Can you recommend a book that helps younger people deal with difficult issues?

Bookish Question #166 | Can you recommend a book that helps young people deal with difficult issues?

by Iola Goulton

I don’t read a lot of children’s books (well, my youngest has finished high school), so I’m definitely going to focus my answer on Young Adult titles. However, I do have one picture book to recommend:

Marty’s Nut-free Party and Emily Eases her Wheezes by Katrina Roe: picture books which explain allergies and asthma in an age-appropriate  and fun way.

Young Adult

Invisible, Invincible, and Being Jazmine by Cecily Paterson: a compelling trilogy about a deaf teenager that addresses both the difficulties of living as a hearing-impaired person in a hearing world, but also at the challenge all teenagers have with fitting in with their peers and finding their place.

 

This Quiet Sky by Joanne Bischof: a Christian historical novel about a teenage boy suffering from a fatal illness.

Perfect Mercy, Amazing Grace, Love, Mercy (the Beautiful Lives series) by Elaine Fraser: a series set in an Australian high school, with each book dealing with a different issue high schoolers face—peer pressure, body image, social justice, and sexual orientation.

The Boy in the Hoodie by Catriona McKeown: a term’s worth of detentions, an unlikely friendship, and some lessons about life.

That’s my list. Can you recommend a book for children or young adults that helps younger people deal with difficult issues?

Her choices in men hadn’t always been the best—actually they’d been horrible—but she knew when a man was holding out on her.

Book Review | Pay the Price (Harmony Grove #3) by Carol J Post

by Iola Goulton

I opened Pay the Price to check the file had downloaded correctly, then created my First Line Friday post because the first line did catch my eye. I wasn’t planning to read the novel …

… yet three hours later, I’d finished.

Jessica Parker arrives back in Harmony Grove following her younger sister’s death. She hasn’t got a key and the spare key isn’t in the usual hiding place. So she’s forced to break in through the rear sliding door.

Inside, she finds the house has been ransacked … then she is attacked by a man with a gun. The intruder turns out to be Shane Dalton, an FBI agent working undercover in Harmony Grove, hunting for drug smugglers. And they’ve had a tip that Priscilla Parker might be involved.

It’s a fast-paced start, and it certainly kept me reading.

I liked Jessica, which is always a good start. She’s bright and brave, and has overcome a lot of hardship. I enjoyed reading about her faith journey (one of Carol J Post’s strengths as a writer), and I have to agree with Jessica’s view of snakes:

"She hated snakes. It didn’t matter what kind. Poisonous, harmless, large or small. The only good snake was a dead snake."

Shane is also a strong character, and another who has a troubled past–the death of his wife, and his subsequent avoidance of relationships of all kinds. Despite his loss, he’s retained his faith in God, something Jessica never had. Shane realises the best way to find information will be partnering with Jessica and finding out what happened to Priscilla and why … and was it really a suicide?

The suspense was well-written, with great pace and enough humour to offset the ever-present tension.

I was pleased to get to the end and find a preview for the next book in the series, which means this isn’t the last book. That’s great news, as I’m enjoying the Harmony Grove books and wouldn’t want to see them end yet. After all, there are still some single characters …

Pay the Price by @CarolJPost is excellent Christian romantic suspense, with great pace and enough humour to offset the ever-present tension. #BookReview #ChristianRomance Share on X

All in all, I recommend Pay the Price for fans of Christian romantic suspense.

Thanks to Carol J Post for providing a free ebook for review.

About Carol J Post

Carol J PostFrom medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol’s resume reads as if she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She currently pens fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense stories. Her books have been nominated for a RITA® award and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award.

Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida with her husband, who is her own real-life hero, and writes her stories under the shade of the huge oaks in her yard. Besides writing, she works alongside her music minister husband singing and playing the piano. She enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of a fat and sassy black cat and a highly spoiled dachshund.

You can find Carol J Post online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Pay the Price

Sometimes homecomings can be deadly…

Jessica Parker left Harmony Grove with bad memories and a vow to never return – until she is called back eight years later to deal with her sister’s suicide. When all the evidence points instead to murder, she is determined to find the killer and bring him to justice. Her handsome new neighbor is eager to help, but she is sure he’s hiding something.

