A Net in Time

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The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater through Nuts about Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Can evil be beaten?  Yes, prayer and understanding that it’s just trying to mess with your head, and your faith, evil can be beaten.  Ms. Wright is clear about that as she brings us into a haunting, somewhat spooky word of The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater. Not for the faint of heart despite the lack of gruesomeness, and was a book I read in short spurts as I like suspenseful books, but some are meant to be taken in short bits.  🙂 

the lost boys of barlowe theater by Jaime Jo Wright

The Basic Details

Title: The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater
Author: Jaime Jo Wright
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Pages: 384
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: Christian fiction, Christian Mystery Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, Romantic Suspense
Available formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio, Paperback
Received: Paperback
Reviewed for: Nuts About Books

The Author:

I thought I recognized the author!   Jaime Jo Wright also wrote The Souls of Lost Lake!  I remember that book as a somewhat compelling read.  And again, we have a book that jumps from the past to the present.  This makes it one that wouldn’t work for me as an audiobook and where I have to pay attention to the headings!   

Anyways, what can I tell you about Jaime Jo Wright?  She loves coffee, cats, and gothic horror! She is a multi-award-winning author, with numerous bestsellers under her belt.  Her writing style will keep you at the edge of your seat, while reminding you about God himself. 

The Novel:

Running in two timelines, with missing boys in both.  Two women trying to solve the mystery of the missing boys and wanting the evil of the theater to stop.  Good men help them, and some romantic interests are shown, but isn’t primary to the storyline.   Greta in 1915 and Kit in present times.

Two Mysteries, yet related

Barlowe Theater haunts the town Kippers Grove.  Two women, in separate timelines, are determined to help the boys lost and to keep it from happening again.  Will they succeed in this suspense filled mystery?

You’ll find cliff-hangers, and some giveaways as you move from the present back to the past.  You’ll have to deal with the supernatural and have to fight to see what is true.  Kinda like real life eh?  Will be fooled by the devil’s wiles or see the truth hiding behind?

The writing is clear and easy to read, the story compelling.  Each of the ladies have struggles they need to deal with such as poverty and adoption as they work to solve the mystery.  I’m not going to give the story away, but do know the mystery IS solved.  It’s important to know that when reading a suspenseful book. 

If this sort of read is your cup of tea, pick it up!  You’ll be on your edge of the seat throughout!

Lost and Found

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for Lost and Found through Nuts about Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Do you like Amish literature?  Like seeing that sense of community and faith in God?  Suzanne Woods Fischer has put together a nice romantic novel that is more thought-provoking than it is focused on romance.  You will find themes of mental illness, forgiveness, following God’s leading, grief, and spiritual growth.  The undercurrent through it all is Micah and Trudy, with things to learn before they can really see each other.  If you love bird-watching you’ll have the added joy of reading through bird watching journal entries! 

Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Basic Details for Lost and Found

Title: Lost and Found
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Pages: 320
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: Christian fiction, Contemporary Christian fiction, mental health, Amish, Contemporary Christian Fiction, Amish Romance, Amish and Mennonite fiction,
Available formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio, Paperback
Received: Paperback
Reviewed for: Nuts About Books

The Author:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a prolific author, Lost and Found is just one in a long set of series about the Amish. She has written in several genres, such as historical fiction, contemporary, women’s romance, and children.  Ms. Fisher has written for years, starting with magazines, and then moving on to romance and non-fiction.  Mother, author, and person of faith, she spent some time living in Hong Kong but currently lives in California. 

The Story:

Trudy Yoder shares a passion for birding with Micah Weaver–and she has an even greater passion for Micah. Their friendship is finally turning romantic when Micah abruptly grows cold. Worse still, he wants to leave Stoney Ridge.

Micah Weaver thought he was over Trudy’s older sister. A year and a half ago, Shelley had broken his heart when she ran away from Stoney Ridge to pursue a singing career in Nashville…….

When the bishop asks for volunteers to scout out a possible church relocation in Tennessee, Micah is the first to raise his hand. Despite scant details, he’s confident he can find Shelley.

Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Looking Deeper

At first I thought this was going to be another sappy Christian romance but I WAS WRONG.  Is it a romance?  YES.  Is there some sappiness to it?   For sure!  (It wouldn’t be billed as a romance otherwise would it!?!!)  But this is more of a story of two young people needing to mature into themselves AND as they mature to being able to see what they must. 

Micah needed to see the truth of old love, his own competency, and how to stand for what is real and important.   Trudy needed to stand up for herself and not let family tragedy stop forward progress. As they learned these things, they became “better suited” to each other.

