just in time for Valentine’s…

Does Valentine’s Day have you looking for love? Then look no further than this delightful collection of historical romance novellas by some of our favourite inspirational authors – Karen Witemeyer, Jody Hedlund, Melissa Jagears, Jen Turano, and Sarah Loudin Thomas.

With All My Heart Romance Collection takes you on a journey across America and through time, with five stories that are moving, fun, faith-filled, and always deeply romantic.

The collection includes:

Karen Witemeyer’s “Love on the Mend” – In post-Civil War Texas, sparks fly between the new doctor in town and the nurse who both challenges and beguiles him.

Jody Hedlund’s “Out of the Storm” – A man shipwrecked near a Michigan lighthouse learns a new way of seeing love from the lightkeeper’s daughter.

Melissa Jagear’s “Love by the Letter” – A prairie mail-order-bride story with a twist, that proves even the most stubborn of people can be made to change.

Jen Turano’s “Gentleman of Her Dreams” – Enter the world of New York high society, as one woman’s marriage plans get unexpectedly tangled by the return of a childhood friend.

Sarah Loudin Thomas’s “Appalachian Serenade” – A nostalgic story of friendship – and unexpected love – in a small town store in rural West Virginia.

 

need a new book to read?

Did you read The Girl on the Train? Want more from Irma Joubert?

Check out her newest novel — Child of the River.

“Persomi’s close relationship with her older brother Gerbrand and her fragile friendship with Boelie Fourie — heir to the Fourie farm and fortune — are her lifeline and her only connection to the outside world. When Gerbrand leaves the farm to fight on the side of the Anglos in WWII and Boelie joins an underground network of Boer nationalists, Persomi’s isolated world is blown wide open. But as her very small world falls apart, bigger dreams become open to her — dreams of an education, a profession, a native country that values justice and quality, and of love.”

things we love and resources you’ll find useful

Slogging your way through research papers? Check out some of the resources MEI Secondary Library has shared on Pinterest — they’re all organized by subject.


MEI Secondary Library
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For such a time as this…

ForSuchATimeKate Breslin’s debut novel has hit our shelves! Find it F Bre.

“In 1944, blonde and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric’s secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz.

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric’s compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy.

Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp’s prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?”

-Baker Publishing

From modern to historical, Esther’s story lives on. Take a look three more retellings for this story of faith.

HadassahAReluctantKingChosen

Quick Facts

Are you working on a research project and looking for information on one of Canada’s Prime Ministers? Perhaps it’s the Socials 10 Fathers of Confederation assignment?

Have no fear — check out the MEI Secondary Library Pinterest Board: Social Studies — we have Quick Fact Sheets with biographical information from Sir John A. Macdonald to Stephen Joseph Harper.

pinterest

 

it takes two to tango!

dancing-master

“Whether you’re a fan of Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë, or both, you will soon become a fan of Julie Klassen once you read this wonderful book.” — GoodReads

“A fantastic read. Every time I was sure I had figured out the twisty-turny plot, the story would take another turn to prove me wrong. I loved it!”
Author Michelle Griep

“Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.

Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch’s daughter. Though he’s initially wary of Julie Midwinter’s reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul—and hidden sorrows of her own.

Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master—a man her mother would never approve of—but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec’s help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village . . . and to her mother’s tattered heart?

Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a “good match” in Regency England.” — From author’s website

Let it Reign

gingergarrett

 

Book 3 in the Lost Loves of the Bible series by Ginger Garrett has hit our shelves!

Reign: The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel will change the way you think about that window of time in history.

 

“From the moment her marriage to Prince Ahab thrusts her into the intrigues of palace life, Jezebel’s exotic beauty opens doors, and her will breaks down walls. Torn from her homeland and wed to power in a strange country, Jezebel vows to create a legacy and power all her own. Some might call her a manipulative schemer, bent on having her own way. But they don’t know the whole story.”

The World Digital Library

The Library of Congress and UNESCO have partnered with national libraries, universities, and museums to provide free online access to cultural treasures from around the world via The World Digital Library: Collection of Cultural Treasures

View rare manuscripts, maps, books, recordings, films, prints, and many other important culturally historic materials from cultures around the world.

