Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Are you a Jane Austen fan? If so, then you are probably aware of Jane Austen's 250th birthday celebration a couple of weeks ago. I won this copy of Jane Austen's Table by Robert Tuesley Anderson from Instagram in June and have enjoyed having it. As you would expect from the title, this cookbook is full of recipes inspired by the works of Jane Austen.  This beautiful recipe book includes chapters on breakfast, picnics and light bites, dinner, sweet things and puddings and entertaining. There are quite a few color photos in it but also some line drawings. It is a beautiful book for any Jane Austen fan who likes to cook. It could be fun to make some of these dishes with a Jane Austen book club read too.       I received a copy of this book as a gift. All opinions are my own. 

  Do you like books with dogs as part of the story? I do. As you can see in the photo above, I have a doodle similar to the service dog on the cover of An Unexpected Texas Reunion by Heidi Main. I have to admit the dog aspect made me want to read the book. Brenna Park and Owen McCaw were once boyfriend and girlfriend. Then Brenna broke up with Owen because she didn't like his chosen career based on her own family life growing up. Instead of explaining, she didn't give him reasons. She just ghosted him and walked away. Then he eventually married someone else, who passed away as the result of an accident and left him with a baby daughter.  Now Owen has come back home. Brenna and Owen are running a summer camp at his parents' ranch because Owen's mother broke her leg and can't physically do it. Can Brenna and Owen put the past behind them and work together?  An Unexpected Texas Reunion is a happy ending Love Inspired book. I like to read these occasionally when I am ...

  A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen is is "An On Devonshire Shores" novella. It goes along with this series but I read it as a stand alone looking for a historical Christmas novella to read.  Sarah Summers plans a Christmas at Sea View that will exceed her younger sister's expectations. She aimed to make the Christmas fun--even though she has forgotten how to have fun sometimes after taking on so many family responsibilities in the past. She also is thrilled at the prospect of getting reacquainted with a Scottish widower named Callum Henshall. Will she let her sense of responsibility interfere with a prospective romance or will she make time for her new feelings? Georgiana is excited to celebrate a fun Christmas after spending last year doing mainly endless chores with her sister. She is seventeen and has fun with Callum's stepdaughter, Effie. She also has a heart for younger children, which eventually leads to the family adopting another young girl. I found A Se...

  Rest and Rely is a new devotional book from Maddie Joy Fisher. This book features devotions that aim to help for the times when a reader struggles with fear and anxiety.  From the publisher:    Discover the freedom that comes from trusting God with today–and tomorrow · 60-day daily devotional to replace fear, anxiety, and worry with promises from God’s Word · visually stunning packaging includes 4-color interior If you feel like fear, anxiety, and worry have taken over your thought life or your spirit, you’re not alone. But you also weren’t meant to live this way. God wants more for you– promises  more for you. He wants you to live free from fear, to have victory over your anxiety, to face the future with hope rather than worry. He wants you to rest in and rely on Him in times of trouble. He even shows you how in His Word. With compassion born from personal experience, Maddie Joy Fischer invites you on a 60-day journey to overcome the fears that are ...

  Are you looking for a special gift for someone? Or maybe you need a new purse and you want one that is good quality with a style that will last a long time. Saddleback Leather Company has beautifully crafted leather purses and other products. The Saddleback Leather Company has an interesting history. The complete history is on their website and worth a read. Long story short, this is a company created in the US for making quality, long-lasting products. They also have a connection to Love 41Ministries. I especially like the teddy bear that is for sale this Christmas with some of the proceeds going to the ministry. It is a very special unqiue gift--but all of their products are special unique gifts.   About Saddleback Leather: Saddleback Leather is not simply a brand. It is the realization of one man’s vision to build leather goods so durable and purposeful that they become part of your story. Founded in Texas, the company has made its mark by committing to full-grain le...

    On a Midnight Clear includes three Christmas novellas by Tracie Peterson, Karen Witemeyer, and Kristy M. Beller. This collection of novellas is inspired by the nativity and that is reflected in each story. The Shepherd's Hear t by Tracie Peterson is a marriage of convenience story. Angel Lewis agrees to marry Vincent Duran after her own courtship ended with her being jilted at the alter. To escape from the local embarrassment she feels, she agrees to marry her childhood friend who was widowed with two young children who need a mother. This is a lovely short story of redemption. No Room at the Inn features Innkeeper Hope Palmer and her brother taking in a stagecoach full of passengers during a rough winter storm.  One of the passengers is Noah Bentwood who is taking charge of his employer's daughter to make sure she has safe passage to her home in California. However, he may also have found a reason to return to the area. This story includes both mystery and romance....

  The Lighthouse at the Cove by Amy Clipston is the second book in the Coral Cove series. I read The View from Coral Cove first but you don't need to as this book works well as a stand-alone. Coral Cove looks like a postcard-perfect town along the coast--complete with a lovely old lighthouse. However, Kaiah Ross didn't decide to go there for a visit on purpose. Rather her car broke down and stranded her in town. Kaiah is a travel journalist who was on her way to write about another coastal town when she gets stalled at Coral Cove.  Reid Turner is a fire fighter, a part-time Uber driver, a twin and dad to Piper. He was born and raised in Coral Cove and has always called this town his home. After his wife passed away, the last thing he wanted was another relationship. Instead, he has been focused on raising his daughter. Then Reid is called to pick up Kaiah from the car-repair shop and he offers to let her stay at the apartment above his garage since the hotels are full. They ...

    Bringing Heaven Here by Brad Gray and Brad Nelson takes a look at the Lord's Prayer. So many of us can say The Lord's Prayer from memory and I think it is so easy to just say it and not really focus on the words.  Brad Gray and Brad Nelson are co-creators of The Lord's Prayer film and The Sacred Thread film series. While I am not familiar with that series, I don't think you need to be to appreciate this book. I like how this book goes through the whole prayer and peels it back layer by layer in an up-close look that could make it more personal for you.  Bringing Heaven Here released from Thomas Nelson on November 25, 2025 and is available for purchase now.  From the Publisher: From the creators of the global television series  The Sacred Thread  comes a transformative exploration of how the Lord’s Prayer unlocks the power of God to guide, heal, and renew our lives and the world around us. The Lord’s Prayer is the most iconic and widely spoken ...