Sarah Holman's Blog, page 20

If For Any Reason by Courtney Walsh: A Review

 

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook

Age Appropriate For:18 and up. This story is about two different people dealing with the aftermath of a pregnancy out of wedlock and raising those children.

Best for Ages:18 and up

Description:  Emily Ackerman has traveled the world, her constant compass and companion a book of letters her mother left for her when she died. With no father in the picture, her mom's advice has been her only true north. But when professional failure leads Emily back to Nantucket to renovate and sell the family cottage she inherited, she wonders if her mom left advice to cover this . . . especially when her grandmother arrives to "supervise." And especially when her heart becomes entangled with Hollis McGuire, the boy next door-turned-baseball star who's back on the island after a career-ending injury. As sparks fly between her and Hollis, Emily is drawn to island life, even as she uncovers shocking secrets about the tragic accident that led to her mother's death. With her world turned upside down, Emily must choose between allowing the voices from her past to guide her future or forging her own path forward.

I have to start out by saying that the narrator for this book, Hannah Cabell, added so much to the enjoyment of this story.  Her narration was so good, I would give her five stars almost on her own. I would love to listen to more read by her.

Courtney Walsh is a solid author. I don’t always love her books, but I have yet to read one that I hated. She has skill, writes realistic stories, and her faith shines through. This book has been my favorite by her so far. As both a reader and an author, I was amazed at how she mixed three different threads of the story (Emily’s, her mother’s, and the letters from her mother two her) so well. It wasn’t simply switching back and forth, it was pieced together like a patchwork quilt, a very well done, beautiful quilt. This book shows some serious skills.

Now, the story was full of flawed people struggling, trying to do what is right and failing sometimes. Hollis has a daughter from a one-night stand and Emily’s own mother hadn’t been married. We get to discover more about her mother’s story as the book progresses. Honestly, I felt Walsh did a fantastic job covering a very sticky issue. She didn’t sugarcoat it. People made big mistakes and life is messy.

The faith element in this one I felt was handled well. It felt very natural and I like how it influenced the characters in the end. There were a couple of points I wish it had been a little more a part of the conversation, but again, it fit the characters so well it was hard to complain.

Speaking of the characters, I just adored all of them. They felt real, lifelike, and I loved each of them. Emily was my favorite.

I could go on about this story, but I think I will leave it at that and say that I highly recommend this book for adults who like realistic situations, unique storytelling, and lovable characters.

Join the team!

 

I'm looking for some book lovers to join the launch team for my new novella coming out next month, Fanny's Hope Chest. It's the story of a 30-year-old girl struggling to find hope in her singleness.

As part of the launch team, you will get:

~ free review copy

~ some goodies in the mail

~ A chance to earn a free physical copy of the novella 

~ Exclusive giveaways

What is expected of you?

~ Share about the book on whatever online platforms you are on

~ Write a review for your blog and/or Goodreads

~ Have fun with a group of nice ladies

Interested? The launch team group will be on Slack, a business workspace application. No need to be on social media to take part! 

Find the book on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51812538-fanny-s-hope-chest

Apply for the launch team here: https://forms.gle/44rrj9kBcXvCWcb7A

10 Books to Kick off your New Year

 

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It's a new year and perhaps you're ready for some books to help you get off to a great start. I have a few recommendations for you. 
The book that (besides the Bible) that impacted me the most last year was The Grumble-Free Year by Tricia Goyer. This book helped me identify and deal with the grumbling in my life. I loved how Goyer was so honest about her own struggles. You can read it free on Kindle Unlimited .
Perhaps you are feeling stuck. 2020 left you feeling disappointed and unable to change things you really want to. I'd love to recommend Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth Bible study  Elizabeth: Dealing with Disappointment and Sick of Me: from Transparency to Transformation by Whitney Capps to you. I love how both of these books deal with the heart of the issue and provide healing, clarity, and motivation. 
When life has been in chaos, sometimes we need reminders of very important and basic truths. That we can trust God, He hears our prayers, and that we can thank Him in all things. Robert and Nancy Wolgemuth's book, You Can Trust God to Write Your Story , addresses how we can trust God no matter what. For choosing gratitude and joy, I highly recommend Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth . And couldn't we all use reminders about prayers? Your Powerful Prayers by Susie Larson is among my favorite on the topic.
Some of us learn more from the story of people than we ever do even the best Christian living books. Christy by Catherine Marshall continues to be the most life-changing fiction book I've ever read. I don't agree with all of the theology and it isn't for the faint of heart. Yet, it is a story that examines the motivations of the heart powerfully. While a true story, Charles R. Swindoll's,  Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness , is always a wonderful book about an inspiring man who saw all the wrongs done against him as nothing compared to what God did through him.
Lastly, for a fun way to kick off your year with mystery and great writing, I recommend Brought to Book by Barbara Cornthwaite . It was among my favorite finds of 2020 and a book I will reread. It's also available on Kindle Unlimited. 

