Dozen Top Reads of 2022

In 2022, I billed the following 9 books as "highly recommended" - listed in order read, not in order of preference:

The Reading List by Sarah Nisha Adams - Fiction

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth - Fiction

Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor - Non-fiction

The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni - Fiction

The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson - Non-fiction

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle - Fiction

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - Fiction

God Walk by Mark Buchanan - Non-fiction

More Than Grit by Gretchen A. Carlson - Middle Grade Fiction

I'm giving the following books an honorable mention:

Holier Than Thou by Jackie Hill Perry - Non-fiction

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Fiction

Dear Dana by Amy Weinland Daughters- Non-fiction

What were your favorite books this year? I'd love to hear them.

2022 - Fourth Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, the page count, and a grading scale (💖5 thumbs up - highly recommend, 4 thumbs up - enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - good, 2 thumbs up - meh, and 1 thumb down - regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the fourth quarter of 2022 (links to full reviews can be found in the side-bar, or after 2022, found through the search bar at the right):

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - A mother and daughter survive the Alaskan frontier and their abusive husband and father. 449 pages (I listened in audio form, 12 CDs, 15 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Birdcage by Eve Chase - Three half-sisters return to the family estate twenty years after a mysterious occurrence during an eclipse fragmented their relationships. Atmospheric and dark. 369 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Just Show Up: The Dance of Walking Through Suffering Together by Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn - When a friend or family member is facing a struggle, presence will always be more important and useful than platitudes. 194 pages, 👍👍👍👍

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson - The summer of 1927 comes alive with humor and flair, thanks to Bryson's sharp eye and ready wit. 637 pages (I listened in audio form, 14 CDs, 17 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova - Concert pianist, Richard Evans, faces down his ALS diagnosis and accepts the begrudging assistance of his ex-wife, causing all past mistakes to surface again. Like a musical piece, full of emotional swells and moving passages. 298 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel - A recounting of the decade focused on space exploration: sordid lives and grand ambitions, tragedy and triumph. 320 pages (I listened in audio form, 7 CDs, 8 hours), 👍👍👍

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore - This great non-fiction book focuses on revealing the true story behind the set of women injured by their occupational exposure to radium. Fascinating! Infuriating! 504 pages (I listened in audio form, 13 CDs, 16 hours), 👍👍👍👍

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - Two children run away from home, hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and discover a mystery about a statue in the museum. 168 pages (I listened in audio form, 3 CDs, 3-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍

What You Wish For by Katherine Center - From a new-to-me author I cannot wait to read again comes a book about seeking love, being real, facing challenges, and embracing joy. 306 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

💖The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - A Louisiana woman unearths the fascinating story of slaves searching for lost loved ones. This one made me cry. A dreadful history but full of redemption. 417 pages (I listened in audio form, 12 CDs, 15 hours), 👍👍👍👍👍

The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery by Ross Douthat - The author's lengthy battle with Lyme disease challenges his view of the medical establishment and our entitlement mentality toward health. 197 pages, 👍👍👍

The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani - When loss drives Jaya to visit her mother's homeland in India, she learns the tragic story of her mother and grandmother and finds strength to face her dreams. 390 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace by Debra Moerke with Cindy Lambert - Riveting true story of a foster mother who faces an unexpected request that demonstrates God's grace and redemption. 317 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - My favorite book, when a teen, has gone down a tick in re-reading it as an adult. Still a well-written and exciting novel, but not top-billed status. 384 pages (I listened in audio form, 14 CDs, 15.75 hours), 👍👍👍👍

💖God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul by Mark Buchanan - A thorough and delightful exploration of walking as spiritual practice. This book is chock full of book and movie recommendations. 226 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

💖More Than Grit by Gretchen A. Carlson - Twelve-year-old Sissy Grumme hatches a plan to help her family come up with the $5 deposit necessary to get electricity extended to their Kansas farm. Sometimes facing obstacles brings maturity and teaches us to rely on more than our own personal grit. 220 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all my 580 Facebook friends a handwritten letter by Amy Weinland Daughters - I was hooked from the start. This memoir highlights a lost art I'd love to reinstitute myself (were it not for my scraggly handwriting and weak wrists) and gives me ideas for 2023 (not a duplication, but a similar strategy). 304 pages, 👍👍👍👍-1/2

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber - Simple, clean, Christmas romance. Perfect light-hearted holiday read. 243 pages (I listened in audio form, 4 CDs, 5 hours), 👍👍👍

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber - Another simple, clean, Christmas romance, this time set in Alaska. 243 pages (I listened in audio form, 4 CDs, 5 hours), 👍👍👍

Book Review: Alaskan Holiday

Keeping in the Christmas holiday theme, I've been listening to Debbie Macomber holiday novels. This one, Alaskan Holiday, was pleasant enough. My single complaint is that the narrator for the male parts of the narration was over-the-top in his voicing of the characters. It was grating. Still, the story held my attention. It is a simple tale of love challenged by the isolating Alaskan frontier. Palmer is eager to propose to Josie, but knows she is due to return to Seattle, Washington, to her dream job working with a famous chef in a new restaurant. He's unsure she will choose isolation in Alaska with him, over the amenities and opportunities of a big city without him. Both narrations for Palmer and Jack irritated me. My favorite part of the whole audio book was in the introduction by the author. Macomber shares two pithy quotes about Alaska that had me laughing:

1) "In Alaska, the men are men, and so are the women!"

2) "It is also said for single women in Alaska, the odds are good, but the goods are odd!"

Alaskan Holiday provides a lighthearted, warm Christmas tale. I simply recommend reading a hard copy rather than listening to the audio version. 

