Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Bedtime is such a great time to snuggle in and read with your little one(s). Bedtime Snuggles by Patricia Reeder Eubank is a board book aimed at toddlers age four and under. This adorable book with the soft animal pictures and the flowing words would be a great choice for bedtime reading. Bedtime Snuggles measures roughly 8 by 8 inches and has the thick pages of a board book that will stand up to little hands turning pages. The illustrations are bright and eye-catching with animal and farm scenes. There are plenty of rhymes and rhythm in this story and it easily rolls of the tongue for the reader. It could be fun to talk about the animals in each picture and help children know their animals too. However, I did think one thing was a little odd.  This book mainly features moms curling up with their young ones. I don't see dad mentioned at all, which surprised me, but for single moms that may work better. In any case, I thought it worth mentioning. Bedtime Snuggles is a beau...

  I devoured Kate Bowler's first book in a very short time. So when I read No Cure for Being Human , I made myself slow down and savor this one. Bowler has a way of making me think and reflect on both her life and my life. She also can make me cry and she can make me laugh. Sometimes almost at the same time. No Cure for Being Human is more of her true story about her life as she has faced a cancer diagnosis as a young mom, married wife, friend and family member. She shares things realistically. I almost feel like I am standing with her in the doctor's office or wanting to hold her hand as she waits for the oncologist's report. Having been with a few doctors myself this summer, reading her work, has caused me to nod my head as I think about my own doctor visits. I also could relate to her thoughts on how to deal with life after such a diagnosis. Should she make a bucket list? How should she live her best life after her own body tried to kill her (as she says)? ...

    I really enjoyed Line by Line , the first book in the Love Along the Wires series, by Jennifer Delamere. Crossed Lines is the story of Emma Sutton, who works at the telegraph office, and is longing for a husband and a family of her own. She becomes friends with Mitchell one day as they both arrive at work. Then another day, she sees Mitchell's friend, Christopher, at work and admires how handsome he is. Christopher also is attracted to her and he talks to Mitchell about helping him get a date, in spite of the fact that Christopher is quite shy. Mitchell is also enamored with Emma but sets his feelings aside to help his good friend. However, things don't always go as planned. I thought Crossed Lines started out a little slow but I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book. I had to wonder how this love triangle was going to work out. I liked both Christopher and Mitchell for different reasons. I also liked Emma and her friend Rose. I especially enjoyed Emma's pass...

  Under the Texas Mistletoe: A Trio of Christmas Historical Romance Novellas by Karen Witemeyer is a wonderful Christmassy set of stories sure to warm your heart.  I thoroughly enjoyed this uplifting set of Christmas novellas from Witemeyer. A Texas Christmas Carol was a fun story about a Scrooge-like man who meets a woman who helps him undo some of his stingy ways. The second story was An Archer Family Christmas. This sweet story tells about Cassandra Archer and how she handles and outlaw and his girlfriend with some happy unexpected results that made for a joyous Christmas. The third story was previously published, A Gift of the Heart. This story is a sweet tale about a widow named Ruth and her daughter moving to a wealthy resort town and softening the heart of a bachelor named Bo, a wounded reclusive bachelor. In between these stories, Witemeyer has included some Christmas devotions, Christmas history, and a few special Christmas recipes.  I truly enjoyed Under The Te...

      Sometimes growing up is both hard and scary. Roar Like a Lion by Levi Lusko with Tama Fortner is a book of 90 devotional to help kids feel more courageous in the faith as they live in this world today. Roar Like a Lion is written for kids ages 6 to 10 years old. Lusko talks about lions in the introduction and I learned quite a bit about lions in this short space. He also tells us that he wrote this book in honor of his daughter, Lenya, who passed away. At the end of the introduction, he tells readers that there are twenty anchors hidden throughout the book and invites kids to find them all. He writes one devotion called, The Anchor, in which he explains why anchors are an important symbol to him in his Christian faith.  Each of the 90 devotionals starts with a Bible verse, includes a Christian reading to relate to verse to what kids may be facing. Some readings include a Did you know? section with some real life history to learn, while others include a small ...

  When I was younger, like most young people, I just wanted to fit in. I wanted to be liked and to be like the "cool" people. Over the years, I have gotten better at being my own person. Authentically, Uniquely You by Joyce Meyer is the book that I really needed when I was in my late teens and early twenties. It was still good read now with a lot of good information and helpful reminders. Authentically, Uniquely You is divided into three parts: Believing the best about yourself, Finding the freedom to be yourself, and Moving Forward as the real you. Meyer's advice is practical and down-to-earth. I always appreciate her writing because she is so honest about her own struggles. She also bases her thinking on the Bible. If you want to do your own studying after reading this book, Appendix A lists fifty Scriptures that affirm God's love for you and Appendix B lists fifty Scripture that will empower you to love others. This book was more in depth than the last couple of bo...