Free One Month Mentorship? Apply here!

Hello writers! 
This year, I'm starting something new. I'm offering mentorship to authors to help them build their skills and move forward as writers. You can read all about it HERE.
I know that their are many people out there that this would be a blessing to, but the cost is prohibitive. So I'm going to give one or two one month mentorships away! This won't be a random drawing. I'm going to have people apply and prayerfully consider each applicant. 
If you choose to apply, I ask that you help spread the word about this giveaway and the mentorship.
Ready? You can apply HERE. If you are under 18, make sure you have your parents permission and they help you fill out the form. 
I'm excited about working with you.

The PRISM Conspiracy by Mary Schlegel: A Book Review

 

*post contains Amazon Affliate links*

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback

Age Appropriate For:10 and up for thematic elements

Best for Ages:15 - 30

Description:  An incredible job. An exasperating android. An all-too-human secret.

Fresh out of art school, Abigail Huntley gets the chance of a lifetime working for Sphinx Architecture. Her remarkable talent has also landed her a remarkable work partner: a cutting-edge android named Rory, who appears so completely human that Abigail struggles to remember he’s just a machine. If only his stiff interactions and coldly logical approach to everything didn’t stifle her creativity.

As time goes by, however, Rory shows subtle changes in behavior, making Abigail wonder if he has achieved self-awareness. Despite her reservations, she finds herself warming to him, even attracted to him. Then an accident crashes Rory’s programming—and leaves him bleeding, with human memories of a medical experiment inflicted by the mysterious organization, PRISM.

Abigail races to recover Rory’s identity and find justice. But without his neurological programming, Rory suffers from a dangerous health condition that slows them down and threatens them both. Only a jaded doctor and his enigmatic assistant stand between Rory and the organization that stole his humanity—the organization that will do anything to keep him silent.

 

Wow! This novel kept me up late and I didn’t want to do anything else the next day until I finished it. It’s fast-paced, took some major turns, and left me feeling giddy with pleasure that only a stratifying story can. The writing? Steller! Some of the best I’ve read.

Before I get to deep into this review, I want to let many of those who read my reviews know that this is not an overtly Christian book. While clean, and a couple of mentions of someone praying, it’s more geared for the general market than strictly Christian. Also, some of my readers will want to know that the use of the words gosh and crap are sprinkled throughout and one mildly bad name for someone was used twice. Because this is not under a strictly Christian umbrella, It didn’t affect my rating. I will say that morality was very good.

The characters in this book were gold. Abigail is a sweet and spunky artist. Unlike most artists I’ve read about lately, she isn’t broody or using her art to escape from her painful past. She’s a person who was mostly happy and full of life who loves art. I loved that about her. Rory is…well the opposite. He’s exactly like one would expect from an android – emotionless, not much personality, and analytical. In many ways, he reminded me of Data from Star Trek: Next Generation (which made me happy) yet he came into his own and ended up being very, very different.

The setting, in the not too distant future I feel, was well done. It felt like there were enough futuristic advances to make the plot work, yet not so far in the future that I didn’t have a feel for the world. It was fun, inventive, yet also familiar.

The story kept me on the edge of my seat from page one. At first, it was because the characters so captured my heart, but then the excitement and intrigue swept me away. I wanted to read it in one sitting, but I had to sleep (sadly) but I finished it the next day. It was a great ride.

There is a romance in the book and I have to say it was really sweet. I loved every moment of it. It was sweet, clean, and realistic. There is one kiss in the story and I thought it was done well.

I highly recommend this book to those that like stories set in the future, great writing that makes you want to keep reading, and books that also make you think.

What's coming up this year

 

A new year hopefully will mean a lot of new stories. Here's a peek at what's coming up:

Fanny's Hope Chest, a novella for singles, should arrive on February 14th with pre-orders starting on January 14th. I'm really excited to share this story that has been in the works for a while. If you're a newsletter subscriber, be on the lookout for a free prequel short story coming soon.
 
I'm very excited about the Kate's Case Files this year. I have the next two books drafted and waiting for editing. My hope is to get four books published this year. This means... the series will almost be complete. One of the things I realized while writing books 6 and 7 is that the characters have grown and changed in ways I hadn't expected. So, the plan currently is to have 10 books in the series. 
*not final cover*A Very Bookish 4th of July is in the works. I'm very excited about using characters from my A Very Bookish Thanksgiving story in this collection. My story is going to be based on Around the World in 80 Days. 

Lastly, is a huge dream of mine that I'm hoping to make a reality this year. A revamping of The Destiny Trilogy. I'm already taking with a cover designer and plan to begin beginning edits soon. This was my first published series and I made some big mistakes with it. But I've learned and want to make it even better. 
So those are my big plans for the year. What do you think? What project are you most excited about?

