Monthly Bookshelf Review - August 2024

Never put off till tomorrow the book you can read today. ~Holbrook Jackson

And yet, this is what I continue to do. I love to read, and I keep saying that I still love to read, but I don't know that it's very convincing when it takes me so very long to finish a book! It occurs to me that I probably spend time blogging (on A Fresh Cup of Coffee) that could be spent reading, but I haven't had a great deal of time for that this summer either. Anyway . . . I do a little bit of reading, and here's what I've been working on recently.

August's Books Completed and Reviewed

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar - Sarah's "reward" for her service as the chief scribe to the queen of Persia is an arranged marriage to a nobleman that starts out disastrously. Sarah has to learn that her worth is not determined by what she cam do, and must build trust in order to do good to her husband.  (Read my review HERE.)

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden - Clara tries to use her journalism to shine a light on injustices, but her story exposing the bitterness her dear friend Daniel has towards a business rival may cause more problems than it solves. (Read my review HERE.)

During August I started reading:

Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal - This is one of those books I've had in my Kindle library for ages but I'm finally getting around to reading it. A very intriguing premise - it explores a possible background and character for Japheth's wife, a mother of nations, but someone the Bible really doesn't tell us about.

During August I continued reading:

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - A historical novel about three sisters traveling on the Titanic. It took me awhile to get invested in it and obviously it's taking me awhile to read it, but it is good. Knowing the fate of the ship and wondering what the fates of the novel's characters will be is a bit unsettling, I think!

During August I shelved . . . 

Find Momo Across Europe by Andrew Knapp - I forgot that I intended to officially finish this photography book so I could review it! Now that I've been reminded I'm going to try and get that done in the next couple of days!

Where My Books Took Me in August . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

Harvest of Rubies takes place in ancient Persia.

One Word: Trust

The Lady of Bolton Hill is set in the city of Baltimore, a city I'm somewhat familiar with!

One Word: Courage

Sisters of Fortune is mostly set on the Atlantic Ocean.

Blood of Adam is set somewhere in ancient pre-flood Mesopotamian region.

Find Momo Across Europe roams all over Europe!

Coming Up in September!

Who am I kidding, I have no idea! I've got some great books sitting in my To Be Read stack, and a couple of favorite authors have new books out that I want to read, but I'm not reading anything very quickly these days. So we'll see! It will be a surprise!

On my blogs recently . . . 

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

well . . . nothing else this month, I'm afraid!

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

Twenty-Six Lists

Tell Us About . . . Vacations: Family Vacation Memories

Currently . . . August 11, 2024

WQ - Sunrise, Sunset

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot, and  at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.

©2008-2024 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/ 

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

 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 - The Lady of Bolton Hill

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden - In the opening pages, Daniel's family faces tragedy when his father is killed in a factory accident. Daniel is comforted by his unlikely best friend, Clara, the daughter of a minister in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Baltimore. The two are separated by time and circumstance and years later Clara has made a name for herself as a journalist in London, but her articles exposing the truth about child laborers in the mines has landed her in prison, and when she's released, she must return to Baltimore and continue her work there.

In the intervening years, Daniel has become successful and wealthy as an inventor and businessman, but he is still driven by a desire to punish the man he holds responsible for his father's death. Daniel and Clara renew their friendship and rekindle the budding romance of their youth, but Daniel cannot give in to Clara's belief that he should listen to God's voice and forgive those past wrongs.

Between Clara's journalistic efforts and the machinations of Daniel's rival and an enemy, he is faced with difficult choices and having to deal with growing unrest from the labor unions. When Clara goes missing and her life is in danger, Daniel goes into action to rescue her but saving her will mean making choices to do hard things, to forgive, and to trust God.

Clara is a strong and opinionated lead character who makes mistakes and has fears, but not very many flaws. Her character does grow and change, but it is a more subtle development from good to better. Daniel, however, is a wonderful romantic hero with one major flaw - his stubborn refusal to do business with a man he considers an enemy. The danger to Clara, and the surprising way she escapes it is Daniel's crisis moment, and the catalyst is the surprising transformation of an enemy. Courage and grace are themes throughout. 

From the publisher:

Female journalists are rare in 1879, but American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever could have foreseen.

*********************

By the same author: A Daring Venture, A Dangerous Legacy, Beyond All Dreams, To The Farthest Shores, Against the Tide, Summer of Dreams, From This Moment, Until the Dawn, Into the Whirlwind

This is a title starting with the letter L (#12) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

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

©2008-2024 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 - Harvest of Rubies

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

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar - I don't know why I haven't read this book before, but I'm so glad I did. It's a poignant story and also provides insight into life in the Persian noble classes during the time of King Artaxerxes, which is shortly before Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. And Nehemiah is a character that appears a couple of times in this story.

