tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60236266185367215372012-01-25T10:34:32.488-08:00Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-71203257595426319832012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:00:13.631-08:00

Smitten is a delightful collection of four novellas written by Colleen Coble, Kristen Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter.             The town of Smitten, Vermont, seems doomed when the main employer, a lumber mill, announces it is closing. Smitten tells the story of four friends who won’t let the town die without a fight. They launch a scheme to turn Smitten into a honeymoon

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-72439031780978298312012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-17T06:00:08.404-08:00

When Annie Sheffield is thirteen, her life goes from bad to worse when her father abandons her in Waco, Texas. With nowhere else to go, she pretends to be blind in order to have a home at the Wilcox School for Blind Children. Several years later, her peaceful life is rocked when a returning Civil War veteran, Riley Morgan, takes a job as handyman at the school. Annie is drawn to him, but cannot

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-4249946993412053262012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-09T06:00:14.718-08:00

Abigail Harding plans a short visit to her older sister, Charlotte, in Wyoming, then she will hasten back to Vermont, where she has an almost-fiancé waiting. Her sister's protestations that all is well in her marriage don't match up to the actions Abigail observes in the home Charlotte shares with her husband, Jeffrey, at Fort Laramie. While Abigail walks a fine line between being a guest of

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-23298966840030825882012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T06:00:09.312-08:00

Helen Carlisle is left widowed, with a small son, when her husband is killed in the Pacific during WWII. To the people in her hometown, she's a brave woman who is giving her time to support the war effort in honor of her heroic husband's memory. But Helen is hiding a secret about her marriage. Lt. Raymond Novak wants nothing more than to serve his hometown as a pastor, but with the war raging

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-22885289522778481312011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:002011-12-06T10:34:17.220-08:00

As promised last week, here's my review of the conclusion of Liz Curtis Higgs' beautiful retelling of the Biblical story of Naomi and Ruth. Mine is the Night continues the story of Margery and Elizabeth Kerr as they leave Edinburgh and travel to an uncertain future in Margery's hometown of Selkirk. Faced with near poverty, and branded as traitors for their support of the Jacobite cause, they

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-49731378245185125022011-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:002011-11-29T06:00:01.690-08:00

 From the beginning of Here Burns My Candle, right on through to the end of its sequel, Mine is the Night, Liz Curtis Higgs leads the reader through an inspired retelling of the story of Naomi and Ruth in the Old Testament. I'll be reviewing Mine is the Night next week. In my opinion, the two books should be read in sequence. After finishing Here Burns My Candle, I couldn’t wait to pick up Mine

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-86273504068201154832011-11-21T10:25:00.001-08:002011-11-21T10:28:27.683-08:00

THE HEIRESS, by Susan May Warren             The Heiress provides a fascinating glimpse into what has been called the Gilded Age in America. Warren has created two sisters, Esme and Jinx Price, and used them to illustrate the opulent lifestyle of the era's most privileged citizens.             Esme, the older sister, is forced by her family into an engagement to a man she does not love--or

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-42718893675412440942011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:002011-11-07T06:00:00.868-08:00

The teaser on the back cover of The Fence My Father Built reads, "This is the story of finding your way home--even when home is a trailer in the middle of nowhere." And what a story this is. Muri Pond's parents divorced when she was a small child, and she has spent her life dreaming about reuniting with her father. When she decides to take the journey to eastern Oregon to find him, she takes her

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-23039456160258840442011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:00:04.459-07:00

As the still-beautiful former Miss Alabama, Maggie Fortenberry has come to a decision point in her life. Everything that she loved about her hometown of Birmingham is gradually being replaced by strip malls, big box retailers, and cookie-cutter mini-mansions. I Still Dream About You is a life-affirming story about growing older and maturing--not always the same thing. There's also a mystery

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-51117525124510029622011-10-17T06:00:00.000-07:002011-10-17T13:16:05.854-07:00

Nurse-midwife Lexie Jaeger has always known she was adopted, but her world rocks when on his deathbed her father gives her a carved box containing fragments of her history before her adoption. With both of her adoptive parents dead, Lexie is spurred to seek her birth family. She leaves her Oregon home to travel to Amish country in Pennsylvania. What follows in The Amish Midwife is a gripping

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-50054963116895219042011-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:002011-10-03T06:00:09.984-07:00

In Wonders Never Cease, nurse (and egotist) Kemp McAvoy believes he's found a perfect way to make a million dollars without having to work for the money. When a famous, if over-the-hill, movie star is injured in an automobile accident, Kemp is assigned to her care in ICU. His money-making scheme involves the movie star's agent and the publisher of a runaway bestseller called Lattes with God.

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-87921807027862303922011-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-19T06:00:08.807-07:00

Laura Frantz has done it again. The Colonel’s Lady is a wonderful novel that sweeps the reader back in time to 1779 on the Kentucky frontier. When Roxanna Rowan arrives at Fort Endeavor in the Kentucke (as it used to be spelled) wilderness, she expects to reunite with her father. Once there, she learns her father has been killed. Penniless, she has no choice but to stay in the crowded fort

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-30554648462387168122011-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-12T06:00:10.679-07:00

         In Remembering Christmas, Dan Walsh has written a story that’s sure to be a holiday classic. The story opens when Rick Denton, a successful (and self-centered) individual, receives a phone call from his mother asking for his help in the bookstore she and her husband own. Rick’s stepfather, Art, has suffered a brain aneurysm and is hovering between life and death.            

