Harvest of Blessings by Charlotte Hubbard

Nora's divorce is final and she's going home.  She plans to ask her father for his forgiveness and to meet the daughter she had to give away sixteen long years ago.  She knows it will be hard and she may never be accepted, but she's going to go back to the simple life.

Zebra Publishing sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It will be published this month, so watch for a copy at your local bookstore.

Nora has bought a house in town.  It's one of the fanciest around, she's driving a red BMW sports car, and she's wearing English clothes.  But she's planning on changing that.  She's also hoping that her father will remove his ban from her and let her visit her old home.  Unfortunately, he's not feeling forgiving towards her.

As far as he's concerned, she abandoned her religious beliefs when she got pregnant without wedlock.  That's why he sent her away.  Nothing has changed in his mind.  When she tells him who got her pregnant, he doesn't believe her.  The man was his friend. Most of Nora's family believes her and loves her and is happy to have her back.  But they have to go visit her because she's not allowed on the home place.

Nora goes back to wearing plain dress styles but with colored prints.  She also does quilt hangings that are almost 3-D.  She knows the Amish religion won't tolerate that, so she's leaning towards the Mennonites.  She wants God back in her life.

She's got her local neighbor pursuing her, an ex-bishop that is trying to compromise her, her daughter has a boyfriend, and her father still hates her.  She persists in putting the barn together to be a large handicraft store with hand made tools and saddles, too.  She goes to church.  She has a date or two.  And she wonders if that may be all she can accomplish there.  But she doesn't give up.

Ms. Hubbard always writes good stories and this was another book of hers I enjoyed reading.  I wanted to shake Nora's father but I had one a bit like that, too, so I could relate to the situation.  I admire Nora's strength and positive attitude in the face of adversity.  That can be a hard thing to do.

If you enjoy Amish stories and haven't read Ms. Hubbard's work yet, you should.  You'll like them.

Hinges Book One: Clockwork City by Meredith McClaren

She is a clockwork girl who picks an usual familiar for her own.  It doesn't take her long to find out that it's easy to get in trouble in the city of Cobble.

Image Comics and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published today, so you can find a copy now.

I love to read graphic novels, enjoy steampunk or clockwork stories and figured this book met both those desires. The graphics are lovely and remind me of Manga by their style. 

When Orio picks Bauble she's discouraged from taking that as her familiar but she knows she wants him.  You're supposed to pick your own, so off she goes with it.  Next they have to find her a job and they have a list of places that need someone.  Somehow Bauble seems to mess up any interview that Orio doesn't.  It's not looking very good.  Orio wants to mend but the powers to be say that's not where they need her.

I like the graphics but a lot of the book was without text and I wasn't even sure what was going on in several places.  It was fun to read but would be a bit more cohesive with more text.  I did like Orio and Bauble.  They were meant for each other.  I'd read another in this series to keep up with them and see if it made more sense to me.

Why don't you read it and tell me what you think?  Maybe I missed something obvious.

Hearth Stone by Lois Greiman

Her father is demanding she marry the man he has chosen for her.  After all, it would be an attractive merger of assets.  He doesn't even care that the man has been untrue to her.  As a matter of fact, he knew it all the time.  He tells her to accept it.  She refuses to, saying no for the first time.  And she escapes the house and his influence by going to a guest ranch her cousin suggested.  Maybe time will convince him she's serious.

Kensington Books sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It's being published in March, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

Sydney enjoys her stay at the guest ranch so she decides to look for her own ranch.  The ranch is run down, the barn is almost falling down, but the setting is perfect and she feels at home there.  She decides to buy it and set it up to train Olympic hopefuls for equestrian competition.  Buying the ranch was no problem, but then her father cut off her money.  Now she has an old run down ranch and no money.  Her father would let her come home if she'd just get over her mad and marry David.  She's determined to stay there and do what she can to improve it and endure it.  She doesn't want any David in her life.  She's also got the problem of her injury from an angry horse ride to get over.  She's stubborn though and she's finally taking charge of her life instead of doing what her father tells her to do.  He's very upset about this but she doesn't care.

She has a whole host of friends that help her.  They are all eccentric characters in their own way and I enjoyed reading about them.  She finds a mustang tangled up in barbed wire and when they are ready to put her down because her back legs are torn to pieces, she refuses to let them.  I think she sees herself in that mustang.  Her legs didn't work after the accident and the mare has no one to support her.  She's going to save her.

I can understand and sympathize with Sydney.  She has to do some growing up and she needs to find her own path.  It's at the end that she suddenly realizes what would really make her happy.  And she can do it without her father.  She'll just work with her new friends and the man she's beginning to love.  How can it get any better that?

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

Her family is cursed.  They stay to themselves, mind their own business, and don't mention the other member of the family.  You see, the family curse gives the males wings...

