Gravel Road Musings

  With a title and book cover like that, how can you help but be drawn in to read it. I found the descriptions of Africa detailed and compelling. I've never really wanted to visit Africa or go on an African safari, but after reading this book, I would like to retrace their steps and see what they saw.  Lily and Fern have been best friends since they met at a summer camp in Costa Rica when they were teenagers. It's now about twenty years later and Lily has been gifted a safari trip from her father-in-law and she is determined that Fern will go with her. Three weeks later, they are jetting off, first class, to Africa. Follow along with them as they experience the sights and sounds of Africa while also really working through some tough things in their own lives.  Both ladies find themselves at a crossroads in life and they need direction. But first, they want some sympathy and finally they are ready for solutions. The combination of African surroundings and the depth of frie...

  This is Nicole Miller's debut novel and she did a great job. Combining her love of horses and World War II, she painted a picture about a part of the war that I never knew about.  Adia Kensington loves horses, especially the Polish Arabian horses. She moved to Poland to work with them with dreams of taking some to the states to her own horse farm. She inherited this love from her parents, both of whom are deceased. I wish there was a little more information about them and even about Adia's growing up years. You gathered her parents died because of their espionage work, but you aren't totally sure and those questions are never answered. For someone who doesn't love animals, I struggle to understand and appreciate the lengths Adia went to save the horses, and yet they were pure-bred horses of spectacular stock. They had faced decimation in World War I and Poland had worked hard to rebuild its stock only to have both the Russians and Germans come in and take them again. ...

  The historic Route 66. I didn't know a lot about it before I read this book and while it was a work of fiction, I understood that some of the places mentioned were real and some still exist.  Written in a dual timeline this is the story of Benny and Paul and their original journey west and of Benny revisiting the sites at an old age after Paul has passed away. Bridger, her foster son, is making a documentary with memories from Benny's original trip. Jade is invited along. Jade was a financial advisor who happened to be working for a company involved in a big Ponzi scheme. Not only working for them, she was engaged to the son of the owner. Obviously, when she turned her fiancee and father in, she was also out of a job, poor, and unemployable because of her connections to the scheme. Jade was Benny's advisor and yet Benny continued to believe in her.  The story was well-written and showed Benny wrestling with the struggle of old age, Bridger wrestling with his roots and l...

  Esther Markstrom has banked her whole life on her familial ties to the great artist Francisco Vella. What will she do if that is lost? How will she respond to a change in identity? Can she believe that she is still somebody with value even if what she has believed her whole life isn't actually the truth? Viviana Torrens has been orphaned and left without family. She has run for her life, changed her identity multiple times and simply wants a place to belong where she can be who she really is. She just wants to paint and to be recognized as having something of value even as a female artist in a time in history where women artists were not recognized or appreciated. Both ladies are caught in an identity crisis. What will they do? I'll leave you to read the book, though that question isn't completely answered in the book for either lady. But the journey that they both go through is in the book and you, as the reader, can search for yourself what you would do in their situati...

 Four sisters, Sarah, Emily, Viola, and Georgiana, along with their mother make up the main characters in this second book in the series "On Devonshire Shores". In the last book, Viola has married, but lives next door. Sarah is the responsible one determined to make their guest house a success; Emily wants nothing more than to publish a book and marry her childhood sweetheart, and Georgiana just wants to enjoy life to the fullest.  The story is told in a back-and-forth manner between Emily and Sarah and I just really enjoyed it. It's historical fiction in the fact that the Duke of Kent truly did winter in Sidmouth, but the rest I will not mention since it gives away a little too much of the story if you don't know the history.  These sisters are so likeable you just want to root for them, you just want them to succeed. They are struggling to make their guesthouse a success so they can survive and yet they are more than willing to give to help those poorer than then, e...

 I feel like I have been blessed to make the discovery of some really good Christian authors in the last few years and Katie Powner is definitely one of those delightful finds. I have read some really good books by her and would recommend anything she writes, at least so far.  The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass features a middle-aged man, I would guess, a foster kid, who made some bad choices, but now wants to do what's right; his sister and her son; an old lady with serious regrets; and a younger lady who seems skittish. and a few more fun characters. Throw all those characters together and you get a story that is sad and redemptive, hopeful and healing.  Pete drives a garbage truck and doesn't see much beyond that for his future, just him and his pot-bellied pig, but then so much more happens to him and he is able to find hope and joy again. I am not going to say much more, but just read the book.  Warning: there is some domestic abuse talked about in here--it's not ...

 What a great book for this time in history. There was just so gold to be mined out of this book and so much I missed I'm sure. I would love to read this book again using the study guide so that I could learn more. Rosario doesn't beat around the bush. She tells it like it is even if she has to acknowledge areas where she has failed in, lies she has believed and needed to repent of. I find her faith in God and belief in His word and her ability to express those things refreshing and convicting.  The five lies she addressed in this book are: 1. Homosexuality is normal 2. Being a spiritual person is kinder than being a Biblical Christian 3. Feminism is good for the world and the church 4. Transgenderism is normal 5. Modesty is an outdated burden that serves male dominance and holds women back.  I wish somehow I could hang on to the way she's says things so that I could better express myself in challenging conversations.  "When we dispense with the wisdom of the creatio...

