The Fabulous, Marvelous, Wonderful Day of Books

Yesterday was a Red Letter Day book-wise. I got no less than TWO special bookish deliveries.

Package #1:  

The Road Home & Welcome to Vietnam by Ellen Emerson White

Another, wholly unexpected, Mother's Day gift from the Hubby - the shipping just took forever. After seeing how well his Anniversary Present was recieved, he's decided he can't go wrong with Ellen Emerson White. I agree.

Package #2 (one of my most anticipated reads of the 2010):

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

 !!!!

Someone needs to come and scrape me off the floor, because I am basically a puddle of goo at the moment. *dies*

Six Years Later

This past week has been somewhat busy - craziness about what you'd expect from the week before Easter - but for some reason it was a little more frantic than usual. Amid all this craziness, the Hubby and I were set to celebrate our sixth anniversary on Friday but for a couple of reasons, we still haven't gotten around to celebrating yet. But that's not to say he forgot. Nope, not my guy. On Friday morning, when I stumbled into the kitchen several hours after the he had already left (sometime before 5am - yikes!), I found these pretties - and a sweet note - waiting for me:

Ellen Emerson White - The President's Daughter series

I first came across these perfect books this past summer and have been sighing longingly over my own set ever since (the precious! we wants the precious!). And now I have them (the precious! we loves the precious!).

Six years later and the Hubby still knows exactly how to make me giddy. Yup. He's a keeper.

See Michelle Read in 2009

2009 was a pretty busy year for me and full of firsts. I quit my dream job as a librarian to be a full-time mom, I moved 3 times (to 3 different states), and started this here bloggy in order to keep my sanity while I stay at home with a toddler. Of course, I also read a monstrous pile of books (over 180) and thought I'd pick out some of my favs to share.

****drumroll****

Best YA...Period: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Some of the most beautiful and original writing I've come across in a while, surrounded by characters who will just about break your heart with their loyalty, love, and courage. Love, love.

Best YA Fantasy: The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Just knock me over and tie me up, cause Nick takes the cake in this book. At one point I alternately either loved or despised each and every character and could not have been more caught off guard by the ending. Can. Not. Wait. For. The. Sequel.

Best Urban Fantasy: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

What began as a promising kickbutt heroine UF set in a magic-ravaged Atlanta has turned into one of my favorite UF series to date. Kate and Curran keep circling each other and even though they aggravate each other to no end, I have a feeling things are just going to get more interesting in the much anticipated sequel, Magic Bleeds.

Best Sequel: Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

James' tragic love story with a rockin' soul-sucking faery was nothing short of drool-inducing, heart rate-spiking, grade-A Book Crack.

Best Throwback to 2008: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Frickin' brilliant writing that I am still trying to wrap my brain around. I think Marchetta should also get an award for creating one deliciously flawed cast of characters - every one is a ringer.

Best Classic Novel: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

I picked this one up after loving Amy Adams in the movie remake and promptly got lost in the clever dialogue and gorgeous vintage illustrations. A laugh out loud feel-gooder that will remain a keeper.

Funniest Non-Fiction: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs

One New York man trying to live every single law in the Bible for an entire year? Hilarity will ensue.

Best Author Discovery: Ellen Emerson White

Hands down this goes to Ellen Emerson White along with a big thank-you to Angie at Angieville for bringing her to my attention. After devouring The Road Home, I quickly moved on to her Echo Company series and then straight into the President's Daughter books. Seriously, anything that woman writes is solid gold and if you haven't had a chance to dive into her books yet, please DO!

Life Without Friends by Ellen Emerson White

Thanks to Angie over at Angieville (she never steers me wrong), I've discovered the wonderfulness that is Ellen Emerson White. And when she spotlighted Life Without Friends during her weekly Retro Friday post, I knew it was only a matter of time before I picked up this series as well. True, Ellen Emerson White's characters do seem to be very similar - girls from upper class Boston, who usually enjoy sports (typically tennis and skiing- in this case running), and are undoubtedly wicked smart - but each one is so different in her own way that I can't help but love them all. Beverly from Life Without Friends is no exception.