The story centers around Sarah, a young Jewish woman who has a gift for writing and languages. Her father is a scribe serving the Persian court, and at cousin Nehemiah's urging, allows Sarah to start learning the scribe's craft when she is a young girl. Sarah delights in learning, and sees it as a way to finally connect with her distracted and distant father. As a young woman she is given an opportunity to be the chief scribe to the queen and works tirelessly at proving herself worthy of this great honor. In the course of her service, she deftly handles a legal matter, diffusing a situation that would have caused great embarrassment to the queen and a schism in the royal household. To reward Sarah, the queen arranges a very advantageous marriage for her, to a young noble named Darius.

Unfortunately, Sarah has no desire to be married and turns away all the assistance offered to her until the very last moment and the wedding celebration proves a disaster, and causes Darius to view his new bride with distaste and mistrust. The result is that Sarah and her maid are left on their own at his country home which is woefully understaffed. Sarah makes a couple of friends that help her find purpose and joy in the lonely life, and it seems that one purpose is to deal with the hostile steward in charge of the estate when Sarah suspects he is mismanaging Darius' property and money . . . or worse.

Even if Sarah and her friends can find proof, will Darius ever trust her, or even listen to her concerns? Is there any possibility he will forgive her or respect her? Can Sarah learn to see her own worth and value is not merely in her ability as a scribe?

I love that the characters in this story all have a believable mix of positive and negative traits. Sarah, Darius, the king and queen, and Sarah's father all show admirable qualities and flaws, although of course it is the characters of Sarah and Darius that get the focus. 

From the publisher:

The prophet Nehemiah's cousin can speak numerous languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls or parchement and tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one problem: she's a woman in a man's court.

In her early childhood years, Sarah experienced the death of her mother and her father's subsequent emotional distance, and she came to two conclusions: God does not care about me, and my accomplishments are the measure of my worth.

Catapulted into the center of the Persian court, Sarah is working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn't failure―but success―that causes Sarah to lose her only source of external validation.

Sarah soon learns that she has something of worth to offer beyond her ability with languages and sums; her very being proves to be a blessing to others, particularly the aristocrat Darius, whom she is given to in marriage.

Sarah and Darius' story continues in Harvest of Gold. Darius may be able to learn to love his wife, but can he ever learn to trust Sarah and her Lord?

*********************

This is part of a duology (#15) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

©2008-2024 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 - July 2024

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

Ending a novel is almost like putting a child to sleep―it can't be done abruptly. ~Colm Tóibín

That's kind of where I am with Harvest of Rubies right now. I'm really close to the end, but I don't really want it to end. The good news is that there's a second book that will pick up Sarah's story, so I guess I will have to buy it and keep reading! I have little time or energy for reading except during my lunch break at work, so I'm not reading very much these days. 

July's Books Completed and Reviewed

Once Upon A Prince by Rachel Hauck - Susanna is cautious about getting into a relationship so soon after her long-time boyfriend broke up with her, but her connection to the charming Nate is undeniable. But they're just friends, right? Especially once she discovers he's a prince, she knows it can't possibly be more than that. Nathaniel is falling for this ordinary American girl, but his future is determined by his duty to his kingdom. (Read my review HERE.)

 

During July I started reading:

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar - Sarah feels valued as the chief scribe to the queen of Persia, and is devastated when the queen "rewards" her by arranging a match with a nobleman. Though their marriage started out with disaster and mistrust, Sarah finds friends in her husband's household, and an enemy as well. Can she also find a way to be happy and to do good to her husband?

During July I continued reading:

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - I got started on this historical novel featuring two sisters and their entourage as they set out on the Titanic, but put it on the backburner while I was engrossed with another novel. I seem to be able to concentrate only on one at a time these days.

Find Momo Across Europe by Andrew Knapp - This is a photography book, so it's more perusing photos than reading, but it's a really interesting book to browse a little at a time and enjoy the scenery and peek into various countries while hunting for the dog featured in each photo. I admit I kind of forgot about it but I need to 'officially' finish it!

Where My Books Took Me in July . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

Once Upon A Prince started in coastal Georgia, but movee to the fictional kingdom of Brighton, which is in Europe. I think maybe it's an island nation north of the UK.

One Word: fairy-tale

Harvest of Rubies takes place in ancient Persia.

Sisters of Fortune is mostly set on the Atlantic Ocean.

Find Momo Across Europe is all over Europe, of course, but I especially loved the photos from Greece.

Coming Up in August!

I'm limiting myself to one or two books in this section, because what's "up next" changes often, and I'm reading more slowly. This one has been sitting in the "next" position on my bedside table for awhile.

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa - I finally purchased this book that's been on my wishlist.

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - I'd pre-ordered this so it was a nice surprise to have it arrive, but now I need to get started reading it!

On my blogs recently . . . 

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

What I'm Reading - July 15, 2024

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

Twenty-Six Lists

Share Four Somethings - July 2024

WQ - Tell Us About Blogging

Currently . . . July 7, 2024

WQ - Canada Day and Fireworks

Share Four Somethings - June 2024

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; and  at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life,

©2008-2024 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.