Book Review: Dear Santa

Sometimes when I pop into the library with few minutes to spare, I grab audio books that are on display. Debbie Macomber is a tried-and-true author. This book, Dear Santa, was a great holiday accompaniment to my daily treadmill time. The romance was light-hearted, with the feel of a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Lindy Carmichael is happy to be home for the holidays in Wenatchee, Washington, but is struggling to capture the holiday cheer. Her life in Seattle is on tenterhooks waiting for the acceptance or rejection of a work bid. Given that her best friend has just taken up with her ex-boyfriend, she's grateful for a two-week vacation with her parents. When her mother unearths her old letters to Santa, Lindy wonders if she's too old to write her hopes and dreams to Santa again. Will the magic still hold? If Santa delivers, can she graciously accept the gifts she coveted? While the story line felt predictable, it held my attention. No better way to prepare for the holidays than to dive into a small Christmas romance novel. 

Book Review: Dear Dana

Two things converged to bring this compulsively readable book into my life. Thanks to an Amazon gift card from a friend, I felt free to spend the money on books. Then, to earn more sweepstakes entries, I signed on for Book Bub. This has been a double-edged sword for me. While I love book recommendations, the daily smattering of titles increases my burgeoning wish list and TBR piles. For this book, I saw the title (Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter), noticed the low e-book price ($.99), clicked to purchase, and immediately started reading (on my Kindle for PC).

I love everything about this idea. Letter writing saved my life! When I moved in my senior year of high school, when I launched out at a college where I knew not a soul, when I moved overseas to live and work in England for seven months, and when I courted my husband during graduate school, letter writing kept me going. I still keep a stack of those old letters in my closet. I may not read them often, but they are too significant to throw away. They were a lifeline to sanity when loneliness might have driven me crazy.

Crazy! That's what Amy Weinland Daughters must have been to embark on this daunting task. But, how cool! Amy noticed a Facebook friend, Dana, posting about her son's battle with cancer. When the mother and son moved to Memphis for his treatment at St. Jude's, Amy felt compelled to send letters. Sadly, the stricken son died. Amy recalled a comment by a neighbor who, after grieving her lost husband, mentioned that at some point the casseroles and letters cease. Amy didn't want that to happen to her Facebook friend, even though they hadn't seen one another in thirty years. But how to continue expressing her condolences and prayers? She didn't even have an address for Dana. This little realization triggered something that resonated deep within. The impact of receiving a handwritten letter is incalculable. What if Amy wrote a letter (not just a note, but a 2-pager) to every Facebook connection she had?

What's even crazier? She put feet to the plan. She created a spreadsheet, placed the names in a box, pulled out each name, and wrote to each individual, no matter how close or distant in life. I rarely highlight passages in memoirs, but I did so in this book. The exercise changed Amy's heart, and mine too. I wanted to share a few of those nuggets, but in writing them down, they took up almost two pages. Here are a few key points: small, everyday actions can morph into big things; writing letters is therapeutic for both the sender and receiver; intentional letters have no monetary value, but exponential personal worth; and our interactions with people can change us if we remain open and teachable, looking for that potential in even seemingly insignificant or limited relationships (i.e., Facebook friends you have never even met but connected with through some random situation).

She presented one concept I'd love to explore more. Dana asked Amy to join in a 5K for cancer awareness. The physical exertion of this was more than Amy was accustomed to (after health issues). Her observation about praying through the physical pain struck me. She wrote, "Not only did turning my focus to God get me through the next lap, I prayed in a way I never had before. Being depleted physically seemed to augment me spiritually." I'm guessing this principle might apply to fasting as well. Hmm.

As her sister-in-law said, "Don't think that your words aren't life to someone and aren't well received if they don't quite know how to respond." So often, we crave feedback from what we send out into the world. This is inspiration and encouragement for writing, as well as posting on Facebook. Amy wrote, "The key is to... continue to press on boldly... regardless of any lack of feedback." She encourages the reader to never let a lack of "likes" keep you from sharing something that might help another individual.

Amy's correspondence with Dana was life-giving. She gave of herself in prayer and writing. Dana responded, "Know that every word you write matters!" In the same way, through her Facebook letter writing project, Amy learned, "Being connected to each was far more than an exercise in randomness and instead a very deliberate pattern that meant God had been looking out for me through relationships from the beginning."

Deal for today only: To the first five individuals who send me their email that is attached to their Kindle account (you can easily read with the Kindle for PC or Kindle on phone app), I will gift you a copy of this e-book. Express your interest and send your email address to wendy@wendygortonhill.com. Merry Christmas and happy reading and letter writing! 

Book Review: More Than Grit - Highly Recommend

Let's imagine my husband had to identify one complaint about me (ha, only one?). It might be my propensity to seek bargains. I will admit, sometimes the bargain, once chased, ends up being less than a bargain (i.e., a pair of running shoes I purchased for $5 and then ended up donating because they hurt my feet). Sometimes, in pursuing the bargain, I waste time and money. But occasionally, I end up thanking God for the deal. (Some previous gems: our new-in-box treadmill, a solid wood lyre end table, my alto horn, the bench and end table in my book nook, and the book-themed desk and file cabinet.)

However, none of those finds netted the even greater find, a friend. Lately, I've been searching for a small table or cabinet to hold a sewing machine. After my mother-in-law's passing, her machine went to my niece and my niece offered me her old machine. So, there I was perusing Facebook Marketplace, when I saw an adorable Old Curiosity Shop knick-knack. I had just completed Great Expectations and was feeling my old author love spring anew. God turned this little transaction into a marvelous connection. It turned out the seller had just published her first book, like me. Eager to help a fellow author, I purchased her book More Than Grit.

