Reading, Writing & Pondering

With the pandemic, I have struggled at times with some fear and anxiety-like many Americans. Befriending Your Monsters by Luke Norsworthy looked like a good read to face those struggles with so I selected this book. Befriending Your Monsters is divided into three sections: Meeting Monsters about the types of monsters that Norsworthy discusses in this book. The second section is The Three Universal Monsters: Comparison, More and Success. He also explains how and why these can be monsters in a Christian's life. The third section is entitled A Monster Friendly Life in which Norsworthy gives readers three principles for dealing with the monsters in their own life. I was looking forward to reading Befriending Your Monsters. I think there is some good information in this book but I struggled with the format. It felt like a collection of sidebars to me and the information seemed disjointed in its presentation. He does point out that these monsters are in our lives to teach us somethin

I could relate well to the introduction from Inspired Mama by Sez Kristiansen. In this part of the book she shares how she is tired and worn out from trying to keep up with demands and be a mama while putting herself last. It was a wake-up call and she realizes she needs to make some changes in order for her to enjoy life and to be who she really is at her core. Inspired Mama is divided into three parts: Freedom of Mind, Freedom of Life, and Freedom of Comfort Zones. In each section she shares exercises to live a more inspired intentional life through journaling, meditating, mindfulness, living according to your purpose and more. It is a book best used alongside a journal as she encourages readers to do. Kristiansen expects readers to take and make notes of their thoughts and things they have learned through exercises she offers in the book. Many of the exercises involve deep thinking, intuition and subconscious thought processes. For me, Inspired Mama offered some interesting

Most of us have  at least one habit or two that we would like to change. But we can create good habits as well as get rid of bad habits. Joyce Meyer wants to help women do just that with this book, Habits of a Godly Woman . Habits of a Godly Woman starts out with a chapter on the Proverbs 31 woman. Meyer says we don't want to be legalistic in our thinking of this woman but we can look to her as an example and try to emulate her traits. There are many chapters with godly habits illustrated and explained. Habits such as prayer, reading the Bible, being thankful, being joyful, not worrying, being generous, living simpler lives, serving others, and having self-control. Each chapter is short and easy to read and reflect on with 3 habit-building Bible verses that relate to the topic at the end. The last chapter of the book is entitled, "Eight Practical Ways to Develop Godly Habits." This chapter gives brief instructions on how to best put new habits in to practice and

Some of my very favorite books growing up were Nancy Drew mysteries. A Dream Within a Dream by Mike Nappa and Melissa Kosci gave me that same breathless feeling as I raced my way through the book to the exciting conclusion. Trudi Coffey hasn't seen Samuel Hill in weeks. Then the FBI comes looking for her and she is clueless as to what is going on. She also has an encounter with a small man named Dream. It isn't long before she is entrenched in not only the mystery of what is going on with Samuel but figuring out just who Dream is and the big mystery of why he is so important to so many people. A Dream Within a Dream practically left me breathless turning pages as I read through this fun mystery. I enjoyed Trudi and Samuel each in their own way. I also found Trudi's assistant Eula to be a fun part of the adventure. I especially liked how tender and kind Trudi was to Dream and how she tried to reflect her faith to him as she interacted with him. There were themes of

Don't Keep Silent by Elizabeth Goddard is the third and final book in the Uncommon Justice series. I have read all three books in the series and truly enjoyed my time in Wyoming with the McKade brothers. This book was full of action and hooked me from the first page as the book begins with a woman stuck in the woods surrounded by snow and danger, wondering if she will escape. Liam McKade and Rae Burke team up in Don't Keep Silent to find Rae's missing sister-in-law, Zoey. They worked together once before but it didn't end well and Liam was less than thrilled to be working with Rae again. Still the two team up and work through the layers of both what happened in the past and the mystery they are currently trying to solve. This book was a page turner from the beginning of Don't Keep Silent . It is a solid clean suspense novel with readers working to solve the mystery and trying to figure out how things will work out with Rae and Liam. I liked both characters

The Abundance Mind-Set : Success Starts Here by Joel Osteen is a small book that is full of Osteen's advice and encouragement to live a better life. The Abundance Mind-Set has five chapters and each one is like a pep talk if you are feeling down and discouraged. He does share some Bible stories but Osteen also shares some stories from his life and those he knows. He writes this book to encourage readers to live each day thinking about good things and living with the expectation of more good things from God. Like many people, we have faced some challenges from the pandemic. If I start to feel down, I know that Osteen will always turn my mind towards God and thinking about good things. When asked if he is a prosperity minister, on page 18 of The Abundance Mind-Set he says he doesn't like that term and explains why he preaches the way he does. I especially liked the last chapter called Be Someone's Miracle. In this chapter, he explains how God uses us all to bless th