Category: Fiction

Books that describe imaginary events and people. A story, even though based on a factual event, can still be categorized as fiction.

A Is for Amish by Shelley Shepard Gray

by LyndaP

Imagine — you are an Amish grandparent. You have four Englisher grandchildren. And all four of them show up – no heads up — announcing they want to be Amish. All four of them at the same time! AND they expect not only live with them BUT also to help them every step of the way. You will admire how Josiah and Sylvia Schrock handle this surprise. …

A Is for Amish is the first of a new series by this prolific author, Shelley Shepard Gray. And what an unusual plot. As a grandparent, I could easily imagine myself as Sylvia Schrock faced with four grown grandchildren stating not only were they moving in but she and Josiah were expected to “make” them Amish. The idea is wonderful; the implementation is a nightmare.

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When Hope Sank by Denise Weimer

by LyndaP

When Hope Sank: April 27, 1865. The day the steamboat, the Sultana, went down and over 1,100 people died.
The book is the third in the series, A Day to Remember.

Such research went into this book.Like many history buffs (I’m one via my genealogy research and no, I didn’t have anyone on the Sultana.), I’ve read about the Sultana tragedy and wondered if it was an accident, poor judgment, or what we would call today a terrorist act. This is a novel based on a historical event. The Sultana remains the worst maritime disaster in United States history.

The novel, When Hope Sank, is a window into what happened, the survivors and those who cared for them. The Civil War had ended only days before (April 9th). Soldiers were coming home. Those who hated still hated — whether Union or Confederate.

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Matters of the Heart by Kelly Irvin

by LyndaP

Matters of the Heart is the second book in Kelly Irvin’s series, Amish Calling. Please take time to read the author’s words before you begin the book. They appear right after the “Amish glossary” which has more than the usual entries.

This series explores developmental as well as intellectual disabilities as seen from an Amish point of view. Ms. Irvin writes with a special feel for these things because, as she explains, “First know that I’m a Christian writer living with a disability.”

This is a story that touches the heart. Click “read more” to learn a bit more.

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The Amish Quiltmaker’s Uninvited Guest by Jennifer Beckstrand

by LyndaP

I chuckled. I laughed out loud. I guffawed.
This was a fun read.

Esther is pregnant. Quite pregnant. She runs a quilt shop and creates beautiful quilts. Her husband’s distant cousin Menno Eicher and his children arrive uninvited to stay with her family for a month. A MONTH!!! You see, Menno is a widower and he needs to get married by the end of the month. He has a To-Do list to find the “perfect wife”, you won’t believe it when you read it. He wants Esther to make a list of maedels who fit his requirements. Menno is hard-headed with about as much romance in him as the tinest thimble ever made. And he frustrates Esther and just about anyone he meets.

And he meets Joanna Yoder …

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An Amish Country Reunion by Patricia Johns

by LyndaP

The story centers around two people and one very special dog. The people — Genevieve Austin and former state police partner, Scott Simpson. The dog — Benjie, a German shepherd.

Gen has been sent to the Pennsylvania K9 Training Center to get an attitude adjustment. But she knows *exactly* what her problem is. If a certain someone would just let her be and stop trying to wrap her in cotton, she could be the Pennsylvania State Tropper she knows she can be.

Little does she know that her former partner, now a sergeant is in charge of the K9 Training Center. They were not just partners. They were good friends if not best friends. And then to protect his job, he stopped. Today it’s called ghosting which means he ceased all communication with her. Gen understands the job part. But it hurt, hurt a lot. And now she has to REPORT to him who will REPORT to the Commissioner and if she strikes out here — she no longer has a job.

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Unforgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray

by LyndaP

The title, Unforgiven, makes you think. Who is unforgiven? For what? Could it be so bad that it could never be forgiven? This is an Amish novel. Don’t the Amish believe in forgiving no matter what?

Unforgiven is the first book in a new series, Rumors in Ross County. And what a beginning. Seth Zimmerman is an ex-con who has worked for three years in his Amish community to make amends. He assists people who need it — the vulnerable. One person he often helps is Tabitha Yoder who did the unthinkable for an Amish woman. She divorced her husband — her abusive husband. She is now shunned. Seth began two years ago. He just appears and does what needs doing.

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