Musing Mondays - Oct 3

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme now hosted at Jenn's blog Books And A Beat that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What is your worst habit as a reader?


It is Monday again. It's going to be a cloudy and rainy day here in Massachusetts. We are still recovering from our drought, so we can't complain.

Last week was so hectic that I didn't get to blog much. This week I am heading out of town for a two-day conference on Wednesday, so not sure how much I'll be online.

I reviewed Joshua's Mission by Vannetta Chapman over the weekend. 

I'm also participating in The General's Wife by Sara R. Turnquist VBT. They are offering a $50 Amazon of Barnes and Noble gift card as a prize. You can enter here. 

I'm not sure what my worst habit is as a reader. 

Is it that I keep buying books even though I have hundreds of unread ones here?

Is it that I keep filling up my Kindle with freebies that I rarely read?

Maybe it's that I take all my paperbacks into the tub with me and risk drowning them. 

What is your worst habit as a reader? 

Book Review: Joshua's Mission by Vannetta Chapman

If you're looking for a book about family, love, overcoming hardships, forgiveness and grace, you need to pick up a copy of Joshua's Mission by Vannetta Chapman.

Joshua Kline travels from the family farm in Oklahoma to an Englisch town on the gulf coast of Texas that has been ravaged by Hurricane Orion. He brings his younger brother with him. Perhaps the change will keep Alton out of trouble.

Two young women from the Amish community of Cody's Creek will be joining them, the bishop's daughter, Becca Troyer, and her friend Sarah.

This mission trip just might teach all of them about the gifts of love and friendship and the powerful grace of God.

This is the second book in Chapman's Plain and Simple Miracles series. I reviewed the first book, Anna's Healing, here. Joshua's Mission is a stand alone novel, so you don't have to read the first book. I feel comfortable, however, recommending both of them highly.

What I truly enjoyed about this novel is how Chapman stayed focused on the purpose of the entire series, yet delivered a total fresh plot with a story told in a very different way. Anna's Healing focused on a family impacted by tragedy and how a miracle affects their lives. In Joshua's Mission, the miracle unfolds gently like a new flower unfurling its petals. The miracle is in how the mission trip changes these four young people instead of being a healing miracle or something that draws attention.

While the story starts in Cody's Creek, the majority of it takes place in Texas, making readers of the series eager to return to this Plain community in Oklahoma for the third novel, which was released in September. This also allowed for many new characters to be introduced.

There is so much to love in this novel. If I had time I would definitely read it again. This book is a keeper.

Series: Plain and Simple Miracles (Book 2)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (February 1, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736956050
ISBN-13: 978-0736956055

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.


I read this book for the following challenge:

Musing Mondays - Sep 5

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme now hosted at Jenn's blog Books And A Beat that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Name your best-loved character from a fiction book.

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Hope you have some nice weather to enjoy it. It's breezy here, the result of Post-Tropical Cyclone Hermine. But the sky is blue and it's a lovely late summer day.

The girls started school on Wednesday. so we are all getting back into our regular schedules. Hopefully that means more blogging here.

I'm currently reading Joshua's Mission by Vannetta Chapman. It's the second book in her Plain And Simple Miracles series. Coincidentally--considering we've been watching the path of Hermine this past week--a storm plays a pivotal role in this book.

As for my best-loved character from a fiction book, I'll have to give you two: for children's literature it would need to be Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series and for adult literature it is Gordon Butler from F.M. Meredith's Rocky Bluff P.D. series. 

Young Anne is impulsive, out-spoken, and usually finds herself in a spot of trouble. Thanks to her imagination and her ability to string words together she can get herself out of most jams. 

Gordon finds himself the butt of jokes because strange things happen to him, but he's got a heart of gold. He is usually in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he is as dependable as the day is long. 

I like characters that I can root for; characters who make me care about them and have me wishing they succeed simply because, despite their tiny flaws or quirks, they are good people. Anne and Gordon fit that bill. 

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters?

Coming Soon!: New Releases from Vannetta Chapman

Joshua Kline travels from his farm in Oklahoma to offer aid to an Englisch town on the gulf coast of Texas after a category 4 hurricane has ravaged the area. He brings his brother with him, who needs a change of environment. The last thing he wants for Alton is another brush with the law. He is pleasantly surprised when he hears that Becca Troyer, the bishop’s granddaughter, plans on joining their team.

What will Joshua find when he arrives in Texas? A lack of electricity, certainly, which poses little problem for the Amish volunteers as they help restore order from destruction. But a budding romance? A call from God? And a possible healing of his relationship with Alton?

Joshua’s Mission is a story of love, forgiveness, and the grace of God that carries us through even the worst situations.

Pre-order from Harvest House!

All the color and variety of a quaint Amish shop in a charming collection of novellas by four of your favorite authors.Feel free to come in and browse!

Love Birds by Amy Clipston

While Ellie Lapp and her mother are still mourning the loss of her brother, Seth, Ellie starts working at one of the gift shops in town. Seth s friend Lloyd is talented at carving wooden birds, but his father disapproves and expects him to take over the family farm someday. Ellie sees the beauty in Lloyd s creations and insists Lloyd sell the birds in the gift shop where she works. As Ellie and Lloyd spend more time together, they begin to develop feelings for one another, but she accidentally betrays his trust. Will she lose any hope of a future with him?

A Bid for Love by Kathleen Fuller

Every week, Hannah Lynne brings her home-churned butter to the local market. And every week Ezra stops by to purchase some. Hannah Lynne knows not to read too much into it Ezra is a confirmed bachelor and barely even glances her way, despite any hope to the contrary. But when Ezra bids an exorbitant amount to win the quilt she had her heart set on, Hannah Lynne can t stop her heart from taking over her mind. Could Ezra finally be in the market for love?

Sweeter Than Honey by Kelly Irvin

Shattering a jar of pickled beets wasn t the impression Isabella hoped to make on her first trip to the local Combination Store of Bee County, Texas. But as embarrassed as she was by the accident, she didn t think it warranted the frosty reaction from the handsome manager of the store, Will Glick. As she soon learns, though, Will s heart has been broken one too many times. And now, for some reason, Isabella finds herself determined to be the one to repair that broken heart and renew his faith in love.

Love in Store by Vannetta Chapman

Stella Schrock works at the Old Mill in Nappanee, Indiana, with new employee David Stoltzfus, a recent widower. When strange happenings begin occurring around town, it appears as if someone wants to close the mill. Stella and David have to work together to solve the mystery of what is happening at the Old Amish Mill, and in the process they might just find that God has more in store for their future than they would ever have dreamed possible.

Pre-order from Amazon!