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-41778905916974770372011-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-17T21:18:40.067-07:00

The Forgotten Garden is a combination of many things: part fairy tale, part family saga, and part mystery, stirred together with a dash of Dickens and a sprinkling of Frances Hodgson Burnett. The finished product is a thoroughly absorbing novel. The story begins in 1913, with a four-year-old girl who is hidden aboard a ship sailing from London to Australia. She's told to wait in her hiding

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-77698473585611550992011-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:002011-08-13T06:00:07.959-07:00

Kate Evans is a pilot, and not just any pilot--she's a bush pilot in Alaska in the 1930's. The pages of Wings of Promise are filled with the challenges she faces. The elements threaten, as do some of the male pilots who work for the same flying service that employs Kate. On the emotional front, Kate's heart is also in danger. Dr. Paul Anderson agrees to be a bush doctor, and he and Kate spend

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-66629287327904547132011-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:002011-08-06T06:00:11.711-07:00

I received Major Pettigrew's Last Stand as a gift, and I loved it! Major Ernest Pettigrew (Retired) is the quintessential English gentleman. A widower, he lives in the quiet country village of Edgecombe St. Mary, puttering with his roses, playing golf, and pretty much living life as he's always lived it. One day, a Pakistani shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali, calls on him to collect for the ailing paperboy,

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-7164317096026173672011-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:002011-07-18T06:00:16.794-07:00

Forensic entomologist Nick Polchak (the Bugman) is called on to investigate a murder on an organic tomato farm. Once he arrives, he finds that the murder victim's wife is a woman he once had feelings for. When suspicions arise that the murder may have been drug-related, he asks Alena Savard (the "witch" from Downs' previous novel, Less Than Dead) to bring her super-talented dogs to aid the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-73097783089821730272011-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:002011-07-06T06:00:00.487-07:00

Kathleen Y'Barbo has written a delightful novel about an incorrigible heroine, Charlotte Beck. The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck is set in the late 1800's, and features a young woman who has no interest in following the social mores of her times. Charlotte wants to attend college, and more than that, she wants her father to take her seriously as an adult. Unfortunately, her madcap

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-22584068867014617062011-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:002011-06-23T06:00:08.655-07:00

Mariah Aubrey is The Girl in the Gatehouse in Klassen's newest novel. Mariah has been sent from her home in disgrace. An aunt offers lodging in an abandoned gatehouse on her English country estate. Forced to support herself, Mariah finds she can earn a small living by writing novels--as long as she conceals her identity as the author. When her aunt dies, the estate is leased to a ship's captain

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-61788713189232610522011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:002011-06-13T06:00:17.504-07:00

As soon as I knew Jane Kirkpatrick had written The Daughter’s Walk, I put it on my to-read list. When I read Linda Lawrence Hunt's nonfiction history of this amazing journey, titled Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America, I felt the story cried out to be fictionalized. Kirkpatrick was just the author to accomplish the task. In 1896, Helga Estby accepted a wager from a

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-80748027610860403132011-05-24T06:00:00.000-07:002011-05-24T06:00:03.871-07:00

In Lily Haswell, Klassen has created a fascinating heroine and placed her in a setting that intrigued me. Lily is The Apothecary's Daughter. She helps her father in his shop, although at the time the story is set, women are not allowed to be apothecaries. Lily is blessed with a memory that forgets nothing, so the blending of herbs is a task she performs with skill. However, when an

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-87802158500987834682011-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:002011-05-14T06:00:04.511-07:00

Unbroken is sub-titled "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." It is all of that and more. When I finished Hillenbrand's remarkable recounting of Louis Zamperini's saga, I missed Louie. The author so involves the reader in Zamperini's life that I felt intimately connected with him. As a boy, Zamperini had been a wild delinquent, but when he hit his teens his older brother

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-17222062597898011902011-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:002011-05-07T10:19:53.600-07:00

I'm so grateful to Revell for sponsoring this blog tour. It's been fun visiting these and other blogs. Be sure you follow the links. You could find a new blogger you'll enjoy following.From Lulu at Knitsandreads: MY THOUGHTS:Loved this book . . .a new story line instead of just husband leaves, wife is sad and finds new man! This book had some depth and adventure. Luellen is one woman who simply

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-42158127286089009672011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:002011-05-02T06:00:00.317-07:00

Right now Revell is sponsoring a blog tour for The Dawn of a Dream. Here are a couple of the early reviews:From Michelle Vasquez's blog--Life in Reviewhttp://lifeinreviewblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/revell-blog-tour-for-the-dawn-of-a-dream-by-ann-shorey/The Dawn of a Dream by Ann Shorey is book 3 in her series called At Home in Beldon Grove. It's a beautiful historical novel set in the mid 1850'

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-75522790723879677362011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-25T09:28:53.668-07:00

In Tomorrow's Garden, Harriet Kirk is the new schoolteacher in Ladreville, Texas. She takes the job as a means to escape past secrets, but doesn’t realize that Ladreville possesses a few secrets of its own. As she struggles for acceptance in the community, she also has the daunting task of mothering her younger siblings, some of whom resent the move to a new community. When did

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-76633622481759332011-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-13T06:00:13.605-07:00