 

would you dare?

The Newbery Honor author, SUSAN CAMPBELL BARTOLETTI, brings us a compelling page-turner. “Just as the Nazis are rising to power, Helmuth Hübener, a German schoolboy, is caught up in all the swashbuckling bravado of his time. The handsome storm trooper uniforms, the shiny jackboots and armbands, the rousing patriotism — all serve to draw him into this bright new world full of promise and hope. In the beginning, Helmuth’s patriotism is unwavering. But every day the rights of people all over Germany are diminishing. Jews are threatened and their businesses are being destroyed, the truth has been censored, and danger lurks everywhere. Anybody can turn on you. The world has turned upside down: Patriotism means denouncing others, love means to hate, and speaking out means treason. Silence becomes everyone’s guilty secret. How much longer can Helmuth keep silent? Now Helmuth sits in a German prison, awaiting his precarious fate. Told in flashback with breathtaking suspense, this homage to an extraordinary real-life hero magnificently explores one person’s responsibility to humanity, freedom, and truth.” {amazon.ca}

biographies, autobiographies, & memoirs, oh my!

bio

90 minutes in heaven : a true story of death & life by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey.

Summary — The author, a pastor, describes his near-death experience after a car accident in 1989, explaining that he went to Heaven and was brought back to Earth by a miracle, and discusses the impact of the event on his life.

Dancing with Max : a mother and son who broke free by Emily Colson ; prologue & epilogue by Charles W. Colson.

Summary — Emily Colson shares the story of her experiences as the single mother of a child diagnosed with autism, and tells how she developed her own visual communication system for working with Max.

The devil in pew number seven by Rebecca N. Alonzo with Bob DeMoss.

Summary — Rebecca Nichols Alonzo recounts the events surrounding her father’s murder, describing how a church member who refused to give up control when Robert Nichols took over as pastor tormented and threatened her family, until the night that Rebecca’s life was shattered forever.

Life, in spite of me : extraordinary hope after a fatal choice by Kristen Jane Anderson with Tricia Goyer.

Summary — The author shares the story of how she survived a suicide attempt and found hope and peace in her life.

Life without limits : inspiration for a ridiculously good life by Nick Vujicic.

Summary — The author, a man who was born without arms or legs, describes how he overcame his disabilities to live an independent, fulfilling life and provides advice to the reader on ways to discover their purpose in life.

The red scorpion : the true story of a ruthless Russian mob boss’s dramatic redemption by Rami Kivisalo and Marko Joensuu.

Summary — Rami Kivisalo, the son of Finnish missionaries in Tanzania, provides an account of how he came to be part of the Russian mafia’s inner circle in charge of illegal drug and arms trades, and discusses events that led to his religious conversion.

Shattered : struck down, but not destroyed by Frank Pastore with Ellen Vaughn.

Summary — Cincinnati Reds pitcher Frank Pastore stepped onto the mound in Dodger Stadium to throw another fastball — something he’d done thousands of times since childhood. But this time was different. The batter connected and the ball came rocketing back to the mound, shattering not only Frank’s pitching elbow — but also his dream of getting rich and famous through Major League Baseball. This is a story of how the fragments of broken dreams can be reassembled into even bigger and better things. This is a story that shows how all of us can come to know we’re in God’s good hands. Even when we’re shattered.

Two wars by Nate Self.

Summary — The author, a former Ranger captain, tells his story and the story of those in his unit, as they fought their way through hostile territory in Afghanistan, describing his personal struggles, professional duty to his country and his men, and the long-term effects of the war on terror.

Unshaken : rising from the ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana by Dan Woolley with Jennifer Schuchmann.

Summary — Dan Woolley, an interactive strategies director for Compassion International, recounts the nearly three days he spent trapped beneath the rubble of Haiti’s collapsed Hotel Montana. He details his survival methods — including using an iPhone app to treat his life-threatening injuries, conversations with strangers buried nearby, letters to his family, and the small and large decisions he made that affected his chances of surviving the 7.0 Haiti earthquake that took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.