Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, not Food

by Lysa TerKeurst
Scott County Library audiobook 5 CDs
read by Jill Brennan
genre: Non-fiction self-help healthy eating

I only listened to two chapters of this book, though I really like Lysa TerKeurst a lot! It simply isn't the right book for me right now. Five years ago, this would have been perfect! I love the idea that God designed us to crave Him. I think I'll look for other audiobooks by her.

The Medallion

by Cathy Gohlke
Scott County Library paperback 400 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

This was our last month's book club book, but I just finished it! Part of the reason it was a slow read for me is that it is yet another book dealing with the horrors of the Holocaust. It's so difficult to read a fictional story about people and events that really happened in such an awful chapter of human history. It is a worthwhile read, but a very sad one.

Main characters:
Sophie (British, but married to a Polish fighter pilot - for the RAF - and stuck in Warsaw at the start of WWII)
Janek (her husband)
Rosa (Jewish and Polish, mother to Ania)
Itzhak (Rosa's husband, an electrician, also Jewish and Polish)
Matka (Rosa's mother)

I won't summarize much. Warsaw, Poland. WWII. Nazis. Cruelty to the point of sheer evil. Starvation. Deprivations. Death.

The medallion is a Tree of Life necklace that Itzhak gave to Rosa on their wedding day. When Rosa sends her toddler Ania away with Irena Sendler to try to save her life, she breaks the tree in half, intending to reunite the necklace along with her family after the war.

Page 357 - "I can handle this on my own. There is nothing I can't handle - just leave me alone."
"We're not meant to handle life alone, Sophie. It's too hard, too unpredictable, too messy and big. There is One who is willing and ready to help, to travel with us, if we let Him."
I love this scene! We don't get to know Carrie very well, but she has wise advice for her friend Sophie.

Page 371 - "What should I do, Lord? Not what do I want, this time, but what should I do? I can't do this alone - and I shouldn't." Finally! Sophie takes a long time to get to this point, but when she trusts the Lord, the situation changes.

Author's note, page 405 - "The Medallion is a reminder to help when help is needed, regardless of the cost to ourselves."

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

by Katarina Bivald
Scott County Library audiobook 10CDs
read by Fiona Hardingham and Lorelei King
genre: realistic fiction

There were things I really enjoyed about this book and others I disliked a lot. Overall, I'm glad I "read" it.

Some quick observations:

• Sara (pronounced "Saara") was such a wussy! Get a spine, girl!
• horrible accents for Iowa . . . they sounded western / Southern . . . just wrong for the Midwest
• interesting characters 
• interviewing people together . . . typically police and others interview one person at a time to see if they can catch inconsistencies. I get why this worked in a literary sense, but it didn't seem realistic at all.

The biggest negative for me in this book had to do with Amy (via letters) and Sara and others having such a negative and misguided perception of who God is. Their attitude about religion, the Bible, and God was as though any person should obviously believe it's all worthless. It made me sad. Even Caroline, who cared about being a Christian, was stereotypically written and changed into what the author portrayed as enlightened at the end. It made me sad.

I loved the literary allusions and the entire genesis of the book store. I cared most about some of the minor characters and definitely felt as though this could be a real place.

Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool
read by Jenna Lamia, with Cassandra Campbell and Kirby Heyborne
Scott County Library audiobook, 8 CDs
genre: YA historical fiction

The historical fiction in this story went between "present day" 1930s Kansas in the grip of the Depression and WWI as depicted in letters and stories. It's placed in the small town of Manifest, Kansas, and is peopled by fascinating characters.

Abilene (made me smile, having recently finished with The Help) is a 12 year old girl who has lived the lifestyle of a hobo with her dad, Gideon, until he sends her to Manifest.

Miss Sadie
Hattie Mae
Sister Redempta
Shady
Ned
Jinx

"There is power in a story" is one line from the book that I jotted down. I think the power of this book is that very real power in stories . . . there is much that is believable and relatable in the stories of people's lives, even fictional ones.

I'm not sure how I would "sell" this book to middle schoolers. If they are fans of historical fiction, that is one easy angle. Another is the mystery of who "The Rattler" is and how the kids ferret out that information. There are also plenty of kid adventures as Abilene and her new friends explore the area around Manifest.

This is a delightful story (Ned and Jinx were my favorites) and the vocal work is excellent.