Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake (3 Stars)

I picked this book up at the library on a whim. I had read another book by Cathy Marie Hake that I did not particularly like but this title sounded interesting. My mother stole it from me so I had to wait a while to read it. Finally, today I finished it.

Whirlwind is about a woman named Millicent Fairweather. In the opening scenes of the book, she is a nanny in England to two girls whom she loves dearly. Their father sends both girls to a boarding school leaving Millicent jobless. And so we find our heroine traveling to America with her sister and brother-in-law. On board the ship, she meets Daniel Clark and his son Arthur who is in need of a nanny. She agrees to work for Mr. Clark while during the trip. However, extenuating circumstances throw both Millicent and Daniel together. They enter a "marriage of convenience" and head to make a home in Texas. Yes, I'm sure you can already see how this will turn out :)
So, I liked this book but I wasn't enraptured by it. At the beginning of the book I liked Daniel Clark and how considerate he was of others. After the marriage I disliked him immensely. He became domineering and I could never feel the attraction between the characters as I would have in a Lori Wick or Deanne Gist novel. The plot was interesting and didn't have a great deal of unbelievable twists as one might expect from Christian fiction. The book was a fast read and though I was satisfied with the way it ended, I was irritated that the characters both seemed so distant. I don't think I would recommend it.

Read and Share: The Jesus Series, Life and Miracles (DVD)

Review of "Read and Share: The Jesus Series, Life and Miracles" DVD

I got this dvd for participating in the Book Sneeze project through Thomas Nelson Publishers.

This DVD contained eight chapters detailing parts of Jesus' life including the calling of the disciples, feeding the 5,000, walking on water, and the last supper. The DVD is based on the "Read and Share Bible."
This movie is a good way to introduce children around the ages of 3 or 4 to the stories of Jesus. While it was not completely Biblically accurate, I think young children would find it interesting. The narration was a little irritating and the stories were disjointed. All in all it was certainly not the best movie for kids about Bible stories but it could be used as a tool to start teaching your children about the Bible and Jesus.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Recommendations

If you are looking for a new book, check out these titles:

Calico Canyon by Mary Conealy

A Bride in the Bargain by Deanne Gist

Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell

Riven by Jerry Jenkins

The Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen

My Book List 2009

This year, I resolved to keep a list of all the books I read. I started my list on December 8th, 2008, because that was my last day of classes. I finished on December 8th, 2009. Here is the list:


Aiken, Ginny
Light of My Heart
Austen, Jane
Persuasion
Austin, Lynn
Though Waters Roar
Bates, Shelley
A Pocketful of Pearls
Burkard, Linore Rose
Before the Season Ends
Burnham, Gracia
In the Presence of My Enemies
Bylin, Victoria
The Bounty Hunter’s Bride
Cabot, Amanda
Paper Roses
Carie, Jamie
The Duchess and the Dragon
Wind Dancer
Capshaw, Carla
The Gladiator
Clark, Dorothy
Beauty For Ashes
Joy For Mourning (Sequel to “Beauty For Ashes”)
Coben, Harlan
Long Lost (Myron Bolitar Series, #9)
Coble, Colleen
Anathema
Alaska Twilight
The Cattle Baron’s Bride
Fire Dancer
Copeland, Lori
Monday Morning Faith
Cornwell, Patricia
The Body Farm
Dacus, Kaye
Ransome’s Honor
Dekker, Ted
Adam
Green
Kiss
Doss, Helen
The Family Nobody Wanted
Dumas, Alexandre
The Count of Monte Cristo
Ferguson, Sherry Lynn
The Honorable Marksley
Gardner, Lisa
Hide
The Other Daughter
The Survivor’s Club
Garrett, Ginger
In the Shadow of Lions
Gist, Deanne
A Bride in the Bargain
A Bride Most Begrudging
Courting Trouble (Sequel to Deep in the Heart of Trouble)
Deep In the Heart of Trouble
*The Measure of a Lady
Grafton, Sue
A is for Alibi
Grisham, John
The Associate
Hake, Cathy Marie
Letter Perfect
Hart, John
*The Last Child
Higley, T. L.
City of the Dead (Seven Wonders Series #2)
Shadow of Colossus (Seven Wonders Series #1)
Hunter, Denise
*The Convenient Groom (Nantucket Love Stories #1)
Surrender Bay (Nantucket Love Stories #2)
Iles, Greg
*The Black Cross
Trapped
Jenkins, Jerry
Riven
Klassen, Julie
The Apothecary’s Daughter
Lady of Milkweed Manor
Levine, Gail Carson
Ella Enchanted
Lewis, Beverly
The Longing (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher #3)
Lewis, C. S.
The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia #3)
The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia #7)
Maclaren, Sharlene
Sarah My Beloved (Little Hickman Creek Series #1)
Malone, L. K.
Divided Loyalties
Martini, Steve
*Guardian of Lies
Mitchell, Siri
A Constant Heart
Love’s Pursuit
Moon Over Tokyo
Morgan, Kathleen
Child of the Mist (These Highland Hills #1)
Daughter of Joy (Brides of Culdee Creek #1)
Embrace the Dawn
A Fire Within (These Highland Hills #3)
Wings of the Morning (These Highland Hills #2)
Morren, Ruth Axtell
The Healing Season
The Making of a Gentleman
Wild Rose
Oke, Janette
Love Finds a Home (Love Comes Softly #8)
Love Takes Wing (Love Comes Softly #7)
Love’s Unfolding Dream (Love Comes Softly #6)
Orczy, Baroness Emmuska
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Palmer, Catherine
A Bachelor’s Bargain
Peart, Jane
A Perilous Bargain
Peretti, Frank
The Visitation
Picoult, Jodi
Handle With Care
My Sister’s Keeper
Pittman, Allison
Ten Thousand Charms (Crossroads of Grace #1)
With Endless Sight (Crossroads of Grace #3)
Potok, Chaim
The Chosen
The Promise (Sequel to “The Chosen”)
Reichert, Sheriff David
Chasing the Devil: My 20-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer
Rivers, Francine
The Atonement Child
Redeeming Love
Shalesky, Marlo
Beyond the Night
If Tomorrow Never Comes
Shumaker, Bill
Lost Pulse
Sparks, Nicholas
The Wedding
Thoene, Bodie
Danzig Passage (Zion Chronicles #5)
Warsaw Requiem (Zion Chronicles #6)
Tyndall, Mary Lu
The Blue Enchantress
The Falcon and the Sparrow
The Red Siren
The Redemption (The Legacy of the King’s Pirates #1)
Wick, Lori
Donovan’s Daughter
Every Storm
Jessie
The Long Road Home
The Knight and the Dove
The Pursuit
The Rescue
Sabrina
The Visitor
Windsor, Linda
Deirdre (Fires of Gleannmara #3)
Riona (Fires of Gleannmara #2)
Elizabeth White

Redeeming Gabriel
Woodsmall, Cindy
The Hope of Refuge