And here is the final book review in this series for now! I still don’t have book 5, 6 hasn’t released and 7 doesn’t even have a cover yet (and even now, I’m rooting for a number 8). Today’s book features an unlikely hero…I mean, this is not what comes to mind when you think of a war dog. At least I don’t. So without further ado, lets jump right into this review!

My Rating: *

My Review: This was such a good book. It ties with book 3 for me. It’s set in France, D-day to be exact, and includes the French Resistance! That was enough to get me hooked on the story. This one also showed the other side of a Doberman Pincher’s personality (Read book 3 for the good side 😉). It was so sad reading about how WWII and the Nazi occupation effected the children of France specifically.

It sounded to me in the beginning that this was going to be a dissertation on the treatment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, and I was prepared for a lot of editing to make sure my siblings knew the truth about it. But thankfully, there was just two mentions of the sergeant not liking Tanaka, and they didn’t even say it was because he was Japanese-American. So for this book, the author stayed off the anti-American band wagon!

Anyway, back to how good this books was! I love all the scenes with Ace (he's a bull terrier)! He’s so sweet and so no nonsense. And the ingenious way he rescues…something/someone was so intriguing! I was concerned about the characters, that perhaps the Nazis would catch them and all would be lost in the end. The author was great at plot twists and the ending was satisfying. (I mean, Americans to the rescue, so how could I not love it 😉) A great look at working together, loving and serving your country and promoting freedom for all. The climax though! Heart-stopping! A great way to introduce kids to the French Resistance! (But I’m not a huge fan of Charlies De Gaulle; too flirty for my taste.)

So that's all of my reviews for this series so far! Don't be surprised if the others pop up on here before too long though!

Next post will be my January In Review! See you then!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

And I’m back with the third review out of 4 (so far! Book 7 was just announced!) of the Soldier Dog Series and y’all! This one was one of my favorites! I’ve mentioned this before, but our ministry is located near Cherry Point Marine Air Station, so when I read this story, I couldn’t help but picture some of the fellows that have attended our church over the years! It made for a fascinating reading experience! Let’s dive right in!

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

My Review: I’m gonna break tradition and tell you the one thing I didn’t like about this book first, that way, I don’t have to break from all my squealing later *grins*. The one thing that stood out to me was the fact that the author really doesn’t seem to like the fact that America owns the country of Guam. Did we get it fairly? I have no idea. Should we let the people be independent from us? I don’t know. All I know is that the author is planting the idea of American’s being good bad guys subtly in this story and I didn’t like that at all. But it was a minor issue touched on maybe twice towards the beginning and is easy to fix. Maybe this is a conversation that should be had, whether Guam should be it’s own country or not, but this isn’t a conversation that should involve impressionable kids, who are already being attacked with anti-American sentiment enough through various media/education outlets. Let the kids love their country! *clears throat and steps off soapbox 😉*

Now, on to the good stuff. First off, can we just adore that cover? There is something so pleasing about a jungle, all the green and that gorgeous dog! Okay, Dobermans are not my favorite, per say, but they are cute in a dorky kind of way! And this dog in the story! He’s so good!

I loved how we got to see the plight of the natives on Guam without it becoming too violent or gory for children. And even though there were battle/medical sequences, I don’t think the descriptions were too much for young ones to stomach. It has a good balance of valor and reality of war to make children admire the GIs and realize war is not a game.

AND THE MARINES! Okay, I’m a total Army girl, but the hospital scene at the end was so good and so Marine Corps! I could go on and on about it! It was so good! I told my family about it and all of us are like, “That better be a true story, because that is true Marine Corps Spirit, right there!” You have to read the book for no other reason than to read that one scene! I still haven’t found out if it really happened or not, but I’m looking into it!

So yes, this was one of the best books in the series! Be sure to check it out!

Be sure and keep your eye open for our next post about 5 books I want to read in 2020!

God Bless!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

And as promised in this post, I am finally ready to post the rest of my reviews for the Soldier Dogs series! Well, I only have 4, and there will be at least 6 before it’s all said and done, but I have to get my hands on 5 and 6 first, so…

Inspired by the stories of the real dogs who courageously served during World War II, this action-packed book takes readers into the action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

When Skipper, the street dog all the Navy guys love, follows Joe home, Joe can’t believe his luck. But with a new baby brother in the house, he knows his family can’t afford the extra mouth to feed.

So he and his friends hatch a perfect plan: present Skipper to Joe’s dad, who works on the USS West Virginia, as a mascot dog for the ship. But when Joe is interrupted by the Japanese surprise attack on the harbor, it may be up to Skipper to make sure they all make it out alive.

