The Saturday Six

One.

I found this gem on Pinterest this week. I haven't fully explored the site yet, but can you just even get over this vintage office? ALSO - Lori, I really think you would like this house!

Two.

 Normally I refrain from talking about the underwears on the blog, but this week, one of our friends told me about the sports bras from Victoria's Secret. Our store, at least, had a clearance sale, and it included them, so I was able to get a couple for $20 each. That's not a bad price for a sports bra in general, but these are in a league all their own. If you have trouble finding a quality one, you might check them out. Definitely extra supportive!

 Three.

One of my articles appeared on the Annesley site this week. A little peek into my wedding gift to Ryan...

Four.

 This is a short and simple post, but it's quite profound. (Take a lesson, Bekah!) Suzanne Woods Fisher, who writes Amish fiction, offers a good point about the benefits of a missing mirror.

Five.

The 4th of July is in just a couple of days, you know. (Three, to be exact.) Here's a cute little game you can make using items from your house! I know it's a game for kids, but I know a couple of adults (ahem) in this house who would find it fun! 

Six.

Source

After having a rough book review last week, I am thrilled to say my book reading experience this week was quite a joy. And I figured it would be. Jody Hedlund is the author. She never disappoints.

(I've said this before on the blog, but I don't expect you to remember every detail of my life, so I'll say it again. Jody and her husband, Jeff, were newlyweds when I met them. They were college students and came to be youth pastors at our little church. I was in the throes of teenage angst, and Jody was a blessing in my life! It is my utter delight to get to stay in contact with her all these many years later and to get to read her well-crafted novels!)

With You Always is the first book in the Orphan Train series, and my favorite thing about "first book in..." is that I'll get the chance to read more! Set in the 1850's, this book introduces us to Elise Neumann, a young lady thrust into the responsibility of caring for her two younger sisters and two even younger orphans. The five of them are destitute, living in a fledgling mission house in New York City, with no money to their name and very little hope in their still-grieving hearts. We also meet Thornton Quincy, one of New York's wealthiest young men, afforded all the finest privileges, and in suddenly in an unusual competition with his twin brother for control of the family enterprise.

Elise and Thornton have nothing in common, no reason to cross paths, and yet those paths cross and cross again! When Elise ends up finding work in Thornton's newly constructed Midwestern town, she finds herself in an unlikely friendship, and Thornton finds an unlikely well of wisdom!

So that's the story element of this book (minus all the spoilers, of course), but I will add that I was captivated the entire way through. Jody has a really wonderful ability to write well-rounded characters that her readers connect with fully. (They may not always like them fully, but they connect with them!) And the story itself in this book is (as always) well-woven.

But I'd like to point out that one of things Jody does exceptionally well is pay attention to historical detail. I interviewed a contemporary fiction author last week who said she loves to read historical novels, but she doesn't want to write them, because there's too much pressure to accurately research all the details of the time period. I totally agree with that author. A daunting task, for sure. But my goodness, Jody does it so well. She's written in all kinds of time periods, and I've come to trust that she's done her research and it's accurate.

I grew up reading historical novels, and I learned more about history from those novels than from any textbook in school. I believe books like this one are a great resource for learning history. She subtly weaves in real-life details without pushing the teaching in your face. I love that in historical novels, and Jody does this exceptionally well.

I'm excited to read the next book, but I'm guessing I'll have to wait a while. Sigh. :) Jody, I'm so proud of you for another book well-written. I loved it!

* Bethany House provided a copy of this book to me at no charge. All opinions are my own. *