The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh

The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh

Newlyweds, John and Laura Foster have set sail on their honeymoon on the SS Vandervere from San Francisco to New York in 1857.  Somewhere near the Carolinas, they are overtaken by a hurricane and the ship begins to sink.  Fortunately, the women and children are rescued by a smaller ship but the men are forced to stay behind.  Some of the men find objects to use a life preservers or rafts but others drown and go down when the ship sinks to the deepest depths of the sea.  

Laura travels with the other survivors on the smaller ship in deep despair as she believes her new husband to be drowned and her future uncertain as John's family in New York doesn't even know about her.  

Meanwhile, John and hundreds of other men are floating in the sea for days on end with no water or food.  

I don't want to give away too much so if you want to know how each of them fair, then you'll have to read the book for yourself. This is the second book I have read by Dan Walsh.  The first being, The Reunion which I have also reviewed and loved.   I thoroughly enjoyed the Deepest Waters and I must say that Mr. Walsh has a unique and wonderful style of writing all his own.  I said this before but I believe he writes a story as if he is telling it to a friend which I most enjoy.  I haven't encountered this style before from any authors I have read. There is a Christian flair to the story along with love, hope, faith, and courage above all.

Published in April 2011 by Revell Publishers, The Deepest Waters is an 2012 ACFW Carol Awards Finalist and was based on the true story of the steamship SS Central America.  

Dear America: I Walk in Dread, The Diary of Deliverance Trembley Witness to the Salem Witch Trials by Lisa Rowe Fraustino

Dear America:  I Walk in Dread, The Diary of Deliverance Trembley Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1691 by Lisa Rowe Fraustino

The story unfolds through the eyes and voice of twelve year old Deliverance Trembley, an orphan in Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1691.  Deliverance, or Liv as we come to know her, lives with her seventeen year old sister, Mem, in the house of her uncle who has left them to go on a whaling expedition with instructions that they are not to tell anyone in the village that he is away.  

During his absence, Mem becomes ill and Liv must care for her as well as do all of the chores.  The girls try to attend church when they can.  One Sunday they learn that four girls from their church have become possessed and claim that some of the good ladies of Salem Village are witches and have cursed them and damned them to the devil.  Liv is friends with one of the accused but doesn't believe the good Christian woman she knows could possibly be a witch nor does she believe in witches.  

Soon, the town becomes privy to the fact the uncle has been away and threaten to take action for the orphans.  Fortunately, their brother Benjamin, who has been in the militia returns and saves the girls from an uncertain future.  

Meanwhile, the accused witches are tried and eventually convicted.

While Liv and her sister are fictional characters, most of the other characters are real and the events portrayed in the story are real and given to the best of the writers research and knowledge.

While, I hardly ever read children's books or young adult fiction, I loved this book!  I read the whole thing in one night. Ms. Fraustino really did her homework and gave us an historical ride through the times and lives of the people during the Salem Witch Trials.  I can't wait to read more of the books in her Dear America series!  

Published in 2011 by Scholastic Books.

The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson

The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson with Mark Schlabach

If you love their show, Duck Dynasty, you will absolutely love this book.  

Willie and Korie, along with the rest of the Robertson family, own and run the multi-million dollar company Duck Commander where they make and sell duck hunting products.  This book is their story.

We learn the roots and secrets of the Robertson family that are not portrayed on the show.  Phil was pursuing a college education and played football and had a teaching degree but gave it up to hunt ducks and once left his family but eventually he found God and thankfully his wife, Ms. Kay, forgave him and accepted him back into their lives.  Phil invented the double reed duck call and that is how Duck Commander got it's start.  Phil and Kay ran Duck Commander out their home for years. 

We also learn of the childhoods of the family members, specifically Willie and Korie.  They didn't come from the same backgrounds but they learned to use both to their advantage.  They went to college, married, had kids, and eventually took over the family business Duck Commander and later opened a second branch called Buck Commander where they sell deer hunting accessories.  

And finally we learn of the failures and successes of each person in the family, their faith in God, their hopes for the future, and their passionate love for family and ducks, and food!!  They love food and there are quite a few family recipes in the book.

I love these guys.  My husband and I watch every episode and even watch the mini-marathons when they come on.  We also have some of the episodes recorded on our DVR.  If we are feeling down we put it on.  It seems to take you away from your worries and troubles for just a little while and is sure to make you laugh.  We all know laughter is good for the soul!  

