Off the Bookshelf: BLOSSOM STREET BRIDES, by Debbie Macomber

Blossom Street stories -- at least, the ones I've read so far -- always take us back to A Good Yarn, a knitting/yarn shop run by Lydia, whose story first brought Debbie Macomber's readers to Blossom Street.

I love stories set in a familiar setting, that keep taking us back to see what else is happening in the lives of old friends, and introduce us to new friends we've met along the way. While we watch Lydia and her husband deal with the emotional problems of their adopted daughter and the heartache of her mother's slowly deteriorating physical and mental health, we also get to peek into the life of another old friend, Bethanne, who remade her life when her husband walked out on her and their children.

Bethanne's life is good. She is now married to a man she met while on a road trip -- another story -- and their long-distance commuter marriage is taking a toll on them. Not to mention that her ex-husband is willing to do anything, no matter how underhanded and manipulative, to win her back. It isn't that the selfish jerk really loves her, but now that she's successful and has proven she can live without him, she has value again. She's nothing more than a prize. It doesn't matter that she's married -- if he wants her, he's going to get her back. Or so he thinks ...

Then there's Lauren, who has decided she has waited long enough for her local celebrity boyfriend to grow up and marry her. She can see that he will never put their life together ahead of his career -- and of course, as soon as she breaks up with him, he's willing to pop the question. Too late! Lauren has found someone else, and they "click" from the moment they see each other from across the jewelry store where she works. Of course, the ex-boyfriend doesn't know how to take "go away" for an answer, and then there is all the baggage both of them are carrying. But this is Debbie Macomber, and once her characters grow up and learn their lesson, they earn their happily ever after.

Always a treat to return to Blossom Street!

Off the Bookshelf: HAND ME DOWN HUSBAND, by Rosanna Huffman

It's not often I get to read a book written by a friend. I have a number of books in my to-be-read stack and my wish list written by friends in ACFW. Slowly, I'm working my way through the stacks -- and making room to buy the ones on the list.

It's even more rare when I chuck all the items on my do list for the day and just lie down on my couch and read the whole day away. What makes the experience even sweeter is when it's a book I heard about when it was just a twinkle in the author's eye, and a chuckle in her voice as she talked about her idea!

HAND ME DOWN HUSBAND

Rosanna's story could have taken place in the next county. The farming community has its share of characters -- the oblivious, the caring, the self-important, the interfering, the ones who can't say no, the grieving, the lonely, and the ones who care to the point of frustrating the ones who really don't want their help. Yeah, you've been in a community like that. Then there are the people you just want to grab by their ankles and slap them against the wall until they straighten out.

Which just proves Rosanna knows how to write characters that are real, and make you care about them.

Suzanne is a teacher in a small church-run school who cares about her students, adored by her students, and overlooked and unappreciated by everyone else -- her family, the school board, and people in church who only see her when they need help but never notice when she needs help. She has had to fight -- quietly -- for what she has in life, and has made some resolutions she sticks to, no matter how inconvenient. Such as no hand-me-downs -- she's not taking anyone's discards anymore, in terms of clothes, furniture, and even boyfriends.

Mitch is a widower, going on two years when the story starts. When he is talked into taking over as principal of the school, he notices Suzanne and really sees her like no one has in her entire life. He appreciates her, he sees how she is taken advantage of, As they change from co-workers to friends to something deeper and sweeter, they face a number of obstacles -- the difference in their ages, interference from his family, matchmaking friends who want Suzanne with someone else, and their own still-healing wounds.

Lovely debut novel -- and I'm not just saying that because she's my friend.

Off the Bookshelf: MAGGIE FOR HIRE, by Kate Danley

This one was just for fun. It was a Free Book Friday book on Nook a few weeks ago, and I got it just because it looked like fun. And it was! A fast read, lots of grins, and reminiscent of "Buffy."

MAGGIE FOR HIRE: Maggie MacKay, Magical Tracker #1

Maggie MacKay is, as the series title says, a Magical Tracker. She jumps back and forth between Earth and the Other Earth, working as a bounty hunger for magical creatures -- like vampires and ghouls and such. Think a smarter, more talented Stephanie Plum with black leather, stakes, and holy water.

Told in first person, there's plenty of snark, and snippets of Maggie's background and memories. She has an interesting family -- including the evil uncle she never knew about until she has to keep him from tearing down the border between the ordinary Earth we all know and the Other Earth -- which could make a lot of problems. One tough chick with an attitude, a seer for a mother, an ordinary, almost too cute twin sister, and other assorted problems. Then there's the too-gorgeous Elf she's forced to accept as her partner on this mission ....

Lots of fun. I plan on reading other books in the series, just for fun. Or maybe a reward for finishing major writing projects. After I get about 20 books off my to-be-read shelf ...

Off the Bookshelf: THE GHOST BOX, by Mike Duran

This one pushes the envelope. I admit, I like weird, other-worldly stories, but most of the time there has to be some humor, some silliness. I like Warehouse 13, not X-Files.

GHOST BOX tends more toward the X-Files side of things.

This book and author were talked about a lot at the recent Realm Makers conference, and not just because the cool cover art was a finalist for the Parable Award. The book really pushes it into Christian horror -- yeah, there is such a category -- and spiritual warfare. Beyond Peretti.

What's a ghost box, anyway? It's a means of hearing the voices of the dead, trying to communicate with the living world. And a gigundous one is being built in LA, as a building. Where else would it be built? It outdoes that huge spire in Dubai. Yeah, that big. And weird things are going on underground, and strange creepies are being drawn to the tower in preparation for the grand opening. Think the explosion in the first Ghostbusters movie, cubed, to the 10th power, and remove all the cuteness. Yeah. Like that.