  Words almost fail me at the horror and beauty of this story. I knew little of Poland during World War II and to read of the almost complete destruction of Warsaw and its inhabitants is mind-blowing. I suppose this exposes my ignorance, but I cannot fathom the human mind that is capable of systematically killing off thousands and thousands of people. I know the stories of Hitler and Auschwitz and now Warsaw, but I still cannot imagine being one of the killers or living through the terror as a civilian, never knowing when you would be next on their list.  And yet, through this horror, the bravery and heart of Warsaw's citizens shines through. While Antonina and Helena are fictional characters, the organizations they represent were real and alive. Children were smuggled out of the ghetto and there really was an underground resistance that eventually came above ground. The bravery intermingled with the danger that constantly surrounded them is an incredible story to read.  ...

Once again, this book was from one of my favorite authors. I think I have read all the books that Valerie has written and I will continue to keep my eye out for new ones.  This book was so good. I'm not sure how to describe it, it was so very different from what you have expected from a well-to-do southern family in the early 1900's. They were a big family, six children, and had a good relationship with their employees. Considering that it wasn't that many years post-Civil War and their employees were mostly African-Americans, that seems unusual for that time period, but I loved it and I am sure there were real families that were like that as well.  A fun fact from the book is that the matriarch of the family shared my name, Aurelia. That is quite unusual and was kind of fun and weird at the same time. I rarely see my name anywhere and to read about it was a different experience.  Callie was also a fun character in the story and one who tried to defy convention as much as...

  Amanda Cox is one of those authors that I will read regardless of the plot line. She has such a good way of telling a story. "He Should Have Told the Bees" was no exception.  Callie and Beck are complete strangers to each other until they're not. They are thrown together by a trust that divides the land Beck lives on between the two of them. Why? is the question they are asking. Beck has never heard of Callie before and vice versa.  Both Callie and Beck have pretty deep emotional issues stemming from their childhood. The one had a neglectful mother and basically had to make it on her own from a very young age and the other had an absent mother and a dad who tried to protect her and make her world safe. This book is their story together and how they worked through their issues.  It was a heart-rending and yet a beautiful story--another fictional reminder of the real world we live in. Our world is broken--in so many ways the story of these girls is played out over an...

  Sad and hopeful all at once, this book delivers a bit of a punch. Let's just say, I didn't see the ending coming quite like it did and I'm a little sad that I don't know what happened to all the characters. The story mixes the joy of playing on the Workington Sweet Peas, all All-American girls baseball team with the sadness of being label a secret Communist in the US in the 1950s.  Forced out of their home after the dad, a well-known author, was accused of being a Communist, the family flees to Uncle Matthew's home. While there, Bertha lands a place on the baseball team, the Workington Sweet Peas, and life is looking up, until tragedy strikes..... I enjoyed the book. I could have done without the filler words and with a little more God in the book, but overall, it was a good, clean read. Flossie, Bertha's sister, was such a fun add-in. She had a 110% vivacious personality that made her chapters so fun to read.  I enjoyed the book-it was a balance of joy and so...

  The story opens with Lori returning home after a year in rehab following a car accident that left her with a traumatic brain injury and missing memories. She works hard to regain her former life, but as her memories return, things seem confusing and hard. What happened in those years she is missing in her memory? I'm not going to say more about the story; I don't want to give anything away, but you start to wonder pretty early on in the book, what actually happened. The story flips back and forth between Lori and her daughter, Avery.  This is a story of redemption, hope and healing. It is a story of grief and loss, a bit of rebellion, but a lot of love too. It's a story about faithfulness in the midst of unfaithfulness. All in all, it's a good book, and one that had me turning the pages as fast as I could to find out how everything came together in the end.  I really enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading more by Janine in the future. I received this boo...

  Lillian is raised by her "widowed" mother who wants Lillian to marry slightly above her station so as to secure a good future for both Lillian and her mother.  But then the unexpected happens and Lillian is left the inheritance of her father who has only just now died. She travels to Dawsonville where she is confronted with secrets and a whole new life. She is given community, family, friendships and acceptance, something she has never had before.  It was a fun light read, but I can't say I gained any huge inspiration from it. It was pretty fluffy. Of course, there was Jonah battling his own things and struggling to come to terms with the way his own life was turning out. So you know the end of all that, but on the way there there was some danger and some twists and turns in the plot which added to the story.  I received this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

  The Path to Greater Unity With God "True worship is to feel in the heart and to express a humbling but delightful sense of admiration and astonished wonder and overwhelming love in the presence of...'the Lord our God.'" Has God got my voice? Am I using it to talk about Him? Is worshiping God my highest priority, above all else, because out of that worship flows everything else. That is the gist of the book, a full surrender to worship. It's a book that should be read slowly and thoughtfully. I read it too fast and didn't quite enjoy it like I would I think if I would have read slowly and thoughtfully. The writing style is also a bit different than I would be generally used to reading and it calls for a more thorough reading.  "If, when I go to work on Monday morning, I'm not as enthusiastic or passionate about worshipping God as I was the day before, maybe what I did the day before wasn't really worship." I enjoyed the book and have it writ...

