Tag Archives: Books

A Fine Imitation {a Review}

9781101905111Just finished this one; and I have to say it was good. I managed to finish it in 3 days: Yea, haven’t done that in a while. The story is about Vera, a highfalutin well off girl in Manhattan, caught in an empty and unloving marriage, until the residence of the building her husband owns commission an artist to paint a mural in their underground swimming pool. The story alternates with the “current” story line (1923) and Vera’s life 10 years ago, at Vassar college where she is an art major. This is a first publication for author, Amber Brock.

I really enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction, in general, but felt that the story is relevant regardless of the time period: The struggle to do what is accepted, live with the consequences, and make better decisions for your future. Now, this wasn’t a lofty, intellectual read, but it was enjoyable and quick. Vera was well written, however I felt the rest of the characters were rather flat…but I believe that was part of the author’s goal in creating characters that showed their own shallowness.

There was one brief sex scene, less than a paragraph and nothing graphic, if that kind of thing is not something you tolerate. Overall, though I felt that it was a great read. It helped me feel like I accomplished something, without being overwhelmed and dreading the task ahead.

Brock was great too. I had tagged her on Instagram and she was quick to comment and reply!

You can pick this book on Amazon, or anywhere else for that matter.

*I received this book for free from BloggingForBooks.com; the opinions expressed are my own. You can read my disclosure policy here.

 

The Longing in Me {a Review}

Finished this one today! I’ve long wanted to read something by Sheila Walsh, but this was the firs_240_360_Book.1919.covert opportunity that I had. I saw it was available for review from BookLookBloggers and jumped on it.

How many of us are going through the days just longing for thing after thing after thing? Yea, we all do. Keep waiting for the next thing to thrill us, or juts get us through the rest of the day.

Sheila directly addresses all of this, while going through David’s story (that’s right, David the Psalmist) and showing the longings in his own life, the good and the bad, and delving into her own story of heartbreak and longing….showcasing God’s Goodness through it all!

I definitely loved this book! I felt that while it was enjoyable, it was also substantial. It was just THAT GOOD! I felt that Sheila’s scriptural references were so pertinent, there were several pages that ended up all marked up.

What I loved the most was how Sheila repeatedly told and showed how our striving to be what God wants us to be, doesn’t mean that we can’t fail, it doesn’t mean that in our failing we’re letting God down; it means that we are human and we are forgiven.

Anyone who has anything in their past, that’s struggling with feeling inadequate, insufficient, and wanting more, there is awesomeness in these pages for you. You can find “The Longing in Me: How Everything You Crave Leads to the Heart of God”, on Amazon.

*I received this book for free from the BookLookBloggers program in exchange for my honest review. You can find my disclosure policy here.