not laughing so much

Usually my kids make me laugh with some of the things they say...these not so much.

I stepped on the scale recently and my darling daughter peeked around me and said...wow Mama that's a BIG number.

A few days later she was looking at my hair and said...hey Mama you sure do have a lot of pretty white hairs on your head.


Then there was the day that I was lying in bed with a sore back and I asked one of the boys to bring me a Pepsi.  The little brat said "No Mama, you said you have put yourself on a diet and you prolly shou'nt have one so I am not gonna bring you one".  Then he walked out of the room and never did bring me one!

Has a message

The Messenger is a captivating story set during the Revolutionary War and revolves around a Colonial spy and a Quaker woman who helps him.  Their determination to do what is right is inspiring, but the deeper message lies within the courage to go against the laws and expectations of your religious community.  When we are so bound by traditional and legalism of our denominations we cannot accomplish the will of God and truly serve Him.

Historical fiction fascinates me and so I appreciated the information at the end of the book detailing some of the relevant history of the period and the people.  But long before the end of the book I was easily drawn into the story and had a very hard time putting it down.  The author did a wonderful job of seamlessly integrating writing for two characters in the first person.  The ability to write in first person and develop the main character is difficult when writing as one voice, but Siri Mitchell did it beautifully for two very different characters. Well done!
   
Disclosure: Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their book reviewers program.

Nice light read

This was a nice light read that was perfect while I was at the beach.  If you are looking for a fictional story written from a Christian perspective, this book will disappoint you.  Although it is an inspiring story the inspiration for the characters was not found in a Christian way. 

The characters are interesting - stubborn meets feisty - and the situations are entertaining enough to make this book a quick read.  The circumstances create an environment that develops a deep friendship between two women who would otherwise never have met.  How people meet and develop relationships is fascinating and thought provoking.

Although I did end up enjoying the book, I was bothered by the snowglobe storyline and found it distracting and unnecessary.  It nearly made me put the book down a few times because I found it disturbing and is why this book is 3 stars instead of 4.

Disclosure: WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BloggingForBooks.org book review program.