My favorite books I read in 2014

Hello readers!!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season.

As you know 2014 is coming to a close.
That means it's time for me to share what were the best books I read in 2014. I read so many good books this year , so this is going  be a very long post.


                                 -Fiction-








10. Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron                    



This was the best mystery novel I read this year, if not the best mystery I have read of all time. Plus, Jane Austen solves the mystery. How cool, right?
  You can read my review of it here







9.The Giver by Lois Lawry



This classic dystopian has such a thought-provoking story.
Even though this is a secular book, it got me to think about what I believe and why I believe.
  You can read my review of it here.






8. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery




I recently gave this a read, after I'd heard so many good things about it. I'm glad I did!!!
 Fans of  the ' Anne of Green Gables ' books should read this.





7. The Grand Tour Series by Lisa T. Bergren



This series is lovely and so well written. It made me appreciate Lisa T. Bergren's talent for writing.
 You can read my review of this series here.






6. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund



This imaginative story is fantastic!!!
 The author did a wonderful job of bringing out elements from Jane Austen's Persuasion in this YA Sci-Fi novel.
   You can read my review of this here.





5. The Dragonkeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul



This  series has dragons, humor , romance, and mystery. What more could you ask for from a fantasy series?
   You can read my review of this series here.




4. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy




This classic adventure novel is wonderful.
  It has drama, larger-than-life characters, and a swoon-worthy romance.
  You can read my review of it here.






3. A Talent for Trouble by Jen Turano





This is the most hilarious book I've ever read. I dare you to read it with out laughing out loud often.
  You can read my review of it here..






2. Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl



This captivating book is the fifth book in the Tales of Goldstonewood series.
It helps explain some events that have happened in the previous books in the series.
   You can read my review of it here.




1. River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren


This was the first series I read this year, and it also my favorite.
 The characters, plot, and writing are just fantastic!!!
If you love reading YA I really, really, suggest you give this wonderful series a try.
  You can read my review of this series here.


                             



                  - Non-Fiction-


If you have followed my blogs for a long time, than you know I don't read non-fiction often. Despite that I read some great non-fiction books this year.

3. Walking with Frodo by Sarah Arthur



Sarah Arthur is my favorite devotional writer, so one of her books had to make the list.
 This books shows how we can learn Biblical truths found in the Lord of the Rings series.
 You can read my review of it here.


2. A Jane Austen Devotional


This devotional takes sections from Jane Austen's works and applies scripture to show what God thinks about a certain subject.
 A must read for Jane Austen fans.
   You can read my review of it here.

1. Will our Generation speak? by Grace Mally



This book challenges teenagers to take a stand for Christ and be bold witnesses of the gospel in practical and easy to understand ways.
 A must read for Christians of all ages.
    You can read my review of it here.



What about you?
Have you read any of these books?
If so, what did you think of them?

Merry Christmas!!!!

To my readers,
 I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas as you spend time with family and friends, remembering Christ's birth.

                                                            Image from pinterest.com

Christmas at Harmony Hill book review

Title: Christmas at Harmony Hill: a shaker story

Author: Ann H. Gabhart

Genre: Historical Fiction


Plot:  Heather Worth works as a washerwoman for her husband, Gideon's infantry during the civil war.
Heather is expecting her first child during the Christmas season, so she leaves the battlefield to stay with her Aunt Sophrena, who is a Shaker.
 As Heather and Sophrena grow close they begin to learn about true faith, hope, and forgiveness.




My thoughts:
This is one of the best Christmas books I've read.
 Although this story takes place during Christmas time, it focusses on the Civil War and The Shakers, which are interesting subjects to me. Because of that I think you could enjoy reading this book even when it's Christmas time.

My only critisim is that I wish this book had been a little bit longer ,so some events that took place in the past could be better explained.


 My rating: 3

Heart's Safe Passage book review

Title: Heart's safe passage


Series: The Midwives Series


Number in Series: 2


Author: Laurie Alice Eakes


Genre: Christian Historical Fiction


Plot:
Phoebe Lee, an apperintice midwife, is visiting her sister-in-law Belinda,whose husband has been made a prisoner of war.
 Belinda has a plan to free her husband, but wants Phoebe to come along since she, Belinda, is pregnant.
 Phoebe and Belinda become passengers aboard a privateer brig.
The Captain, Rafael Docherty, promises Belinda and Phoebe that they will find a way to save Belinda's husband.
When Phoebe learns that the Captain wants revenge for his family's deaths, Phoebe begins to lose trust in him.
 




My thoughts:

I enjoyed the first book in this series since it was fast paced and I liked the characters. Because of that I was looking forward to reading this sequel.

I was hoping that this book would be fast paced, interesting, and have good characters.Unfortunately this book didn't meet my expectations.
   
I had a really hard time with the characters. To be honest they frustrated me, a lot, at times.  The relationship between Phoebe and most of the other characters were strained, and to be honest, a bit annoying.
   It did have an interesting plot line that I would have enjoyed more if I had connected with the characters.

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't.
 I'm not sure if I will finish this series. If you have read the last book in this series please let me know what you thought of it.





My rating: 2

 

A quick update

Hello!!!
 I hope ya"ll had a blessed Thanksgiving.

I just wanted to give ya"ll a quick update on what will be happening on this blog soon. 
 I put up a poll on my blog recently asking what blog series you would like me to bring back to my blog. It ended in a tie between The Little Letters Series and Pin-tresting Thursdays. I've decided to do both of those posts regularly, Lord willing, in the new year.
 

       I hope you all have a great week!!!!