My Cramathon TBR!!!

Ok, so it someone suggested that I do a Cramathon Challenge!  There are 7 challenges to do in 4 days (Today through Friday).  I think it'll be fun so I thought I would post a Cramathon TBR (To Be Read) blog post.  Here we go!

The first challenge is to Read a Children's Book.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dr Seuss so I picked a Dr Seuss book that I have never read before.  I chose Yertle the Turtle and I'm actually so excited to read it!

The second challenge is to Read a Hardcover Book so I picked one that was sent to me from Bloggingforbooks.com.  It is The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George.

The third challenge is to Read 2 Books in 24 hours so I think I'm going to be nice to myself and read the children's book and the novella or graphic novel (which I haven't gotten to either of those yet) in 24 hours.  I think I can handle that! Lol!

The fourth challenge is to Read a Graphic Novel.  I chose Kellie's Diary by Thomas Jenner and Angeline Perkins.  I actually don't know anything about this book.  I just went to Amazon Kindle and looked up free graphic novels.  It seemed a bit creepy but I figured that it would be something totally different than I usually read!

The fifth challenge is to Read a book written in verse.  Once again, I went to Amazon and looked up books written in verse and this one had good reviews so I picked it.  It is Elevated: Young Adult Contemporary Romance by Elana Johnson.

The sixth challenge is to read a novella.  I chose Glitch by Brenda Pandos.  This is another that I don't really know anything about but I don't own any novellas that I haven't already read so I had to get one pretty quiche so that I could do this challenge.

The seventh and final challenge is to read a total of five books and that is how many I have chosen so it works out perfect!

I am getting started with my reading right now and I'll do a follow up post when the challenge is over! If anyone else would like to join the challenge that would be great!  It doesn't have to end Friday for you, just 4 days from start to finish.  Ready, Set, READ!!!!

Her Brother's Keeper (Amish Secrets #1) by Beth Wiseman

Summary from Goodreads

Charlotte's heart has been hardened by personal tragedy, but now she has the chance to find peace in a place she didn't expect.

Charlotte Dolinsky arrives in Lancaster County with brand new Amish digs and a renewed purpose.  It doesn't take her long to fit into the close Amish community.  She might not know how to cook, sew, tend a garden, or milk a cow, but she knows how to lie.  And she is a woman on a mission - to wreak havoc on the Plain people and seek revenge for the death of her only brother.  But a quiet stranger throws a kink in her plan not long after she arrives.  As she delves deeper and deeper into what ames this handsome Amish man tick, she begins to wonder about her intentions and the direction her life is taking.

At twenty-four, Isaac Miller is still unmarried and doesn't see his status changing anytime soon. The Lord has blessed him with above-average physical attributes, but his awkward shyness keeps him from pursuing a relationship with anyone.  When Charlotte - or "Charlie" as she calls herself - arrives in Paradise, she steals his heart, and he longs to be a different man.

Can Charlie get past the resentment she feels and open her heart?  What happens when Isaac comes out of his shell, drawing attention from all the available women in the area?  Will Charlie be able to hold onto him?  And will he still want her when he learns the truth?

My Thoughts on the Book

Anyone who is a fan of Amish Fiction is sure to love this book!  It's not exactly a romance novel, though there is a little bit of romance in it, but kind of like a mystery.  Not a suspenseful type of mystery, but still a mystery...if that makes sense at all.

Once again, Amish Fiction isn't something that I would normally choose but this book was still very good.  This book is about a girl named Charlotte who is trying to find out why her brother, Ethan, took his own life almost a year ago.  Ethan had met and fell in love with an amish girl and was living in the Amish community.  Charlotte decides to pretend to be "Mary" and live in the Amish community so that she can get some answers about her brother.

When you think about the Amish community, all that they do and believe, "Mary" is pretty much the complete opposite.  She tries to fake it but isn't very good at it at all.  She doesn't understand the dialect and she doesn't even believe in God!  Even still, the Amish community welcomes her and they treat her wonderfully.  She starts to understand why her brother loved this life and the Amish community.

