It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Darkness Calls the Tiger, the latest release from Jaynre Tromp. It’s set in Burma during World War II. That’s a new-to-me setting for Christian fiction, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in. … The post First Line Friday #336 | Darkness Calls the Tiger by Janyre Tromp appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

We considered this question around a year ago. (Click here to read my response.) A few different titles sprang to mind this year: two I’ve read and reviewed recently, two I’ve read and will review soon, and two I read years ago which feature my favourite US state: Hawai’i. The Roads We Follow by Nicole … The post Bookish Question #328 | Have you read a Christian novel that features a character on holiday? appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

In a departure from the two previous books in the Timeless series, For a Lifetime is told from two points of view: identical twins Grace and Hope. Both are time-crossers, with their consciousnesses living in two separate times: 1692 and 1912. They are both twenty-four years old, and the time is coming when they each … The post Book Review | For a Lifetime (Timeless #3) by Gabrielle Meyer appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m sharing from A Surefire Love, the first book in a new series by Emily Conrad. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One: What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?   About A … The post First Line Friday #335 | A Surefire Love (Many Oaks #1) by Emily Conrad appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

Interior designer Emma Reynolds is doing great after a bad year … until her twenty-week scan reveals her baby boy has semi-lobar holoprosencephaly, a brain abormality that causes seizures, developmental delays, diabetes, and other health problems. Despite the obvious challenges ahead, she is determined to keep her baby. EMT supervisor Ben Sullivan sees the distraught … The post Book Review | Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

Most of the time I read to be entertained, not to think. But some novels manage to do both at the same time, which is great. Kaleidoscpe Eyes by Karen Ball introduced me to synesthesia, which colours (literally) the way some people see. I wonder if this is where the New Age ideas around auras … The post Bookish Question #327 | What’s a novel that made you think? appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

Raegan Farrow is the much-younger sister of control freak Adele, who is the CEO of the family record label, and distraught and depressed Hattie, whose slimy ex has taken their two children to Greece for the summer to meet his much-younger fiancé’s family. Raegan also works for the family record label as general assistant and … The post Book Review | The Roads We Follow (Fog Harbor 2) by Nicole Deese appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from The Mapmaker’s Secret, the new release from Australian author Jennifer Mistmorgan. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One: What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?   About The Mapmaker’s … The post First Line Friday #334 | The Mapmaker’s Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

Does reading my own book count? I read that so many times while I was writing and editing. I honestly can’t say how many times. I can say that I didn’t read the whole book each time—I read as much as I had written, and moved forward from there. I’m currently following a similar process … The post Bookish Question #326 | What’s a book you’ve read more than three times? appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Emma’s Hero by debut author Carrie Walker. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One: What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?   About Emma’s Hero “God won’t give me … The post First Line Friday #333 | Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker appeared first on Iola Goulton ..read more