Book Review: Theo of Golden - Highly Recommend

I'll join the crowd. Allen Levi's debut self-published novel, Theo of Golden, has garnered the attention of the masses, and with good reason. It is "[a] word-of-mouth smash hit," according to The New York Times. Theo is a delightful character! I believe everyone who reads this book, will wish for a Theo in their life. This book was a joy to read, even if it touched on sorrow while I was drowning in grief over the loss of my son. I had to jot down passages that resonated.

When Theo arrives in the town of Golden, he is immediately struck by an extensive display of portraits hanging on the walls of the local coffee shop. His mind concocts a scheme and he begins to purchase them, one at a time, to return them to their subjects. Each time he meets another individual at the famed bench of exchange, he learns about their life and gives them encouragement. He deflects questions about himself, but draws out every person he meets.

As the inside cover proclaims, it is "a story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen... a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another." Oh, the world needs more Theos! I wish I could be a Theo. It made me think, "What can I do to uplift and encourage others?"

I could relate to this about the loss of Theo's child:

"Every thought of Tita made Theo gasp and sob at the nauseating finality of her death. The impossibility of her return, the endlessness of his waiting for her presence, the suffocating silence of the house, his inability to find any words to express what he felt, and the haunting realization that it did not have to happen drove Theo to near madness.... His suffering was aggravated by a sense of guilt that took the form of a single tormenting question, 'Did I not protect my child?'"

I could relate to Theo's explanation of port wine:

"Vintage is God's work. A grower cannot make it happen.... The roots can only grow in stony, difficult ground. The pruner's shears cut deep. The grapes are crushed and kept in the dark for decades. For the sake of the sweetness. For this very moment."

Theo's response to Tony's description of the loss of his friend, Bobbo, felt poignant: "In one sense, yes, it was an end. A terrible end. But maybe not the end. Maybe an end with a future."

I had to read this painful passage, a tribute to Simone's parents, aloud to my youngest son:

"I know what it is to love a child and to want above all else in life, that they be good and wise and happy. In honoring your son tonight, we also honor you. It is written somewhere that 'most people die with all of their songs still inside them.' Thank you for protecting Simone from that terrible fate. Because of you, he blesses us."

What a blessing this book was to me. Even though grief was front and center, it was a healing balm. If you haven't picked this book up yet, I highly recommend you do. There are too few really good things in life. Theo's character is one of them.

Book Review: One Summer

I had prescheduled review posts for several weeks when my son unexpectedly died in July. This was beneficial, because I didn't have to stress about writing book reviews. While I read very little for almost two weeks, I was surprisingly able to return to reading, even in my grief. It provided a distraction from the pain. But, I'm realizing, it has the feel of reading under water. My sense of how to review a book is greatly challenged. Even the outstanding books, don't feel as outstanding as they may have if I weren't reading under water. So, I apologize if my reviews lack luster or verve. I am lusterless, de-verved.

One Summer, by David Baldacci, is a book I checked out for listening on my car rides. After really enjoying Baldacci's Strangers in Time, I eagerly selected this novel (again, quickly, from the shelves). Jack Armstrong wants one more Christmas with his family. Doctors gave him weeks to live, and he's down to his final days. In a strange reversal of fortunes, his wife dies in a car accident.  Jack's kids are farmed out to family. Then, Jack begins to gain strength and defy his terminal diagnosis. Regaining his kids, he hopes to celebrate the summer where his wife grew up.

This novel is full of the conflicted dynamics that make up many families. There's no way around it, families are messy! Jack's is messy enough for two. So many emotions swirl: grief, jealousy, selfishness, arrogance, and spite. Will Jack and the kids get the summer they desired, or will their dreams be shattered by fractured family hostilities? I didn't like it as much as Strangers in Time, perhaps because it wasn't set in England. Moreover, I despised the mood music included in an attempt to ramp up the listener's emotional reaction. I think it was a clean read (maybe some language). Still, I'm willing to seek another Baldacci title.

Book Review: The Night Bus

After enjoying Tessa Bickers' The Book Swap, I selected her newer title, The Night Bus. I will admit, I was not ripe for it, since I was knee-deep in the early days of grieving. Still, it did bide the time when I walked on the treadmill (more often than I'd have liked, due to air quality issues). Daisy Douglas is conflicted about the wedding she's planning. When her bus breaks down, she ends up meeting the strange man on the bus who has been compulsively reading one book for months on her morning trek to work. Tom believes the book holds the key to why his girlfriend broke up with him. Daisy promises to help him woo the girl back, but as they work toward this goal, sparks begin to flicker. The characters were sweet, but the tale sometimes predictable. I'm grateful for the distraction it provided from my exercise.

📒 Content Caution: sex and language

Book Review: A God Who Acts

Harry Blamires was a friend of C. S. Lewis. This book, A God Who Acts: Recognizing the Hand of God in Suffering and Failure, was a companion in my devotional reading time just prior to my son's death. A passage from the front of the book sums up much of what I ruminated on when Trevor passed away without attaining the ministry we begged God to give him. "What have we the right to expect when we invoke God's blessings upon our schemes and ventures, when we pray for his help and guidance in our personal affairs? Is the hand of God to be discerned in our failures as well as in our successes?" What do we do with all those intense prayers we prayed but never realized? God's will was done. I have no doubt.

