Scripture and a Snapshot - Fix Our Eyes

Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

~II Corinthians 4:1, 6-9, 16-18~

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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/ 

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Connect Five Friday - Victorian Era Mysteries

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

The Friday Five Link Up is a List Link Up hosted by The Book Date. It can be five connections of any kind. Books can have been read last year or any year. Books can be used more than once. They may not have been read yet. . . It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Maybe it's not a list of actual books, but things connected to books - e.g. favourite book shops, recipes etc. It might even be five movies related to books or five poems or five poets or five bookish moments, five thoughts about reading - be creative! The link-up will be open each Friday and will close on Thursday. Use the hashtag #connect5books

In Canada, this is the beginning of the long weekend of Victoria Day. The Canadian holiday was first celebrated in 1845, on Queen Victoria's birthday. The holiday is on the third Monday of May and now marks the official birthday celebration of the current Queen of England. For most Canadians, it's just a day off and the unofficial beginning of the summer season. As I saw this holiday on my upcoming calendar, I thought it would make a good connection for novels. Here are five set in Victorian England, and it turns out they are all mysteries too. Hmmm.

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A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - This series from Raybourn, as well as the Lady Julia series, is set in Victorian England, but I chose to feature this one because (possible spoiler alert!) the mysterious parentage of Veronica Speedwell is connected to the royal family.  A mysterious German baron rescues Veronica from an abduction attempt. Convinced she is in danger, the baron brings Veronica to London, and reveals that he knows the identity of her parents. He delivers her for safekeeping to his friend Stoker, a reclusive scientist and explorer with his own dark secrets. However, before Veronica can speak with the baron again, he is murdered in his home. Veronica's only known link to her past is gone, and she and Stoker realize they are considered the prime suspects for the murder.  They team up to solve the murder and track down the clues to Veronica's parentage.

A Study In Scarlet Women (The Lady Sherlock Series) by Sherry Thomas - This novel takes a very different angle on the Victorian era detective stories by proposing that Sherlock was an assumed identity for a very clever young woman named Charlotte Holmes. A scandal surrounding Charlotte escalates when the sudden death of a society matron stirs up suspicion of Charlotte and her family. With her sharp mind, Charlotte sees a connection between that death and two others, and writing letters as Sherlock Holmes, tries to urge the authorities to investigate further. Charlotte's funds are running dangerously low when she strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow, and soon the two of them think of a way to use the mysterious Sherlock Holmes identity to solve the case and to take clients in need of an investigator.

The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry - Another mystery series set in Victorian London, the William Monk series features an enigmatic police detective who has lost much of his memory following an accident. He returns to work and is assigned the case of the murder of a Crimean war hero, all while trying to hide his memory loss from his superior. Perry also writes the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series, which is also set in Victorian London and makes use of London neighborhoods and street names in the novel titles.

And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander - Young society widow Lady Emily Ashton develops an interest in her late husband's dealings in antiquities, which stirs up questions about how he might have been connected to a black market in antiquities and engaged in fraudulent activities. Emily sets out to unravel the mysteries and decide which, if any, of her late husband's friends she can trust. This is the first of the Lady Emily series, in which she and her new love Colin are thrust into intrigues and mysteries as they navigate their new relationship in class-conscience Victorian society.

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent - Violet Morgan has been assisting her husband Graham in his undertaking business, and has a real affinity for her work. In fact, she is actually better suited to it than Graham is. Their relationship is deteriorating, and Violet is beginning to uncover a blockade running scheme he and his brother are involved in. Violet notices something strange about some of the bodies she deals with, and suspects a murderer is at large. She must track down the killer and rescue the orphan that she's taken in. In what seems at first to be an unrelated storyline, the Queen requests Violet's involvement in planning the funeral for Prince Albert. 

 ©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.

Wordless Wednesday - Bread and Jam

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

This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life on Chickadee Lane, and at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.

Pictorial Tuesday

©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.

Recent Reads - Until the Mountains Fall

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Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette - The third novel in the Cities of Refuge series continues the story of the family of Darek and Moriyah as their children have grown. Their son Gidal has died, leaving behind a young widow, Rivkah. Since there were no children, the Levitical law prescribes that Gidal's brother should marry the widow in order to preserve the family line. Malakhi agrees to the betrothal, out of his desire to honor his brother's memory, and because he has long admired Rivkah. Rivkah, however, is still grieving and thinks of Malakhi as the annoying younger brother, so she balks at the betrothal. She resents Malakhi and tries to get him to back out of the arrangement.

Rivkah makes a friend at the marketplace who is also being forced into a marriage she does not want. Eventually Rivkah agrees to Nessa's invitation to run away and the two young women sneak out and go to a town where the Hebrew people are not faithfully following the Torah, thinking they can make it on their own there. Things don't turn out at all like they'd dreamed and Rivkah realizes how foolish her rebellion is too late.

Malakhi searches for Rivkah, along with his family and Rivkah's father, but without success, and as time passes, he completes military training and tries to rebuild his life. Finally Rivkah's father receives a message from his daughter, and it renews hope that she can be found and brought home. He asks Malakhi to go search once more, and this time he does find her, but she is bound as an indentured servant and her master won't allow her to purchase full freedom. So Malakhi decides to stay and wait for the end of her contract. When a foreign army comes against the city, will Malakhi and Rivkah be able to escape?

