Book Review: Spring for Susannah

In her debut novel, Spring for Susannah, Catherine Richmond does a great job playing with my emotions. When I began this book, I honestly thought this was going to be a butterfly story. You know, the girl is mousy and anti-social who develops into a beautiful, confident woman that only the man she ends up falling in love with can pull out of her. And part of plot is just that, a butterfly story. The story quickly changed into an entirely different story that had me reading the book every chance I could get, and wishing I could read the book on the chances I couldn't get. 

Set in the Dakota Territory after the Civil War, Susannah, with no other options, and no place to go, becomes a mail order bride, traveling out to the middle of no where to marry a man she knew only through letters and through the words of his brother, her minister. Jesse, one of the first homesteaders in the Dakota Territory, has a need for a companion, a wife to talk to in a sod house where the closest neighbor is miles away. 

I found myself pulling for Susannah and Jesse. It was always two steps forward, one step back with those two. They depended on each other and Jesse's incredible faith in God to get through a brutal winter, a prairie fire, and an infestation. It seemed every time things would start to look up, something would knock them back. These struggles caused both of them to grow in different ways. By the end of the novel, they had both morphed into totally different characters than when they first began. And I found myself hoping there was a book 2 to this novel, so I could see if their dreams did come true. 

I read books pretty frequently, normally picking up the next novel as soon as I'm done with the first one. Because of that, it normally takes me two or three chapters before I'm immersed in the lives of the characters. NOT THIS BOOK. Honestly, I was sucked in immediately. The first night I picked it up, it was hours before I put it down, and only because I had to get up early. I was impressed by the real emotions Catherine develops in her characters and how real the struggles were. Most novels, the characters deal with one or two conflicts that results in a pretty quick resolution. In Spring for Susannah, the timing was right, the events seemed logical, and the emotions seemed real. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Catherine Richmond's novel and cannot wait to read her next one. 

Happy reading, everyone. 

Book Review: The Key on the Quilt

Stephanie Grace Whitson has done it again. She has written another novel that has captivated my mind and has left me wanting more. I have read Sixteen Brides and Unbridled Dreams, both books capturing my heart. So when I saw The Key on the Quilt, the first book in The Quilt Chronicles series, I grabbed it up fast, brewed me a cup of coffee, wrapped myself in my great-grandmother's quilt, and began reading. 



The story, set around a late-1800s penitentiary in Lincoln, Nebraska, is about three women who come from three very different backgrounds. Each woman comes to realize her true role, her true identity as danger threatens their existence. 

The main character, Jane, is an inmate. Throughout the story, we see how she works hard to just "do her time" by creating a cocoon around herself, barely speaking to anyone, and just going through the motions each day. She is forced, though, to show her true heart to not only the other inmates, but also to the prison matron, the warden, and his wife. We see how she struggles with her past, tries to hide from her present, and is afraid to look towards the future. 

Then we see the story through the eyes of the prison matron, Mamie. She came to this job following her heart's calling after a tent revival. At first she struggles with how she is to minister to the women the rest of the world consider less-than-human. After much prayer and prioritizing the needs of the inmates, she begins a journey of true service, meeting people where they are and addressing individual needs. And we get a bonus story through a very unlikely friendship that teeters on a deeper relationship. 

Finally we get see all of these events through the eyes of the warden's wife, Ellen. She's a southern, well-to-do woman who married a yankee man who had to work hard for what they had. He uproots her well-established life and moves the family to Lincoln. She, too, struggles with her present. What is expected of her as a warden's wife? What does a gentle southern lady like herself supposed to do with women who lie, steal, and kill their way into a prison? Through her relationship with Mamie and with quite a few dangerous events with Jane, Ellen comes to see her true purpose. 

This was a great read. The characters, much like the quilts that are prominent throughout the story, weave in and out of each other's lives, eventually making a beautiful story of friendship, love, forgiveness, and purpose.  Many times I questioned the title of the book, thinking it should have been named Grace Notes, but just like a quilt, the completed project reveals a much grander story than just the individual pieces. 

Stephanie Grace Whitson's second book of this series comes out in the Spring of 2013. I can't wait to see how else she weaves the stories of complicated women into beautiful servants of the Lord.  

Books and Banana Bread

Do I have a special for you today. I stumbled across a book series that I absolutely love on my weekly trip to the library. Lately, I have steered away from the romance novels that are more about the "canoodling" and less about developing relationships. Lucky for me, my local library makes "good, clean" love stories easy to find, with a special sticker on the side. So when I picked up Sweet Caroline, a Lowcountry novel, by Rachel Hauck, I was immediately wrapped up in this world based out of one of my favorite places to visit, Beaufort, SC. I quickly ran back to the library and picked up the rest of the series, Love Starts with Elle and Dining with Joy.

  

All three of these ladies, Caroline, Elle, and Joy, are pushed into a situation where they suddenly have to discover who they are, what their purposes are. Caroline, a people-pleaser, was unexpectantly given ownership of a failing restaurant and has to decide whether to keep it or to drop it and go to Barcelona for an incredible job opportunity. Elle, a free spirit, closes her art gallery with the expectation of moving away to marry the man of her dreams, only to be faced with no man, no job, and no gallery. Joy, the humorous and the local tv show cooking host, can't cook. Now that her show has been moved to a prime time national spot, her secret of not being able to cook is threatened, and she could chance losing everything. 