If this is her debut effort, Gretchen Carlson can only have a bright future ahead. Billed as a middle-grade historical novel, with extended appeal to history-keen young adults and adults, More Than Grit tells a multi-layered story of belligerent bullies, fast friendship, and troubled times. It is 1939 in a rural Kansas town. Farmers and townspeople alike are abuzz with news of electricity. But times are tough and they require a $5 deposit in order to extend the resource. Twelve-year-old Sissy Grumme can tell her parents may struggle to secure the sum. She devises a plan that may place herself and others in danger.

I loved the way this story weaves in and out with a narrow and wide lens. On the one hand, you have Sissy's problem with a small-town bully. On the other, you have a much bigger bully, Hitler. Prejudices emerge on local and international scales. Sissy learns and grows through her encounters with a war-scarred recluse and her friendship with a gypsy girl. She struggles to balance duty and desire and learns that scarred, scared people can change. What a testament to the power of story! The reason our individual stories matter is that they play out in bigger arenas with universal appeal. What touches a person also touches a nation, which also touches an international sphere.

Gretchen's author website provides additional resources (discussion questions/activities arranged by chapter). This book would make an outstanding read-aloud, with a journal question or activity assigned for each read-aloud session. Each question/activity gives readers a chance to interact with the history and quotations from historical figures. They also encourage personal connections. Homeschooling families and mother-daughter book clubs will appreciate the many discussions the book prompts. Keep your eyes open for more, because I'm convinced that Gretchen Carlson has a significant gift for historical fiction. 

She also addresses my personal pet-peeve (mentioned here and here), by producing a book that is faith-affirming without hammering the message like an anvil over the heads of readers. She gets it right. Faith shines through on the strength of the story. Everyone can agree. We all face troubled times that will require more than grit. 

Book Review: God Walk - Highly Recommend

I talked in a previous post about a book recommendation I saw on Facebook for a book on walking as a spiritual practice. My friend linked to a Renovare podcast with Nathan Foster and the book's author, Mark Buchanan. The book, God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul, was outstanding! I highly recommend it, whether or not you practice walking. Buchanan has such a distinctive voice, uses excellent illustrations, and explores all the spiritual benefits of walking (if that isn't too emphatic a description!). Plus, I adore books that recommend other books. I had to go back through the entire book to make a list of the book, poem, and movie suggestions (27 of them). Read the notes at the end. Well worth the investment!

God walked and urges us to walk with Him. Walking is an automatic and often undervalued ability. Buchanan breaks down the many uses of walking for spiritual nourishment. He recommends 3 miles per hour as "God speed." He even breaks his book into 3 sections: Mile One - Setting Out; Mile Two - Making Tracks; Mile Three - Pressing On. Various chapters cover forms of walking: walking as exercise, as friendship, as prayer, as remembering, as suffering, as healing (to mention more than a few).

As much as I appreciated the structure of this book, I loved the stories and illustrations. He retold the prodigal son's story to illustrate how we retrace our steps to recover lost things. A story about Wab Kinew explored how walking works out your pain and your identity. In discussing the fascination some have with "The Walking Dead," he urges the reader to be "the walking living," an incarnation of Christ to others around us. Some stories are fictional (one about a man in Poland seeking buried treasure); some are taken straight from his own family life (one about his perilous, but worthwhile, drive up the Amalfi Coast, and another about grace and youthful accidents - don't miss the footnotes for this story).

Despite my struggle with memory these days, I relished his chapter on walking as remembering. Walking seals perceptions and memories tied to the location. I've noticed this with audio books. I can bring to mind the exact locations along the road where I encountered certain bits of the story if I listened while driving. But, it is true of walking, as well. As he writes, "The texture of each moment was tied to the footfall of each journey." As the Israelites walked in the wilderness, Moses urged them to remember.

Buchanan emphasizes how it isn't always easy to find and follow the good way. "Ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16) We need the Holy Spirit and God's Word. I loved a small passage about gray areas that require discernment. (When to submit to authority - Romans 13 - and when to resist - Revelation 13; grace that prompts change or grace that "merely perpetuates abuse and keeps letting the abuser walk away unchanged"; when our love and compassion is pure and selfless, and when it is "enablement or codependence or false altruism.")

Mark Buchanan earned the 8 endorsements inside the front cover. I leave you with 2:

"Mark Buchanan has... written something for one and all that is thoughtful, compelling, and practical: this is essential reading for those keen to come to a greater appreciation of the interplay between the interior life and our bodies." - Gordon T. Smith, author of The Voice of Jesus

"With his trademark lilt and languorous style, Mark Buchanan saunters, but never rambles, down an ancient track nearly lost to the Christian tradition. His is an invitation not to get in more steps but to slowly walk with God himself. This book is a good gift to the global church." Jared Brock, author of A Year of Living Prayerfully 

Book Review: Great Expectations

I remember the thrill of visiting the Dickens Museum in Rochester, England. One display showed a scene from Great Expectations. When I read this as a teenager, it was my favorite book. Dickens became my favorite author. I wrote research papers about him in high school, college, and graduate school. I created a special walking tour for one of my Wheaton professors to offer his future students (I wonder if Dr. McClatchey ever truly used it, after all the time I poured into that tour packet). Throughout the 80s and 90s, I amassed a collection of Dickens books and memorabilia. 

