Reading, Writing & Pondering

The Right Kind of Fool by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a sweet read with mystery, drama and a young man's story of coming of age. Loyal Raines is a young teen who is supposed to stay close to home while his mother is at a meeting. Instead, he decides to visit a nearby swimming hole on a hot day--and gets more than a cool dip in the stream. He finds a dead body. This not only shakes him up, but it shakes up his dysfunctional family life more, even than the fact that he became deaf after an illness as a young boy. The Right Kind of Fool is a historical fiction book set in the 1930s. This book has a lot to offer the reader in that it has a murder mystery with a few twists and turns. Then there is the drama of a family that has struggled since Loyal became deaf. Finally, it is a coming of age story that is sweet to read about a young man learning to make his own way in the world. I enjoyed learning about each of the characters. The plot was also interesting and moved steadily along. All in...

  Do you have any regrets in life and wish you could go back in time and change something? I would imagine most of us have a few. Burden of Proof by Davis Bunn is a story of second chances that make a difference. Ethan's brother Adrian was murdered on the courthouse steps when he was twenty. They never caught the killer and they never quite solved the case. Ethan has been struggling and disconnected from life ever since. Then Adrian's widow, Sonya, appears and asks for help in uncovering what really happened that day. Ethan takes the chance to help her--and to give meaning to his life. I enjoyed Burden of Proof more than I can put in to words. I thought this was just another "typical" suspense novel and I would be searching for who-done-it like every other suspense novel. Boy, was I wrong. Instead, I was amazed as I saw Ethan go back using the wisdom he gained from his life to make a real difference not only in solving the case but in making life better for those he ...

  Active Defense  by  Lynette Eason  is full of the fast-paced suspense and action, along with a dash of romance, that the author is known for. Trauma Surgeon Heather Fontaine is home from Iraq and enjoying a party with her friends when she sees and senses that she has a stalker. She goes home and continues to see evidence of that, so she decides to disappear to protect her friends. However, Travis keeps tabs on her and wants to help her out, so he tracks her down only to find out that there is more going on than just a stalker. I have enjoyed each of the  Danger Never Sleeps  series books, and this third book in the series is as suspenseful as any of them. In Active Defense, the reader finds themselves back with the same bunch of friends from the first two books. I have enjoyed all of the characters in this whole series. The plot in Active Defense has a few twists and turns that I didn't expect. It all seemed realistic. I also liked how the re...

Soul Raging by Ronie Kendig is the exciting conclusion to the Book of the Wars Series. Leif Metcalfe has been missing parts of his life. He is angry and he is confused. That is where we left off at the end of book two, Storm Rising . Now he is searching for the answers in Soul Raging . Iska Todorova refuses to believe that Lief has gone over to the other side as he searches for the truth. Reaper continues to hunt for Lief as well so all of the characters we enjoyed from the team are back in this book .  I fell in love with all of these characters and pulled for them from the first book, Kings Falling and continued to pull for them all through Soul Raging . This book is full of action and a lot of twists and turns that the reader doesn't see coming. While Mercy and Cell are secondary characters, I fell in love them a bit more in this book as well. While I have not yet read the Tox series, I understand Canyon Metcalfe was part of that series and we get to see him back in Soul Ragin...

  Do you connect your faith music with your walk with God? Stories and Songs of Faith: My Journey With God by Alexis A. Goring is a year-long devotional for every week with part connection to music and part connection to the author's walk with God. All together it makes for a good mix.  Stories and Songs of Faith has 52 short readings in the book. Each one shares a personal story written by the author and mixed with Scripture that is easy to relate to and encouraging. She also shares how a song spoke to her in each devotional. I could enjoy and relate to all of her stories and found them all truly inspiring. However, I must admit, I didn't always know the song she was referencing. Still, that didn't take away from the enjoyment of the reading for me. I also thought that I could go back and read them again after finding and playing the songs so I would better know what she was talking about. At the end of each reading, she leaves a few questions for the reader to ask themse...

  Mom Vs. Dad by Lucy and Tom Riles is a fun book about the little things that couples often end up fighting about. I think many couple would agree that some times those little things can feel like big things in the heat of the moment. Mom vs. Dad talks about the issues like: Sharing restaurant food with your partner, Are expiration dates really important?, How much should you pay the babysitter, and that ever present big issue, Should the toilet paper go over or under? Forty-one issues are debated throughout the book. Each chapter takes one of these issues and both parties share their sides. Then at the end of the chapter, you vote on who won, mom or dad? Mom Vs. Dad takes a light-hearted look at a variety of small married-people issues. I'm not really competitive or into the reality shows, but if you are, I think you would enjoy this book even more. I also think this book might offer a good way to talk with your spouse about some of these issues. It may help you both realize th...

