Reading, Writing & Pondering

    What happens when you are an editor but you've lost your ability to comprehend what you read? Ingrid Erikson is a senior acquisitions editor for a publishing company who has been limping along in her job, struggling to read, after her best friend passes away.  The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese is the story of a grief that is all encompassing until Ingrid returns to the source and is forced to reflect and grow. The Words We Lost kept me turning pages quickly. I have loved everything I have ever read by Nicole Deese. At the same time, this was not a light read. I'll be honest, initially the heavier story was a bit of a challenge for me--and yet the story kept calling to me. The light kept pouring in though the longer I turned the pages. I liked the characters and found myself pulling for both Ingrid and Joel. The back and forth in time to Cece's writing was easy for me to follow. I am so glad that I read this book. My heart was touched by The Words We Lost ...

  A Love Letter from God by P. K. Hallinan is a rhythmically perfect letter from God to a child with Him sharing how much He loves them. This 7-inch square board book is 24 pages long and aimed at children ages two to seven.  A Love Letter from God would make a great gift for any young child. It is a fun book to read aloud and would be fun for children to look at and learn to read on their own. The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching. I also like that there are children of all colors in the book remind us all that God doesn't care what color our skin is. He loves us all in a Love Letter from God . I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  I grew up listening to country music that my parents played both at home and in the car, so I was well familiar with who Loretta Lynn is before seeing this book. A Song and a Prayer: 30 Devotions Inspired by My Favorite Songs is an uplifting devotional inspired by a variety of song and hymns. A Song and a Prayer is a 31 day devotional written to remind everyone who reads it that God loves them. "You don't have to be something special in God's eyes, because you already are something special," according to Lynn. Each of these devotionals is based on a song such as Coal Miner's Daughter, one of Lynn's biggest hits, It is Well with my Soul, I'd Rather Have Jesus and a whole lot of other songs and hymns. Each reading starts with a Bible verse, includes a devotional reading, and ends with a song and a prayer. I didn't know all of the songs in the book, although certainly I could find them online and listen, but the words and the stories were all encourag...

  How much is enough? I love seeing this question answered by this gorgeous childen's book. I enjoyed Domino's Tree House by Dawn Patituci--a fun story about contentment. As Domino's Tree House begins, Domino lays in the backyard and decides to build a tree house because laying in the grass on a nice day wasn't enough. Then the tree house didn't feel like enough so he turned it into a tree cottage, then a tree mansion, and so on. When will the "tree house" finally be enough? You'll have to get the book and find out. Domino's Tree Hous e is a fun book to read aloud and is a fun book for kids to read alone too. It is aimed at children ages four to seven, is 32 pages long and measures about 9 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches in size. It is a beautifully illustrated and written story book that gives the children, and adults, something to think about. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  Are you looking for a new lighter read? Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlop is one you should consider. This is my first read by this author and I am looking forward to more books since it is the first one in a the new Sweetheart series. Katherine Bruno is a small town gal in Sweetheart, Texas. As a Christian, she often tries to bite her tongue, but many times she ends up telling things like she sees them. While known to be blunt, she loves her small town and the townspeople. When Ryan Park comes to Sweetheart to help the mayor seek re-election as his political consultant/campaign manager in the race against the mayor's wife, Katherine is intrigued by the handsome new man in town. The mayor's wife then hires Katherine as her campaign manager. Does that then make Ryan and Katherine enemies? Lone Star Sweetheart is full of wonderful small-town characters. The setting is quaint. I enjoyed the banter between Katherine and Ryan. I also enjoyed the antics played with some ...

  If you are looking at this book, then you may be already familiar with Dude Perfect. If not, Dude Perfect is a group of five friends who initially made basketball trick shots for fun. Cory Cotton, Coby Cotton, Cody Jones Garrett Hilbert, and Tyler Toney are the five friends who are all from Texas. Kristin Hilbert is Garrett's wife.  Good Night, Dude Perfect is a fun Bedtime book aimed at ages four to eight. This book is one that has a lot going on in the page illustrations from Alan Brown. Those illustrations are bright and colorful fun illustrations for young sports fans. This book is 32 pages long and a little over 10 by 8 inches in size. It could be fun to read to a child or group of children as well as a fun book for kids to look at on their own. I would say this is sort of a special interest book for kids who especially like sport and those who are familiar with Dude Perfect. The text is fairly wordy--much wordier than Good Night Moon, which this book mimics. I think t...