I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to spoil it for you!  If you enjoy reading Amish fiction or if you never have before but want to try it out then this would be a good book to read.  It's a story of love, faith, and forgiveness.  I do recommend Her Brother's Keeper to all of my book loving friends!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLookBloggers.com in exchange for my honest review.

If The Shoe Fits (A Contemporary Fairy Tale) by Sandra D. Bricker

Summary from Goodreads

Julianne used to believe in fairy tales; she's been watching for Prince Charming to come charging in on his white steed ever since the day her mother read her Cinderella for the first time.  But she's never come close to finding the perfect man-instead she's always tripping over her childhood best friend, Will.  And who finds their Prince Charming on a 10-speed bicycle on the other side of the cul de sac? Well... Julianne does.  Only she doesn't have a clue.

She and Will are attorneys now, and they've joined up in private practice in a beautiful Cincinnati office building that overlooks the Ohio River.  And then one day Julianne is on her way to court, and runs right smack dab into Prince Charming.  But when she looks again, all she finds is a metaphoric sign she is certain came straight from Heaven: The Price's toolbox has fallen off the back of his truck, and a work boot along with it.  What better way for God to grab the attention of a Cinderella-in-training than to show her a glass slipper...errrr, work boot?...waiting to be reunited with its owner?

So she sets out to track down the mysterious Prince Charming.  He's the most gorgeous guy she's ever seen...and a caring animal rescuer, too.  Surely he must be the soul mate God has prepared her for.

But, Julianne"s prince is starting to look less and less charming all the time.  No matter how she tries to romantisize him, he just keeps tumbling down off that dumb pedestal.  And with the Bar Association dinner coming up that will honor her for her outstanding charity work over the year, Julianne wants so much for her friends and colleagues to see her with someone besides her best friend Will.  To make matters worse, Prince Charming has no designs on wearing a penguin suit and attending a stuffy old dinner.  With her pride pressing in on her like sticks from a cactus, Julianne sinks to the bottom of the proverbial barrel and actually offers to pay Paul to be her date.

Julianne is on a collision course with God's perfect plan for her life...if only she could open her eyes and see it before it's too late.


My Thoughts on the Book

This was such a cute book!  If the Shoe Fits is a perfect, fun, weekend read.  I love reading books that actually make me laugh out loud and not just in my head!

The characters came to life in my imagination!  It's funny how my imagination works...sometimes I picture different celebrities when I'm reading, as if it's a movie playing out in my head.  While reading this book, I was picturing Reese Witherspoon as Julianne and at one point of the book another character called her Reese Witherspoon!  I got a chuckle out of that!

When I read the description of If the Shoe Fits, I was worried that it was going to be super cliché and just annoyingly overdone but it wasn't at all!  Sandra D. Bricker brought a new, fun twist to the story and it is definitely a book that I will recommend!  It was cute, funny, and well-written and I will be reading more of her books soon!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Giveaway???

Would anyone be interested in a giveaway?  I have been blessed with several new books and I thought it might be nice to have a giveaway!  Let me know if you're interested!  Follow the blog and comment or send me a tweet!  I'll pick a book or two and post a giveaway blogpost soon!

When Grace Sings (The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy #2) by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Summary from Goodreads

When trouble roars into quiet Arborville, Alexa and Anna-Grace find themselves the target for discord and exposed secrets. Can they continue to seek the God of all grace amidst the fog of confusion? 

Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren’t what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she’s operating needs to succeed so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder not knowing his real motives for being amongst the Plain folk.

But when Alexa agrees to host her cousin Anna-Grace Braun, the presence of extended family brings out Alexa’s insecurities and sets Briley on the trail to uncovering a web of hidden truths.

Plans for a secure future and the sweetness of young romance hang in the balance when Alexa and Anna-Grace have to face that their secrets are interconnected, binding the two in ways they could not have imagined. They must trust in a loving, heavenly Father and His plan for their futures.


My thoughts on the book

I have actually never read a book with an Amish or Mennonite storyline before this one.  They have never really peaked my interest.  However, with that being said, I did enjoy this story.  There was faith, love, romance, secrets, and even some scandals that kept me interested!  Sweet moments, fun moments, and emotional moments were all in this storyline.