Their maturity and dealing with mental health issues were more important stories and I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that.  It makes the romance part of it seem more realistic to me.  🙂 

Since Micah and Trudy are avid bird-watchers I thought Ms. Fisher did an excellent job of adding in these bird-watching journal entries. It was kinda fun reading about the common loon, gray catbird, bobolink, and others. 

Though I enjoyed that the primary focus wasn’t on the romantic feelings betwixt Micah and Trudy I can’t really say that I enjoyed the read.  I enjoyed the bird journal entries, and overall the story was good, but the characters were “off”.  The old man who yelled all the time really threw me off and the laughter/joking about fainting goats.  It just sat wrong for me.  

BUT I loved the growth seen in both Micah and Trudy and learning about why an Amish community might up and leave.  Seeing the Amish community (in the form of Trudy) doing what she could to save the larger community around her.  Those elements were fantastic and I’m so glad Ms. Fisher focused on the bigger picture.  Simply wonderful that. 

The hat Diaries: the secret life of Ryan Rigbee

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for The hat Diaries: the secret life of Ryan Rigbee through Mouth: Digital & Public Relations. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Oh, this book.  I really really wish it has been at the top of my review pile…but it wasn’t.  AND I do need to honour the order in which books arrive.  What a rollicking ride of hats and watching a young boy become something more.  Each hat adventure contains clues that he needs to put together to get some answers.  I’ll warn you straight up, the answers might not be what you expect!

The hat Diaries: the secret life of Ryan Rigbee

The Basic Details for The Hat Diaries

Title: The Hat Diaries: the secret life of Ryan Rigbee
Author:  Nadine Haruni
Publisher: Speaking Volumes
Series: The Hat Diaries
Pages: 252
Intended Audience: middle school, 6-18 years,
Genre: magical realism, coming of age, teen & young adult,
Available formats: Kindle, Paperback

The Author

Nadine Haruni is best known for her Freeda the Frog children series.  The Secret Life of Ryan Rigbee is her debut foray into the middle school realm. She is also a practicing attorney, Certified yoga instructor, and the proud mother of a blended family of five children. 

The Book

The Hat Diaries: the Secret Life of Ryan Rigbee is the first in a trilogy.  Ryan undertakes a magical adventure in the form of hats that bring him into a series of adventures. Through those adventures he develops more into the person he is meant to become.  A confident young man who sees his own potential.  Coming of age books are good to read eh? 

The hat Diaries: the secret life of Ryan Rigbee

What you’ll find

You will find text meant to appeal to middle school through young adult.  A very easy to read tome, filled with a variety of adventures, in different fields of employment. Magician, FireFighter, Policeman, Safari Guide and more.  A variety of occupations to delight the imagination of 13 year old boy.  A boy who, through the change of a hat, changes his life in the course of an evening. 

Each chapter starts off simply with an image fitting it.  In black and white.  Nothing fancy, just something to add a bit to the storyline. 

I will freely admit that I didn’t read every word.  I tend to skim read books when short on time and I really wanted to let you know about this read.   The imagination, and the pulling together of the story was delightful.  I LOVE feeding the imagination of children. 

Through Ryan’s imagination, and the help of those magical hats, Ryan learned more about his family.  Enough that he was able to as good questions of his mom, and figure some things out about his deceased father. 

If I were still homeschooling I’d be tempted to use this book to help in a story telling class.  What kind of story would YOUR imagination spin up with a baseball cap, mala beads, or _________.  All these things that Ryan has to work with, and then read what Ryan’s mind came up with. Wouldn’t that be an interesting class to teach? 

The Warsaw Sisters

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for The Warsaw Sisters through Nuts about Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Good and evil are part of what it means to live life isn’t it?   In war we often see more of the nasty side of what people can be.  Amanda Barratt takes the time to show us the courage of two young women, living in Poland, during WW2.  Walk into the wartime lives on Helena and Antonina. Marvel at their determination and survival skills as they manage the Nazi occupation of Poland. 

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrat

The Basic Details for The Warsaw Sisters

Title: The Warsaw Sisters
Author: Amanda Barratt
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Pages: 384
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: Christian fiction, Contemporary Christian fiction, World War ll historical fiction, 20th century historical fiction, Christian historical fiction, 
Available formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio, Paperback

The Author

Amanda Barratt says on her website “I’m passionate about illuminating oft-forgotten facets of history”.  And in The Warsaw Sisters I saw snippets of history brought to life I didn’t previously know about. Ms. Barratt is a Christian author who has written several books.  She often writes about WW2 as she’s fascinated by the contrast between good and evil. 