There are many similarities between this story and the parable of the prodigal son that Jesus tells in the New Testament. Rivkah's despair after losing her first husband, her stubborn rebellion at following the expectations of her family, and her naive belief that she can strike out on her own without consequences inspire sympathy and frustration. My heart broke for her, and for Malakhi as he faced Rivkah's rejection and refusal to see him for who he is. This is a story of faithful and sacrificial love, and of grace and forgiveness, but also gives fascinating insight into what life was like during this time period in Israel's history.

By the same author: Shelter of the Most High, A Light on the Hill, Wings of the Wind, Shadow of the Storm, Counted With the Stars

©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.

What I'm Reading - May 11, 2020

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. At this point, I am posting and linking about once a month! 

I finished reading . . . 

Redemption at the Eleventh Hour by Andrew Crown - A thief and a fugitive, Dismas, has a couple of encounters with a man that does miracles, and winds up being an eyewitness to the most important event in human history.  (Read my full review HERE.)

Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette - I just finished this amazing novel on the weekend, so my review is coming in a day or two. Rivkah runs away to avoid a marriage to Malakhi, but her rebellion puts her in danger. (Read my full review soon.)

I'm currently reading . . .

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn - Veronica and Stoker have been asked to retrieve a gift that could lead to scandal for the royal family. 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I really need to get in gear and finish this novel  - and publish the reviews for this one and a couple others I read for my Lit class! 

Rosemary - or Too Clever To Love by G.L. Robinson - just started this review novel. The description and cover art put me in mind of Georgette Heyer's novels.

Next on the stack... 

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman

Church With No Walls by Noah Cleveland

   


   

   

What I'm Highlighting . . . My friends that read Just A Second are invited to join me at Homeschool Coffee Break for the Twenty-Six Lists link-up. It's every other week and the list prompts are for everyone, not just homeschoolers. Coming up this week is another list that is turning out to be a timely one - How to De-stress or Recharge.

On my blogs recently . . . 

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

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Connect Five Friday - What's Taking So Long?

Wordless Wednesday - Spring at the Greenhouse

Monthly Bookshelf Review - April 2020

Share Four Somethings - April 2020

Wordless Wednesday - Voice Lesson

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Five Minute Friday - Refrain

Virtual Refrigerator - May 2020 - This Is Fine

Five Minute Friday - Distraction

Twenty-Six Lists - Our Best Field Trips

April Photo Album

The Homeschool Mom's Science Podcast

Five Minute Friday - Perspective

Suddenly Homeschooling - Pro Tips - Resources For You!

Street

Five Minute Friday - Another

Twenty-Six Lists - Encouraging Words

Wordless Wednesday - Blooming

What are you reading?

©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.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Mother's Day

A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

~Proverbs 31:10-12, 25-26, 28-30~

Happy Mother's 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.

©2008-2020 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.

Connect 5 Friday - What's Taking So Long?

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

The Friday Five Link Up is a List Link Up hosted by The Book Date. It can be five connections of any kind. Books can have been read last year or any year. Books can be used more than once. They may not have been read yet. . . It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Maybe it's not a list of actual books, but things connected to books - e.g. favourite book shops, recipes etc. It might even be five movies related to books or five poems or five poets or five bookish moments, five thoughts about reading - be creative! The link-up will be open each Friday and will close on Thursday. Use the hashtag #connect5books

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The list of books I'd like to read is staggering, and of course I'll never be able to read everything that's ever struck me as interesting. But I have a stack of books right here on the shelf -- on my bedside table! -- that I haven't read or finished yet, and I sometimes wonder why it's taking so long to get to them. After missing a few weeks of Connect Five Fridays, for this week I put together a list of five books that I haven finished yet and I certainly should have.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I have been teaching a Literature class in our homeschool co-op, and this is the novel that the students finished recently. I haven't finished it yet. And I'm honestly quite embarrassed about that, especially since I have not ever read this one. I am going to finish it -- just not sure when!




Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette - I started this novel a long time ago, and I had been so excited to get going on it because I love this author and this series. So why didn't I finish? Two reasons: I kept setting it aside because I had review books or other things that had a deadline; and because it's on my Kindle, it truly was "out of sight, out of mind". A couple days ago I decided it was past time I picked it up again, and now I'm so invested again that I'm confident I'll finish soon!

Church With No Walls by Noah Cleveland - So this book was one I purchased in the fall at a worship conference I attended. I thought I would read it before Christmas, but I found I had a lot going on, and decided to set it aside and start over in the new year. After all, it's a 21-day challenge, and I thought it best to read it during a time when I could commit to reading a chapter a day for that length of time. And then other books wound up on top of it in the stack and I forgot. (Story of my reading life!) I was just reminded of it and wonder if now would be a good time to tackle it, seeing as how we're not allowed to get together within the walls of the church these days.

   

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare - This one hasn't been neglected on the stack for nearly as long as some others, but it's still a bit embarrassing that I haven't even started yet. I was intrigued after seeing it on other bloggers' reading lists, and picked up a copy from the library. I didn't get started on it right away and then realized that I wasn't likely to be able to finish it before I had to return it so I was planning to just bump it down the list and borrow it again in a month or so. Then the library closed up so I now get to keep the book until sometime in June. But that was at the end of March when I figured I'd have LOTS of time. Here it is a week into May and I have yet to crack the cover. Hopefully soon, as I need to at least start on it and see if I like it.

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen - here's another book I purchased simply ages ago, and I love the author, but for one reason and another, the book kept getting shuffled down my TBR stack until I sort of forgot I had it. I just shuffled it back up a bit in hopes that I'll get to it soon.

Do you have a stack of books that you should have read, but just haven't yet? Or is it just me?

©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.