Book Review - clouds

Clouds is a novel by Robin Jones Gunn and is the fifth book in The Glenbrooke Series.

Description: Shelly Graham has moved home to Glenbrooke, where she's flooded with memories of her high school sweetheart who took off for Europe after they broke up. But when Shelly travels to Germany, she suddenly runs into the former boyfriend who has filled her thoughts. Learning that Jonathan is engaged, Shelly hides her feelings for him. After returning home, however, she must face these feelings, especially after her path crosses Jonathan's yet again. Only this time, if they can find the strength to be honest, they just might discover what God has in store.

My thoughts: This book is an easy read which you could bring for some light reading at the beach or on a plane ride.  Although clouds is the fifth book in a series, you don't have to read the other books to understand the plot or characters as this is a stand alone book. The ending seemed kind of predictable to me but I would recommend for anyone who likes sweet (but not sappy) books with a happy ending. 

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review - Inescapable

Inescapable is the first book in the Road to Kingdom series by Nancy Mehl. From the back cover: Lizzie Engel is used to running away. At eighteen, she left her Mennonite hometown, her family, and her faith with plans never to return. Five years later, Lizzie finds she'll have to run again. False accusations at her job, a stalker, and a string of anonymous threatening letters have left her with no other options. This time, however, her escape is back to Kingdom, her hometown.

As Lizzie becomes reacquainted with Kingdom, she realizes she may not have left her Mennonite roots and her faith as firmly in the past as she thought. She draws on the support of Noah Housler, an old friend, as she hides out and attempts to plan her next steps. When it becomes painfully clear that the danger has followed Lizzie to Kingdom, suspicions and tensions run high, and she no longer knows who to trust. With her life and the lives of those she loves at risk, Lizzie will have to run one last time--to a Father whose love is inescapable.

My thoughts: Amish fiction is one of my favorite genres, so I really enjoyed reading this book. However if you enjoy suspense/thrillers, you will enjoy this book too. There's action all the way to the last page of the book. I can't wait to read the second book of the series to see what happens to Lizzie! I would recommend this book to anyone.

Disclosure: I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Safe Haven Soundtrack Review!

I am a big Nicholas Sparks' fan, so I have been looking forward to seeing Safe Haven which is in theatres on Valentine's Day (February 14!). Safe Haven is directed by Oscar®-nominee Lasse Hallström and based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks from a screenplay by Dana Stevens and Gage Lansky. The film stars Josh Duhamel (Transformers, Life As We Know It), Julianne Hough (Rock of Ages, Footloose), Cobie Smulders (The Avengers, How I Met Your Mother) and David Lyons (Eat Pray Love, J.J. Abrams' Revolution) and is an affirming and suspenseful story about a young woman who struggles to find love again after she arrives in a small North Carolina town. Safe Haven was produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Sparks and Relativity's CEO Ryan Kavanaugh.

The soundtrack for Safe Haven was executive produced by Relativity Music Group's Jason Markey, Bob Bowen, Happy Walters alongside the film's producers Bowen, Godfrey and Kavanaugh. Thanks to Relativity Music Group, I had an opportunity to review the soundtrack and I love it!

Here's the Safe Haven Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Track Listing:

Colbie Caillat featuring Gavin DeGraw- "We Both Know"

Tristan Prettyman- "Say Anything"

Ben Howard- "Keep Your Head Up"

Dar Williams- "Summer Child"

The White Buffalo- "Sleepy Little Town"

Gareth Dunlop- "Wrap Your Arms Around Me"

Sara Haze- "Moonshine"

FM Radio- "The Journey"

Brandi Carlile- "Heart's Content" (Strings Mix)

Amos Lee- "Violin"

The Deep Dark Woods- "My Baby's Got To Pay The Rent"

Deborah Lurie- "Canoeing" (Katie and Alex's Theme)

The video for "We Both Know", the original song written and performed by Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat can be seen by clicking here. Regular blog readers know I love Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw is one of my favorites too, so of course this is my favorite song on the soundtrack! In the new video, director Roman White captures the magic in the chemistry between the two multi-platinum singer/songwriters who wrote the song while touring together last summer. I really enjoyed listening to all the songs (Heart's Content by Brandi Carlile is my second favorite) and would recommend this to anyone.

For more information on Safe Haven please visit www.safehavenfilm.com. You can also follow the film on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SafeHavenMovie and Twitter at @SafeHavenMovie. The film also has an Instagram (www.instagram.com/safehavenmovie) and Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/safehavenmovie.

New Album - Madeleine Peyroux's The Blue Room

Madeleine and longtime collaborator / legendary producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock), re-examine Ray Charles’ classic, and one of his most controversial albums, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music. But instead of replicating the album, Madeleine and Larry represented the artistic freedom Ray exhibited, using imagination to break down musical categories and barriers.

What Madeleine and Larry created is a sophisticated album rich in strings, pushing the power of Madeleine’s vocal capabilities – her melody changes, choices of tone and phrasing. The Blue Room explores new ground, showing that like jazz itself, Madeleine is willing to take new chances – reinterpreting songs with an emotion and depth that can’t help but touch the soul. Wisely, Madeleine felt that the infusion of newer but like-minded material was essential to this project. Gems like Randy Newman's “Guilty,” Warren Zevon's “Desperadoes Under The Eaves” and John Hartford’s “Gentle On My Mind,” prove Madeleine to be an uncannily insightful ‘interpreter’ with her impeccable choice of material.

Click here to watch the video for "Changing All Those Changes."

Want to see (and hear) Madeleine in person? On March 20th, Madeleine will kick off a world tour that includes two nights at Lincoln Center in New York City. Tour dates below (many more to come!)

March 20 - Tarrytown Music Hall - Tarrytown, NY

March 22 - Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room - New York, NY

March 23 - Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room - New York, NY

March 24 - The Birchmere Music Hall - Alexandria, VA

April 2 - Dakota Jazz Club - Minneapolis, MN

April 4 - Northern Lights Theater (Potawatomi Casino) - Milwaukee, WI

April 3 - Dakota Jazz Club - Minneapolis, MN

April 5 - Old Town - Chicago, IL

May 31 - Enwave Theatre & Harbourfront Center - Toronto, ON

June 1 - Enwave Theatre & Harbourfront Center - Toronto, ON

Here's where you can find Madeleine online:

www.madeleinepeyroux.com

www.facebook.com/MadeleinePeyroux

www.twitter.com/mpeyrouxmusic

If you would like to pre-order the album, click here.