The Warsaw Sisters 

Takes in the lives of Helena and Antonina.   Sisters in Poland trying to survive the Nazi invasion of WW2. Through them we get to see how some of the Polish fought back against the invasion.  How they fought for their people and for the Jewish who lived among them. The question we have is, will their fight against the evil of the Nazi regime drive them apart? 

My Thoughts

I very much appreciated that each time the voice changed, or a date changed, we were clearly informed by section headings.  The font was easy on the eyes and made reading comfortable.  The story, though delineated by days/voices, was indeed a story and not a recitation of facts. 

The fact that the speaker varies between the two sisters means, that for me at least, this novel would not work as an audiobook.  BUT others might be better able at discerning the difference while listening. 

The added historical notes at the close of The Warsaw Sisters are informative, showing how the story was derived from the research that Ms. Barratt did. Very interesting and helpful.

I’m not going to tell you that The Warsaw Sisters is a happy read.  There’s lots of sadness throughout.  We see Germans doing some very nasty things and we see Polish turning a blind eye to atrocities. War is a horrible thing, and wars that include genocide are particularly nasty.  It spans the time of 1939-1945.

But I’m also not going to tell there is no hope or joy.   Joy in helping those who most need it.  Courage of people choosing to fight instead of giving up like sheep.  Bravery in choosing to do hard things.  Intelligence in learning new and necessary skills.   Wonder at the birth of a child.  The hope of the city of Warsaw rebuilt.

So it’s just like Ms. Barratt says ” In times of some of the greatest evil and inhumanity our world has ever known, there emerged glimmers of courage, resilience, and sacrifice. The juxtaposition of those fragments of light against the darkness is extraordinarily powerful and inspires me as I write.”  She fulfilled her own mandate don’t you think?  That balance between good and bad clearly seen in the lives of these women and the army they fight against. 

On Moonberry Lake

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for On Moonberry Lake through Nuts about Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 🙂

Walk into a touch of mystery, the love of family, the burgeoning friendships, and the small town attitude of On Moonberry Lake.  A story for women about women, their uniqueness, and how quickly they can respond to emergencies, and a few good men at their side.   Holly Varni has written a heart-warming story that makes for a perfect weekend read. 

on moonberry lake

The Basic Details for On Moonberry Lake

Title: On Moonberry Lake
Author: Holly Varni
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Series: Moonberry Lake
Pages: 336
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: Christian fiction, family life fiction, Contemporary Christian fiction, Christian romance, small town fiction, contemporary romance
Available formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio, Paperback

Author Notes:

Growing up in Nebraska, but now living in California with her professor hubby, Holly Varni writes stories about Moonberry Lake. She wants to give readers characters they can connect with, admire, laugh at, and most of all love.  She raises up boys and works in hospice (where she gets to listen to life stories).

Book Notes: 

Cora Matthews’s life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever “normal” is.   Perhaps she can find the answers if she returns to the family home on Moonberry Lake. 

A host of eccentric neighbours, and the job of rebuilding the family lodge, give Cora the time she needs to let go of her past and build toward her future. 

on moonberry lake

My Thoughts

I loved the eccentricity and heart in Cora’s neighbours.   I found some of the small-townishness perhaps a bit overplayed, but interesting folks.   The other day at work I noted that we all have our own uniqueness’s and the best we can do is embrace them in ourselves and others.   So it is for the folks on Moonberry Lake.  Almost everyone has heart for their neighbours, makes mistakes, some have faith in God, and they all pull together when things are hard.   Is everything all roses?   Certainly not.  Conflict between people, hurt and misunderstanding, dangerous events, and what not.  They happen.  And sometimes in a story it feels a bit far-fetched.  Like are there SO many eccentric people living in this small-town?  Does a tornado have to happen to destroy all Cora and Widgy’s hard work?   

But the point of the story is to tell an engaging story with characters that draw you in and make you love them.  Even Mr. Wells with all his struggles was a character you just want to wrap your arms around and hold close.  It’s a fun weekend read.   Is there romance in it?  YES.  And the whole “instant connection” thing drove me crazy as always, but it ended up not being central to the whole story.  AND I LOVE THAT!  Don’t you too?   When a story has more depth than the romance between two people.

Go on, get On Moonberry Lake and enjoy a light christian romance with a feel-good vibe. 

More Than Words

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product More Than Words: So Many Ways to Say What we Mean through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog.  It costs you nothing to do so, and is a huge encouragement to me.  As such it is deeply appreciated. 

