Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Trust. Who of us hasn't had someone break our trust? Trust: Knowing when to give it, when to withhold it, how to earn it, and how to fix it when it gets broken in life and business by Dr. Henry Cloud is a wealth of information on the subject. Trust is divided in to five sections: Trust Makes Life Work The Five Essentials of Trust Growing in Trust The Model for Repairing Trust Moving Forward I like how well organized this book is. The Five essentials of trust was especially helpful to me: Understanding, Motive, Ability, Character and track record. All are important and all described in detail by the author. I also like the detailed section with a model for repairing trust and the seven steps that Cloud says are important for real change to take place.  Trust is written in a straightforward manner. It is easy to understand and relate to. Cloud uses real stories of real people as well as all of the wisdom he has gleaned from his years as an expert psychologist. For me, it isn't

  In our day and age, it seems like miracles are impossible. After all, the miracles Jesus performed were many ages ago. Miracles don't happen in today's world, do they? Anything is Possible: How Nine Miracles of Jesus Reveal God's Love for You by Joby Martin with Charles Martin recently released. In this book, Martin says miracles can and do happen in our world today if we have faith in Jesus. Anything Is Possible is written in a conversational tone. Martin makes his words clear and easy for all of us to understand and relate to. He shares the miracles and Bible stories from Jesus, as well as other supporting places in the Bible. He also shares personal stories of miracles that have happened today. At the end of each chapter is a prayer. Sometimes part of the prayer is written by someone whose story Martin has shared in that chapter. I like his writing style a lot. I appreciate the stories he shared. I liked so much of this book and all that he shared about

  Ashley Scott needed to find a new job. She loves being a historian but she felt she needed a new adventure. In Windswept Way by Irene Hannon, Ashley moves to Hope Harbor in the 9th book in the series.  As Ashley works to turn a beautiful older Victorian house into an event center, with the help of the elderly owner named Rose, she meets a variety of towns people. I love that characters from past books continue on in the series. Charlie, the artist with a taco stand, is one of my favorites. In Windswept Way , Ashley  gets to know Jonathan Gray, a former vet who own a landscape company that she hires to do work to restore the gardens and grounds to get the mansion up and running for events. Will the sparks that fly between Ashley and Jonathon lead to more?  I enjoyed Windswept Way so much that I read it within a couple of days. I like that Hannon had a male main character who is a veteran and has physical imperfections as a result. I could understand the challenges he faced in our in

  Where Are Your Shoes, Mr. Brown? by Justin Rhodes is a beautifully illustrated (Heather Dickinson) fun book to read with young children. This book is a dust-jacketed hardcover children's book aimed at young children under age seven that is 32 pages long. It measures about 9 1/2 inches by 10 inches in size--an especially fun size for reading together. Where Are Your Shoes, Mr. Brown? is written by a popular YouTube homesteader that I honestly wasn't familiar with before reading this book. However, I think this book has some great messages for both young children and their parents/caregivers. I love that this book is written from the point of view of the father. I don't see as many books with Dad as the main character. Mr. Brown is his young son in this book. Rhodes and his wife have five children, which all show up in the beautiful watercolor illustrations of the family on their homestead. Throughout the story, the father and the boy travel around the farm looking for hi

  Counter Attack by Patricia Bradley is the first book in the new Pearl River series.  Alexis Stone has been working in Chatanooga as a police detective when her grandfather has a heart attack. He asks her to fill in as interim sheriff in Alexis' hometown of Pearl Springs until he gets back on his feet. She had been trying to solve the Queens Gambit serial killer case when she left Chatanooga. The first day on the job as interim sheriff, the killer strikes again. Each time, the killer leaves a white chess game pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it. To solve the crime, Pearl Springs Police Chief, and Alexis high school sweetheart, Nathan Landry helps her track down the killer. Counter Attack has a lot of action. I don't play chess but the chess pieces and the moves the killer left were interesting. At the same time, I didn't feel the suspense with this book that I have with other Bradley books. Maybe because, in this case, I figured out the killer early on in the b

