Reading, Writing & Pondering

  For many people, 2020 has been a year of challenges and hardships. Maybe you are struggling even without the unique challenges of this year. If you are, Don't Quit in the Dip by Shaun Nepstad is an encouraging read. Nepstad shares from his experiences and the Bible about how to move forward to get out of "the dip." What is the dip, you ask? Nepstad says it is when you are in a place in life where you are feeling slumped down and ready to give up. One of my favorite motivational speakers and writers, John Maxwell, writes the forward to this inspiring book. Don't Quit in the Dip is divided in to six sections that follow the steps of being in the dip and climbing your way out.  Don't Quit in the Dip was an uplifting read and would be a source of encouragement for those who are struggling and feeling discouraged right now. I felt like Nepstad was a man who had been there with the stories he shared from his own life and the church that he pastors. I could also rel...

  I have often heard people say that they don't have a creative bone in their body. I heartily disagree with that statement. I believe we all use creativity in more ways than we realize. Mary Potter Kenyon's new book, Called to Be Creative inspires all sorts of creativity and reminds the reader that they are indeed creative in many ways. For me, reading Called to Be Creative was like sitting down with the author at the coffee shop and chatting about writing, artwork and all the things that we mutually enjoy that take a bit of creativity. I enjoyed her conversational tone. I also liked that each of the twelve chapters concludes with an inspiring real-life story from another creative person and an assignment to do something creative--for example, writing in a journal or making a vision board. For the purposes of this review, I read straight through the book and made some mental notes regarding the assignments. However, I plan to go back through and do the assignments and I am r...

  I have enjoyed the Georgia Coast Romance series from Liz Johnson. To be honest, I don't read a lot of romance novels but these books have it all--romance, mystery and some history. I couldn't wait for A Dazzle of Diamonds, the 3rd book in the series. It did not disappoint either. Penelope Hunter is working as an event manager at one of Savannah's historic venues when her ex-fiancé walks in with his new bride-to-be and she is expected to help plan their wedding. Her best friend Tucker Westbrook is running for Sheriff and needs help with his campaign after his rival tries to smear his name. Together Tucker and Penelope join forces to find the truth to the rumors that Tucker's ancestors were traitors--and they scheme to help Penelope as well.  I think Johnson's books just kept getting better and better in this series. No, you don't have to read the whole series but I encourage you to even though A Dazzle of Diamonds could stand on its own. I smiled, laughed and I...

In Love and a Little White Lie by Tammy L. Gray, January Sanders is living in a cabin on her aunt's land in Texas after following her boyfriend to a new state and then going through a break up. January's mom was an atheist and taught her to be a skeptic of faith. In spite of that, her Aunt Doreen helps her get a support staff job at Christ Community Church. January is a likeable girl and I loved following her story through Love and a Little White Lie . Jan, for short, seems to go through very real struggles that could be faced today in this realistic contemporary novel. I liked how God used her to be an answer to prayer for several people around her in spite of her skepticism and struggles. It was interesting to see her eyes open to the guys around her--both Cameron and Dillon. Both her faith story and her romance story seemed so realistic. This book also left readers with a lot to think about in how people of faith relate to the world both within the church and those outside ...

A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham tells the story of Agnes Pratt, or Miss Aggie,  a school teacher in the small town of Penance, South Dakota. Miss Aggie ran to the Midwest from a secret she discovered about herself when she lived out East. Miss Aggie felt the secret would keep her former sweetheart James Harris from loving her or wanting her. Then James gets a job as a doctor in her little town after her dying mother reveals where Aggie is living. Is everything Miss Aggie thought true--would that secret really hinder their relationship? As a whole, I enjoyed reading A Life Once Dreamed . I enjoyed Fordham's first two books so I was looking forward to this one. If I wasn't familiar with the author, I know I would have been drawn to the beautiful, rich cover design. I liked the people in the town of Penance. I did feel a little frustrated with Miss Aggie at times and how long she felt she had to keep her secret. I could understand why she felt she couldn't share i...

Acceptable Risk by Lynette Eason is the second book in the Danger Never Sleeps series--and just as fast-paced and riveting as the first one. Journalist Sarah Denning is held hostage by the Taliban and then sent home after being shot in the rescue operation to recover. At the same time, she finds out her brother has committed suicide and it doesn't sit well with her. Former Army Ranger Gavin Black is set to help keep her safe and home and work with her to find the truth. Acceptable Risk kept my interest from the start to the finish. The mystery in the book was interesting and the relationships were intriguing. I sometimes didn't like Sarah's rebellious attitude but I could understand it in the context of her life. I thought Gavin was a swoon-worthy caretaker for her. I appreciated the difficult conversations the couple had in this book. Even though it wasn't easy for Sarah, she made an effort to talk about her hard things with him. In return, he respected her eno...

Have you ever grown a plant from seed? If you have, you know that it takes a little time to sprout, grow up tall, and produce either fruit or flowers. In Gracie's Garden by Lara Casey, we join Gracie, Joshua, and Sarah to see what they do while they wait for the garden seeds to grow. Gracie's Garden is a fun book teaching children about growing tomatoes and other things in the garden. The children learn how it takes time for a seed to grow but it is worth it in the end. Actually, it is more than worth it, the children see that miracles abound when seeds grow and the children follow the growth of a seed from planting to harvesting. Both the story and the illustrations are both beautiful and fun in this book. Gracie's Garden is written for children ages four to eight. If readers have the internet, there is an on-line activity book included with this purchase that is free for download. Also, on the backside of the dust jacket is a Garden Giggles poster that is fun for youn...

It sounds like telegraph notices were some of the best communication of the time when it was used. I didn't know much about being a telegrapher, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about it and reading Jennifer Delamere's new release, Line by Line . Alice McNeil is a topnotch telegrapher who works at a well-regarded company. Douglas Shaw also works at the company as an ambitious junior director. It doesn't take long for the two of them to become friends although it appears that they have vastly different goals for their lives. Then something happens to shake them both up to see what really matters. I truly enjoyed this first book in the Love Along the Wires series. Line by Line was interesting in that I truly enjoyed reading about the way business was conducted at that time as well as how the people of that era utilized the technology of the day. I found all of the backstory to be quite interesting in the way Delamere wrote the book. I also enjoyed watching the relati...