Archive | October 2024

The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart

Oct3

Tell It To The Worms

The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart is a powerful dual timeline novel that I loved.

The book is set in present day and 1945 after the war has ended. The time periods are linked by a family and an old diary.

We see the devastation that loss causes. World War II ripped families apart but in present day, a dreadful accident sees a young widow and her young sons try to make sense of a senseless loss. Everyone processes loss differently. We ‘hear’ the raw pain as a young widow exclaims “Why did you leave me? … I can’t forgive you this because you aren’t … here to forgive.” She feels alone but she has family who walk beside her. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you.” The reader ‘feels’ the warmth and love of the extended family.

During World War II a friendship and camaraderie were formed amongst four young women who operated the ack ack guns. Their friendship would last a lifetime. They were bound together by love, and a secret that they would keep forever.

War changed the roles of women. “For her ‘freedom’ had been the war years.” As the men were away women stepped into their shoes. This created problems in the post war period as returning men and the older generation wanted to put the women back in their traditional boxes. “You can’t just pack the past away with your gas mask and your ration book and ‘go back to normal’ because normal is different too.” It is perfectly stated by a character, “Society wanted to slot us … back into our kitchen-shaped holes, but we’d grown and we weren’t going to shrink ourselves to fit back inside.” Society expected women to return to their old roles. “I’m not ‘a girl like me’ anymore – I’m a totally different girl. And I really like her!” The war changed lives in all sorts of ways.

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Set In Stone by Kimberley Woodhouse

Oct3

Safe In His Arms

Set In Stone by Kimberley Woodhouse is a simply marvellous Christian historical novel that I read in just two sittings. It is the second book in the Treasures Of The Earth series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Once more, the reader returns to the dinosaur wars of the late nineteenth century. The theme of paleontology is a major one. The debate between science and religion once more appears. The topics complement each other.

Running alongside the main theme is that of murder! We ‘hear’ the perpetrator’s voice and have to guess who it is. We see the dangers of letting wealth and power rule a life.

In contrast we follow a life lived with eyes fixed on Jesus. “He’d tried to … be the light of Jesus.” Jesus asks us to be His eyes and ears, hands and feet to a hurting world.

Having Jesus in our lives means that we can experience a peace despite our circumstances. “God sees your tears … And He hears your cries… Ask Him to help you in your life.” It is important to never lose sight of Jesus. “Even when the Lord feels farthest away, He is as close as the breath in your lungs.”

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The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse

Oct3

Lord Over All

The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse is a marvellous Christiaan historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the first book in the Treasures Of The Earth series which is going to be fabulous.

The novel is set in 1878 in Wyoming. It concerns the topic of paleontology, and especially women trying to break into this field. It was a very male dominated area and one into which females were very much disregarded. We join a father-daughter team who are both equally knowledgeable.

At the time that the book is set, there was a separation of science and religion in some minds. The lead characters realized that these two areas were not mutually exclusive but actually go hand in hand.

Life is a spiritual battle. We can have demons warring within us as well as around us. “Shut it out [the darkness]… grab onto the light.” The light will always defeat the darkness and we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We see that at His Name the demons will flee.

A character is tender-hearted, determined to see the goodness in everyone. Her light draws out the darkness. Her kindness is infectious.

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Maggie’s Red Circus Bus by Sue Wickstead

Oct2

Working Together

Maggie’s Red Circus Bus by Sue Wickstead is a most delightful book and just perfect for the under fives. The story has its’ roots in fact, as we learn from the back of the book.

The whole book is very colourful and appealing. The illustrations are full of detail and make perfect starting points for discussions with our children.

We see that the bus is at the heart of the community. It stands out as a bus but needs to be identified as a play bus. The children work together to decorate it.

Over a summer the children learn different circus skills, working towards a performance at the end of the summer.

The book teaches the importance of working together, learning new skills and how we are all part of our communities.

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