After failed attempts in the science and art club, Savvy hopes to break into the Wexburg Times clique by misrepresenting her writing experience. As the title of Sandra Byrd’s newest teen fiction book states, Savvy is Asking for Trouble.

Savvy tries to plead her case, but the cute Editor, Jack, isn’t sure that her American sense of humor and style will reach the students at Wexburg. A chance to write an anonymous column just might give Savvy the popularity she’s coveted.

Or will it?

Asking for Trouble is the first book in Byrd’s new London Confidential series. I think this will be a great series for tweens and younger teens. Savvy is wrestling with some pretty tough issues. Feeling forgotten by her friends back home, trying to fit into a new culture, struggling in her relationship with God, and fighting temptation (and losing) to portray herself as someone she’s not. Many readers will relate to Savvy and the difficulties she faces, even if they’ve never left their hometown.

I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in the series to see how Savvy continues to adjust to her new life.

Thanks to Tyndale House for allowing me to read this fun book.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

In Fences, the Janviers are the perfect family with the beautiful home and “white picket fence” lifestyle. Neil is a financial advisor who spends his spare time making exquisite furniture that he gives away. His wife, Amanda, is a reading teacher. Their children, Chase and Delcey are All-American teenagers. Yet beneath the perfect facade, secrets are weighing down on Neil, Amanda and Chase. Their family foundation is beginning to crack.

Enter Amanda’s niece, Tally. Tally’s father has disappeared. Amanda agrees to take Tally in to their home, not expecting that the girl’s visit will change her family forever.

Meissner has crafted another touching story, filled with characters who cause us to consider our motives as parents and to examine our hurts, and who remind us that no family is perfect.

Thanks to Waterbrook Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this thought-provoking book.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

Instead, she woke up to a nightmare. Life, without her legs.

Life, In Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice is Kristen’s story of surviving her suicide attempt and much more. Kristen recounts the events of her life that led her to such drastic measures, and the hope she found as she learned to deal with the aftermath of her choice.

Told with brutal (and sometimes quite graphic) honesty, Kristen’s story isn’t an easy read. It is heartbreaking and eye-opening. It’s the true life tale of a young woman who will struggle every day for the rest of her life because of a rash decision she made as a teenager. And, as the title indicates, it is a reminder that God can use even our worst mistakes for His glory.

I cannot thank the people at Waterbrook Multnomah enough for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

Never Say Never is the third book in Lisa Wingate’s series about the small Texas town. I reviewed the first, Talk of the Town, here. I reviewed the second (and equally delightful) installment, Word Gets Around, here. Although they’re a series, each book stands alone well.

In Never Say Never, Wingate lets one of my favorite characters, Donetta (who reminds me a litte of Truvy in Steel Magnolias), take turns narrating with Kai Miller. Kai is a drifter who crosses Donetta’s path as they flee from a hurricane. When Kai lands in Daily and meets Donetta’s handsome nephew, Kemp, sparks fly.

Meanwhile, Donetta tries to hide her disappointment that her husband, Ronald, left on a fishing trip while she battled a hurricane to get home. But she’s got her hands full with feeding hurricane evacuees, trying to push Kai and Kemp together, and scheming against archenemy Betty Prine.

Wingate has written wonderful characters who make me laugh and cry. Returning to Daily was like visiting old friends. I hope Wingate takes us back again.

Thanks to the staff at Bethany House for allowing me to review this great summer read.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

This was a book I couldn’t put down.

The main character, Christy Williams, has a checkered past that’s kept her from going home to see the sister she left behind ago after their parents died. May hasn’t seen Christy in 15 years, and doesn’t even know if her sister is still alive. The sisters couldn’t be more different. May has a close-knit set of friends and Jesus. Christy is an alcholic with an abusive boyfriend and buried secrets that are eating her alive.

A stolen first edition of an Ernest Hemingway novel is about to force a reunion that neither sister is quite prepared for.