One of my favorite Bible verses from the book is this:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty   I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. 

- PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13

My favorite character from the show is Ms. Kay.  I just love Ms. Kay.  I want to give her hug and help her cook.  I also want to try her cornbread.  I'm going to give it a try asap!  

Published in October 2012 by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Reunion by Dan Walsh

The Reunion by Dan Walsh is a story of an Vietnam veteran who has been all but forgotten.  After returning home from Vietnam, Aaron Miller loses everything, his family, his home and his old life as he struggles with depression while the whole country turns their backs on the war and the soldiers who fought in it.  Aaron turns to the streets and drugs and alcohol.  After several years he finds God and gets himself cleaned up but his family still refuses to accept him.  

Dave Russo is a reporter who is writing a book about Vietnam vets.  He contacts a famous vet to interview him for the book but the vet, John Lansing, tells Dave that the story should not be about him but about a war buddy who had saved the lives of three men in their platoon and who had won the Congressional Metal of Honor.  His name was Aaron Miller.  John and his two buddies insist that Dave find Aaron and bring him to their reunion. 

Dave agrees to search for Aaron and is excited about including such a hero in his book.  But what he doesn't know is that his life and the rest of the men's lives will be forever changed.  Especially Aaron Miller.  

Dan Walsh pens a story as if he is telling it to his best friend. There is heartbreak, love, and faith and eventually hope which will pull at your heartstrings throughout.  The book left me with such a good feeling that I highly recommend it. I couldn't put it down.  I love a good book that captures your interest right away and captivates you until it's all you can think about until it's finished.  I cried and I laughed. I really loved it!  I hope you check it out!

Published in September 2012 by Revell.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

For One More Day by Mitch Albom is the story of a mother and son and the relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond.  

Charley "Chick" Benetto was told by his father that he could either be a mommy's boy or a daddy's boy and of course he chooses to be a daddy's boy playing baseball and spending most his time with his father until one day his father leaves home unexpectedly.  Chick grows up with just his mom and sister but has irrefutable damage to his psyche due to the divorce and becomes a bad husband, a bad father and an all around broken man who is even shunned by his own family.

He begins drinking heavily and one day decides to just end it all and commit suicide by driving his car off an embankment and into a billboard sign but his plan goes awry and he is thrown from the car and knocked unconscious.  While unconscious, he gets a visit from the spirit of his dead mother where he learns of things about her life and the sacrifices she has made for him.

What would we all give for just One More Day with a loved one?  I have personally wished for it many times.

Published in 2006 by Hyperion, For One More Day, despite mixed reviews from critics, made it to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list. 

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray is a novel about Clover, a mom in her early fifties whose family never looks at her face.  They speak to her and have meals with her but they never actually see her.  This predicament becomes evident when she wakes up one day and she is gone.  She literally disappears.   And if that's not bad enough, weeks go by before her family members, particularly her husband, even notice.  Luckily, her neighbor  and best friend Marjorie, notices right away dismissing her feelings of insanity.   Clover goes about her days as usual, unnoticed by the general public until one day she finds an ad in the paper for an "Invisible Women's Club" which she attends and learns that her invisibility is caused by certain medications she has been taking.  

The Invisible women then form a plan to force the pharmaceutical company to take the meds off the market and research a cure for their newfound disease.  

This book is insanely humorous and reflects the feeling of being invisible by most middle aged women who feel overlooked or faded into the background.  I liked it very much. 

Published in 2012 by Crown Publishing.  Go read it!

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom is a story about the meaning of time and the first man who tries to measure it.  

It's the beginning of the history of man, when Dor, a young boy, discovers time and invents the world's first clock.  But such a discovery comes with a price and not only is he banished from his town for a time but he is also punished by God and sent to live in a cave for centuries where he must hear the voices of all who desire more years, more days, more minutes....

Eventually he is offered a chance to redeem himself by saving the souls of two earthly people, one who wants to end her life and the other who wants to live forever.  And so he appears in modern times with an hourglass that when turned upside down, can stop time and attempts to save these lives and in turn end his eternal curse. 

This book is fantastic and the characters are likable and relatable as well.  It's a fast paced page turner and I liked it very much.  Another great story from Mitch Albom.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be.” 

“There is a reason God limits man's days.” 

“When you are measuring life, you are not living it.”