West Point historical fiction

Lucinda Pennyworth is alone.  Her mother died years ago and her father has died unexpectedly.  The only family she has to turn to is her mothers, people she has never met.  While she hopes they will take her in, she find her parents didn't leave home under the best of circumstances nor was her father quite the man she thought and relatives aren't as willing to welcome her in initially as she once hoped. Lucinda wants nothing more than to turn over a new leaf and find a cadet to marry but circumstances present themselves that make that more difficult than it should be in a new place.

Seth Westcott is a cadet at West Point and one of the first people Lucinda meets when trying to she arrived to attempt to build a life there.  Seth's mother has just passed away as well and his need to go out west to take care of his sister and their land weighs heavily on his mind but the army won't allow him to go as a man in the top of his class but his determination leads him on a path I would call deceitful with his unlikely schemes.

If I have read anything else by Siri Mitchell, I don't remember it.  Flirtation Walk  was an easy read with characters who were well developed and interesting.  I love historical fiction so that is what initially drew me to this pre-Civil War romance. Written in first person, Flirtation Walk  alternated between Lucinda's point of view and Seth's.   While it won't be listed in my list of top favorite historical fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and reading about the time period and places steeped in history.  I found it interesting that while others may not have gone to the extreme measures Seth did to get what they wanted, there were men such as J.E.B. Stuart who altered their behavior to get an assignment that was more desirable to them.

Bottom line--enjoyable, covers a time period and place not often addressed, and I am glad I received the book from the publisher for an honest review.  I am in no way obligated to write a positive one.

Dealing with clutter

I don't know about you but there are times where I just look in portions of my house and wonder how in the world I ever thought I needed so much "stuff".  Is it the pleasure of shopping and buying? Is it not remembering what I even have and think I need another ______?  Am I trying in vain to fill a hole God put in every human being that only He can fill?  It probably is all those things.  But you know what, all that "stuff" may bring a brief moment of what might be termed as happiness but is it really?  It truly only results in the need to reorganize, needing a bigger house or storage, or the desire for even more "stuff".  The organizer industry must rake in millions a year but does organization really solve the problem?  No!

Joshua Becker addresses my pitfalls and gives ever reader practical tips and stories on how to overcome our bad habit of accumulation, even encouraging us to live a more minimalized life without all the piles upon piles of books, paper, keepsakes, and other possessions in order to enjoy life more fully by choosing adventures and experiences and chasing your dreams.  You won't find any magic recipe that immediately wipe away years of acquiring but perhaps you will find a way to begin to change your thinking to a more minimalistic mindset and away from the me-centeredness of ownership.  Easy to read and practical.  I must admit that this may be a book I need to mark up and revisit again and again since 50 year habits are hard to break.  It would seem that the younger generation does this much better than I.

For me--a must read.  If you find yourself dealing with some of the same, pick up this practical guide.  I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to write a positive one.  Off now to make a step by step plan for minimalizing my own stuff filled life. 

Outdoor wedding ideas

Today's society just doesn't do things like when I was married.  Everyone I knew was pretty much married in the church they grew up in but I can't remember when I was invited to a wedding in the bride's home church and, more often than not, the ceremony hasn't take place in a church at all.  The "venue" seems to be one of the most important decisions the bride makes for her special day.  What was once a given decision has become one more thing to check off the list.

Whether you are interested in a garden wedding, seaside, your favorite city, or even a church, The Knot Outdoor Weddings will give you a plethora of ideas and advice ranging from seating to cakes to flowers to color recommendations and more. Each of the weddings featured falls under one of six venues:  estate, waterside, garden, ranch, cityscape, or vineyard.  Also included in the back of the volume is a 12 month checklist that will help you have everything ready for your wedding day. 

While not quite at the point that my family is planning a wedding, that isn't too far in the future so I can see plenty of ideas my daughter will glean from The Knot.  It is heavy on the photos, which are beautifully done, but may or may not be what a bride is looking for.  In today's electronic world, you may be able to find as many ideas on-line.  I know we will use it but this might be a better choice for a library or wedding planner than every bride at the $40 price tag.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to write a positive one.