The Forgotten Garden

"You make a life out of what you have: not what you're missing.”
from The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton


"The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton is an elegant Victorian, Gothic sort of story with mysteries, secrets, forbidding estates, abandoned children and even a few pirates, spread over 3 generations and two continents. Fascinating!
I really LOVED this big, long book that moved right along at the speed and intensity of an old time roller coaster. It's not the easiest plot to keep track of due to multiple families and time periods, but the charm and resiliency of the characters and the suspense surrounding their circumstances are mesmerizing. I think I read about the last 250 pages in one afternoon and long evening.

Beginning with a tiny girl abandoned on a ship, a mysterious English estate and "The Authoress," writer of imaginative fairy tales, this book is a fast paced read that keeps it's early promise as it twists the stories of three women into a tapestry of entertaining and beautiful prose. As soon as one mystery is solved another is begun, weaving a tales of betrayal, loss and love, in this tale reminiscent of Dickens, Bronte and maybe even a bit of Agatha Christie.

If you enjoy a suspenseful, complicated, involving story, filled with unusual people and places, this book will entertain, delight and ultimately satisfy your taste for a genteel armchair adventure, plus at over 500 pages, it delivers a nice, long read!

Dogwood, by Chris Fabry

Karin-a sleepless preacher's wife, Will--a prisoner, Bobby Ray--the cop, Danny Boyd--the irresponsible brother, Ruthie--the seer, these are the people whose stories are told in Dogwood, by Chris Fabry.

Stories of love and loss, romance and prison, truth and fiction, I found this a fascinating tale of life in a small town after tragedy strikes.

Chris Fabry's characters are real people, not cardboard Christians, who face life's worst the best way they can, some with courage, some with resentment and rage and some in denial. There is a mystery at the heart of this love story and a love story at the heart of this mystery.

Chris Fabry's writing is fast-paced, tight and yet elegant too. To give you an example of what I mean here's part of a passage describing how a son relates to his father.
"Talk to me of a father's love, and I will tell you of baseball. Tell me of a tender touch or a hug that lasts in your memory, and I will kiss you with stories of our game. Walk with me in moonlight and I will tell you of pitchouts, squeeze bunts, and called third strikes...
In the cool of evening, when his work was done, my father and I played catch to the voices of Al Michaels and Joe Nuxhall. We groaned together through the 1971 season and rejoiced at the next and all the way to Oakland...
Baseball cast a spell that drew us together. Baseball was the closeness we shared. We were never able to express ourselves and enjoy each other fuly, without reservation, except with baseball."

Great story, great writing, great read.

They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti

Move over Ted Dekker. “They Almost Always Come Home” is one of those books that captures your attention on the first page and holds your heart all the way till the last.

Libby’s husband Greg is late coming home from a wilderness trip. She’s not sure if she’s mad or glad about that. But either way, it’s all she can think about. By the time the first chapter ended I was hooked on this story of a real woman facing real problems the best way she knows how.

After taking as much waiting as she can Libby decides that anything is better than sitting at home wondering. Her best friend Jenika, and father-in-law Frank insist on joining the camping challenged Libby in a trip retracing husband Greg’s steps to find out what really happened to Greg. At this point the story really kicked into high gear for me and became as suspenseful as any John Grissom or Stephen King I’ve ever read. I felt I was behind the scenes of a real life mystery as it unfolded to the participants.

Libby’s story had me reading late into the night. As the suspense built this book took twists and turns I never saw coming and kept me on edge and nervous and anxious to find out what was going to happen.

Author Cynthia Ruchti’s writing is REAL. You feel Libby’s frustration and fear, her anger and grief; her humor and sentimental moments all ring true. Libby, Jenika and Frank (Greg’s father) seemed like folks I felt like I might run into at the corner store or Wal-Mart. The faith and commitment they exhibit is never overdone, but always just people what people who really care for each other do in a crisis.
It was one of the things that made this book so satisfying to read.

If you’re a mystery or suspense fan you won’t be disappointed in “They Almost Always Come Home.”


Watch the trailer for "They Almost Always Come Home"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZb0by984g

Need a good summer read? "Rooms" is it!

Intriguing, creative, unique, mysterious, fantastic, "The Shack" meets "Back to the Future". These are a few of the ideas that roamed through my head while reading the thoroughly entertaining novel “Rooms” by James L. Rubart.

A cryptic letter arrives giving Micah Taylor a beach-front mansion from a relative he never knew. Micah Taylor is the man every woman wants and every man would like to be. Successful, good-looking, and smart enough to build a million dollar business and still remain a nice guy. As bright as Micah’s future looks, he’s not a man without a past and in getting to where he is today, he may’ve lost some of the best parts of himself.

Even though the house located in the place of the greatest tragedy of his life, Micah decides to check it out. What he gets is way more than what he sees. A house whose footprint changes daily, sometimes hourly? As far as real estate goes, this house is a dream built exactly to his tastes. Or maybe it’s a nightmare because with each new room Micah finds a new set of questions buzzing in his mind, disturbing his sleep, questioning his existence.

Along the way Micah meets his new BFF and a lovely straight-shooting young lady who seems to good to be true at times. But the one thing they all have in common is their search for the Pearl of great price.

“Rooms” is an unusual book. It is a fantasy with a big heart, a journey with twists and turns, missteps and surprises. Yet through it all is an undeniable feeling of God’s love, protection and care for His children. I love that! In the end I found myself asking the same questions as Micah, seeking the same truth and freedom and knowing it is worth the trip. It's a book I'll remember for a long, long time and I like that.