Show Us Your Life - What is in my Book List

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner has asked us to share what is on our current Book List for Show Us Your Life this Friday.  I know it seems strange, but I actually read several books at one time, one stays in my car so I can read it when I am at a doctor appointment, at the park after the gym, or just someplace I am going to be for a while and need something good to read to pass the time.  I keep another book at home, and in those few moments I get peace, not often with three kiddos, I pick it up and read.  Finally, I have another book that is spiritually rewarding to me or helps me in being better at something whether it's about organization, photography, or healthier eating.

My current car book is Love Starts with Elle, by Rachel Hauck. 

This book is about Elle'who is trying to live her dream-but is it her dream or his? Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she's found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.  Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She's never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.  But Jeremiah's just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she's serious about their relationship, Elle will take "the call," too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle's friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated. (Description of book copied from Amazon website)

The house book I am prearing to start is In the Company of Others, by Jan Karon.  I have read every book in the "Father Tim" series and I look forward to reading the latest book in the collection. 

In Karon's latest, Fr. Timothy Kavanagh, the moral center of the beloved Mitford series, hops the Atlantic for a long anticipated vacation in the Irish countryside. He and his wife settle in at Broughadoon, a B&B run by Liam and Anna Conor in County Sligo, and Father Tim is happy to be reacquainted with his ancestral homeland. He's particularly taken with Catharmore, a sprawling 19th-century estate that was Liam's childhood home. When their stay is extended because of an injury, the Kavanaghs pass the time reading up on Catharmore's history, helping out around the grounds, and getting to know the area's many colorful characters. Father Tim assumes the role of confidant and adviser to the Conors and their extended family, investigating a burglary, helping unburden Liam and Anna of long-held secrets, and aiding Liam's alcoholic mother to recover her lost faith.  (Description of book copied from Amazon website)

Finally, my current "self help" book is in the spiritual catagory, The Mom You're Meant to Be by Cheri Fuller. 

Motherhood is meant to be a blessing, not a burden. So why do so many moms seem exhausted? Through engaging short stories, inspirational reflections, Scripture, creative ideas, and thought-provoking questions, The Mom You're Meant to Be encourages mothers to relax, embrace their children's individuality, and rely on God for the wisdom they need.  (Description of book copied from Amazon website)

The book I just finished reading was from one of my favorite author's Barbara Taylor Bradford . . . . actually I am in love with her Emma Hart series of books.  This particular book kinda snuck up on me, I had pre-ordered it when I was pregnant and so had it on my book shelf waiting to catch up in my reading and get to it.  (Side note of explanation, I purchase my favorite author's books in hardback and take the jacket off the book and place it in a Rubbermaid tub for safe keeping so the book looks "nicer" decoratively on the bookshelf and the jacket doesn't get ripped up).  SO, Breaking the Rules was on my bookshelf and when I started reading it I didn't bother to get the jacket out to re-read the book description.  As a result about halfway through the book I realized it was part of the Emma Hart series of books.

The Emma Hart series of books is the story of a rags to riches young woman and the generations of strong woman that follow her.  Emma Hart starts as a house servant, in the book that started it all A Woman of Stubstance, and through very difficult circumstances is determined to make it on her own and become rich so that she can prove that "station" and titles can be overpowered by strength, determination, and passion.  In Breaking the Rules, (the seventh book in the series, BTB's 25th book and celebration of her 30th anniversary as an author) Emma's great-granddaughter M is determined to make it on her own as a model in New York city away from her family in England.  M does not use the family name to open doors but her beauty and stength shine through and gain the attention of a famous fashion photographer who is determined to make M a super model.  However, M's family enemies and the reason M ran away from England in the first place soon follow her and threaten the love, happiness, and success that M has at her fingertips.

Believe me when I say, the Emma Hart series of books is hard to put down once you start reading them, you will fall in love with the characters and MISS them when you finish the last page.