Beverly hasn't exactly had an easy time of things, after her mother died, she's gone to live with her father, step-mother and 5-year-old step-brother Oliver, all of who she couldn't get along with less. On top of that she's entering a new high school she feels completely lost in. In hindsight, she chose the wrong kids to hang around with at school, but at the time gorgeous and fast-living Tim seemed to be perfect. Not unexpectedly, Beverly is at the center of a murder scandal at her school, finding herself ostracized and friendless and constantly eaten up by guilt and self-loathing - wishing she had only done something to stop Tim.

Enter Derek, a fun-loving guy who does landscaping at one of the city parks. After a series of pretty dang humorous encounters, Beverly and Derek embark on a somewhat unusual friendship (meaning Derek doesn't usually know if they will be friends the next day or not). Derek is more than persistent (thankfully) when it comes to Beverly though and doesn't relent until he gets her to open up to him and slowly helps her work through some of her guilt and fears - while making her laugh every step of the way. My kind of guy. That's not the only reason I am in serious like with Derek however, he is just so dang sweet and thoughtful. Like when he was to meet her parents for the first time, he dressed up and even cut his hair and was very anxious to find out what Beverly thought of the result. Pretty cute huh?

I couldn't have loved Beverly's story more. Obviously, she's got some major issues to deal with and demons to beat back but she's trying to work through it all, that (to me) is a major show of courage. That seems to be one of the overall themes in Ellen Emerson White's books; even when her characters have to deal with some tough times, they've proven themselves to be up to the task and so I'm never worried for their futures. Curious? Yes, but anxious, no. I also love that on the cover Beverly is sitting on the bench where she and Derek spend so much time getting to know each other. Nice.

series reading order:
~ Friends for Life - my reivew
~ Life Without Friends

Friends for Life by Ellen Emerson White

After having lived in New York for the past three years, Susan McAllister returns to Boston hoping to fit right in with old friends. She's happy to resume her relationship with Patrick and even more excited to be reunited with her best friend Colleen. Colleen however, has changed. She's lost too much weight, seems preoccupied, and is convinced a classmate was murdered when no one else suspects a thing. Susan isn't sure what to make of this accusation until Colleen herself is found dead, supposedly from a drug overdose, and Susan is determined to find out who is responsible for her best friend's murder.

Ooohhh. Feel like we're in a Sweet Valley High novel yet?

Although Susan is convinced of foul play, her parents and even Patrick don't want to hear anything about it. She's all alone on this one and as she slowly starts to tarnish her new girl reputation, Susan gets closer to danger herself as she finds out who dealt that fatal dose of LSD (I know - campy but still fun) to Colleen.

Imagine my surprise when I figured out that the Susan in Friends for Life is actually the same Susan as Meg's hall adviser at college in Long May She Reign - I guess when you have a good character you don't forget them. In Long May She Reign however, I felt like Susan was much more interesting and developed (funny, since she's only a secondary character in that one). Unlike her later books, Friends For Life has a bit of sensationalism to it (upper class teens overdosing on drugs) and is more focused on the drama rather than letting the action be driven by the characters themselves. Which is okay, it just doesn't create the depth which I'm come to associate with Ellen Emerson White's other novels. This difference is most likely due to the fact that Friends for Life is Ellen Emerson White's first novel, written while she was still a student herself. So however much I enjoyed this book, it definitely had a few quirks and didn't pull me in quite as much. That's not to say I didn't enjoy Susan. She's so full of loyalty and courage, it's hard not to like her.

series reading order:
~ Friends for Life
~ Life Without Friends

Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White

Six months ago Meg was kidnapped by terrorists who made sure she understood that she would never leave them alive. Over the course of thirteen days, they shattered her knee, deprived her of food and water and then left her to die chained up in an old mine shaft. Unable to face such a fate, Meg smashed the bones in her hand in order to slide out of the handcuff and then stumbled through the woods until she found people who could call in the cavalry. After being rescued, Meg still has a long road ahead of her: numerous operations and grueling physical therapy not to mention dealing with the fallout over her mother's (the President) controversial statement: "can not, have not, and will not negotiate with terrorists." Yeah, that's her daughter she's talking about. Comforting huh? Meg finds she's in serious trouble of never coming out of her depression while living scared at the White House and so persuades her parents to let her attend Williams College even though she is far from being well enough to go.

