The Maggie Bright
“The world is always looking for a good story. The novel matters because it supplies society with needed diversion, needed respite, and needed truth that may not come when it’s served up cold. If we’re really lucky, truth may come through a kid named Huckleberry, a ghost named Marley, a hobbit named Frodo, or a place due...
My Dearest Dietrich
Are you ever tempted to read the Author’s Notes at the end of the book before you’re done with the novel? Particularly with historical fiction. I certainly am. I want to separate fact from fiction. I really had to resist the urge while reading Amanda Barratt’s My Dearest Dietrich, based on the life of German...
The Stones of My Accusers
When I picked up The Stones of my Accusers, I had no idea it was the second story in a series of two. But it reads as a standalone—which I discovered firsthand. However, I still recommend reading The Brother’s Keeper first (reviewed last time). The title grabbed me, bringing to mind the New Testament story in John 8 where...
The Brother’s Keeper
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to grow up in Nazareth with Jesus as your older brother? Does anyone ever want a "perfect" sibling? Most people can relate to situations where so-and-so can do no wrong, where goody-two-shoes conquers all with his self-righteousness. In families, that usually leads to more...
The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery
Have you ever entered a house, store, or other building and felt like you were stepping back in time? I’ve had that experience. Once was during college years ago, when my education professor took a group of students to southern Appalachia. We visited the Yancey County Country Store in Burnsville, North Carolina. With its...
The Finder of Forgotten Things
What would you say is the worst tragedy in United States history? Looking over my past reviews, I noted that several revolve around U.S. disasters: All Manner of Things — by Susie Finkbeiner — the Vietnam WarUnder a Cloudless Sky—by Chris Fabry — the poor treatment of coal minersThe Pink Bonnet — by Liz Tolsma — the...
If It Rains
“All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.” –The Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz In If It Rains, Jennifer L. Wright’s debut novel, this...
Lioness
Did you know that before 1974, all women in the United States—single, widowed, or divorced—were required to have a man cosign credit applications? The first legislation that required equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender, was in 1963. Suffragists in the 1800s had an uphill battle, but having no voting rights was...
Defending David
One of Scripture’s recurring themes is this: God’s spiritual economy completely turns our expectations upside down. He uses the weak of the world to confound the strong, such as the battle of Jericho, Elijah on Mt. Carmel, or David defeating Goliath. He uses the least likely people—scoundrels like Jacob, prostitutes...
Annie’s Stories
“A wanderer is only at home in the hearts of those who love him.” This line from Annie’s Stories by Cindy Thomson is what Annie’s Irish father used to say before he passed away in early 1900. Annie remembers him fondly. As do others. For her father Marty Gallagher was an Irish seanchaí (shan-a-key). The seanchaithe...
Under the Tulip Tree
I’ve always been drawn to older generations, even in my twenties. Long ago, I asked my grandmas for their stories and was mesmerized by their tales about the olden days. Unfortunately, my grandfathers both died while I was young, so I never heard theirs. Later, I primed the pump for my parents’ memories, too. Last year, I...
Afraid of the Light
Who really wants to read about other people’s messes? Sure, we like to live vicariously through fictional adventures and death-defying actions that overcome the bad guy. We identify with the flawed heroine who has enough gumption and integrity to still be likable. But what about people with real internal messes?...
The Pink Bonnet
I’m guessing you know what it’s like to lose sleep when you can’t stop reading and you need to know what happens next to your hero or heroine. You can’t possibly wait till the next day to find out. Imagine waiting six weeks! When I first got the Kindle version of The Pink Bonnet, I didn’t realize it was a sample,...
The Red Ribbon
In rural southern Appalachia, there’s plenty of friction from distrust of outsiders and city folk. Author Pepper Basham brought some of that to life in Laurel’s Dream, reviewed on December 7. But regardless of outsiders, family feuds sizzle within many communities. One of those feuds led to the 1912 Hillsville...
All That Is Hidden
I’m thrilled to feature other authors and their novels on my Standout Stories blog. But today, please allow me the indulgence of sharing my own. Two months ago, I re-launched All That Is Hidden with a fresh cover and revised content---new and improved! It’s still the same compelling story, but now it has...
Under a Cloudless Sky
When I first picked up Under a Cloudless Sky, I thought it was about the 1920 miners’ massacre known as the Battle of Matewan, a shootout between local coal miners and the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency in West Virginia. Ten men died as a result of this fight for miner’s rights. I was intrigued to learn about this from a...
A Piece of the Moon
Will the real Mack Strum please stand up? While reading Chris Fabry’s A Piece of the Moon, I stumbled across this character Mack Strum, a country singer. The story’s setting is a country radio station in rural West Virginia. Waite Evers, the manager, recites beautiful, touching lyrics from Mack’s song “A Piece of the...
Laurel’s Dream
Like millions of others, I long ago fell in love with the book Christy by Catherine Marshall. I read it in middle school about five years after publication (1967). That was my first introduction to the Smoky Mountains, delving into 1912 southern Appalachia, seeing the world through the eyes of newcomer Christy...
Stories That Bind Us
When my daughter got married, I made a recipe book as a gift. In scrapbook fashion, I assembled recipes and anecdotes that told the story of our family in terms of special meals, snacks, holidays, and celebrations. I had a blast making it, recalling the times we enjoyed Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with company, or made...
All Manner of Things
In Michigan in the 1960s, I was a kid with little understanding of the world outside my small town other than TV news footage of hippies, flower children, race riots, and the Vietnam War. I attended kindergarten with both black and white children, with no clue why some grown-ups hated dark-skinned people. The only...
Coming soon: Fifteen Minutes with Mr. Baum, a novel
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