Reading, Writing & Pondering

  I found myself back in Sheet Cake, Texas as I listened to the audiobook of The Bluff by Emma St. Clair. James is the typical grumpy boss character. . .I really didn't like him too much at first, but. . . I was surprised at how much I warmed up to this guy by the middle of the book.  Winnie sets out to be a good employee, even though she is temporary, for James Graham as he gets ready to open Dark Horse Brewery in Sheet Cake. I truly enjoyed getting to know both of these layered characters. There was definitely more than meets the eye to both of them. I was pulling for them more and more as the book went on. I also like the other characters in Sheet Cake. It was nice to catch up with all the characters from the first book. The narration in the audio book was well done and I found myself looking forward to listening whenever I could. Now, I am definitely looking forward to moving on to the next book as this one ends, so I can see how everything unfolds between Chevy and Val. ...

I am a white middle-aged woman. I don't have a brown son. HOWEVER, I have friends with brown children and I want to support them and all the brown people My Brown Boy is well-written. I also love the gorgeous full-color illustrations. This book shows how brown boys can be whoever they want to be. The author's brown son was followed by a policeman at a young teen even though he did nothing. I don't know what it is to be profiled based on my skin color but my heart goes out to this child. Also, I have son that is neurodivergent. He does things his own way and his skills unique to him. I like how the author shares how her son is unique with his own skill set. I also appreciate how she shares that he sometimes gets scared. I think this book does a good job of sharing how we sometimes judge by skin color when we need to look at everyone's heart.   I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine Program. All opinions are my own.

  I have followed Jessica Turner for several years so I wanted to read her story in I Thought It Would Be Better Than This .  Jessica tells her story of her 16-year marriage that ended when her husband came out as gay in 2020. This book is full of heart and hope for anyone who is in that situation. That isn't me. However, I did find a lot of helpful information in this book anyway. I would also add that I have a relative that came out as gay so I could relate to that issue in some other ways than as a spouse.  I especially like how Jessica goes through all of the areas of her life that were affected and changed as a result of going through this experience. It touched her life in many ways. I can understand that too. She shares how she had to grieve her marriage and learn to forgive others and herself. She shares how she held on to friendships and made new friendships. She shares how she learned to take care of herself on her own through exercise, eating healthy alone, mak...

  I Do Today by Chelsea Smith is a 52-week marriage guide. This book is full of practical information that I think would most certainly be helpful for those who are newly married. But as someone who has been married for several years, I also see found information in the book for refreshing our own marriage with practical helps. This book has ideas on dating your spouse, fighting fair, dealing with digital devices, making time to play together, spicing up your sex life, the benifit of serving others and a while lot more. Each chapter of I Do Today starts with 2 or 3 pages of information on that chapter’s topic, followed by a Think About it section for yourself, then a Talk About It section to use  as a couple, and it ends with some action to do related to the chapter’s topic. I think this will be a great book to go through this year for my husband and I. I Do Today would also make a good wedding or shower gift for a newly married couple . There is talk of God an...

  One of the new genre's that I tried last year was magical realism. I found I enjoyed it quite a bit. The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick is my latest read in this genre. Greta Perks and her husband, Jim, along with their daughter, Lottie, were stars for about a decade in Maple Gold coffee commercials. When the company replaced them with another family, they all felt lost and their family changed. In fact, Jim and Greta decided to separate for awhile and figure out how to go on--either together or separate. Greta also had the passing of her mother to grieve, along with her job loss. Now she doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. Jim has a different set of struggles. Lottie is now a teenager and trying to figure life out from that angle. Then, Greta stumbles on a mysterious coffee shop that serves up magical brews. When Greta drinks the brew she wakes up in the town of Mapleville from the Maple Gold commercials. When she is there, life feels perfect. Her body is perfe...

  An Amish Widow's Hope by Pamela Desmond Wright is an inspiring story that kept my interest from beginning to end.  As the book begins, Widow Isla Stohl had her home broken into and her savings robbed. Sheriff Evan Miller, who was once Isla's beau, is on the case and determined to find the culprit. After his sister was killed in a car and buggy crash, Evan walked away from the Amish in his pain and became a law enforcement officer as a younger man. However, as he searches for Isla's robber, he gets shot in the process. Then he is put on leave while the shooting is in review, which leaves him with a lot of time to think. Will he make some changes in his life? I enjoyed An Amish Widow's Hope. I thought the story was well-written. There are themes of mercy and redemption through the story. It is also a story with relationship issues, romance, and mystery mixed with the Amish faith and simple values.   I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opin...