SECRETS OF THE NILE by Tasha Alexander If you love the mystery and romance of Egypt then you will love Tasha Alexander's most recent Lady Emily Mystery, Secrets of the Nile. Book 16 in the series, Lady Emily and her husband Colin find themselves swept up in the mysterious poisoning of a family friend while visiting the Pharaoh's playground of the past. Alternating chapters have us in 1904 and then flashback to the days of artisans preparing the fantastic tombs for Pharaohs. A connecting thread spans the years and helps shed light on some troubling circumstances. If you are new to the Lady Emily series you will want to start with book 1, but don't despair! They are a wonderful historical fiction series that are hard to put down, and you will be set on summer reading material! HEADS UP- Lady Emily is a very passionate woman who is deeply in love with her husband. With that being said there are many mentions of the couple spending quality time together with no intimate details throughout the series. There are periodic mentions of affairs, again, with no intimate details. Overall this series remains clean and full of world traveling adventures. Highly recommend!

STALIN: RUSSIA'S MAN OF STEEL by Albert Marrin This is not an easy read. Beautiful Feet's book Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel by Albert Marrin absolutely broke my heart. In our current typical study of history we tend to learn a lot more about Hitler and the horrible crimes he committed. Stalin, not so much. The atrocities he committed against his own people are almost unspeakable. Notice I said almost, because if history can teach us anything it should be about the actions that should never be forgotten so they can never be repeated. Men, women, and children destroyed so many times due to paranoia and the covering of sins. How evil, selfish, and so very worthless. I find myself trying to make this book's lessons applicable to myself. What can I learn from these words, this life, the choices that were made? Leadership equals responsibility. No matter how big or little your sphere of leadership is, it should always be to the betterment and care of others. What other point is there to genuine leadership? Why have a leader if not for those reasons? Ironically, as I write this I am listening to my son's basketball practice. The coach is constantly calling to the boys to encourage them to better themselves, to work together as a team for the ultimate success of the team. His tone can lift them or break them in a moment. And I can't leave this post without mentioning Christ. The ultimate leader who gave his very life for us. We could have no better example. You are a leader in some form. It may be in your home, church, work, coaching, etc. Be a worthy leader. HEADS UP- This book contains a lot of death. While the scenes are not gory, it is emotional. Know also that cannibalism is mentioned.

PICTURE BOOKS FOR MOMS OF BOYS For all of you boy moms out there! I had 3 girls, then a boy, then 1 more girl. My boy's no longer a little guy, but fully in the beginning of his teenage years. I'm finding with each day that passes I'm looking straighter across into his face instead of down. He gets sweaty and his socks may have a slight odor to them called eau de boy. But when he was little I came across a sweet book called Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms by Christine Cole MacLean. We read that book a lot, and it MIGHT have been for the sole reason that I wanted to implant the idea in his head that his momma loved his hugs and no sweat or stink or age would alter that! A few months ago I came across a self published book written by a mother to her son. It's entitled If You Ever by Kaitlin Bishop. It reminded me of my Firefighter book in that it portrays the fierce love of a mother for her son. In this case, Bishop knows her son is a born adventurer, and she reminds him in poetic form of all the ways she'll help him, and that she can't wait for him to come back and share his journeys with her! As a mom who can testify to how fast time goes with your kids, I pray this is the case with all of them, but for now, I'm going to sit on the rocker with him and read him this book. Then kick him off quickly, because my legs will be numb! On a side note, Bishop does all her own illustrations which gives the book that extra bit of sweetness.

REALLY TRULY by Heather Vogel Frederick If you have been following this page for any length of time, you know that I really like the Pumpkin Falls Mystery Series (aka Absolutely Truly and Yours Truly) by Heather Vogel Frederick. I recently finished the third book, Really Truly, as a read aloud to the family. I had held off reading it out loud until it warmed up outside. (The first 2 are set in winter in New Hampshire.) This one deals with summer vacation and camp, so despite the very loud, verbal protests from the family, I made them wait until Ohio was experiencing sunny days and warmer temps. Truly finds herself wrapped up in two mysteries this time while away at Mermaid Academy (the worst place she could ever be in her opinion). The first has to do with a sentimental trophy from Pumpkin Falls that is stolen and the second has to do with pirates and the possibility of buried treasure. Learning to swim like a mermaid while knee deep in mysteries away from home isn't how Truly planned on spending the summer, but valuable lessons are learned about revenge and lying to one's parents. Besides the mystery element, what makes the Truly series so engaging is that Truly is a bit of an awkward girl. (Do you remember that age?) She sticks out due to her height when she would rather blend in and her plans often times have a way of going askew. All these things make her not only believable but relatable. I will stick a little end note on here. If I am being brutally honest this was my least favorite of the 3 books so far. It is still good and worth the read, but I felt the storyline wasn't quite as smooth as the first 2 books. By the way, Book 4 will be out around the third week of August.

