Reading, Writing & Pondering

Are you stubborn or do you know someone who is stubborn? I think there are times we can all be stubborn in our own ways. I think children can probably recognize that too--and may be able to see themselves in this story. The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep: A Story of God's Redemptive Love is both written and beautifully illustrated by Hannah E. Harrison. This book won a 2025 Christlit book award and it is a good one. This children's book is based on Psalm 23.  The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep is a hardcover book that measures roughly 9 by 11 inches with a dust jacket. It is aimed at children ages three to eight. But personally, I think children's books are basically for all ages. I think this one is so cute and well-written. I like that the story incorporates some humor along with the stubbornness aspect of the story. I like the ending. The illustrations are well done--beautiful colors and add so much to the story. I can easily see why this one won an award....

  Water Grave by Mitchell S. Karnes is the first in the Abbey Rhodes Mystery series. This is a series that I think would best appeal to those readers who enjoy true crime or psychological thriller/suspense type books. About the book: Six years ago, Hannah Leah Abelard needed a fresh start. She changed her name to Abbey Rhodes and enlisted in the United States Army as a part of the “Ever Vigilant,” 18th Military Police Brigade. They taught her how to be a great cop. Abbey moved to Tennessee three years later and joined Metro Nashville’s Police Department. Now, in her third month with Homicide, Abbey is thrust into a case that may bring the walls she built crashing down around her, exposing a dark past she thought she’d left behind. A young pastor is found dead in the bottom of his baptistery and Abbey is forced to investigate the one place she swore never to return-the church. The case takes Abbey deeper into a tangled web of lies and secrets where the most dangerous ones...

  Welcome to the Honey B & B is the latest book by Melody Carlson. Unlike most of her other books, this book is personal for her. One of the main characters suffers from FTD ( Frontotemporal Dementia), which is a disease that Melody's husband also suffered from. I think she does a good job of showing what it is like to live with someone who has this disease without making the book too heavy. Jewel McKerry and her 13-year old daughter, Cooper, move back to the farm where Jewel grew up to help her mom, Honey, take care of her dad who has FTD.  Throughout this book, there are challenges that all of the characters must deal with and ways that they learn to support each other as family members. This disease also affects neighbor relations. I enjoyed the characters in Welcome to the Honey B & B . I thought that the author did a good job of showing the challenges of being a care giver (or a set of care givers) for someone with FTD. I also enjoyed the romance that developed. ...

  Break My Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn is a mix of family drama, romance and suspense all in one book! Dr. Meridith Quinn is a dentist who has returned to her home town of Gossamer Falls to practice dentistry. One thing she really enjoys is offering clinics to nearby areas that are underserved. Sadly, there are also drug dealers and traffickers in this same area. Dr. Quinn has unwittingly stumbled into the middle of it all when she helps one of her dental patients. Grayson Ward is the police chief of Gossamer Falls. There is an attraction between Grayson and Meredith but Grayson has some pretty high walls built around him. Can those walls be breached? Break My Fall is the latest romantic suspense book from Lynn H. Blackburn. Break My Fall is also the second book in the Gossamer Falls series. I enjoyed this romantic suspense book. However, I think Blackburn's suspense books are different than the usual books in this genre that I have read. This book is more character driven so it mo...

  Sunrise Reef by Irene Hannon is the latest release in the Hope Harbor series. This is a big series of eleven heartwarming books, so far, but they all can read as a stand-alone.  Bren Ryan works part-time as a barista a local Hope Harbor coffee shop. As the book begins, she is celebrating a milestone birthday. Her birthday doesn't go as planned to begin with when there is an electrical fire at her rental house. She soon finds herself staying at Fred Ward's guest cottage as he overhears her plight at the coffee shop. That same day, Fred's son, Noah, makes a surprise visit to see his father. He often stays at the guest cottage so he lets himself in since it is late at night--much to Bren's surprise--and she pepper sprays him thinking he is an unwanted intruder. As a result, Bren and Noah don't get off on the best foot.  After her own struggles in life, Bren appreciates the town of Hope Harbor and how kind folks are as they help each other out. When a young woman is s...

      Ready As You Are: Discovering a Life of Abundance When You Feel Inadequate, Uncertain, and Disqualified •  Publisher:  Thomas Nelson (February 4, 2025) •  Hardcover:  240 pages Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer, leaders of the online community Her True Worth, issue a liberating call to stop waiting for permission to pursue your God-given purpose and to step into your calling today with what you already have in hand. Are you eager to walk in the calling and purpose God has for your life but are feeling uncertain? Maybe you’re not sure if you’re educated enough, or if it’s the right time, or if you even have the authority to take a step forward. Perhaps you’re at a standstill and are holding out for ideal conditions, or even an invitation, before you act. Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer say it’s time to stop waiting to live on mission. God wants to use you now, right where you are, with the tools you already have. In this book, they...