HHH March Book Day!

BOOKS YOU'LL WANT TO ADD TO YOUR TBR LIST

 

 

A SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS

by Denise M. Colby

A schoolmarm without a school. A blacksmith hiding in shadows. Can faith forge a new path?

Jenny Millard’s hopes for security as a schoolmarm are dashed when her schoolhouse closes. Newcomer Ren Lyman prefers to keep to himself, hiding in the back of the blacksmith shop to avoid stares at the scars left by a childhood accident. Their chance encounter builds a connection that breaks down walls erected by years of hurt. But when strange occurrences unsettle the townspeople, their chance at happiness might be at risk. 

CACTUS LIL AND THE CITY SLICKER

by Donna Schlachter 

A rough-and-tumble cowgirl, “Cactus” Lil Duncan longs for true love, but is afraid to let down her prickly exterior when a city slicker from New York City, with less-than-honorable intentions, tries to win her trust and her hand.

 

 

EVEN IF I PERISH  

by Terrie Todd

Based on a miraculous true story of courage in the face of impossible odds.

“If I perish, I perish.” A sermon based on Queen Esther’s famous words spurs music teacher Mary Cornish to action. She volunteers to escort a group of 15 girls from England to Canada as part of Britain’s World War II child evacuation program. All is well aboard the SS City of Benares until September 17, 1940. With a storm brewing in the North Atlantic, a German U-boat releases its torpedo and breaches the ship’s hull. Do the Nazis know ninety children are on board?

 

 

 HEARTS DESIRE

by Linda Hoover 

 

In 1880 Boston, upper-class, Julia Phillips’s father betroths her to wealthy Lucien Harris to cover up a tragic secret. She has no interest in Lucien, but Jacob Anderson, a kind jewelry store clerk has captured her attention. Their mutual attraction grows into love, and he wants to be the man she marries.

Julia feels increasing pressure from Lucien to pretend she’s happy about the upcoming wedding. Then, she discovers the arranged marriage is based on blackmail. Her family will be ruined if she doesn’t comply. 

Will God make a way for Jacob and Julia to have their heart’s desire?

LISSA AND THE SPY

by Camille Elliot

In Regency-era London, Miss Lissa Gardinier enters her second Season seeking a marriage in order to escape her mother's constant criticism. So she represses her cheeky remarks behind a quiet, innocent facade. The enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude is dismayed when a chance encounter with Miss Gardinier entangles her in his world of secrets and subterfuge. He cannot afford to be distracted by Lissa’s charming smile and unflappable demeanor. As danger stalks them and true feelings come to light, can Lissa and Jeremy navigate the labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love? 

MAGIC OF THE SWAN

by Tiffany Amber Stockton 

Elenora Caldwell and Trevor Davenport had been thrown together since they were children. When Elenora’s father dismisses a man from his employ, the man threatens to seek revenge. Charmed and fascinated by a new magician in the city who studied under the Great Houdini, Elenora ends up a pawn in a vile scheme by the magician to take control of Caldwell Enterprises. In order to save Elenora, Trevor must first defeat Cravatta. How can he match wits with a master illusionist? And could his reunion with Elenora be the key to a brand new life?

 

MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR

(Heroines of WWII series)

2023 SELAH Award 3rd Place Winner!

By Mary Davis 

 

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) embarks on an unsanctioned mission to rescue three US soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two, flying for the WASP. When her new supervisor, Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg, gives her an order she can’t follow, sparks fly. In the course of her duties, Peggy learns of US soldiers being held captive in Cuba. She undertakes a daring rescue mission. She will need all her WASP skills to succeed and come out of this alive while trying not to ignite an international incident

 

 

RISKY BUSINESS

 by Kimberly Keagan

An American heiress. A British barrister with a need for speed. The London social season that changes everything.

The last thing department store heiress Lena Dennison wants is to travel to London to meet the grandmother who snubbed her family for thirty years. But her youngest sister begs to go, and soon Lena is navigating British nobility’s social expectations—with Bron Jeffers, a handsome barrister and celebrated motorcar racer, assigned as her escort. When a string of mysterious incidents threatens Bron’s family, Lena is pulled into his world as his unlikely ally … and the one woman he can’t charm—or ignore.

  

 

SHETLAND SUNSET

by Linda Shenton Matchett

Bonded by a cause but an ocean apart, will their love survive a world war? After months in Norway helping his cousins with their fishing business, American Askel Westgard seems trapped when the Germans invade until he has a chance to get back at the Occupiers as part of the Shetlandsgjengen, or Shetland gang, a group of fishermen who transport weapons and equipment from Shetland to Norway under cover of darkness. Unfortunately, the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s just met refuses to join him in safety. Will he ever see her again?

 



THE MAIDEN AND THE MOUNTIE

By Denise Farnsworth

Gage Edmonds's assignment to the Georgia Mounted Militia puts him between gold-hungry settlers and Cherokees soon to be forced from their homes. The local miller's daughter, Anna Walker, makes him question everything. Daughter of a European mother and Cherokee father, Anna vowed never to fall for a white man. Yet when Sergeant Edwards endangers himself to keep the peace, her father seeks to secure her future in Gage’s hands.

On the eve of eviction, members of a local village hide their gold, trusting Anna with its safekeeping. When dangerous men discover the secret, can Anna trust Gage with the truth—and her heart? Pre-Order Now:

 

 TITANIC: LEGACY OF BETRAYAL

 A Time-Slip Novel 

 By Kathleen E. Kovach, et al.

 

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection. Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 -Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

 

 

WALTZ WITH DESTINY

by Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

Waltz into the Big Band Era and the splendors of Detroit's ballrooms with Esther (McConnell) Meir as a story-book romance swirls into a rendezvous with destiny.