Published 2018 by HarperCollins

My Rating: 2 Stars

My Review: This story had a unique kid’s eye-view of the battle of Pearl Harbor. Skipper was such a sweet dog and how they get involved in the action is quite entertaining, but deceptive. And since there was no mention of the boy being reprimanded later, I’m not too keen on that.

But to be honest, this book was a disappointment. The author went out of his way to make sure the readers knew blacks and whites hated each other…which wasn’t always true. In fact, for the most part, the two races got along pretty well in the 1940s. Yes, there was bigotry. I will not deny that. But it goes both ways, as this story unintentionally reveals. In trying to overstate that prejudice exists, the story doesn’t come off as “all people are created equal” but rather, “A white person treated me bad; therefore, all white people are bad. And if I meet one that is kind, he’s the exception.” While I am all for explaining the sin of bigotry to young people as a means of preventing them from falling into that, I do not condone putting down another race to lift up another. And comparing the bigotry of the sailor to the racism of Hitler was taking it way too far. While both are wrong, there is a marked difference between disliking someone for something they cannot help (nor need to, there is nothing wrong with anyone’s skin color) and wanting to kill them because of it. Big difference. The handling of this subject matter significantly dropped my rating. It had potential, but it missed the mark completely.

The author also made it seem like no one cared that Hawaiians were killed in the attack. In reality, the fact that civilians were killed in a military engagement gave the American people even more reason to support our going to war with Japan.

And I believe I also had to mark out a few bad words, but this was easily fixed.

The historical aspect of the story was well done. It was easy to be swept into the story and think that you were right there. I thank God I have never had to witness an attack such as that in person. (I did watch the Twin Towers fall on TV as a child, but like I said, it was on a screen.) It’s a frightening thing to imagine. It does make you appreciate all our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen do to keep us safe, often under the radar. (BTW, please be in prayer for our troops more than ever in these uncertain times. They need God’s protection, guidance and wisdom.)

Overall, I would only recommend this book if you have the time and desire to edit/explain the problems to your child/younger sibling. Otherwise…I’d recommend you save your money.

That’s it for now! Our next post will be a history post, so be sure and keep an eye out for that!

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

This is the last post of 2019. Hard to believe, even harder to write.

This year, my word of the year was Stand. I had no idea how special this word would be to me.

I was challenged in several ways to stand. I was privileged to stand for life through working with Pregnant Options, attending a Pro-Life Rally, and signing a few petitions that came my way. I have been challenged to stand even firmer in my stance that the King James Bible is the Word of God by seeing the increase of people turning away from it. I’ve been inspired to stand in my Baptist Faith by reading of the mighty work God has done through my spiritual ancestors. And I’ve even be challenged to stand by the fundamental truths of American History 😉 (Try answering the question “What do you think of Abraham Lincoln?” when the one asking is a very kind northern lady and you desperately want to avoid hurting her feelings but be honest as well! Praise the Lord, He gave me a kind answer and we both left the conversation happy!)
 
Now more than ever, we need to take a stand for what we believe in. The devil is fighting hard, and man continues to call evil good and good evil. But we must stand! We have no choice! The gospel depends on it!
 
I’m eager to share my word of the year with you in my next post, and I can’t wait to see how God uses it in my life.
 
Now, my December Favorites!

Bible Verse: Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Don’t ask me why, but even more so than the actual account of Jesus Birth, this passage gives me chills. This is Who He Is! Look at all the promises in these verses, just in the names given to Jesus! What a genuinely mighty God we Serve!

Song: Good Christian Men Rejoice. It’s my official Favorite Christmas Song this Year!

Event: Our After-Christmas-Family-Gathering! Almost everyone made it in for lunch, and it was so nice having all my siblings and their families in at the same time!

Book of the Month: The Christmas Carol Society by Rebekah Jones. She’s a new author to me this year, and while I don’t approve of all her writing (and the scriptures are not King James), this book was incredibly thought-provoking. Didn’t really expect certain of the plot twists. I greatly enjoyed it!

Ministry: We performed a Christmas Play for my former home chirch, among other meetings this month! We had a lovely time acting out “The Greatest Gift” by Majesty Music. (BTW!!!! If you are not acquainted with Patch the Pirate{Put out by Majesty Music| You really need to check it out! Their latest episode was so good…and tear-jerking…)

Writing Update: I’ve been working on some personal revisions for A Song of Home, but stay tuned for the January update…it should be far more satisfying than anything I can tell you right now, Lol!

A Book I am Anticipating for January: Speak Truth in Your Heart by Sarah Mally. It’s her newest book, and I am so excited about this Bible Study! I also hope to put a dent in Jefferson Davis, American and read my Paw-Paw’s copy of Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly in preparation for book 5 rewrites…😉
 
And now for the whole reason you have stayed around this long…to see my list of 2019 Top Books!

Okay, so maybe that’s not why you are reading but, a girl can hope, right?