Wendy Lamb Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 10th, so you can grab a copy then.

This is a fantasy that feels like it was written in an simpler time.  They live on an apple farm that the family has owned for years.  The mother is a wonderful baker and they sell her pies and jams.  They are pretty much self sufficient.

Twig doesn't even have friends in school.  She did for a while, then her mother found out they had her starring in the school play as the witch.  She jerks her out of the play and explains that's the witch that hexed her family.

When a family moves in the old abandoned house on the other side of the lake, she's excited to see there is a daughter her age.  Her mother tries to keep her from becoming friends with her (it's the witch's family, you see) but to no avail.

The crux of the matter is twofold:  Mr. Montgomery wants to cut down the trees in the forest and develop the land; and, people have seen a flying monster and fear it.  

There's a campaign to stop the deforestation by graffiti (never seen before in Sidwell).  An almost homeless professor is trying to prove the unusual owl found there is endangered and needs the trees.  And Twig and her Mom are trying to keep their secret and keep the older brother in the house.  He's old enough now, he's not content with that.  The neighbor girls have seen him fly.  And it's all starting to fall apart...

There are some very nice touches in this story.  I haven't read Ms. Hoffman's work before, but she makes her words dance.  This was a very good read and young ones should really enjoy it.  Older ones do, too.  After all, I liked it.

The Doll Collection by Ellen Datlow

I've never thought of dolls as scary.  I even have my own collection.  Some are collectible and beautiful things.  Some are the ones I had in childhood and have kept all this time.  I'm still not scared of my dolls but in these stories there are some you should watch out for...

Tor Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 10th, so you don't have to wait long to get your copy.

Each story in this collection has some horror in it.  Some of the stories make me wonder about the authors:  How do they come up with these ideas?  When you're done, you might put the book down but the stories will still be floating through your head.  It will take them a while to settle.

Every story in this group has a good hook.  You're reading along and it's not long before you find you've been caught up by the story telling.  Each story is unique; there are no real similarities except that they all have a doll theme.

There's a ventriloquist's dummy that talks by itself.  A boy who loves his sister's doll too much.  A woman who is really a doll herself.  Two men exploring the arctic that find some dolls that should have remained lost.  And many, many more.

There's something for everyone in this collection.  No matter what type of story you like, you should be able to find one that talks to you.  What surprised me was that I didn't dislike any of these stories.  Especially since some of the authors aren't my most favorite.  Ms. Datlow did a good job of picking stories that worked well together and that made it a good read for me.

The Thickety: The Whispering Trees by J. A. White, Andrea Offermann (Illustrated by)

Kara and her brother have been run out of the village that they lived in because Kara has magic.  Magic means she's a witch and witches are evil.  They won't believe that Kara is different.

Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 10th and is the second book in this series.  The first was a good read and so is this one.  I'm fascinated to see what comes next.

Kara and her brother Taff have hidden in the woods to get away from the villagers.  The woods aren't safe either, but they are better than being killed by people they know.  There are mysterious creatures, vicious plants, animals and plants both with blight and the humans within are the most danger.  Kara can talk to animals, so she uses that skill to try to move them through the Thickety.

The first human they run into is Mary Kettle.  She's an awful witch from years ago who's used in stories to make children scared.  She also tells them the stories are true.  She's not the best choice to go through the woods with, but she knows the way.

This story is a blend of truth and lies.  You never know who's telling them the truth and who's supporting the evil wizard.  Sometimes they are doing both things.  The monsters discussed in this story could give you nightmares.  I found this to be a pretty intense story that kept me glued to  the book waiting to see what happens next.

The outcome at the end was totally unexpected to me.  There is one final betrayal that lets an evil into the world that had been contained for years.  The good news is that this means there will be another book to continue the series.  Someone will have to contain that evil again.  I wonder what part Kara will play in that story...

The Pirate's Bed by Nicola Winstanley

Did you know a pirate's bed holds secrets?  It has the pirate's memories, knows where the treasure is buried, and knows how much his feet stink...

Tundra Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published, so you can grab a copy then.

Mr. Matt James has illustrated this book and I know young ones will love it.  It almost resembles children's work.  You can even see up the pirate's nose!  His mouth is open and you can see his teeth as he snores.  What fun.

The pirate is sleeping even when the storm comes on and it reminds of him of rocking in a cradle, so he sleeps on.  The bed has an eye on the storm; it seems awfully rough.  Sure enough, the ship goes down.  Don't worry, all the pirates survive.  The poor bed gets taken away by the sea.

The bed travels a long way over the ocean but it does find another home.  It's been passed down over the years.  Maybe you're the current owner.  Is your child sleeping in a pirate bed and dreaming about treasure?