"…Waltz with Destiny is the crown jewel of the Destiny Series!... You won't want to put this one down!" Kathy R.

The message of the Destiny series is even more applicable to today than when it first released. Praying for America’s repentance and to embrace God like never before." Debra B.

 

A Note to Cynthia…Until We Meet Again By Donna Schlachter

There are some authors that you just seem to know, even though you’ve never met. For me, you, Cynthia, are one of those. It seems that every group I belong to, every large Christian writers’ conference I attend, many blog posts I have read, and even the blogging group I contribute to regularly includes you. You are everywhere!

I feel like I know you…not in the way your family knows you, of course. Daughter, sister, wife, mother, mother-in-law, auntie. And definitely not the way your close circle of friends knows you. Confidante. Party planner. Vacation partner. School chum. Bridesmaid. Mother of your son’s best friend. Life of the party. Quiet country girl.

And what of Chad, the cat? Spoiled by this human who met his every need—and then some. Maybe you being a cat person makes another connection for us.

Or perhaps it’s that you won a writing contest in high school—okay, so mine was only an honorable mention, but for me, that’s when the writing bug bit. Perhaps for you, too.

Although you cut your teeth on writing articles and short stories, you later ventured into books. And such tales! History and romance and hope and the love of words woven into a tapestry that delighted all the senses.

And I’m not the only one. I’ve read notes on your Facebook page left by friends and fans alike, who all recognize that this world is poorer, and heaven is richer, because you’ve gone on ahead.

Several described you as a pillar of faith and strength. I think that was never more evident than in the valiant battle you waged in recent months. While some might mistakenly say you lost that war, we know differently.

You have once again proven that death has no hold over those who call Jesus their Lord and Savior.

Know this: you live on in your books. In your family and friends. In the articles and short stories that we never tire of reading.

Save me a comfy chair in the library, Cynthia.



Your ever hopeful “friend”, Donna

www.donnaschlachter.com




Show your love for Cynthia and support for her family by checking out her books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B06Y1CJ588

PACK HORSE LIBRARIANS: PROVIDING MORE THAN A BOOK SERVICE By Mary Davis

 By Mary Davis

In 1913, Mary F. Stafford started the first Pack Horse Library in Paintsville, Kentucky, supported by local coal baron John C. C. Mayo. When Mayo died the following year, the funding died with him and the program ended.

 

In the midst of the Great Depression, the WPA (Works Progress Administration) under the Second New Deal provided government work for the unemployed. Elizabeth Fullerton worked in the women’s and professional projects at the WPA and decided to resurrect Stafford’s concept. A Leslie County Presbyterian minister provided his library if the WPA would fund personnel to take the books to people who couldn’t get to a library. This initiated the new Pack Horse Library. The Pack Horse Library Project was established under the WPA in 1935. By 1936, eight of these libraries were in operation.

 

WPA Librarians

Pack Horse Librarians, mostly women, were hired to go into the remote parts of the Appalachian Mountains to deliver books to the residents who didn’t have access to a library. They carried approximately 100 books with them. These brave ladies (a.k.a. “Book Women”) traveled 50-100 miles a week by horse or mule and, sometimes, on foot or rowboat for $28 a month. Often, the only income their families had.

 

Librarian on Horseback

However, the money from this program only covered salaries, so books had to be obtained by other means. Many were the old or damaged books and periodicals larger libraries no longer had use for, as well as out-of-date text books from schools and churches.

 

The donated books would be repaired and readied by the head librarian at the local headquarters for delivery to individual homes and schoolhouses. Resourceful librarians made card catalogs out of cheese boxes and bent old license plates into bookends.

 

In the beginning, there were 800 books for 5-10,000 people, not nearly enough to go around. The residents were hungry for reading material, so librarians put together scrapbooks of newspaper and magazine clippings as well as anecdotes and local recipes. These became so popular, that the patrons made some of their own with family history, child-rearing advice, recipes, and sewing patterns to be circulated by the Pack Horse Librarians. Some 200 different books had been created by librarians and patrons.

 

Librarian at a School

PTAs and women’s clubs helped to raise funds for new books, and communities had book drives and open houses. The program grew to 30 libraries, servicing 100,000 patrons. In addition to distributing books, the librarians provided reading lessons, would read aloud to people, and brought new ideas to these isolated areas. As outsiders, they were sometimes not welcomed.

By 1936, the collection had grown to around 33,000 books that were circulated to about 57,000 families. There was generally a one-week lending period.

 

Book Woman Reading to Man

One book woman guided her horse across cliffs to get to her patrons. Another walked her eighteen-mile route after her mule died. And yet another walked beside her mule because it was old. The librarians had to furnish their own horse or mule, which were often leased. The Pack Horse Librarian project continued until 1943 when the government funding was withdrawn.

 

Whether by horse, mule, on foot, or boat, these brave pack horse librarians never wavered from their goal.

Happy Reading!

 

UNPUZZLING THE PAST

1990s Cozy Mystery

Written by Mary L. Chase, Edited By Mary Davis

When secrets and lies are uncovered, will Mar be able to put the pieces together to learn the truth? A year after the death of her mom, Margaret Ross discovers the proverbial skeleton in the closet. Most families have a secret or two. Some are best left alone. Others need to be brought to the light of day to heal old wounds. With the help of her best friend, a lawyer, and a handsome doctor, Mar determines to hunt down all the facts. When she does, will she find what she’s searching for? Or should she let this puzzle R.I.P.?

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR, THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Quilting Circle 3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband of thirty-nine years and one foster cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

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Sources

https://settlementlibrary.blogspot.com/2009/12/pack-horse-library-project.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_Horse_Library_Project