The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Sometimes it’s good to sit down and read a   Newberry  Award winning book that hasn’t been read yet.   In a few word, this is how I would describe A Year Down Yonder :   Entertaining     Great World Building     Whimsical     Wonderful Characters     Witty     Realistic     Happily Ever After I took the above photo in my asparagus patch. It seemed fitting for a book review of this farming community story.   In this book review, we'll find out why A Year Down Yonder qualified for a Newbery Award .  What is the Newbery? The short answer: The best children's/young adult book of the year based on story in text. There is an award for the best children's/young adult book of the year based on illustrations. These books win the Caldecott Award. Only a special story, a story that breaks open a heart, mind, a lifetime of raising and stirs new thoughts can win a Newberry medal. Ahh, perhaps you, potential re...

Recently, I've read comments from authors regarding book reviews.  Apparently, the more book reviews there are for a book, the greater publicity it gets from Amazon, Google, Goodreads, etc.  I haven't received a book contract, but some day I hope to. That is the day I'll understand the great importance to this concern. For now, I'm going to look at the topic from a slightly different point of view, make that two different point of views and discuss how this concern can be relevant to us today. 1st. How was your Valentines? Did you get something special? Did you give something special. Did you spend time with someone special? Somehow I think that if the answer to any of the above was yes, you would have found a way to express your gratitude, maybe by saying thank you, giving a hug or a kiss. Even after the gift was received these three days later, you remember the wonderful feeling you had when receiving the token and want to share your news with others...

I met "Jay" Faubion at the ACFW conference. I had worked with him online with critiques previously, but this was the first time I met this author.  I was excited to read his debut novel, Friend Me . What a fantastic read. Here is my review of this amazing book: To me a five star rating not only says you liked the book a lot, but it also indicates that one can learn/make life changes as a result of reading the story. For this reason I chose a "five" for Friend Me by John Faubion. Faubion tackles an epic twilight zone subject pointing out it is the seemingly little issues that engages and pulls us into bigger problems. Our true personality comes out to play when we make choices in secret. Will we lie to save our job, click on the site just once, hide this information, and etc? The main character Scott makes these and other difficult choices. Scott convinces himself he is remaining true to his faith and his marriage when experimenting with a new social med...

So fitting for this week as we celebrate Veterans Day! The book I am reviewing today, When the Clouds Roll By , by Myra Johnson, is a compelling story that will keep you away from watching TV and keep you awake past midnight turning pages.  Set in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Lt. Gilbert Ballard dreads going home. His fiancé deserves to marry someone who has not been injured. Angry with his disability, Gilbert begs his friend, Sam, to take care of Annemarie. Although tempted by her beauty, Sam refuses, knowing one day Gilbert will heal mentally and learn to deal with his physical disability.  Annemarie loves Gilbert with all her heart. She begs to see him in the hospital, but he refuses to see her for weeks. Determined to let him know she still loves him, Annemarie talks Sam into helping her visit Gilbert. Her disappointment turns to hurt when Gilbert breaks off their engagement. As chaplain for the suffering soldiers, Sam complies with G...

I finished reading A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman yesterday and felt this book worthy of a spotlight. Before I tell you briefly what this story is about, I'd like to start with telling you what I liked about this book.   First, this story has a family charm ornamented with Irish traditions for celebrating holidays, laughter around the dinner table, tots stealing favored marbles from older brothers bedrooms, sisters who compete for the same boyfriend, and a mother who not only holds the family together but is truly in love with her husband. Second, I Corinthians 13 aspects are beautifully infused in the storyline. From the first sisterly conflict, to the day father and brother go off to war, the truth of what love really is glows through the pages. Third, Without preaching, the Gospel is melted into the scenes with great clarity.  Fourth, Read this book with a box of tissues and boxing gloves. You'll definitely need both. A Passion Most Pure by Julie Less...

I want to share this book review of Love's Miracle by Sandra Leesmith with you. Before I do, I need to first say I think the book was incredibly well written. I will tell you more about that soon. But, secondly, I need to say, in my opinion, this is a book for the ABA (American Book Association) market.  Love's Miracle by Sandra Leesmith tackles a difficult topic, PTSD as it relates to soldiers who come home from action in war. Leesmith's gift of understanding in this issue far exceeds expectation. My father returned from war. My siblings and I knew there were times when we popped out of a hiding place, and truly surprised him, his arm could fly and hurt. Not intentionally. It was an instinct that could have saved his life during duty. My husband still has those dreams causing him to cry out. I don't know if Leesmith had the college training required for this topic or if her expert research skills is what rendered this outstanding, very believable, and heart ...

I especially enjoy reading the longer books. My home library isn't crazy full of books like War and Peace, but I do have and read the full version of Gone With the Wind. Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell is a down-to-earth four hundred page book that sinks it's teeth into western pioneering community times. Just like Little House on the Prairie and Ann of Green Gables, this book addresses real life issues and doesn't hold back. Katherine's strong spirit fueled her drive to keep up the boarding house she and her husband bought before he died. There were times when the work load and caring for her two daughters tested her strength, but she managed.  Surprised to hear her mother would soon arrive for a visit, Katherine pushed away memories of their troublesome past. Her mother arrived announcing her trunks needed to be brought in and she needed to go to her room at once. One look at the number of trunks revealed the stressful truth, Momma came to stay. T...

This book tells a tale we can all relate to: rejection. At some point in our life we have been rejected for something or by someone. And while we try to cope, our hearts still hurt. Dr. Kendall Haynes is a successful thirty something doctor with her own practice. Her investment in years of training and hours of dedication to her patients could be seen in her busy office and an unwanted status as a single female. Sure the occasional guy came along, like Griffin Walker, military pilot who needed her professional help, even a dose of friendship, but any request for a date stalled. Griffin wouldn't have encroached on Dr.Haynes time except his younger brother's asthma attack required her medical services. Had she not saved his life in a crowded restaurant, he'd probably never met her in the first place. And how she happened to appear when his jeep broke down in the middle of nowhere, he couldn't say. There was no room for love in his flight plan, especiall...