Cup of Thoughts

Here is a list of books I believe every girl should read or have on her bookshelf at some point in her life.  A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett Brief Summary: Sara Crewe, an exceptionally intelligent and imaginative student at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies. Now penniless and banished to a room in the attic, Sara is demeaned, abused, and forced to work as a servant. →  My Review “Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.” The Giver, Lois Lowry Brief Summary:   Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dar...

"Crumbling walls were rare, beautiful things." Summary (from Goodreads) :  A thirteenth-century castle, Chateau de Doux Reves, has been forgotten for generations, left to ruin in a storybook forest nestled deep in France's picturesque Loire Valley. It survived a sacking in the French Revolution, was brought back to life and fashioned into a storybook chateau in the Gilded Age, and was eventually felled and deserted after a disastrous fire in the 1930s. As Ellie Carver sits by her grandmother's bedside, she hears stories of a castle . . . of lost love and a hidden chapel that played host to a secret fight in the World War II French resistance. But her grandmother is quickly slipping into the locked-down world of Alzheimer's, and Ellie must act fast if she wants to uncover the truth of her family's history. Sparked by the discovery of a long-forgotten family heirloom, Ellie embarks on a journey to French wine country to uncover the mystery surrounding The...

Summary: Gwenyeth Shepherd, has an uncanny ability that allows her to see things other people normally don't see. People can communicate with her into the future, which she talks to in the present, but little does she know that she is able to visit the past.  Her family all shares a mansion in the country of the United Kingdom. Gwen has a typically normal life. Her best friend, Cynthia is bubbly and clever. Her school is an average high school. Gwen's cousin, Charlotte, has been raised her whole life to be prepared for the moment time takes her away. But when Gwen goes missing, the family realizes their mistake, or rather a mystery. The bloodline that they share is a very unique one. Another family, by marriage, also shares this special ability of time traveling. The rule to it though; not every descendant is able to teleport back in time.  There's a secret that involves the whole family, this secret is known by only one, and it is the first in the bloodline to disco...

“Heroism wasn't about what you could do, it was about what you did. It was about who you saved when they needed saving.”  Summary (from Goodreads): The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both. My Thoughts: I love the way Marissa Meyer writes. My sister actually requested this book for a Christmas gift and I read it first(!!!) The story was very captivating, just like all her other books. I did, however, have a hard time connecting with the characters. Partly,...

"My daughter, that which you wait for the longest you treasure the most, and through much struggle the prize is won." Summary (from Goodreads):  A young lady who is pure will shine with a radiant brightness in this world of darkness. How can a young lady stay physically and emotionally pure as she waits for God's best in marriage? This guide to radiant purity combines the thoughts and events in the life of a young princess with solid, clear teaching of Biblical convictions that young ladies today need to grasp. Through a captivating fairy tale, modern day examples, practical instruction and abundant humor, Sarah Mally challenges young ladies to turn to the Lord for fulfillment, to guard their hearts and minds, to identify and avoid the world's thinking and to shine brightly in this generation. This book offers Biblical answers to everyday questions and deep life struggles. It deals with many practical topics such as being wise in internet usage, dealing with a...

“God doesn’t expect us to be perfect women or perfect missionaries. Rather, He wants us to learn to lean upon Him more, to let Him be our help during those stormy blasts.”  Summary (inserted from Goodreads) :  Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field. Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs. Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God's leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts. Thoughts: This book captivate...

"Endeavour to serve with such good will and attention to the interest of your employers, that they know they are blessed in having gotten such a good servant, one who serves, not with eye-service as a man-pleaser, but in simplicity of heart as a Christian." -Samuel and Sarah Adams, The Complete Servant Summary:  Margaret Macy, born the daughter of a respectful and honorable man, raised by a harrowing stepfather who only entered the family for his own personal gain. Margaret's deceasing aunt has a large fortune, which will be inherited when she turns of age on her next birthday. After overhearing her stepfather's plan to trap her into matrimony with his nephew in hopes of obtaining the money, she runs away. Fleeing alongside her maid, looking for a job elsewhere, she must resolve to do the same. Margaret disguises herself as Nora Garret, a maid at Fairbourne Hall. Eventually, life as a housemaid opens Miss Macy's way of the previous manner towards her own...