    Tara-Leigh Cobble has been leading tours to Israel since 2014. In this gorgeous coffee-table devotional book, Israel , Cobble pairs short readings with rich, beautiful modern-day pictures of this Biblically historical country taken by Richard Van De Water. Israel is not your typical devotional book. First of all, it is a large coffee-table sized book measuring at about 12 by 9.25 inches and weighs over eight pounds. The readings are from the Bible and are about various areas of Israel. They are all paired with rich, glorious pictures. This is a great book for just relaxing and meditating on the beauty of the country along with the readings. Israel is a wonderful book for visual learners. This book would make a beautiful gift for those who enjoy Biblical history and travel as well as those who like beautiful pictures.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

  I once heard a preacher say that everyone is either in the midst of a problem, coming out of a problem or headed into a problem. I imagine Joyce Meyer could agree with that statement. Her latest book, Overcoming Every Problem , shares Bible promises that relate to forty problems that Christians might face as they walk with God. In Overcoming Every Problem , Meyer offers advice from the Bible on healing from hurts that others inflicted on you, healing from physical illness or injury, facing fear, healing from a negative mindset, and many more problems. I am not sure this book covers EVERY problem, but it does cover a good share of the ones most Christians face. I like that Meyer draws from the Bible and she also shares honestly from her own experiences. Meyer is so easy to relate to and understand. Overcoming Every Problem would be an especially good book for a new Christian as they start the Christian walk. I have heard Joyce share some of this information before in her other bo...

  The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the second book in the Cape Cod Creamery series. I was anxious to continue the series after reading the first book as I like the characters and the setting. Callie Dixon is Dawn Dixon's high achieving cousin. Only she made a mistake. A big mistake in her field as an executive chef of a large hotel. After she is fired from her job, she sees Aunt Marnie Dixon at Ice Cream school when she is working there and she begs Marnie to let her come visit awhile--so Dawn and Marnie make room for her to stay at The Creamery. Callie is beyond sad at the state of her life--and she has some other concerns she hasn't shared with anyone yet. Cousin Dawn suggests she go to a community class about the secret of happiness. The instructor, Bruno Bianco, does help Callie in more ways than she could have imagined. In the meantime, Dawn and Kevin are back to planning their wedding. Little Cowboy Leo also visits the Creamery and cheers Callie up.  I...

    The Sweet Life is my first book by Suzanne Woods Fisher. This is the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series--and a new series that I am thoroughly enjoying. Dawn Dixon and Kevin Collins have been busy planning a wedding. Well, at least Dawn has been busy planning the wedding. Her mom, recently widowed Marnie Dixon, had been helping her too. Then everything falls apart in Dawn's perfect life. The wedding is called off. Marnie shares that she has had a breast cancer diagnosis. While the wedding was called off, the honeymoon was already paid for so Kevin encouraged Dawn to go ahead and take the time off and enjoy the trip with a friend. After the cancer diagnosis, Dawn chooses to take her mom with her to Cape Cod. While there, Marnie buys a run-down ice cream shop. For Dawn, whose life had been humming along perfectly until now, she isn't sure what to make of all the life changes. What would they do about this ice cream shop? Should she help me mom make a go of it or get...

  Here's To Your Dreams! by Dave Hollis is a fun rhyming book that encourages children to dream and to learn that they can problem-solve.  When I requested this book, Here's to Your Dreams! I recognized the name as an author but otherwise I wasn't real familiar with Dave Hollis or his daughter, Noah. I have since learned that the author has passed away. I hope this book is a special keepsake for daughter Noah.  I like the bright illustrations in Here's To Your Dreams! From the photo on the dust jacket, I thought the artist did a good job of illustrating this father daughter duo. I also like the rhyming verse. I like that it encourages children to dream, to imagine, to learn to solve problems on their own. I like that it features a dad having tea with his daughter and dreaming together. Here's To Your Dreams! is a large 32-page book measuring about 10 1/2 inches square and has a dust jacket. It would be a fun book to read together with your child(ren) while having...

    For anyone who has had anxiety in the past, they may be familiar with grounding themselves by counting five things to help them relax as that is a common way given to help yourself. Count Yourself Calm by Eliza Huie helps children use this tool from a Christian perspective. Count Yourself Calm has bright fun illustrations from Mike Henson. He does a great job of bringing the needed actions to life in this book and helping children see what to do. This isn't the typical children's bedtime book. This is a book that could help children on difficult days to face feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, and more. The book helps direct children towards remembering that they are not alone and God is with them. At the same time, they are actively doing something to help calm their bodies down, along with their minds. I think Count Yourself Calm is a great book to help children deal with difficult feelings and to look to God as part of the solution. I wish I had had it when my son was ...

  Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Love Most Precious by Anita Higman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours ! About the Book Title : A Love Most Precious: 90 Devotions on the Book of Ruth Author: Anita Higman Publisher: DaySpring Release Date: October 9, 2022 Genre: Devotional Book   Today I have the pleasure of reviewing A Love Most Precious: 90 Devotions on the Book of Ruth by Anita Higman. After my review, there is also a link for a giveaway so you don't want to miss that! A Love Most Preciou s is such a beautiful small book.This book is a great size to stick in your purse or book bag or to keep alongside your Bible on your night stand. Each reading is about two pages long and includes a Bible verse from the book of Ruth, a short devotional story to go along with your Bible reading and a prayer to end the day.  The book of Ruth is a short Bible book but it sure packs a lot of great inspiration for living the Christian life. A Love Most Precious focuses ...