Book Club: The AtoZ Reading Challenge for 2020

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(Update: The original site where I was linking up for the AtoZ Reading Challenge is undergoing changes.)

As someone who enjoys reading, I was very excited to see a challenge for 2020 from Ginger Mom & Company. They are hosting their 3rd Annual AtoZ Reading Challenge where participants are encouraged to read one book whose title starts with each letter of the alphabet over the course of the year. They are sharing a number of fun ways to participate from mini-challenges each month to a monopoly-style game to help you choose book titles.

In 2018, I shared my to-be-read list but I must admit that I never finished all the books on that list. I found that when I actually write a list of books down I have trouble sticking to it. I go to the library and find books that interest me so I put down the ones that I own to read the new book. Or an author I really enjoy publishes a new book and I choose that over one that has been sitting on my shelf for years. So while I do have a large to-read list on Goodreads, I don't have a set time frame for when I would like to finish them by.

I would love to write a post in which I say that all books that I read in the AtoZ Challenge will be from the historical fiction genre or from science fiction or fantasy. But I don't want to make any promises because I will probably veer off that path to read whatever I found interesting.

However, I do have a few goals and ideas of books that I would like to read this year, including the following:

Sequels

Some of these sequels might also fall under the series category. It seems like most authors—if they write a sequel—often write at least three books.

Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse

I read and reviewed Mark of the Raven, the first in The Ravenwood Saga, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel. I had purchased the book shortly after it was released in April but misplaced the book after it arrived. I finally found Flight of the Raven in late December and I am very excited to read it this year.

 

King's Blood by Jill Williamson 

I found Jill Williamson on Instagram when she and another author hosted several photo challenges when Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse was being released. I received the first book in her Safe Lands series for Christmas 2018 and then borrowed the first book in The Kinsman Chronicles series, King's Folly, through inter-library loan. I hope to purchase the series to own but for now I might have to borrow it through our library digitally.

Series

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by M. J. Thomas

Our son received the first three in the series by M. J. Thomas and I am looking forward to reading the books with him and his sister. They should prove to be good fun as we read about siblings Peter and Mary, their dog Hank, and their adventures in Bible history.

The House of Winslow Series by Gilbert Morris 

I first heard of this book through another blogger. I was very intrigued as the books are historical fiction—one of my favorite genres.

Other Books 

I have a wide selection of historical books both fiction and nonfiction that I would love to read this year. Very often I end up just using some of my nonfiction books to help prepare for teaching, homeschooling, and blogging but it would be nice to read them from cover to cover to see all they have to offer their readers.

Over the course of the year I will come back and link up my reviews for letters of the alphabet. I look forward to sharing 26 reviews with you in the coming months!

A – Book Review of The Art of Friendship
B – Book Review of Before I Called You Mine
C – Book Review of The Christian Entrepreneur 
D – A Daring Sacrifice (An Uncertain Choice, #2)  
E – Book Review of Echoes Among the Stones
F – Book Review of Fight Your Fears
G – Book Review of Graceling 
H – Book Review of The Hidden Message of the Great Seal
I – Book Review of Ishmael Covenant 
J – Book Review of Jesus Freaks
K –
L – Book Review of Line by Line
M – Book Review of More Than We Remember
N – Book Review of A Name Unknown 
O – Book Review of Ottoman Dominion 
P – Book Review of The Pursuit of God
Q – Questions God Asks by Israel Wayne 
R – Book Review of The Runaway Bride
S – Book Review of Stay 
T – Book Review of The Timepiece
U – Book Review of The Unexpected Champion
V – Book Review of Venturing with God in Congo
W – Book Club: The Worst Jobs in History
X – 
Y – York: The Shadow Cipher (in progress) 
Z –

I linking up this introductory post with the Timberdoodle Blog Hop!

Book Club: Book Review: Shelter of the Most High

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in return for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy. Thank you.

