A Place Called Home by Lori Wick

A Place Called Home by Lori Wick

Christine Bennett having just lost her grandfather cannot believe that the will states that on the event of her death her grandfather’s partner will get everything. She is young and it just does not sound like something he would say. She then gets a note saying she is in danger. Leaving the only home she has ever known is not easy. Now living in a new community, she is not sure where her life is going.

Ms. Wick is one of my favorite authors of all time. This book is one of my all time favorites and is well worn. Her characters are so real. I get swept up in them every time.

Christine goes through so much. Losing her grandfather, leaving home, and going to a new place. The Cameron family helps her get back on her feet. Grandma Em is the matriarch of the family. She is the one that keeps the family together not to mention their faith.

I was so glad to read this story again. I get swept up in it that I never remember the ending. This is one story that I never get tired of it. Ms. Wick is definitely an author who pleases every time.

Lori Wick/Christian Historical Romance/ 240 pages/ 4 out of 5

I read this book on the first day of my trip. As usual having read it before, it was a quick read. :)

Away by Amy Bloom

Lillian Leyb lost all her family except her daughter Sophie. She thinks she is still alive but she leaves her home to go to America. She has a cousin visit her only to tell her that Sophie is alive. Now Lillian is determined to find her daughter and reclaim her. But it will be a long journey and will it end happily.

Ms. Bloom is an author who does know how to tell a story. Though I found a lot of the story completely unnecessary and the flow was not really there, some people might enjoy this. She really is able to create characters that you want to root for and hope for the best. Yet something always seemed to be lacking in this book. I am not sure what but it jumped a bit too much for my taste.

Lillian was a lady I could root for. I could understand why she wanted to go see her child so much. If I ever lost my child, I would go as far as she did. Okay maybe not quite as far but I would work diligently to find him. I loved when she spent time in the theatre and learning about that time of life was interesting. There were times though I found information presented not needed since to me it took away from the story and Lillian’s journey.

This was not a great book and I do not think I will read more by this author. I have heard it got great reviews and I wish I could give it one. But it was tedious and I could not wait to finish it. I do not like to leave a book unfinished because my opinions change sometimes by the last sentence. Unfortunately that was not the case with this book.
Amy Bloom/ Adult Fiction/ 240 pages/ 3 out of 5

Well off to read some reivew books and then not sure what is next. :)

Dead Men Don't Lye by Tim Myers

Benjamin Perkins has no idea what is going to happen to his crazy life until he finds the dead body of the man who was dating his sister Louisa. She is considered the prime suspect. Benjamin’s on and off again girlfriend Molly cannot seem to get it out of her head that someone else committed the awful crime. His family is asking him to figure out who really did it but he is not sure how that will happen. He has soap making classes to teach as well as consoling his sister. He better do it soon before he gets himself into some hot water.

Tim Myers was the author of the month for my group for September. I was immediately pulled into the world of the Perkins family. He really let you into the life of this town and all its eccentricities. He had me laughing through most of the story. He was able to create each individual character so that they each stood out on their own. It was wonderful to see! The family was close but at the same time the siblings found it annoying. Yet when they needed it, they found it rather comforting as well. It was very realistic to a lot of families today.

Benjamin really did not want to poke his nose around at first. But once he started, it was not easy for him to slow himself down. His siblings are so much fun. I really liked Cindy. She was the youngest and doing her best to find her place in the family. The soap shop and factory that they ran was so cool to see. Family run businesses are not as common as they used to be. Most kids want to do their own thing and make their own way in the world. That was not true of the Perkins family. They truly loved wherever they were involved. They all took turns on the shop floor, which was fun to see. I also enjoyed meeting Kate and I would love to see her more often to see where things go with her.

I ended up picking this series cause it is the shortest of the bunch. Reading about the soap making class that Benjamin taught was really cool. It was many years ago but I have been to a shop like this but it was in the South of France when I was 18. It brought back a lot of memories as well as the wonderful tour they took us on. I wish I still had the soap I bought back then but I lost it one of the times I moved. I would definitely be interested in reading more of this series. I highly recommend it. A good family cozy mystery that is nice and full of surprises!

Tim Myers/New Author/ Cozy Mystery/ 240 pages/ 5 out of 5

Right now I am reading Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote. I hope to finish it soon. :)