What I'm Reading - November 8, 2021

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

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't manage to post that often. I aim to post and link about once a month, although I sometimes link up my monthly summary as well. 

I don't know what it is lately, but I've been having trouble finishing books! Maybe I'm just too tired to read by the time I get to bed most nights, because that's when I do most of my reading. I have been very busy as well, and a vacation last week did not include much reading time at all.

I finished reading . . . 

Lost in Darkness (Of Monsters and Men) by Michelle Griep - Amelia hopes that an innovative surgery will give her disfigured brother a new life, but Graham, a surgeon, has grave concerns about the ethics of the surgeon he is working with. (Read my full review HERE)

The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent - I read the first two novellas in this anthology, but I need to read the rest before sharing my review!

I'm currently reading . . .

Rest Girl: A Journey from Exhausted and Stressed to Entirely Blessed by Jami Amerine - I actually meant to post the review of this wonderful and encouraging book a couple of days ago, but vacation . . . Hopefully tomorrow!

Behind Love's Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels - Two young women try to find safety from their respective pasts while at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. One is a modern day designer, and the other is a singer from about one hundred years ago. (This review is coming soon as well!)

As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber - I had to set this aside for a bit, and just picked it up again. Kiera and Gage are investigating a murder at an Irish abbey. (Once again, I'm falling behind in the Lady Darby Read-Along group on Facebook)

The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick - I'm reading this middle grades novel for the third time, as it accompanies the creative writing class I teach.

   

Next on the stack... 

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund

Carved in Stone by Elizabeth Camden

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

     

   

     

What I'm Highlighting . . . Along with a few blogging friends, I've been participating in an Online Book Club that is a little different. Instead of all reading the same title, we'll be reading books that have a theme in common. That way readers of all ages, homeschoolers or not, can participate. Our theme for October was Pumpkins. I still need to finish up with my book, and post my wrap-up. This is the final installment of this book club, but it's been fun! Stop by HS Coffee Break to find out more.

Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton - This is the book I've been reading for the theme, mostly because we wondered awhile ago about how the jack-o-lantern got its name. I suppose it's more accurate to say I'm skimming the book for interesting tidbits of history and trivia. 

On my blogs recently . . . 

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

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines posts

Monthly Bookshelf Review - October 2021

And on my "first cup blog", HS Coffee Break:

I Spy posts (#41-44)

Five Minute Friday - Prayer

Currently . . . November 3, 2021

October Photo Album

Share Four Somethings - October 2021

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Citing Sources

Five Minute Friday - Still

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Point of View

Five Minute Friday - Treasure

What are you reading?

©2008-2021 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.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Toward the Goal

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, become like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already attained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 3:7-14~

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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.

©2008-2021 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.

Recent Reads - Lost in Darkness

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

Lost in Darkness (Of Monsters and Men) by Michelle Griep - Amelia Balfour is making a name for herself as a travel writer, as unusual as the profession was for a single woman during the Regency. Shortly before she is to leave for Cairo - her travel writing dream come true - word arrives of her father's death, and that she will need to travel to Bristol to settle affairs. Her father had arranged a treatment and surgery for Amelia's brother Colin, who has a rare condition that causes abnormal growth. Colin has lived most of his life hidden away because his condition has disfigured his face. Despite mixed feelings about the treatment, Amelia and Colin eventually agree to allow the surgeon to begin treatment, and Amelia plans to leave for Cairo as soon as Colin has recovered.

Graham Lambert has boldly negotiated a partnership with a well-known surgeon Mr Peckford as a desperate attempt to get his own medical career back on track. Very soon, he begins meeting with Peckford's newest patient, Colin. Graham develops a friendship with Colin and his beautiful sister, even as he begins questioning the effectiveness of the treatment Peckford has prescribed to prepare for the surgery. As Graham's friendship with the Balfours grows, he finds he can no longer ignore his skepticism of Peckford's methods. Graham grows more alarmed by what he is discovering about Peckford's treatments, and when Colin's surgery doesn't go as expected, he must make difficult decisions about how to help Colin and Amelia and what to do about Peckford. 

As a backdrop to the drama of Colin's treatments and the developing relationship between Graham and Amelia, there are a couple of secondary storylines that add perspective and intrigue. Graham helps a very poor patient and is encouraged by her faith. Amelia strikes up an acquaintance with a new neighbor, aspiring author Mary Godwin (Shelley). 

There is plenty of suspense as Graham pieces together the truth about Peckford and must decide what to do with the information, and then races to help with Colin's surgery. There is more suspense and tension during Colin's recovery period after the surgery as he suffers and Graham and Amelia do their best to help him. A desperate race against time and evil brings the tale to its climax in true Gothic style.