From the crash of the ocean to a welcoming inn in Kedesh, Shelter of the Most High by Connilyn Cossette is a fabulous book that truly brings to life individuals living during the interim period between the Conquest and the Judges of the Old Testament. This book is the second in the Cities of Refuge Series but I did not feel at a loss for not having read the first book – A Light on the Hill.

Shelter of the Most High opens in 1388 BC on the Island of Sicily with Sofea and her cousin Prezi enjoying the water and caves along the coastline before returning to their pagan village to help with the fish. The lives of the two young girls quickly changes when pirates attack their village and take Sofea and Prezi across the sea to the shores of Canaan. Both girls have to overcome physical, social, and psychological challenges as they spend their time in Kedesh – a city of refuge. Under Hebraic Law, cities of refuge were appointed by God – and told to Joshua – to protect those who accidentally kill another. The killer would cry for refuge from the city elders and would be judged accordingly. (See Joshua 20 for more on the topic.)

In addition to telling the story from the viewpoint of Sofea, we also see events as they unfold through the eyes of Eitan, an Israelite living in Kedesh with his adopted mother, father, and siblings. After Sofea and Prezi are brought to his mother's inn, we see his growing interest in Sofea as well as learn more about the past he has guarded from friends.

The changing back and forth between the viewpoints of Eitan and Sofea was smooth and – from my viewpoint as a reader – was not confusing. I enjoyed being able to see a bit more into the reasons behind their feelings and actions. For example, we see the blossoming love between them from Sofea's viewpoint: "His accent curved around my name, lending it fresh beauty and a sense of intimacy that I knew I should not desire" (127). And with Eitan we learn of his growing love as he "kept my eyes roving over the teeming crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sofea" (149).

There were moments, while reading the book, that I laughed aloud, felt sorrow and cried with the characters, and felt happiness for them as events worked themselves out for the main characters. It was a very quick read because it was so enjoyable.

Shelter of the Most High also contains a map of the area, a note from the author, and questions for conversation. These added details make the book all the more enjoyable to me as a reader. I happily recommend Shelter of the Most High by Connilyn Cossette to those interested in Christian fiction.

Book Club: A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey

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In the late 1990s, I discovered the author Mercedes Lackey as I was shopping for my uncle's birthday. I was perusing the sci-fi/fantasy section of Encore Books and picked up Storm Warning. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I found myself reading the book prior to my uncle's birthday. I would need to find another gift for him! I was hooked on the story of Valdemar.

Over the next several years, I would find all the books available in the Valdemar series as well as other novels by Mercedes Lackey. Some of my favorites of Lackey have included:

• By the Sword 
• Silence 

One of my favorite books was The Fire Rose and the books that were part of the Elemental Masters series. (Technically The Fire Rose is not part of the series, although some list it as part of the series. It is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and magicians. Since the story of Elemental Magicians is in both that book and the series, I think of them in the same world.)

Then time passed, the books seemed to be less interesting and Mercedes Lackey wrote books in other series that I didn't enjoy as much. So while I kept reading the books in the Valedmar series and the Elemental Masters series, I did not enjoy them as much as previously. Where I used to be able to read a book in a few days, it now took me weeks to complete of her works. So I stepped away from her books. I even put them all away off my shelves.

But then my husband bought A Study in Sable for me (an Elemental Masters Novel). I set it aside, picked it up to read, set it aside again, and finally decided I would make time for reading it. While it took me a few days to get back into the story of Nan and Sarah, I was so eager to find out what was happening by the sixth chapter that I stayed up until 4 am finishing the book!

While there were parts that confused me - like why was the young man walking around the Thames at low tide at night — the majority of the book was highly enjoyable. And everything was resolved clearly by the end of the book. It did seem to stretch a bit out of the normal retelling of a fairy tale (but seems to be becoming the norm for the Elemental Masters series).

