Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Are you looking for a special gift for someone? Or maybe you need a new purse and you want one that is good quality with a style that will last a long time. Saddleback Leather Company has beautifully crafted leather purses and other products. The Saddleback Leather Company has an interesting history. The complete history is on their website and worth a read. Long story short, this is a company created in the US for making quality, long-lasting products. They also have a connection to Love 41Ministries. I especially like the teddy bear that is for sale this Christmas with some of the proceeds going to the ministry. It is a very special unqiue gift--but all of their products are special unique gifts.   About Saddleback Leather: Saddleback Leather is not simply a brand. It is the realization of one man’s vision to build leather goods so durable and purposeful that they become part of your story. Founded in Texas, the company has made its mark by committing to full-grain le...

    On a Midnight Clear includes three Christmas novellas by Tracie Peterson, Karen Witemeyer, and Kristy M. Beller. This collection of novellas is inspired by the nativity and that is reflected in each story. The Shepherd's Hear t by Tracie Peterson is a marriage of convenience story. Angel Lewis agrees to marry Vincent Duran after her own courtship ended with her being jilted at the alter. To escape from the local embarrassment she feels, she agrees to marry her childhood friend who was widowed with two young children who need a mother. This is a lovely short story of redemption. No Room at the Inn features Innkeeper Hope Palmer and her brother taking in a stagecoach full of passengers during a rough winter storm.  One of the passengers is Noah Bentwood who is taking charge of his employer's daughter to make sure she has safe passage to her home in California. However, he may also have found a reason to return to the area. This story includes both mystery and romance....

  The Lighthouse at the Cove by Amy Clipston is the second book in the Coral Cove series. I read The View from Coral Cove first but you don't need to as this book works well as a stand-alone. Coral Cove looks like a postcard-perfect town along the coast--complete with a lovely old lighthouse. However, Kaiah Ross didn't decide to go there for a visit on purpose. Rather her car broke down and stranded her in town. Kaiah is a travel journalist who was on her way to write about another coastal town when she gets stalled at Coral Cove.  Reid Turner is a fire fighter, a part-time Uber driver, a twin and dad to Piper. He was born and raised in Coral Cove and has always called this town his home. After his wife passed away, the last thing he wanted was another relationship. Instead, he has been focused on raising his daughter. Then Reid is called to pick up Kaiah from the car-repair shop and he offers to let her stay at the apartment above his garage since the hotels are full. They ...

    Bringing Heaven Here by Brad Gray and Brad Nelson takes a look at the Lord's Prayer. So many of us can say The Lord's Prayer from memory and I think it is so easy to just say it and not really focus on the words.  Brad Gray and Brad Nelson are co-creators of The Lord's Prayer film and The Sacred Thread film series. While I am not familiar with that series, I don't think you need to be to appreciate this book. I like how this book goes through the whole prayer and peels it back layer by layer in an up-close look that could make it more personal for you.  Bringing Heaven Here released from Thomas Nelson on November 25, 2025 and is available for purchase now.  From the Publisher: From the creators of the global television series  The Sacred Thread  comes a transformative exploration of how the Lord’s Prayer unlocks the power of God to guide, heal, and renew our lives and the world around us. The Lord’s Prayer is the most iconic and widely spoken ...

    Do you wish you could go back in time to your younger self and possibly make some changes? I love time travel books and sometimes I wish I could! Twenty Something Else by Stephanie Mack was a sharp thought-provoking book as readers journey with Sutton Layne as she travels back into her twenties on her 40th birthday. Our milestone birthdays can hit differently so I can see where Sutton had some struggles with that age.  As the book begins, life is stressful with her family and Sutton is facing her "big" birthday coming up. On the big day, Sutton plays in a pickle-ball tournament and luncheon in her honor for her special birthday. She gets hit by the ball which knocks her out. . .and she takes a trip back to her twenties, with an angel guiding her way. She goes back with the knowledge that things could be different this time. She works as an up-and-coming actress, teaches pre-school in Nicaragua, and attends Coachella. She has the chance to see how different relationsh...

  The Buy-In by Emma St. Clair is the first book in the Love Stories in Sheet Cake rom-com series. This year, I have read more rom-coms as I felt that I have needed some lightness in my life. For that reason, I think this book is a fun start to a rom-com series. Former Pro-Football Player Pat Graham has been struggling the past few years. He made a relationship mistake in the past with a woman he cared for and has regretted it ever since. Now his dad bought the town of Sheet Cake where that woman--his former girlfriend lives--and his dad wants him to sell his brothers on the idea.  Lindy had plans to travel the world as a travel writer. That all changed when she decided to raise her niece. Lindy would do anything for Jo--even a marriage of convenience to the man who once broke her heart. I enjoyed The Buy-In as a whole. I enjoyed getting meeting the Graham family and all of the main characters. I also enjoyed the slow burn romance that culminated in some swoony moments towar...