Man is not the initiator, "conceiving a desirable course of action, bringing it to God's notice as one might send a letter to an M.P., and then waiting for a favourable reponse--hoping, as we say, that the idea will be adopted.... He is an initiating God. His incarnate encounter with humanity is a dramatic action whose plot was conceived in heaven, not a piece of cosmic legislation pushed through the high courts in response to human petition."

Our Christian vocation is to serve God. To work with Him as He acts in our world. Some are called to suffer more than others, but God is in every detail. We can trust Him to get it right. Just like in the life of Joseph, as outlined by Alistair Begg, God is in our successes and our failures.

Book Review: The Bright Years

[Note: This was the last book review I wrote before my 21-year-old, addicted son died of overdose. I am leaving it as I wrote it that day. I certainly could not pick this book up now!]

How I wish I couldn't relate to this much-lauded book! Set in Texas, Sarah Damoff's debut novel, The Bright Years, deals with love and loss, secrets and addiction. It chronicles the life of the Bright family, as told from three perspectives. The husband Ryan is hiding an addiction. The wife Lillian is hiding a birth. Amid these secrets and tumultuous challenges, daughter Georgette struggles to endure and thrive in a life full of trouble. The story slowly unwinds to reveal the fallout of their humanity and fragility. It fills the reader with an ache of both beauty and tragedy.

What strikes me most about this book, is that it clearly demonstrates grace and redemption amid torment and brokenness. Life can be such a delicate thing! Loss, while difficult to bear, can break us open to appreciate the blessings we experience. Without the rain, do we know to value the sun? It is a hard book to read, but a positive experience in the end. Anyone loving an addict will wish they didn't recognize the truths and examples revealed in this fictional tale. And if you are fortunate enough to explore this fiction from afar, thank your lucky stars that in reading, you only have to experience this second-hand. 

I explored Sarah Damoff's website. She looks so young to have written a book with such deep insights. The page for this book offers a reading group guide, a playlist, and the first chapter of the book. This story holds much conversational fodder. It would make a great book club selection.

2026 - Third Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, genre, the page count, and a grading scale (💖5 page-turner - highly recommend, 4 page-turner - enjoyed, 3 page-turner - good, 2 page-turner - meh, and 1 page-turner - regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the third quarter of 2026 (links to full reviews can be found in the side-bar, or after 2026, found through the search bar at the right):

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle - What if you had a coin allowing one do-over in your life? What would you go back to change? General Market Fiction. 242 pages, 📃📃📃📃

A Sketch of the Life and Labors of George Whitefield by J. C. Ryle - A concise account of George Whitefield's life, preaching, and ministry during the Great Awakening. A great follow-up read after seeing the outstanding movie, A Great Awakening. Christian Biography. 78 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 1-1/3 hours), 📃📃📃-1/2

Launch Out into the Deep: When the Deep Becomes Holy Ground by Sarah Trent - After following Sarah's writings on Facebook, I eagerly swept up this small devotional full of encouragement for the difficult journeys of life. 138 pages, 📃📃📃📃 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher, is sent on a mission to save Earth and humanity from a threat to the sun which would make life unsustainable. Great for those interested in science. General Fiction. 496 pages, 📃📃📃-1/2

It's a God Thing! Inspiring Stories of Life-Changing Friendships by Larry Baker with Becky Lyles - Larry Baker is a hairdresser/evangelist. Through building friendships, he forges relationships that lead others to seek Christ. Christian Living. 139 pages, 📃📃📃📃

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate - Stuffed animals work with a cat to get two valuable bears where they belong. Children's Fiction. 255 pages, 📃📃📃

Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury - Two novellas: "Somewhere a Band is Playing," and "Leviathan '99." Science-fiction is not really my first choice. Science-fiction. 224 pages (I listened in audio form, 4 CDs, 4-3/4 hours), 📃📃

His Redeeming Love by Jonathan Edwards - 30 devotionals providing stirring thoughts from the great revivalist, based on a scripture passage. Christian Devotional. 151 pages, 📃📃📃-1/2

Nothing Ventured and Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer - The first two in the William Warwick series, these are stories of art theft, murder accusations, Scotland Yard investigations, and legal trials. High-paced, with all Archer's expected twists. Crime Fiction. 640 pages total (read 336, listened on Hoopla, 8-1/4 hours), 📃📃📃-1/2

God's Smuggler to China by Brother David - In a similar vein to Brother Andrew's ministry, Brother David's goal is to get a million Bibles into China. Very convicting and inspiring. Christian Autobiography. 223 pages, 📃📃📃

Just Out There Somewhere (Thoughts About Moving On) by Kyle L. White - I'm partial to Kyle's writing. I love how he observes the world around him and draws insights from ordinary things. Christian Essays. 59 pages, 📃📃📃📃

By Design: God's Distinctive Calling for Women by Susan Hunt - Men and women are different and God has a specific plan for each of the sexes. When we live within our design framework, we will find satisfaction and fulfillment. Christian Women's Studies. 189 pages, 📃📃📃 

