International Day of the Girl is October 11

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Book Review - The Best of Intentions

Book Review - The Best of Intentions - Susan Anne Mason

This is the first book I have read by Susan Anne Mason and was pleasantly surprised that she was Canadian. I also enjoyed the fact that the book was set in the Canadian city of Toronto. I was certainly drawn into the story and the characters quickly.

The plot of the story reminded me of the Bible Story where they floated Moses down the Nile to protect him. His sister Miriam kept watch over him and when Pharoah's daughter needed someone to care for him she went to get her mother unbeknownst to the daughter of Pharoah.

In this story, Grace arrives from England to help her sister with her newborn son whose father had been killed in the war. When Grace arrives she finds out that her sister had also passed away and her nephew had been placed in the care of his father's family. Wanting to ensure that her nephew was being cared for properly, she did some spying and was able to meet with her nephews aunt in a park. From this meeting, Grace ends up with a nanny position with a wealthy family caring for her nephew. The family was not aware that she was the child's aunt. The story evolves and eventually the truth comes out! Grace's intentions were sincere however for a time the Easton family was not happy with her deceitfulness. Would her best intentions cause her to lose a chance for love?

I enjoyed this book and if there was a book two with the same characters being developed I would certainly buy it.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. in exchange for honest and unbiased opinion.

Book Review: River to Redemption by Ann H. Gabhart

I really enjoyed this read by Ann Gabhart even though the beginning was somewhat sad with the cholera epidemic and the many people who died as a result. The book had a redeeming quality to it in that out of the bad came so much good. God is able to redeem the time and bring about the healing and help that was necessary.

Adria had a great loss as a young child but a slave and his sister cared for her and helped to place her with someone who would raise her - someone who had also experienced loss. Adria became an advocate for those in slavery and eventually helped the one who had helped her when she was in desperate need. She finds a way to buy the freedom of a slave named Louis who did so much for the people of the town during the cholera epidemic.

While a slave, Louis was a man of faith and was an example to all. He waited to God's plan to unfold and God's timing was perfect for him.

I really appreciated the language of this book in the way it seemed true to the dialects and culture of the early 1800's in Kentucky. It was a great read in spite of the challenging circumstances that were presented in the book.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."

Movie Review - God's Not Dead - A Light in the Darkness

Movie Review - God's Not Dead - A Light in the Darkness



This movie takes place on a university campus where a century old church is the victim of an attack and someone loses their life as a result. One of the questions asked is does religion hold a place on a university campus? The university administration thinks not and wants the congregation to leave.


The actors vividly portrayed the message and meaning of the movie. There were some very real and poignant moments. Pastor Dave's passion for the church is evident but his grief over the loss of his friend and the anger at the university administration is also evident. Also seen is the strained family relationship with his brother and his challenge to forgive the one who caused the death and the fire of his beloved church.


The movie shows that in spite of challenging circumstances there is light in the darkness. Hope and healing is possible when we look to God and love each other.




DVD provided courtesy of Pure Flix and Graf-Martin Communications.

Movie Review: Little Women

This was heartwarming updated movie that reminded me of the story I read a long time ago. It showed the power of the love of sisters but also the other side where they can easily drift away from each other and lose contact. In the end the love of four sisters and family prevailed.

Jo's character was particularly interesting. My friend who attended with me leaned over to say, "I don't like her." As I reflected on the comment and my own feelings about Jo. There was a need to look deeper and realize she was good at heart but faced struggles in trying to move forward with her life and things not working out as she had hoped. At the end of the movie, I think Jo realized that allowing her authentic self to come through in her writing was the key.

So many themes came through in the movie: the search to find meaning in one's life, romance, rejection of love, family themes, moving away from home, etc. All of those and more provided a movie that was meaningful and interesting to watch. Even though there were difficult themes, i.e. Beth's illness, the movie showed how the family moved forward following this.

I enjoyed the actors, the updated story and the honesty of the movie. I would recommend to others. A great movie for families to watch together and to realize that while life is not always perfect, families are there for each other in the best and worst of times.

Screening provided by Graf-Martin Communications and Pure Flix.