Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Eunice Holbrook is an heiress who went East and is trying to disguise herself in New York City so that she isn't recognized after someone tries to kill her grandfather as she thinks they may try to kill her too. To hide herself she wears widows veils and blends in with a new life and identity--until one day Arthur Livingston shows up at her detective agency to hire them to look for HER.  In To Disguise the Truth by Jen Turano, Eunice is a complex character with an interesting past within a dysfunctional family. She also remembers Arthur Livingston because her grandfather wanted her to marry him and have him take over the family business. Neither Arthur nor Eunice were too keen on that idea. . .do they still feel that way? I have not read the other books in the Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency series, but I enjoyed To Disguise the Truth as a stand alone. I am sure it would be even better if a reader has read the other two books in the series. I enjoyed the quick wit and...

  Brynna Phillips is a school teacher who believes she is done with men and is looking to spend her summer gardening on her small condo deck. But everything goes awry when she heads to the greenhouse to get some plants. Fellow co-worker Jan finds her at the greenhouse and ends up talking Brynna into going on a camping trip with her.  At the same time in a Sonoma vineyard in California, Leroy is looking for some peace and quiet from his daughters and is struggling to keep his family's vineyard out of the red. Looking for Leroy by Melody Carlson is a contemporary Christian novel with a story that some other mid-life women may be able to relate to. Brynna and Jan go on their camping adventure and are having fun when they end up at the same camp that Brynna met Leroy at after her senior year of high school. She starts wondering where he is and finds him with Jan's help. Jan also has found a new friend in Mike, who also joins then in the search for Leroy. After finding Leroy's ...

  Crowned with Glory by Dorena Williamsonson is an adorable book aimed at young black girls. I love how this book is affirming in both the pictures and the storyline for little girls of color today. This book is aimed at children ages 4 to 8 years old is 40 pages long and about 8 1/2 inches square--it is a nice size for young children to hold and it is a good size to read to them. The words in this book are affirming and are aimed at today's children. There are a couple of slang words that are in use today that make it relevant to our times.  As the cover shows the young girl with her beautiful, black hair, this book talks about how that hair is from God and is their "crown of glory." I'm not a black girl so I don't know the challenges they have with their hair but I do understand that it can be challenging. As a white woman with extremely curly, kinky hair throughout my life, I can resonate with that encouragement through Crowned with Glory and I love it. It al...

  Can you imagine living an ordinary life as a teacher and then one day out of the blue finding out that you are the Princes of a small island?  In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh tells the story of Brielle Adebayo who is a middle school teacher in New York City through the year and spends her summer vacations with her Mom at Martha's Vineyard. One day her mom meets her at a restaurant and lets her know that she is the princess of an island off the coast of Africa and that her grandfather, the kind, is ailing so she must assume her duties as soon as possible. What a bombshell that would be?!  Naturally Brielle is upset with her mom. She travels to the island and is happy to get to know her grandfather. She also gets to know the people of the island and then finds out she must marry to take the throne. Will she find a prince in time? Will it be someone she really wants to marry? I enjoyed In Search of a Prince. It is a slower paced novel and there is a bit of a slow burn...

  The Power of Thank You: Discover the Joy of Gratitude by Joyce Meyer is a relatively short and easy to read book with a powerful message and reminder to be grateful for the things in your life.  In The  Power of Thank You , Meyer shares both personal stories and stories from the Bible to encourage readers to be grateful for both the little things and the big things in their lives. Even when life isn't going the way that you hoped, Meyer encourages readers to find something to be thankful for. This book is easy to read and understand. While I didn't really learn anything new in this book, it was a good reminder to me to be thankful for so many things. I think it would be an especially good book to give a new Christian that is struggling. One of the features I especially liked about this book is the appendix that has thirty days of things to thank God for based on various Scriptures throughout the Bible. I like to use a gratitude journal every day.  Along with this ...

  God Made You Too by Chelsea Tornetto reminds young children that God not only made them but he knew the world needed one of them. God Made You was written for children 4 to 7 years old but the 32-page book would be good to read to younger children too. The pages of the larger sized book (9.25 by 9.75 inches) are fairly thick but would probably be best turned by older children or adults for longevity. God Made You Too has bright, colorful illustrations and a lilting, rhyming prose with words the flow easily off the reader's tongue. I think it is a book that would remind children that they are special and loved in their own way because God did make them unique with their own gifts and their own unique look.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  Nothing can separate us from God's Love according to Romans 8:38. But don't we all, adults and children, have days that we feel pretty unlovable and we wonder if that is true. In Nothing, Natalie Creech tells young children (and adults) that God's love is forever no matter what you do or what happens on earth. Nothing is an adorable board book with simply gorgeous illustrations and beautiful prose. This 32-page book has the tough cardboard pages for little hands under age 4 to look at and turn the pages on their own. It measures roughly 8 by 9 inches so it is a nice size for little ones to hold on their own too. This book would make a great gift and would be a good addition to any little one's library in Christian families.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.