At Williams, Meg is more on her own than ever before and constantly feels like she is the brunt of her classmates disdain. Slowly she begins to make friends (more because people bully her into it) with her hall adviser Susan and even begins a rocky relationship with Jack aka Malibu Bobby (say it with a Boston accent - it gets funnier every time). Setbacks happen but Meg is her old determined self and refuses to give up.

Can we talk about Preston for a moment here? I find him absolutely irresistible so would love to talk about him for hours. Preston is Meg's father's press secretary and basically the best friend of the entire family. The man is smart and funny, knows how to rock a suit, and is so loving and caring that frankly, my heart just melts a little every time he speaks. He becomes one of the only people, excepting Beth (her best friend since kindergarten), who Meg can truly open up to and get straight answers from in return.

Ellen Emerson White surely knows how to take her time. She doesn't rush a character into situations or confrontations that are too premature, she gives them time to simply be, allowing for a incredibly natural and realistic progression of events. And with Long May She Reign weighing in at 700+ pages, I felt like I got my money's worth and then some. That's not to say I wouldn't welcome another 1,000 pages or so - I'd read them in a heartbeat.

I have no idea how EEW could have waited twenty odd years to finish Meg's story. Twenty Years!! If I had read these books prior to this last one coming out I think I would have died not knowing what happened to Meg. So much is left unanswered in Long Live the Queen that is so beautifully explained in Long May She Reign that I just can't comprehend her waiting so long to put it on paper.

I find it interesting that two of the four cover art pieces are nods to very, very well-known works: essentially the Dutch Mona Lisa (or Girl with a Pearl Earring) and the actual Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. I feel like this could be a reference to the fact that Meg herself has become a household name, just like these paintings. This cover is just so Meg: the Williams sweater, dark Oakleys, and the blue hand-brace - although she looks a little more filled out than my vision of a too-depressed-to-eat Meg.













series reading order:
~ The President's Daughter - my review
~ White House Autumn - my review
~ Love Live the Queen - my review
~ Long May She Reign

Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White

Meg's family has faced some pretty rocky times in the last couple of years. Her mother, now Madame President Powers, is still recovering from an shocking attack (albeit out of the public eye) and Meg's family seems to now be, not-surprisingly, closer and more tight-knit than ever. Meg's biggest worry is finishing up her senior year while trying to avoid the ever-present reporters who follow her families' every move when the unthinkable happens: Meg is brutally kidnapped by terrorists and forced to endure more than she ever imagined. Meg isn't sure why she was taken or even where, but she knows the terrorists have no plans to let her live. Which quickly becomes her only goal.

Meg goes through some truly horrific stuff in this novel. She's beaten down and left so physically and emotionally scarred, she knows her life will never be the same again. Unexpectedly, I found myself repeatedly in tears while reading because I had unknowingly become so dang attached to Meg, I understand why some scenarios were more painful than others. Ellen Emerson White knew she couldn't start off the series with a story like this, but since she's built up a character (Meg) supported by incredible secondary characters with such believable interactions that I was completely drawn into this story. I could feel and understand every single person's pain because I'd been with them all for so long, I just got it.

So if I thought White House Autumn was taking a risk dealing with a presidential attack, then Long Live the Queen has to take some kind of award for even daring to discuss a teen who is taken hostage by terrorists. I do have one thing to say about Ellen Emerson White, that woman is fearless. Fiercely fearless. She doesn't shy away from any of the tough questions or the questionable emotions, she faces each dead-on with a calm and precise determination. Terrorists, kidnapping, Vietnam - I mean is there anything this woman can't do - and do well?

For this third installment, I find it noteworthy that the artwork was chosen to mimic James McNeill Whistler's classic painting Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother. I can't fault their taste - there is something inherently classic about Whistler's work, I totally dig it. Of course it is tongue in cheek with the hanging picture of the White House in the background and it definitely allows you to see the bright blue leg and hand brace Meg is now sporting. As for the Queen herself, Meg's attitude seems to be almost passive, which after reading this novel, I can assure you is anything but, which is a none too subtle reminder that Meg is under constant scrutiny all the time and that even when she's feeling wretched and depressed, she's still putting on her 'public' face and doing what she has to.













series reading order:
~ The President's Daughter - my review
~ White House Autumn - my review
~ Love Live the Queen
~ Long May She Reign