Each of these ladies not only struggle with discovering their purpose, but they are each faced with unexpectantly developing a relationship with a man...and more importantly, they are faced with their relationship with their Creator. 

These stories were quirky, good stories where I had to put a bookmark at the end of the chapter so I wouldn't keep reading. I was completely engrossed in their lives and the outcomes weren't always 100 percent predictable. 

This is a good beach read or a great coffee, blanket, fireplace read. And I recommend both. 

And now, for a recipe. 

At the end of Dining with Joy, I found a wonderful surprise: a recipe for Banana Bread. Throughout the novel, Joy was constantly reminded of her father's infamous Banana Bread, something he made on a regular basis and was the source of so many memories. I was pleased to find the recipe at the end of the book. I didn't have all of the ingredients, but I sure did have most of it. I tried it, and it was GOOD. So I'm going to share my variation here for you. 

Almost Dining with Joy Banana Bread Muffins Original Recipe Found On Rachel Hauck's site here

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup Turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe, mashed bananas 
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup milk, plus 1 Tbsp white vinegar, mixed
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325. 
2. In a large bowl mix flours, sugars, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 
3. In another bowl, mix eggs, bananas, oil, milk mixture, and vanilla. 
4. Add the wet to the dry mixture and blend. 
5. Slowly stir in chocolate chips and peanut butter
6. Pour into a greased muffin tin. 
7. Bake for 40 minutes. 

This is slightly different, but came out great. And it's a good thing I was paying attention to the muffins. The original recipe, which is for bread not muffins, had you cooking for twice as long. I almost went outside for an hour on my hammock while I waited for it to be finished. Thank goodness that didn't happen. :} 

So whip up a batch of "Almost Dining with Joy Banana Bread Muffins", and curl up with one {or all} of these three books. You won't regret it. 

Wise Words

As mentioned before, I have found wonderful audio books online to listen to while I work in the kitchen. One, in particular, that I like to listen to is the poetry of Fay Inchfawn. I was listening to her poem "The Daily Interview" this morning and realized how often I have this conversation with myself. The poem is kind of long, but I think mothers should read this poem and reflect. Have your Daily Interview today!

Title:     The Daily Interview
Author: Fay Inchfawn [More Titles by Inchfawn]

Such a sensation Sunday's preacher made.

"Christian!" he cried, "what is your stock-in-trade?

Alas! Too often nil. No time to pray;

No interview with Christ from day to day,

A hurried prayer, maybe, just gabbled through;

A random text--for any one will do."

Then gently, lovingly, with look intense,

He leaned towards us--

"Is this common sense?

No person in his rightful mind will try

To run his business so, lest by-and-by

The thing collapses, smirching his good name,

And he, insolvent, face the world with

shame."

I heard it all; and something inly said

That all was true. The daily toil and press

Had crowded out my hopes of holiness.

Still, my old self rose, reasoning:

How can you,

With strenuous work to do--

Real slogging work--say, how can you keep pace

With leisured folks? Why, you could grow in grace

If you had time . . . the daily Interview

Was never meant for those who wash and bake.

But yet a small Voice whispered:

"For My sake

Keep tryst with Me!

There are so many minutes in a day,

So spare Me ten.

It shall be proven, then,

Ten minutes set apart can well repay

You shall accomplish more

If you will shut your door

For ten short minutes just to watch and pray."

"Lord, if I do

Set ten apart for You"

(I dared, yes dared, to reason thus with Him)

"The baker's sure to come;

Or Jane will call

To say some visitor is in the hall;

Or I shall smell the porridge burning, yes,

And run to stop it in my hastiness.

There's not ten minutes, Lord, in all the day

I can be sure of peace in which to watch and pray."

But all that night,

With calm insistent might,

That gentle Voice spake softly, lovingly--

"Keep tryst with Me!

You have devised a dozen different ways

Of getting easy meals on washing days;

You spend much anxious thought on hopeless socks;

On moving ironmould from tiny frocks;

'Twas you who found

A way to make the sugar lumps go round;

You, who invented ways and means of making

Nice spicy buns for tea, hot from the baking,

When margarine was short . . . and can not you

Who made the time to join the butter queue

Make time again for Me?

Yes, will you not, with all your daily striving,

Use woman's wit in scheming and contriving

To keep that tryst with Me?"

Like ice long bound

On powdered frosty ground,

My erring will all suddenly gave way.

The kind soft wind of His sweet pleading blew,

And swiftly, silently, before I knew,

The warm love loosed and ran.

Life-giving floods began,

And so most lovingly I answered Him:

"Lord, yes, I will, and can.

I will keep tryst with Thee, Lord, come what may!"

ENVOY.

It is a wondrous and surprising thing

How that ten minutes takes the piercing sting

From vexing circumstance and poisonous dart

Hurled by the enemy straight at my heart.

So, to the woman tempest-tossed and tried

By household cares, and hosts of things beside,

With all my strength God bids me say to you:

"Dear soul, do try the daily Interview!"