Undercover FBI agent Shane Dalton is in Harmony Grove investigating the crash of a plane full of cocaine and gets more than he bargained for when he runs into Jessica. He’s not sure whether she’s involved or is just going to get in his way. Soon it becomes obvious that someone wants Jessica gone from Harmony Grove. As the threats intensify, Shane finds himself in a race against time to solve both cases. The closer they get to the truth, the closer the killer gets to making them his next victims.

You can find Pay the Price online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 174 | Pay the Price by Carol J Post

by Iola Goulton

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Pay the Price by Carol J Post, which promises to be another great romantic suspense novel. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

The house stood silhouetted against a cloudless sky, the landscape frosty and still under the onslaught of one of Central Florida's infrequent cold fronts.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Pay the Price

Sometimes homecomings can be deadly…

Jessica Parker left Harmony Grove with bad memories and a vow to never return – until she is called back eight years later to deal with her sister’s suicide. When all the evidence points instead to murder, she is determined to find the killer and bring him to justice. Her handsome new neighbor is eager to help, but she is sure he’s hiding something.

Undercover FBI agent Shane Dalton is in Harmony Grove investigating the crash of a plane full of cocaine and gets more than he bargained for when he runs into Jessica. He’s not sure whether she’s involved or is just going to get in his way. Soon it becomes obvious that someone wants Jessica gone from Harmony Grove. As the threats intensify, Shane finds himself in a race against time to solve both cases. The closer they get to the truth, the closer the killer gets to making them his next victims.

You can find Pay the Price online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Giveaway | Finding Joy in Forgiveness by Darlene L. Turner

by Iola Goulton
Today I have a guest post from Canadian Romantic Suspense author, Darlene L Turner. And she has a giveaway—one ebook copy of her latest release, Abducted in Alaska. Welcome, Darlene!

Early morning is my favourite time, especially during the warmer months. I love to sit outside on my patio listening to the cardinals sing during the summer. I enjoy smelling the freshness in the air, and marvelling in the creation of the brilliant heavenly blue morning glories climbing my fence. It’s almost like they smile at me with their huge faces. I smile back.

Blue Morning Glories

When I look at them, I see one thing. Joy.

But joy wasn’t always there. Many mornings I didn’t feel like smiling. Inside, I was wilting like a flower without water. Happiness was zapped out of me after my first husband left me. I had wondered if I would ever get it back.

Anger crept in and took me to a place of bitterness.  I was mad at him for leaving, and yes, even at God for allowing it to happen. But did I stay there?

No, I couldn’t.

I knew even though God allowed this journey to happen in my life, He knew the bigger picture. He wanted me to trust, so I slowly left my anger at the foot of the cross. I began to choose joy and forgiveness.

Did it happen easily? Of course not. It was a difficult journey. A few steps forward, many steps back. I worked through the anger, confusion, and defeat with the help of a counsellor, family, friends, and many prayers. I chose to forgiveness because I did not want the bitterness to consume my life. No one likes to be around someone filled with resentment. We avoid it at all costs. And doesn’t God command us to forgive? Yes, seventy times seven.

In Abducted in Alaska, Layke struggles with forgiving his mother for the years of abuse he suffered by her hand. This causes him trust issues and he holds back in any of his relationships. Throughout the book he has to deal with this in order to move on. Will he? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

However, in my story after months had subsided, I met with my spouse to sign the divorce papers. I felt surprisingly calm. The bitterness was gone and I knew it was time to move on. So I did.

Joy came in the morning, and brought back my smile.

Bitterness can consume our lives so easily. We must learn to recognize it, forgive, and then move on. When we do, God will give us a peace and help us to find joy again.

Question for giveaway: Share a book on forgiveness that has helped you (fiction or non-fiction).

Prize

Answer the question above in the comments below and one random commenter will win an e-book copy of Abducted in Alaska!

Comment on the question before 11:59pm New Zealand Time on 3 March 2021 and you’re automatically entered into the contest.