White House Autumn by Ellen Emerson White

After her mother became the first female President, Meg wonders if her life will ever resemble anything remotely normal. Feeling somewhat like she has a handle on her new school and enjoying a somewhat-normal relationship with cutieboy Josh (even if they can never truly be alone, what with the requisite security agents following her every move), Meg is hoping to simply enjoy her junior year. But it's hard to just be a teenager when the media wants to know every detail of your private life and pictures of her keep cropping up of her doing the most mundane things, especially when she should be focusing on her college applications - not that she's worried about getting in - she'd just like to be accepted (or not) on her own merits for a change. Meg is trying to keep everything together when a shocking and horrible attack is made on her mother and Meg and her family are forced to turn to each other in their private, yet very public, grief.

If I had simply read the synopsis of this novel, I would have been more than a little skeptical. I mean: female president is attacked - ensuing emotional crisis and shock - trite and overdone right? Just like her other novels, Ellen Emerson White handles this potentially disastrous subject with such careful handling, I couldn't help but be drawn into Meg's family's story. Trust me, this is one of those authors who never does anything half-way: Meg goes through such feelings of anger, shock and pain - all so quintessentially teenage responses but at the same time extremely unique and believable. Each member of her family expresses their grief in different ways and with her dad constantly away from home, it falls to Meg to help keep her younger brothers, Steven and Neal, from falling apart. Leaving Meg unable to fall apart of course. But Meg is more than competent and though it takes everything she's got, she begins to draw closer to her family in ways they never expected.

Let's talk cover art for a moment here, shall we? This book is reminiscent of Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring - an extremely iconic work of the Dutch Renaissance. What I think I like best about this cover is that the cover artist chose to retain the same bright blue and yellow color scheme; a very smart choice since the dark background makes such colors essentially pop off the canvas, forcing the viewer to study her in exceedingly up-close-and-personal detail. I get the sense with the juxtaposition of Meg wearing her Red Sox cap and the iconic earring that Meg herself has become a study in contrasts - her tomboy nature clashing with her idea that she must be elegant and as put together as her mother.














series reading order:
~ The President's Daughter - my review
~ White House Autumn
~ Love Live the Queen
~ Long May She Reign

The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White

Ellen Emerson White is a relatively new discovery for me. I begin with her incomparable The Road Home and have quickly done whatever I could to get my hands on her other books, knowing if they were half as good as The Road Home, they would be well worth my time. And I was right. I always like it when that happens.

Meg Powers is a regular teenager - she plays tennis, fights with her parents, tries to navigate a hormone-driven high school, and gives her young brothers all the trouble she can. Meg does have a couple of things that set her apart from your average teen however - for one, she's smart with a biting wit and two, her mother, a career politician, has just decided to run for president. Not PTA president, mind you, but Leader of the Free World President president. Going with this not competely unexpected decision, Meg and her family must face the realities of campaigning on such a large scale. They must first endure the endless agony of the primaries nationwide, then the pageantry of the Democratic Convention, and if all goes well, eventually leading up to the Presidential election, that is, if her mom's lucky to even get that far.

Even though Meg is extremely smart, sometimes so much so that I forget she's only a teenager, she still experiences the all-too natural desire to not attract attention to herself (an instinct ingrained in all teens of course) which becomes basically impossible with all the media coverage, teachers asking for her mother's stance on education, and never knowing if guys are asking her out for herself or becuase her mother is famous. Through it all, she and especially her brothers keep a constant run of banter and sarcastic remarks running throughout - often tempering the many emotional scenes with levity leaving you with a sense that humor is the only thing keeping the Powers family sane.

The Powers family has an awesome dynamic. They are all incredibly smart and each loves nothing better than to crack a joke or pop off some smart aleck response. Meg and her mother are so much alike - but in exceedingly different ways. Meg feels that since her mother might become the first female president and she is the eldest child, there is even more pressure to be as elegant and intelligent as her mom - talk about your pressure.

I absolutely adore the new covers for the re-release of this series - each is a perfect representation of the emotions Meg experiences. This particular design is an homage to Andrew Wyeth's celebrated painting Christina's World. This choice was spot-on for capturing Meg's feeling of desperation and isolation. She has no choice but to follow her mother in perusing the presidency - no matter the cost to their family or herself. Not without hope however, Wyeth (and likewise Meg) depicts Christina facing her difficulties face-first, without any hesitation and ready to get down to business.












series reading order:
~ The President's Daughter
~ White House Autumn
~ Love Live the Queen
~ Long May She Reign

Retro Fridays: Echo Company series by Ellen Emerson White

Today, being Friday, I thought I'd take the chance to participate in Angie's Retro Friday posts over at Angieville and review The Echo Company series by Ellen Emerson White writing as Zack Emerson. This series is definitely retro, written in the early '90s, but seeing as I read them for the first time this summer, I wanted to spread the love for this unbelievably unique series. Even though the books are split into four installments, they read like they should be one volume so I'm going to treat them like that here. In Welcome to Vietnam , we meet Private Michael Jennings - 18 years old and fresh off the plane for his year-long tour of duty in Vietnam. Wishing he had done anything to escape being sent there, (gone to college or even gone to Canada) Michael misses his family, good food and most of all his dog Otis. Just his luck, he is assigned to Echo Company, the ones who are currently in the middle of the jungle fighting for their lives. Never one to miss an opportunity to make a slick comeback (what's the worst they'll do? send him to Vietnam?) Michael is surly, irreverent, and more intelligent than he gives himself credit for. He is also scared silly and in way over his head - but hey, so is everyone else. Snoopy, a black kid from New Jersey, is put in charge of showing Michael the ropes which leads to some pretty humorous conversations since Snoopy is also something of a excitable puppy with a smart mouth. But all too soon, Michael and his squad are putting their life on the line while on patrol and during attacks. Holding back nothing, Michael sets down in painful detail the loss of friends and the grisly aftermath.

The sound of the explosion sent everyone diving to the ground, looking for cover. And, at first, when - stuff - rained down, Michael wasn't sure what it was. Then, he realized who is was. Who it had been.

There's no misunderstanding the horrors of war here. That said, Michael's oh so human reaction to death reminds you that he is only 18 years old. 18! Even though he's sickened, Michael responds with a ingrained sense of loyalty and compassion for the guys around him - showing his make without a second thought. Just wait, it gets better.

Hill 568 picks up after this horrific loss with the Echo Company boys getting buttered up with a steak dinner and rumors of a coming large scale offensive attack. Michael's main rule is to never volunteer for anything and this is not his idea of keeping a low profile. He's already been asked to walk point (which involves making sure nobody walks right into an attack or booby traps) for his squad and that mind numbing responsibility has left him strung too tightly as it is. Somehow they make it through, but with long-lasting consequences that aren't just physical.

Coming off that exhausting battle, the narrative switches to follow Lt. Rebecca Phillips in 'Tis the Season. Rebecca is in Vietnam for many personal reasons, one being the army paid for her nursing degree so she's agreed to spend one year as a nurse in a field hospital in Vietnam. Full of sass herself, Rebecca impulsively jumps on a medi-vac helicopter which then crashes in the jungle and kills her friends. Bad enough right? To her horror, some of the Vietnamese rebels heard the crash which leads to one unforgettable encounter with a young solider. Later, she stumbles through the jungle on a broken ankle until coming across Michael's squad - who are just as surprised to find her as she is them. Let's just say Michael is more than a little smitten with the ballsy Lieutenant.

Switching back to Michael's perspective, Stand Down is the final installment in this fantastic series. He's still a little shocked from finding the feisty Lieutenant wandering wounded in the middle of the jungle - after all he was on point and could have shot her. But when word comes that Echo Company will be on stand down (a type of break where the guys are sent to a noncombat zone), he's hoping for a chance to meet up with Rebecca and find out not only how she's doing but to see if she feels anything for him - because he's fallen pretty hard himself.

So it was more than a stretch for me to be picking up Vietnam war novels (of all things) but after stumbling upon Ellen Emerson White's The Road Home I knew I would do just about anything to pick up these first four books. Too pricey to buy (try $40 a pop), I enlisted the aid of my local librarian who happily found them on ILL and had them delivered no less than a couple of weeks later. Cheesy covers and sappy teaser lines aside, these books are solid gold. I knew I should expect some intelligent writing, but once again I was blown away with the deep emotion and sheer wit of it all. Michael's journey from fresh off the plane cherry to experienced point man in a matter of months is just plain riveting. Throw in one fiesty field nurse and you've got yourself a page-turner.