    I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.   It seems there are always differences between the generations. Change is the one thing that is certain in this lifetime. When I Was Your Ag e written and illustrated by Danette Byatt shares differences and similarities between generations of a grandma and her grandchild of the future. Perhaps this is what life will look like when today's children get older? Who knows? When I Was Your Age is a large picture book that is brightly illustrated. This fun sort of sci-fi book is 32 pages long and measures about 9 1/2 by 10 inches in size--so it is fairly large. It is a fun book to read together among differently aged people and/or family members. This book is aimed at chldren second grade and younger. It is a fun book to use the imagination in and talk about differences after reading it. The illustrations are fun and I love the spoof on the games on one of the pages (they don't have n

  Blessings. We would all rather have blessings than hard times, of course. The Lord Bless You by Terry A. Smith is a devotional book that, according to the back of the book, shares that "the Bible makes it clear that our God has a zealous intent to bless you." The Lord Bless You starts out with an introduction that is interesting--including why you say "Bless you" when people sneeze. Then the book is divided into four sections: Blessing, Purpose, People and Gratitude. Each part includes seven inspirational chapters. The section on Blessing was written to help ou better understand and experience God's blessing. The second part, Purpose, explains how our purpose is connected to our blessings. The third part, People, talks about how people are part of Gods plan to give and receive blessings. The fourth part, Gratitude, explains how important it is to be thankful for the blessings we receive, if we want to receive more blessings. The author suggests reading one s

  I have read Jennifer Deibel's books from the beginning with a Dance in Donegal and The Lady of Galway Manor. I think The Maid of Ballymacool may be my favorite so far. Brianna Kelly has worked at Ballymacool Boarding School since she can remember. She was left on the doorstep of the headmistress and knows very little of her family. Still, Brianna feels she was made for something more--something different.  Michael Wray, the son of a contributing family to the school, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin. Michael is drawn to Brianna and has a sense that he has met her before. Then Brianna finds a platter int he woods and Michael might know something about it. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Michael and Brianna. Of course, I did not like the evil people and they were evil in this book. I kept turning pages to solve the mysteries of who Brianna is, where the platter came from, and more. It was a good story and I read it fairly quickly. The Christian ch

  Under Fire by Lynn H. Blackburn is the third installment in the Defend and Protect series. I have enjoyed this series a lot and Under Fire was a great conclusion to the series.  Special Agent Tessa Reed made some big changes in her life. She thought she left her old ways completely behind her--when the past caught up with her as she works to protect the President during a fundraiser. USSS Agent Zane Thacker is also in town to help protect the President. Tessa and Zane reconnect and may become more than friends--or will they let the past come between them? I enjoy all of the main characters in the Defend and Protect series. I especially enjoyed seeing Zane and Tessa's relationship grow in Under Fire . I enjoyed the romance. I enjoyed the plot and trying to figure out the mystery of the book. There is a lot of action in this book, just like the other books of the series. Under Fire is definitely a book that will keep you up turning pages to get to the end. I received a copy of th

  God Heals: Eight Keys to Defeat Sickness and Receive Divine Healing by Steve Austin is book that offers hope for all Christians battling a serious illness (or their loved ones). God Heals is divided into eight sections with key takeaways: God is a Healer, Unleashing the Power of Faith, Miracle in Your Mouth, Prayer That Works, Praise Precedes the Victory, Healing the Soul, Winning the Invisible Battle, and Taking Care of Your Temple. Following the eight keys, there is a chapter about how Jesus used healing in the Bible and then a chapter of short devotions designed to build faith in the reader to receive healing. I learned a lot through God Heals . There was also information I already knew as a Christian but some of it I needed a reminder or refresher on. All of the information is presented with Scripture to back it up. There are also some good real life stories of healing in the book, which are also encouraging. At the same time, Austin shares how and why healing may not happen in

  Are you looking for something lighter to read? If so, I would encourage you to give Dear Henry, Love Edith by Becca Kinzer a try. This wonderful debut novel had me laughing out loud more than a few times. Edith is recently widowed and ready for a new adventure in life. She is planning to volunteer in South Africa but is waiting for her passport. While, she waits, Edith, who is a trained nurse, agrees to volunteer short-term in a small Midwestern town. Arrangements have been made for her to stay in the upstairs of a man whom she assumes is elderly because he can't walk upstairs. Henry Hobbes is the man who can't walk upstairs--because he badly injured his knee and his been doing physical therapy in the small Midwestern town where everyone knows everyone else. His sister made the arrangements for Edith to stay with him while her house is being repaired, which is where Edith was originally going to stay. Henry also makes the assumption that Edith is elderly. Through a series of