Although the plight of Colin and many of the other patients is often disturbing to read about, Colin's intelligence and humanity makes him a beautifully lovable character. The difficult decisions and dilemmas faced by Amelia and Graham are dramatic but struggling through those choices is told in a compelling way. There are several twists and turns along the way, and it's a bittersweet story that I think will stay with me for some time. 

From the Publisher: 

Even if there be monsters, there is none so fierce as that which resides in man's own heart.

Enchanting Regency-Era Gothic Romance Intertwined with Inspiration from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Travel writer Amelia Balfour's dream of touring Egypt is halted when she receives news of a revolutionary new surgery for her grotesquely disfigured brother. This could change everything, and it does . . . in the worst possible way.

Surgeon Graham Lambert has suspicions about the doctor he's gone into practice with, but he can't stop him from operating on Amelia's brother. Will he be too late to prevent the man's death? Or to reveal his true feelings for Amelia before she sails to Cairo?

By the same author: The House at the End of the Moor, The Noble Guardian, Ladies of Intrigue, The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper's Daughter, The Captive Heart

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

©2008-2021 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.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Sola Gratia, Sola Fide

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

~Ephesians 2:4-10~

Sola gratia, sola fide.

Happy Reformation Day!

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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.

©2008-2021 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.

Monthly Bookshelf Review - October 2021

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

Okay, I can explain. Maybe? I have not posted even one review in October . . . so far. I do expect to have at least one review ready to publish before the month is completely over. What happened? I've been just as busy as always, and my reading has been a little lower on the priority list than many of the other things I've been doing. And then, as if my reading pile wasn't stacked high enough already, I received three review books at once - all scheduled for sometime in the first week of November. Which is when I'll be on vacation! What did I get myself into? So that is my best attempt to explain why my bookshelf review is so lopsided this month.

October's Books Completed and Reviewed

None!! A couple coming soon though!

During October I started reading:

The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick - Once again, I'm reading this entertaining middle school level novel along with students in my co-op fiction writing class.

The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent - An anthology of mystery novellas about a cursed gold watch and its journey through the years. Anna Lee Huber's contribution to the story features characters from the Lady Darby series, and was my reason for reading. So I've read the first two stories (Huber's was the second) and put it on pause while I catch up on other things. 

Lost in Darkness (Of Monsters and Men) by Michelle Griep - A Gothic-style romance centered around an aspiring travel writer, Amelia, as she puts her dreams on hold to assist her brother through an experimental procedure that may restore his disfigured face and body. The doctor's assistant, Graham, develops an interest in Amelia. The twist? A new neighbor by the name of Mary Godwin Shelley . . . and Amelia's brother may provide inspiration for Mary's writing project.

Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton - doing a quick skimming-style read-through of this summary of Halloween's history to wrap up the Online Book Club themes.

Behind Love's Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels - Barely starting this next review book that ties a modern story to a historical one. These two stories take place at the historic Grand Hotel.

During October I continued reading:

As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage are called away from their idyllic honeymoon to investigate a murder at an Irish abbey. (Trying desperately to keep up with the Lady Darby Read-Along group on Facebook as we continue reading together through the series)

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell - Still plugging away little by little at this classic. It's so good, but I just haven't had the time!

 

 During October I shelved:

Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds by Michael Knowles - To be resumed as soon as I can find the time!

   

At the Edge of the Orchard: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier - Enjoyed this, but I wasn't nearly finished and I don't know when I'll have time.

Coming Up in November!

Rest Girl: A Journey from Exhausted and Stressed to Entirely Blessed by Jami Amerine

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund

Carved in Stone by Elizabeth Camden

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

         

   

On my blogs recently . . . 

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

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Friday Fun posts - The Friday 56 and First Lines

What I'm Reading - October 11, 2021

And on HS Coffee Break:

I Spy posts (#39-#42)

Five Minute Friday posts

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Citing Sources

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Point of View

Happy Thanksgiving! Canadian Style

Online Book Club - October Theme: Pumpkins

Currently . . . October 6, 2021

September Photo Album

High School Writing Tip Sheets - The Essay Writing Process

Online Book Club - Wrapping Up September: Apples

Share Four Somethings - September 2021

This post will be linked at the October 2021 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-up Link-up and Giveaway hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

 

©2008-2021 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. 

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.

 

Scripture and a Snapshot - Let Your Light Shine

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

~Matthew 5:14-16~

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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.

©2008-2021 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.