Esther Filbrun

If I had to tally all the most common questions I have been asked over my time here in New Zealand, probably one of the highest-scoring ones would be the question of whether I’m Amish or Mennonite. Unfortunately, I’m neither, so that leaves people rather stumped. However, I love the ex-Amish and Mennonites that I’ve been blessed to know over the years, and really appreciate the cultures they come from. So when I saw Homespun come up for review recently, I thought it would be a great read. And I ended up loving it!

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About the Book:

Straight from the pens of Amish and Mennonite women . . .

Ever wish you could visit with a group of Amish or Mennonite women over a cup of coffee? In the pages of Homespun, Amish and Plain Mennonite women swap stories and spin yarns while we listen in. Lorilee Craker, bestselling author of Money Secrets of the Amish, collects these personal writings about hospitality, home, grief, joy, and walks with God. Hear from one woman who struggles with feeling inferior to her sister, from another about her longing for a baby, and from a third who accidentally bought stretchy material to sew her husband’s pants. Each woman’s story is a testament to the grace of God and the blessings of community.

Behind Amish romance novels and tourist spots and television shows stand real people, with longings and loves just like the rest of us. Every Amish and Mennonite woman has a story. In Homespun, you get to hear some of them.

My Thoughts:

I don’t read many non-fiction books, and when I do, they’re usually biographies or autobiographies. I struggle with anything not story-related. So I wasn’t sure what I’d think when I saw Homespun come across my review opportunities email. The synopsis was intriguing, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get into it enough to do it justice. Wow, I was wrong!

While this book has been a slow read for me, I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Each woman is a gifted writer, and I feel like I’m visiting across the kitchen table with them as I read their thoughts. The topics vary as much as those around many tables—from humorous short stories of cherished memories, to more in-depth ones of family’s sorrow and learning to trust again.

When I found out I had read the last article in this book this afternoon, I felt pretty disappointed. This was the kind of book—a mix of physical and spiritual encouragement—that I love reading. There’s something about it that I find truly filling, a reflection of Jesus in other people’s lives. Even if I didn’t have time to do much reading at any one time, I knew I would find something to chew on for a while anyway. This book has been a rich reading experience for me the last couple weeks, and I’m thankful to have had the chance to read it. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get a print version of this book next time I have a chance!

I requested a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

About the Editor:

Editor Lorilee Craker is the author of thirteen books, including Money Secrets of the Amish; Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me; My Journey to Heaven with Marv Besteman; and the New York Times bestseller Through the Story with Lynne Spears. Connect with her at LorileeCraker.com.

Let’s discuss: What was the last book about Amish or Mennonites that you read? What did you learn from it?

There are certain books you look forward to for quite a while before they finally come out. This book was one of them. And when I saw that a blog tour was being set up for it, I knew I wanted to be on it. So today, I’m pretty thrilled to share one of my more recent reads with you—and what a goodie! Completely different from what I expected, but sometimes those are the best ones, right?

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About This Book:

Author: Alana Terry
Genre: Christian Thriller/Suspense
Release date: June 25, 2018

A single photograph could cost his life…

Ian McAllister has searched the world over, hunting for that all-elusive perfect photograph.

He finds it on a tourist trip to North Korea when he stumbles upon a young street kid foraging for roots.

Unaware that this single act will brand him a spy and cost his freedom, Ian takes the shot.

Now he must pay the penalty.

A true-to-life novel about an American imprisoned behind North Korea’s closed borders.

A gripping tale of courage, faith, and hope from award-winning Christian novelist Alana Terry.

My Thoughts:

I was somewhat disappointed when I got into Out of North Korea—I was expecting a heart-racing read, and it turned out to be a slightly slower, more thoughtful book. Then, I fell in love with the story, and finished it fairly quickly after all.

Mrs. Terry wrote this book in first-person, present-tense. I’ve rarely ever seen a book from this perspective, and I know how difficult it can be to write like that. So I started off pretty impressed. I was also very impressed with how she kept the story moving at a good clip, while giving the main character time to reflect and make some pretty profound realizations.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when the main character began realizing there was more to life than the American dream of becoming rich and famous. I’ve rarely seen that in other books, but how it was displayed here was thought-provoking and very relatable. That isn’t the point of my life, either, I realized. I want to live for others—help them have happier, more fulfilling lives instead of just building up my own sandcastle that’ll one day fall apart.

I loved the humor in this story. It came through now and again—not so often that it was distracting, but just at the right moments to help liven up an otherwise sad situation.

