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I’m a creature of habit. Like a favorite pair of jeans or a favorite meal at a restaurant, reading a book with familiar characters and nostalgic scenes gives me a sense of comfort and peace.  Even as a teen, I read the same books over and over when they caught my attention.  Today, I tend to do that when I want to revisit a character I loved or need some mindless satisfaction in a book.  My preferred form of “favorites” usually comes in series books.  That’s why books that take me back to a familiar place have a permanent place on my bookshelf.

A great example of this type of book is Love Without End by Robin Lee Hatcher.  

This is part of the Kings Meadow series.  Remember my review of A Promise Kept?  I loved that book!  This time we get to learn more about Chet, the rancher who was raising his sons on his own.  It’s definitely a good standalone although beware-you’ll probably want to read A Promise Kept, too!  Love Without End resonated with me because the characters are struggling to adapt to life with surly teenagers.  My daughter is far from surly, but her tween mentality is definitely a change of pace for us. It’s taking me a while to get used to!   In the meantime, the adults are figuring out how to love again despite past hurts.  Loyalty and betrayal are just two of the lines that are crossed in Love Without End.   Kimberly seemed like  someone I would work with; Hatcher makes her books seem so real.  If you’re in the market for a series that will capture your heart, check out this book.

If you like stories that feature allegorical spiritual warfare, you need to read Billy Coffey novels.  The newest title, In the Heart of the Dark Wood, is nothing short of fantastic.  Why not start with this one and work your way back?  In the Heart of the Dark Wood takes us back to Mattingly, VA a few months after a devastating tornado.  The characters are realistic and tangible. I felt their pain, fear, and dreams as my own many times throughout the story.  I don’t do well with books where scary things happen to kids, so I read this one with one eye closed and the other one squinching almost shut.  It started slow then grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let me go!  Don’t shy away from this book just because it’s from a Christian publishing group.  The religious aspect of the story is seriously understated and becomes more of a byproduct rather than the crux of the novel.  Coffey has a glorious old-fashioned writing style that makes me feel like I’m indulging in a classic rather than a mainstream fiction novel.  These books aren’t for everyone. They’re dark and deep and richly satisfying.  If you want mind candy, skip these.  However, if you’re in the mood for something that holds your mind, holds your heart, and sometimes makes you hold your breath, then put this one on your TBR list.

Kids need some comfort reads, too, and the Mean Girl Makeover trilogy is a relevant series.  You Can’t Sit With Us follows the book So Not Okay.  If you have a girl in your life who struggles with the social scene (especially social media) this is a book to read together.  You Can’t Sit With Us also deals with cyberbullying which is such a hot topic these days.  Personally, I think it’s very important to be an active parent when it comes to letting your child be online, particularly in terms of social media presence.  There is a reason for the age limits set forth in the terms of use for Facebook and similar sites.  There are many adults who don’t use those sites in responsible, appropriate ways.  It’s difficult to establish guidelines for teens when they see the grownups behaving badly.  Although I think the fuzzy lines between bullying and bad social interactions are often misjudged, this is still a conversation to have with kids. You Can’t Sit With Us allows girls to experience a trial run of these social situations so that they are better equipped to handle similar conflict in real life.  Not all conflict should receive intervention, and I think that the Mean Girl Makeover helps kids to understand that differences can be worked out even among the children.