Finally a Bride is a story brimming with romance. Jacqueline "Jack" Davis harbors ambitions to leave tiny Lookout, Texas, for a career as a reporter in Dallas. When a new pastor arrives in town, she believes if she can get the scoop on his past, the resulting story will propel her straight to the big city. What she hadn't counted on was her growing attraction to the handsome preacher. Finally a

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-28062950238696503932011-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-03T06:00:00.484-07:00

When John and Laura Foster decided on an ocean voyage for their honeymoon, they had no idea of the tragedy that awaited them. A hurricane strikes and their ship goes down. Laura is rescued, along with the other women, but all the men on board are gone into The Deepest Waters. Walsh based his novel on an actual event from 1857, and spins the tale with emotional honesty. On board the rescue ship,

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-84210709140890632062011-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:002011-03-28T06:00:04.453-07:00

Take a lonely woman and a wealthy man with too much time on his hands and you have the makings of one of today's television dramas. When the woman's name is Bathsheba, today's story goes back a couple of thousand years. Smith has written an engrossing tale of King David and his most famous--or infamous--wife, Bathsheba. To students of the Bible, the tale is a familiar one--at least on the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-82071547718870286292011-03-20T12:56:00.000-07:002011-03-20T13:03:20.068-07:00

Sarah Nickerson is an over-achieving career woman with a husband and children. Told in first person, Left Neglected begins with Sarah juggling her myriad responsibilities in a way that will make many women nod ruefully and think, "Yes, this is what my life is like." I chuckled in self-recognition as Sarah flies through her over-scheduled days. Then one morning while driving to work

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-15056116921280124992011-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:002011-02-28T06:00:03.359-08:00

Angel Sister is set in 1936 in the little town of Rosey Corner, Kentucky, where Kate Merritt is the middle child in a family of three daughters. Gabhart's skillful writing puts the reader in the midst of this community and its characters--we know the people, and we feel the heat of a Kentucky summer. Kate is the responsible sister who feels it's up to her to keep her family together. The task

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-24902747268587741782011-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:002011-02-22T06:00:19.545-08:00

Grace Graham has spent years running from tough situations--until the day her sister calls with a plea for help with their widowed father. Given no choice, Grace and her four-year-old son leave their California home for Shoal Creek. Tennessee. Grace plans to do the minimum asked of her, then leave as quickly as possible. But she didn't anticipate the events that would conspire to hold her in

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-15410408372772446602011-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:002011-02-15T06:00:34.895-08:00

Frantz has crafted another winner in Courting Morrow Little. Her first novel, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, captivated me throughout, and Courting Morrow Little did the same. The story is set in1778 Kentucky (Kentucke, as it was spelled then). Morrow Little is a young woman with heartbreak in her past. When she returns from Philadelphia after being under her aunt's care for two years, she finds

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-38867021059005696132011-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:002011-02-07T06:00:17.458-08:00

Lady in Waiting is the story of two Janes, separated by centuries. Jane Lindsay is an antiques dealer in Manhattan, comfortable in her twenty-two year marriage--until the day her husband leaves. Soon afterward, she discovers a jeweled ring in a shipment of antiques from England. The name inscribed inside the band is "Jane." Jane Lindsay is captivated by her find, and here Lady in Waiting takes

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-21807829198605702962011-01-31T12:25:00.000-08:002011-01-31T20:42:58.569-08:00

One of the characters in the novel I'm writing for my next series adopts a stray collie-type dog. Please help me name him--the dog, not the character! The time frame of the story is 1866, in Missouri, so the name should fit the era. The winner of the contest will receive:1. A signed copy of Book 1 in the At Home in Beldon Grove series;2. An extra entry in the SPECTACULAR contest I'll be

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-6338422442301212922011-01-13T10:28:00.000-08:002011-01-13T10:37:01.502-08:00

Reading The Help is like a personal tour behind the headlines of 1962 Mississippi. Told from three points of view: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter's, this story is in turn humorous, heartwarming, and incredibly sad. Skeeter comes home after graduating from Ole Miss and finds she's begun to view the status quo in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, through the eyes of an outsider. The petty

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-86083797545440825982011-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:002011-01-03T06:00:09.198-08:00

The Frontiersman’s Daughter is set in Kentucky in 1777. Drawing upon historical events, Frantz has woven a fascinating tale of Lael Click, who is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. The Frontiersman’s Daughter is historical writing at its best. The details of backwoods life fill the story with authenticity. The characters are created with originality--there are no stereotypes in this

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-55685146715639035452010-12-21T09:51:00.000-08:002010-12-21T09:55:56.011-08:00

The Christmas season brings to mind all the special goodies we enjoy preparing. Have you ever eaten cream cheese fudge? Here's a recipe my sister and I used to enjoy making when we were teens. It's quick and yummy and doesn't require cooking (except for melting the chocolate in the microwave). 1 -3 oz. pkg. regular cream cheese, softened at room temperature2 C. sifted powdered sugar1 -1 oz.

