Author Lynn Austen

I have another author that I really like. Her name is Lynn Austen. She's a Christian writer and has won some awards for her books. The first book of hers that I read was a part of a trilogy from the Civil War. It's called a Candle in the Darkness. It's about the war between the North and South and this particular book is from the perspective of a Southern Girl. This was very interesting to me because she doesn't quite understand what's going on and when she becomes old enough to understand she is torn. Does she stand up for what she believes in and become a traitor or go with what the "South" believes? I guess I just naively thought that all Southerners believed in slavery. I liked that it showed the conflict of not only standing up for what you believe but also standing up to your own "kind." Like a sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves. The other two books in this trilogy are from the perspectives of the North and the Slave's. I liked the Northern perspective as well, but not as much as the Southern. I don't know if it was because I read the other one first or what. I liked the character in the South better I think. I never did finish the Slave's perspective. It didn't move as well for me as the others did and I was reading several books at the time. I had to return it to the library before I could finish it. I am very passionate about the Civil War and the poor treatment of the slaves. It makes my blood boil!

Her other series is fantastic as well! I can't remember what it's called because I thought it was called the Gods and Kings Chronicles...but that's actually the title of the first book in the series. It is awesome and really strengthened my testimony and got me thinking a lot about things. Like I mentioned before she is a Christian writer. She doesn't quote from the KJV but from the NIV...which is like the Bible only written in "lay-man's" terms. The very first chapter in this book actually made my stomach turn and I almost just stopped reading it. It starts out with a human sacrifice...a human CHILD sacrifice. I can't stand things like this. I pushed myself further and told myself that if it was like this in the next chapter I would definitely not finish it. It got better...but still hard to read. It's about King Hezekiah and his life. It starts with his father King Ahaz who got his people back into idol worshiping and sacrificing. The series goes through his life and his challenges. Remember the famous Hezekiah Tunnel? I cross referenced this with the Bible Dictionary in the KJV and I remembered the Sunday School lesson we had on this story. I loved having it come to life! There are some hard things to swallow...the idol worshiping, the violence from the warring countries and the disrespect that the men of God have to suffer...but it's also a great story on what happens when you follow the Lord's teachings. I totally recommend this series to everyone! It will get you thinking about things and really strengthen your testimony!

I've read some of her other books that are not a part of a series and I have loved them all. Some of them start getting to be the same ideas and follow the same patterns as the others, but in the end I find myself closing the book and feeling like I want to be a better person. I cry, laugh, get angry and feel humbled after all of her books. She is a great writer and even though she quotes from the NIV she has a pretty strong foot planted in the soil of the gospel :). If I ever meet her I'm going to give her a Book of Mormon and say "Here, right a story about this!"

New Favorite Author

I have a new favorite author. Her name is Sarah M. Eden. I love her books so much that I finish them in one sitting! I even stayed up until 4:30 in the blessed a.m. to finish the book. Her books are written in the Victorian Era and are similar to Jane Austen's but much easier to understand. Her first book, Seeking Persephone, has a Beauty and the Beast feel to it. The second book, Courting Miss Lancaster, is about a few of the characters in the first book. It was so light and fun to read and you just wanted to shake the girl and say, "look, look! There he is!!" The third book was actually the first of hers that I read for book club. {this was the book I stayed up all night to read!} It's called The Kiss of a Stranger and it is just so interesting how things can turn out! Reading these books has made me want to live in that era when gentlemen were true and being a lady was glamorous. I tried to be more "lady like" and found that it's very difficult to do in this day and age. I still want to work on it though. Be more proper and have impeccable manners. I don't like the arranged marriage thing or the social classes but the values are great...and so are the clothes! I think it was the romancing that really got me though. Courting is so different in the day and age and so is marriage. I wish my husband would read these books so he would know how to treat me like a lady and behave like a gentleman :) I have yet to read her newest book Friends and Foes. I'm number 7 on the waiting list at the library but I hope to find another copy of it soon.

Anyway, give Sarah Eden a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!

