Reading, Writing & Pondering

  The Wild Card by Emma St. Clair is part of the Love Stories in Sheet Cake series. It could read as a stand-alone but characters from the other books are in this one so I would encourage you to read the whole series. I loved all of the books in the series that I have read. Collin Graham often feels over-looked in his family of brothers and a sister. However, he is surprised when out of the blue, Molly, grabs him at a festival and asks him to be her fake boyfriend. He knows Molly is his brother-in-law's sister but she doesn't recognize him in a beard--so he once again feels over-looked even though she only met him twice before. He agrees to go along with her plan and the fun begins.  Molly is auditioning for an actress role in a new production company based in Sheet Cake and really wants the part when she grabs Collin. She is trying to make her own way after her father tries to control her. Collin is reeling after a bad break-up with someone who since drug his name through th...

    All Booked Up by Melody Carlson drew me in with the bookish cover. While there is some talk about books, the story is mainly about a widowed woman who takes in boarders for financial reasons. It is a character driven novel about relationships. Riva Owen lives in a large Victorian house that has been in her family for generations. Her lawyer husband passed away several months earlier and her finances were now a challenge. Riva doesn't want to move and leave her house--and her library of cherished books.  After some consideration, instead of moving, Riva takes in boarders. With a few women living under the same roof, they have to learn to navigate different personalities and challenges as housemates. There are some men included in the story but there isn't a lot of romance in All Booked Up . This book focuses on friendships. I enjoyed getting to know Riva and the other ladies in her house to start with. Then, when they were living together, there was some gossip and ch...

    Do you know the Nicene Creed? When I was in Sunday School, this was one of the things I memorized. There is a new devotional out from Josh Nadeau called Heaven Meets Earth based on the Nicene Creed. This 40-day devotional breaks the creed down into short phrases to meditate on along with a devotional relating to that phrase. The full Nicene Creed is in the front of the book. This book is gorgeous to look at, along with the beautiful daily readings. It would make a nice gift book and has an inscription page in the front. From the publisher: Discover deeper faith as you explore the richness of Christian belief and tradition with a visually inspired journey through the Nicene Creed. “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth….” And so the Nicene Creed begins with these powerful words of declaration and belief, words handed down through history for Christians across the centuries to affirm and to hold, to repeat and to remind. The Creed has bo...

I have Irish ancestry and was SO excited to receive a copy of May The Road Rise To Meet You by Jennifer Deibel. As the sub-title states, this book is "A 31-Day Devotional Inspired by Irish Blessings. Today, this book is available for purchase. A purchase link is included at the bottom of the devotional. This author spent several years living in Ireland and is the author of fiction books set in Ireland too. Each devotional in May the Road Rise to Meet You features an Irish blessing, Scripture references, a short devotional written by the author that relates to the verses and the blessing. Then the reading for the day concludes with an application section with a question or something to think about. I like to journal, so I think this is a great aspect of this book. There is space to write in the book. However, for me, this book is too pretty to write in so I just use my journal alongside this book. Writing helps me process what I am learning so I like the space to do that. If you ...

  I listened to Growing Up Saved  audiobook read by the author, Kristen LaValley. Hearing her share her stories along with how she has been healing from church hurt and trauma over the years was so helpful to me. Since I was often drinking my tea as she read, it felt like she was right alongside me drinking her own beverage and sharing like a heart sister. Like Kristen, I have my own church hurt and trauma. Maybe many of us do? I like how the author shares her truths and her heart with honesty but yet she continues to also show us that God loves us dearly. One of the things I was told when I was a young girl is that when I die, I will have to stand before God and tell the whole world all the bad things I ever did. As a result, I tried so hard to be good and was such a people pleaser from a young age. Trust me, living with this mindset of fear, wasn't good. Kristen shares her own stories along that line. Along with her stories, she shared how instead of thinking the worst about...

    Are you a woman who needs a new Bible? Or maybe you want to give a woman you know a special Bible. You may want to consider the new Every Woman's Bible in the NLT version from Tyndale House Publishers. This Bible is both beautiful and practical. It is also unique in that it is aimed specifically at women. Over 100 women from various walks of life are contributors to this Bible. Many of them are scholars. They offer  serious study and deep reflection will help you clarify your calling through personal stories, insights, inspiration, and study notes that dig into personal needs during your Bible reading—all created by women, for women. How great is that? I love this and find the information to be fascinating. It offers a new perspective for me on some Bible verses. I also understand that men have appreciated seeing a woman's point of view in this particular Bible, so this Bible may also interest the men you know for that same reason.  Physically, this Bible isn't ...