Mysterious Ways

#ThrowbackThursday

“Mysterious Ways highlights extraordinary moments and everyday miracles.”

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It’s perfect for dipping in and out of, full of stories new and old, long and short, of God’s hand touching people’s lives.  I especially enjoyed the story of the expectant mum who prayed for the young son of a stranger on the day he was involved in a car accident – and many years later welcomed him into her family when he married the daughter she’d been carrying at the time of the crash (The One I Prayed For).  There are many other stories which feel big, like the young man who tried to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, but whose life was saved by a sea lion (Last Leap).  Wonderful stories like Mrs Joseph’s Angel, in which a struggling and depressed young woman temporarily and unsuspectingly becomes the voice of an angel for another sad and lonely person.  And other stories of the ‘meeting angels unawares’ kind such as the specialist mechanic whom a family with a sick RV encountered in a deserted industrial complex.  (About That G In GPS…)

The book is divided into sections such as The Hidden Hand of God (in which is the very moving ‘Block II’), and Animals – God’s special Messengers (Kash, the very last story in the book, is a great one for dog lovers!).

It’s the kind of book which is powerful reading, even though some of the stories are barely two pages long. As well as a perfect book for having anywhere you might only be able to snatch a few moments to read, it would also be a great book to use as part of a devotional programme, or for anyone in ministry looking for sermon illustrations or teaching examples.

A 5* recommended read and a definite keeper for my bookshelves.

Mysterious Ways: True Stories of the Miraculous

Editors of Guideposts

9780800728762, £14.99, Hardback

We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels

Catalogue copy: Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time – from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War – to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.

This is a very well written and powerful novel set mainly across two time periods – the US civil war and 1960s Detroit.  It doesn't pull any punches as it moves through these two significant times in US history.  This is a book where you really feel as though you're immersed in the story.  Or, probably more accurately 'stories'.  The tensions flow through every chapter at levels both very personal, and much wider reaching. 

In the present day, reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, who asks her to deliver an old camera and a mysterious box of photos to the great-aunt she has never met.  Abruptly finding herself jobless (for a reason which seems like the start of a different story, and which fades into the background for most of the rest of the book) she sets off to her great-aunt Nora’s 150 year old farmhouse, and soon finds herself with a whole host of unanswered questions such as whose are the graves in the overgrown back yard? Who is William? And who is the woman in the photographs in the basement? Getting answers from Nora is going to be tough as she is not at all keen to discuss the past.

However we the readers learn about Nora’s past more quickly than Elizabeth does, and are plunged into the racial tension of the 60s – events which still impact Elizabeth’s family’s present day.  And further back in time Mary Balsam, another relative, abruptly finds herself faced with an escaped slave who has been sent to her home by her husband Nathaniel who is away fighting in the US Civil War.  Sheltering one man quickly becomes sheltering others, to the shock, dismay and growing animosity of the local people, and the shredding of Mary’s heart.

I found this book fascinating from a historical perspective.  As I’m English, I didn’t know much about the explosions of the racial tension in Detroit in the ‘60s and the book portrayed them brilliantly, bringing the whole situation alive to me in the way that good novels set around actual events do.

I felt connected to the characters, so I was disappointed by some of their actions!  I was also sad about the way Mary’s son turned out, but perhaps it is more like ‘real life’ and less like ‘happy ever after’ fiction! But mostly, I was sad for Nora.  

Despite these comments, this isn’t a morose book, but it is definitely one which makes you think. Which clearly I struggled to do as on the down side I did find myself muddled from time to time about who was who and what their connection was. 

I would happily recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction.  It’s nice to read something which covers a period which I’ve not commonly read much about in novels, and an issue – racial tension – which is sadly still all too topical.

9780800734916, paperback, £8.99

New Every Day: Navigating Alzheimers by Dave Meurer

This is a warm and engaging book filled with practical wisdom, hard-earned as the author and his wife Dale have walked the paths of caring for both of Dale’s parents.  Dale’s father has passed away, but her mother Karin is still living with the challenges her disease brings both to her and those who love her.  

I never thought that a book on Alzheimer’s would make me laugh, but this one did.  (If in doubt, turn to the chapter titled ‘Driven to Distraction’!)

Karin is described wonderfully throughout this book and her personality shines through, even in her confused state of mind.  Much useful detail comes across as Dave describes the various stages of her illness, but Karin always comes across as a person of value, and not simply as a case study.  

There are a number of chapters of detailed  practical information.  Although some of the specifics in these don’t relate to the UK systems (such as details of Medicare), the general issues do translate over here too.  As someone who in the last twelve months has set up a Power of Attorney for a close family member, I can relate to the advice given about this, even though the ‘how to do it’ is slightly different over here, for example.

