First Birthday!

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Hey everyone!

We have been blogging for exactly one year today! Thank you all for your support and encouragement this past year! We look forward to many more!

Love,

Quick Encouragement #37

For King and Country - Middle of Your Heart

Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea

Review by Elinor

Title: The Old Man and the Sea

Author: Earnest Hemingway

Rating: 4/5

Plot: Santiago is a Cuban fisherman who lives in the hope that he will soon catch a great marlin that will provide the money for food that he often does without. When he finally hooks one, he spends several tiring days at sea in a constant battle with it over who will survive. During this time, he longs for the companionship of a boy he taught to fish, but who was made by his parents to fish with someone else.

Characters; In the beginning and end of the book you get to know "the boy" (as he is often called) whom Santiago taught to fish. His loyalty to Santiago is so sweet and is shown in the way that he cares for him. In the time at sea though, it is only Santiago and the fish, so you don't really get to see any development for other characters.

Emotion: This book mostly had a heavy sort of sorrow to it. It really captured the feeling of being all alone. The book is really an account of the man's thoughts while hoping to catch this giant fish, who he has a true respect for. I think the point that the author was trying to get across was that bad things happen to everyone, no matter how hard you try to avoid them. But your choice is whether or not you will let them defeat you.

My Thoughts: This book was very emotional, but what I really found beautiful about the story was that Santiago endured so much hardship, but he still was never going to give up. He was going to do his best, and if that wasn't enough, he would try harder next time. His love for the boy, and the boy's love for him nearly brought me to tears several times. The ending was what I really felt made the story, it really showed that something horrible can happen, and life can still go on, and something good can come of it. I think this is one of those books that everyone should read at some point, but it wasn't one that I absolutely loved, so I probably won't be reading it again. I would also recommend it for an older audience, because there was a small amount of language.

Thanks for reading!

Post Ideas...

   Hello! It's just Marianne today. I just wanted to do a quick post asking ya'll what your personal favorite post(s) has been so that Elinor and I can plan our next posts accordingly. Also, if you have any ideas do share them with us! We would be thrilled to hear what you have to say! I was just looking, and our Favorite Movies and TV Series got a huge response. We will definitely be doing another one of those... one of these days ;). Anyway, I was just thinking out loud and wanted to know what ya'll thought! Thank you guys so much!

Book, books, books!

    Hello! Today we'd like to show you some pictures of our books. These are the books that we haven't read yet, and they are in order (top to bottom) of how we plan to read them.
*The order of the books could be changed, this is simply how we plan to read them.

Elinor's Books:

Reached by Allie Condie

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Get Lost by Dannah Gresh

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Crater by Homer Hickham

Crescent by Homer Hickham

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

The Confession by Beverly Lewis

The Reckoning by Beverly Lewis

Cinder's Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet

The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Miss Fortune by Sara Mills

Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo

Marianne's Books:

Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Maid to Match by Deeane Gist

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen 

When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke

Found in Translation by Roger and Kristi Rae Bruner 

Beauty Secrets by Deborah and Rachel Newman

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Soul of Prince Caspian by Gene Veith

Answers Book for Teens by Bodie Hodge, Tommy Mitchell and Ken Ham

Mary Magdalene by Diana Wallis Taylor

Fiction to Read Together:

Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

The Truth of the Matter by Andrew Klavan

The Final Hour by Andrew Klavan

Veiled Rose by Anne Elizabeth Stengl

Moonblood by Anne Elizabeth Stengl

Kingdom's Hope by Chuck Black

Devotionals to Read Together:

Dating Mr. Darcy by Sarah Arthur

Live to Give by Austin Gutwein 

Escaping the Vampire by Kimberly Powers

Success for Teens

Girlfriend, You are a B.A.B.E by Andrea Stephens

Boyland by Andrea Stephens

Wild Grace by Max Lucado

Green's Not Your Best Color by Mieka Phillips

The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

Destination Unknown by Gordon S. Jackson

Bible B.A.B.E.S by Andrea Stephens

True Images Devotional

Book Review: The Butterfly and the Violin

Title: The Butterfly and the Violin
Author: Kristy Cambron
Rating: 5/5

Plot: Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire fir distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she saw as a young girl - a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes. 