I specifically chose these books because they touched me personally, and I hope that if you read them, they will move you too.

10. The Real Lincoln by Thomas DiLorenzo.
This book showed me there are still people who know the truth about history, particularly about the War Between the States. The author is from Pennsylvania, giving him more credibility (though the region shouldn’t decide ones’ ability to serve the facts) and a larger platform than the average Joe could hope for. If you want the truth or some hope that real history can still be found, pick up this book.

9. Through the Tunnel by Rebekah A. Morris.
Foster kids have always touched me. Their lives are so sad in general. But this story provides hope. The forever home is out there, if not physically, then certainly spiritually. This is one of my favorite books by Ms. Morris.

8. Freedom by Faith Potts.
Now, this book will need editing for those who do not prefer Romance (like myself), but the message of this story goes far beyond any fictional relationship. This is about PTSD, a very real thing our servicemen go through daily. And it’s about another frightening reality: Suicide. Because of the romance content and suicide, I recommend this for 18+. But this book was so powerful. It was not written to entertain. It was written to educate, encourage and reach out to those in need. And most importantly, this book is about the most essential Relationship you could ever have: A Relationship with Jesus Christ.

7. The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenburg.
This one is fiction, but so powerful. The ending wasn’t entirely satisfactory for me, but it was still so eye-opening. I’ll never think of the Holocaust quite the same way again.

6. Three People by Isabella Alden.
This is my favorite book by my favorite author. If you have never read any of her books, and need one to start with, pick this one!

5. Wedding Score by Amanda Tero.
This book was such an encouragement to me, particularly in the Bible Study section of the story. It was profound, compelling, and very touching. I hope to re-read it soon, it was so encouraging in waiting on God’s time in all things.

4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.
I’ve wanted to read this book ever since it came out. And this year, I did. It’s deep, and definitely not for young people without being editing first. But it’s a compelling story and one we can all learn from today.

3. Let’s Roll! by Lisa Beamer.
If you’ve read my testimony, then you know how much 9/11 has impacted my life. This book has only endeared the heroes of that day to me even more. I will never forget. I hope you won’t either. But this book will ensure that you don’t.

2. Worth Dying For by Rorke Denver.
It’s by a Navy SEAL…😊 But Seriously, this book explains some of the core values of the American Spirit. And in teaching us what things are worth dying for…He has shown us some things worth Living for.

And finally...





1. O To Be Like Thee by Kassie Angle.
I know you saw that coming, but this book really did touch me deeply. It’s powerful. Heart-wrenching…and real. For those of you looking for a Clean Military Read not meant to be forgotten…yeah, get this book ASAP.
 
And that, my friends, concludes the blog posts of 2019!
God Bless and Keep Standing!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

So today is the official first day of the 12 Days of Christmas! Last year, I posted everyday…that is not happening this year 😉 But I do have some fun posts planned to share with you over the next few days. And I will link a few posts from last year as well!

Today, I have a few new Christmas books to share with you! So let’s hop right in!

The Quiet Little Woman and other stories by Louisa May Alcott
Never thought I would be recommending one of her books, but here I am! Granted, I’ve only read this one and Hospital Sketches (it was pretty good, but there were a few parts that made me want to shake her!) but I’ve heard some things that have made me leery of her writing. This book was great! So sweet and perfect for a winter evening!

A Providence Christmas by Rebekah A. Morris
This book was so sweet! I enjoyed the setting and the sweet story of a girl without a home. It was old-fashioned, and a sweet Gospel presentation. And it’s even better if you have some colonial style music to listen to in the background! (Disclosure: I received a copy of this book as a beta-reader from the author. I was not required to review the book or to give a positive review.)

A Police Force for Christmas by Rebekah A. Morris
Another new Christmas short story from Miss Morris! This one was so sweet! I love Police officers and this book didn’t disappoint. While Christmas isn’t about the presents, it’s so sweet to see others reach out to those who don’t have what others have…or have been struck by a random act of meanness. Also a good lesson in paying it forward to our friends walking the Thin Blue Line!

In the Heart of the Christmas Pines by Leona Dalrymple
Now to me, this seemed more like an old-fashioned winter story, since there wasn’t just a whole lot mentioned about Christmas, other than the giving of gifts to the poor and someone dressing in a red suit in one scene towards the end (I do not condone this!), but it was a sweet story about how a widow woman, a young heiress, a soldier and a hermit boy find out what really matters: People, not things. Relationships, not prejudice. Very sweet, innocent and old (1914!).

Christmas Quilts by Rebekah A. Morris
Okay, I’ve read a lot of her books 😉 Anyway, this one was super sweet! I love the story line, the sibling banter and the story of the quilts in general. Be sure and check this one out!

Don't forget to Check out Faith's Post and more Christmas fun here!

Merry Christmas!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22