Monday, October 26

Monthly Bookshelf Review - October 2020

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We are in the final week of October and I'm left wondering how it went by so quickly. I think that's the way with most months in 2020! It was a full and busy month, and although I felt like I was doing a lot of reading, there were only two book completed and reviewed. I do have a couple that I should be finished soon though.

October's Books Completed and Reviewed

The Red Ribbon by Pepper Basham - Ava and Jeremiah are caught in the web of whiskey running and longtime feuds between outlaws and politicians in this story based on the circumstances of the Hillsville Courthouse Massacre of 1912. (Read my full review HERE)
Ava looked over at Jeremiah, a sudden iciness creeping over her skin. He placed an arm in front of her and stepped through the door into a dimly lit room only to run headlong into the business end of a double-barreled shotgun.


The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter: A Victorian Romance by Mimi Matthews - The Viscount St Clair is surprised to find himself genuinely captivated by a young lady's companion, and decides to reform himself and marry her. (Read my full review HERE)
"I also very much doubt that I'm the first female you've kissed in a conservatory."
"No. You're not the first," he admitted gravely. "But if you'll marry me, I promise that you'll be the last."



During October I started reading:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - I'll be finishing up this classic Gothic novel this week. It's one we're studying in my Lit class at co-op.
So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein - more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.


The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick - During spare moments I'm trying to do a quick re-read of this novel that is part of the required reading for another co-op class I teach!
I'm sitting on the gutter curb, thinking the world is stupid if this is what happens to the best person ever born. What's the point if you have to live behind cutwire and steel doors and be afraid of gangs and then get sick and die because normals are too numb to remember the cure?
 

The Calm I Seek by Christina Lourens - Rebecca is content to live a quiet life after her husband's death, but between planning her younger sister's wedding and agreeing to take a dance class, she might be falling in love.
I was quite content with the way things were. My life was predictable and I hadn't been hurt in the last three years. That counted for a lot in my book.


During October I continued reading:

A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber - At a Twelfth Night house party, a body is discovered, and Kiera and Sebastian are asked to investigate, and it's no surprise that they find themselves in danger as they uncover secrets. 
I frowned at this discovery - or lack thereof. Not that I'd wished for the valet to be found dead. But his continued absence only seemed to point the finger further in his direction. It answered many of the questions, including one that had just come to mind.


Coming Up in November!

Silas Marner by George Eliot 
The Gold Digger by Liz Tolsma
To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette
A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber
When Silence Sings by Sarah Loudin Thomas


    

    



On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:



And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:




This post will be linked at the October 2020 Wrap-Up Roundup and Giveaway hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction; (and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.)

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



Saturday, October 24

Scripture and a Snapshot - A Quiet Place


The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

~Mark 6:30-31~


What were the disciples reporting to Jesus? He had sent them out to teach and preach in the surrounding areas, and they had all just returned to tell him about their experiences. In Mark 6:7-13, Jesus gave them authority over evil spirits and commissioned them to go out in pairs and preach in the towns. They preached repentance, drove out many demons, and anointed many people for healing. Exhilarating experiences, but exhausting as well, I would think.

It sounds like the whole time they were giving their updates over dinner, they were being interrupted by the noise and traffic of crowds around them. Probably people coming and wanting to talk to Jesus or ask for healing as well. Maybe there were people wanting to listen in on the reports. Perhaps the disciples were eagerly giving their reports and getting fired up to go out and do more, or perhaps they really felt drained even as they rejoiced in what God had done through them. Either way, Jesus knew that what they needed was a time to eat their meal in peace, and to rest and recharge. 

In his goodness, Jesus invited his disciples to take a break from the busy-ness and chaos, to sit down to a leisurely meal with uninterrupted conversation, and to enjoy some peace and quiet and a time of rest. Not just alone time, but alone time with Jesus. And we all need this, don't we? We all need to recognize when we need a break. When it's time to put our feet up and lay our head back and rest awhile. When it's our turn to receive and be fed. 

Listen to the compassionate voice of Jesus when he gently says, "Come to a quiet place and let's talk while you rest." He knows what you need now, and how you'll need to be prepared for the coming days.

Do you know what happened next in this story? Jesus and the disciples had gone by themselves in a boat so they could have some quiet, but the crowds were waiting for them when they came ashore. And having met the needs of his disciples, Jesus went ahead to meet the needs of the crowds. He spent the rest of the day teaching them, and then invited the disciples to give the crowds something to eat. With the bread that they had. They didn't realize it, but they were prepared. 

Because they had been with Jesus.





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I also link up at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea's Photos 'n Scribbles; and at Selah, hosted by A Spirit of Simplicity.


©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wednesday, October 21

Wordless Wednesday - Ohiopyle State Park

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.




















This post will be linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life on Chickadee Laneand at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.


 

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



Saturday, October 17

Scripture and a Snapshot - Harvest


He [Jesus] told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send workers into his harvest field."

~Luke 10:2~




Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I also link up at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea's Photos 'n Scribbles; and at Selah, hosted by A Spirit of Simplicity.


 ©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wednesday, October 14

Wordless Wednesday - Kentuck Knob

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 












This post will be linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life on Chickadee Laneand at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.


 

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



Tuesday, October 13

Recent Reads - The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 


The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter: A Victorian Romance by Mimi Matthews - Tristan Sinclair, Viscount St Ashton, is well-known as a rake and womanizer, but he's also one of the England's most eligible bachelors. He attends a house party with hosts notorious for the heavy drinking and debauchery but he himself has grown weary of the lifestyle. But upon arrival, he encounters a young woman in distress, and is uncharacteristically chivalrous and kind, surprising even himself.

Valentine March is a vicar's daughter, with no family connections, engaged as a companion to one of the ladies attending the house party. Her employer is unkind and her employer's daughter is downright hateful. Tristan happens upon her when she is weeping over this cruel treatment, and an uneasy friendship begins. But Tristan is shocked to realize he may be experiencing love at first sight, and disturbed by his father's reaction upon meeting Valentine.

Tristan follows Valentine into the conservatory, and their brief moment of unexpected passion sets off quite a chain of events. Tristan vows to marry Valentine, but his father sends him to his inherited estate without an allowance and insists that he leave Valentine alone while she is reunited with her mother's family. Can Valentine trust Tristan to keep his promise to marry her?

This book was such a pleasant surprise for me - well-written and sweetly romantic - and I must admit that I would not have given it a look except that an author I enjoy recommended it on social media. The odd thing is that I don't remember now which author it was! In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed the story which was a quick read, and greatly appreciated that it was clean too.

This is a book recommended by a source I trust for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.


©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.