Book Review: Stronger Than the Storm - Highly Recommend

This riveting debut novel, Stronger Than the Storm, by Deena Adams, had me locked in from the start. With well-drawn characters and intense conflicts, the story demands just another page. It resonated with me because of our journey with a wayward adult son. However, any parent will put themselves in these shoes and learn something about themselves from the journey. We all regret our mistakes. The book is gritty, real, and raw. Life is the same. God grows us the most in the midst of storms. It could be summed up in a simple sentence: The scars of sin run deep, but God's grace soothes and heals.

Beth Holbrook is elated by an offer of publication for her parenting book. As a pastor's wife and parenting coach, things are at a high point. Within the space of one day, those successes begin to crumble, when her 18-year-old daughter runs away. Leesa is on a self-destructive path. Indeed, she digs her hole deeper and deeper as the pages fly by. (Oh, how I could relate!) 

Beth and her husband Kevin, like many couples parenting a prodigal, have differing opinions on the necessary response. These pages articulated the very difficulties I fought in seeking the best course of action with my wayward son. They illustrate the gamut of emotions parents and prodigals experience. Will the ripples from Leesa's sin spill over to fracture Beth and Kevin's marriage? Can God bring good from hopeless, unwanted situations?  

The book has won several awards. It earned first place in the American Fiction Awards for the religious fiction category and Contemporary Novel of the Year in the Christian Market Book Awards. I was grateful to read this story of God's redemption, prior to Trevor's death, because it reminded me of God's presence in the battle. Pain drives prodigals, but their pain spills over into other lives. This book is important! Sin scars the entire family. But God... works with our weaknesses to reveal His strengths, and praise God, He is stronger than any storm we face! We can count on God's providential hand to carry us when wounded and weary, and redeem us when broken and spent.

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I moved this review up in my queue as it is currently on sale in e-book form for a few more days. Snag the savings! You won't regret it!

 

Book Review: Once and Again

I first encountered Rebecca Serle in 2022 with her book, In Five Years. Then, last year, I read One Italian Summer. Both of these books contain cautionary content I would normally avoid, but her writing is so good and stories so intriguing I'm willing to skim that content for the sake of learning from her writing skills. Serle creates wonderful alternative realities. She uses magical realism and plausible conflicts to hone in on truly interesting what-if scenarios.

In this book, Once and Again, the women in Lauren's family have a special coin that allows them one do-over. Before I even knew of this novel, I had actually started writing a short story with this idea but my skills will never match Serle's. She ferrets out the myriad of conflicts this ability would summon: What is significant to warrant the coin's use? Once used, how does one live with the normal inability to intervene in life's trials? Who can be trusted with the secret? Are other lives influenced by the do-over?

My mind thought of the despair if your alteration didn't accomplish what you had hoped. Lauren only learned about the coin at age fifteen, when her mother turned back time to avoid her father's death. Like One Italian Summer, this book considers mother-daughter relationships and the frictions that can develop. The reader cannot help but think about what they would like to do-over if they had such a coin. This was a quick and entertaining read.

Book Review: Hearts in Circulation

Sarah Monzon is a new-to-me author. But, oh this book cover sucks you in. I love the idea of a bookmobile for individuals who cannot get to a library. I would love that job! I enjoyed Hearts in Circulation so much, I'll seek out the other two in this Checking Out Love series (somehow I missed the first in the series, and the final book is due out soon).

Librarian Hayley Holt is eager to serve her community. She agrees to drive the newly donated bookmobile, even though it looks like a tin can on wheels. Hayley considers it the least she can do in her daily efforts to live up to the liver transplant she received in her youth. When a rockslide traps Hayley in a back woods hollow, a surly, uncommunicative mechanic offers to repair the vehicle. Can Levi Redding endure her constant chatter and larger-than-life presence in his environs?

What a delightful and bookish forced proximity rom-com! What's more, I was duly impressed with the natural and insightful faith elements that appear as the story concludes. Monzon introduces a character whose personal struggles uniquely flesh out arguments for the faith that I have been sharing with friends and family. Her story illustrates the truth that we can never earn the free gift of salvation God offers through Christ's atonement. I loved the thoughts expressed in the Hayley-Levi confrontation scene, especially the advice, "Don't cheapen the gift!" That is what people do when they insist they must maintain, through obedient faith, the salvation Christ has secured for them. 