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-69207857989529099972010-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:002010-12-15T06:00:10.638-08:00

Imagine a suspense novel featuring a forensic entomologist--a "bug man." Then imagine a suspense novel that keeps you chuckling--when you're not holding your breath wondering what will happen next. If you've got that picture in your mind, you're ready to dive into Downs' Less Than Dead. A portion of Virginia countryside is being cleared in preparation for the building of a regional shopping

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-88985990767211997452010-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:002010-11-29T06:00:13.852-08:00

The Preacher's Bride is set in England in 1659, a time when Puritans were persecuted for their simple Christian faith. Elizabeth Whitbread is a dutiful Puritan girl who lives out her beliefs in acts of service to others. When John Costin's wife dies of childbed fever, Elizabeth steps in at risk to herself to try to save the life of the woman's newborn baby. John is one who was called to preach

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-23942412082285625492010-11-12T08:50:00.000-08:002010-11-12T08:56:03.780-08:00

Although she lives in one of the villages of the Amana colonies, Gretchen Kohler dreams of being an author. A dear friend supplies her with notebooks in which to record her thoughts, but this friend is the only person who seems to care about her writing. Her father has been distant and stern since her mother died, and her childhood sweetheart, Conrad, is a pragmatic man who doesn't pay attention

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-40515817060891485552010-11-04T08:54:00.000-07:002010-11-04T08:57:36.956-07:00

Writers [on Writing] contains essays from forty-six contemporary authors reflecting on what impels a writer to write. Some of the essays are hilarious--how could Carl Hiaasen be anything but funny? Some are deeply serious, as is Elie Wiesel's piece titled, "A Sacred Magic Can Elevate the Secular Storyteller," in which he tells of his struggles in trying to put the Holocaust into words. He says,

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-17014073224168410182010-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:002010-10-27T06:00:11.802-07:00

In Every Heartbeat explores the lives of three best friends who grew up in the same orphanage and have been granted scholarships to the same college. Libby Conley’s heart’s desire is to become a journalist. The other two orphans, Pete Leidig and Bennett Martin, have conflicting plans. Pete has always dreamed of being a pastor, while all Bennett wants to do is belong somewhere—no matter what

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-84760628755027920192010-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:002010-10-19T06:00:05.821-07:00

Subtitled, "A Journey of Struggle and Hope," Choosing to SEE is Mary Beth Chapman's story of her life. When I first received the book, I expected it to be about the Chapman family's tragic loss of their daughter Maria in 2008.Choosing to SEE is that, but it's so much more. Mary Beth begins her story with her growing-up years. She tells of her life in candid fashion, which makes her a real person

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-84251566352273022992010-10-11T06:00:00.000-07:002010-10-11T06:00:03.860-07:00

Lady in Waiting is the story of two Janes, separated by centuries. Jane Lindsay is an antiques dealer in Manhattan, comfortable in her twenty-two year marriage--until the day her husband leaves. Soon afterward, she discovers a jeweled ring in a shipment of antiques from England. The name inscribed inside the band is "Jane." Jane Lindsay is captivated by her find, and here Lady in Waiting takes

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-17536479986450614702010-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:002010-09-27T08:00:01.259-07:00

Touching the Clouds is a strong story about the surprises God has in store for Kate Evans as she pursues her dream of being a bush pilot in Alaska. Kate is a headstrong young woman whose desire for adventure pulls her away for her Washington state home and into an encounter with a mysterious stranger in the Alaskan bush. Through rich descriptions, Leon immerses the reader in Depression-era

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-20619642477599568232010-09-14T11:58:00.000-07:002010-09-14T12:06:15.747-07:00

River Rising opens with a scene in 1927 Louisiana, featuring an unnamed man poling his pirogue up the fog-covered Mississippi River toward a tiny town. From the start, his appearance and demeanor attract attention. Dickson's opening had me from the first page. Soon we learn the stranger is Reverend Hale Poser, come to Pilotville to find his roots. His righteous soul is disturbed by what he sees

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-63065593401822410492010-09-02T15:45:00.000-07:002010-09-02T15:53:57.327-07:00

Mattie O'Keefe is on the run. Her destination is Deadwood, South Dakota, where her brother, Dillon, has a gold-mining claim. Mattie's plan is to hide from her past--a past which is on her trail, seeking vengeance. In Deadwood, she finds more than gold. Friendship and salvation beckon if she will accept them. However, she's been so damaged by her past that she believes no one would want to be

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-10086324095628551242010-08-22T16:54:00.000-07:002010-08-22T17:08:32.015-07:00

The Dogfather is subtitled, "A Dog Lover's Mystery," and indeed it is. Emphasis more on "dog lovers" than mystery, at least in the case of The Dogfather. This story was fun to read, as are all of her books. Conant writes with humor and special insight into the life of a dog owner. In The Dogfather, protagonist Holly Winter has received an offer she can't refuse: help a Mafia boss train his new

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-3029474470663719192010-08-14T15:48:00.000-07:002010-08-14T16:06:26.029-07:00

I've been out of town for a few weeks on a family matter, and am now resuming my "writing life," including blogs. It's with pleasure that I take up blogging again to review Kim Sawyer's A Hopeful Heart. A Hopeful Heart is a gentle story of healing and forgiveness. The protagonist, Tressa Neill, is sent west to Wyatt Herdsman School as a dowryless girl. Her guardians, an aunt and uncle, believe

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-33852873428464870182010-07-16T20:27:00.000-07:002010-07-16T20:39:28.686-07:00

Thirteen Moons is, at its heart, Will Cooper's fictional autobiography. In the early years of the nineteenth century, when Will is twelve years old, he's given a horse, a key, and a map and sent out on his own as a bound boy. His destination will be a trading post in the Cherokee Nation. Frazier opens the story with Will as an old man. The voice he uses to communicate Will's heart to the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-68914948711394863042010-07-06T00:00:00.000-07:002010-07-06T00:00:01.206-07:00

