The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney

This is the first book i have read by Randy Finney. It won't be the last.

I loved the idea behind this book. Finney, an old judge with some secrets in his past, is taking part in a reality TV show called Faith on Trial. He discovers that there is a plot to kill at least one of the contestants on the show. Using codes and outside help from his law clerk, he uncovers the hidden agendas and plans to expose them. Sometimes a little hard to follow as they uncover the ciphers for the code Finney uses, but otherwise a good read. I was disappointed that there wasn't more definition of the different faiths portrayed on "the show." I wish more had been done to create the case for Christianity, but I still think a case was made.

This isn't a beach read, or even a weekend read, but it is worth reading.

Sarah's Garden

This is not your typical Amish romance...

I recieved Sarah's Garden from Booksneeze.com, but am not obligated to give a positive review. I was not anticipating liking this book, in fact, I kept putting off reading it. I wish I hadn't. This book was a great read. I finished it in a few hours, after my kids went to bed one night.

The main storyline was easy to follow, even though there were so many substories. I learned a lot from the King family about the values that the Amish have and family dynamics within the Amish family. From Sarah,I learned a little about gardening and a little about quilting - fun stuff, not instructions, and a lot about accepting responsibility. I really appreciate how the author, Kelly Long, explained the differnt relationsihips and didn't gloss over the struggles that the young Amish woman has within herself. This story has twists and turns that make you laugh and make you want to cry. I was left wondering "how is it going to end", up until the very end. This was definitely different from any other Amish Romance that I have read.