I enjoyed the book for more than this firm salvation security argument. The characters were endearing and the plot held me riveted. I loved the exchange of letters, in spite of the forced proximity. I loved the scavenger hunt for clues through books. What fun! I recommend this light-hearted and meaningful romance (a Carol Award finalist for the 2026 romance category). 

Mid-month Mention #3: Spring Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt

I so enjoyed last year's scavenger hunt that I wanted to help publicize this year's opportunity. It provides a great way to meet new authors and find books of interest. Jump on it now, because it kicked off yesterday at noon. There's still time to participate, seek prizes, and meet authors.

Lisa Tawn Bergren posted this on her Facebook page:

Over $1800 in books and prizes FROM 30 AUTHORS! It's a whopper! And it begins on Thursday afternoon... https://lisatawnbergren.com/.../spring-scavenger-hunt.../

You can start at the first stop here. Suzanne Woods Fisher is one of the authors highlighted. I've already encouraged readers to visit her website and join her newsletter. I think my favorite cover posted (first on the bottom row) is the one for To Love a Lady. Which is your favorite cover?

Book Review: Every Hour Until Then

Every Hour Until Then had a lengthy hold list at my library. How amusing that it came available just after I read about Michael J. Fox's forays into time travel. This is my first Gabrielle Meyer book. I've been noting recommendations. It takes a clever author to weave a time-travel book well.

Every Hour Until Then is billed as an inspirational Victorian and WWII-era time-travel romance. I wasn't aware it is the fifth in her Timeless series. I decided to plunge ahead anyway because I've always been interested in Victorian England. Meyer poses a fascinating premise. Characters in her time-travel series live in two separate eras (alternating between the two with each sleep) and must finally decide which path they wish to remain in permanently. For this novel, Kathryn uses what she learns in 1938 London to foil Jack the Ripper's deadly intentions for her 1888 sister, Mary Jane.

I'm intrigued by the idea that the Ripper was undetected because he was protected by the brotherhood of Freemasons. This sounds like a plausible theory. While the book didn't suck me in as much as I'd hoped, the two time periods were interesting when paired together. In 1888, Kathryn is the daughter of an eminent doctor with Freemason ties. In 1938, she is in London on assignment to help put together a display on Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. The rules of time travel in the novel add danger to Kathryn's desires to intervene to save her sister from becoming the fifth and final victim.

I'm not sure I will backtrack and begin at the start of this series. I'm quite interested in Victorian London, but not as interested in other time periods and places. The time-travel element sometimes felt clunky. Plus, the inspirational elements were stroked more than seemed necessary. Still, it is currently ranked 18 in Christian Historical Fiction books. It was an interesting story, if you're a big fan of time-travel novels. Moreover, the subject of the Ripper might make for lively discussion in a book club setting.

Book Review: Statistically Speaking

Once again, I sought a British novel on Hoopla so I could listen to the British accent. The title, Statistically Speaking, clued me in that it might be similar to a favorite of mine, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Yes, a character in the novel uses statistics, historical facts, and numbers as a coping mechanism. Yes, there's romance. And, yes, there's also deep pain and scars to face with or without numbers.

Gemma Jones is a history teacher in her thirties. Raised by an addict and then in foster care, she latches onto tangible things to battle the intangibles thrown her way. One such intangible is the existence, somewhere out there, of the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was 16. Now that daughter is about to turn 18. When Gemma's new student resembles her, it sets Gemma's mind whirling. The statistical probability is small, but... what if she is her long-lost daughter?

I enjoyed this emotional story of mother love, female friendship, and found family. Gemma is a likable, conflicted character. I loved the friendship that develops between Gemma, her housemate, the young student, and the student's mum. Such bonds are rare and precious. If you are in need of a feel good story, this Debbie Johnson novel is a perfect pick.

Book Review: A Cross-Country Christmas

A Cross-Country Christmas is a sweet holiday romance. Courtney Walsh creates believable characters with conflicted pasts. It was easy to put myself in the main character's shoes because many of her hang-ups felt familiar. I especially related to her efforts to safeguard her heart by only approaching men she'd never consider. Years of unrequited interest led to self-protection mode. So if you're in the mood for a forced proximity, love-hate-love progression, give this seasonal tale a try.

