Month: October 2024

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell

/ kellyfbarr / 6 Comments

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure is the debut novel of Angela Bell, and what a debut it is!

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, and once I did, I couldn’t wait to read it. While reading it, I found it increasingly difficult to put down. Unfortunately, I only have 2-3 hours each evening to spend reading. However, this past Sunday, I spent about 5 hours reading this book because I enjoyed it so much!

I have to say that Angela Bell is an outstanding author. This book is incredibly well written and is very unique. The characters grab your heart from the start. The troubles they face and the adventures they have keep you turning pages. A couple of the characters are quite quirky, which adds some unexpected twists and extra fun to the story. There are even some animal characters that have very interesting personalities and behaviors that add to the uniqueness and adventure. This novel includes adventure, history, steampunk, characters who face struggles that we can relate to, danger, suspense, and a sweet romance. Who could ask for more?

It’s also quite apparent that Ms. Bell not only enjoys using metaphors, but is a master at using metaphors. Her metaphors paint pictures in the reader’s mind and add to the fun of reading this book.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure is also a story about faith, and as I read, I found a need to grab a journal and write down my favorite wise and inspirational quotes from the book:

“What-ifs are not acquainted with what-is, and they spread horrid falsehoods about what-will-be, so why bother entertaining them? I’d sooner invite hope into my home — for even when her predictions miss the mark, she makes for pleasant company and eats far less food.”

“Oh Clara Marie. The Lord never promised that life would be safe. But He did promise to be with us always. Whatever the harrowing journey life may bring, rest assured, you shall never be left to face it alone.”

“Romance and adventure are the idealistic scribblings of Austen and Dumas. Like Elizabeth Bennet and Athos, they are not real. Nor do they exist off the page. To believe otherwise is to suffer disillusionment and heartbreak.”

Elizabeth Bennet’s happily-ever-after might be a work of fiction, but love is real enough. Sometimes it takes idealistic scribblings to remind us of that truth when the whole of our very real, very dark world makes it feel like a lie.”

“You are A maker. Not THE Maker.” Miss Stanton gave his hand a firm squeeze. “Just as Grand would never expect a clock to fix its own windings, God would never expect us to mend our own hearts.”

“Lift your face to the heavens, granddaughter mine! Recall the joyous wonder of dwelling and dreaming beneath a canopy of stars, embracing the peace found in total dependence on Him who spoke their radiance into being. That is my wish for you. That is my prayer.”

“Not all people are treated as palaces, admired by travelers and protected by armed guard. Some of us are treated as a cobbled road, trod upon and soon forgotten. That’s just the way of things.”

“Love is much like a flower, child. You can’t guarantee it’ll grow or endure a bitter winter to bloom again. All you can do is plant what you’re given, tend it faithfully, and rely on the God who cares for the lillies of the field as much as He cares for our hearts.”

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure has definitely won a spot on my Top Ten Favorite Books of All Time and I will never forget characters, Theodore, Clara, Mrs. S, Grand, and even Mr. Forrester, as well as Fred, Phileas, Honorine, and Todd.

I will be eagerly awaiting what Angela Bell has for her readers next.

A Few Thoughts on A Promise for Ellie by Lauraine Snelling

/ kellyfbarr / Leave a comment

I recently finished reading A Promise for Ellie by Lauraine Snelling. It is an older book by this author, and is the first book in her “Daughters of Blessing” series. It is the first book I have ever read by Ms. Snelling, and I read it because someone lent it to me and because someone who reviewed my book suggested that if readers like books Lauraine Snelling, they will most likely like my book. Therefore, I wanted to know if my writing is similar, in any way, to Ms. Snelling’s.

So, what did I find? Well, I think this book is too old for me to really use for comparison. This book was copyrighted in 2006.

Ms. Snelling began her writing career in 1982, which interesting enough was the year I graduated from high school. Lauraine Snelling’s first book was written for young adult readers. If you go to her website and click on the “Meet Lauraine” tab, you will find that she then continued to write more horse books for young girls, but has also added historical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. Over the years, she has published more than 80 books to date.

So, back to my thoughts on A Promise for Ellie by Lauraine Snelling. I did find some similarity of style between this book and what I write. However, I would like to read a more recent book by Ms. Snelling at some point to have a better idea of any possible similarities between her writing and mine. I do know that Ms. Snelling writes historical fiction, and many of her books are set in the historical west.

I have read books by other authors, who also write historical fiction set in the historical west, and I suspect my books could be similar to more authors who write about this time period and setting simply because of the time period and setting, as well as the things we discover in our research and include in our books.

I am honored to have a reviewer suggest that readers of Lauraine Snelling, who has been a successful author for many years, would also enjoy my current book, and quite possibly my upcoming books.