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September 15, 1865 "When she saw the two men riding down the lane toward her house, Carlyn Kearney lifted the shotgun down off the long nails that held it over her front door. One of the men was a stranger, but the other one was not. She needed to keep a gun between her and that man. Not that she intended  to shoot between her and that man. Not that she intended to shoot anybody, but she wasn't about to let Curt Whitlow know that." http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com

It is good to learn that the Kingdom of God is an experience we can have "here and now." According to these two authors, Smith and Stonestreet, we don't have to wait until the future to experience that joyful type of living. I have always believed that the abundance of  prosperity and peace will not be experienced until we die and hopefully join Jesus in Heaven. I'm use to thinking about the Great by and by. However, the beginning is now. I also found it interesting to learn  that Christian college students may change their way of thinking after taking a course of study at a university. Christian ideas it seem are gently pushed aside or forcibly removed by professors who are not Christians or hold very liberal ideas. Therefore, political ideologies held before college might change after a student enters the college doors. The subtitle of Restoring All Things really sticks in my mind. " God's audacious plan to change the world through everyday people.

"Mr. Cynster has offered me the position of amanuensis , assisting him with his collection, his library, and his interests in those spheres." amanuensis " one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript." merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amanuensis "The moment--filled with a nascent emotion she couldn't name--hovered between them." nascent  budding.  merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nascent

  Enjoyed the historical side of the novel. Learned so much about China and California while in California. Will not forget reading about the 1906 Earthquake in California. Felt very sad about the discrimination against the Chinese people. Then, felt very moved by the way the Chinese treat their History. Historical artifacts are very dear to them much like the sacred graves of Native Americans. These particular artifacts, two in number, were hidden inside the root ball of a Cypress tree. There is a seal and another artifact made like a kneeling camel, but it is a giraffe in pink marble. Two or three men Robert Wu,a scholar and a History Professor, and an old friend of the Chinese named Billy O'Flynn become deeply involved in keeping the artifacts hidden. Learning more about the origin and translating the three different languages on one artifact is exciting. Really, great fun reading about Fifteenth ce

Robert and Lily live at Grace and Favors in New York. They inherited the mansion. This time they are helpers at a nursing home owned by Ms. Twibell. While there at the nursing home, an elderly man is smothered in his bed. Strange because his death from the illness would have happened in a matter of hours. This is one of my favorite cozy series. I really like Robert and Lily. I like this one because the wife and grandsons could be the very ones telling untruths. There is also a very strange woman who is a little bit off her rocker who tells wild stories about the death of a man while putting on his skates by the lake. When I wasn't thinking about the whodunnit, I was thinking about the new dumbwaiter. Interesting little social history because I don't think rich homes have dumbwaiters today, or do they? Sean Connor, the old man, is very grumpy. The only surprise about the murder, really, is the timing as mentioned above. cozy-mystery.com/Jill-Churchill.html

They emerged from the lyceum and came upon the palaestra, a large courtyard covered in sand, surrounded by porticoes, with an entrance to another building at the far side. The palaestra, was buzzing with activity. In the nearer part, a group of about thirty young men were moving through a series of well-choreographed exercises. A young man played a rhythmic tune on a reed instrument, setting the pace for the exercise, as the trainer walked between the others, pausing to correct this one's posture or another one's movements. Farther away, some students as well as adult males were engaged in wrestling matches, boxing, and the long jump. http://adailyrhythm.com/