My most recent reads...

Although I have not been POSTING about reading....I have actually finished a few books in the last few months.  Some good, some not so good and some GREAT!!!!  Here is what I have had on my night stand..

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN by Kate Morton.  This book was FANTASTIC.  I can honestly say (and remember I am an English teacher) that this is the most well written book I have read in a long time.  I LOVED IT.  It took me forever to read because it is big and thick and full of twists and turns, but WELL WORTH IT.  I cannot even begin to explain the main gist of this book...to much going on.  It switches back and forth between the past, the present, and the WAY past.  It jumps through generations in order to answer all of the questions.  The main question being...who is Nell and where did she come from...and why???  As a toddler Nell was found on the docks in Australia and adopted by a local family.  She does not know where she came from or why she is alone.  This book travels through time to find out WHO SHE IS.  Many times you think you know...and then WHAT???  You have no idea.  I loved the mystery of it.  And seriously you cannot figure out the answers unless you read the whole thing.  LOVE THAT!!!  I have also read The House at Riverton by Kate Morton and loved it also. 

Next I read Rachel's Secret by BJ Hoff.  I am not sure why I end up picking so many Amish books, but I just find their culture just so darn interesting.  In this one, Rachel is an Amish widow.  One night she gets a knock on the door and it is a white man with a gunshot wound and a black man.  They end up being conductors for the Underground Railroad and the whole thing causes problems in the quiet Amish community.  Rachel ends up having feelings for the man (which is a big no no!!) and outsiders begin causing problems for the Amish; barn burnings, verbal abuse, and finally kidnapping.  This was an OK book.  I am always interested in the Underground Railroad, but there was not enough about it in the book for me.

Of course that did not stop me from reading BOOK 2, Where Grace Abides.  Jeremiah stays in the community but cannot socialize with Rachel because he is not Amish.  More problems arise and MORE love problems.  Again...ok but not a great book.  I have not read the 3rd installment and am not too sad about it.

I realize I may have a problem, but when I see an Amish girl on the front of a book I just have to check it out.  BESIDE STILL WATERS by Tricial Goyer was my next read.  This was another OK, but not great book.  This book starts when an Amish family traveling home gets into a horrible accident.  Their buggy is hit by a Semi Truck and their 2 daughters are killed.  The mom, who is pregnant goes into labor and delivers a little baby girl.  Born on the day of  her sisters' deaths, Marianna always feels like she has to fill up the void left by them.  She tries to be perfect.  When she reaches marrying age, her parents decide it is time to move out of the community and go to Montana.  Although she love a local Amish boy she goes with her family.  They have to learn to live in the Amish community in Montana, which is NOT as strict in their beliefs and rules as their old community.  Marianna socializes with BEN, a local by and starts to fall for him.  She then has to decide whether to go back to her home and her Amish boy, or stay in Montana and deal with her feelings for Ben.  THEN right at the end you find out their is a book ....bummer.  I might have to go find it and see how it all turns out:)

This next book jumped off the shelf at me because of the title; LOVE FINDS YOU IN PENDLETON OREGON.  As soon as I saw Pendleton, I had to read it.  Sunny is the main character.  She is an out of work professor, Native American, and model.  She heads to Pendleton for a modeling shoot during the ROUNDUP and decides to look up her ancestors while she is there. I loved reading about the Roundup, I liked the stuff about Native Americans, but the love interest in this book was WAY OUT THERE.  It was one of those things where when it ends you are like...WHATEVER.   I am all about happy endings and chic lit, but I don't think anyone finds their true love and is ready for marriage in one week.  SOOO on that note, this book didn't do it for me. 

I really enjoyed this last one.  THE SHAPE OF MERCY by Susan Meissner.  Lauren is a super wealthy college student who tries to act NOT SUPER WEALTHY.  She lives in the dorm, goes to a state school, and wants to get a job.  She decides to take a job transcribing an old journal for Abigail, an older (also wealthy) lady.  The journal is from a young lady (Mercy) who lived during the Salem Witch trials and gets accusted of being a witch.  I liked learning about the witch trials and thought this book was pretty entertaining.  A good mix of past and present.  Speaking of present....my son has stopped sleeping AT ALL, so I may have a few (hundred) books to add to my list soon.  BLAHHH!!!