Tea & A Good Book Brewing- Installment 13, Introducing January's Book of the Month

It's a brand new year and somehow that never fails to inspire me to brand new ambitions!

And mind you, ambitions are quite a different thing than resolutions!!!

In the blogging and book review department, my ambitions have taken on the form of a formal (albeit unfinished) book list and some new ideas for how my book reviews are going to work out in 2015.

Here's the plan: I am compiling a list of books- twelve to be exact- and I am hoping to introduce the title of a new one on the first Tuesday of the month. Then, on the fourth Tuesday I will review the Book of the Month.

What about the weeks in between? Well, on the second Tuesday I will plan to review a children's book and on the third Tuesday I will do a random review on something that interests me, be that a recipe, a book of poetry, a game, something relevant to homeschooling or homemaking, or a place we have visited.

And the fifth Tuesdays, you ask? Well...there is the possibility of something special for my readers when they come around!

I have several reasons behind trying something new. To begin with, Tuesdays come around pretty often and sometimes I am left scrambling over what, exactly, to post for a review! I am hoping that being prepared ahead of time with a plan and book list will add some purpose and forethought to both my reading choices and my reviews.

One of my biggest reasons for choosing a book of the month, however, is that I am hoping for some company...and that would be you!!! If I tell you what I am reading & reviewing in advance, then you can read the same book and tell me what you think of it!

I know that introducing a book before I even read it has risks, so I am going to make a few disclaimers right up front: if the book proves to be too inappropriate or full of horrible language to review in good conscious, I reserve the right to pull it and start over with a second choice.

Also, my plan is to choose books that are readily available from the library so that if you wish to join me, you will not have trouble finding a copy and certainly would not need to run to the bookstore to buy one. This means that, as a general rule, the books are not going to be the kind published by the plain community. This is not a reflection on publishers such as CLP and others who do a fine job of printing some very good books, but rather a choice I have made with regards to what is available and practical for the most people at one time.

Now, for January's Book of the Month I have chosen:

The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman

I ordered a paper copy from the library just yesterday and it was ready to be picked up today, which we did this evening on our way to Wesley's parent's house for supper. I also have a hold placed on the eBook version, so it seems to be popular enough to be readily available (and also in demand!)

According to Amazon's description of the book, the storyline goes something like this:

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

Will you join me in reading The Light Between Oceans? I would love to have some company...and your comments!!!

Consider it a blogger's book club.

Consider it one of the best excuses ever to curl up with a cup of tea!!!