Reagan Moon, our hero, is a reporter for a paranormal newspaper called the Blue Crescent. The thing is, he's pretty much a skeptic. At least, until he gets drawn into the weirdness going on with the tower, with the serial murders of mediums throughout the city, and the murder of his girlfriend a year before. That's just the tip of the slimy, occultic iceberg.

Just shows how good this book is, that despite knowing it's going to get really freaky in a few more pages, I kept reading. And not just because our book club chose this book to discuss this month. I could follow Reagan Moon on a few more adventures. No problem at all.

Off the Bookshelf: DIVINE DESIGN: God's Complimentary Roles for Men and Women by John MacArthur Jr.

This book was one of many resources obtained free through my Bible study software, Olive Tree. I've had these books for several years now, and haven't taken the time to read them. My goal is to get through them, some of them rather short, by the end of the year -- in alphabetical order as they appear in the index of the software.

Ever pick up a book, suspecting you were going to argue with the author or at least get uncomfortable reading his arguments? This is one of them. MacArthur confronts some of the problems we have in the church today, pointing out the infiltration of poison, weakness, heresy and other types of attacks which are the many weapons of Satan to destroy the church, destroy our witness, and make us ineffective, destroy the salvation message, make us look like idiots in the world. And thanks to the feminist movement, make us look like sexist bigots on top of it. Oh, heaven forbid we should be sexists. Get a clue: men and women ARE constructed differently and have different minds and different abilities and different responses to the world. They are made to work in HARMONY, not unison. Like, duh!

There were places I did argue with him, but he brings out scripture and looks at what it says, rather than doing what so many teachers on both sides of the issue do, and decide what they WANT scripture to say, and then twist and ignore and rewrite and add to what's there. I read a review of one of my books and I was horrified when the reviewer made reference to events that weren't even in the book. Obviously she had been thinking of someone else's book, or decided she wanted those scenes in there, and she was going to act like they were ... yes, weird. But isn't that what so many people nowadays are doing to the Bible? They chop out what doesn't fit how they want God to be, and use the rest of scripture as a weapon to dominate and attack and browbeat anyone who disagrees.

I had to rethink some of my ideas about women's roles and men's roles in the church, but found some clarification. There are many roles men and women can both fill OUTSIDE the church. There's nothing wrong with women writing books and teaching, and speaking at crusades and revivals -- but those aren't worship services, those aren't part of the regular church structure. They're special events.

Here's how I see it: women have stepped into leadership roles in the church and replaced men for TWO reasons: first, the men have wimped out, gotten lazy, and put their own desires first, so that there is a vacuum in the church leadership. And second, men have used the Bible as a weapon (ignoring their responsibilities and focusing on their authority) to crush women and abuse them, so women have fought back. Hey, if England had treated the Colonies properly instead of being abusive and greedy and dictatorial, there wouldn't have been the American Revolution. Like, duh!

If men follow the example of Christ as they fulfill their responsibilities in the leadership of the church, then women won't have any problem acting as the Bride of Christ.

Off the Bookshelf: A LITTLE BIT OF CHARM, by Mary Ellis

I love reading a book written by a friend and discovering that even though it is not my type of story, either setting or sub-genre ... wow, I love it anyway! Now, that's a mark of a good storyteller.

Mary Ellis and I are part of the Ohio chapter of ACFW, plus we're geographically close enough we can get together semi-regularly and talk about writing. If you're a writer and you don't have writing friends close by, FIND SOME. There is nothing more encouraging and stimulating than people who know what you're going through -- even if they don't write the same type of books as you.

Anyway .... A LITTLE BIT OF CHARM is part of Mary's New Beginning Series, featuring Amish sisters whose lives are torn apart when their parents die in a fire. They create their own lives, taking chances, exploring different Amish communities and cultures, and even follow their hearts and dreams. Rachel is the third King daughter, and she decides to have an adventure after the wedding of her older sister, Nora. Instead of heading home to Lancaster, she decides to go to Kentucky -- why? Because she loves horses and wants to be near Thoroughbreds, maybe even get to work with them.

Rachel gets her chance, gets a job at a horse farm ... and soon enough finds herself pulled between two worlds. What has a stronger hold on her heart? Her Amish heritage, her family, her faith, her love for horses, her non-Amish friends, her growing comfort in non-Amish ways and clothes? And who of her three hopeful suitors will win her heart?

I'm not gonna tell you. But I will tell you that even though Amish romances are definitely not my "thing" (even though I do have plans to write a book with some Amish characters in them someday) I do look forward to reading more of Mary's books. And not just because she's my friend!

Off the Bookshelf: CINDERELLA SCREWED ME OVER, by Cindi Madsen

Haven't we all, at one time or another, felt that the faerie tales totally ruined us for romance? Don't we all wish for a prince -- and without even realizing it, looked past or stepped over the decent guy who would certainly consider us his princess -- and who might just turn into a prince if we gave him a chance?

Yeah, Cinderella and other faerie tales that promise happily-ever-after without considering all the problems that arise when you actually have to LIVE with the guy ... mess us up.

Then, as Darby, the heroine of CINDERELLA SCREWED ME OVER, discovered ... all those princes turned out to be problems in the making. She's been hurt, betrayed, abandoned by so many guys who started out as a faerie tale prince, that she's somewhat cynical. So when Jake comes into her life and rescues her shoe and then her ... she's hesitant to take the chance that this time, he's the real deal.

Throughout the book, as Darby runs into situations that remind her of the un-princely princes in her life, she offers readers a case study, referring to the faerie tale and just what prince un-charming did. The entire book is clever and fun. Well worth curling up on the couch on a rainy day or taking to the beach, or in my case, sitting under the ceiling fan indoors in the shade on a hot summer day.