Lauren Richmond rarely goes home for the holidays. Her family of origin doesn't inspire warm fuzzies. When her brother, Spencer, begs her to come home for the birth of his first child, she cannot avoid accepting a ride home with Spencer's best friend, Will Sinclair. This is the same Will Sinclair she pined for endlessly until he broke her heart in college. Or is he the same Will Sinclair? For some reason, Will keeps drawing out the trip, and Lauren can't decide if he deserves a second chance or not.

I expect marvelous stories from Courtney Walsh. This book is well-written and expertly paced. Even though it is a romance, and the reader can bank on a happy ending, Lauren keeps you guessing which way she'll land. I noted, too, that the book has garnered over 23,000 ratings on Goodreads. Now, that's a popular Christmas story. Although I'm eager to read the sequel, A Cross-Country Wedding, I think I'll jump first to her other holiday tale, Christmas With a Crank, before the holidays evaporate. I'd say I'm having more luck than usual in finding worthwhile Christmas stories.

Book Review: Christmas by Accident

Christmas by Accident, by Camron Wright, is a sweet holiday tale full of typical tropes. Enter a girl who loves Christmas and a guy who hates Christmas. They meet and fall in love. An obstacle develops. Yes, an accident happens (two actually). By virtue of these accidents, their lives are transformed.

I've been contemplating what kind of articles I could write about Christmas from a new angle. It is an incredibly difficult task. So much has already been expressed about the holiday. Indeed, it feels like there is "nothing new under the sun." This book even pokes fun at itself while it contemplates the overabundance of Christmas books.  Thankfully, the easy access on Hoopla made my treadmill time go by more quickly. (Despite my fall and the narrowness of the walking pad, I continue to carefully seek out daily exercise with audio book accompaniment).

I was unfamiliar with this author. However, after writing up this book review, I came across his name again. He has written a book getting great buzz, called The Rent Collector. He is a Mormon author from Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm glad I stumbled upon this Christmas book because researching the author led me to a podcast interview that I highly recommend. Camron remarks on the process of "Finding God's Plan for Your Life," on the All In podcast. Click here to find this half-hour interview with author Camron Wright.

Author Spotlight: Sara Brunsvold

My reading habits have shifted in the past few years. Frustrated with less-than-subtle agendas in modern books, I've focused more on Christian books. How freeing to know I won't have to encounter unsavory content or wade through endless expletives! In addition, I'm honing in on specific authors and following their publication paths. My list of beloved authors is growing.

One author I've added to that list is Sara Brunsvold. I had the rare opportunity to attend an author talk just days after finishing her first two books. Sara is a down-to-earth, personable, and committed author. I am impressed by her drive to submit her writing to the guidance and use of God. She does something I always intend to do before each writing session, but often forget: she prays at the outset of every writing session. That is powerful!

Sara's books provide realistic characters in difficult circumstances that emphasize the grace and purpose of God. I have enjoyed every single one of her titles. Her most popular is her debut novel, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip, which won the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction. I had this title noted in my phone many months before I saw an advertisement for her author talk at a local church near me. This book has garnered 734 five-star ratings on Amazon. My review can be found here.

Her second novel, The Divine Proverb of Streusel, really struck a chord with me. It emphasized things we share in common. I grew up in several small towns in Missouri and have a German heritage. Even though I'm not much of a cook, I copied out several of the German recipes shared in the novel. Many of the questions I asked at the author talk focused on this book.

Just a few months ago, Revell released her third novel, The Atlas of Untold Stories. This is a story of a mother-daughters road trip to literary locations in the Midwest. Relationships between mothers, daughters, and sisters can be complex. I loved how the journey led to great self-awareness, forgiveness, and redemption. Click here to read my review. Thanks to my pre-order, I also secured a guide to the road trip, in case I wish to take my own road trip one day retracing the steps of these characters. Shortly after the release, I reached out to Sara for an interview. If you haven't yet read a Sara Brunsvold book, you should remedy that soon.

Q1: Please share with us the research process that went into creating The Atlas of Untold Stories. Did you visit these locations with your own daughters in tow?

