Reading, Writing & Pondering

  I have followed Jessica Turner for several years so I wanted to read her story in I Thought It Would Be Better Than This .  Jessica tells her story of her 16-year marriage that ended when her husband came out as gay in 2020. This book is full of heart and hope for anyone who is in that situation. That isn't me. However, I did find a lot of helpful information in this book anyway. I would also add that I have a relative that came out as gay so I could relate to that issue in some other ways than as a spouse.  I especially like how Jessica goes through all of the areas of her life that were affected and changed as a result of going through this experience. It touched her life in many ways. I can understand that too. She shares how she had to grieve her marriage and learn to forgive others and herself. She shares how she held on to friendships and made new friendships. She shares how she learned to take care of herself on her own through exercise, eating healthy alone, mak...

  An Amish Widow's Hope by Pamela Desmond Wright is an inspiring story that kept my interest from beginning to end.  As the book begins, Widow Isla Stohl had her home broken into and her savings robbed. Sheriff Evan Miller, who was once Isla's beau, is on the case and determined to find the culprit. After his sister was killed in a car and buggy crash, Evan walked away from the Amish in his pain and became a law enforcement officer as a younger man. However, as he searches for Isla's robber, he gets shot in the process. Then he is put on leave while the shooting is in review, which leaves him with a lot of time to think. Will he make some changes in his life? I enjoyed An Amish Widow's Hope. I thought the story was well-written. There are themes of mercy and redemption through the story. It is also a story with relationship issues, romance, and mystery mixed with the Amish faith and simple values.   I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opin...

  How do you view Jesus? The Compassionate Christ by Sherri Hughes--Gragg released on November 4, 2025 from Thomas Nelson. This beautiful book is full of different viewpoints on Jesus.  Witness the abundant love of Jesus. Too often, Christians and non-Christians alike view Jesus as someone who is far off, aloof, judging their misdeeds, and unwilling to embrace them until they have sorted out their lives and figured out their faults. But that distorted perception could hardly be further from the truth. The beautiful reality is that Christ is kinder and gentler, more tender and more caring, more loving and more compassionate than we have ever hoped (or dared) to imagine. In  The Compassionate Christ  author Sherri Hughes-Gragg invites you to embark on a transformative journey to witness firsthand the abundant and welcoming love of Jesus. Through emotive storytelling, a form of fictional narrative that mixes biblical history with Scripture, Sherri transports ...

  I read Her Amish Refuge by Pamela Desmond Wright as a stand-alone as I did not realize it was part of a series. It read just fine on its own. Her Amish Refuge starts out with Florene Schroder being kicked out of the car from her abusive Englisher husband into the middle of a blizzard. She is alone and pregnant and walks as best she can to a nearby farm and collapses in the barn. She is found the next morning by Gil Kestler. Gil is a tall Amish man who is a gentle giant. His family takes her in for the time being. However, Gil's family has its own troubles as Gil and his brother Eli struggle to get along. This is complicated by the fact that Eli's wife misses living in town and feels trapped in the country with their new baby. Gil's mother is a widow and his dad originally owned the farm through his family for generations.  There is a gentle love story between Florene and Gil as the book progresses. Florene also must decide if she will return to the Amish ways and the Am...

  Jake Beckett and his twins, Kyle and Kayla, are training a service dog for their good senior friend Miss Myrna who has macular degeneration and is losing her eyesight. As Their Inseparable Bond   by Jill Weatherholt starts off, Jake and his kids keep busy helping Miss Myrna, but they are also sad as the children's mother passed away awhile ago. Olivia is an emergency room doctor in Miami. She is divorced and she worried about her Grandma, Myrna, so she takes a leave of absence from her job to help her Grandma and possibly move her back to Florida to live with her. Myrna doesn't want to go and enjoys her small town life. Olivia is soon caught up in the lives of Myrna's friends. She helps Jake train Myrna's dog. She helps the children. Although, little Kayla is wary of her to begin with. When Kayla learns that Olivia's dad passed away when she was young, they bond over shared losses. Their Inseparable Bond is a sweet and clean read. I like dogs so I enjoy the K-9 e...

  In the introduction of Psalms and Proverbs for Everyday Life by Joel Osteen, Osteen talks about how his parents taught their children to read the Bible every morning. That is a great legacy to have. However, I would add that if you aren't a morning person, read it every night or at noon. Whatever time of day works for you is fine--the important thing is to do it consistently. Psalms and Proverbs for Everyday Life includes 100 daily devotions. Each devotion starts with a Bible verse, then there are two or three paragraphs of a reading to reflect on the Bible passage, and concluding with a prayer for the day. This book is full of short readings that are all based on Psalms and Proverbs, as you would expect. The readings are all uplifting and offer hope in the midst of today's challenging world. The book is a nice size to carry along or leave on a night stand as it measures about 5 by 7 inches in size. I like this edition of Psalms and Proverbs for Everyday Life . I think this ...

    Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Mountain Storm Survival by Cathy McDavid, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours !   My Review: Mountain Storm Survival by Cathy McDavid is part of the Mountain Rescue series. This is the first book that I have read in this series. I like to take Love Inspired Books with me since they are a great size to carry along. Kate Spencer gets a new job helping with a youth wrangler camp full of young foster kids. Rand Walkins is the Ranch Manager. Kate was formerly in prison so she is glad to have this job. Rand isn't glad to have her because he is part of the reason she was in prison. Along with their challenging working relationship, they become trapped in the Superstition Mountains with two of the campers as illegal miners try to hunt them down in the midst of a storm.  There is a lot going on in this Love Inspired book. This is a tale of forgiveness and redemption among a few people. There is also a lot of action and suspense as th...