The House on the Corner

This novel begins with a young boy names Chester who is unwittingly sent on an adventure. Things start out in a normal fashion, with the young Chester spending a boring Saturday trying to keep from cleaning the hall bathroom, his least favorite job of all that is reserved for when he looks bored.
So, Chester is excited when his mother sends him on an errand to his uncle's house just down the road. Once there, Chester is swept into an adventure beyond his wildest imagination, one filled with sea creatures, mind control, code names, and interesting characters. Even though Chester doesn't travel to a mythical place or dream up the whole story, this book reminded me of the Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. Its a bit dis-jointed and random, kind of like a book version of Napoleon Dynamite. I didn't particularly care for the story, though the ending was a lot better than I thought it would be, but I can see that a teen would enjoy the story. I would recommend it if you like random tales, but not if you are looking for a futuristic style novel that deals with a controlling society, since this would not qualify as that sort of genre.
I can see this author perhaps being one to watch once his stories are a bit more focused, since I think this story has potential.

Reviewed for Book Sneeze.

Then Sings My Soul, book 3

Then Sings My Soul book three by Robert J. Morgan is the final book in the hymn trilogy. Having not read the previous two, I cannot compare this one to the former two. For the most part, the book can stand alone (outside of the occasional comment to look for the rest of the story in one of the other two) and is a excellent weekend read. I didn't think it would be a good book to read through, but I found I was wrong, since it starts out as an overview of the history of hymns, going from Biblical hymns through Contemporary Christian.
From there, the author goes through some of the history of different hymns through the ages. As a pianist, I like that the music to the hymns is included with the background on it. It was nice to not have to go find a hymnal and look up a hymn.:D
There is also six stories that the author considers his favorites, which I enjoyed immensely.
I think this book is perfect for pretty much any bookcase! It would be helpful for musicians, members, and the general public who would like to have a place to go for background on well loved hymns.

Reviewed for Book Sneeze.

School has started again. On the worst possible day, might I add.;) Monday was a hectic day, with tons of orders through the three schools we provide bread for. This is a huge blessing, but it still makes Monday's busy.;) Anyway, while we were forming all the hot dog buns, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, etc, I tried to chop the tip of my thumb off. Stupid, I know.:P Thankfully, it didn't need stitched, but I did a number to it and have had butterfly band aids, along with a regular band aid on top of that, on my thumb ever since. Makes doing small tasks interesting, but better this than stitches.;)
I also came down with a cold on Monday.:P Andrew had it last week. I am hopeful that this is the last day of it being an annoyance.;)
I'm glad that this term, I only have the one math class. Next term, I am signed up for Art Appreciation, my last Algebra class, and then Intro to Business, so I will pay for having such a light load this eight weeks.;)
I discovered that I had ordered the wrong text book for my Intermediate Algebra course.:P So, today, I posted the imposter online and ordered the right one! When I first looked the correct text book up, I found it listed for over $100 at the cheapest.:P I almost ordered it off Amazon, but decided to look it up on one other site. I'm glad I did, since I found it for half the price! God is good.

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Beyond Molasses Creek

When Ally Green's father passes on and leaves her the home she grew up in on Molasses Creek, Ally retires from her globe trotting and decides to give living in one place a chance. With her returning to her childhood home, memories resurface of growing up during the Civil Rights Movement. Now that things have changed for the better in her home town, she feels that she can once again be friends with Vesey Washington, the boy from the other side of the river.

Poetic and poignant, I was quickly swept into this well written novel. The characters are well written, with plenty of back story to breath life into them. Not only is this a story of the Civil Rights movement, but it is also the tale of a young woman growing up in Nepal who grows up in the Dalit (untouchable) caste. Sunila must work for a stone carver to pay a "debt" her parents incurred, showing the injustice of child labor in third world countries (something that needs to be brought to our attention). The stories tie together to tell a tale of forgiveness and hope in the midst of suffering.

I couldn't put this book down! I highly recommend it and will be looking to read more books by this author.

Invasion by Jon Lewis

There is more to world than meets the eye. Colt McAlister finds out just how much is going on in the world around him when his parents are killed in a car accident by a drunk driver who wasn't really drunk. Thrown into a world of comic book hero's and alien invasions, Colt must learn to trust his family and friends to help him pull through. Invasion is the first in the C.H.A.O.S. (Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural) series.

I think this book fills a huge need for Christian young adult fiction. This story is kind of Science Fiction, but not to out that there someone like myself (who isn't really into the genre) could enjoy the story line. There is more going on that just aliens. Colt must get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding his parents death, so he starts training and learns what he can about the other planets.

The concept of comic books actually being more like a history book is bound to thrill readers. I enjoyed the drawings of some of the different characters at the end of the book.:D Invasion is a must for young Sci-Fi fans!

2011 in pictures

2011 was an eventful year. Right off the bat, we moved:


I went back to school:


Andrew played in several concerts:


We were blessed with two nieces:

Andrew and Mercy.


Andrew and Miriam.

We survived the great bat invasion:


We finished some cement work in the addition:


We went on our first camping trip:


Paid off our house:


Spent time with loved ones: