Christian Reads September Because You're Mine by Colleen Coble

For the first installment of Christian Reads, we read Colleen Coble’s Because You’re Mine. This story follows Alanna, a singer and violinist in an Irish Celtic band, as she navigates her new life.

Early in the book we find out that Alanna and her husband Liam, the drummer of the Celtic band, are expecting their first child together. While on tour with the band in the United States, misfortune finds them. When Liam goes for a drive with his friend Jesse, a bomb goes off in the car killing Liam and seriously injuring Jesse. When Alanna goes home to have Liam’s funeral, she sees his parents to tell them the news that she is expecting their child. Liam’s parents unapproved of his marriage to Alanna from the beginning. Liam’s parents were rich, his father Thomas is a member of the upper house of the Irish Legislature, an Oireachtas Senator. On learning that Alanna was pregnant with Liam’s only child they wished to raise it as their own, threatening to gain custody if Alanna didn’t move into their residence. Barry, a lawyer from Charleston, acts as their manager while the band tours in the United States, offers to marry Alanna. Their marriage being one of convenience in order to help stop Thomas from coming after the baby. We soon find out that Barry isn’t all that he seems to be. The family home isn’t ready nor is it entirely livable. The studio Barry promised the band, wasn’t ready or even started. A shock comes to Alanna as there is a portrait of a lady in the family home who looks an awful lot like her.

As the band needs a new drummer, Jesse seems to have taken an interest to doing the drumming for them. Meanwhile, the detectives are wondering if Jesse was the one to set off the car bomb. Jesse has no real memory of his life before the accident. Alanna becomes worried as Jesse exhibits mannerisms of Liam. Tensions rise between Alanna, Berry, the band, and Jesse, making the story all the more interesting. Wrapping the story in a shroud of mystery.

There were some parts of the book that landed on the “I saw that coming” part of the book but the book was mostly something I did not see coming, especially the ending. The book has a very under toned Christian feel to it. Alanna struggles with her faith after the death of Liam, although because Liam relied heavily on his faith, she uses it as a reason to keep trying. As she finds herself restless in her faith, Alanna leans on Psalm 139 to help her through the time when she finds she is in the thick of the confusion of her new surroundings. Because You’re Mine was thoroughly enjoyable and a surprise of a read. The hints of the social differences between the Travelers, Alanna’s background, and the more well-off families such as Liam’s family or Barry’s, made for a story that is relevant regardless of the time frame. As socioeconomic backgrounds and conditions are still relevant in today’s world It’s how we handle those differences that make us really who we are. That idealism is echoed in the voices of the other band members when they find out that Alanna comes from a family of Travelers.

For myself, I would read another Colleen Coble book. I enjoyed the writing style and how she presented her story. It may be an author that we visit down the line for another Christian Reads selection.

What Colleen Coble books have you read lately? If you have any other Christian books that you would like to read with a book club, come to the next meeting on November 20^th. There we will be discussing Karen Kingsbury’s A Distant Shore.

Inspiring New Stories by Meghan Bowman

Story telling is a timeless tradition handed down through the ages. It is the biggest way we can honour our ancestors. Reading becomes a special time between a child and the reader. Through story telling our children learn many things, such as life lessons, and compassion.

For my childhood, reading was filled with Robert Munsch books, The Paperbag Princess, Murmel, Murmel, Murmel, and Love You Forever. Love You Forever is a generational story of the love a mother has for their child that has no limitations as the child grows. The mother holds her child in her arms singing him a song of promise. A promise which the child carries into adulthood, with his aging mother and newborn child. It is a book that brings fond memories to generations of adults. A book that we end up reading to our own children. 

As we enter into a more enlightened age where we wish to show representation and diversity, in what we read to our children, books are reflecting these needs. I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillet-Sumner (Illustrated by Michaela Goade) invoked similar feelings. In this book, we see a mother preparing for her child to enter into the world. Her preparations to welcome her child into her life. From the first moments she knew, she wrapped her child into the traditions of her ancestors, shrouding it in love. Instead of a song, the illustrations carry the song, the promise, to the child from page to page. It's a story of love, tradition, and a promise.

Both of these books tell stories of love, and tradition. For readers some of the stories we tell are part of our traditions. What stories and books are part of your traditions?