**Update- I just finished reading Friends and Foes and like her other books I read it one night! This one is probably one of my favorites. It made me chuckle, made me cry, made me want to shake the two characters and slap them silly! I loved it!!**

7 Miracles that Saved America

I loved this book! It's written by Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart. Chris Stewart is also the author of the Great and Terrible series. I learned so much from this book and it renewed my faith in this Promised Land! I'm sure that I had learned some of the facts in school but I can't remember very many of those details. This was so fascinating to read and I loved the fiction parts that were in there. I liked feeling like I was right there witnessing some of the events rather than feeling like I was reading a history textbook.
This is a book that I would recommend to anyone. I just finished it so it was great to read it around Thanksgiving time and be incredibly grateful for all the trials, suffering, dedication, and miracles that it took to make this nation what it is today. It would be a great book to read during the month of July as well.
There is another book that they wrote called the 7 Miracles that Saved the World (or something along those lines). I have not read it but it is on my list to read because I loved this book so much.

Nory Ryan's Song/Maggie's Door

These are two wonderful books about the Potatoe Famine in Ireland. I was more upset about this book than I was about the Hunger Games. Again, who do these people think they are that they can control and destroy so many lives?
This story is about a young girl named Nory Ryan and how her family is affected by the potatoe famine in Ireland. This incedent brought millions of Emmigrants from Ireland to the United States, a place they sought refuge and hoped for a better life. The second one is about her journey to America.
I admired this young girl for her courage and her attitude. Sometimes when I fast or skip a meal or two I complain about how hungry I am. These people were sucking on blades of grass for any thing to fill their stomachs. It humbled me tremendously and made me realize that she truly wanted to live and save her family and she was willing to do anything to accomplish that! Nothing is impossible if you truly believe in it and want it!

The Hunger Games

Ok, I finally broke down and read this book. I admit I liked it better than I thought. First of all, let me just say that if you describe this book to someone don't tell them "it's about a bunch of teenagers who kill each other for fun," as was described to me because it is not about that. It's a book about survival and while there are teenagers who are thrown into an arena and forced to "kill or be killed" it is not for THIER enjoyment but for the Capitol's entertainment. It is more of a Gladiator games only involving teenagers.
It was slow moving for me but then picked up. I am not so totally gaga over it like most others are but I did like it. We had a very good discussion about it at Book Club and we all agreed that this book is more political than true to life. We threw out the question of whether or not our society could everbe like this. I said NO! I would hope that there would be enough of us that would stand up against this kind of a government and sacrifice ourselves rather than our children. I know I would. But then as we got talking and discussing we discovered that governments like this do exist and have existed throughout the world. So sad...and it makes me angry that there are men who get away with things like this. This is one of those times when I'm not above praying for certain world leaders to get hit by lightning!
It's a good book, but don't think it's as horrible as it's made out to be.

The Red Pyramid

This is the first book in the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, the same author who wrote my favorite Percy Jackson series. This one is along the same lines only it's Egyptian Mythology instead of Greek. But the children find themselves with supernatural parents and powers. I liked this book and it kept up a pretty good pace, but I have to admit that I didn't like it as much as I loved Percy. I love Egyptian history and I love learning about it, however, I don't know as much as I do about Greek Mythology. Besides, the Egyptians are sort of creepy in some of their beliefs!
Anyway, it's a great read packed with adventure and history and I look forward to the next in this series.

Forest Born

This is another book from the Bayern series written by Shannon Hales. While I've loved all of her books thus far, I have to admit that I did not like this one as well. The main character is a whiney, scaredy-cat, good for nothin girl. I was so sick of her by the end of the book that I was almost tempted to stop reading the book. The other characters are interesting because it's the favorite Isi, Enna, Dasha and the boy what's his name...my mind has just gone blank...anyway, I wanted to finish it because of them. And, the villain in the book was a total surprise to me! I just had to find out how it ended, not really minding if the main character didn't make it out alright.
Sorry, I don't mean to be harsh. I would recommend all of Shannon's other books to people, but this one I just might "forget" to mention.