WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

The Pie Lady: Classic Stories from a Mennonite Cook and Her Friends by Greta Issac

Book Description:  What is a Pie Lady moment? For one family, it s breakfast on the patio. For another, it s Mom serving up creamy chicken and noodles. These are Pie Lady moments: times of goodness and glamour in the middle of ordinary days. In The Pie Lady, Mennonite homemaker Greta Isaac ushers readers into the kitchens of Velda, Shyla, and other Pie Ladies as they whip up confections and concoctions that please the mouth and nourish the soul. Fans of Ruth Reichl, Sherry Gore, and Ree Drummond will love Isaacs intimate, delectable writing. Home cooks will love the recipes that appear in each chapter. Maybe you drop grapefruit slices in a glass of water. Maybe you brown the gravy and salt it from eighteen inches up. (Forget for now the sink full of dishes.) Each cook has her own Pie Lady moments. Each has a story to tell. Hear straight from Amish and Mennonite people themselves as they write about their daily lives and deeply rooted faith in the Plainspoken series from Herald Press.

My Thoughts:  When I saw this book I thought it would be all about pie.  I was so wrong!

This book is a treasure of inspiration.  A slice of life passed on to others.

Mrs. Issac is a Mennonite wife and mother who has "pie" moments."  Those inspiring times where she has a short story or a memory that has to do with a specific dish she has made...not necessarily pie.

I love her thoughts and inspirations about life.  To me this is more like a devotional book with wonderful recipe thrown in as a reference point.

There are 194 pages all filled to the brim and then at the end of each chapter there is a wonderful recipe.

I've decided to use this as a devotional book as I read and journal from my daily devotions.

This is a smallish, not too large of a book and it would make a great gift.  

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1513804219
• ISBN-13: 978-1513804217

 

Present Danger (Rocky Mountain Courage) by Elizabeth Godddard

 

 Book Description:  Former FBI Special Agent Jack Tanner is working as a detective in Montana when he comes across a body in the national forest during a search and rescue mission. He's committed to finding the killer, even if it means working alongside his old flame, US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors.             When Terra discovers that the murder victim had ties to a powerful and dangerous trafficker of archaeological artifacts, the investigation takes a deadly turn--one that hits too close to home. As Terra fears she lacks the courage to face what comes next, Jack is more determined than ever to protect her. But he's failed her before. And if he fails this time, it will cost them far more than just their hearts.

 My Thoughts: What a read!  What a story!  What a cover!  Oh, yeah it's a murder investigation at its best.

This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Goddard and it won't be the last.  

I love the thrill of the investigation, the clean romance and the way Mrs. Goddard uses descriptive words, not just adjectives, to describe all that is transpiring in this mystery.

Of course, I love mystery/suspense novels and this book is one of the best.

Jack Tanner is great detective and all around great guy.  He discovers a body in the national forest.  The national forest of all places!

But he needs help on this murder investigation so he ends up working with Tara Conners, a long lost love.

But what he and Terra don't know until they begin to uncover the facts about the murder only to discover that the murder must be tied in to the stolen artifacts.

And, poor Jack, he's failed the gorgeous Terra before.  

It's a great story!

*This book was provided for review by Revell*

• Publisher : Revell 
• Language : English
• Paperback : 384 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0800737989
• ISBN-13 : 978-0800737986
• Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
• Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches

Fun Friday!

 

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

 

Settle My Soul: 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus by Karen Ehman

 

Book Description:  Whether you're a working professional, a wife, a mom, a sister, an aunt, a daughter-in-law, or any combination of these, your life is busy. And no matter what stage of life you may find yourself in, what your hurried and overcrowded heart needs most is rest. Beyond time-management skills or tips for worrying less, you need a few minutes to connect with God's heart.

My Thoughts:  If you're a mom or a working woman then you know how busy life can get.  Or let's just admit it, all women are busy.  There's always something to do.

As the keeper of the house, the time management lady or the grandma who helps out.  Women find there time is short and much to do.

So, when I saw this nice medium sized, hardback devotional it was love at first sight.  The cover has a "springy" look with small pinkish flowers all around the from cover. There are 100 quiet moments/devotionals that help calm our soul and draw us closer to God.  And I love the subtitle. Pressing Pause, because that is exactly what we need to do to find our strength in Him.

There are some questions that help the reader to think about her life and then a short space with about three lines to write one's thoughts on.

The font is nice and in a green color with pink writing through out the devotional.

It's such a relaxing color scheme that it's a joy to open the book and read.

There is a scripture at the top of each devotional. 

Love this book!  And it makes a wonderful gift!

• Series: Pressing Pause
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310095409
• ISBN-13: 978-0310095408

The Governess of Penwythe Hall (The Cornwall Novels, Book 1) by Sarah E. Ladd

 Book Description:  Blamed for her husband’s death, Cordelia Greythorne fled Cornwall and accepted a governess position to begin a new life. Years later her employer’s unexpected death and his last request for her to watch over his five children force her to reevaluate. She can’t abandon the children now that they’ve lost both parents, but their new guardian lives at the timeworn Penwythe Hall . . . back on the Cornish coast she’s tried desperately to forget.

Jac Twethewey is determined to revive Penwythe Hall’s once-flourishing apple orchards, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his struggling estate profitable again. He hasn’t heard from his brother in years, so when his nieces, nephews, and their governess arrive unannounced, he battles both grief at his brother’s death and bewilderment over this sudden responsibility. Jac’s priorities shift as the children take up residence in the ancient halls, but their secretive governess—and the mystery shrouding her past—proves to be a disruption to his carefully laid plans.

My Thoughts:  This book captivated from page one.  It's such an intriguing story.  And it's the first book in the Cornwall Novels so there will be more to come.

As soon as I began this story I thought of the words christian gothic fiction.  I'm not sure that there is such a genre but if there is then this book is it.

Poor Cordelia Greythorne.  Everything seems to be against her.  And that mother-in-law, Ada Greythorne, just about gets one's goat!  It's terrible to dislike a book character so much but dislike Ada Greythorne I did!  Such a mean dried ups old woman with out an ounce of grace or pleasantness.

As the story progresses things in Cordelia's life become a bit more convoluted. She is now working as a governess to five children.  So, when the children lose both of their parents, lo and behold, the father has stated in his will that Cordelia is to remain with the children.  But in order for her to remain with the children she must take them to Penwythe Hall back to the same area she left after her husband's death.

What a story!  What grit!  And what forgiveness!

This is such a fantastic read!

• Series: The Cornwall Novels (Book 1)
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785223169
• ISBN-13: 978-0785223160