What I’m reading May 2019. Grisham. Martin. Willoughby-Burle.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kimberly Maxwell (@kiminwnc)

I like most John Grisham books a little better than I did The Reckoning.

It started out with a lawyer story which I expect and like, but then it turned into a war story before going back. I don’t like war stories. It also mentioned Pete’s dog in some detail but then the dog was just dropped from the story without follow-up. Pete’s friend Clay was mentioned a lot, then went for several chapters without him being mentioned too. This one was just not as enjoyable to me as some of his other books. Also, some of the portrayals of southern Christians seemed a little stereotypical in the majority of the book. It wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t one of my favorites. It did make me want to know if General Douglas MacArthur really did some of the things written about in the Philippines with the Bataan Death March. I don’t like war stories and I don’t retain history but still, it made me curious. The cover really made me want to photography cotton fields and farms near me in WNC. If you know of any please comment. Book Design by Maria Carella. Cover photo by Steve Robinson.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kimberly Maxwell (@kiminwnc)

I heard about When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin on social media and I wish I knew who recommended it. If it was you— please pipe in. Not a bad cover by any means, but the title. Wow. How can you not want to read it? It’s an older book. It had me drawn in within a chapter. I couldn’t read fast enough to learn the stories of the characters. A little wordy here and there with Shakespeare quotes that I could’ve lived without.

I had this quote written after hearing it on Blue Bloods, and was waiting to add a photo to the quote when I read it for the second time in the book, think Martin used the second version and attributed it to Helen Keller.

I am only one,
but I am one.
I can’t do everything,
but I can do something.
The something I ought to do,
I can do.
And by the grace of God, I will

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

I also connected to the story when he wrote about the differences in Reese and Emma because it felt like he could’ve been talking about my husband and myself. “What Emma knew filtered from her head down into her heart and informed who she was— what I have since come to call the Infinite Migration. If my wonderings about life were scientific, bent toward examination on physical discovery, Emma’s all leaned toward matters of the heart. While I could understand and explain the physics behind a rainbow, Emma saw the colors. When it came to life, I saw each piece and how they all fit together, and Emma saw the image in the face of the puzzle.”

The restaurant scene with the kid Termite went on a tad too long for my liking but I get the logic behind meeting people where they are. I never did get why the restaurant had burgers with heart-related menu names. Some may not like the in-depth medical info that was throughout the book and at times was unbelievable.  I am interested in that, and even I grew a little weary of it. Even though the title (or the cover) didn’t really match what the majority of the book was about, it did make me want to go out and shoot my own rowing or sculling photo. Hence my outing to Lake Julian. Another title option may have been The Wellspring.  I became aware of how many times the author wrote “unconsciously turned” an item, the ballet charm or the Zippo. 

The book was under inspirational at our library. There is a lot more medical talk than biblical talk but I still enjoyed reading it and finished it quickly. It is based on Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Sadly, I forgot to look up the cover artist and designer and they are not listed under the details on Amazon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kimberly Maxwell (@kiminwnc)

And lastly The Lemonade Year, a book from a fellow North Carolinian and blogger, Amy Willoughby-Burle.  As a photographer, I was attracted to the cover. Then I recognized the cover from another title of hers, Out Across the Nowhere being a photo by Kevin Adams, the same Kevin Adams I have the waterfall books from. How could I not read these? The Lemonade Year had my interest on the first page. I don’t think that has ever happened. I read the book in 3 days because I picked it up every single chance I got. I have definitely found a new author I like! Hubby even asked if I wanted to go anywhere for the Memorial Day weekend but sitting in the air conditioning reading a good book seemed much more appealing, especially since we’d already hit the Garden Jubilee.

I copied this from Burle’s site because I couldn’t have said it better “I aim to bring glory to God through my writing, creating mainstream style fiction that recognizes Christ in our world and in our lives. I don’t write “religious fiction,” you won’t get a sermon or a lesson on scripture and my characters don’t always do the right thing (who does?) but my faith seeps into my character’s lives and I hope they will notice. I hope you will notice Him too.”

Not preachy in the least. No foul language.  Book cover photo is by African Studio / Shutterstock.com. Book Design Shadow Mountain. Art direction. Richard Erickson and Design by Sheryl Dickert Smith. The all lower case was a different touch. It was about mother/daughter, father/daughter, siblings, family, love, loss, and life over probably less than a year if you don’t count the back story. I really liked it but I’m guessing those with kids and siblings would enjoy it even more. I laughed out loud when someone “drank her photoshoot” and I teared up when it talked about her dad. I thought it was a tad heavy on the hands covering hands, the movie theme, the tattoos, and the winks. Of all 3 books, I’ve read this month. This one was my favorite and I look forward to reading more!  When I got up to blow my nose near the end, my sweet hubby didn’t even ask. He just smiled, knowing that I must have thought it was a good one. This book was my favorite for the month and my favorite cover for the month.

Also a pat on the back to the Polk County library on this one. The matte protective cover on this title was so well done I wouldn’t have known it even had one had I not noticed the gift corner cuts of it on the inside cover when I was looking for the cover artist.

 

---

If you are interested in having a cover designed or image for your book, visit Design.KimberlyMaxwell.com for more information.

I tend to like thrillers, law, mysteries or Christian based novels. I do not want to read books where they take the Lord’s name in vain, have a lot of graphic violence, about sports and I’m really not into non-fiction history.

Are you an Amazon Prime member?  Every month you get to choose a free book!

Here is my pinboard on NC Authors, and my post about what I think authors want you to know. I will be compiling a pinboard of books added to my “want to read” list.

There is Paperback Swap for those of us who still want to hold a real book in our hands. Here are the books I have to swap or sell. I also have  50+ credits available for purchase at $3. each.

For my other “What I’m reading” post – click that under tags or click this link.
For my Books & Movies Pinterest Pins click here.

If we like the same kind of books, I’d love to hear your recommendations ~

If you enjoyed this post, my cover design or photography -please share.
If you’d like to follow my blog, (which includes pet food recalls) and get an email when I post, just click on the “follow” button in the bottom righthand corner of the page or on the homepage.  You enter your email address, and you’ll receive an email confirmation in return. I do NOT share email addresses. To learn more about my book cover design, photography or the books I’ve authored— my first homepage on this site has all the links.