Vacation Reads

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A Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13 4- 7

       Love is the central message in, A Home in Drayton Valley, by Kim Vogel Sawyer. In an effort to help a dying friend Tarsie marries her friends widower in order to provide a loving presence in their lives. Her friend Mary had confided in Tarsie about her husband Joss’ abusive upbringing and her lifelong goal of showing her husband God’s love through her love and care of him. In her effort to follow her friend’s request she travels with Joss and the kids to Drayton Valley, Kansas where she witnesses the struggles of the African American community, the birth of prohibition, the power of love, and the wonder of God’s plan. I have read many of Sawyer’s books but this is the first one of her books that I wanted to read all the way through and not skip to the end.

    

 A Promise to Love by Serena B. Miller also has an marriage of convenience at the center of its story. In an attempt to keep his children from being taken away from him Joshua marries Ingrid. Joshua and Ingrid have not only contend with being married without knowing each other but also with the circumstances of Joshua’s wife’s death and legacy, a veil of secrets. One learns that Diantha, Joshua’s wife, suffered from depression; a disease that continued to affect all of them even after her death. Amidst corruption and fire both Joshua and Ingrid learn how the truth can set one free.  I hope you have a blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas.

                         Have a good read, Nina

Murder in the Vatican...

If you like Sherlock Holmes, the Pope and a good murder mystery pick up Ann Margaret Lewis’ Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes.

 The three stories written by Ann Margaret Lewis are based on mysteries that are actually mentioned in the original stories.  These stories of course have a distinctive Catholic flavor.  Leo XIII, who was the pontiff at the time, is very involved in these stories.  Pope Leo XIII, of course, is also the one who penned the St Michael prayer and prays it at Mass in the beginning of the first story. 

           These stories also bring to light some of the history of the persecution of the Catholic Church not only in England but also in Italy. The interplay of faith and reason is also touched on by Leo XIII, in his discussions with Sherlock, as Sherlock tries to solve the case. We also get to meet a young Fr. Brown prior to his ordination. When you meet him he is writing his thesis on the “role of habitual sin” in development of criminals. Have a happy Advent and a Merry Christmas

                                

                    Happy reading, Nina