Category: books

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What I’m Reading – June 2024

What I’m Reading Now:

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – I’m about a quarter of the way through this one. It’s a cute story about a woman who loses the ability to see faces after a surgery.

The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go From Here by Kaitlyn Schiess – I just downloaded the audiobook from the library for this one, so I haven’t started it yet.

Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight – I have made a little progress on this one since last month. It’s a bit esoteric for me, but I plan to finish it still.

What I Recently Finished:

Random Death by J.D. Robb

Let’s Pretend This Will Work by Maddie Dawson

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

I haven’t added anything new to my TBR in May. I currently have 90 books on my list.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – May 2024

What I’m Reading Now:

Random In Death by J.D. Robb – this is #58 from the In Death series, and it’s great so far, as they all are!

Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight – I haven’t made much progress on this one since last month. I’ve been reading mostly fiction.

What I Recently Finished:

What is Love? by Jen Comfort

Second Chance at Christmas by Emily Engberts

Blank by Zibby Owens

Secrets of Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth

Christmas at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth

No Home Like Nantucket by Grace Palmer

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

The Happiness Plan by Susan Mallery

A Little Ray of Sunshine by Kristan Higgans

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Beyond Fragility: A Skills-Based Guide to Effective Anti-Racist Allyship by Yara Mekawi

A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today by Bonnie Kristian

I also added 63 fiction books to my TBR list. Instead of participating in Stuff Your Kindle Day, which gave me mixed results in book quality, I went through my list of books I have read and looked up what my favorite authors had written since I last read them.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – April 2024

What I’m Reading Now:

What Is Love? by Jen Comfort – I think this was a free book from Amazon First Reads. I just started it and it looks like it will be cute, if formulaic.

Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett – I just started this one but I like it so far.

What I Recently Finished:

Sunshine of Your Love by Kirsty McManus – I got this book for free from Stuff Your Kindle Day. The premise was a bit odd – two people have to job share for three months to compete for a job. It’s a typical enemies to lovers story.

The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth by Juliet Gauvin – Another free book. This is about a woman trying to find herself after losing a mother figure in her life. I really enjoyed it.

Airborne Hearts by Maggie Louzella – Another free book. A cute romance.

She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky – 5 stars to this one. It is written to mothers and daughters specifically. I don’t have a daughter, but I was raised with a lot of harmful teachings in this area, and this book was very helpful in recognizing and addressing those issues.

Return to Serendipity by Liza Lanter – Another free book. A standard story of a woman who both gets a divorce and inherits property from a deceased relative. Not bad.

Cottage at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth – Another free book. Another divorced woman who inherits property, this one also includes three friends who all move to the location where she inherits property over the course of the next few books. I enjoyed this one enough that I kept reading the series.

Bakery at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth – Book 2 in the Bella Beach series

Bookshop at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth – Book 3 in the Bella Beach series

Lighthouse at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth – Book 4 in the Bella Beach series

Payback in Death by J.D. Robb – This is book 57 in the In Death series. I love these books, and this one did not disappoint. The series centers around Eve Dallas, who is a homicide detective in futuristic New York City. So good!

Where We Meet: A Lenten Study of Systems, Stories, and Hope by Rachel Gilmore, Candace Lewis, Tyler Sit, and Matt Temple – I read this Lenten devotional in conjunction with a virtual Bible study led by my pastor. It was very good. It dealt with a lot of topics that are new for me to consider and showed me areas that I need to learn more about.

The Worst Christmas Ever? by Rebecca Paulinyi – Another free book. Woman gets cheated on and runs away to find herself. Ends up starting a new business and a new relationship within a few weeks.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

The Last List of Muriel Beaumont by Laura Pearson

Secrets of Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth

Return to Bella Beach by Kate Wentwortj

Christmas at Bella Beach: A Novella by Kate Wentworth

Random in Death by J.D. Robb

Passions in Death by J.D. Robb

Lawyers and Lattes by Rebecca Paulinyi

The London Flat: Second Chances by Juliet Gauvin

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – March 2024

The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth by Juliet Gauvin – A charming story about a woman who goes to a faraway place to grieve the loss of the woman who raised her and reevaluate her life choices.

