The Truth PLAIN and Simple

Growing up I had never read an Amish romance, I can now say that I have officially read three. While they aren't my favorite, and they certainly aren't a genre that holds a spot on my bookshelf, every once in a while it's a little bit of a guilty pleasure to read something so far out of my usual reading pattern. Coincidentally, all the Amish "chick lit" I have read is written by the same author, Cindy Woodsmall. Her Latest work, "The Scent of Cherry Blossoms" follows basically the same story line as the last two of hers I read. This book isn't necessarily part of a series, its meant to be a stand alone romance but If you happened to read "The Christmas Singing" you'll notice that it takes place in the same town and some of the characters are the same.

Basically, a young Mennonite girl by the name of Annie goes to stay with her Daadi (grandfather) because she thinks her mother and brothers are straying too far from the faith. While in Apple Ridge with her grandfather, Annie helps out a local Amish family (the Zooks) run their diner while their crippled son, Roman, is away working on a distant relative's generator. Roman's twin, Aden, has always had a huge crush on Annie, and working in the diner together becomes too much for the both of them. Their romance however, is forbidden because Mennonites and Amish are not allowed to mix. If you want to find out how it ends (spoiler alert, ends just like the Christmas Singing did!) read until the very last page. It's a little sappy, a little predictable, and a little over the top but like I said it's a guilty pleasure.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

A Different Type of Zombie

Joanna Weaver's christian self help book, Lazarus Awakening, used the story of Lazarus' resurrection to show readers how to find their place in the heart of God. Sounds overwhelming, but really it's a little underwhelming. Honestly, the book sounds like a lot of other christian guide books (aka self help) books that I've read in the past. Reading about her struggles was empowering but it felt a little repetitive at times. One thing that I really did enjoy was some guidelines on how to live in the light of eternity and prepare for what God really has in store for you. Joanna lists the following principals for essentially "living your earthly life to its fullest potential":

1. live fully
2. hold things loosely
3. value people highly
4. travel lightly
5. love completely
6. give freely
7. look expectantly

Overall, this book was alright, it wasn't mind blowing but it still charges the reader to ask some good soul searching questions.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."