Deborah Vogts and her husband have three daughters and make their home in Southeast Kansas where they raise and train American Quarter Horses. As a student at Emporia State University studying English and journalism, Deborah developed a love for the Flint Hills that has never faded. In writing this series, she hopes to share her passion for one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world,

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-53331029070462875052010-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:002010-07-05T00:00:04.970-07:00

Seeds of Summer is a true-to-life story about family bonds. Set on a cattle ranch in the Flint Hills area of Kansas, Seeds of Summer reflects Vogts' love for the area and her knowledge of ranch life. The story opens when the main character, Natalie Adams, is one of two finalists in the Miss Rodeo America competition. Natalie has spent years in preparation for this moment, and when she comes in

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-32285551083658365362010-06-24T17:40:00.000-07:002010-06-24T17:46:49.140-07:00

I have to search for words to describe Vanish. It is such a gripping story that it defies description, at least by me. Vanish begins as an almost other-worldly experience. Lawyer Conner Hayden senses he's being watched while working in his Chicago office on a Friday afternoon. That night, a powerful storm rocks the city, and when he awakens the next day Chicago is deserted. Vanish concerns

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-21605380842163551702010-06-18T19:58:00.000-07:002010-06-18T20:11:12.949-07:00

In Scattered Petals, author Amanda Cabot continues her series set in the Texas town of Ladreville. Priscilla Morton and her parents are traveling from Boston to attend the wedding of Clay and Sarah, the couple who were drawn together by the love letters Clay wrote (think Cyrano de Bergerac) in the first book of the Texas Dreams series, Paper Roses. The opening scenes in Scattered Petals are

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-58682106503684833642010-05-19T10:53:00.000-07:002010-05-19T10:59:37.809-07:00

In Seeing Things, Patti Hill has crafted a memorable novel about multi-generational family issues. The plot centers around seventy-something Birdie Wainwright, an independent woman whose active life is curtailed by the onset of macular degeneration. When she breaks an ankle due to her faulty vision, Birdie is forced to stay with her son and his ever-so-uptight wife. The bright side to her

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-29849885306042473232010-05-07T17:43:00.000-07:002010-05-07T17:46:38.669-07:00

Hunter's Moon is a near-perfect story of a family hiding a dark past. Hoesel's hero, CJ Baxter, is a bestselling novelist, so as an author I especially enjoyed reading this book. CJ's ups and downs with his agent, critics, and sales numbers added an extra dimension to an already enjoyable plot. The story opens with CJ leaving his home in Tennessee to travel to New York state to visit his dying

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-24178149534429969162010-04-25T14:47:00.000-07:002010-04-25T14:52:54.049-07:00

Loving Frank had been out for a couple of years before I got around to reading it. The book is a novelized version of the scandalous affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Knowing nothing about their history, I was more curious about the architect's early life than I was about Mamah Cheney. Having lived for several years in the San Francisco Bay Area, I regularly drove

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-63453749821644607712010-04-19T14:37:00.000-07:002010-04-19T14:43:00.932-07:00

Sixteen Brides is a thoroughly engaging story of a group of Civil War widows who travel to Nebraska, lured by the prospect of free land. The premise for Sixteen Brides arose from an actual newspaper clipping in the Nebraska Historical Society archives, which made the plot even more fun for me. Once the women arrive in Plum Grove, the last stop before their final destination in Cayote, they

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-52357900958875174542010-04-06T12:04:00.000-07:002010-04-06T12:20:12.416-07:00

Walter Novak and Allie Miller meet at a friend's wedding. On the surface, they have little in common. But the exigencies of World War II tend to break down normal barriers. Walt is a B-17 pilot about to be shipped out to England, while Allie is a timid, sheltered heiress-to-be. Normally, Walt is tongue-tied around available women, but they meet on a train and he falsely assumes her to be

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-33236477370221266882010-03-31T13:34:00.000-07:002010-03-31T13:49:07.910-07:00

My Spring Newsletter offered a drawing for $15 Amazon.com gift certificate. Readers of The Promise of Morning were asked to use this link on my website: http://www.annshorey.com/contact.html to write and tell me which character in the story was their favorite, and why.The contest ended today, with no winner. I heard from dozens of readers with their compliments on the story. Some asked questions

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-78985524266338051652010-03-28T16:07:00.000-07:002010-03-28T16:15:59.353-07:00

Winter Haven has all the ingredients for a suspenseful read--an isolated setting, a woman alone, and strange happenings--apparently supernatural. The characters are as rock-ribbed as the island they inhabit. Only one person shows the protagonist, Vera Gamble, any kindness, but she's been warned away from him by all of the villagers. Is he who he says he is, or part of a conspiracy to prevent her

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-62083614216987629112010-03-14T17:01:00.001-07:002010-03-14T17:46:48.268-07:00

Leif Enger's novel, Peace Like a River, is one of my top five favorite books of all time. So when I saw So Brave, Young, and Handsome in my Christian bookstore the other day, I snapped it up. The timing was perfect. I'd just quit reading a much-touted general market bestseller about halfway through the book. The story was too dark for my taste, and I didn't want to imprint those images on my

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-15343734177195860442010-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:002010-02-27T15:38:56.765-08:00

It's been a long time since I've read a book set during the Regency period. I'd forgotten how enjoyable such stories can be. The Silent Governess falls squarely in the enjoyable category. It's a long book, over 400 pages, but reads quickly with all the absorbing plot turns. The story concerns Miss Olivia Keene, who flees her home believing she's committed an unforgivable act. Her flight ends in