I also found myself wanting to know more about Amish and Mennonite communities.  The way they live, their faith, and their traditions are all things that I would like to know more about.

I hadn't read the first book in this series before reading this one so I was a bit lost at times.  I would definitely recommend reading book 1 of the trilogy (When Mercy Rains) before starting this one.  You don't have to read book 1 to be able to enjoy this book, it will just make it more understandable.  Kim Vogel Sawyer did a good job explaining this for the most part but it would have been easier for me if I had read the first book before this one.

Each character was very well thought out with their own distinct personalities.  When I read a book, it is important to me to be able to imagine the characters as real people.  That is very possible when reading this book.  You can find yourself drawn in very easily.  If you enjoy Amish or Mennonite stories, or even if you're like me and have never read one before, you should try this one (maybe after you read the first one!).

*Note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Go Away Home by Carol Bodensteiner

Summary from Goodreads

Liddie Treadway grew up on a family farm in Iowa where options for her future were marriage or teaching.  Encouraged by suffragette rhetoric and her maiden aunt, Liddie is determined to avoid both and pursue a career.  Her goal is within her grasp when her older sister's abrupt departure threatens to keep her on the farm forever.

Once she is able to experience the world she's dreamed of, Liddie is enthralled with her independence, a new-found passion for photography, and the man who teaches her.  Yet, the family, friends, and life of her youth tug at her heart, and she must face the reality that life is not as simple, or the choices clear-cut, as she once imagined.

Go Away Home is a captivating coming-of-age novel that explores the enduring themes of family, friendship, and love, as well as death and grief.  This novel will resonate with anyone who's confronted the conflict between dreams and reality and come to recognize that getting what you want can be a two-edged sword.

My thoughts on the book

I really enjoyed this book!  There were times that I laughed and felt butterflies in my stomach right along with Liddie.  Then there were times when I couldn't believe what I was reading and I couldn't stop crying as if I actually knew the people I was reading about!  Go Away Home was such a wonderful, beautifully written novel.  I couldn't put it down!

In all honesty, Go Away Home could have been split up into at least three books and made into a series.  And, yes, I would have read all of them!  There is so much I want to say about this book but I am having trouble finding the words without giving spoilers.

Liddie Treadway is such a good character.  During her life, she makes a few poor decisions and some wonderful, smart decisions.  She goes through major hard times and still remains the strong person that you grow to love while reading this book.  Carol Bodensteiner created a lovely character in Liddie Treadway.  I recommend reading Go Away Home to anyone who enjoys reading historical novels.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Case of the Sin City Sister (A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery #2) By Lynne Hinton

Summary from Goodreads

When Eve's biological sister goes missing, the nun heads to Las Vegas to track her down before it's too late.

Years ago, Eve heard God's call to become a nun, but her recent stint moonlighting at her father's detective agency invigorates her so much that she's wrestling with her vocation.  She's working with him on a case involving a miner in New Mexico when alarming news develops: her sister Dorisanne is missing.  The authorities won't act without evidence of a crime, but Eve knows something suspicious--and possibly deadly--is afoot.  Challenged to put her newfound gifts as a PI to the test, Sister Eve heads to Las Vegas to uncover clues about her sister's whereabouts.

What nefarious scheme has Dorisanne become involved in?  Is her life in danger?  And what is Dorisanne's estranged husband hiding?  Sister Eve will discover there's always more going on in Sin City than meets the eye.

My Thoughts on the Book

The Case of the Sin City Sister is the second book in the A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery Series.  I didn't read the first book but I was still able to catch on pretty easily.  The beginning of the book had me a little confused at first because it starts with a bit of history.  I actually looked at the cover again to make sure I was reading what I thought I was reading!  I didn't understand how that part connected with the story about Ava's sister but it made sense later on.  Overall, I did enjoy the storyline, it kept me pretty interested.

I usually won't read the second book in a series until I've read the first but this book was sent to me to review so I went ahead and read it.  I will probably purchase and read the first book so that I can have the set.  It was a good, fun read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLookBloggers.com in exchange for my honest review.