EFR REVIEWS

  Something Worth Doing In 1853, Abigail Scott was a 19-year-old school teacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When financial mistakes and an injury force Ben to stop working, Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family. What she sees as a working woman appalls her, and she devotes her life to fighting for the rights of women, including their right to vote. Following Abigail as she bears six children, runs a millinery and a private school, helps on the farm, writes novels, gives speeches, and eventually runs a newspaper supporting women's suffrage,  Something Worth Doing  explores issues that will resonate strongly with modern women: the pull between career and family, finding one's place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices women encounter when they compete in male-dominated spaces. Bas...

schoolhouse icon Ok, we're going to be doing the series talk a little flipped this time around. Prior to Book #2 being sent to me for review, I somehow missed that this was part of a series. So I'll go ahead and discuss Book 2 now, I have Book 1 on order, we'll come back to it shortly. From what I've read so far, it seems like this is one that does have light crossover with characters, but for the most part can easily be read as standalone works. But anyway, to start....  UNTIL I MET YOU (RESTORING HERITAGE #2) When she hears that the small town of Heritage, Michigan, is looking for a new librarian, Libby Kingsley jumps at the opportunity. Little did she know the library is barely more than a storage closet stuffed with dusty, outdated books. What the community really needs is a new building. But the only funds available are those being channeled into the new town square, and the landscape architect in charge of the project wants nothing to do with her plans. All Austi...

  THE OTHER MRS Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie. But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light. **Potential Trigger Warning : child abuse and suicide repeatedly mentioned throughout this novel; detailed descriptions of hanging death ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ After getting news of the death of his sister, Will Foust and wife Sadie, along with their two sons, trade big city Chicago life for small-town island residency in Maine. The Fousts not only take over the care of...

ANN GABHART *As far as I know, these are the only two in the FNS series so far, but feel free to let me know  if there are, in fact, others.   Francine Howard has her life all mapped out until the soldier she planned to marry at WWII's end writes to tell her he's in love with a woman in England. Devastated, Francine seeks a fresh start in the Appalachian Mountains, training to be a nurse midwife for the Frontier Nursing Service.  Deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed at war, Ben Locke has never thought further ahead than making it home to Kentucky. His future shrouded in as much mist as his beloved mountains, he's at a loss when it comes to envisioning what's next for his life.  When Francine's and Ben's paths intersect, it's immediately clear that they are from different worlds and value different things. But love has a way of healing old wounds . . . and revealing tantalizing new possibilities. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ In the summer of 1945, wanting to distance her...

GOOD MAN One look at our cultural moment and it's easy to tell that men and their identities are in crisis. Though lost and fractured, men face the pressure to be perfect. Our reactionary society is quick to condemn and slow to forgive, leaving men more confused than ever about how to live and who to be. Yet in Scripture, we continually find God choosing to work in and through flawed, imperfect, and broken individuals. Men who had massive character flaws and significant moral failings, but who also shared one important characteristic: the desire to follow the call of their Creator.  With engaging personal stories and insight into biblical truths, Nathan Clarkson declares to today's man that he is more than what the culture is telling him he is--angry, selfish, predatory, violent, and bored. Instead, still on the journey himself, Nathan calls today's man to find his identity in the One who created him on purpose, for a purpose, and encourages him to live an honest, authentic...

Mapmaker & The Ghost Goldenrod Moram loves adventure, especially when it comes in the form of mapmaking. An avid fan of the legendary explorers Lewis and Clark, she decides to start her own exploring team, the Legendary Adventurers, and to spend her summer vacation discovering the unmapped forest right behind her home. This simple task is complicated by a series of unique events-a chance encounter with a mysterious old lady has her searching for a legendary blue rose. Another, more unfortunate, encounter lands her in the middle of a ragtag bunch of nicknamed ruffians. Throw in the trapped spirit of Meriwether Lewis himself and her well-meaning but nuisance of a little brother, and Goldenrod Moram is in for the quest of a lifetime . . . ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Adventure-loving Goldenrod Moram has a passion for cartography, an interest she shares with best friend Charla. Goldenrod is feeling pretty stuck in life once summer arrives. Charla's family has moved a state away and Goldenrod is groun...

SMILE TRILOGY Smile The true story of how Raina severely injured her two front teeth when she was in the sixth grade, and the dental drama that followed! Sisters Raina can't wait to be a big sister. Amara is cute, but she's also cranky and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years... can they figure out how to get along? Guts Raina has tummy trouble, and it seems to coincide with her worries about food, school, family, and changing friendships. A thoughtful, charming, and funny true story about growing up and gathering the courage to face -- and eventually conquer -- fear. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ In this graphic memoir set in the early 90s in San Francisco, author Raina Telgemeier illustrates herself as a 6th grader who takes a bad fall (courtesy of a friend not paying attention) during a Girl Scouts meet-up one night. Raina ends up with two severely damaged front teeth. While her mom had been discussing the possibility of braces prior to t...