Book Review: Awakening Avery

book review by Valerie J. Steimle


For those who love a good story woven around a widow losing and finding love then Awakening Avery by Laurie Lewis is the book for you.  Though you might not be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) the story rings true for any widow of Christian or Jewish faith.

I am a widow. Avery’s a widow. My husband died at 50. Avery’s husband died in his 50’s. I have nine children. Avery has 3 children. I am of the LDS faith. Avery is of the LDS faith. I have a lot in common with Avery. Laurie Lewis’s new book called Awakening Avery could have been my journal entry for the first year I lost my husband. There are many similarities and it is incredible to see how this story unfolds for Avery and her family.

This is an amazing story of one woman’s journey for peace after losing her husband too early. Avery has to deal with her life post husband’s death and then pick up the pieces of her children’s life with the grief of their father. I laughed and I cried. 
Laurie Lewis wrote about an incredible journey of healing and love. Take a break from your life for 344 pages of travel from Utah, to Baltimore, Maryland to Sarasota, Florida and follow the adventures Avery experiences in learning to love again.

You will find Awakening Avery here: 

http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Avery-Laurie-Lewis/dp/1935217615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300842743&sr=8-1

Hope you enjoy the read.

JULIET by Anne Fortier

Review written by Amy Wheelwright


I loved this book! This book has adventure, a little romance, and a historical story of Romeo and Juliet. The text alternates between Julie's modern day adventures, discoveries in Italy, and the historical background of the story of Romeo and Juliet. As you get into the story and start each chapter, you have to really watch the dates at the beginning of each to keep track of what you're reading about - the present or the past.

Julie learns that she is a distant relative of the famous “Juliet". She and her twin sister, Janis, were raised by their Aunt in the US. When their Aunt dies, everything is left to Janis, and Julie is sent on an adventure to Italy to find a “treasure” that their mother left.

This book kept me very involved and I didn’t want to put it down.

GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen

I love Sarah's writing style and yet I must caution the more conservative reader. (Sexual and Homosexual content, some harsh language.)
I love the beautiful garden at the center of this tale, with its unexpected secrets. Even the house held a mystery that I couldn't pull myself away from, at least not for very long. If you enjoy the enchantment of the South, as I do after calling it home for a time, you just might enjoy this novel with its spells, secrets, and legacies engrained deep in southern families and communities. You might even find yourself wishing you and yours protected a legacy similiar to that of the Waverley family.