I also loved the thought that God has His children all over the place. We may not recognize it, may not ever be able to see it, but He is working in our lives and the lives of those around us. That’s a beautiful thing. And seeing how He can bring the right people through at the right time is also encouraging.

Out of North Korea: More than a tale of how an American accidentally ended up behind bars because of one mistake. To me, this story had a lot deeper lessons. It showed me something about a country I don’t know much about. It showed me the power of prayer. It showed me how some of the things I focus on in life are actually a waste of time.

I hadn’t thought a book about a prisoner could do that. But it did.

Yes, this book didn’t strike me as being as much of a suspense novel as I thought it would be. But balanced out with all the different thoughts I’ve had since reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a different perspective on life, or wants an intriguing read about an American trapped in one of the world’s most closed countries.

I requested a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

About the Author:

Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.

Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Alana is giving away a grand prize of a $30 Amazon gift card!

Go here to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

Let’s discuss: Have you read a book lately that surprised you by being different than you thought it would be—and yet made you think a lot? What was it, and what did you learn?

Years ago, I started a short story that was supposed to be based in ancient Israel. Later that year, I did NaNoWriMo for the first time, and re-wrote the story plus at least 10,000 words of a very long sidetrack involving a cave and hiding from the enemy (oh, fun!). Hey, it helped me win that year, anyway! Over the following year, I didn’t even look back on that draft—I knew it was so bad it needed a complete re-write. Since then, it has gone through several revisions, although I haven’t touched the story for three or four years now.

Even so, the setting in 66-67 AD Jerusalem has gripped my heart and I still remember the hours of research and figuring out story tidbits fondly. It was a fascinating time in Jewish history; not very pretty, but also containing some truly amazing things.

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Fast forward to a month or so ago when I saw the announcement of author Faith Blum’s new book, Trust and Obey. After reading the synopsis and seeing the cover, I knew I wanted to read it, too. Turns out it has a good amount of similarities with my story, so I felt like I had come home when I opened the book and sat down to read!

About the Book

A wicked priestess, a morally corrupt king, and two children stuck in the middle…

Hadassah and Gidal love their parents and will do anything for them. When Priestess Basmat tell Ehud and Jerusha to pay their debt, they cannot and she takes Hadassah and Gidal as her slaves for two years.

The priestess works them hard, but there are two other servants to divide the load with, so they cope as well as they can. Then King Saul comes in disguise requesting the priestess’s other services—as a medium.

Will Hadassah and Gidal trust Adonai to take care of them? What will happen after Priestess Basmat comes face-to-face with the prophet Samuel?

Buy a copy on Amazon / Add it on Goodreads

My Review

Trust and Obey was one of those books you pick up, expecting a fairly light read, and find yourself sucked into right away. I don’t know if it was because I was on a reading binge (pre-test jitters, anyone?), or if it was because the story was just that good, but I had a hard time putting this book down.

I loved the setting for this story. David, not-quite-yet king of Israel, is still dealing with Saul, trying to respect him as God’s anointed. Saul is struggling with no connection with God—and he’s scared about the future. And Hadassah and her brother are slaves to an evil woman who claims to be God’s priestess but often does other things that seem to contradict that claim.

I’ve loved settings in ancient Israel ever since I wrote my story. So seeing another author’s idea of what that may have been like a few hundred years previous to that (although still roughly in the “same” culture) was very intriguing.

This book stuck pretty close to the Biblical narrative, which I appreciated. I did enjoy the details that were added to help the story flow better, even though at times I wondered if the characters would have really done what they did in the situation in real life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and glimpse into Biblical history. The theme of obedience even when it seems unnecessary came through very well, and was a good reminder that even when I don’t understand why God wants me to do something, I should step out in faith. Another great book from Faith Blum!

I requested a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

About the Author

Faith Blum is a small-town Wisconsin girl. She’s lived in, or outside of, small towns her whole life. The thought of living in a city with more than 60,000 people in it scares her, especially after some interesting adventures driving through big cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Faith currently resides in the middle of the state of Wisconsin with her husband and their cat, Smokey. She is blessed to be able to have writing as her full-time career with household work and cooking to do on the side. She loves to paint walls as long as she doesn’t have to do hallways or ceilings.

When not writing, you can find her cooking food from scratch due to food allergies (fun), doing dishes (meh), knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, or spending time with her husband (yay!). She is also a Community Assistant for the Young Writers Workshop and loves her work there. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to contact her on her website.

Let’s discuss: What was the last historical fiction you’ve read recently? Have you ever written a story, only to abandon it later?