Thicker than Blood is a gripping read. I can hardly wait for the sequel, Bound by Guilt, due out in 2011.

Thanks to the folks at Tyndale House for allowing me to review this fantastic book.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

A couple of years ago, I woke up to the fact that my family was living a life of too much. Too much stuff and too much debt. My husband and I decided it was time to make a change. We started purging our home of unimportant clutter and began working toward paying off the debt. We didn’t realize it, but we were preparing for his unemployment.

Since we learned my husband would be losing his job, we’ve worked even harder to be frugal. I’ve read many books and blogs on that subject. The most recent being Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style by Marjorie Harris.

To be honest, most books on frugality are the same. The bottom line is to spend less than you make (something our culture has been slow to learn). Thrifty is different because, while the information itself is nothing new, Harris offers wit and wisdom for building a life that’s thrifty, yet valuable.

…what we lost in our rush to acquire more material goods and status symbols was how to value what we already have. The push to be bigger and better was part of the whole ethos of what describes success, and we lost our handle on just how much is enough.

Harris also points out that thrifty people are often mislabeled as cheap.

Thrift is so muddled with the idea of cheapness that it’s a source of great irritation to frugal types. Cheap is someone who buys based only on price…The rules of thrift aren’t meant to develop a stingy quality; indeed, it should bring on a feeling of well-being rather than deprivation.

Thrifty is filled with ideas for thrifty cooking (Harris even includes a few thrifty recipes), entertaining, travel, and home keeping. She concludes the book with her 20 most important tips for thrifty living.

If you’re looking for a different approach on the… well, let’s face it… sometimes boring subject of saving money, Thrifty is definitely worth a look.

Melissa has been captivated by books as long as she can remember. She’s living a thrifty yet valuable life in Virginia, and blogs at Breath of Life.

Denise and Craig have it all. Two sons, a big house, luxury cars. Craig serves a deacon in their church. Denise is a dutiful wife. Yet underneath, their marriage is crumbling. The story opens with Craig announces that he’s skipping church and taking a hike to unwind from the pressures of his career as a dentist. Denise nags, then reluctantly agrees. She’s unaware that Craig doesn’t plan to come home. During the worship service, she receives a call from the police informing her that there’s been a terrible car accident.

There are a lot of unknowns about the wreck. At the top on the list is the identity of the man with Craig. The stranger died at the scene. Denise tries to sort things out while Craig lies in a drug-induced coma. As the questions swirl in her mind, she tries to remain strong for her sons and her husband. It’s almost more than she can bear. And then Craig wakes up.

He’s thankful for the beautiful woman caring for him. She’s kind, gentle and caring. He just doesn’t know who she is. The doctors believe the amnesia is a temporary reaction to the trauma. Denise works to help Craig find his memory, only to discover an affair and an empty bank account. Is his amnesia a farce to cover his betrayal, or will it give the couple a second chance at happiness?

The Familiar Stranger is Berry’s first novel. I hope it won’t be her last. This book is full of twists and unexpected turns. The duel narrative was well written, and offered insight into both characters. It’s an intense, satisfying read.

A big thanks to the wonderful people at Moody Publishers for allowing me to review this book.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.

Told by Denver Moore and Ron Hall in alternating chapters, Same Kind of Different As Me chronicles the friendship forged between a black homeless man and a white wealthy art dealer. Denver spent the first twenty-odd years of his life in proverbial slavery on a cotton plantation (in 20th century America). He finally decides to strike out on his own, and hops a train to Texas. After years on the street, he comes to a mission where Ron and his wife later volunteer. Ron’s wife Deborah is the catalyst behind their relationship, which teaches both men how to look beyond stereotypes of others and to break out of those that define them.

If you’ve been under the same rock as I’ve been, let me urge you to find a copy of Same Kind of Different As Me and read it immediately. It will change your life. It certainly changed mine, which is why I’m classifying it as a 5-Star Read.

Melissa has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember. She resides in Virginia and blogs at Breath of Life.