   In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover - the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul - who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the paintings subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron. 

   A darling of the Austrian aristocracy of 1942, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

   As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely places: the grim camps of Auschwitz and the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

Copied from the back of The Butterfly and the Violin

 I could easily say this has been the best book I have read in a long time. The story was beautifully crafted and eloquently worded in ways that made you feel as if you really were in the darkest corners of Auschwitz. It was an amazing book that I will definitely read again in the future and recommend to all my friends and family.

Characters: Even though I was able to connect with all of the characters in an incredible way, I definitely connected with Adele the best. Cambron wrote her in a way that you could just understand. I loved every character and will not easily for get any of them.

Emotion: While this was mostly a depressing book, there was some humor now and then to try to relieve the reader a little bit! I felt that the book really showed what Auschwitz would have been like. It didn't sugar coat anything and depicted the rawness of it all beautifully.

Quality: As I said before, I haven't a book this amazing in ages. The author did an outstanding job with everything. It was obvious that she had done plenty of research, but she wove into the story perfectly so you felt like you learned something, but you hadn't just received an entire history lecture or anything!

My Thoughts: I absolutely LOVED this book! The romance level was perfect. I loved how everything connected in the end to create a beautifully complex and original story. I loved everything about this book and wouldn't change a thing that happened. I can't wait for the next Kristy Cambron book to come out!

Book Review: A Match Made In Texas

Title: A Match Made In Texas: A Novella Collection

Author(s): Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Carol Cox, and Mary Connealy

Rating: 4/5

Plot: In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can't keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she's also giving each couple a little nudge toward love?

Copied from the back of A Match Made In Texas

Individual Plots: A Cowboy Unmatched - Neill isn't sure who hired him to repair Clara's roof-he only knows Clara desperately needs his help. Can he convince this stubborn widow to let down her guard and take another chance on love?
Copied from the back of A Match Made In Texas

An Unforeseen Match - Hoping to earn an honest wage on his way to the land rush, Clayton ends up on Grace's doorstep, lured by a classified ad. He may have signed on for more than he's expected though-and he may have found the one woman who can keep him from moving on.
Copied from the back of A Match Made In Texas

No Match for Love - Andrew can't fathom how refined Lucy ended up as the caretaker to his dotty aunt, and somehow her arrival has prompted even more bizarre occurrences around the ranch. When they join forces to unearth the truth, will the attraction between Andrew and Lucy develop into more?
Copied from the back of A Match Made In Texas

Meeting Her Match - When the tables are turned and a tenderhearted meddler becomes the beneficiary of a matchmaking scheme, her world is turned upside down. As her entire life changes, will she finally be able to tell the banker's son how much she cares for him?
Copied from the back of A Match Made In Texas

Characters: I felt that all of the characters in all of these novellas were perfectly written in an understandable way, which I imagine is a difficult hard task with such a story of about 10 chapters. It was very easy to relate to each and every person and I really enjoyed seeing all of their struggles and victories.

Emotion: All of the novellas were very humorous. They made me laugh out loud several times and really kept the book light-hearted. These were all great stories that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Quality: These books were very well written and enjoyable. The authors did a great job at getting the whole story across in about ten 10 chapters.

My Thoughts: Over-all I really enjoyed this book! I'd heard it was really good, and so when I saw it at the used book store a snagged it as soon as I could! However, there are a few things I would like to point out to let you know why I rated it 4/5 instead of 5/5.
1. I felt that in a few of these novellas, the romantic relationships developed way too quickly. In one of them the characters had known each other for less than a week and they were getting married, and in another they knew each other for about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks... I thought that this was rather unrealistic and, truth be told, unwise. Not that the characters weren't perfect for each other or anything, I just felt that it was a little too hasty.
2. In the last novella the gossipy women of the town spread rumors of a false scandal. We later on find out that their intentions for doing so  were positive, I just felt like they could have done what they were trying to do in a different way.
3. In the 2nd novella there was a kissing scene that got a bit descriptive. Nothing over the top, but just enough to make me a little bit uncomfortable.
Aside from these three things I thought the book was perfect! I loved  how you got to see the characters from previous novellas. It was a great book that I would recommend to many!