Dickens' characters sprung vivid in my mind and I loved his commentary on societal ills. My Dickens collection is vast. At the Dickens House in London, I purchased this poster with the famous image of Dickens at his desk surrounded by the many fascinating characters from his imagination:

(This unfinished oil painting by Robert William Buss is titled, "Dickens' Dream." Credit: Alamy Stock Photo from Country Life.co.uk) 

It was interesting to listen to this book as an adult. I'm sure I responded differently. Thoughts of generosity and gratitude, of spite and revenge, struck me. Young Pip's terrifying encounter with an escaped convict on the moors near his small village creates a startling opening. He is a dutiful and obedient boy. Thus, he follows orders to visit the local recluse, Miss Havisham, and "play" for her with her adopted daughter, the beautiful Estella. Miss Havisham is almost as frightening as the convict. She sits in a faded wedding gown in a room with a decaying wedding table and cake, promising to remain there until they lay her out in permanent rest upon the table. It is no wonder that Pip falls for Estella and she becomes the object of his heart's desire. Of course, he feels no hope for attaining her, until fortune shines on him when an anonymous donor provides funds to make him a gentleman.

I will admit, my thoughts faded off while listening because the words flow in antiquated form. It was, perhaps, harder to focus on the audio story than if I had physically read the book. Still, it was a worthwhile endeavor. Thankfully, the audio version provided both of the two endings Dickens crafted. In my opinion, the sadder ending felt more true. 

I still credit the author for his impressive ability to provide vivid settings and characters in time-true dilemmas that speak to the milieu of the Victorian age. He accurately portrayed social ills, and he actively persuaded societal changes. He both responded to his historical time and altered it. What a master! And I cannot say now which of his books I would bill as my favorite. I still love so many of them: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, The Tale of Two Cities. But, gone are the days where I dreamed of working in a Dickens museum enticing patrons into a similar love of this brilliant author. Indeed, this is only the second time I've picked up a Dickens book in the last decade.

Book Review: Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace

The deeper the darkness, the greater God's grace appears and the brighter His light shines through our woundedness. Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace is a very difficult book to read. The darkness is overwhelming. Yet, through this tragic tale, I recognize anew my own capacity for evil and sin and my reliance on God's gift of grace. Debra Moerke, with the assistance of Cindy Lambert, tells her story of fostering, then losing, a precious child. When caught up in feelings of judgment and anger, God steps in to remind of her own need for grace. He prompts her to answer the call by showing grace to one whose actions have wounded her beyond measure. This story goes deep into the depths of sin, yet rises to the triumph of forgiveness and mercy, shown by both God and Debra (through God's help).

How easy it is to look at the sins of another and think, "That's despicable! How could someone do such a thing? Why did God allow this extreme evil? How can He possibly redeem this brokenness?" Although Debra Moerke doesn't go into great detail, she honestly admits she is just as capable of the evil action taken by the birth mother in this story. Indeed, her actions (actions society sanitizes and accepts) bear the same results. When the birth mother calls Debra with her initial request for a prison visit, God compels Debra to respond with grace and go. Then another request requires even further grace, but God enables her to shine forth His love to overpower the darkness. We are all sinners in need of God's forgiveness and grace. Only He can redeem the fallout of our broken lives. This story is especially important because it is not only a testimony of redemption, but a reminder that any light in our lives comes from the Father of light, who infuses our darkness for the glory of His kingdom. May God be praised!

Compilation: 14 Books Set in Estate Houses

This month's compilation offers books that are set in estate houses (mostly British). If you love Downton Abbey, these are books you might find equally appealing. The books are listed from most recent to most distant read:

1. The Birdcage by Eve Chase
2. The Hollow by Agatha Christie
3. The Banishment by Marion Chesney (M. C. Beaton)
4. The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly
5. They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie
6. Longbourn by Jo Baker
7. Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase
8. The Duchess by Danielle Steel
9. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
10. The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons
11. The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons
12. Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
13. Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
14. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

This is a theme well-worth sticking to and these authors deserve further exploration. Next up, I might select The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase, or The Light Over London by Julia Kelly, The Telling by Jo Baker, or House of Gold by Natasha Solomons (one I intended to read back in 2018). There are 3 more books in the Serafina series, and 5 total in the Fablehaven series. I could select one of Chris Bohjalian's 20 novels or from the almost endless supply of M. C. Beaton or Agatha Christie novels.

Christmas Book Sale

For a limited time, I am running a Christmas sale:

Perhaps you wish to skip the autograph -

It is also easy to gift someone a Kindle book on Amazon. Even if they don't own a Kindle, they can upload Kindle for PC (that is how I read most of my eBooks). 1) Make sure you are on the Kindle book page. 2) Click the Give a Gift button. 3) Enter the email address for your recipient (make sure it is the Kindle email address associated with their account). 4) Enter a delivery date. 5) Enter an optional gift message.

Or, if you wish to gift me while gifting a friend/relative, purchase my book from Book Baby (I receive the most return on books purchased directly from my publisher). If you verify your Book Baby purchase, I will send a small poetry print to the recipient/address of your choice.

Book Review: The Storyteller's Secret

I believe I came across this book in an e-book advertisement. Thrity Umrigar is a favorite Indian author of mine and I hoped it would be as moving as her books. I still prefer Umrigar's books, but this one was quickly absorbing. It held all the usual seductions: family secrets, relational struggle, forbidden love, loss, and redemption. India became a living entity. Their cultural beliefs and behaviors gave insight into a different world. The Storyteller's Secret held just enough conflict to keep an enticing pace and just enough promise to nurture hope in the reader. Though it didn't live up to an Umrigar novel, it provided a unique dip into Indian culture and norms.

Content Caution: 📒 - sex

Book Review: The Deep Places

Several years ago, persistent car issues forced me to withdraw from my book club (an hour's drive away). I considered joining a more local book club through the library. Then the pandemic hit and all desire to join in groups disappeared. I've missed the intellectual stimulation of group discussion. One of my library's book clubs announced their scheduled read: The Deep Places by Ross Douthat. The book sounded intriguing (especially since my sister has been dealing with unexplained health issues). Thankfully, it was short, as I only picked up the book two days before the group meeting.