She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky – I don’t have a daughter, but I have heard that this book can be good to help reframe some of my own past.

I am also still reading my Lenten devotional, Where We Meet: A Lenten Study of Systems, Stories, and Hope.

What I Recently Finished:

That’s What Love Is by Amy Rose – Got for free on stuff your Kindle day. It was not terrible, but not very good either. It ended quite abruptly, I thought.

Coming Home by Piper Reece – Another stuff your Kindle find. Cute story.

The Beauty of Perhaps by Eryn Marie – Another stuff your Kindle find. I actually liked this one quite a bit. I seem to enjoy stories where people go to faraway places to get away and find a new job or love interest.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan – I read this one because I had watched The Wheel of Time series on Amazon Prime and had never read the books. I will probably not read anymore of the series because this book was just so long and didn’t hold my interest very well. It’s also hard to keep track of everything that’s going on, which I also found true of the show.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister – This was a really good book illustrating how a book can affect different people at different times and in different situations. Very enjoyable.

The Lighthouse Cafe by Bebe Reed – Another stuff your Kindle acquisition. It was okay, a sweet story.

Pride, Prejudice, and Pledging by Sara Marks – This was a decent retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t great.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making it All Fit by Janet Kellogg Ray – Very interested in this topic

God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines – One I have wanted to read for a while

What Is Love? by Jen Comfort – This is my free Amazon First Reads for March.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – February 2024



Where We Meet: A Lenten Study of Systems, Stories, and Hope by Rachel Gilmore, Candace Lewis, Tyler Sit, and Matt Temple – This is a Lenten devotional that my pastor is going to be leading a virtual Bible study on during Lent this year. I have read the introduction and first day of the devotional and am very intrigued to read more.

That’s What Love Is by Amy Rose – This is a novel I got for free on Stuff Your Kindle Day. It’s okay but not great.

What I Recently Finished:

Postscript (P.S. I Love You #2) by Cecelia Ahern – An enjoyable follow up to P.S. I Love You, which I loved. I enjoyed this book.

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery – This was a fun read. 

Leave It To Us by A.C. Arthur – This was a free book from Amazon First Reads, where they let Prime members pick a free book from a short list each month. I enjoyed this one. It had interesting characters and a good story.

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price – This book has been all over TikTok lately and I am glad I read it. I would highly recommend it for anyone recently diagnosed with autism, but I also found good value as someone who has had their diagnosis for awhile.

Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood by Katharina Manassis – I have been reading this book off and on for several months and finally finished it last month. It is a really good book and would be especially helpful for those with autistic children still in high school. Even though my son graduated over two years ago, I still found it worth reading. It gave me a lot of things to think about as I help my son become an independent adult.

Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans – This is an exploration of the Bible from a writer I have recently discovered. Although she passed away a few years ago, her books are still very popular with people looking for answers to their faith questions. I appreciated this book a lot.

House Lessons: Renovating a Life by Erica Bauermeister – This memoir was my first 5-star read of the year. I loved it! I have read some of her novels and loved them as well. This tells the story of her life during a house renovation, but goes beyond that in many ways. Highly recommend!

The Bakery on the Cove by Eliza Ester – This was a free book from Stuff Your Kindle Day. I did not like it at all. The writing was bad and the story didn’t even come to a conclusion at the end. It was like reading one episode of a badly written soap opera. Do not recommend!

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Marriage in the Bible: What Do the Texts Say? by Jennifer Bird – I am very interested to learn more about this topic.

She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up by Sheila Wray Gregoire – Although I don’t have a daughter, I was a girl who grew up in a toxic environment and am hoping this will bring me some insight.

Blank by Zibby Owens – This is my free Amazon First Reads for February.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – January 2024

I haven’t written about what I’m reading since December of 2020, but of course I have been reading all along. According to my records on Goodreads, I read 79 books in 2021, 73 books in 2022, and 58 books in 2023. I have decided to start posting about my reading again.

What I’m Reading Now:

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price – This would have been a great book to have when I was first diagnosed with autism, although much of it relates to more recent discoveries about autism and how it is expressed in various marginalized groups.

Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood by Katharina Manassis – This has some really helpful information for parents of kids on the spectrum. It’s another one I wish I had sooner because a lot of it applies to kids who are still in high school. It is still helpful even with Michael being out of school for a couple of years.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan – This is the first book in The Wheel of Time series. For some reason, I never picked it up back when it was first published in 1990, but I have watched both seasons that are out of The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime, so I thought it would be good to read at least the first book in the series. It’s a good book but harder to read because I already know the basic plot from the show. I have borrowed it from the library twice but not finished it yet, and now the Libby app is showing all copies expired. I’m not sure if I want to finish it badly enough to buy it on Kindle.

What I Recently Finished:

I haven’t finished any books yet this year, so I’m not going to list any books here this month. I plan to start listing books I’ve read with the next update.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I had started this book a long time ago and didn’t finish it, but I have decided to give it another try. I believe this one is mainly about universal reconciliation. I am interested in reading books on the other beliefs about hell as well.

Leave It To Us by A.C. Arthur – I got this book for free as part of Amazon’s First Reads. It looks like an interesting story about three sisters who inherit their grandmother’s beach house.

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern – This is a sequel to P.S. I Love You, which was a great book. I bought it with some of my Christmas money from my mom.

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern – Another book by Ahern, who I enjoy. Also bought with Mom’s Christmas money.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Winter Break

This year, I took off the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I like having off at this time of year because work is usually slow, and it’s nice to have a few days to just putter around.

Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year. I went to the family-friendly morning service and the evening candlelight service. I really enjoyed the evening service, although the wax from the candle did drip onto my hands a couple of times! After church, I redid the puzzle Michael Storrings New York City Subway.

Christmas day was pretty quiet. I watched a few episodes of Silo and did some reading. My mom had sent money for Christmas, and I had bought a few books that had been on my wish list for a while because it didn’t seem like the library was ever going to get them. I have read the first two already and loved them!

Michael came home around 6:30. He had forgotten my presents at his dad’s house, so I gave him mine and opened the couple I had gotten myself, lol. We had dinner together, and then later on, his dad brought over the presents Michael had gotten me. Of course, he got me two puzzles – one for Christmas and one for my birthday!

Wednesday and Thursday Michael had work from 10-2. On Wednesday, Kim came over, and we ate lunch and watched a movie. After I picked Michael up, we went to Target to get a drive up order. I have decided to use Target instead of Amazon when I can due to a package being stolen last week.

On Thursday, I had therapy, which went well. I also went to Barnes and Noble to check out their puzzle selection. They had a good number, but I didn’t see anything I had to have. After I picked Michael up, we went to the Colonial Park Mall to pick up a package from the Amazon locker. That’s what I have decided to do for things I have to get from Amazon.

On Friday, I went to get an oil change. In the afternoon, we attempted to build two dining room chairs. We had built the first two when Bill & Jenn were coming over, but we had more people coming over that evening, so we needed them. One of them was fine, but the other one had an issue with one of the screws not going in properly. I also made artichoke dip and monster cookies. Along with that, I served veggies and dip plus meat, cheese, and crackers.

Friday evening was a lot of fun. Renee and her boys, Evan and Hans, came over along with our friend Chris. They enjoyed the food, and we played part of a game of Star Munchkin. Chris cleaned up my kitchen for me and superglued the chair piece that was causing a problem. It was a wonderful evening!

On Saturday, Kim came over for our weekly lunch and movie. I took a nap that afternoon because I had stayed up way too late the night before. I also went to bed early and woke up Sunday just in time for the online pre-recorded service my church did for what they call Sabbath Sunday. They are closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s to give the staff a rest.

Sunday afternoon, I started a 1000 piece puzzle that I had won in a contest a little over a year ago. I will share that in a separate post. I did stay up until 2 am on New Year’s Day to finish it.

Monday was New Year’s Day and the last day of my break. I slept in, and then Michael and I drove to Target to pick up a vacuum I had ordered. I got him Chick-fil-A since we were near there (I had already eaten lunch). When we got home, I did a 100-piece puzzle as part of the Winter Bingo for The Casual Puzzler’s Facebook group. I also did a 500-piece puzzle, also for the Winter Bingo. I’ll post both of those later this week.