Sara: As a lifelong Midwesterner and an English major, I was familiar with the rich literary heritage the middle of the country boasts. I wanted to showcase that heritage. For research, I started inventorying the many Midwest sites connected to American literature. After whittling down the list to those my characters would most likely visit, I re-read the literature associated with those sites and studied the biographies of the authors. I was also able to visit many of the sites myself, often with my daughters and husband along with me. On one trip, my mom was with me, which was a sweet memory.

Q2: Which literary location was your favorite? If a reader only has time or means to visit one location on this literary road trip, what is a must-see?

Sara: If you have time for only one visit, I would recommend the Branson and Mansfield, Missouri, area. The two sites are fairly close together. Mansfield is where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in her later years and wrote the Little House books. Her home and farm have been well-preserved, and the museum is amazing. Meanwhile, Branson is where Harold Bell Wright wrote The Shepherd of the Hills. The historic farm where the novel is set has been preserved for tours, and a stage production of the story takes place on the farm.

Q3: Did you have a favorite Midwestern author prior to embarking on the research and writing of this novel?

Sara: I grew up near Hannibal, Missouri, which is the boyhood hometown of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). He will always have a special place in my reader’s heart.

Q4: In the acknowledgements, you mention praying for future readers every time you sit down to write. What a gift! Can you describe how you prepare for each writing session? Is there a favorite writing location? Important writing utensil? Mindset motivator?

Sara: I start every writing session with prayer. That is a must. I keep my eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of my faith and every word that springs from it. Readers are almost always in view for me as I pray over my writing session. Most days, I am writing at home at my desk in the corner of my bedroom. Sometimes, though, a change of scenery helps spark creativity. In those cases, I will go to the library, a park, or a local coffee shop.

Q5: In every novel I have worked on, I've hit several walls (mostly toward the middle of the writing process). What is your favorite or most effective writer's block buster?

Sara: I relate to this! I once heard an author coach talk about “upstream issues,” and that was a game-changer for me. More often than not, the issue is not “writer’s block,” but a kink upstream from the place where the creativity seems to have run dry. I will go back several chapters (sometimes all the way back to the beginning, if necessary) and read/edit my way through the manuscript again. Maybe I made a decision earlier that isn’t quite playing out as well as I hoped. Maybe there is a detail that jumps out at me as a thread I need to pull forward in the scene where I’m stuck. Maybe the pacing is off, or the emotional arc is askew. A time or two, I just needed a reminder of how much I love the story I’m working on. Resolving upstream issues is my go-to fix.

Q6: I'm impressed with how you integrate your faith in your writing. You seem deeply dedicated to pursuing what God wants from your writing. Do you have any advice for Christian writers on how to integrate faith without hammering the message over the story? This is one of my chief complaints about some Christian fiction. I believe the story should supersede and subtly convey the message.

Sara: Spoken like a true artist whose heart belongs to Christ! One thing I observe about the author community is how we tend to overthink this, and I get it. When you are creating something in worship of a Holy God, it is only right to be reverent about what you put on the page. That said, the very same Holy God for whom we are worshipfully creating is fully capable of guiding us on where to use heavy strokes of Christian content in our art and where to have a lighter touch. If we are bowed before Him as we write, He is faithful to guide us. We don’t have to try to figure it out in our own reasoning.

Q7: The Atlas of Untold Stories emphasizes how important it is to allow our children space to become their own person. This is a personal struggle for me. God gives us each a unique story. I read a quote, "You cannot protect your child from their testimony." As a parent with a child attempting to break the chains of drug use, I wonder what you would say is the most important action involved in letting go?

Sara: What a wonderful, convicting quote. This is a deep question, and one I feel ill-equipped to answer. As I navigate the season of motherhood in which our girls are preparing to launch, I have leaned on prayer more than ever. Sometimes it is the only action I can take.

Q8: Branching off from those ideas, what would you say is the most powerful thing you have learned from the story God has entrusted in your life?

Sara: The most powerful lesson I’ve learned in my own testimony is surrender. Surrender to Jesus, surrender to God’s plans for my life, and daily surrender to the work He sets before me. Of course, surrender in motherhood is a big thing He is currently teaching me.

Q9: With these outstanding books under your belt, do you experience pressure to perform to the high standard you've established? How do you combat that pressure?