Ross Douthat was about to embark on a new adventure when his life derailed. His family uprooted from their home in Washington, D.C. and moved to a farmhouse in Connecticut. But their visions of gardens and a cozy country life blurred when Ross came down with an inexplicable illness. After many fruitless doctor visits, the diagnosis of Lyme disease seemed the best explanation. His lengthy journey through a disbelieving and ineffective medical establishment pushed him to try his own remedies, as the illness sucked the life from him.

I guess I hoped for more spiritual insights. Suffering opens eyes to things we take for granted and helps us see our lives with fresh perspective. I assumed, given the title, The Deep Places, that the illness would lend spiritual lessons. Alas, it lent more despair than hope, more frustration than redemption. As I closed the book, I considered nixing my plans to attend the meeting. 

I'm so glad I went. What a wonderful bunch of women! We had a lively discussion. They reminded me he ended the book with the positive sentiment that he is still alive, blessing of all blessings. If I were more outdoorsy, the book might have spooked me (especially given our wooded property that often brings deer right up by the house).

Frankly, I'm more fearful of the bobcat we saw in our backyard a while back (not for me, but for my little dog). Of course, the more houses spring up around us, the fewer deer and bobcats we will encounter. We don't plan to tear down our woods, but the wildlife might disappear with all this encroaching. And I have my own deep places, without the bite of a tick.

Book Review: The Book of Lost Friends - Highly Recommend

Back in the day, before cell phones, I spent a stressful, terrifying few hours with no idea where my husband was or what had happened to him. It was gut-wrenching and distressing. Here's my best recollection of the events of that day: On a snowy winter morning, we took the highway, headed for a marital counseling session. As I drove, a neighboring driver began gesticulating wildly, attempting to get us to pull over. We had no idea who this was. I took our expected exit and kept driving (the guy following) until I pulled up behind a police car on the side of a road. The guy claimed a piece of ice from the top of our vehicle struck and cracked his windshield. The officer directed us to take the matter to a court building very near our counseling site. Why didn't we insist on staying together? John told me to drop him off and go to the session, then return for him afterwards. I spent the next hour "on the couch," so to speak, and returned to the court building but found no trace of my husband. I think I asked around and a person saw him get into a vehicle with another man.

After endless waiting, I was unsure what to do. How helpless you feel when you've no idea where your loved one has vanished to, if you will ever find them again, or if they have come to some sort of brutal end. Because I was younger then, I don't think my mind played out all the worst-case scenarios as it would now, but I was beyond distressed. After several hours, a cab pulled up and my husband stepped out.

The relief was palpable. During the drive home, he explained. Someone at the court building said they had to file an accident report at the highway's toll booth. The man with the cracked windshield, eager to get his desired resolution, took John there, but then claimed he had to get to work and could not drive John back to the court building. Someone in the toll booth allowed my husband to use the phone, and he attempted to call to leave a message for me with his location. The counseling center, bound by confidentiality laws, refused to pass any message on to me. The next dilemma? He had insufficient funds to hire a cab to take him back to the court building. He called one anyhow and a kind-hearted cabbie provided the fare for free. In the end, they labelled the shattered windshield as "a road hazard," so the whole episode had been a pointless venture into terror and grief.

Thus, I could relate to The Book of Lost Friends. Although I didn't face the intensity the slaves experienced, I walked a mile in their shoes. This book is based upon factual accounts taken from advertisements in a Southern paper, where slaves sought information about lost family members ripped away from them. Lisa Wingate does a marvelous job of weaving two time periods into a cohesive and impactful tale. In one story line, it is 1875 and the slave Hannie Gossett follows her owner Lavinia (with Juneau Jane, Lavinia's half-sister from the father's second side-family) on a quest to find information about the missing plantation owner. Each girl has a unique story to share as they grow together on their journey. When they happen upon the pages of the book of lost friends, Hannie determines to find her people.

In the second story line, it is 1987 and Bennie Silva begins a new teaching career in a dilapidated community in Louisiana, on the heels of a failed engagement. She is unsure she has what it takes to nurture a vision for a better tomorrow in the hearts and minds of her young students. Finally, a history project about the local Goswood plantation lights a fire in both teacher and her students. Of course, there are those who do not want the truths of the past revealed. Can Bennie push through this obstacle? Will the book they find in the plantation house bring lives together? Might she have a future with Nathan Gossett? Or will the same mysterious piece in her past that foiled her engagement hinder her new love interest?

Once again, I'm so glad I took a gamble on a longer audio book. The narration was outstanding, and the story was important. This book brings to life so many historical truths and dreadful realities of our American past. Each character, and unique story, will move you. I highly recommend this Lisa Wingate book. It will wrench your heart out, but piece it back together again. It didn't stop with the pain, but brought that painful past into a present resolution and redemption. This is historical fiction at its finest!

Book Review: What You Wish For

I've never read a book by Katherine Center before. Someone billed her as "the queen of comfort reads." Now that I've read and adored What You Wish For, I'll be looking for more. Normally, I'm not drawn to romance novels, and in today's world, chances are slim for a clean read. This was outstanding! It might even turn me into a romance reader.