Courage: My word for the Year

 

It's late, and I really should be asleep. However, instead, my mind is racing with thoughts, hopes, dreams, and, yes, a few fears.

As I write this, it is the first day of the new year. The day started too early for someone who had been up at midnight. It had a short workday, a lunch with my dear sister Rose and then an afternoon with friends, chores, and celebrating the New Year. At the end of the day, my dear friend Jessica asked me about my word for the year.

I wasn't sure I would even have a word for this year. I don't have one most years. As Jessica told me about her word, and I thought about some of the things on my heart, I remembered a scene from a story, a scene where hope, courage, and a mountain of fear all mixed together for one of the most dramatic and powerful speeches in the Old Testament.

Three men, who refused to follow the crowd, stand before an angry king who is angry and has the power to take their lives (or so he thinks). The king gives them another chance to save their lives. They respond like this:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Let's break this down a little:

Fear: Anger of a king and a horrible death

Hope: They serve a God able to save

Courage: "Even if he does not..." whether God saves them or not, they are willing to take that stand.

Of course, we know that God saves these men from the furnace. We don't really feel the fear because we know the ending. Like all those stories where we want the guy and girl to tell each other they love each other and get it over with, or watching a game that we already know the final score. Sometimes, knowing a story takes the fear out of the story.

When it was going on, those three men didn't know that God would save them, they only knew he could.

In real life, someone might confess their feelings and not have them returned, unlike most romance novels.

Before the game was played, it could have gone to either team.

Uncertainty and fear go hand in hand. Courage is that stepping out anyway and saying things like:

"God can save, but even if not, I will serve him."

"I'm going to share my heart, knowing it could cause either great pain or great happiness."

"I'm going to play my best, knowing the outcome is uncertain."

Those three men were about to have courage because their hope was built on a solid foundation. That is my goal for this year, to have courage. And to know that I can be courageous because my hope is built on the unshakable foundation which has already been laid. That is Christ. 

I don't know what that courage is going to look like, but I guess that's the point, isn't it?

Do you have a word for the year? Thoughts on this story from Daniel? Need a prayer for courage? Comment below. I would love to hear from you. 

Welcome 2021

 

Happy New Year! It's time for goals and resolution!  Here are mine:






What are your goals for the coming year?

Looking back at 2020

 

Wow, what a year. During Christmas this year, I realized how grateful I am for this year. I know that might sound pretty crazy to some people. This year has been full of challenges, but it has also been full of a lot of good things as well. This time last year, I was in pain all the time because of a pinched nerve in my shoulder. 2019 had been a rough year physically.
2020 started off filled with people and a lot of fun, even if I was in pain. You can look back on my post HERE.
My word for the year was hope. I wrote about this at the beginning of the year HERE. This has been my focus throughout the year. It became more important through some of the things that came my way. 
The biggest thing I faced at the beginning of 2020 was the debilitating pain in my right arm. One of the hardest things was deciding what I should do. I prayed and was blessed by advice a friend who's a physical therapist and my parents. Eventually, I found an amazing PT who helped me find the problem, and over the course of eight visits was able to train me to deal with the issue myself. I'm pain-free! You can read some about this HERE and HERE.
Oh yes, and then the pandemic came. The lockdown came and it was hard, yet there were all sorts of wonderful things that happened too. You can read about some of them HERE. One of the biggest blessings for our family? Puppies! One of the hardest things...
I tore my calf muscle. It was the weirdest sensation. I was putting something up in my closet and it felt like someone had thrown a heavy object at my leg. I lost my balance and quickly pulled myself over to a chair. And then the pain came. For a few weeks, I was on crutches and couldn't put weight on the leg. You can read my post HERE. My healing has taken a long time. I still haven't been able to return to my morning runs.
Since I was turning 30 on the 30th of June, I decided to do something for each day of the month. It was a lot of fun. It really helped to, because it was hard to face turning 30 without being married. I'm not where I thought I would be but God has really blessed me. You can read what I did in my posts about my birthday HERE, HERE, and HERE.
I haven't posted a lot this year. I really struggled to have inspiration for any kind of writing, which was sad because I hadn't been able to write for so long I wanted to write and write. 
Perhaps one of the most valuable things that came out of this year was the affirmation that I truly believe what I say I believe about God, His goodness, and His power.
Covid has made life hard and I don't always like the restrictions, but I believe that no person is in power and no event happens apart from the will of God. I rested in that fact.I'm not where I wanted to be in life. I even cried some tears and asked God why I was still single. But at the end of the day, I know in my heart of hearts that everything that God has given me, and everything He hasn't is for my good. With every challenge, while I haven't been perfect, I have remained faithful in the knowledge that God has a plan and purpose in everything. Nothing is a mistake. With so much upheaval and so many Christians that were confused and struggling, I took great comfort in the solid foundation of my faith. 
Now, shall we look at how I did on my resolutions?

