Here are fiction and nonfiction recommendations. For more, please click on the Goodreads tab.
The Other Side of Freedom by Cynthia Toney is a well-written, action-packed novel that looks at the cost of certain decisions. I enjoy going back in history and imagining what it was like living in a different time, knowing the people in the story. This is a fresh story about a time period and group…
With all the busyness of this time of year, it would be easy to miss the greatest gift and the real reason we celebrate Christmas—Christ. As Ann Voskamp says, “Christ came into the world for you—and you came into the world for Him.” What a profound observation! Every year, I make sure that my family…
Matthew West’s song, “Hello, My Name Is” would make a great soundtrack to go along with Rebekah Lyons’ book, You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are, published in 2017 by Zondervan. This nonfiction book is an easy, fast read. Lyons confides with the reader about her struggles with fears and perfectionism and shares how…
It has been 12 years since one of Elaine’s students disappeared on a class field trip and her life went spiraling down in shame and lost confidence. One day, she and her detective husband were discussing her upcoming birthday over breakfast when she discovered a clue to the unsolved case while skimming the newspaper. There…
Curiosity led me to Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts. A moving podcast interview with her left me in tears. I just wanted to know more about this God seeker and immerse myself into the amazing descriptions of settings and moods which she paints upon the page. I wondered if I might be able to…
Tamera Alexander is another favorite author I discovered this year. Her second novel in the Belle Meade Plantation series, To Win Her Favor, kept my mind contemplating what was happening with Maggie and Cullen as I worked throughout the day. Once when walking with my husband, I was tempted to discuss their troubles when I…
Attractions are always hampered by baggage, the hurts buried deep in our souls that rise up when life gets bumpy. Insecurities raise their ugly heads, and if people don’t mentally stop such thoughts, they spiral out of control and lead us where we don’t want to go. As it affects us in real life, so…
I loved Wings of the Wind, the third novel in Connilyn Cossette’s Out of Egypt series, published by Bethany House. I enjoyed the first two in the series, as well, but the main characters Alanah and Tobiah captured my heart in a different way. I loved watching this couple transform from enemies to intimate friends.…
For five weeks this summer, I participated in a Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study course about Jennifer Rothschild’s book Me, Myself, and Lies. It was my first time ever joining an online Bible study so I worried if I would keep up. It was great, and I managed to keep up just fine. While they…
My family and I visited the Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville while visiting friends a few years ago. While we had visited other Civil War battle grounds and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, my favorite part of the vacation was learning the history of this grand home. When I discovered Tamera Alexander’s novel, To Whisper Her…