Two individuals who are not who they once were (I can relate because life changes you) intersect in an inspiring way. Samantha Casey has left behind her mousy ways to assert a more colorful life. Now, Duncan Carpenter, an old colleague and crush, is coming to serve as principal at the school where she works as a librarian. She is nervous to see him again, but sure everyone will love him. However, his plans to safeguard the students and faculty don't sit well with any of them. Indeed, he is sucking all the joy out of the school (forbidding field trips, sending endless security memos, and covering the beautiful butterfly mural with drab paint). When Samantha gets a small glimpse at what provoked the changes in Duncan, she sets Operation Duncan in motion. In the midst of trying to encourage him to reclaim joy, she kindles love and joy of her own.

This book! What a gem! It is inspiring and entertaining. Teachers and librarians will love it. The message sings clearly: books are powerful, everyone's story matters, and joy is worth fighting for. So many characters facing adversity. So many claiming victory. Even while tackling difficult contemporary issues, the story sings out words of optimism and cheer. Don't let danger drown delight! Hang on to hope amid heartbreak. Sadly, our world needs this message more than it knows. I can't wait to find another Katherine Center novel!

Book Review: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

I know I read this book when I was younger. Perhaps I liked it better the first time around. It wasn't regrettable, yet I expected so much more (both from its reputation and my memory). I'm guessing it was a read-aloud in one of my elementary classrooms. Fitting.

Claudia Kincaid is running away. She selects her younger brother Jamie to come along (he's thrifty with his money and has amassed enough to finance her venture). They execute her plans, from hiding in the Metropolitan Museum of Art to bathing in the fountain (and making off with the coins in the fountain). She seeks to change somehow, yet finds the little adventure not as fulfilling as hoped. They stumble upon a mysterious statue. Is it truly a famous work of art purchased by the museum for a pittance, or is it just an ordinary statue of an angel?

I enjoyed the sections on sneaking in and living in the museum. The parts about bathing and washing their clothes entertained. Sadly, when they came to the climax of the story (the mysterious statue), it fell flat for me. Thus, I'd say the beginning and middle were strong, but the end felt contrived and dissatisfying. I loved the glorious name of the elderly woman (and the title of the book). The interesting idea of children hiding out in a museum will still appeal to elementary students.

Book Review: The Radium Girls

At one time, I pursued a graduate level history degree. Although I focused on British history, this American tale is the very kind of story I dreamed of chasing down. Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls, does an outstanding job of integrating material from diaries, letters, court transcripts, and modern oral history interviews (another focus of mine). Plus, it takes place in a familiar neck of the woods (Ottawa, Illinois) and even mentions one of our favorite family destinations (Starved Rock). As the back cover proclaims, "It is the powerful tale of a group of ordinary women from the Roaring Twenties, who themselves learned how to roar."

On the battlefields of World War I, the soldiers' watches, clocks, and military dials needed illumination. The girls back home, eager to do their part, worked in factories, painting these instruments with a luminous paint made from radium. When their brushes thickened with the material, the bosses instructed them to place the paint brush into their mouths to thin it out again. Thus, most of their days followed a routine of "lip, dip, paint." It was fun. The girls went home from work covered in the glowing dust. Sometimes they even painted their fingernails with the paint. On dark streets, they shone on their walk home. Their employers assured the girls it was safe. Indeed, it would give them rosy cheeks.

The level of corruption displayed by these companies, eager to continue raking in their profits, was sickening. They knew the dangers and refused to inform the girls. Despite medical mysteries (disintegrating jaws, diminishing leg bones, anemia, and various sarcomas), the companies hid their inside knowledge and refused to make payments to assist the afflicted women. If only I could rest in the thought that this was a tragic tale from the past. Alas, this story plays out repeatedly. Profits trump people. The bottom line is more important than integrity and easing illness. Companies today do the same thing: they push unproven substances on unwitting individuals while exempting themselves from liability. When the consequences show up, they refuse to foot the bill. Maddening! Criminal!

Compilation: 8 Books About Gardens/Flowers

Sometimes a theme gets hammered over and over, waiting for you to respond. I've been assaulted with news of the mental health benefits for those who tend flowers or work in gardens. Don't take my word for it; read this article from Science Daily. I don't know if it is enough to motivate me to get down and dirty in the garden. For this month's compilation, I decided to cull reviews for books I've read on gardens or flowers. Here are eight books, in chronological order from first read to most recent:

1. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - novel
2. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman - novel
3. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane - novel
4. All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio - novel
5. Floriography by Jessica Roux - non-fiction
6. The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly - novel
7. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak - novel
8. The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson - memoir - highly recommend

(I forgot my copy of The God of the Garden when photographing the books)

Book Review: The Astronaut Wives Club

After two lengthier audio books, I sought shorter fare. The Astronaut Wives Club, by Lily Koppel, fit the bill. I was four when astronauts landed on the moon. So, while I remember the rage around space travel, it is not with the clarity some might have. This book was interesting enough, yet somehow sad. It seemed to focus on how unfaithful and inattentive the astronaut heroes were and how long-suffering and, finally, liberated the wives were. After listening to Bill Bryson, this one didn't pull like my previous audio read. I didn't marvel at unknown facts. I suppose I'd call it an okay read. Middle of the road. Not a waste of time, but not as enlightening or uplifting as others.

Book Review: Every Note Played

After watching Still Alice again, I wanted to dive into another Lisa Genova book. I picked up Every Note Played. By the end of the book, tears streamed down my face. Watching the main character, a professional classical pianist, decline into ALS was excruciating. While many illnesses can strip an individual of their true self, the paralysis and challenges of ALS are extreme.

Richard Evans is accustomed to receiving standing ovations for his masterful skill and moving performances. At first, it feels like tendonitis, a common ailment among pianists. Then, his whole right arm becomes paralyzed. Deprived of the skill that provides his identity, Richard now faces memories of a marriage gone wrong and parenting missteps. His vows to never become like his own father (who belittled his preference for music over sports) have unfortunately manifested just as much damage because he chose music over his daughter.