Sara: If I allow myself to, I certainly feel the pressure of expectations. But I have to remind myself that I’m not the main character. God is. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, so if He guided me through three books by his grace, He will do it again, for His own glory. That is the point I come back to in my prayers over my writing ministry. He will accomplish what He sets out to do; my job is to be obedient with the skills, time, and opportunities He has entrusted to me. I try to stay centered on that – and my husband is very good at helping me to that end.

Q10: Can you give us a glimpse into what you are working on now?

Sara: My fourth book, which releases in Fall 2026, takes the cross-generational female friendships of Steel Magnolias and mixes it with the forging of Christian community like in Neta Jackson’s The Yada Yada Prayer Group.

I'm grateful to Sara for taking her time to answer my questions. Her contemporary Christian fiction emphasizes hope, truth, and life. I love redemption in any story. It is so encouraging when brokenness finds healing and God moves in lives to restore and uplift. Sara taps into this so well in her novels. Be sure to check them out! You can find out more information, or sign on for her author newsletter, at her author website.

Book Review: The Bookshop at the Cornish Cove

Needing an audiobook to accompany treadmill/dishes time, I selected another Boldwood Books novel. I enjoy listening to the British accent for Boldwood's books. This time around, I struggled with one repeated word. In my American accent, I pronounce the word "body" with a phonetic sound of baaa-dee. During the narration, every time this word came up (often), the British narrator pronounced it as bo-dee. I know this is truly nitpicking, but it bo-thered me.

The Bookshop at the Cornish Cove, by Kim Nash, offers a lighthearted romantic read. Nancy is struggling to make her dream bookshop a success in her hometown of Driftwood Bay by the sea. Her neighbor's grandson, Dennis, grates on Nancy's nerves because he is full of advice on how to improve her business sense. When he offers to help her turn the tide, she begrudgingly accepts. As they work together, they fall in love. But of course, something will come between them. Can they surmount this obstacle? The ending seemed too tidy. Doesn't that sound like a dream, though? Having one's own bookstore? Recommending books to others for a living? Who needs the man? Give me the store!

Book Review: Everything's Coming Up Rosie

In August, I highlighted 5 Christian authors. I recommended Courtney Walsh in that mid-month mention post. Walsh is an Illinois writer from my old neck of the woods. She wrote my favorite read of 2023, The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley. Her newest book, Everything's Coming Up Rosie, prompted similar affection and reflection.

Rosie Waterman battles disappointment as her dreams of Broadway stardom seem to flounder. Her friends are all making strides (getting married, having a baby, starting a business). In desperation, she fires off tons of resumes and knee-jerk responds to the first offer. Now she's headed to Door County, Wisconsin, to direct Cinderella. But what she finds in Door County isn't what she expected. As obstacles mount, she digs in and tries to do the best she can. Perhaps her dream won't take shape the way she anticipated.

Rosie is delightful! While not as quirky as Isadora (in my favorite Walsh novel), she has spunk and verve. Her swoon-worthy love interest, Booker, keeps things hopping. Can the elderly players in this retirement center production teach Rosie to face former demons, pivot into a new plan, and chase what really matters to her? Like the happy life novel, this book drives home messages I need to contemplate. What do I do when my dreams don't turn out as I'd imagined? Can I embrace the reality that the hard makes the good taste sweeter? I'm knee-deep in hard! My dreams are on hold while I wade through these problems. This book offers the perfect blend of distraction and inspiration. I want to face life like Rosie, opening up to the pain and carving a path to new purpose.  

Book Review: The Atlas of Untold Stories

Sara Brunsvold was a new-to-me author when I happened upon her author talk at a local church. Her books are easy to devour. The pacing is great, and the characters are realistic and relatable. My favorite book is still The Divine Proverb of Streusel (because I relate to so many aspects of the story), but I enjoyed this third novel, The Atlas of Untold Stories. Each Brunsvold book is full of Midwestern charm!