Prize is open internationally. Here’s how it works. The number of entries are input into a Random Sequence Generator (i.e. 1 through 20). After Darlene clicks the Generate button, whoever’s number corresponds with the number the random generator generates wins!

Note: If the winner is Canadian, they will be required to answer a skill-testing question before being awarded the prize.

Psalm 30:11-12 (The Message)
You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God, I can’t thank you enough.

About Darlene L Turner

Darlene L Turner

Darlene L. Turner’s love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.

Darlene won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense twice and an ACFW Genesis award. She’s represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. Her debut book, Border Breach, released in April, 2020 with Love Inspired Suspense. She has two books releasing in 2021: Abducted in Alaska (March) and Lethal Cover-Up (August).

Darlene met her husband Jeff at the turtle races in Ontario, Canada. She loves flavored coffee and plaid shirts. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.

Find Darlene L Turner online at:

Website | BookBub | Facebook | Instagram  |LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Do you have a book buying budget?

Bookish Question #165 | Do you have a book buying budget?

by Iola Goulton

Books. As readers, we can never have too many books. Library books, books we’ve borrowed, books we’ve bought. Which leads to an obvious question:

Do you have a book buying budget? More importantly, if yes, do you stick to it?

I don’t have a specific book buying budget. Being a book blogger helps keep my book buying down, as I get free ebook versions of the books I request for review. When I do buy books, I tend to buy Kindle versions, which are cheaper. I also try and keep my purchases to within my current gift card balance (as I’m a member of Amazon’s affiliate scheme, which pays in Amazon gift vouchers). 

I’m also actively trying (trying!) not to buy books, especially paper books, because I’m actively trying to reduce my to-read pile. (If you read my 2021 Reading Challenge post, you’ll see how successful that is).

There are four main reasons I prefer Kindle books:

  • They’re cheaper
  • They’re lighter to carry
  • They don’t take up space on the bookshelf 
  • I can make the font size bigger if I forgot my glasses (it happens)

What about you? Do you have a book buying budget? If so, do you stick to it?

If circumstances have taught us anything, it's that life doesn't end up happily ever after like it does in the movies

Book Review | Memphis Grace by Catriona McKeown

by Iola Goulton

Grace is having a tough year.

First, her best friend leaves moves away from school with no warning and goes no contact. Then she’s put in a group with the class losers for the group science project, and her final grade depends on doing well in the project. Failure is not an option–if she doesn’t pass Year 10 science, she won’t be able to follow her dream and become a nurse.

Home isn’t any easier. She’s the second daughter of a solo mother with no qualifications, so who works all hours as a waitress to make enough money to keep her family fed. There is no money left over for luxuries, like new clothes. And her mother is too tired to pay much attention. She prefers to watch and rewatch her favourite Elvis movies.

So when Cooper Daly shows he’s interested in Grace, she is more than interested. No matter that he’s her best friend’s boyfriend. Mikayla is gone, and has ghosted them both, and Grace has always had a crush on Cooper. And he’s rich. And generous, buying her clothes and other gifts.

Yes, that was a red flag for me.

As a result, I found the first half of the novel frustrating. The characters couldn’t see the obvious (well, what I thought was obvious). Adult-me could see endless red flags that Grace, her friends, her sister, and even her mother ignored. The only person who saw anything wrong was Jack, the autistic boy in Grace’s science class. The second half was much better, as Grace starts thinking for herself more, and realises that she needs to take responsibility for her life rather than letting other people tell her what to do.

But I can’t blame Grace for her decisions early in the novel.

She’s sixteen, and her decisions and actions aren’t out of line with normal teenage behaviour. And while her life hasn’t been necessarily easy, she’s been raised by a mother who is still grieving the loss of her son, and who still believes in the happy-ever-after of Elvis movies. As such, Grace is all too believable as the damaged child of damaged parents, all of whom are doing their best but not always doing enough.

Memphis Grace is a young adult novel that deals with some tough themes—bullying, teenage sex, date rape, peer pressure, and disability—in a sensitive and realistic manner. Recommended for mature teen readers.

