Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Meant for Me by Betsy St. Amant is the 3rd book in the Magnolia Bay series. I have enjoyed this series so much! In Meant for Me , Lincoln (Linc) offers to help Zoey with a place to stay after her Beignet shop burns down. She reluctantly takes him up on his offer because she doesn't want to put him out or take advantage of any of her friends. Not long after, Linc gets some unexpected news of his own as he finds out he has a teenage daughter he did not know about. With this unexpected news, Linc and Zoey decide on a marriage of convenience to help them both out. Marriage of Convenience is one of my favorite tropes so Meant for Me was an especially enjoyable read for me. I also found both Linc and Zoey to be interesting characters with some opposites attracting and grumpy/sunshine vibes. I didn't get as frustrated in this book with the communication issues as I sometimes do but I did wish they would be more honest about their feelings for each other. At the same time, I could ...

    I absolutely love the new The Message Women's Devotional Bible ! This Bible is a good size to carry along in my book bag if I want to do devotions on the go. It is also great on my nightstand or desk to read at home. The print is not real big but it is dark and I am able to read it easily.  I also like the devotions in this Bible that are aimed at a variety of women of all walks and ages. I haven't read through the whole Bible in a year for awhile but this one makes me want to do that again. I would use a journal with it if I want to take notes as the margins are not very big. It also doesn't have any space for those who art journal, so again, a separate journal would be good if you want to use this Bible and continue to do that while reading through the Bible.   The Message of the Bible by Women , for Women The Scriptures are meant for us, to draw near to God and discover God’s vision for us.  The Message Women ’s Devotional Bible  invites women of...

  The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox is one of my favorite books of this summer.  At the start of The Bitter End Birding Society , a character is in a sad situation. Initially, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book because it would be sad. However, I have read all of Amanda Cox's books up until now, so I thought I better keep going. I am glad I did. Yes, there are sad places. This book deals with some complex situations. However, it also has some light moments in between. It just feels like it could be a real life story of a family that faced difficult challenges and how that looked through the years.  The Bitter End Birding Society is a split time story. In the modern time line, There is Ana Leigh Watkins who is staying at her Aunt's house for the summer to take a break from working as a kindergarten teacher after a difficult school year. She reluctantly joins The Bitter End Birding Society and we meet a variety of interesting characters. In the past timel...

  Where I live the children will head back to school in two or three weeks. Summer has gone by quickly! If Jesus Came to My School by April Graney is a great book to read with your children ages 3 to 8 before they head back to school. If Jesus Came to My School has great rhyme/rhythm in the words. I like how well it flows. The pictures are bright and cheerful and work well with the text. I especially like how this book encourages kids to treat everyone with compassion and kindness. The whole book encourages children to imagine a day with Jesus coming to school with them. This children's book encourages children to let Jesus' love shine through them. I especially like that it encourages children to help those who are struggling or who are different.  If Jesus Came to My School measures roughly 8 1/2 inches squared and is forty pages long. The pages are fairly heavy and glossy and easy for young ones to read and turn themselves as well as reading together a a family. ...