The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

What a lovely book this is!  I borrowed it from Meredith some time ago but only now got around to reading it.  I think I could describe it as a "gentle read".  The language is descriptive, the characters are well developed and there is something that just calms you as you read this book. 

The story centers around a young girl named Martha who leaves home at a young age looking for work breaking horses.  She terms it "gentling wild horses".  Many of the young men and hired hands are off fighting the war as the year is 1917 so Martha follows her heart not only to escape and abusive and cruel father, but to find work doing what she loves.  The story weaves through a long and hard winter but Martha discovers friendships and a place in the community.  There is a richness to the story that describes how people and animals touch each others lives in the most unexpected and profound ways.   

I recommend this book for a heartwarming and pleasant read.

289 pages

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

I borrowed this book from a friend and it was a fairly quick read.  It is the true account of Carolyn’s (the author) life and growing up in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   She was raised in the faith in a polygamist family and openly shared the stories of her life growing up and adulthood in the church.  At 18 she was married to a man that was nearly a stranger and also 32 years older than her.  She continues to recount her life as she went on to have multiple sister-wives and eight children of her own.  The story is chilling at times as you learn about the cruelty and abuse Carolyn and her family experienced.  The story twists as she realizes the extreme danger that she and her family is in and thus starts her plan for escape from her high powered and controlling husband.  Some of the book felt a little bit repetitive to me but I also realize that the cruelty and abuse she experienced happened constantly throughout her entire life, thus it is a strong theme in the book.  I have read a few different books about the fundamentalist church but this self-account of her experience was new and eye opening.  If you have any interest in the workings of the fundamentalist church or the lifestyle they lead then I would definitely recommend this book.

 426 Pages

Outlander by Diana Gabadon

What a great read!  Aunt Mary recommended this book while we were visiting in Colorado and I was skeptical, but enjoyed every page!  This is the first book in a series of a genre I didn't think I would cotton up to, but I did and can't wait for the next book.  There is time travel involved and I thought "oh-boy" but it is well done.  The year is 1945 and Claire, a former combat nurse, and her husband are enjoying a second honeymoon in the British Isles.  She is out walking alone, learning about natural healing herbs when she comes across a Stonehenge like circle of boulders.  She innocently touches and peers through a cleft in one of the rocks and poof!  She is Sassenach - an "outlander" in a Scotland torn by warring clans in the year 1743.  I know it sounds sort of goofy but it is so well done that it just becomes a delightful story full of great characters, history, and of course passion. 

I recommend this book whole heartedly - I couldn't put it down!

850 pages

Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

Hmmm.  I finished this book about a month ago and am trying to remember enough to review it!  I don't think Amazon reviews are allowed here, but I am going to do it anyway - just like the last couple of books I read!  One of my favorite books is "Poisonwood Bible" by Kingsolver so I anticipated having the same reaction to this book.  She is a talented writer, spins a good tale, and I am glad I read this book, but I don't wish to read it again.  The subject is just a little too wacky for me - all about the discovery of a miracle due to climate change.  I guess the change goes beyond the actual "climate" but also the change in the main character's (Dellarobia) life.  So here is what Amazon has to say:

"Flight Behavior is a brilliant and suspenseful novel set in present day Appalachia; a breathtaking parable of catastrophe and denial that explores how the complexities we inevitably encounter in life lead us to believe in our particular chosen truths. Kingsolver's riveting story concerns a young wife and mother on a failing farm in rural Tennessee who experiences something she cannot explain, and how her discovery energizes various competing factions—religious leaders, climate scientists, environmentalists, politicians—trapping her in the center of the conflict and ultimately opening up her world."

597 pages

"Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World" by Tom Doyle

This book is a collection of stories of how God is using dreams and visions in the world of Islam.  I had heard of these types of revelations but this book records many accounts of these fascinating and amazing experiences.  Tom Doyle is a missionary in the Middle East and Central Asia spreading the work and words of Jesus to the Muslims.  He tells of his first hand experiences with Muslims who first heard of Jesus through vivid dreams and powerful visions.  Of course turning from Islam and confessing Jesus is grounds for execution but they have found peace and hope that comes from knowing Jesus. 

I think you would find this book to be an eye-opener of how Jesus is working today in the lives of people who are not free to worship as they choose.  I recommended it without reservation!

288 pages

"Some Girls; My Life in a Harem" by Jillian Lauren

Interesting book!  I had only read a review but thought it sounded interesting and it was.  It is the true life story of the author and her experience in a harem and how she got there in the first place.  One of the early quotes she uses is from Talking Heads - "And you may ask yourself, well...how did I get here?"

Because I am so far behind in posting, I am just going to copy the review from Amazon.  I know - what a cheat I am!

"A jaw-dropping story of how a girl from the suburbs ends up in a prince's harem, and emerges from the secret Xanadu both richer and wiser

At eighteen, Jillian Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout with a tip about an upcoming audition. The "casting director" told her that a rich businessman in Singapore would pay pretty American girls $20,000 if they stayed for two weeks to spice up his parties. Soon, Jillian was on a plane to Borneo, where she would spend the next eighteen months in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, youngest brother of the Sultan of Brunei, leaving behind her gritty East Village apartment for a palace with rugs laced with gold and trading her band of artist friends for a coterie of backstabbing beauties."

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker

I finished this book a few days ago and really enjoyed it.  Michael and I went to a fabulous bookstore in Crested Butte, CO and they had the most amazing salesman! I told him some books I had recently read and enjoyed but expressed that I was having a hard time “getting into” a book lately as the recent ones I read I had loved so much.  He provided so many great recommendations and this was one of them.  He thought it would be easy for me to become invested in and he was correct.

               This story follows Julia as she sets out to find what has happened to her father who disappeared the day after she graduated law school.  This search brings her to a small village in Burma where her father grew up.  Here she encounters a man that knows the story of her father and pledges to lead her to him shall she want to listen.  It takes you on twists and turns and can really stop and make you wonder how much you pay attention to in everyday life.  The book is written in such detail it amazed me.  I truly felt like I was there along with Julia in her search.  What was enjoyable was that the details didn’t weigh the story down at all, it flowed beautifully.  I enjoyed every aspect of this book and would love to read another one like it again.  I would highly recommend this book!