Good Reads

I’ve always been an avid reader, but I’ve read more books this year than ever before.  All thanks to the Kindle that I got for Christmas last year.  I’ve read about 90 books so far this year, most of those fiction, and most of those Free Kindle downloads.  Let me share a few of my recent favorites with you…

The Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change Series by Julie Lessman: I started with A Hope Undaunted, which was a Free Kindle download at the time, then quickly went back to read all of the other books in this amazing series.  Each book in this series is about 500 pages long, and while this is Christian fiction, there is lots of romance and more than a few passionate kisses shared between characters.  In each of these books we get to know the O’Connor family of Boston: the remarkable marriage of parents Patrick and Marcy, and their 6 children-Faith, Charity, Lizzie, Katie, Sean, and Steven.

Since I normally like to read things chronologically, I would advise starting with the first book, A Passion Most Pure: Faith, the oldest sister (and polio survivor) is love with Collin McGuire, and has been since they were little.  Collin, however, is courting Faith’s younger sister Charity, the beauty of the family.  A war rages between the sisters at home while the Great War looms overseas.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett: If you haven’t already read this one, then you should.  I read this book last year, but with all of the hype surrounding the movie (which I haven’t seen yet), I decided to go back and read it again.  This book is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s and explores the interactions between the elite white women of the city and their black maids.  Skeeter, a recent college grad, decides to write a book about what it is like to be a maid in Jackson and enlists the help of Aibileen and Minny (among others).  This is one of those books that will make you laugh, cry, and never ever want it to end.

A Daughter’s Inheritance (Broadmoor Legacy, Book 1), by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller: After the death of both of her parents, Fanny was raised by her grandparents spending summers on their private estate on Thousand Islands with the rest of her well-to-do extended family, including her cousins Amanda and Sophie.  Fanny, Amanda and Sophie are as close as any sisters (maybe closer).  Then Fanny’s grandfather dies, leaving her at the mercy of her not-so honest uncle, who is determined not only to take her inheritance, but also to keep her away from her one true love.  Will she be able to regain what is rightfully hers?  This is the first book of a trilogy, and to get the complete story of Fanny, Amanda, and Sophie, check out all three books.

Sixteen Brides, by Stephanie Grace Whitson: Sixteen Civil War widows are enticed to move to Nebraska with promises of free “prime homesteads” when in reality they are being marketed as potential brides for the men of Plum Grove.  Once the women arrive and are faced with the reality of their situation, they stick together to make a new life for themselves.  I loved the determination and grit of these women, though I will admit it took me a while to keep all of the characters straight.  I only wish this book had been longer!

Ransome’s Honor, by Kaye Dacus: This is the first book in the Ransome Trilogy.  12 years after young William Ransome chose a life in the Royal Navy over a life with his true love Julia, the two are reunited.  Julia is now 29 years old and has been running her family’s sugar plantation in Jamaica after the death of her mother.  Julia’s money grubbing cousin is pursuing Julia for her fortune, and to avoid marrying him, she proposes a “business marriage” to William.  William readily agrees, hoping the marriage will develop into something more, still regretting the decision he made 12 years earlier.  You’ll certainly want to read the other 2 books in this series (which contain even more action on the high seas!).

Well, that should be enough good reads to keep you busy for a while!  Have you read any good books lately?