Coffee with Kel

Books I’ve Read…

I usually post book reviews on the books I have read recently. Well, I got off track. So, here are some of the books I have read in the last couple of months.

Savannah by the Sea, Savannah Series #3
By Denise Hildreth / Thomas Nelson

* The only constants in reporter Savannah Phillips’s life are her best friend Paige, her workplace tormenter Joshua, her steady father—and her crazed mother. In spite of that, she agrees to take a Florida vacation with her parents and enjoy some seaside “rest and relaxation” for a week. What could possibly go wrong? 320 pages, softcover from WestBow.

This was the third and final book in the Savannah series by Denise Hildreth. I really enjoyed it. The setting of Seaside, FL really made me nostalgic for the beach and the beaches along Florida’s Highway 30-A in particular. This whole series was great and I enjoyed reading every book!

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Alaska Twilight, Women of Faith Series #11
By Colleen Coble / Thomas Nelson

Photographer Haley Mitchell jumps at the chance to document biologist Tank Lassiter’s work with bears in the Alaskan backwoods. She loves the Wrangell wilderness but isn’t crazy about Tank. When a doctor is found dead, Tank’s grizzlies are blamed. Can Haley and the unsociable scientist put aside their differences to find the real killer—and romance? 320 pages, softcover from Nelson.

This book had great elements of suspense, romance and faith-building. Savannah Phillips makes a cameo too. Would recommend this one as a great read!

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Be Sweet
By Diann Hunt / Thomas Nelson

Back home in Michigan for maple syrup season, commercial realtor Charlene jumps in to help her sister, Janni, and family with the flavorful harvest. But as Char’s old flame tries to reignite a relationship and it becomes clear that Janni is hiding a secret, can the two sisters rally to face this midlife crisis together? 320 pages, softcover from Nelson.

I thought this was a nice read. I found it a touch hard to get into at first, but overall I enjoyed it and glad I stayed with it.

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Other books I have read in the last couple of months:

Jewel by Bret Lott – This book is about Jewel Hilburn, a wife and mother in Mississippi. The story begins in 1943 when Jewel discovers she is pregnant for the last time. As the story unfolds, we learn of Jewel’s plight as a mother of a child growing up with Down’s Syndrome in a time when such a condition was very misunderstood. This book was somewhat of a slow read and was very sad in parts. Overall, I enjoyed it. I can’t say that I loved it, but it was a good read.

Marley & Me by John Grogan – This is a book that I have been intending to read for quite a long time, so I finally purchased it after Christmas. It was such a great read. A great memoir about the “world’s worst dog” who was completely loved by his family.

In the Arms of God by Lynne Hinton – I discovered this book recently at the library and checked it out not knowing much about it. To me, it was well written, but the story left me feeling sad. In the beginning, we learn that Alice (the narrator) was abandoned by her mother Olivia at the age of four. Olivia meets and reunites with Alice and Alice’s daughter just before Olivia passes away. After Olivia’s passing, Alice learns more about her mother’s life and the events that lead Olivia to eventually abandon Alice. Olivia’s story was moving, dark and sad. I didn’t come away from this book feeling uplifted as I would have hoped. But, I guess that all books cannot and should not be that way. The writing style was excellent, but I didn’t enjoy the book much overall, unfortunately.

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