Welcome to my first post for Blogging for Books, a program through WaterBrook Multnomah. On the occasional Wednesday, I will be posting my thoughts on books I receive from them - sometimes for children and sometimes for adults. I receive books in exchange for my honest feedback.
My first book that I randomly picked, Be Still My Soul, not only kept me up late at night when I wanted to read “just one more chapter” but also brought tears to my eyes throughout the last chapters. I owe that to the amazing storytelling abilities of Joanne Bischof and her keen sense of details and her character’s emotions. I’ve come to know Joanne in the last few weeks through the blogosphere and can honestly say that she is quite an author and a kind soul. Stop by her website and find out more about her and her writing.
Be Still My Soul is the story of Lonnie and Gideon, two young residents of the Appalachian hills in the early 1900's. Brought together by a first kiss and an unplanned and unwanted marriage, the two begin a life together. Their marriage is one that is filled with uncertainty by Lonnie, anger by Gideon and the lack of love by both. But as Gideon determines to find a fresh start, they journey far away from home, only to discover an older couple who sees in them what no one else could. Only time will tell if Lonnie’s faith and Gideon’s fresh start can bring their hearts together as one.
Be Still My Soul truly is a story of forgiveness and redemption. The trials and joys that Lonnie and Gideon face are very realistic and their reactions to what life throws in their paths are what makes this book such a page-turner. Joanne doesn’t mince words and shows exactly how cruel and harsh the world can be, but at the same time also shows how the hard times help us grow and mature and come to a fuller understanding and appreciation of the good that happens in life as well.
I can’t wait for the next chapter in Lonnie and Gideon’s life, and luckily I won’t have to wait for long. The next book in the Cadence of Grace Series, Though My Heart is Torn, will be released this spring.
Currently two different giveaways are running where you can enter to win a copy of Be Still My Soul. Click on the book in Goodreads and enter the giveaway drawing or visit Joanne's Author Facebook page and enter to win her giveaway package.