1st book

27 chapters, 428 pages and a very good book. Set during the Prohibition era, and with a decidedly Christian aspect.
Though Waters Roar starts out with the main character, Harriet, in jail for transporting alcohol. While in jail, Harriet "remembers" talking with her Grandmother Beatrice "Bebe" about the prohibition (and Bebe's part in it).The main cast of characters is as follows:

Harriet--the foremost character
Grandmother "Bebe"--Harriet's grandmother and activist for the Prohibition
Horatio--Bebe's husband, a drunkard

Picking up from the first paragraph, while sitting in jail Harriet drifts between her own predicament and her grandmother's story. Bebe was raised on a farm with her four older brothers, William, James and Franklin being the only ones relevant to the story. All four went off to the Civil War and only the aforementioned three came back. Franklin minus a leg, and with his buddy Horatio Garner. While Bebe's brothers were gone, she did all the farm work that they would've normally done, becoming the quintessential country girl. After receiving news that Franklin was in a hospital, Bebe was sent by her mother to nurse him. And that is where she met Horatio Garner.
With his good looks and sliver tongue, Horatio easily got Bebe to marry him. However, there was a problem--after marrying Horatio and moving into his parents house, Bebe realized that Horatio was a bit of a drinker. Having served in the war, Horatio said it chased away his nightmares and he only did it so Bebe wouldn't be frightened. But he wouldn't stop and after his father died and Horatio inherited the family business of tanning, it became worse. Bebe left him one time and ventured back to the farm where her mother promptly told her to go back. Reminding her that she was in it for "better or worse" and that this was her husband, Bebe's mother convinced her to go back. Horatio promised to stop, a promise that he would break not much later.
After going back, Bebe had a baby girl, named Lucy and had to take control of the tannery with Neal MacLeod. Neal would later turn out to be the illegitimate son of Horatio's father. The company was rescued from financial ruin and Bebe gave complete control to Neal and focused on her husband.
Taking Horatio up to the cabin that their family owned, Bebe attempted to talk sense into him. However, Horatio was far more concerned with the man made lake outside. He claimed it was looking bad and he feared the dam might break and flood the town below. After a large chunk broke off, Horatio and Bebe raced back to town to warn the residents. Horatio and a manservant named Peter went out in separate buggies to rescue the poor people on the other side of town.Making countless trips, they saved many. But on the last run, only Peter came back.
Bebe stayed in town and continued her previous work of trying to shut down the taverns and saloons. Succeeding, she watched not only alcohol be forbidden, but also the eighteenth amendment come into play.
And them we come back to Harriet, languishing in the county jail after being caught with a car full of bootleg liquor. Officer Tommy O'Reilly, an old schoolmate of Harriet's was the one to arrest her--not for the liquor, but for speeding. However, when he saw the liquor,he had no choice but to arrest her.
After checking up on her several times in the jail, he gets her out on 'probation" and takes her to a coffee shop for her to tell him the story of the liquor. Claiming that the liquor is not hers,she proceeds to tell the story of her later life, primarily how she worked in a department store.There she met Bertha, a salesclerk. Bertha married and her husband went off to war, but when he came back they had a baby. And then another one.
Desperate for money, Bertha's husband agreed to bring bootleg liquor across the border from Canada and deliver it to a place in the U.S.. He got cold feet, but Bertha needed the money for her kids. Harriet agreed to deliver it as long as they never did this again. On her way there, Harriet got busted for speeding--by Tommy O'Reilly.
When she was finished with her story, Tommy asked her to help him raid the drop off site. Agreeing, Harriet made the delivery and then Tommy and his colleagues raided the place.
The story ends with Harriet telling Bebe about the "adventure" and a hint of romance between Tommy and herself.

The Idea
Although I am not much for New Years resolutions I though this would be a good one. I shall attempt to read at least 100 books in a year and review them all--about two books a week. Starting today (yes, yes, a day early) with Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin.

A small disclaimer: These books will range all over the reading spectrum, I may very well read a kids book one day and a literary work the next.