Additionally, this isn't one of those war novels that patronizes the soldiers by making them seem overly patriotic or full of political rhetoric. Michael and his squad mates are just guys, none too happy with their current situation, who are simply trying to make it out alive with at least a bit of their sanity left. Take this quote from Hill 568 which illustrates Michael's mixed feelings about what was expected of him in the army:

One thing he was learning about the Army was that you could be tired, or sick, or in pain -- and you did the job, anyway. You might gripe and groan a little - or even a lot - but you did what had to be done. If he were at home, and had blistered his hands this badly raking leaves, say, or shoveling snow, he probably would have quit, and gone inside the house to lay down. Here, he just had to grit his teeth, and get on with it.
So, he was either building character, or else he had fallen so deep into the group mentality that he was incapable of making any sort of decision for himself.

Tough call.

See? He's a smart aleck, grumpy but so dang lovable. Above all, he's bascially just a teenager who has been thrust into a situation that quickly turns him into an adult. FYI, Michael and Rebecca's story is continued in The Road Home, which naturally switches back to Rebecca's pov - just be warned - have some kleenex handy and don't get attached to many of the secodary characters. But still, pick it up. I promise you won't regret a minute spent on trying to get a hold of any of these fabulous books.

series reading order:
~ Welcome to Vietnam, Echo Company #1
~ Hill 568, Echo Company #2
~ 'Tis the Season, Echo Company #3
~ Stand Down, Echo Company #4
~ The Road Home - my review

The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White

I haven't read a book that I enjoyed this much in a long time. I say enjoyed, but really it was more like being swept away on the emotional hurricane that is Lt. Rebecca Phillips. The Road Home made me bust out laughing, had me on the edge of my seat with fear and dread, and even made me cry a few times. I hardly ever cry over a book but this one had such an emotional impact I couldn't help but feel every moment of heartbreak, turmoil and even happiness in Rebecca's story.

After losing the love of her life/childhood sweetheart to the Vietnam war and her beloved brother who flees to Canada to escape the draft, Ivy Leaguer Rebecca Phillips impulsively joins as a nurse and is assigned one year of active duty in Vietnam. Still hurting from her profound loss and estrangement from her family, Rebecca is forced to daily face the challenges of the emergency room where she and her co-workers try to save the men (boys really) who have been bombed, shot at, set on fire, or just gotten sick from the various diseases lurking in the jungle. If that weren't enough to mess with someone's head, after impulsively jumping in a helicopter (which she should never have gotten on in the first place) and being shot down over the jungle, Rebecca spends several days MIA in the jungle fleeing for her life until she stumbles upon a squad of American soldiers. Among the soldiers is Michael, a surly grunt, whose letters become a lifeline to Rebecca after her return to the hospital. Michael is so real to me - his fears and glimpses of hope are all contained in his letters and just like Rebecca, I couldn't wait to read his latest. Upon her return from Vietnam, Rebecca comes home to find herself, her family and friends all changed beyond recognition. Her struggle to find her place is the World after being a part of such brutality and pain is what makes Rebecca's story so breathtaking.

White's characters were so solid. Of course I loved Michael but one of my favorites is the cerebral Major, one of the head nurses at the field hospital. Her perfectness is legendary but so is her leniency with Rebecca. I most enjoyed their night time conversations - often requiring major mental gymnastics - where Major Doyle brought such depth and honesty to Rebecca's questions.

I really don't know much about the Vietnam war. It seems to me they sort of glossed over that section in history (it was bad and lots of people died. the end). I knew there was plenty of controversy and that veterans were not treated with respect but I really didn't understand how it all fit together until I read this powerful book. Rebecca's story is full of loss and utter depression but her journey for a chance at happiness and hope was just so real to me.

On a side note, I did feel like I had stumbled into the book mid-series and kept wondering if I was missing something. Turns out I was right. Ellen Emerson White (writing as Zack Emerson) wrote a series of four books called The Echo Company which follows Michael's company. It turns out White felt like she had to finish Rebecca's story (which begins in these books) and thus wrote The Road Home as a sort of conclusion. They are pretty hard to find, but I am hoping to get my hands on what will surley prove to be excellent reading.