Richard moves back in with his ex-wife, a true test of their sour relationship. Somehow, being stripped of the externals shines a deeper light on internals. Can they redeem what's broken? Will necessary apologies and forgiveness go unspoken? What does it look like to deteriorate slowly as ALS strips away abilities, life's simplest pleasures, and self-sufficiency? I loved the redemption at the end of this book. It was heart-wrenching, but a very important and life-affirming read.  

Book Review: One Summer

Once again, I tackled a lengthy audio book in Bill Bryson's One Summer. The book offered 17 hours of entertaining historical exposition. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Bill Bryson does an outstanding job narrating. His humor shines through.

This book could have easily focused on the Yankees ball team or on the history of air travel. Instead of focusing narrowly, Bryson treats many topics all falling in the summer of 1927. I would probably not have selected a book about baseball or air travel. Yet, these topics fascinated me in this book. I couldn't help but burst forth with information when Sean would finally emerge from football practice and join me in the car. I told him of how Lou Gehrig was a 14 pound baby, how he was so shy he sat mutely when friends invited girls over hoping to introduce him, and how devoted he was to his mother. Even the statistics of baseball and boxing amazed me.

I got to know Charles Lindberg and formed a less favorable opinion after hearing about the rest of his life after 1927. The book introduced Al Capone, Al Jolson, and Henry Ford. It took on politics, eugenics, weather disasters, murder cases, and movies. As the back cover promises, "Bryson captures its outsized personalities, exciting events, and occasional just plain weirdness with his trademark vividness, eye for telling detail, and delicious humor."

Book Review: Just Show Up

When I picked this book up from the library, I learned it was a follow-up book. Thus, I set it aside and went after Kara Tippett's initial book, The Hardest Peace (reviewed here). This one didn't move me as thoroughly as Kara's telling of her story. Yet, it was an informative and helpful book. Just Show Up: The Dance of Walking Through Suffering Together is a brilliant book for anyone walking alongside a struggling friend. Those struggles could vary: marital difficulties, death of a parent or child, wayward child facing grave consequences, cancer in self or loved-one. Personally, I've experienced each of these scenarios. Some walked alongside me with grace, showing care and understanding. Some offered unrequested platitudes or advice. A few withdrew and walked away in avoidance.

I cannot say I always respond to another's suffering with the right words or responses. This book emphasizes the best thing to do, just show up. Be there for the person: in silence, in assisting in whatever capacity might meet a need, in prayer, and in presence. It is not surprising that our normal reaction to suffering is a desire to pull away. Many hang in the balance of their pain, feeling like others have forgotten them or do not care. We are called to lean in to those difficult friendships. To embrace the awkward moments. To endure the hard and gritty. And in doing so, we find a blessing. As Kara proclaimed in her first book, God is IN the hard and God IS good.

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Aside: My library provides saving statistics on each receipt. When I checked out this book, I discovered someone else's receipt in the book: "You just saved $15.99 by using your library. You have saved $53.92 this past year and $332.12 since you began using the library!" It made me chuckle. My most recent receipt says I saved $26,964.90 since I began using the library. Ha!

Second aside: After finishing this book, I took an hour and a half of my Sunday afternoon and watched the documentary (available for free on YouTube, here). It is such a touching story and reminds us we each have a story that holds promise for comfort to someone else. May my story give God the glory!

Ah, Fall!

This has been a tough week. Interest in my prodigal parenting book is tapering off and I've exhausted most of the avenues for securing more exposure. My now-adult son asserted his status and independence in two disappointing ways. Good thing my book doesn't claim to provide parenting wisdom. I have none for parenting teens/adults who are intent on making ruinous choices. My book simply expresses the heart cries of a parent leaning into God amid the journey.

Yesterday morning, I came across someone who mentioned a book about walking as a spiritual practice. This is something I've embraced for a long time. So, instead of my usual time on the recumbent bike and treadmill, I braved the cold (32 degrees) and took a walk. It provided exercise and a great time for prayer and reflection. Thanking God that He's not finished with me yet and not finished with my sons yet, either.

As I approached home, I snapped some photos of the beautiful fall foliage. 

(A photo of our long-time neighbor's property - their trees are resplendent!)

(Our house - I love the orange display behind the house - initially blocked by the front yard tree in the first picture.)

How blessed I am to live on a property with such vibrant colors and soul-stirring transformation. It may be fall. I may feel like I'm in the middle of a drought. But perhaps, as in the story of Elijah (see 1 Kings 17 and 18), God is sending the drought to prepare for a magnificent confirmation of His vast power and purpose. Without the drought, the people of Israel might not have been ready for the heart transformation when they realized (after Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Baal and against incredible odds) that the Lord is the one true God. Elijah had to endure the drought, too. Yet, God was with him every step of the way and met his every need. I'm claiming that for myself and allowing the healing power of nature to soothe my heart and soul.

Book Review: The Birdcage

In 2017, I highly recommended Eve Chase's Black Rabbit Hall. I adored that book. Thus, I thought I'd give her recent work, The Birdcage, a try. Back in 2017, I didn't provide the content caution on my reviews. Did Black Rabbit Hall contain questionable content that I overlooked, or did Eve Chase now give in to the pressures of the modern agenda? I was so wishing this would be a clean read. Alas, it was not. And, as is so often the case, it remained clean long enough to lure me in sufficiently before the compromising content surfaced.