  I don't know about you, but there are times when I am on social media and I just get tired of all of the competition. I wonder if I am doing any real good. Built to Belong: Discovering the Power of Community over Competition by Natalie Franke is a great read if you share similar feelings. Natalie Franke offers a lot of truly helpful advice in Built to Belong . She offers easy to follow steps to finding your community and to improving your communication both on-line and in person. I like how practical her ideas are and how she offers examples to show how they can work. I also like how she encourages readers to see what they have to offer and has ideas on finding a community and spending less time endlessly scrolling. Franke's writing is easy to read and understand. The whole book is definitely something we need to read with the way we interact in today's world. This would be a great book to discuss in a book club or with a group of like-minded readers. In the back of the ...

  Betty Greene: The Girl Who Longed to Fly by Laura Caputo-Wickham is another book in the Do Great Things for God series for young children, ages four to eight. Betty wanted to learn to fly from the time she was 7 years old and she took flying lessons as soon as she was able to, thanks to some money given to her by an uncle. She then used her skills to make her dream come true of traveling all over the world and she did a lot of great things for God in her travels, including setting up Mission Aviation Fellowship. Betty Greene is truly an inspiring story for young ones. This story teaches little ones about following your dreams and about following God. I found it to be inspiring and enjoyed it even as an adult. I think it would inspire the whole family. I wasn't familiar with Betty Greene's story before this book. The writing is easy for young children to understand. The book has brightly colored, eye catching illustrations. At the back of the book, is a historical timeline tha...

    Gladys Aylward by Laura Caputo-Wickham is a new book in the Do Great Things for God series for young children. Gladys was an English woman who desperately wanted to be a missionary in China. This is a true story and a very young biography for young children to learn about her life and to be inspired to do great things for God themselves. Gladys Aylward is a larger book, measuring roughly 8 inches by 9 1/2 inches, and has brightly colored eye-catching illustrations. The book is fairly simplistic in the writing style and should be easy for little ones to understand. The historical timeline at the back of the book is especially nice and is also easy to follow. Gladys Aylward would be a great addition to any Christian family's home library. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  Today marks twenty years since the 9/11 attack. 30,000 Stitches is the inspiring story of a flag that hung from Ground Zero in the days after the attack. After awhile, it became tattered and torn. Instead of throwing it away, Americans from all over worked together to repair this flag. In fact, the flag actually traveled to all fifty states. Together, Americans carefully stitched and cared for this flag, thread by thread, one stitch at a time. 30,000 Stitche s is written for children in kindergarten through third grade. It is a large, colorful almost square book between 9 and 10 inches tall and across. However, this book is not too simplistic for older children. Instead, it is easy to understand and read and is actually a wonderful historical record that would truly appeal to all ages. The  illustrations are eye catching and truly beautiful. There are also actual photos along with some history notes at the back of the book. All in all, 30,000 Stitches is a lovely remembran...

  The sub-title of Just Ask by J. D. Greear is "The Joy of Confident, Bold, Patient, Relentless, Shameless, Dependent, Grateful, Powerful, Expectant Prayer." Wow! That is a lot of adjectives and a lot of expectations. Along with that great sub-title, I was drawn to this book on prayer by the fact that the forward was written by Paul E. Miller. I took a class on prayer based on Miller's book a few years ago at my church and was thoroughly drawn in to pray more because of it. Then the last couple of years, with all of the changes in the world, my habits changed. Just Ask has once again reminded me of the importance of prayer in my life at a time when I haven't felt like I have made much of a difference with it. Just Ask is divided in to two parts: Why We don't Pray and How to Pray. I like how easy this book was to read. Greear writes in such a way that I find him easy to understand and he is almost conversational through the book. At the same time, I confess that I ...

  In 1949, Ellie Fields is young, fresh out of college and ready for a new teaching experience. She leaves her home states of Alabama and journeys to a tiny Louisiana town in the Bayou. She is idealistic and hopeful and her "can do" spirit wins the hearts of the townspeople after she arrives. She especially wins the heart of one young man and there is some romance in the midst of the small town stories woven through Under the Bayou Moon. Valerie Fraser Luesse won me over when I first read, The Key to Everything last year. I enjoy her descriptive writing and how well she weaves the story together. I fell in love with all of the townspeople and was rooting for them throughout the book as they made it through more than a few challenges between sickness, weather and corrupt politicians. I spent summers in Louisiana when I was very young while my father went to graduate school so I know a little tiny bit of what she is describing. However, she brought the area to life for me throu...

  Simone Winthrop was busy cleaning out her grandmother's house with the help of her best friend, Andrea. Together they discovered a lost letter to Simone from her French Great Grandmother that suggests that Simone is heir to a "treasure." Despite Simone's fear of flying, Andrea manages to encourage her to fly to France and discovering whether there is any truth to the letter.  A Christmas in the Alps was an enjoyable read for me. I liked that this short novella held both a mystery and romance. I enjoyed each of the characters too. Simone seems real but fun and likeable. Kyle also seems like a great guy. There was humor at times and I enjoyed their chemistry. I also thought it was fun to have the book set in France at Christmas time. A Christmas in the Alps was just a sweet read with a mystery that took a bit to unravel in the short book. There isn't a lot of spiritual content to this book but it is a good clean read with a happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed A Ch...