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-44597593382344874662010-02-15T11:17:00.000-08:002010-02-17T08:52:42.798-08:00

Lickel's third novel, Meander Scar, weaves a tale of surprises and heart-wrenching emotional dilemmas. The term, "Meander Scar" refers to scars on the landscape left after high water causes a river to temporarily change course. When the overflow evaporates, a scar is left in the place where the river once ran. Meander Scar uses this as a metaphor for protagonist, Ann Ballard's, life. Ann is a

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-74640825754456378762010-02-08T16:58:00.000-08:002010-02-08T17:07:23.034-08:00

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built is McCall Smith's tenth novel in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I have the whole series, and can think of no better books to read when I want something peaceful and reassuring. In the case of Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, "traditionally built" refers to the protagonist in all of these novels, Precious Ramotswe of Botswana, Africa. Mma

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-30084959154751950312010-01-28T19:12:00.000-08:002010-01-28T19:25:59.266-08:00

I've read very little Amish fiction--no small feat, considering how many Amish novels are out there right now. The Choice is the riveting story of Carrie Weaver, an Amish girl torn between two worlds. When the novel opens, she’s planning to run away with her boyfriend to live in the "English" world. In a sharp turn of events, her plans are thwarted by tragedy.Fisher opens the world of the Amish

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-45404091612369738492010-01-22T13:55:00.000-08:002010-01-22T14:11:41.268-08:00

I haven't posted a review since late November. "Family Baggage" in my personal life has kept me busy! Even though I wasn't posting blogs, I didn't stop reading, so I have a backlog of reviews to catch up on. For starters, I want to share my enjoyment of Family Baggage, by Australian author, Monica McInerney.Harriet Turner, the protagonist in Family Baggage, carries this novel in a thoroughly

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-416128620881724732009-11-27T11:40:00.000-08:002009-11-27T11:48:44.825-08:00

The month of November has been a tumultuous one in our household. My husband had an unexpected heart procedure done on the 10th, and is now recovering well, praise God. During that time, The Art of Racing in the Rain was the perfect book to take my mind away from my worries. I had postponed reading The Art of Racing in the Rain for months because dog stories always make me cry. The Art of Racing

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-5770737722871111172009-11-02T19:31:00.000-08:002009-11-02T19:40:20.267-08:00

As Tender Grace begins, Audrey Eaton realizes she's locked herself into a grief shell following the unexpected death of her husband over a year ago. In an effort to get her life back, she decides to take a solo road trip to visit a destination she and her husband had always planned to experience together. This is Stark's debut novel. She does a magnificent job of putting the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-64495731459501541362009-10-24T17:59:00.000-07:002009-10-24T18:18:47.857-07:00

If you've perused the Bookshelf tab on my website, you know I'm an Elizabeth George fan. Recently I finished her latest mystery, Careless in Red. The story is a little different than some of her earlier novels, in that all the action takes place along the Cornwall coast rather than in London.The opening line is a grabber: "He found the body on the forty-third day of his walk." He is Detective

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-68242519857498992292009-10-08T20:21:00.000-07:002009-10-08T20:48:08.421-07:00

Today I'm welcoming Christina Berry to my blog. Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, was provided to me by the publisher for review purposes. Scroll down past this interview to my blog post of October 3 for my take on this story. (Hint: I loved it!)Hi Christina! Thanks for stopping by. For starters, tell me about your novel.The Familiar Stranger—formerly known as Undiscovered—is about a couple

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-68385582040639451122009-10-03T08:28:00.000-07:002009-10-03T12:03:01.383-07:00

The Familiar Stranger, Berry's debut novel, opens with a scene between a couple whose marriage is obviously in trouble. Craig goes his way, Denise goes hers. Then she receives a phone call that changes the stakes from the everyday to stunning suspense.Craig has been in a devastating accident, and when he wakes from a drug-induced coma he no longer remembers Denise or their life together. Berry

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-8785656685375111922009-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:002009-09-25T09:32:20.513-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my newsletter contest. Bob in Kentucky is the winner of the $15 Amazon.com gift certificate. I loved reading all the entries from around the country and outside our borders. G'day to my Australian readers! Special greetings to friends in British Columbia and Alaska! I know, Alaska is part of our country, but it's fun to see how far my book traveled.Hope you'll all

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-71670609259168345092009-09-07T19:02:00.000-07:002009-09-07T19:17:16.236-07:00

Riding Lessons was Sara Gruen's debut novel. I'd never heard of it, but like most readers, had definitely heard of her later book, Water for Elephants (which I loved!)Riding Lessons is an entertaining story about a former world-class equestrian, told from her point of view twenty years after her glory days. I seem to be on a horse kick lately, as I recently reviewed Deborah Vogt's Snow Melts in

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-73387110666883686232009-08-26T11:21:00.000-07:002009-08-26T11:41:10.037-07:00

At its heart, A Promise for Spring is the story of two people who need to be reminded that God is not only in control, but that He is trustworthy.Emmaline Bradford is a gently-reared Englishwoman who has waited five long years to join her fiance, Geoffrey Garrett, in Kansas. To her shock, when she finally reaches her destination she finds Kansas to be brown and barren and Geoffrey to be someone

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-35585127975251183882009-08-13T16:43:00.000-07:002009-08-13T16:54:37.286-07:00