What could be better than a road trip across the Midwest to explore places associated with Midwestern writers? When I was in college, I created a London-walking-tour for future Wheaton-in-England participants. It traced various sites in London associated with Charles Dickens, my then-favorite writer. I don't know if the professor I created it for ever used the materials, but it was great fun creating that guide. Sara Brunsvold peoples her Midwest road trip with a mother and two daughters, each bearing a secret kept from the others. They explore sites associated with writers like Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Frank Baum, Joan Lowery Nixon, Willa Cather, and Mark Twain (among others). With my pre-order, I secured a complimentary PDF of a "Bookish Road Trip Through America's Heartland." Although I have no desire to visit every site mentioned, I might enjoy a road trip to a few of them.

Chloe Vance has a secret she needs to share with her mother, Edie. She knows Edie will not appreciate her plans to leave for a missionary teaching stint in Prague for two years. When she cannot get the words out, she invites Edie on a 9-day road trip to visit literary sites. Edie, unsure about the trip, invites her other daughter, Lauren, to join them. As the three spend days cramped together in Chloe's yellow hot-box car, personalities present and conflict. Life is easier in books. But books also open a window of understanding for the conflicts we face.

This is a quick read. It holds equal parts character development and touring information. The reader learns about the authors, but also about the realistic conflicts that drive each woman. Family is so important. While relationships can be fraught with disappointment, they also can soothe and heal deep wounds. This is yet another Brunsvold book that dives into relational friction and the powerful healing touch of faith. 

I wish I had headed out for extensive travel (perhaps for my anniversary). Brunsvold offered a contest for people who took a small paper copy of the yellow car along on trips. Genius! Brunsvold shared on Facebook that the winner took Flat Goldie all the way to New Zealand. What a great marketing idea!

Book Review: A Single Act of Kindness

While down in the dumps, I sought an uplifting, feel-good novel. I found one in A Single Act of Kindness, by Samantha Tonge, published by Boldwood Books. As my own life spirals into chaos and endless challenges, it feels like a ball in winter rolling down a hill, picking up more snow and growing as it goes. This book reminded me that the same can be true of kindness. One small kindness leads to others and the results can be life-affirming.

Tilda Wright has battled more demons than many are called to fight. She was sent off to boarding school while her mother fixated on her younger brother's football talents and aspiration. Thus, it is no surprise she severed all relationships with her family of origin. A near-death experience had propelled her into a sterile and controlled life. Then, she meets Milo, who is living on the street near her home. 

Milo faces his own demons. Yet, he folds into Tilda's life and the two begin to lift each other out of the mire. Tilda's mother's behavior is unfathomable and so wrong. Milo's dilemma is heart-wrenching and understandable. Then, that single act of kindness blurs into many small kindnesses along their paths. The book lifted my spirits, despite some cautionary content.

Content Caution: 📒

Book Review: First Love, Second Draft

What if a wife's worst day of her life was her husband's best day? What conflict and emotion might this conjure? I could well relate to this scenario. Not that my worst day was John's best day, but I worry there are much worse days ahead. We endured a miscarriage prior to the births of our three sons and, believe me, we processed and grieved differently. It is so hard when reactions don't match. The pain is intense and then you add a layer of misunderstanding. Men definitely grieve differently than women, and often communication in those tender initial days is non-existent.

Becca Kinzer has a real talent for taking the difficulties of relationships and spinning them out with wit. She knows how to write humor (a tough task). When you feel like crying over life's challenges, it is refreshing to pick up a book that leads from internal intensity into light-hearted laughter. Here is a brief summary of First Love, Second Draft, from the back cover of the book:

"Rom-com writer Gracie Parker hasn’t written a bestseller since she and her husband, a major league baseball star, divorced five years ago. On thin ice with her publisher―and with a looming deadline―Gracie couldn’t have picked a worse time for a painful injury that has her flat on her back. At this point, she’d accept help from anybody . . . except her first love and ex-husband, Noah Parker.

"The baseball season has just ended in massive disappointment for Noah. He’s facing the stark reality that he gave up everything for a career that’s let him down and that it might be too late to get back the one person he should’ve held on to. So when Gracie’s nephew calls, saying Gracie’s looking for a tenant for her next-door rental, it feels like it’s meant to be."

