Least Favorite Covers

By Kelly Bridgewater

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned and showed my favorite covers, but this week, I want to go in another direction. A direction I know most might disagree with but that's okay. This is my opinion.

These covers didn't hit the mark for me. I really don't think they work well for the genre they are in, and I'm not that interested in the cover. Even though some of the authors are my favorite writers, so I definitely can't wait to dive into the story; I just think the publishing company missed the mark on the cover. (All images come from Goodreads.)

Storm Rising by Ronie Kendig

 

The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey

 

Fragments of Fear by Carrie Stuart Parks

 

Threads of Suspicion by Dee Henderson

 

The Five Times I Met Myself by James Rubart

 

What about you? Have you ever picked up a book and knew the writing would be awesome but the cover really didn't capture my imagination?

Most Anticipated Books for Spring 2019

By Kelly Bridgewater

I enjoy when the publishing companies share their covers for the next publishing season. I really love seeing the covers and reading the synopsis' of the upcoming books. Then I add the books to my wish list, so I can buy them when they come out.

Here is the list of books that I can't wait to read from March until June 2019:  (All images come from Goodreads unless noted.)

Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin

 

The Highest of Hopes by Susan Anne Mason

 

The Governess of Penwythe Hall by Sarah E. Ladd

 

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

 

Pages of Her Life by James Rubart

 

Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan

 

What about you? Are you looking forward to these books? Is there any book you would add to this?

James Rubart: The Long Journey to Jake Palmer

By Kelly Bridgewater


What if a balm for your greatest pain appeared in a lost corridor on the far side of a remote lake? Would you search for it? Or dismiss it as nonsense?


Jake Palmer’s annual lake-house vacation with longtime friends was supposed to be relaxing—it was supposed to take his mind off his recent divorce.  But when he meets an elderly man early one morning on the lake, his world tips on its side. The old man claims there’s a forgotten corridor at the far end of the lake that few ever discover. But for those who do, and follow to where it leads, they’ll find answers to their deepest questions of loss. At first, the search just seems like a distraction. But does he really want to find it?


The Long Journey to Jake Palmer explores profound loss and how to take hold of real hope when there seems to be none.

from Barnes and Nobles

My Review:

James Rubart is a new-to-me author. After reading his book The Five Times I Met Myself, I was inspired to hunt down more of his novels. Rubart's novels are contemporary novels that border on the fantasy, but the spiritual truths that come from the novel reach a cord inside of me. The Long Journey to Jake Palmer does exactly that.

I love the idea of friends getting together at a log cabin every year to reconnect. With Rubart's words, I had no problem visioning this massive lake with the cabin on the hill keeping guard. The writing invited me from the first chapter with Jake trying to be a hero for a young woman who is being bullied back into prostitution. I empathized with Jake right away.

The Long Journey to Jake Palmer is an original and completely unpredictable story about Jake Palmer's journey to freedom. For years, he has been struggling with the reality of his parents. After the initial incident in the book's opening, Jake has to add another load to his shoulders. To make matters worse, his wife leaves him, allowing Jake to question God. I found Jake relatable because he wasn't perfect. Rubart allowed Jake and all his friends to show their faults. I had a really hard time putting the novel down. It was a simple idea story, but it hit so close to home.

The story centers around a mythical corridor that is supposed to bring true healing to the person who enters. Jake learns about to true forgiveness and moving on with his personal life. He, also, learns not to hide behind his own shadow but face reality. Finally, Jake learns how to hold onto real hope in Jesus.

Creating a unique look at forgiveness and seeking Jesus when nothing else works, James Rubart's latest novel The Long Journey to Jake Palmer captured and held my attention with the fault filled characters and the well-paced plot. I highly recommend this book to every person, whether you read Rubart's books or not. There is a lesson for everyone in this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of The Long Journey to Jake Palmer from Thomas Nelson Publishing and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

What is it about books with a deep spiritual truth that relates to you? 

James Rubart: The Five Times I Met Myself

By Kelly Bridgewater

Description:

What if you met your twenty-three year old self in a dream? What would you say?

Brock Matthews’ once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage.

So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past mistakes, he jumps at the chance. The results are astonishing, but also disturbing.

Because getting what Brock wants most in the world will force him to give up the one thing he doesn’t know how to let go of . . . and his greatest fear is it’s already too late.

My Thoughts:

From Amazon

James Rubart is an author that I have never read. I have heard many people talk about how good his books are, and even took a class offered by him at the 2014 ACFW conference. I even planned to read all his books this year, but review copies of books keep showing up at my door, and I don’t have time to squeeze anything else in. But when The Five Times I Met Myself came up for review, I said yes because I finally get to read a book by James Rubart. And I’m really glad I did.

Getting down into the soul of a person is Rubart’s greatest strength in my opinion. Right from the first chapter, I could totally relate the marriage of Brock and Karissa. Being married for fourteen years with three boys and one a teenager, I sometimes feel like my husband and I are missing the fun we used to have together. Time flies by and schedules for the kids and our lives keep us busy, so we don’t date and pursue each other much as we should. I have had doubts and wondering if I went back and made different decisions would my life be different? That is what Rubart is getting at. God has a plan for our lives, and we should trust him with the plan.

Rubart’s use of short chapters intermingled with time jumps didn’t confuse me at all. Brock comes back to a number of different versions of 2015 before dream hopping back into the past. When he dreams, he travels to a whole bunch of different times in the past. The transitions between the time periods were woven seamlessly together with Brock going to sleep or waking up to an alarm that I followed Brock on his journey. I had a really hard time putting the book down. It captured my attention and did not let go. I wanted to see how Brock would end up.

The title says five times that Future Brock met younger Brock, but I counted seven. As I reflected on the story, I wondered why Rubart only mentioned five times in the title, not seven. I think, and I could be wrong here, but the five times he first met him are the times he asked for younger Brock to change something in his life. Those five times had a profound effect on his future. The last two times were to fix the mistakes he instructed younger Brock to take. Seven is an important number in the Christian faith so that could be a connection too.

Restoration can happen at any time and can take many years to feel the full effect. Rubart did a great job at showing how one decision can affect our entire future. If we’re not spending time with our kids, what could our children perceive our relationship as? If our job is more important or finishing the last chapter in a book instead of hanging out with them, do they resent you as the years pass? Even I struggle with this.

I wouldn’t change anything about the story; I truly loved it.

In conclusion, James Rubart’s The Five Times I Met Myself is a original, gripping narrative that had me questioning what do I place value in and do I really trust God’s will for my life. I really enjoyed this book and need to go find the rest of Rubart’s books, so I can stand stronger on my faith. The Five Times I Met Myself haunts me even now, long after I finished the story.

I received a complimentary copy of The Five Times I Met Myself from Thomas Nelson and the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars                      

Purchase The Five Times I Met Myself