What can I say about a book by Harlan Coben? Exciting, page turning? Yes, but after reading one or two of his novels I find they're all cut from the same mold. It's like going to McDonald's for a meal. You know what you're going to get, so that’s why you go there.Same with Just One Look. Having read a couple of other of Coben’s books, I knew this would follow a pattern. That’s why I picked it

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-22319463834326183652009-08-03T16:43:00.000-07:002009-08-03T19:28:52.700-07:00

The cover picture makes the story look like an Amish tale, but for the most part I'd call Shadows of Lancaster County a mystery/thriller. The plot concerns Anna Bailey, who fled Lancaster County to escape a painful past. She's in California making her living as a skip tracer when she receives a phone call from her brother's wife informing her that her brother, Bobby, has disappeared. Anna

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-22987888014979277052009-07-20T11:48:00.000-07:002009-07-20T12:00:09.132-07:00

A review of one of Tess Gerritsen’s novels may seem as though I’m straying from my original "debut author" theme. After all, to date Gerritsen has sold more than 15 million copies of her books worldwide. Let me explain: In an interview in the September, 2008, issue of The Writer magazine, Gerritson shared that after years of writing romantic suspense, she got the idea for a thriller based on the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-64856748816885472242009-06-30T13:57:00.000-07:002009-06-30T14:14:36.645-07:00

Snow Melts in Spring is a story full of surprises. Vogts has spun an absorbing novel about a women veterinarian, an NFL football player, and an irascible old man. For a backdrop she uses the Flint Hills of Kansas, an area I've never visited, but after reading this novel I feel I've been there. Vogts' loving description of the land has given me a view of Kansas quite different from that depicted

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-15804498936346843942009-06-22T12:02:00.000-07:002009-06-22T12:18:03.818-07:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, is the most enjoyable novel I've read in ages. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it--the book has been on the best seller lists for many months, and deservedly so. I finished it last night, and am tempted to turn it over and start again. The characters are so real that I'd like to visit the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-3877258257354901522009-06-15T09:54:00.000-07:002009-06-15T09:58:23.180-07:00

Congratulations to Carly for winning the drawing for a signed copy of a beautifully bound ARC copy of The Shape of Mercy. Susan Meissner will be contacting you for your mailing address.Thanks to all who participated in the drawing.

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-58458993033376600282009-06-13T18:51:00.000-07:002009-06-13T19:05:13.097-07:00

The Bell Messenger was recommended to me by a visitor to my website. I've asked readers to share some of their favorite book titles with me, and Kay suggested I add The Bell Messenger to my library. I'm so glad I did. The story is a combination of historical fiction and contemporary action. The authors, Robert Cornuke and Alton Gansky, have spun an intricate plot that revolves around a bible

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-80577516948732018192009-06-06T11:19:00.000-07:002009-06-06T11:43:24.738-07:00

The Shape of Mercy, by Susan Meissner, is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Meissner's protagonist, Lauren Durough, is from a wealthy family, which was one of the unique features of this story. The glimpses into Lauren’s privileged home life fascinated me.Although raised with servants in attendance, Lauren yearns to be seen as an ordinary person, so she shuns a costly private

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-37282968462370800792009-06-01T12:04:00.001-07:002009-06-01T12:10:23.837-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my newsletter contest. Ann Johnson is the winner of the last two books reviewed on the blog--Enduring Love, by Bonnie Leon, and Age Before Beauty, by Virginia Smith.For those of you who enjoy statistics, the results of the "Who was your favorite character in The Edge of Light" question are as follows.Molly McGarvie received 67% of the vote;Dr. Karl Spengler received

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-38525591249160023842009-05-28T08:06:00.000-07:002009-05-28T08:15:14.194-07:00

Virginia Smith's contemporary novel, Age Before Beauty, is a delight to read. The protagonist, Allie Harrod, is a new mother who undertakes a home-based business (the kind that involves house parties) to avoid having to put her baby in daycare. The scenes where Allie is obsessing about her new infant’s well-being are laugh-out-loud funny. Smith brilliantly displays her knack for humor writing in

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-63989627810489412852009-05-24T15:25:00.000-07:002009-05-24T15:37:53.960-07:00

Enduring Love, by Bonnie Leon, is Book 3 in Leon's Sydney Cove series, and an exciting and satisfying finale to a compelling adventure. Enduring Love draws the reader into the Australia of the early 1800's. The settings are so realistic that I could feel the heat and dust of John and Hannah Bradshaw's sheep farm.Even more, I felt the tension in the story as Hannah and John struggle against the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-28006507484789417702009-05-14T09:50:00.000-07:002009-05-14T10:03:14.285-07:00

I'm happy to announce that Linda is the winner of the contest on the Rose House blog. I'm waiting to hear back from her as to whether she'd like her gift certificate sent via email or through the Post Office.Thanks to all who entered. Right now, there's another contest going on for readers of my novel, The Edge of Light. Let me know who your favorite character was and your name will go into the

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-45550033142344963472009-05-10T14:49:00.000-07:002009-05-10T15:08:49.800-07:00

The cover illustration for In Search of Eden shows a little girl, her face partly hidden. Is she the one being searched for, or is she the one doing the searching? A compelling picture, and the reason I picked this book up. The story didn't disappoint me!In Search of Eden is the story of Miranda DeSpain and her quest to heal the pain inflicted on her as a teenager. That quest takes her to

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-78637261493964472522009-05-03T14:23:00.000-07:002009-05-03T14:42:48.263-07:00