I've enjoyed all of Becca Kinzer's humorous tales. This one is a novel about second chances. Love is hard, but deserves a second chance. Sometimes women who have been hurt refuse to give an ex a second chance. We are all flawed and failing. We all desire forgiveness. I need to learn to extend grace to others more freely and open doors for restoration and reconciliation. I just hope it doesn't take a painful injury to get me to that point, ha! (My June fall from the treadmill wasn't as debilitating as Gracie's injury, but I'm still needing to sleep flat on my back because my normal side-sleeping causes twingy pain where I hit the chair. Say a prayer for healing, if you will.)

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Becca has announced a new book slated for the spring of 2026. It sounds like it will be another joyful journey with witty banter and unexpected romance. Here is the cover reveal for next year's novel, Not What We Pictured. (This title sounds like a commentary on my life, ha!)

   

Book Review: Mother-Daughter Murder Night

My book club selected this Reese's Book Club pick for one of their two May selections. Since the other book didn't appeal to me at all, I read Nina Simon's debut mystery, Mother-Daughter Murder Night. I loved reading the origins of this story. Nina's mother received a cancer diagnosis. As the two spent a lot of time together, they set out to write a mother-daughter murder mystery. It's quite an achievement to make Reese Witherspoon's list with a debut novel.

Lana Rubicon is used to wheeling and dealing in the real estate market of Los Angeles. Now she is side-lined, recuperating from lung cancer in the small coastal town of her daughter and granddaughter. The three of them have never been in such confined quarters and sparks fly. But, when Jack, the granddaughter, becomes a suspect in a local murder, Lana pushes herself to tackle the case with the help of Jack and her estranged daughter, Beth.

I enjoyed the dynamics of the mother-daughter-granddaughter relationships. The writing flowed well. It was also a clean read (always a plus in my book). Although I was in a hard patch (concentration-wise), the book held my interest. Here's a photo of the writing duo (with granddaughter, no doubt) from the book's website:

Book Review: One Italian Summer

Every time I read a book set in Italy, I think of my Italian blogging friend Maria Novajosky, author of An Ocean, an Airplane, and Two Countries Full of Kisses. Rebecca Serle's One Italian Summer is a highly entertaining Instant New York Times Bestseller. I loved dropping into Positano, Italy, and reading descriptions of the Amalfi Coast. What's more, I adored the characters in this book. The intensity of this mother-daughter bond was reminiscent of the beloved pair in The Gilmore Girls. Although I was close to my mother, and felt the mother-loss keenly as I read, ours was never as tight as these fictional relationships.

Katy Silver is utterly bereft upon losing her best friend and mother, Carol. Their bond was intense and her grief knows no bounds. Thus, Katy embarks alone on the trip to Italy that the two had planned to take together. Just as in Rebecca Serle's previous bestseller, In Five Years, magic is afoot. Katy bumps into 30-year-old Carol in the town of Positano. Katy is eager to spend as much time as possible with this younger version of her mother. She is learning unknown things from the past, but it brings conflict in her present.

I really enjoyed this book. It held me spellbound for over an hour. I couldn't tear my eyes away. That's saying something, given my current challenges in reading (lots going on and difficult to focus). Thankfully, I read this in hardcover, so I skipped through the brief sex scenes (2 - unnecessary and 1 adulterous). Overlooking that cautionary content, the book is a great exploration into the power of a strong mother-daughter bond. There's a tension in finding your place in the world when motherhood defines you. It may have been more difficult to read about such a loss if my mother had not already passed from Alzheimer's. So, know that up front, if this might be a trigger-warning for you. 

📒 Content Caution: brief sex scenes toward the end of the book

Book Review: The Garden of Memories

May was a hard month for me. Thus, after reading The Garden of Memories, by Amanda James, I failed to write up a review for the book. All I have to go on, for this review, are a few sketchy notes: "I had trouble staying absorbed (but that was probably my fault entirely, given challenging circumstances in life). The pace was gentle and breezy. The characters were somewhat interesting. This was a sweet, endearing story."

The tale begins on the first day of Rose's retirement from nursing. She is a widow and has always felt like her career put her in a box. Now, she is free to rewrite who she wants to be. Her husband's garden needs tending, so Rose gathers an assortment of friends to help. As they nurture and grow individual plants, based on memories, they deepen relationships and endure life's losses together. This book is perfect for those facing loss. It emphasizes the healing power of both gardens and memories.