CLOAK OF THE LIGHT by Chuck Black This book really surprised me. If you are looking for a good spiritual warfare novel for your teens, this book is it! Cloak of the Light is the first in the Wars of the Realm series by Chuck Black.  Drew Carter has experienced loss in his life. Heavy duty loss. Then his best friend asks for his help on a college science experiment, and it explodes leaving him blinded. Drew begins to try to adapt to a new way of life, but he has no idea how different his life is going to become. Miraculously, his eyesight is restored over time, but with it comes some added abilities including the ability to see in another dimension. What Drew thinks he is seeing are aliens, but they are really demons and angels and the effect of spiritual warfare going on around him. As an unsaved young man who has often blown off the idea of God and Christ, his life is in great danger. This book is brilliantly written and is a great reminder of the warning that Ephesians 6:12-13 gives us. We are not battling against the flesh with what we encounter in this world, but against principalities. Putting on our armor needs to be a daily occurrence! As a former F-16 pilot and tactical communications engineer, Chuck Black knows his military "stuff!" The jargon and battle scene descriptions are very descriptive, but not bloody or gory. Highly recommend!

BIRDSONG by Julie Flett Changes in life are never easy, no matter the age. As I closed the cover to Julie Flett's Birdsong, I took a minute to reflect over my own life and the good things that have come out of some of the biggest (and hardest) changes. One of those changes was the beginning of this Facebook group. During COVID I lost one of my closest friends. There are only a few in a lifetime that know you inside and out and are willing to get down in the muck with you. She was one of them. She was also my book buddy. Every time we talked we shared about what we were reading. Instead of trying to find a new person to start a book relationship with, I started this group. I enjoy reading the comments you guys leave. I also enjoy running into you all while I'm out and about and stopping to chat about books. My friend will always hold a special place in my heart, but the Lord has allowed my circle to grow. SPOILER ALERT Julie Flett's Birdsong takes us through some life changes for a mother and daughter. We don't know if the mother is a single mother, or if a divorce has happened, or a recent death. There's just change. This is manifested in a major move away from a sea of water to a sea of grass. Initially, the girl loses her love of drawing. It is because of this and because of the picture of the mother and daughter sleeping together that I get a vibe that there has been a loss. The book takes us through the seasons of the year. Through these seasons, an elderly neighbor becomes a friend, and life begins again in a new direction. Time is spent together. Memories are made. Art begins again. Then we hit a point where the neighbor becomes sick and is not recovering. The girl makes a special gift of her art to her friend. As she says goodbye to her you wonder if her friend is dying. The book never answers that for us, but as the girl goes back home to her mother she is so thankful for her friendship. This book is beautiful! Not only are the illustrations soft and muted giving an air of quiet and healing, But the girl and her mother are Cree Indians. Several Cree words are included in the text. There is a glossary for pronunciation on the first page.

SQUISHED by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter I don't normally post on the weekends, but after not being able to squeeze a post in yesterday due to a busy day, here goes. Squished is the newest graphic novel by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter. (This is the same duo that wrote Allergic.) Avery Lee is 11-years-old and has six siblings. Between the title of the book and my opening sentence, I think you have a pretty good idea where this is going! She's feeling "squished" or maybe we should say "lost" within her own family. There's a lot of responsibility helping to care for her younger siblings. Her relationship with her older brother (whom she used to be close to) is a little rough. She desires a room of her own for a little peace and quiet and a space to do her art. Now, her mom has just announced she's going back to work and interviewing for a job on the other side of the country. Avery is definitely feeling "squished." This isn't where we start to bash large families. (In case you haven't caught on, I have 5 kids!) In fact, I have known kids to feel lost in families of 2s and 3s for many reasons. While the love and strong family bonds are felt from the start of this book, there is a definite point where Avery turns a corner and realizes the value of her family, difficulties and all. It's a great lesson learned. HEADS UP- Just a couple of minor bumps. At one point Avery mutters that she hates her brother. She is also gets in to an argument with her mother. Both are resolved and relationships restored.

PALACE OF BOOKS by Patricia Polacco I had to really improvise on the picture today! I meant to take this book's picture about the importance of the library in a little girl's life in front of our hometown library when we stopped in to pick up books. Today is the kick off of our library's reading program, so my daughter stocked up with 44 books. I don't know what I was thinking letting her bring that many home, but here we are, and the book got its picture taken with her stack! Patricia Polacco's Palace of Books is the newest edition to her wonderful collection of picture books of events in her life growing up. Polacco shares the journey of the time right after her grandmother passed away and her grandfather sells the farm. Patricia, her mother, and brother move to Battle Creek, Michigan. There she discovers a building that resembles a palace that is the local library. What follows is the ability of a girl to settle into her community with the help of books and birds! As always Polacco does an amazing job in her storytelling and artwork. She continues to solidify my love of her books!

