Inspiring and touching book by award-winning news correspondent

If you live in the USA, you will have seen Hattie Kauffmann’s face on television regularly as she was an Emmy award-winning network correspondent with CBS News. 

I don’t live in the United States so I had never heard of her until I came across her book. I wondered how well she would use her writing skills as a journalist to compose her own story.  I was not disappointed. Hattie’s autobiography is very readable – so much so that I read it in two days. 

 The book starts from the time her husband suddenly decides to ask her for a divorce. With that, she felt the foundation of her life falling from under her feet. She then starts to recall her hardships as a child neglected by alcoholic parents. The details of her difficult childhood brought tears to my eyes and anger at how anyone could treat their children that way. The scene where she scrapped the tiniest morsel of jam from the jar to try to assuage her hunger was just heartbreaking! 

Events in her life then alternate between the present and the past. I would have preferred it if everything is told in a chronological style. As it is, I sometimes had to stop and think: Oh, is she talking about the past now, or the present. 

 Even so, if Hattie had set out to write this book to inspire and encourage, she has succeeded very well. I was reminded again that, when all is said and done, there is only one thing that we all can be absolutely certain about in life. Read the book to find out what it is! :)

 4 and a half stars. 

A great book for understanding family relationships

When you find yourself blurting out "oh no!!" while reading a book, you know you have found a good one. That was what I did while reading a scene in "The Promise" by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley. I find it hard to get into fiction nowadays and even less frequently do I get drawn in like this work of fiction has done.

I picked out The Promise to read because Gary Smalley has collaborated with Karen Kingsbury before and I enjoyed that series. I must say he has done perhaps even better in this series with Dan Walsh.

The Promise is the second title in the Restoration series. I have not read the first book but now that I have read this second book, I most definitely will try to get the first one. You don't have to have read The Dance to understand what happens in The Promise but it would be better in order to get the complete picture. Anyhow you will not want to miss the first part of the love story between two of the characters once you have read about them in Book 2!

Not only is "The Promise" entertaining, it also has the potential to help you get a better perspective on relationships within the family and even to overcome some of the more common problems that couples face today. That's what you can expect when an expert like Gary Smalley is involved in the project.

I will be checking out more of Dan Walsh's work!

5 stars for this book. Highly recommended.

Coins, Suspense and Romance

Unspoken by Dee Henderson

Charlotte was abducted as a 16 year old girl together with her twin sister. When the kidnappers offered to release one of them, Charlotte literally kicked her sister out of the van. Charlotte then went on to suffer four long years in the hands of the kidnappers until her rescue just a few miles from her home.

The book starts with her voice relating events at the hospital just after her rescue, and then abruptly switches many years later to focus on the sale of a pile of extremely valuable coins that Charlotte apparently inherited from her wealthy grandfather. This takes up nearly half of the book.

Bryce Bishop was the one chosen to buy the coins. He is a kind, godly man who goes on to pursue Charlotte sensitively and gently, knowing her painful background.

The story unfolds rather slowly, revealing bits and pieces at a time but has enough to keep you reading till the end.

I probably would have given this title more stars if it didn't have so much about coins. I couldn't drum up enough interest in numismatics and just wanted to get to the main story about the kidnapping and of course about the romance between the two main characters.

Having said that, I still think Dee Henderson is a fantastic writer. We have many of her books in our church library and they are quite popular among our church members.

I was given a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details

Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 0764211714 ISBN-13: 978-0764211713

How the Shepherd called to the Little Black Sheep

Little Black Sheep by Ashley Cleveland

Ashley Cleveland has won multiple awards for her work in the entertainment business as a singer, song-writer and recording artist.

At the beginning of Little Black Sheep, Ashley mentions that writing this book about her life so far was not easy. And no wonder. Who likes to tell the whole world that at one time, you were so addicted to drugs and alcohol that you didn't even stop when you were heavy with your first child. Also, that you may even have crashed into a car at the traffic lights because you were driving under the influence and to this day, don't even know the extent of the damage you caused.
In the midst of all these and more, the Shepherd was calling to his little black sheep. Ashley recounts how, stage by stage, she began from emerge from the heavy fog of addiction.

Verdict: Ashley Cleveland can write as well as she can sing.

Highly recommended.

Book Details

Hardcover: 200 pages Publisher: David C. Cook; Reprint edition (September 1, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1434705293 ISBN-13: 978-1434705297