December 30, 2018 by Courtney @ The Green Mockingbird Blog

Best of 2018: Contemporary Books

Welcome to my annual “best-of” celebration! I’m changing it up a bit and separating the categories of my yearly best-of lists over a few days. All of this is to celebrate their distinction and spend a few more days talking about all the wonderful entertainment of 2018.

Day 1. Best of 2018: Novellas

Day 2. Best of 2018: Historical Books

Day 3. Best of 2018: Contemporary Books

Day 4. Goodbye 2018 & Looking Ahead

Today is about CONTEMPORARY BOOKS, AKA the category with the most favorites. I read more contemporary stories this year… and there several on this list! Maybe that means I know what I like?! I think so. Like my historical list, most are from this year, but a few were released prior to 2018.

The rules: sometimes I have to make boundaries for myself when it comes to talking about books because we would all be here a long time if were able to ramble on. SO, I’m sticking to my format of last year and choosing to share 3 things that describe each of these stories along with a link to Goodreads and my review. In no particular order…

Best of 2018: Contemporary Books

Then There Was You by Kara Isaac | Review

Laughter. Living. Chemistry.

The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano | Review

Culinary dream. Delightful complexity. Relationships.

Blue Columbine by Jennifer Rodewald | Review

Grace. Redemption. Raw emotions.

The Last Summer by Brandy Bruce | Review

Friendship. Dreams. True selflessness.

Thirst of Steel by Ronie Kendig | Review

Epic action. Brotherhood. Sacrifice.

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert | Review

Empathy. Call to love. Relevant.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Amy Matayo | Review

Power of words. Choices. Connection.

When You Look at Me by Pepper Basham | Review

Music. Trust. Home.

Things Left Unsaid by Courtney Walsh | Review

Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Homecoming.

Wait for Me by Susan May Warren | Review to come

Adventure. Love worth the risk. Timing.

A Sparkle of Silver by Liz Johnson | Review

Heritage. Romance. Worth.

Your turn! What were your favorite contemporary reads of 2018? Have you read any of these?

April 30, 2018 by Courtney @ The Green Mockingbird Blog

Review: “No One Ever Asked” by Katie Ganshert

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to meet Katie Ganshert and a few other awesome authors at a library event near me. (insert fangirling squeal! They were amazingly kind and talked BOOKS!) Katie talked about her new release, No One Ever Asked, and its personal connection to her own story as an adoptive mom, along with some of the other aspects of the story and her research. Seeing her personality and passion for this story made my experience of reading it all the more special. I was highly anticipating No One Ever Asked, but the level at which it was emotionally gripping and spoke to my heart was unexpected. ❤ I love it when a story surprises me!

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district–and in their lives.

When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray–the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser–faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones–the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge’s top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she’s stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as “this” or “that”, when such complexity exists in each person?

Goodreads | Amazon

Through three perspectives and experiences, these characters paint a picture of what mistakes and forgiveness, honesty and pain, and even joy and freedom look like in everyday life. To say I was caught up in the emotion and gravity of the story is putting it mildly. Katie Ganshert has a way with words that is a gift — this story is absolutely riveting and RELEVANT. And, the fact that it is inspired by true events in a neighboring state makes it equally more special and uniquely challenging.

If I could sum up my take-away from this novel, it would be just what author Katie Ganshert hopes to accomplish with this story: Empathy. Like Katie alludes in the author’s note, stories can be a great source of empathy and experiencing something from a different perspective or position. This story asks and confronts the hard questions. Everyone has problems. Everyone has a tinted view of the world due to their personal experiences and circumstances. And, under the truth of the Bible, everyone is equal. Our world and society says otherwise. It sells the lie that we are not the same. That we are measured by our paychecks, affluent (or not) homes, our shiny things and our race or color of our skin. This story tears through that false assumption and illustrates the shared heart of every person.

I want to say so much about this story. My words would not do it justice or capture the nuances of the characters that speak volumes about LIFE. Just read it.

I highly recommend No One Ever Asked. It is not light reading, but it is a necessary message and beacon in today’s world. We are all trying to figure out how to do this thing called life. We are all finding our places in God’s great plan. And, we are all called to LOVE one another with the kind of freedom only found in Christ.

Thank you to the publisher for the complimentary review copy. This is my honest and unsolicited review.

January 2, 2018 by Courtney @ The Green Mockingbird Blog

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 13 New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2017

It’s another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week’s official Top Ten Tuesday topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2017. I’m listing 13 instead, *just* because I can. And, because each of these authors deserve a spot on my list.

Some of these authors have been around a while and I just discovered/read them in 2017. And, some are delightfully new to the world of “official” inspirational fiction. After each author, you can visit my review for their book(s) and see what I have next to read from them on my actual shelves!

Top Ten Tuesday New to Me Authors

Mini Review: Life After by Katie Ganshert

It’s time for another mini review! I read this book in conjunction with a virtual book club on Facebook, The WaterBrook and Multnomah Summer Fiction Book Club. (Hint: they are reading 2 more books this summer… you can join any time!).

Life After by Katie Ganshert in roses.jpg

Life After by Katie Ganshert

About the book: It could have been me.

Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.

A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.

Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.

In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.

My Thoughts: This book deals with the long-reaching aftermath of an event that forever marks and changes two separate lives. Even with its hard subjects, though, it is written with a flowing style that is easy to read (and the characters! I just adored Paul’s kids, Reese and Tate). It is profound in its simultaneous complexity and simplicity. I can easily recommend it to anyone, because everyone can relate: we’ve all asked “Why? Why do horrible, evil things happen in this world? Where is the hope, the divine plan?” Through the separate perspectives of Autumn and Paul, a bigger and intersecting picture of LIFE with all its joy, loss, and potential for happiness is revealed –and life can be a wonderfully unexpected masterpiece.