THE WORM FAMILY HAS ITS PICTURE TAKEN by Jennifer Frank and David Ezra Stein As we enter into graduation, vacation, and wedding season the cameras are a-clicking! This hilarious picture book entitled The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken by Jennifer Frank and David Ezra Stein is the perfect read for this time of year! When the Worm family decides to have a family picture taken, oldest daughter Emma is concerned that their picture won't look very good because they don't have the same physical characteristics (teeth, hair, clothes, etc) as their friends who have had beautiful family photos taken. So she puts together costumes to help them look like other families. The result is that it backfires, but something special happens that just the worms can do! This picture book does not feel like a social issue book. This picture book feels like the fact that so many times we try and make our families do and be mirror images of the families around us by how we dress, look, etc. When kept in this light, we can celebrate the creativity that God has in making us unique.

FREEWATER by Amina Luqman-Dawson I have a confession to make. I wasn't overly excited at reading Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson initially. I picked it up solely because it was this year's Newberry winner. This one pleasantly surprised me with a fresh take on slavery in the south and the quest for freedom. We've all heard the amazing stories of daring escapes made by slaves to find freedom in the north. But did you know that some slaves escaped and made their way deep into the swamp lands not far from the plantations they ran from? Communities were set up and freedom found even in the deep south. Freewater is the fictional story of one such place. Homer and his sister escape from Southerland Plantation to the swamp sanctuary of Freeland, but their mother is left behind. Unable to live with this, Homer sets out with some help from his new friends in a daring attempt to rescue his mother from Southerland. HEADS UP- Obviously this book is dealing with slavery, so there is mention of whippings, one character is missing several fingers, and family separation is common. There are two times where the characters thank the earth for her provision. We miss the entire spiritual side that is so often intertwined with the slaves.

THE LIBRARIAN SPY by Madeline Martin I am quickly becoming a Madeline Martin fan. It was her fabulous book The Last Bookshop in London that got me started on The Count of Monte Cristo. Now I've just completed my second book of hers entitled The Librarian Spy. There are so many things I want to say about this book, but let's just start with this book is squeaky clean. There wasn't a word or a scene that needed flipped past! Next, Martin is spectacular at bringing other literature into her books. As mentioned earlier, Last Bookshop contained references to other works including The Count of Monte Cristo. The Librarian Spy does the same. The Librarian Spy is set during WWII and initially follows two storylines. The first is following Elaine in France while under Nazi occupation. Following members of the Resistance who are sending coded messages through printing you really get a feel for what they were going through and how their lives were in constant danger. The second storyline is following Ava in Lisbon who is working as a spy trying to decode messages and pass information along to the Allies. The two stories eventually come together in a single thread. I am really going to tiptoe around the details, because I don't want to give away any of the story. Just know that Martin is a master at developing her characters. You know them. It is as if you were a part of the two groups. Unfortunately, since this is a war story, there is tragedy. I will end with this. If you are a historical fiction fan, you will want to add this to your reading pile! HEADS UP- Be prepared for some torture. While not bloody, it is gut-punching.

THE ADVENTRUES OF PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren. Illustrated by Michael Chesworth. Are you an anthology book person or no? In general, I am. It's interesting, but there is some debate in the lit world as to anthologies or not. There are some understandable thoughts to this debate - heaviness of the book and sometimes the loss of illustrations. If there is a serious loss of illustrations, I will opt for the individual books. When we are traveling I like to visit bookstores (*surprise*). Bookstores are so different from each other especially when they are privately owned. You never know what you might find, and it can be based on the likes/dislikes of the owner! (Sure you're going to find best sellers no matter what, but it's the unexpected gems I'm talking about!) One of my girls seriously loved Ramona Quimby books. We read them, and I laughingly told her not to adopt Ramona's habits! From there we graduated to Pippi Longstocking. When she stumbled upon a Pippi collection at one of these bookstores it was very quickly brought to my attention with some persuasive words as to why we needed to bring it home. Since then the book has been very loved. It is also helping this girl build her upper arm muscles. I have mentioned Pippi Longstocking before when I read Pippi in the South Seas out loud. If you need a book with some down right rascaliness (my word), Pippi has you covered. This little girl who isn't afraid to tackle anything (sharks, robbers, etc) will keep you in stitches. Just know that she does outrageous things, but it's the absurdity of these things that is so humorous.