Somewhere to Belong by Judith Miller

I just finished reading this lovely story. I learned a little about the people of Amana. I am fascinated by the concept of a simpler life, a life where focus on family and God are clear and everything else that we are familiar with in our modern world wasn't present to interfere with those most important things. This story is about two young woman and how they learn from each other and grow in both there understanding of themselves and their faith. I am happy to have had the opportunity to read this story and look forward to future books in this new series. I also look forward to reading more from this author. Thank You Ms. Miller for a wonderful read! If you are a fan of Janette Oke books as I am then this would be a great read for you!

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

Great Read. Set in an upstate NY town, Meg and her daughter Sally move to a remote boarding school that focuses on the arts. Meg as a teacher and Sally as a student. The students and staff participate in many rituals that follow along with the history of the school. When a student dies, mirroring the death of another student in the 1940's at the start of Arcadia's school history, many questions arise and the mystery deepens.
It was definitely a book that I couldn't put down.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

This was a wonderful, engaging story about a two grown sisters and keeping their promises to their father on his death bed. The author told this story in such a beautiful way. I was intrigued by many of her writing tricks in this story. She started the story with a lot of detail, that was not boring which can be a fine line in story-telling. Her detail allowed me to feel as though I was traveling through this story in real time. I felt connected to the characters and really felt like I could feel their emotions. She also had a beautiful flow over who the voice telling the story was. Most books are written in either one person telling the story from their point of view or the story is told with alternating voice between chapters. Kristin Hannah told this story in such a flowing way that one characters voice suddenly took over another characters voice mid-thought. It was very intriguing. I won't give away any of the details of the story line however I will say that I was sobbing at the end.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

This was a great quick read by new novelist Beth Hoffman. The story is about a young girl and the struggles and triumphs that shape her life. This young girl, CeeCee, is a wonderful little girl who rises above her situation and learns to grow up too quickly but still is able to maintain her innocence of youth. I found myself rooting for CeeCee throughout the story. I also found myself longing to move to the south with all the wonderful descriptions of the weather and hospitality. I was so glad to find this book,it was a great quick read. I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to more books from this author in the future.