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http://www.bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com Closed until June 13     "Michael Hunter stared at the hand-lettered sign on the Gull Motel office, expelled a breath, and raked his fingers through his hair. Not the welcome he'd been expecting after a mind-rumbling thirty-six-hour cross-country drive to the Oregon coast. And where was he supposed to stay for the next three weeks, until the place opened again?"

Although she loved writing, it was rare for Benilde Little to sit down and write without fighting feelings of depression. In Welcome To My Breakdown , she writes about the early years when she was bullied at school. Then she becomes one of the many grown-up daughters who choose to care for their parents as they age. She loves her mother deeply. She cares for her mother as her heart condition worsens. At the same time, she cares for Ford and Baldwin, her children, and husband. Through all of her pain, she never gives up writing. She hangs in there and writes and publishes quite a few novels. Baldwin tells her mother to write out her depression. This memoir tells how to keep going when the energizer bunny inside you just wants to give up and throw in the towel. It's not about what's going on in our life. It's whether we keep going and attending life's demands. facebook.com/BenildeLittlePage

Hard trials that come our way build us up. They don't tear us down. In Stronger by Clayton King, there are traits of character listed. We become more vulnerable, humble and strong and really give our hearts to worship during struggles in our lives. The author, Clayton King, after thirty years of his life had passed, and during one of the saddest moments of his life, the death of his mother became a 'new' man. It's deeply touching to read about the author's parents, their illnesses and other problems. His personal experiences made me look at situations I had gone through in my own life. His journal entries are also an important part of the book. These entries are at the very beginning of the book. Here is one. "I can grow bitter or I can become better." Throughout Stronger , a bit about Hospice Care is mentioned. I am now more aware of the way this system works with family and friends.  Who knows what the future will bring?  www.claytonking.com  

Cormac McCarthy's novel All the Pretty Horses says it well: "'Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.'' "I have to teach my girl and my little guy, who just started kindergarten, to be proud of their heritage. I have to encourage them to immerse themselves in black history, both in and out of the classroom, so they understand why some history books....." http://www.adailyrhythm.com

Carlyn Kearney is a woman who must remake herself in the Christian novel, The Innocent by Ann H. Gabhart. This because her husband, Ambrose, is a missing soldier. Her only companion is her dog, Asher. When she is evicted from her home by Curt Whitlow, she moves into the Shaker community. I felt very sorry for Carlyn. It's never easy for a woman to try and make a new life anywhere. There are new friends to meet. These friends are strange to her because she doesn't understand their way of life. The Shakers don't believe people should have pets. So, Carlyn has to give Asher away. Reading about a woman who had to give up so much really upset me. Like in real life, one trial led to another trail. She had to totally lean on God. I grew tired of reading about Shakers. It almost made me not like this Christian Fiction novel. It seemed more like a novel about this religious sect than a murder mystery.

"It had been the first day since Jason's advance that it was remotely easy to move about the streets again, but with all the action now focused in the city's center--and Menelaus and his party locked down in the Akra --there was a strange feeling of freedom in the southern quarter."

Kregel  Publications The Grecian empire's ruler, Antiochus, has come to change the life of  people in Jerusalem. This situation causes discord between families and friends.  There are Honiah, Eleazar, Jason and Meir on Judah's side and on Greece's side there is, Sarpedon and Appollonios. At first, their leader, Antiochus, used subtle brainwashing of the masses. Finally, an all out rebellion happens with the Maccabees and Greece. One goal is to make Judah give up the laws of  life taught in the Torah. For example, they should no longer worship one God but worship idols like Zeus Olympios. Like any time of civil war, this is a complicated period. People change allegiances as quickly as they change their garments. It reminded me of America's Civil War during the Nineteenth Century. It's brother against brother in one household.  Day of Atonement by David A. deSilva brings alive a time of brutal revolution. It is a time when people show courage and loyalty to

"Jason came at last to his bedroom, swung open the double door, and entered. He looked to the left at his own bed, the sheets and blanket still perfectly stretched out from Niobe's morning service. It beckoned to him as the Pool of Siloam beckons to the hot, dusty travelers that pass through the southern gates. He walked over to it, but only grasped a corner of the blanket that sat folded at the foot of the bed, allowing it to trail behind him as he walked to the alabaster chair on his terrace." bibleplaces.com/poolofsiloam

Not only are the short stories fun to read in Capital Crimes London Mysteries Edited by Martin Edwards, t here is also an interesting introduction about Vintage classics. This anthology of short stories is set in the city of London. My favorite two stories are The Little House by H.C. Bailey and The Silver Mask by Hugh Walpole. Both have something I like: a cat and Art.  I also liked reading the biographies of the authors. These short biographies are at the beginning of each chapter. H.C. Bailey had a heart for children who suffer abuse. Hugh Walpole was known for writing psychological suspense, and there is more to learn about Arthur Conan Doyle. He felt happier about his historical fiction Now I have a strong interest in British Mystery Classics. I have visited Scotland Yard once again with excitement. poisonedpenpress

It is highly wondrous to believe that Christ lives in us. This is the journey Eric B. Johnson takes us on in Christ In You. In nine different chapters, he shows different ways Christ shines His Light within us. One way is through faith to see His Kingdom beginning now while still believing the fullness of the Kingdom will come at a future time. If faith is used today, there is the possibility to see that miracles still happen today. No miracle look the same in any one person's life. The believer must hold on to whatever way Christ chooses to work in his or her life. I see it as asking God for the daily strength to help us accept whatever way He chooses to answer our prayers. The author tells about his Grandfather's death. He asks The Lord to allow his Grandfather to live twenty more years. Not a huge request if you believe in God's power to sustain life. However, his grandfather dies much sooner. Eric Johnson and family do not lose faith. They endured the trial. Th

THE night is dewy as a maiden's mouth, The skies are bright as are a maiden's eyes, Soft as a maiden's breath the wind that flies Up from the perfumed bosom of the South. Like sentinels, the pines stand in the park; And hither hastening, like rakes that roam, With lamps to light their wayward footsteps home, The fireflies come stagg'ring down the dark. Paul Laurence Dunbar poemhunter.com/paul-laurence-dunbar/

Vicksburg in June 1863   http://www.visitvicksburg.com/explore/civil_war/sesquicentennial/ "She hadn't heard from Ambrose since Vicksburg in June 1863. Over two years ago. But she had no proof he was dead. The army said missing. Missing wasn't dead. Ambrose might yet find his way home."