Summary: Young, spirited Cassidy lives in Token Creek in the mountains of Montana. Living with a different identity, she is known all over the small town as the little blonde seamstress who loves the Lord. Cassidy works with a lady named, Jeanette, who lost her husband several years before. Jeanette has taken the role of motherhood, even though she has never been able to bear children, she takes in her nephews as her own. Her sister, who previously moved to Montana with her husband owned a ranch. Jeanette's sister, Theta, suffered a severe abuse by her husband which caused her physical disabilities. Brad married a young girl named, Meg, who came to Token Creek to stay with some family members. The two are now expecting to become parents together. Trace Holden, the younger of the two cowboys has feelings for young Cassidy but is afraid someone else has her eye. He patiently waits to pursue her, as she tries to keep her past hidden. Unfortunately, someone shows up into town t...

Summary:  It's been a long time since Sabrina has ever been taken care for or truly loved by someone. Sabrina, stuck in a life that was practically forced on her, because of desolation and the dire need for income in the highly populated city of Denver, Colorado. A Christian couple come across Sabrina through a tragic accident, but involuntarily saving her life. Sabrina realizes that there is a way out of the night district, it takes her a while to see that Danny and Callie truly mean there's hope and redemption through Jesus Christ, God's only Son.  However, her previous life causes difficulty being a new creature. Running across men that knew her before, asking to see her and meet with her again. Danny and Callie send her off somewhere that she can have a new life where nobody needs to know her past.  Sabrina arrives in T-Creek surprising everyone with her bravery and independence. After Cassidy sells her shop to Jeanette, she stays close to her home on ...

What if you do discover the truth, and the truth shatters your life? What will you do then? Summary:  Set in the early first century, in a time when History met its ultimate climax, the lives of two people intersect each other in a search for the same answer.  Alban, a Gaul-born, Roman soldier desires to be acknowledged as one. Because of his homeland and rebellious ancestry, the leaders of Rome are unsure whether or not to put their trust in him. Trying to find ways to be accepted by this new thriving conquest, he seeks a bride of one who has full citizenship.  Pontius Pilate's niece, Leah, has a backstory complete in tragedy. After losing her home and family, she comes to live and serve at the mercy of her uncle and aunt. Painted by the life of Roman finery, her life did not prepare her to serve as a slave. Her uncle and aunt find a reasonable match for her to escape the life of a bondservant. Even though that's the worst destiny Leah could...

"I am free. I am ransomed. I've never felt this way before, like a slave set free who was born a slave and never knew what freedom was like.” Summary:  Running for her life, Sally Beth Roe has just escaped from murderous hands that are trying to cover up their loose ends in a case involving the destruction of a local Christian Elementary school in Bacon's Corner. The case led by a classified Satanist cult that enraptures souls into believing that a one-world peace is achievable and that you are your own god. There is no reason to feel right or wrong, all is pleasing and pleasurable in this life until their true cover is exposed.  One of their highest esteemed members causes things to stir up in the small town, which causes Sally's life to not be the only one threatened. Young Tom Harris, a faithful member of the local Baptist congregation and a teacher in the Christian school, has his kids stripped away from him for something he has done in the...

"A heart, once stolen, can never be taken back.” Summary: Heartless begins with hopes and dreams of young Catherine Pinkerton, a citizen of the land of Hearts. Her passion for baking sweet delicacies opposes her parents' dream of her becoming Queen. Lady Catherine distastes the idea of accepting the King's proposal. Mainly because of her bakery ambition that was conjured up ever since she realized the generational family trait of storytelling was not passed down to her. One other thing that throws Catherine's decision through a loop is the new Royal Court Joker. Something beguiling about him and his hidden identity entices Catherine to want to find out. And finding out the mystery may cost her very own heart in the end. In the land of Wonderland, everything is magical and surreal. Mysterious and confusing, but amazingly adventurous.  Thoughts: Marissa Meyer is an outstanding author. Every single book I have ever read from her amazes me. This was no exce...

"This moment was like no other. For now, the sun was setting on his father's reign as King, and tomorrow, it would rise as his." Summary: Prince Addison has grown up to be all his father and many siblings knew he could become, a just and honorable future king. His coronation is coming up rapidly,  along with the many decisions and life-long  relationships that form within this momentous advent. The pressure of ruling keeps Addison up at night. The weight of this h eavy-some burden of an entire country in Europe will test the Prince to the max.  Being the second eldest to the throne, Bridget is the social and fashion model in society,  she  also has a tremendous influence on her younger siblings. After trusting her heart in the wrong hands, she secludes the remaining, broken pieces so that she will never have to relive the potential of heartbreak again. Her friends overhear rumors about the rebellion growing and threatening the monarch, whic...