I would highly recommend this to the UK reader.  Even with the elements which are very US specific taken into account, there is much here of use to anyone facing the journey of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.  The humour within the book is perfectly placed.  It is never over the top, and never points fun at either sufferer or carer. But it lifts the book, and made me laugh out loud several times, while at the same time educating me.   While not shying away from the stresses and sadness of the progress of this disease, Dave talks a lot about finding the positives ‘in the moment’, and there is mention of Karin’s faith and certainty of where she is going after her death. That said, this is not a book which pushes religion to vulnerable people, and would be of value to many, Christian or not.

Publication Date: January 2019.  9780800734756, £9.99, paperback

The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jamie Jo Wright

Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday.  Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908.

A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother…

As two women across time seek answers about their identities and heritage, can they overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably entwined?

The Curse of Misty Wayfair deals with mental health issues in the early 1900s and today, and particularly focusses on autism and anxiety.  This is the third book by Jaime Jo Wright, who was Baker Publishing Group’s top fiction author in the UK for 2018, and her stories just keep getting better and better. 

In 1908 Thea Reed is searching for the mother who abandoned her when she was just four years old. Her search leads her to the mental asylum in Pleasant Valley, where the legend of Misty Wayfair and the supposed curse connected with her is very real.  A century later, Heidi Lane receives a strange letter from her dementia afflicted mother and travels to Pleasant Valley to find some answers of her own.  The two women’s stories will cross, but each separate story is also completely engrossing. 

At its heart, this is a book about who we are, and what we are searching for.  In many places it’s a dark read as it deals with some very grim historical practices associated with the mentally ill, but it also gives a perceptive insight into some of what modern day sufferers and their families face. The author has first hand experience of some of the issues in the book, and she also spent time with mothers of autistic children to ensure that the representations of autism in the book are true to reality.  Despite the characters who clearly deal with mental health issues, the book shows how everyone has their own internal struggles to deal with.   

One of Jaime Jo Wright’s great strengths is how well she brings her characters to life and we’re not disappointed here. Dogged and determined Thea, pushing through her fears. Simeon with his stress-worsened ticks. Heidi with her brash exterior and easily triggered ‘flight mode’ (perhaps the most changed of all the characters as the story progresses). Risk playing Emma, who is wonderfully created and as her mother says ‘perfect as she is’. And the interesting Rhett and his truck companions!   Plus a superb ‘supporting cast’, none of whom are at all peripheral in terms of their presence within the story.

The Curse of Misty Wayfair is a suspense novel.  It could be referred to as ‘creepy suspense’ with its plot elements of a ghost and a curse, neither of which are seen all that often in contemporary Christian literature.  However the author weaves these through her story in a way which is both tense and, yes, creepy, but also in a way which will not leave the books Christian readership uncomfortable at the end. By the way, the Christian elements are worked in very well indeed, and are not at all heavy.  This is a book I’d give to a non-Christian friend without qualm.

I found this a compelling read.  Wonderful characters, interesting and tantalising plot elements, and plenty of well written tension and twists.  I began to suspect ‘whodunnit’ quite late on (for one element at least), but some things I didn’t see coming at all.  

A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

Kristi Ann Hunter is rapidly turning into one of my favourite historical fiction authors. A Defense of Honor is her latest book, just out, and I loved it. The story starts with plenty of action, as Katherine ‘Kit’ FitzGilbert almost literally runs into Lord Graham Wharton, and shortly thereafter narrowly escapes from two men who are clearly looking to do her harm.

The story surrounds Haven Manor, a place where three women are raising a group of children born to unmarried mothers at a time when bearing an illegitimate child had devastating consequences for both mother and child. Kit and her friends and co-workers Daphne and Jess arrange for shelter for unmarried mothers, hiding them away from society throughout their pregnancy and delivery, in order to save them from being cast aside as ‘ruined’, with all the resulting shame and poverty which that fate usually brought with it. The resulting children end up living at Haven Manor. But keeping them secret and safe is an enormous challenge. Although we learn little of most of the mothers, we come to know the children very well indeed, because their personalities shine throughout the story and the reader really feels as though they come to know and care about them.

Graham is intrigued by the strange woman who has literally dropped into his life and then out again, and their paths cross once more when he sets out with his friend Oliver to discover where Oliver’s missing sister has gone…

This is a warm-hearted, captivating read, and if it does require the reader to suspend their disbelief a bit, it’s so well written that this particular reader was very happy to do so. It makes you think about trust, about consequences, about jumping to conclusions, and about doing the wrong things for what appear to be the right reasons. I like a book which, along with being a roaring good read, also challenges the readers responses.

Aside from the use of ‘gotten’ (I really, REALLY wish American authors wouldn’t have their English characters use this word!), the mention of cream in tea, and ‘pavement’ for road, this was very well positioned in its British setting. Although there was a rather astonishing reference to two well born ladies spitting out something they disliked onto the floor(!)

I look forward to finding out more about Daphne in the next book in the series (A Return of Devotion, Spring19) and – presumably – Jess in book 3.

Finally, in this case, definitely don’t judge the book by its cover! This is a 5* read, and much punchier and more dynamic than the rather pale and dated cover may imply.