All in all, this was a fun and relaxing break for me. I really like having some time off around the holidays.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that my friend Kim gave me a 500-piece puzzle when she came over on Wednesday, and I put it together that night.

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What I’m Reading – December 2020

What I’m Reading Now:

The Caldera by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #7 – Just started last night but it’s good so far. It sounds like it will be very similar to the other books in the series, which isn’t a bad thing.

What I Recently Finished:

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay – Found this browsing the Libby app and it was enjoyable.

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber – Holiday romance, okay read.

The Marriage Code by Brooke Burroughs – This was one of the Amazon First Reads for December, and I really enjoyed it. It is the story of an American woman and an Indian man working together in India and falling in love.

Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay – Sequel to The Printed Letter Bookshop, also quite fun to read.

Scorpion Mountain by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #5 – enjoyable but very similar to many of his other books.

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton – This was another random find and was very good.

The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton – Another book by this new-to-me author. I liked it a lot.

The Ghostfaces by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #6 – this was probably my favorite from this series so far.

Jolene by Mercedes Lackey – Elemental Masters #15 – I wasn’t familiar with the story this is based on, which is The Queen of the Copper Mountain, but this book was right up my alley in terms of a good read. I loved it!

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Return of the Temujai by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #8 – As far as I can tell, this will be the last of his books set in the world of the Ranger’s Apprentice, at least until he writes some more, hopefully!

The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton – Can you tell I like this new-to-me author? I have already read two of her books and have added her other two to my to-read list.

Glory Road by Lauren K. Denton

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – November 2020

What I’m Reading Now:

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay – Found this one browsing the Libby app. Looks interesting.

What I Recently Finished:

Perfectly Impossible by Elizabeth Topp – Very enjoyable read!

The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen – I liked the characters, but wasn’t too crazy about the plot.

Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn – I’m not quite the demographic for this series, but it was fairly good anyway.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – Amazing book! Even though I could tell where it was headed fairly early on, I was still entranced by the story and I cried at the ending (which is rare for me).

The Shepherd’s Wife by Angela Elwell Hunt – This was actually better than the first one in the series. I liked it.

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman – Satisfying read. #35 in the Alex Delaware series.

Your First Step to Celebrate Recovery by John Baker – Easy read about the founding of Celebrate Recovery as well as an overview of the principles and steps.

By John Flanagan

  • The Hunters, Brotherband Chronicles #3
  • Slaves of Socorro, Brotherband Chronicles #4
  • The Missing Prince, The Royal Ranger #4

By Sherryl Woods

  • Sea Glass Island, Ocean Breeze #3
  • The Inn at Eagle Point, Chesapeake Shores #1
  • Isn’t It Rich?, Million Dollar Destinies #1

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman

Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan

A Picture of Love by Beth Wiseman

Scorpion Mountain by John Flanagan

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton

Did Not Finish:

Memories in the Drift by Melissa Payne

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – October 2020

What I’m Reading Now:

The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen – My friend Kim lent me this one. It’s better than I expected.

What I Recently Finished:

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs – Enjoyable read.

Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope – The latest by one of my favorite authors, this one was pretty good.

Shadows in Death by JD Robb – The newest installment of the futuristic detective series, not as good as some of her others.

Becoming Us by Robin Jones Gunn – Book 1 of the Haven Makers series, fairly good.

The Outcasts by John Flanagan – Book 1 of the Brotherband Chronicles, really enjoyed it.

The Invaders by John Flanagan – Book 2 of the Brotherband Chronicles, pretty good.

The Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods – fun romance series.

  • Stealing Home
  • A Slice of Heaven
  • Feels Like Family
  • Welcome to Serenity
  • Home in Carolina
  • Sweet Tea at Sunrise
  • Honeysuckle Summer
  • Midnight Promises
  • Catching Fireflies
  • Where Azaleas Bloom
  • Swan Point

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Perfectly Impossible by Elizabeth Topp – from Amazon’s October First Reads

The Hunters by John Flanagan – Book 3 in the Brotherband Chronicles

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg – always love her books

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber – looks like a cute holiday read

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – getting rave reviews

Did Not Finish:

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer – this is Twilight from Edward’s point of view. I only made it through the first two chapters and just could not get into it.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!