Thanks to Rhiza Press for providing a free ebook for review.

About Catriona McKeown

Catriona McKeown lives on the Fraser Coast in Queensland, Australia, with her husband of 25+ years and three daughters.

​She is passionate about issues of social justice and often writes with such ideals in mind. Her current studies are in Inclusive Education; she is passionate about education that allows every child to reach their full potential and has a particular heart for gifted teens as well as those with autism.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and a Graduate Certificate in Inclusive Education. Catriona hails from country Victoria, lived a short stint in Western Australia, and has now settled on Queensland as her home state.

Find Catriona McKeown online at:

Website | Facebook

About Memphis Grace

Graceland was named after the King of Pop’s mansion by her Elvis- obsessed mum. But she’s not rich, not famous and definitely not noticeable.

She’s always just been Mikaela’s best friend.

That is, until Mikaela leaves school without explanation and Graceland finds herself noticed by Cooper Dally. Popular boy and Mikaela’s EX-BOYFRIEND. Now she’s the centre of attention: big parties, new dresses and girlfriend to Cooper. Graceland is finally changing her stars.

But Cooper has expectations Graceland can’t meet. And when the truth behind Mikaela’s leaving comes out, Graceland realises Cooper might not be the guy she thought he was. Worse, it could cost Graceland more than she’s willing to give to be noticed.

You can find Memphis Grace online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 173 | The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner

by Iola Goulton

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from The Girl in the Glass, another book from my too-large to-read. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

When I close my eyes and think of home, I always envision Florence—a place I've never been.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Girl in the Glass

Renaissance is a word with hope infused in every letter.

Since she was a child, Meg has dreamed of taking a promised trip to Florence, Italy, and being able to finally step into the place captured in a picture at her grandmother’s house. But after her grandmother passes away and it falls to her less-than-reliable father to take her instead, Meg’s long-anticipated travel plans seem permanently on hold.

When her dad finally tells Meg to book the trip, she prays that the experience will heal the fissures left on her life by her parents’ divorce. But when Meg arrives in Florence, her father is nowhere to be found, leaving aspiring memoir-writer Sophia Borelli to introduce Meg to the rich beauty of the ancient city. Sofia claims to be one of the last surviving members of the Medici family and that a long-ago Medici princess, Nora Orsini, communicates with her from within the great masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

When Sophia, Meg, and Nora’s stories intersect, their lives will be indelibly changed as they each answer the question: What if renaissance isn’t just a word? What if that’s what happens when you dare to believe that what is isn’t what has to be?

You can find Told You So online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Are you interested in reading books that mention Covid or lockdown?

Bookish Question #164 | Are you interested in reading books that mention Covid or lockdown?

by Iola Goulton

We’ve recently said goodbye to the longest year ever, and vaccines are rolling out (well, we’re still waiting in New Zealand). Covid-19 is part of our modern world, whether we like or not (not).

But does that mean we want Covid-19 in our fiction?

I recently elected not to read and review a dual timeline title set in 1820 and 2020. The story was obviously written and accepted for publication before Covid-19 had been discovered, and well before we all lived through the longest year in creation, 2020. the story centred on a teenage girl in England who had some unspecified bad thing happen that meant she didn’t get into university. Apparently, that was supposed to make readers sympathise with her.

Well, that plot didn’t fly with me.

The UK news in mid-2020 was full of stories of British teens who hadn’t been accepted into their university course of choice because end-of-year exams were cancelled and the grades they’d been assigned by the government algorithm weren’t good enough. As such, one fictional person not getting into university for an unknown mysterious reason didn’t ring true for me.

(The story has now been revised, given a new book description, and is now set in 1821 and 2021. I’m not sure that’s going to work any better … )

So are you interested in reading books that mention Covid and/or lockdown? 

I’m in two minds on the question. On one hand, I’m not interested in reading books that directly mention Covid-19. On the other hand, I’m also not interested in reading books set in 2020 or 2021 that don’t mention Covid-19. I suspect contemporary fiction writers will be better placed to write a novel that is either set before 2020, or not set in a specific year.