    There are a lot of leadership books out there so why read this one? This one is different. According to Jeff D. Reeter in Do Life Differently if you want to be a leader, you must first lead yourself. Do Life Differently is all about helping you become the best version of yourself that you can be, which will ultimately help you be a better leader. Do Life Differently is divided in to 3 parts after an introduction written by Dr. Ben Carson and and introduction written by Jeff Turner. Part one is "Lead Yourself--choosing a life by design," Part two is "Your global position," and Part three is about planning the course and living the dream. Jeff Reeter is a successful businessman and leader who has guided himself and many others on the leadership path. He shares his experiences, as well as the experiences of others as examples. He includes exercises and information on guiding yourself to be a good leader through some paper exercises.  There is a lot of good inform...

    Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott tells of the beauty and wonder of Yellowstone Park in the 1880s. For sure, it would have been wonderful to see it in that era and Scott does a nice job with describing the beauty of the area.   In Nothing Short of Wondrous , Lieutenant William Prescott enlists the aid of local hotel owner Kate to help him navigate the park so he can better track down poachers and other troublemakers. Kate is a widow with a seven-year-old son who is doing her best to work hard and protect the park. They try to help each other. There is a lot of good in this book but I was somewhat disappointed in Nothing Short of Wondrous . I struggled to get in to the story and enjoy the characters. The back of the book indicates that a big part of the plot is that Kate's son is kidnapped by a poacher who wants the boy to guide him. Will and Kate will then work together to rescue him. I kept waiting for this action to happen and it does not occur until the la...

  To Read or Not to Read: A Literary Journal for the Book Lover's Soul from Ink and Willow Gifts is a gorgeous book journal that would make a great gift for any bibliophile. The To Read or Not to Read book journal has pages to record your favorite authors, characters, books, and other book related quotes and information.  It is classic in its styling and sure to appeal to all genders from that stand point. It also allows you to create your own table of contents so the whole book is really customized for your book needs. There is plenty of space for book reviews and to include all of the information about that book that is important to you including your rating, notes, takeaways, why it inspired you, when it was published and when you read it and more. There is a fair amount of space to write but if you are a really lengthy writer there might not be enough for you. The journal measures a little over 6 by 7 inches in size so it would easily fit in most book bags. The paper and...

  Do you struggle to entertain? I have to admit that I struggle with it. Of course, right now we aren't entertaining due to Covid, but I hope one day that will all change again for most of us. Reach Out, Gather In by Karen Ehman is her new interactive 40-day journal written to help women learn to open their hearts and homes more easily to others. Reach Out, Gather In starts out with an introduction by the author where she shares how much it meant to her when someone reached out to her as a young woman, invited her in and changed her life by sharing the love of Jesus with her. The book is divided in to five day interactive journal sections: Why Welcome?, Family First, but Not family only,  Find Me Somebody to Love, Discovering Your Niche, Meet Their Needs and Refresh Their Souls. Then through each day on the 40 day journey, Ehman shares a mixture of her story and Bible verses to help the reader reflect on how they best want to open their hearts and houses as they go forward. ...

  Are you an "Anne Fan?" I've loved Anne of Green Gables for many years so when I saw this new Anne of Green Gables Devotional from Rachel Dodge, I could not wait to get a copy. The subtitle of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional is "A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits." This book is full of all my favorite Anne of Green Gables scenes, trivia and gorgeous illustrations.  The book is relatively small, measuring approximately 5 by 7 inches in size. . .the perfect size to stick in your purse or book bag if you'd like to carry it along. There are 40 days worth of readings. Each reading starts with a Bible verse, goes on to the devotional message that includes scenes from the books, then a section that is written to help you apply the verses and readings personally and each day concludes with a prayer and another Bible verse. At the back of the book there is an author's note, an Anne glossary, and discussion questions. This beautiful Anne of ...

    It is no secret that God is a mystery. God Speaks in Whispers by Mark Batterson and Summer Batterson Dailey is a beautifully illustrated children's book (illustrated by Benedetta Capriotti) that could help children understand how to hear God.  Young children are full of questions about everything but especially about God. In God Speaks in Whispers , children are invited to "hear" God through the Bible, through friends and family and through the sounds in nature. This book also reminds children that God loves them all, all the time.  God Speaks in Whispers is a good book to get conversations going with young children about how God speaks. I think that the rhyming is original and well-done. The illustrations are also cute and well-done. It all works together to help families understand that God is everywhere, that He cares about us all, and that He speaks today. I think this collaboration between a pastor and his social worker daughter is a good one. I hope they ...

  Are you a runner or a power walker? If you are and you like to combine your exercise with your faith, Dorina Gilmore Young with Shawn Young have a new devotional out, Walk Run Soar . Walk Run Soar is a 52-week devotional guide designed to help you train in both body and spirit. Each daily reading starts with a Bible verse and then has a reading that is written to uplift and encourage you in your physical sport and in your spirit. There is a short reading for each day along with a question to help you think about your faith called Faith Step at the end of each day's reading. There is an inspirational quote from someone encouraging each day and there is a running/walking tip from Coach Shawn each day. There is also space to keep track of your physical goals for each day. It isn't a lot of space but you could use an extra journal to do this if you want more room to write. At the end of the book, there are several appendixes with help in forming a running group, warm-up drills f...