 I'm trying something new - instead of a blog post for each book, I will simply recap the best books of the month here and add to it as the month goes along. And for whatever reason, I cannot get pictures to download for most of the books.  Messy Truth by Caleb Kaltenbach Buy the book!  That's about the best review I can give it. This book challenged me so much on how I do life. Truth gets messy when it starts involving people because it can be hard to distinguish between truth and our emotional attachments. So we run in fear. That prevents us from having the hard conversations and puts the focus on us. What should we be asking is who will engage if I don't? And what really is at stake? People are at stake and that is sobering.  Two questions Caleb asked that stuck with me. It's easy to drift with those who agree with us and ostracize the rest. Before we do that, we need to ask ourselves these two questions: Who created them? Who died for this person?" It really ma...

  I finally got around to reading this book and I don't know why it took me so long. The title feels so lofty and yet John did a good job of small bites. He didn't overwhelm me with knowledge to the point I didn't know where to start, but he started in slow and added as he went along.  I was left with the festering thought that I need less of my phone and more of real life, something that I have known, and this book helped confirm that. I need to get outside, to absorb the beauty around me. I have a hard time just sitting and watching and soaking. I want to scroll my phone or read a book, not just sit and ponder. John recommended the One-Minute Pause throughout the day: just a chance to stop, release to God what is going on in your life, receive the beauty around you, unplug from technology, etc. I need the reminders to just stop and seek God. A quote from him on our phones and social media: "What has become the normal assumption of input is numbing the soul with artif...

 I can't get the picture to upload for some reason, but the front cover gives a shadowy, stormy look that really goes well with the story line.  The first thing about this book, that, while kind of a spoiler, might also be necessary for trigger warnings. There is a lot of death, not graphic or violent, but lots of people have died and do die in the book, along with a perceived suicide. There is also the mention of domestic violence.  But Emily shines through it all. She shows up her family's home only to discover her mother has died and her sister is very angry. This is not a spoiler as it all happens in the first couple of pages, but Emily persists. She is gracious and kind, while hiding some deep hurts of her own. I just can't help but like Emily, even if she seems almost too good to be true. Of course, the school master comes along and is all kind and wonderful too, but I have to like him too. In an age where intellectually disabled children were shunned or institution...

  Discovering Who You Were Meant to Be When Life Goes Off Plan Jillian is pregnant with her second child when she received the diagnosis that her son has a 99% chance of having Down Syndrome. She struggled and wrestled with feeling like her life had gone off script. She had a plan for her life that included smooth roads, ideal living conditions, and perfect children. This is her story. If I'm being honest, I found her a bit whiny about the whole thing. I want to be gracious because everyone's story is different, but I too have experienced that call from the doctor that said your child's ultrasound showed some suspicions for Down Syndrome. I too have cried over the idea. And I would say that is where the similarities ended. I will not deny that it is hard, but it felt a bit like wallowing to me.  But even so, I felt like there were things to be learned on the journey of the unexpected until I started to realize that her theology and mine were very different. She seems to que...

  8 Surprises That Make All the Difference This is a book that's a bit hard to talk about and review.  I found the book helpful and insightful, but also deeply personal to the point that I'm not super comfortable sharing a lot about it in a personal manner. However, I would recommend this to every married couple out there: there is something for everyone here and the authors did their research thoroughly in the writing of this book.  A few things that stuck out to me that are applicable in all areas of marriage that I will mention here are communication and acceptance.  Talk things over. Learn to have the hard conversations. Learn to listen and hear what the other person is saying both in their words and actions. Acceptance: don't focus on what your spouse isn't, focus on who they are and be grateful for that.  "Once you truly accept that your spouse isn't everything you wanted, you can see and enjoy what you've got."  Our spouses are not perfect and a...

  How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most You might say, not another time management book, and if you do, you mirror Crystal's original thought too when asked to write this book. This book gives details to a very simple plan. Sadly, there are no fancy planners or fun pens, which I love, but that is also a good thing. All you need is some paper and Google calendar.  Crystal outlines four steps to good time management, stressing that time is like money and should be budgeted out. The first step is by far the most important in my opinion. It is to pray over your day. Ask God for guidance, for direction, for help along the way. Be detailed, be specific and be ready to pray all throughout the day.  Another guideline she gives is to brain dump everything into Google calendar. This one feels a little out there for me yet, as I don't use Google calendar for much of anything, but I think I will try it out and see how it works. A time-blocked to-do li...