I saw this question asked in a Facebook group recently. One author said she’d surveyed her Facebook group and newsletter list and had over 3,500 responses. the vast majority wanted to avoid any mention of Covid-19. Other authors agreed.

They said they read to escape.

Reading about an unpleasant current reality is not escape. Several commented that they’ve stopped watching TV shows that have woven Covid-19 into their ongoing storylines.

The other argument I’ve seen against mentioning Covid-19 or lockdowns is that we’re (unfortunately) still in the middle of the pandemic. We don’t know when or how it’s going to end. The rollout of the vaccines gives us hope life will return to something approaching normal sooner rather than later, but we don’t know how effective the vaccine will be, how long it lasts … We won’t know how this ends until it ends. 

As such, my view is that authors would be wise to avoid books that can be specifically dated to this current period in history.

What about you?

Are you interested in reading books that mention Covid-19 and/or lockdown

Why or why not?

She’d picked users and losers. One bad choice had almost gotten her killed. But sometimes it was the unseen wounds that bled the worst.

Book Review| Trailing a Killer by Carol J Post

by Iola Goulton

Erin Jeffries is a police detective and volunteer canine search and rescue worker. When she’s called to a house that’s collapsed in a hurricane, the last person she expects to rescue is her teenage sweetheart, Cody Elbourne. And neither of them expect a collapsed house to turn into a murder investigation … or for Cody to be worried for his life.

Yes, Trailing a Killer starts off with a bang.

The pace only lets up long enough for Erin and Cody to rediscover their previous relationship (well, this is Love Inspired Suspense. We want the Love as much as the Suspense).

I enjoyed reading about Alcee, Erin’s search and rescue dog. As a cat owner, I’m always impressed by dogs and their willingness to work. In fact, they delight in being helpful. Cats … not so much. I was especially impressed by Alcee’s uncanny canine abilities to identify those she likes and trusts vs. those she doesn’t. I will definitely be interested in reading more books in this series.

There were also some more serious issues. Erin in particular has some scars in her background that affect her ability to trust others, especially men. She’s a new Christian and is working through those issues—and it was great to see a new Christian working through what it means to be a person of faith.

I am a fan of Carol J Post’s novels, and this is no exception.

The plot was perfect romantic suspense, the characters were strong (I’m always a fan of female characters who are competent in an unusual profession), and the ending was spot on.

Trailing a Killer by @CarolJPost is perfect #Christian #RomanticSuspense. The characters are strong, and the ending is just right. Share on X

Thanks to Carol J Post for providing a free ebook for review.

About Carol J Post

Carol J PostFrom medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol’s resume reads as if she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She currently pens fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense stories. Her books have been nominated for a RITA® award and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award.

Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida with her husband, who is her own real-life hero, and writes her stories under the shade of the huge oaks in her yard. Besides writing, she works alongside her music minister husband singing and playing the piano. She enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of a fat and sassy black cat and a highly spoiled dachshund.

You can find Carol J Post online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Trailing a Killer

A killer with an explosive agenda…

And a K-9 and determined detective on the case.

In a hurricane’s aftermath, Detective Erin Jeffries is stunned when she and her search-and-rescue K-9, Alcee, uncover a collapsed building’s only survivor—her long-ago ex, Cody Elbourne. And it’s quickly clear that the disaster was no accident. Now only Cody can identify the man who set the explosives that killed his grandfather…and Erin must stop the killer dead set on silencing him.

Find Trailing a Killer online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

 

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week 172 | When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin

by Iola Goulton

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from When Twilight Breaks, a new standalone novel from World War II expert Sarah Sundin. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Evelyn Brand had done a crack bit of journalism, and she hadn't even had to dress like a man to do so.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About When Twilight Breaks

Munich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country–or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she’ll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed–and wake up the folks back home.

In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party–to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can’t get off his mind.

This electric standalone novel from fan-favorite Sarah Sundin puts you right at the intersection of pulse-pounding suspense and heart-stopping romance.

Find When Twilight Breaks online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!