfriend, Houston, was the only suspect. Now another nine-year-old girl has disappeared. Holly is back, and so is Houston—never charged and still proclaiming his innocence. Can she trust him . . . should she trust him? My Thoughts: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading this book- I'm from the mountains of Southwest Virginia and it was a refreshing change not to have my people depicted as lazy, uneducated, toothless in-breeders. The characters ...

Losing It All By: Marsha Cornelius Genre: Fiction 380 pages Publisher: Hickory Flat Books Publication Date: February 2013 Get the book here: Amazon * I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Frank Barnes is content living on the streets of Atlanta. A soup kitchen and a makeshift shanty sure beat his days as a POW in Vietnam. But Chloe Roberts can’t handle the eviction that sends her into the hell of homelessness. With no family or friends to turn to, Chloe and her children are sucked into the traumatic world of night shelters, and dangerous predators. When they bump into each other at the soup kitchen, Frank offers Chloe a glimmer of hope that she can pull her life back together. She rekindles his lost sense of self-worth by taking his mind off his own problems. But they will not meet again until Frank is riding high as a working man, and Chloe has hit rock bottom. By helping Chloe rebuild her broken life, Frank banishes ...

The Prodigal- A Ragamuffin Story By: Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett Genre: Christian Fiction 304 pages Publisher: Zondervan Publication Date: October 2013 Purchase the book here: Zondervan Amazon B&N Synopsis: From the inspirational author of The Ragamuffin Gospel comes a powerful contemporary retelling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jack Chisholm is “the people’s pastor.” He leads a devoted and growing megachurch, has several best-selling books, and a memorable slogan, “We have got to do better.” Jack knows how to preach, and he understands how to chastise people into performing. What he doesn’t know is anything about grace. This year, when it comes time for the Christmas sermon, the congregation at Grace Cathedral will look to the pulpit, and Jack will not be there. Of course, they will have seen plenty of him already---on the news. After an evening of debauchery that leads to an affair with his beautiful assistant, Jack Chisholm finds ...

Like Moonlight at Low Tide By: Nicole Quigley 256 pages Genre: YA Christian Fiction Publisher: Zondervan Publication Date:9/23/12 Get it at: Zondervan Amazon B&N Christianbook  * I received this book through BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:   In Nicole Quigley's debut YA novel, sixteen-year-old Melissa Keiser returns to her hometown expecting to face the same bullies who called her the ugliest girl in school. Instead her new appearance sparks interest from the popular crowd who made her miserable. When Melissa has a chance to escape her rough home situation and find the life she's dreamed of, she must choose between a longtime crush, a new friend, and the brother who doesn't belong. Melissa's choices may have dire consequences. My Thoughts: This book captured my attention after the first few paragraphs. The plot was paced well and the author captured the voices of teenagers perfectly. She tackled social issues ...

The Girl You Left Behind By: JoJo Moyes Genre: Literature/Fiction 384 pages Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books Publication Date: August 2013 Get it at: Amazon   B&N   Penguin   Add it on: Goodreads   Synopsis: * I received a free copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*   Jojo Moyes’s bestseller, Me Before You , catapulted her to wide critical acclaim and has struck a chord with readers everywhere. “Hopelessly and hopefully romantic” ( Chicago Tribune ), Moyes returns with another irresistible heartbreaker that asks, “Whatever happened to the girl you left behind?” France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything—her family, her reputation, and her l...

The Road From Gap Creek By: Robert Morgan 333 pages Genre: Literature/Fiction Publisher: Algonquin Books Publication Date: August 27, 2013 Purchase it here: Amazon   B&N   Workman   I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: One of America’s most acclaimed writers journeys to the land on which he has staked a literary claim to paint an indelible portrait of a family in a time of unprecedented change. When Robert Morgan began the saga of the Richards family in his novel Gap Creek, the book became an Oprah Book Club Selection, attracting hundreds of thousands of readers to its beguiling story of a marriage begun with love and hope but beset by chaos at the turn of the twentieth century. Now, in a masterful work of historical fiction, he introduces a new generation of this close-knit family in a captivating story that looks ahead to the uncertainties of the future, the struggle ...

The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt By:  Michele Wehrwein Albion Genre: Biography 272 pages Publisher: University Press of Florida  Publication Date: September 24, 2013 * I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Buy it here: Amazon   Barnes and Noble   Wal-mart     Synopsis: Born to one of the wealthiest families in New York City, Eleanor Roosevelt seemed destined for a sedate and comfortable life. Instead, she fell in love with her fifth cousin and was flung into the highest levels of American politics, culminating in Franklin's unprecedented four-term presidency. Before her, no first lady had ever held a press conference or written a syndicated column. Eleanor spoke at national conventions and often made appearances on her husband's behalf. Her own influence lasted years beyond his death. She advocated for human rights, worked with the United Nations, and supported what later...

Murder, Plain, and Simple (Amish Shop Quilt Mysteries #1) By: Isabella Alan Genre: Cozy Mystery 368 pages Publisher: Signet Publication Date: September 3, 2013 * I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she leaves behind her career and broken engagement for a fresh start in Holmes County, Ohio. With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brook, but her aunt’s quilting circle tries to make her feel welcome as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch. On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom the next morning, everything starts falling apart. With evidence mounting a...

A Plain Disappearance ( Appleseed Creek Mystery # 3) By: Amanda Flower Genre: Cozy Mystery 336 pages Publisher: B& H Books Publication Date: September 1, 2013 Book Purchase Links: Amazon   B&N   Christian Book   Add it on: Goodreads   * A free copy was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:   It’s Christmastime in Amish Country, and Chloe Humphrey has begun settling into her life in Appleseed Creek excited to see where her new relationship with Timothy Troyer will lead. Unfortunately it leads to murder when the couple discovers the body of Amish teenager Katie Lambright while on their first date. Near the scene there is evidence that Timothy’s friend and auto mechanic Billy Thorpe is involved with the crime. The police reveal Billy is not really who he said he was and has been living the last decade in Knox County under a stolen alias. Now, Chloe and Timothy must find Billy, bring ...