Well, I have to say that this year, for once, I think that I can safely say that all of these can be safely checked off as at least progress was made
 


I wanted to work on these because I already knew that I was allowing things to rob me of joy and that was affecting my speech. As the year progressed, it became even more important than the joy of the LORD was cultivated in my heart. One of the biggest ways I worked on this was to curb my grumbling habit. The Grumble-Free Year by Tracia Goyer went a long way in giving me some strategies. Another thing that helped me is to spend time focusing my thoughts on Jesus. There is nothing like focusing on how great our God is to put our problems into perspective. 

Both of these goals were achieved! It was fun to get so many books read this year, mostly from my to-read list on Goodreads. You can see my year in books on Goodreads HERE. It was very nice to have a bit goal to work toward when things were tough.
At the beginning of the year, with my first my arm and then a leg being out of commission (yeah, fun times), my family was amazing and served me in so many ways. Through the pandemic, we got a lot of extra family time and used it to it's full advangae. I was very grateful that I was able to see some ways to serve others, even though it looked nothing like I thought it would. 

Top 10 Books of 2020 (Which is more like 11)

*Post contains Amazon Affiliate links*

You can see all the books I read on my Goodreads page HERE.

This year, I accomplished my goal of reading 200 plus books. So this top 10 list is a smaller percentage of the books than normal. This is why I'm starting with my honorable mention/number 11 pick. 

This book was one of the sweetest I've ever read. Rachelle has been a favorite author from the first novel I read of hers. Her style is engaging, fresh, and full of beautiful prose. This story was not only well-told but one that I will be revisiting again soon.Kindle | Paperback | Goodreads | My Review


Nicole Sager is among one of my favorite authors and one of the few fantasy authors that I will buy everything they write as it comes out. This one was a birthday gift to myself.This is a story of a race of miniature people who are called to a big task. I love it! And the faith in Sager's books is always wonderful.Kindle | Paperback | Goodreads | My Review

This was a very fun story. It was a futuristic story that was full of adventure, great dialogue, and brilliant writing. This novel is written more for the general market than for the Christian, but it's clean and so much fun! I enjoyed every minute of it. Kindle | Paperback | Goodreads | My Review

This was one of those books that is hard to read yet it is also deeply impactful. It's about a girl who suffers abuse emotional and physical and the family that wants to adopt her. All the characters were vivid and realistic with good sides and bad sides. My favorite part of this book is how it showed the love of God and how it flows out of people in the end.Paperback | Goodreads | My Review


I loved this book because it's exactly what the title says it is. It's about the importance of living out your faith faithfully in your ever day. While it touches on how that will impact you in hard times, it's mainly about the everyday effects. It was encouraging and one I will be returning to.Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook | Goodreads 

I've found several wonderful books through the review of Gretchen Louise, a woman I've followed online since my teens. This was one of those books. It's a mystery with a cast of very non-typical characters. I love the strong faith of the main girl as well as her love for books. I've already read and loved the second book in the series and plan to read these books as they come out. Kindle | Paperback | Goodreads | My Review


This book...where do I even start. Wow! This book wrapped words around some things I've been trying to explain to others. It was impactful to me, but even more, gave me the words to explain why I find some aspects of how Christians talk about transparency to be bothersome. I love it because the author didn't attack anyone but gave a map for those who truly want to change. Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook | Goodreads | My Review



I loved, loved, loved this story. Again, it has a very non-typical cast, people of strong faith, and an ending that surprised me and pleased me at the same time. I loved this author's view of what singleness can be. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.Kindle | Paperback | Goodreads | My Review

This book was the one that surprised me the most in making it to this list. I grabbed a copy of the audiobook because I'm always trying to learn more about history and this book has been on my to-read list. I had bearly known about the existence of Hannah More, but through this book, I felt like I had found an old friend - one who modeled a single life devoted to Christ. Kindle | Hardback | Audiobook | Goodreads | My Review

Seeing a theme here? I guess having hit thirty, this year I was looking for books that would help me as I came to terms with my singleness. This book was like rain on a very dry place in my heart. It neither presented a rosy or gloomy view of singleness, instead, it explored the heart issues from a biblical perspective. I will be rereading this a lot in the future. If your a single lady, invest in a copy of this bookKindle | Paperback | Goodreads | My Review

One of my goals this year was to compline less and have more gratitude. This book was funny, practical, and honest about Goyer's own journey with her family to a grumble-free year. Other than the Bible, this book has impacted me the most this year in how I think. And it came at the right time, didn't it? I read it as the pandemic was gearing up and I needed to be on my guard against the grumbling that wanted to come.Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook | Goodreads | My Review