Tina Ann Forkner's second novel, Rose House, is an engrossing and worthy successor to her outstanding first book, Ruby Among Us. In Rose House, Forkner revisits La Rosaleda, a fictional town set in the beautiful Sonoma Valley of California.I'd call the plot of Rose House "a mystery wrapped in an enigma," to paraphrase Winston Churchill. The main character, Lillian Diamon, is mourning the loss of

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-34991903769058071302009-04-24T19:21:00.000-07:002009-04-24T19:35:18.280-07:00

I read an interview with Lee Smith in a writer's magazine last month, and was intrigued by her comments regarding On Agate Hill. So, I bought the book.The story is set in post-Civil War North Carolina. As readers of my book reviews know, I’m drawn to stories set in the Civil War period, particularly those set in the Confederate states. As someone who descended from a great-grandfather who fought

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-9645416918786917492009-04-13T10:44:00.000-07:002009-04-13T11:10:12.705-07:00

Welcome to Sara Mills' blog tour. This interview took place last week, the day before Sara's husband died of a heart attack on Tuesday. He was young -- 40 -- and I am grieved for Sara and her children. If you've considered buying one of these books, please follow the link at the end of this post to buy one or both of them. Here's the interview with Sara, as conducted by Cara Putman: Cara:

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-26244642699531700012009-03-31T21:25:00.000-07:002009-03-31T21:35:34.425-07:00

I bought this book because the back cover blurb said that the protagonist, Charles Beale, owns a rare books shop. Any story about a bookstore owner must be good, right?According To Their Deeds is beyond good—it is so much fun to read that I hated to see the story conclude.If you, like me, enjoy playing with words, According To Their Deeds is for you. My compliments to Robertson’s editors at

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-78945159791808930082009-03-22T21:30:00.000-07:002009-03-22T21:57:00.413-07:00

I promised I'd tell you about Paul Young's amazing journey from warehouse employee to writing a bestseller. Here's the rest of the story: Once he and his associates realized they were getting nowhere with traditional publishers, they created Windblown Media to publish The Shack. Windblown Media is a two-man publishing enterprise, so he wasn't technically self-published (beyond the 15 Kinko's

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-35892973236439530552009-03-14T16:40:00.000-07:002009-03-14T17:06:27.204-07:00

At the end of February, I posted a blog of my review of The Shack. Since then it's been my privilege to hear the author, William P. Young, speak at an Oregon Christian Writers meeting. What a charming man, and what a story he has to tell!For starters, he's never gone by the name "William." He's Paul Young to all who know him personally. He told of friends telephoning him saying, "Paul, you've got

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-7363786095218654932009-02-15T16:37:00.000-08:002009-02-15T16:54:52.725-08:00

I picked up Dewey because I'd noticed that a number of my reading friends on Shelfari had it on their shelves. I love dog stories, being a confirmed "dog person." But we have a cat, too, so I thought I'd give him equal time.The title, Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, intrigued me. How could a small-town library cat, or any cat, touch the world? Then I remembered "fup" (his

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-43647364620289881112009-01-28T12:43:00.000-08:002009-01-28T12:52:32.297-08:00

At the end of February, I'm going to attend the Oregon Christian Writers Winter Conference in Salem. The keynote speaker will be Willim P. Young, author of The Shack. To say I'm looking forward to hearing him is an understatement.Some books I’ve read are just too good to put down. The Shack isn’t one of them. I mean that in the best possible way. This novel is so filled with life-altering

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-80108931387046961922009-01-11T14:51:00.000-08:002009-01-11T15:15:03.022-08:00

Author Cathy Gohlke's William Henry is a Fine Name is one of the best books I read in 2008. It's one I read during the holiday season, so am late in posting my review because of snow, rain, holiday activities, and, well, you know.William Henry is a Fine Name is the story of two thirteen-year-old boys who have been friends all their lives. It's set in the antebellum (I love that word!) period in

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-70543184486481976012008-12-29T15:33:00.000-08:002009-03-11T10:27:04.996-07:00

It's not that I haven't been reading over the holidays--I haven't been posting reviews! I've read several books this month, and am eager to share them with you. The first one I have to recommend is general market fiction, The Deep End of the Ocean, by Jacquelyn Mitchard.The Deep End of the Ocean, published in 1996, was not only Jacquelyn Mitchard’s debut novel, it was the debut novel in Oprah’s

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-791895442305756572008-12-09T10:46:00.000-08:002008-12-09T10:58:23.014-08:00

Tina Ann Forkner's debut novel, Ruby Among Us, is the story of Lucy DiCamillo’s haunted memories of her mother, who died when Lucy was a child.The opening chapter, titled "How to Measure Grief," is a stunning beginning to a mesmerizing story. The reader will be immediately drawn into world of questions without answers.Many of us hunger to learn more about our mothers. In Lucy's case, this quest

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023626618536721537.post-20921373240303908352008-12-02T07:04:00.000-08:002008-12-02T07:21:42.444-08:00

In Love Starts With Elle, Rachel Hauck has come up with another winner. Set in the Low Country of South Carolina, Love Starts With Elle is one of those stories where the setting is almost a character. Reading about Elle's life makes me want to book a flight back to the warmth of Beaufort, especially right now when it's cold and rainy outside.In Hauck's preceding book, Sweet Caroline, Elle was on

Ann Shoreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512585793323919050noreply@blogger.com1