Book Recommendation - Caring for Kids from Hard Places

 

As a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), I'm required to complete some continuing education throughout the year each year. This can be in the form of seminars, movies, books, documentaries or any number of items as long as they touch on the subjects of foster care, abuse, neglect or adoption. This book was a great addition to my continuing education for the year as it touched on all of the above. Though a relatively short read, this book was packed with a lot of great information for anyone who works with children - through school, church, foster care or parenting. With each chapter providing key takeaways and discussion questions, this one is a great one to use for trainings and the like as well. Here's a bit about the book:

Why doesn’t he act his age? Why does she behave so impulsively? Why does he have meltdowns so often?
There is always meaning behind behavior in all of us. It might be a behavioral reaction from something as simple as hunger or exhaustion. Or something far more serious – a triggered reaction to a traumatic, frightening experience.

Children who have experienced early childhood neglect or trauma are often greatly impacted in developmental ways. Children in foster care or who are given up for adoption often deal with these kinds of negative early experiences and it can be difficult to know how to help. People who teach–either in school or children’s ministry often see these youngsters’ behavior as confusing and don’t understand why.

In Caring for Kids from Hard Places , Jayne and David Schooler discuss the reasons behind why children and teens sometimes exhibit potentially disruptive behavior. Together, they offer practical strategies on training, equipping and resourcing staff and volunteers to provide a responsive environment for children with behavioral challenges. Caring for Kids from Hard Places Discover how to better love children from difficult backgrounds and pave their way for a better life.

Here's my full 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6438297571

This book releases May 7, 2024 wherever books are sold. 

Book Recommendation - The Garden Girls

 

Jessica Patch has recently become one of my favorite authors to follow on social media. With a twisted sense of humor and deep love of God, she has some very unique posts. Those personality items find their way into her writing as well. Though many of her books are love inspired suspense, it's her grittier harlequin books that draw me in. The Garden Girls is the last(??) in the SCU series, but it's my favorite of hers so far. I've thoroughly enjoyed this entire series and Ty has been my favorite character, so it would stand to reason that I would like his book the best. 

Here's a bit about the book:

On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.

FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.  

Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.

As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…

Belonging to the author's reader group on Facebook, I've had a bit of inside information on the story itself. For example, the house that is nearly its own character in the book, where the killer keeps his "garden girls" is based on this actual house in the Outer Banks:

Looks nice and innocent..... and secluded! 

This book sucked me in from the get-go and completely threw me for a loop on the "whodunit" element. If you enjoy gritty suspense with a touch of romance and an underlying faith thread, this is one you should definitely check out! This book releases April 23, 2024 wherever books are sold. Be sure to check it out! For additional information, check out the following links:

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5785984469

Jessica Patch's website: https://jessicarpatch.com/

Jessica Patch's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jessicarpatch

Book Recommendation - Night Falls on Predicament Avenue

 

Jaime Jo Wright is in a class all her own. Writing in dual timeline form, Wright crafts brilliant mysteries that span and connect both timelines. Her books often have a serious creep-factor with a touch of macabre, great character development, a touch of romance, a faith thread, and even a happy ending. Night Falls on Predicament Avenue is one of my favorites of hers and was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Here's a bit about the book:

As the walls of the house at Predicament Avenue reveal their hidden truths, two women--generations apart--discover that fear and foreboding are no respecters of time.

In 1910, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer's retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie's quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington, who was last seen at the supposed crime scene in the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue. Just as Effie discovers what she seeks, she finds that the blood staining the walls will forever link her to a scandal she couldn't imagine, and to a woman whose secrets promise to curse any who would expose them.

A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt's bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister's dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house's claim to fame--the murder of Isabelle Addington. When a guest is found dead, the incident is linked to Isabelle's murder, and Norah and Sebastian must work together to uncover the century-old curse that has wrapped 322 Predicament Avenue in its clutches and threatens far more than death.

The author indicates that her inspiration for this book came from a newspaper article she found about a grisly murder scene in an old farmhouse in the late 1800's and to this day, the cold case still haunts . . .

Here's a bit about the author:

Jaime Jo Wright (JaimeWrightBooks.com) is the author of ten novels, including Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She's also a two-time Christy Award finalist, as well as the ECPA bestselling author of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau and two Publishers Weekly bestselling novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her family and felines.

This book releases on April 9, 2024 wherever books are sold. Be sure to check it out! For additional information, check out the following links:

Jaime Jo Wright's website: https://www.jaimewrightbooks.com/

Jaime Jo Wright's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeJoWright

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343605496