Do you know what augmentative and alternative communication is? Do your children have any ideas about all the different ways that people can communicate?  More Than Words brought me back to my time with with differently abled children.  And honestly, I thought I knew a lot but there are even more ways to communicate than I had thought of!  Come along, learn the different ways people communicate! 

More than words

The Basic Details for More than Words

Title: More Than Words: So many ways to say what we mean
Author: Roz Maclean
Illustrator: Roz Maclean
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 
Pages: 48
Intended Audience: 4-8 years
Genre: Picture Book, Children’s disabilities, Augmentative Communication, Communication, Children,  
Available formats: Hardcover, Kindle
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
Received: Hardcover with fly

more than words

A Closer Look

Having worked with people who need to be creative in how they communicate I love how More Than Words expresses more variety than you can imagine.  

Can play be a form of expression?  What about choosing between one thing and another?  How about facial expressions or written language?  Everyone has ways to communicate, and sometimes a preference or need to shown for one method over another!  

I suppose it’s no different than a mom saying to her child, I’m so disappointed… or just showing disappointment in her body language.  Both convey the same thing but are spoken differently.  So does it matter how a person communicates as long as they are trying? 

Good use of colour and facial expression fill the pages.  And I love Maclean adding a personal touch to each communication method.   Perhaps you might know a Jaya, Mateo, or Nathan who has preferred method of communicating different than you too? 

The font changes were fantastic.  The informative text appears as you see below.  A simple, easy-to-read font, but occasionally large colourful words will jump off the page.  Can you play, choose, dig, or cry?  In what manner will you express yourself today?  Who might you run into who talks differently? 

My Thoughts

Did you know that the Roz Maclean so wants people to understand alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) that section is included at the close of the book to teach more.  These forms of AAC might not be well-known to everyone.  Learning how others find ways to talk is ever so helpful don’t you think?   More Than Words is an easy read that I think children would enjoy reading.  Perhaps they can guess how people will communicate!  I love how even though we learned how a whole variety of people communicate, we needed to really think about how Nathan communicates.   So as you read, give it some thought.  What might Nathan be trying to say and how does he do it? 

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog.  It costs you nothing to do so, and is a huge encouragement to me.  As such it is deeply appreciated. 

Sometimes, just sometimes, you need to read a book twice to make sure you understand where it is going.  When I read the description of Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior I thought it would be about a woman from history.  Instead, it’s about a girl of today and how history has influenced her.   I urge you to learn the history, and see the present fight for the Anishinaabe and others. 

autumn peltier, water warrior

Basic Details for Water Warriors

Title: Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior
Author: Carole Lindstrom
Illustrator: Bridget George
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 40 
Intended Audience: 4-8 years
Genre: Picture Book, Children’s multicultural biographies, Native Americans, Environment, 
Available formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook 
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
Received: Hardcover with fly

About the Author and the book

Autumn Peltier’s story is told in short form by Carole Lindstorm.  Carole Lindstorm is Anishinaabe/Metis and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe.  Her goal is to write about her people and their strength and resilience.   Always and avid reader, she discovered her love of writing children’s literature when her son was a young child.  She has written three books. 

About the book:

Ms. Peltier’s story is told in the book Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior.  It tells the story of how Indigenous women have long cared for the land and water, which in turn sustains all life on Earth – honoring their ancestors and providing for generations to come. Yet there was a time when their voices and teachings were nearly drowned out, leaving entire communities and environments in danger and without clean water.

But then came Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn Peltier.

autumn peltier, water warrior

Digging Deeper

You’ll find clear, big, and easy to read text telling this story of inspiration.   I always love a book where I can choose to read it with a good of children, or with a single child gathered next to me.   In this particular story, the water tells the story. 

Water tells it’s story from the beginning to the present.  How at first everyone helped water creating ways to it to be safe for seven generations into the future.  Then other voices began to speak who didn’t listen to or care for water.  People needed to learn about the importance of water again.   People need to speak out for what is right.  Clean water for all! 

Throughout you will see images of water, with blues flowing throughout leading from one page to the other.   The closing notes will teach you about Grandma Josephine and the Water Walk.  35 days of walking around Lake Superior where the water was not always blue and clean.   The encouragement is strong throughout…. fight well for life-giving water! 

My Thoughts

You can see the heart that Carole Lindstrom has for encouraging people to fight for what is right.   In Autumn Peltier Water Warrior we see a young lady learning to care for water.  Of seeing the examples of her ancestors to encourage her along the way.  Indigenous activism, to help make communities and the world a better place to live.   This is a good thing yes?