September 6, 2010

The Star, A Christmas Story

Once upon a time in a country far away from here, there lived a little girl named Ruth. Ruth’s home was not at all like our houses, for she lived in a little tower on top of the great stone wall that surrounded the town of Bethlehem. Ruth’s father was the hotel-keeper—the Bible says the “inn keeper.” This inn was not at all like our hotels, either. There was a great open yard, which was called the courtyard. All about this yard were little rooms and each traveler who came to the hotel rented one. The inn stood near the great stone wall of the city, so that as Ruth stood, one night, looking out of the tower window, she looked directly into the courtyard. It was truly a strange sight that met her eyes.

Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark

Shadows of Lancaster Country intertwines the peaceful and forgiving Amish people with the high-tech modern world. The two are linked through a tragedy Anna Bailey has tried to erase. Not until her brother disappears, a violent break-in in her house which almost kills her roommate does Anna agrees to her sister-in-laws’ plea to return to Lancaster County.