Eve Chase creates an atmosphere of suspense in a story of three half-sisters who summered with their father in his isolated manor house in Cornwall back in 1999. Something happened on the day of the solar eclipse. It fragmented their relationships. Now, in 2019, the father has invited all three back to Rock Point. What is his impending announcement? Are there new plans for Rock Point? Can the girls reunite without harkening back to the mysterious day that ripped them apart from each other? Who is leaving menacing notes trying to drive them away? Will the secrets ever come to light?

Although I kept reading, despite the intrusion, I cannot say I enjoyed this book as much as Black Rabbit Hall. Eve Chase is a masterful writer. She knows how to people old British manor homes with interesting characters. She spins a web of mystery that sucks a reader in thoroughly. I'm rather discouraged, because I was hoping this would be a clean read.

Content Caution: 📒

Powerful Illustration

Maybe you feel like you are in a plane, in the middle of a storm, and your pilot has just fainted. Maybe you recognize your desperate need for direction and help. This sermon illustration (shared by a friend on Facebook) captures clearly the method for landing safely in a stormy, threatening world.

Book Review: The Great Alone

I often pass over longer works when I'm looking for an audio book to accompany my exercise time. It just seems like such a time investment to begin a book that takes 15 hours to complete. This is especially true now that my knees can no longer endure my fast-paced 40-minute routines. Some days I only manage 20 minutes. Thankfully, I managed some longer time spells and also secured time while waiting in the car for Sean to finish football practice (never a sure bet, even though they have a designated end time). I'm so glad I didn't pass over this book due to the length or the cautionary content (language, violence, and sexual).

You can trust Kristin Hannah to craft a riveting story with a rich setting and believable characters. It is 1974, and thirteen-year-old Leni and her mother, Cora, never know quite what to expect from the man of the family, Vietnam POW Ernt Allbright. Like most battered women, Cora always believes the apologies, promises, and hopes. When Ernt inherits property in Alaska, it seems like the answer to their prayers. But Alaska demands a lot out of its inhabitants and the darkness can be enough to drive anyone crazy, let alone someone as unpredictable as Ernt.

As the back cover explains, "Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves." The author's portrayal of Alaska is both fascinating and frightening. It brought to mind the movie, Into the Wild. Not everyone is cut out for the artic tundra.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The cursing was to be expected from a character who is reeling from the aftereffects of war. It didn't persist in a lengthy way, though scattered throughout. The story sucked me in. My heart raced at the horrifying treatment Leni and Cora endured. The book made me think long and hard about the resilience of love and the magic of the mother-daughter bond. I put myself in their shoes and walked many a mile across their troublesome terrain. It was an experience worth taking and I wouldn't want someone to avoid this book because it isn't entirely clean. It may be easier to read in print, so you could skim past the questionable bits. Still, I loved the listen. Julia Whelan did a fantastic job with the narration. I wavered back and forth on whether to bill this as a highly recommended read. It would make an excellent book club read.

Content Caution: 📒

In a World of Charlatans

Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash

We are in the end times. I have no doubt. Scripture is fulfilled day after day. All I have to do is look around me to see biblical prophecy manifested. Mankind fixates on self and self-fulfillment. "Look at me; this is who I am! My happiness trumps God's will and way." Like Frank Sinatra, so many are doing things their own way with no thought for God's way. And the only path to knowing God's way is immersion in His inerrant God-breathed Word.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

What a rich chapter, 2 Timothy 3! First, it focuses on where mankind is going astray. Satan lies, "You can blend in with the world and still be God's." Then, the passage highlights how to get back on track. Focus on seeking God through knowing and obeying His Word, though costly.

"But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:10-17)

I recently came across an old clip (8 years old - we've been headed this direction for years) on YouTube. It shows charlatans who pretend to speak for God, only to guide men back into themselves, seeking happiness over holiness. They say, "Do good, but not for God, rather for yourself, because God wants you to be happy." This video showing that clip rebukes the charlatan. It reminds us, our goal is not personal fulfillment but the glorification of God.

Even more current is a new campaign titled, "He (Jesus) gets us!" This movement claims to "free the story of Jesus from hypocrites and extremists" and "from those who judge, harm, and divide." The Jesus they paint is impotent. Again, the focus is on ourselves. Yes, He accepts us as we are, but not to leave us as we are, navel-gazing and seeking our own way. To the diverse cast He ministered to, He said, "Go, and sin no more." No, His love doesn't stop at acceptance (they wish to put a full stop after acceptance). He transforms us into ambassadors for Him, heirs with Christ, through His atoning blood. It is not that "he gets us" but that "we get Him."

Their goal? Make Jesus less offensive; emphasize His love over His holiness. But God's Word declares He is offensive to those who want their own way.

"Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." (1 Peter 2:6-8)

What brought all of this to mind today? In a world of charlatans, we have lost someone who truly pointed away from self and toward the glorification of God. We can only glorify God through the power of His Word, transforming hearts and minds into His image, with His goals and purposes, to build His kingdom. Brother Andrew ("God's Smuggler") and his Open Doors ministry focus their energies on getting God's Word into the hands of seekers. They reveal those who forsake self to the point of persecution for the sake of the gospel. Would that I might reach as many as Brother Andrew reached for God! He is now resting in the arms of the Father, an instrument for God's glory, receiving his eternal reward.

So, smuggle God's timeless and true Word behind the societal bars that attempt to keep you enslaved in self-focus and sin. Test His Word! Does it present Jesus as a sanctioner of sin or savior from sin? Does Jesus get you, so you can do it your way, or does He free you to seek His way? Is the end goal happiness or holiness? Will you be a sinner clinging to sin, looking to Christ to sanction your way, or will you be a sinner admitting your sin and looking to Christ to save you from sin's penalty - eternal separation from God? Please, before time is up, read His Word! Seek Him and His glory!