A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

Scarlet A.C. Gaughen Bloomsbury I thought this book sounded really interesting. I’m a Robin Hood fan anyway, but I don’t come across many retellings about him and his gang that I feel comfortable reading, so I was pleased to find this one in the YA section of the library. Basically, in this version Will Scarlet is actually a girl, Robin Hood's secretive informant. I thought it sounded intriguing.  I was really, really, disappointed. I only got through about three chapters before stopping because of the swearing. I understand that bad guys and outlaws usually swear, so if anyone out there tells me that it’s to be expected of this novel and, indeed, would be inaccurate without it, I say: then leave out the word. “Sir Gisbourne swore.” There. It’s “accurate” and we don’t have to read the word. That, my friends, is a perfect compromise. Also, from just the little bit I read, I didn't really like Scarlet.  Now, I admit I *was* curious to how everything turned ou

With Every Letter Sarah Sundin Revell I don’t read a lot of books that take place past the early 1900s, so for me to read a book with a setting any time later than that, it has to be really spectacular. Having read Sarah Sundin’s previous series, I knew that she has a great writing style and, if possible, even better characters. The only thing I don’t really care for about her books it that they are a little romancy for my taste. However, since I knew that With Every Letter is a romance where the characters get to know each other through letters, I figured there couldn’t be too much mushiness involved! J I did really enjoy this book. Although A Distant Melody is probably my favorite of Mrs. Sundin’s books, With Every Letter is a close second. The romance was sweet (although in the second half I was ready to shake Mellie by the shoulders and shriek “TELL HIM!! TELL HIM WHO YOU ARE!!!”) Both characters deal with realistic problems that aren’t a lot of times addressed

The Tutor’s Daughter Julie Klassen Bethany House Publishers Julie Klassen remains one of my absolute favorite authors, and I sort of have a tradition of getting each of her new books as a Christmas present. This year was no exception, and I was delighted to receive The Tutor’s Daughter this year! There were several things I really liked about this book. First of all, there were a lot more Christian elements in this novel than there are in most of the author’s books. The characters talked about God a lot more, though it certainly was never preachy. I also really liked the hero of this book, much more than I was ever expecting to! In fact, out of all of this author’s heroes, he was definitely one of my very favorites. I really loved the bit at the end when he gets the letter from his mother. The only bad thing I have to say about this novel was that even though I really liked the characters, the book itself didn’t quite capture my attention like The Apothecary’s Da