💖The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Vol. 1-8) by Beth Brower - What a delightful dip into British Victorian Society! While a bit unrealistic, as Emma has more freedoms than that time would have allowed, it was great fun to listen to these installments of Emma's story. I anxiously await the release of the 9th book. British Literary Fiction. (1903 pages total - I listened to all on Hoopla, 59-1/4 hours), 📃📃📃📃📃

💖Stronger Than the Storm by Deena Adams - This excellent debut novel covers the gamut of emotions parents battle when a child makes self-destructive choices. Stayed up past bedtime reading. Christian Fiction. 372 pages, 📃📃📃📃📃

Where Prayer Becomes Real: How Honesty With God Transforms Your Soul by Kyle Strobel & John Coe - Prayer mystifies. These authors assert the most important thing is honesty with God in your conversations with Him. Christian Living. 216 pages, 📃📃📃

We Are Never Getting Together by Janette Rallison - A reverse Parent-Trap story, Madeline and Cooper fake dating to stop their divorced parents from dating. YA Romance. 304 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 7-1/4 hours), 📃📃📃

Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle by Alistair Begg - Begg encourages readers to boldness and vision as they bring their prayers to a big, big God. Christian Living. 101 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 2-1/2 hours), 📃📃📃📃

Your Story Matters: Finding, Writing, and Living the Truth of Your Life by Leslie Leyland Fields - What an outstanding Christian guide to writing memoir or autobiographical fiction! This is a must-read if you're a Christian wanting to share your story for God's glory. Writing Instruction. 224 pages (I accessed as e-book on Hoopla), 📃📃📃📃-1/2

To Find Where She Belongs by Robin Lee Hatcher - Irish immigrant Keely Boyle flees England hoping to find a new life on a ranch in Idaho. Christian Historical Romance. 258 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 6-3/4 hours), 📃📃📃-1/2

Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace - This is a vitally important topic in our fractured and self-absorbed world today. Interpersonal Relations/Self-help. 288 pages, 📃📃📃📃

The Summer of Second Chances by K. L. Walther - Olivia Lupo heads to Martha's Vineyard to retrace the steps of her beloved grandmother and finds romance. Young Adult Romance. 376 pages, 📃📃📃

Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments by Rachel Wojo - Rachel's prayer journey and prayer principles will enhance and increase your prayer life. Christian Living. 240 pages, 📃📃📃-1/2

101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck - Background information on the composition and use of 101 beloved hymns. Christian Living. 288 pages, 📃📃📃📃

A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham - Daphne Austen and Finn Dashwood makes sparks fly in Wisteria, North Carolina, as rival shop owners and neighbors. Clean Rom-com. 416 pages, 📃📃📃📃-1/2

You're In Good Company: The Gift of Friendship, Motherhood, and Showing Up by Ashleee Gadd, ed. - This collection of essays and recipes is packaged in a beautifully appealing book, perfect for gifting to a mother or friend in your life. Christian Living. 221 pages, 📃📃📃

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix - Fun to revisit the stories of these two Christian greats and think of their devoted friendship and its cooling. Graphic Biography. 224 pages, 📃📃📃📃-1/2

Things I Wish I Told My Mother by Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo with James Patterson - A mother-daughter trip provides the opportunity to speak life into a caustic relationship. Women's Fiction. 305 pages, 📃📃📃  

💖The Hand of God: Finding His Care in All Circumstances by Alistair Begg - Considers the providential hand of God in the life of Joseph. We can be certain God's in control, even when things are going against us. Christian Living. 208 pages, 📃📃📃📃📃

Missing Our Boy!

Please keep us in your prayers. This final weekend in September will be a difficult one. Trevor should be turning 22. We should be celebrating with an ice cream cake or some other treat he deprived himself of for so long (we did decide to buy a cake). In July of 2025, Trevor moved into a halfway house in Lafayette and began working out regularly. He was passionate! His goal was to become a personal trainer. He was working on the certification coursework when he died this past July. Bodybuilding became a supplemental goal. He set his sights on the 2026 Hoosier Flex Bodybuilding Competition. That competition recently shifted from Hoosier Flex to NPC Battle of the Bend.

Watching his progress must have been gratifying, as he struggled with weight issues for much of his life. He was sculpting his body to look as he'd always dreamed. While pursuing this goal, he sought to build a platform. Thus, he opened an Instagram account to chart his progress and demonstrate what he could help others achieve. He posted before and after pictures saying he "went from ill built to Hill built." I thought it a creative and appropriate business tag-line, "Go from ill-built, to Hill-built!"

The competition takes place today. He kicked himself for all he lost because of his relapse. On his first day at the treatment center, he texted, "I'm so disgusted with myself for allowing myself to ruin something I cared about so deeply. You know bodybuilding was my life. It was the only thing that made me feel like I was making any sort of progress. Even if I was stuck financially, legally, spiritually, etc., it felt like I was progressing if I made that weight go higher." How I wish he were here to participate! Instead, I will post a few photos (I tried to snag these from his Instagram, so I apologize for the poor quality).