Other retellings in the Elemental Masters series include:

• Sleeping Beauty
• Cinderella
• Snow Queen 
• Little Red Riding Hood 

This story brought back Nan and Sarah from The Wizard of London and introduced Sherlock Holmes and John Watson to the world. If you haven't read about the girls, they are not Elemental Masters themselves but posses the ability to read minds, read objects, speak to spirits, and channel spirits with the help of their two birds (Neville the raven and Grey the African Gray Parrot).

Throughout the book, Nan and Sarah help John Watson and his wife, Mary, who are Elemental Masters, on a number of tasks. They also revisit a scary place from their childhood — Number 10 Berkeley Square. New characters are introduced like Suki, who possesses similar skills to Nan, and we see Sarah as she attempts to rid a hotel room of its ghosts. The central focus of the story is Sarah's attempt to help the Prima Donna Magdalena who appears to be the focus of these ghosts. Throughout the tale Holmes is involved as he is looking for a lost sister and searching out secrets for other cases. 

I recommend this book for fans of Mercedes Lackey and I have already added the next two books in the series to my wishlist! (I will be looking for A Scandal in Battersea at my library this week.)

Do you have a favorite author who retells classic fairy tales?

Book Club: Reading List for 2018

How many books do you want to read this year? How many books did you read last year?

Last year, according to my Goodreads account, I read 107 books which included biography, fiction, non-fiction, young adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books, and others. I kept track of all my books (even those I read with my children) to have a complete record. This year I am challenging myself to read the same number of books (100) as last year. 

There are twelve specific books I want to read during 2018, in addition to those that I pick up at the library on our weekly trip with the kids.

1) Doctor Who: Twelve Doctors of Christmas

I received this book last year for Christmas and it sat among my 'to read' books all year.  I am determined it will be completed by the time Christmas comes again.

2) Two Early Tudor Lives: The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey and The Life of Sir Thomas More

I purchased this edition many years ago to discover more about the men who lived during one of my favorite time periods in history.  I have read many other non-fiction and fiction books that provide accounts of the Tudor time and I have many more left to read on my shelves.

3) A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey

 

At one point in my life, I enjoyed reading almost all of Lackey's books.  I would purchase them as soon as they were published (sometimes waiting for paperback) and I have read and reread many of her novels.  Of late, I have drifted away from her books and I hope that this helps recapture the enjoyment I garnered from them when I was in college.

4) The King's Confidante by Jean Plaidy

This is one of the many fictional books of the Tudor Time period that I wish to read. I have read others in the same time period by Plaidy and enjoyed them. 

5) Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson 

I enjoyed reading some of the other more recent Star Wars books and I hope that this will continue that trend.

6) You're Already Amazing by Holley Gerth

I find that like many individuals I tend to judge myself harshly.  I am hopeful that this book will help me see that I am "already awesome."

7) God Loves You by Dr. David Jeremiah

8) A Life Beyond Amazing by Dr. David Jeremiah

My husband introduced me to the work of Dr. David Jeremiah a little over a year ago.  I have found Turning Point and his other works to be encouraging and I am eagerly awaiting reading these two books.

9) Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

In addition to some of the other books I have chosen that might fit in the 'self-help' category, I selected this one amongst those recommended by friends.

10) Doctor Turner's Casebook based on the BBC Hit Drama Call the Midwife

I don't know exactly when I discovered the TV series Call the Midwife, but I am really glad that it has become one of the few shows I eagerly look forward to each Christmas and Spring.  I have read the books by Jennifer Worth (which provided the basis for the show) and I am looking forward to reminiscing about some of my favorite characters and episodes with this 2017 Christmas gift.

11) Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader

This was also a 2017 Christmas gift.  I have read all the books in the Mitford Series and I am looking forward to trying out some of the recipes made famous by Karon's characters.

12) The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Over the years during high school and college, I read most of Dickens' books  There are still a few that sit unread on my shelf and this year I am determined to cross another off my 'to read' list.

Have you read any of the books on my list?  Do any of these sound interesting to you?  Please let me know in the comments if you set reading goals for yourself (or your family) each year.

2018 Reading Challenge

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