The Scent of Rain

The Scent of Rain by Kristin Billerbeck promised to be a light, fun read.  I chose this complimentary copy from Booksneeze just for that purpose.  The plot revolves around a young perfumeologist who loses her sense of smell just after being left at the altar by her groom-to-be.  After giving up her job in Paris for her would-be husband, she found herself stuck in Ohio working for a cleaning supply company.  The book traces her efforts to recover from her failed romance (by finding a new one, of course), to cover up her loss of smell, and to reestablish herself as a confident, independent woman without fiancé or parents to fall back on.

I had hoped for a light, witty read.  What I found were characters so one-dimensional they seemed cartoonish, dialogue and prose desperately stretched to make the scent of rain metaphor work, and turns of events so swift and unprecedented that my head spun trying to keep up.  A case in point was the office temptress painted as selfish and seductive who in one logic- defying scene suddenly turns out to be misunderstood, and in fact, quite selfless.  The final scene between the perfumeologist and her new man plays out exactly as it had occurred in a dream she had experienced earlier in the book though no particular relevance was given to any of the details including a clown's involvement.  Sometimes light reads are a fun diversion from meatier, more intricate plot lines.  Unfortunately, The Scent of Rain produced more groans than laughs.

Flame of Resistance: Book Review

Provided to me as a complimentary copy from Tyndale Publishers, Flame of Resistance portrayed an unlikely alliance of characters thrown together in the French Resistance Movement during Hitler's Third Reich.  An American pilot and a French prostitute reluctantly find themselves caught up in the Resistance Movement, but rise to the occasion as the urgency of the times pushes them to the forefront of a battle they never dreamed they'd be fighting.  Several other characters emerge as surprising Resistance participants, all combining to create a journey of unpredictable twists and turns that keep the reader guessing right up to the final chapter.

Though the complexity of the plot and the large amount of characters in the book made for a frustrating start, I was entirely hooked by the midpoint of the book and stayed up late to finish the book in one sitting. Author  Tracy Groot masterfully weaves an adventure story that appeals to the history buff, the romantic soul, and the action junkie.  I will definitely look for other books by this author in the future.

Broken Dreams, Beautiful Exchanges

Orphanage visits in Jamaica.  Coming home to our large, mostly empty house.  Wondering about God's plan for our family.  Will our home ever be filled with our children, adopted or biological (the latter seems less likely as time moves on)? Or is the Divine Exchange a home filled with ministry? As my 40s creep closer and the dream of a large family appears more elusive, I search for an explanation, an alternative.  The why behind the closed womb.  An answer to the daunting question of adoption (mounds of paperwork, red tape, waiting lists, and $$$ for international adoptions).

Down to the marrow of my bones, I believe that God's plan is the best plan.  But am I missing it?  Is the battle with infertility meant to push us to fill our home with children who need a home?  Or is it something else altogether since the means necessary for adoption doesn't seem forthcoming?  I am willing to exchange my dreams for God's best, whatever that is.  It's just the waiting and uncertainty that get to me every time.

Parking Lot Ponderings

A short exchange in the parking lot of the grocery store left me with a lot to ponder recently.  As I was putting groceries into the car, an older lady walking by jokingly asked where I found Jacie in the store and commented that she'd take 10 of her!  I laughed and made some reply.  The short conversation turned nostalgic fast as often happens when talking with a mom whose children are grown. She gave me the oft-repeated advice to enjoy each moment since they grow up so fast.  Her parting comment is the one that stuck with me.  She stated, "When they're adults, they don't even know you exist."  The mix of sharp bitterness and sadness in her tone filled me with deep sympathy for this mother (and all mothers) who've given their hearts and days to their children only to feel rejected by those same children in their old age. I wanted to shake the offending adult children of this aged mama, and castigate them for their neglect.

On further thought, as I drove away, I began to imagine possible rejoinders from these unknown adult children.  Perhaps their mother had contributed to the estrangement or lack of compassion in her adult children by the way she'd treated them while they were younger.  I thought of my mother and how my grown siblings and myself flock to her like a drove of bees to the queen bee when she's around.  Her manner of raising us and graciousness has drawn us to her even in our adult years rather than driving us away. The takeaway of the parking lot encounter for me was a challenge to win the heart of my daughter, not by being her buddy, but by being a woman she can respect and a mother who handles her daughter's heart with care.

Garden of Madness

Provided to me as a complimentary copy by Booksneeze, Garden of Madness gives the fictional account of Tiamet, Nebuchadnezzar's daughter who faces a web of royal intrigue during the time of Nebuchadnezzar's temporary insanity.  Scorned by her mother and desperately trying to escape another arranged, loveless marriage, Tiamet stumbles across a dangerous plot to usurp her father's throne while he's most vulnerable.  Throughout the story, Tiamet comes face-to-face with the Judean God, Yahweh.  She must choose His ways or succumb to the grip of the pagan gods who war for her soul.

Tracy Higley writes a fascinating historical fiction novel against the backdrop of one of the most captivating times in Biblical history.  I was gripped with the action and layers of plot development that unfolded throughout this story.  Higley is an author whose books I will read in the future.

Book Review: Covenant Child

Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock gripped me instantly and kept my attention from the first page to the book's final chapter.  Provided to me as a complimentary ebook copy from BookSneeze, Covenant Child describes the path of twin heirs savagely ripped from the arms of the only mother they'd known and given to relatives who only cared about the fortune the twins represented.  The little girls grew up in abject poverty and, left to their own devices while their grandparents squandered away their inheritance, developed survival skills including petty larceny and promiscuity.  Meanwhile, their loving stepmother watches from afar, anticipating the twins' eighteenth birthday when she can rejoin their lives and guide them to take over the greater inheritance that awaits them.

Blackstock's book is an eloquent modern-day parable of our destitute state before being made joint-heirs with Christ through salvation.  The latter half of the book also carries tones reminiscent of the Prodigal Son parable told by Jesus in the Gospels.  A quick and riveting read, Covenant Child will encourage the believing reader to revel in the mercies of our Great Father God, inspiring a fresh sense of thankfulness and insight into all that we have in Christ.

Book Review: A Jamaican's Journey to Time and Patience

Provided as a complimentary copy to me by Booksneeze,  A Jamaican's Journey is one man's recounting of his multi-cultural roots and upbringing.  Derrick shares his struggles to belong, to feel accepted and loved, and to make something of his life.  Derrick describes his conversion to Christ in high school as being the turning point of his life.  However, this pivotal decision does not prevent him from experiencing further heartache and floundering throughout his adult life.

Derrick writes with raw, unvarnished honesty in an almost confessional manner.  He relates incidents including the minutest detail, perhaps as a testament to his memory.  The agonies of his family history cause the reader to sympathize with Derrick, but those sympathies begin to turn to frustration as Derrick seems to perpetuate the cycle of family dysfunction in his own families despite his conversion to Christ.  Forgiveness and reconciliation between Derrick, his parents, and his siblings is described, but real life change seems to be missing from Derrick's own life.  Derrick himself proclaims the book to be more for his children, and I truly hope they will be able to learn from their family history and mistakes that were made.  On a more applicable note for the general audience, the history of Jamaica interwoven with the history of Derrick's ancestors makes for a colorful and informative educational experience for anyone interested in Jamaican culture.