The Saturday Six

One.

Listen here

One of my favorite authors came back to the Conversation Cafe this week! That's right! I had a repeat guest! :) Erica Wiggenhorn is a name you've heard often around here because I happen to love her Bible studies! Her brand new book on the second half of Acts, The Unexplainable Church released from Moody last month and is the topic of this week's conversation. Erica is fun and passionate for the Lord. Take a listen!

Two.

Did you see this article about the couple who met in preschool and ended up getting married? SO SWEET! (Obviously the marriage was several years after preschool.) But they knew even all the way back then. Swoon.

Three.

A few weeks ago, I linked to a video done by Voices of Lee, and they've done another one that I think is really powerful. (I actually like it better than the original version.) I think I forgot to breathe while I watched this.

Four.

I'm sharing this post by Jody Hedlund (fiction writer whose latest novel I reviewed last week on the Saturday Six) because she makes a really wonderful connection between literal and figurative floods. But ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh my soul...the loss of her books. It's nearly more than I can bear to read.

Five.

Just a PSA for all my fellow Hallmark Christmas movie lovers: July 14-23 is Christmas Keepsake week! Here's the schedule: LOTS OF MOVIES!

Six.

Source

Apparently this week wasn't just new for me in terms of workout regimes. It was also new for me in fiction material! The book I read this week was called A Matter of Trust, the third of four books in the Montana Rescue series by Susan May Warren. As far as I know, this was my introduction to this author, but she's written many bestselling books in the past.

The short version of my reaction to this book was that I really didn't care for it, but I would absolutely try this author again through another series. Let me explain:

This is not the first time I've jumped into a series partway through, and usually I can find my footing with a story even if I've missed previous books. This time, with this book, I couldn't do it. After I had finished reading and peeked at other reviews online, I noticed readers gushing about characters and their previous storylines, and I realized that for me, part of the disconnect with this book was that I'd missed (literally) the first half of the story. And this time it mattered.

There were a lot of characters in this book. This series is centered around a rescue team in Glacier National Park, and there were a lot of rescuers with a lot of backstories, nicknames, and multiple names. That's where missing the first half of the story messed me up. I didn't fall into understanding who they all were and how they'd come to work together, because I missed books one and two. I finally settled into focusing on the main characters in this book and skimmed over the rest of the team that kept confusing me.

Also, even though I wanted to try a plot outside my natural realm, I think I overshot it. This story was all about skiing and snowboarding and other than watching those sports (with one eye still on my computer) during the Olympics every four years, I really don't know anything about them. There was so much description and terminology about them, that it slowed me down from jumping into the story itself.

The main part of this story focused on Gage Watson,, a former champion snowboarder who lost his sponsorships, career, and passion when one of his fans died trying to be like Gage. Gage has become part of this Glacier National Park Rescue team, and meets up with a person from his past (Ella Blair) when she shows up trying to stop her younger brother from making stupid mistakes in trying to be like Gage, too. When Ella's brother goes missing on a dangerous peak, Gage is called in to help search for him.

That was the part of the story I kept up with, and I enjoyed that part.

Perhaps if I'd started with book one or chosen a series that had lest to do with sports, I would have been more captivated. Having said that, I really enjoyed her writing style, and that's why I'd absolutely try again with this author!

* Revell sent me a copy of this book at no charge. All opinions are my own. *