Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Have you ever seen The Parent Trap movie? There are a couple of versions out there so you may have seen at least one of them. I saw the older version and remember it pretty well as a fun flick. Matchmaking Christmas by Toni Shiloh is a fun book with a modern take on the Parent Trap movie theme. Regina Parker moves back to her hometown with her daughter to open a candle shop after her husband passed away unexpectedly a few years previously. She has a daughter, Kyleigh. Theo Evers never left his hometown. He has a busy job managing a Christmas Tree Farm and being a single dad to his daughter, Malea.  Malea and Kyleigh are the same age and become best friends at school Both girls want to know what it is like to have time with the opposite parent so one day they decide to switch places. Kyleigh heads to Theo's house on the bus. Malea heads to Regina's house on a different bus. What they don't know is that Theo and Regina have history. How will they handle the switch? Matchma...

  Do you know a perfectionist or someone with OCD? I do. We Wish You a Messy Christmas by Melody Carlson is a Christmas novella with a theme of trying to help someone heal from perfectionism.  Olivia Bradshaw an Malcolm McEntire grew up next door to each other. Then they went their separate ways and saw each other again as Olivia goes to Malcolm's vet clinic with her roommate's cat. Malcolm and Olivia started dating and enjoy time together. However, they have a roadblock to overcome--Olivia's mother doesn't like the McEntire's. She finds them messy and unorganized. For Olivia's mother, Jane, the holidays, and her home on most days, has to be perfect. In We Wish You a Messy Christmas , both families work together to stage an intervention--although nature sort of takes its course and creates its own intervention. I found this to be an interesting book. I have a close family member that is very much like Jane so I found a lot to relate to in this book. . . There w...

Are you looking for a devotional that focuses on helping you get out of despair, pain or other heartache? Fight for Joy by Michele Howe includes 30 devotional readings with this focus. Each of the 30 devotionals in Fight for Joy start with a Bible verse, as you would probably expect. Then there is a story relating to the Scripture from life today. Following the story reading, there is a prayer under the My Heart's Cry heading. That is followed by a section entitled Fighting for Joy. This section gives the reader some questions to ask themselves, something to think about or something to do that relates to the reading of the day.  Fight for Joy could be a good book to read when you are in the midst of struggles. It may also be a good book to gift a Christian who is struggling to find joy in their life for some reason. I received a copy of this book from the author and the publisher. All opinions  are my own.

    Are you looking for a new book to improve your business relationships? Two Types of People by Pat Sitkins recently released from Revell Books.  Understand Hidden Patterns That Allow You to Reach Uncommon Levels of Clarity and Success · Unlock your own transformation · Eye-opening interviews with high-achieving individuals like Navy SEALs, Olympians, CEOs, disruptors, and more · From an in-demand speaker and entrepreneur Those top performers and high achievers we all admire? Each one is living in the tension between confidence and doubt, willpower and hesitation, sociability and solitude. They are tough and vulnerable, driven and exhausted, structured and spontaneous. They’re human beings, just like you. Which means you can be just like them. Through eye-opening interviews with high-achieving individuals like Navy SEALs, professional athletes, CEOs, disruptors, and astronauts, strategic entrepreneur and in-demand speaker Pat Sitkins reveals the hidden pattern...

  In a Word, Yes by Kit Tosello is my first book by this author, but I know it won't be my last. This is the most touching book that I have read this year so far. It is definitely a five star read for me. It also doesn't hurt that part of the book is set in a tea store and in a bookstore--two of my favorite places! Lucy Montgomery is a single mom raising an autistic son by herself for the past 5 years in Charity Falls, Oregon, after being married to an abusive husband. She started to get a journalism degree years ago and then left in the middle of the program. However, she works behind the scenes at the local newspaper and has some chances to write--if she will take them. Wyatt Hayes is a local law enforcement officer who also enjoys writing, words and adventures. Lucy is drawn to his kind heart and adventurous spirit, along with his love of words.  Carly Montgomery is Lucy's mom and a beloved woman's Bible study leader who is growing weary in her profession and wonder...

  Mousie Doesn't Have to Go To Sleep by Karissa Taylor is an adorable bedtime board book.  I love how the author writes through the parents in the book that the child doesn't have to go to sleep. So many times young children fight sleep and sometimes bedtime can be a bit of a battle. This book could take some of that away as children are invited to go through the bedtime routine--in a fun way--without having to go to sleep.  This board book is made of thick cardboard pages that are easy for little hands to hold and turn the pages. The book measures roughly 7 inches square and is one-half inch thick. There are 20 pages to the story. Mousie doesn't have to go to Sleep is aimed at children ages four and under. I think this adorable book would be a favorite with my son if he were still that age.   I received a copy of this book from Tommy Nelson through Amazon Vine. All opinions are my own.