Book Review: How to Age Disgracefully

I read How to Age Disgracefully for my book club. The date fell earlier than I realized, so I ended up reading this on the morning of the 2 p.m. scheduled meeting. Thankfully, it was a quick read, and I didn't give up on it (despite a bit of raucous content). The book is similar to The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, in that it focuses on old age and requires a heavy dose of the willful suspension of disbelief. However, I liked the Frederick Fife book more than this one.

The book features a slap-stick crew of characters. Daphne, depressed to be alone on her 70th birthday, joins a senior citizens group. Sadly, all they seem to do is craft projects. She's suspicious of an older man who is a failed actor with a shoplifting problem. The quiet woman who is constantly knitting must be up to something, too. Then they learn the childcare facility where they hold their meetings is due to be shut down. The group sets out to save the day. Hopefully they can do so before their pasts catch up to them.

I guess I had a harder time willing myself to believe the unbelievable. Moreover, I didn't feel any sense of redemption took place. It didn't lead to much stimulating conversation, either. Oh well. Not every book is going to be my cup of tea. 

Book Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman was a book club pick. Unfortunately, I didn't read it in time (setting it aside only 25 pages in). I believe it was also the month of my son's wedding, so I was stressed for time, anyway. When I finally did pick up the book, I took forever to read it. Perhaps it was just not the right time for this book for me. The characters were sweet and interesting, but I just couldn't remain engaged enough. It took me 3 weeks to read it.

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt lives in Ohio with her southern belle mother. Her mother feels trapped in exile away from the south. She fixates on her one moment of fame when she won a 1951 beauty pageant. CeeCee is embarrassed by her mother's crazy behavior, but equally bereft when her mother dies in a tragic accident. She thinks things can't get any worse when her father sends her to live with her great-aunt in Savannah. But, as is so often true in life, the very worst changes can be a saving grace in the end.

The others in my book club encouraged me to read it anyway. It is probably a great read under normal circumstances. I simply don't have normal circumstances these days. I've noticed that almost all the books I've been reading have been audiobooks. They accompany time spent on the treadmill or in the car. Thus, I don't abandon them for days on end. Hopefully my hard copy reading will begin to pick up again.

Book Review: The Book Swap

I scrambled to enter when Goodreads offered a giveaway for Tessa Bickers' The Book Swap. Although I did not win, I discovered access to the book through Hoopla (again in audio, as are so many of the books I've consumed recently). What a great story idea. Imagine you accidentally donate your favorite book (well annotated in the margins) to a Little Free Library (Hmm, accidental donations? We're familiar with that!). When you go back, you discover the book is safely there, but filled with further marginalia from a mystery man. Thus, begins a ping-pong of correspondence and intellectual rumination. What a fabulous premise! I'd love to live this out myself, ha!

Erin Connolly is mortified to learn she carelessly donated her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to her neighborhood Little Free Library. It packs a double punch because the book contained a last message on a postcard from her late best friend Bonnie. That message encouraged Erin to live out her dreams. Erin is far from living her dreams. Trapped in a job she loathes, she cannot stop coping with life by talking with Bonnie whenever she manifests in a chair in Erin's room.

Enter Mystery Man. He responds to her thoughtful marginalia with equally intriguing comments of his own. He invites her to meet up with him in another book that he has left in the Little Free Library for her to find. The correspondence is lively. The attraction is intense. But, of course, complications arise. Desperate to keep someone else from running off with the next book from Mystery Man, Erin hounds down a neighbor and offers to tutor his daughter if he will relinquish the book to her.

Although this was not a clean read, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the story line, and the observations and comments on books I've read. If you love books, especially epistolary novels, this is a sure winner. A love song to books and second chances, the tale makes the reader wish it was them enjoying a neighborly book swap. I've never donated books to a Little Free Library. Believe me, I'm more game now. 

Even though romance is not something I seek, it would be delightful to interact over favorite books. Indeed, I think it would be cool to start up a round-robin book exchange. I'd send a favorite book on to another reader, who would join in comments and pass it along to another reader until the book travelled full circle back. Of course, then we'd have to send it along the chain again so everyone could read the accumulated marginalia. Alas, I'm not one to write in the margins. Nor do I have a set group in mind to take part in this imaginary round-robin book exchange. For me, I'll have to settle for the fun of reading Tessa Bickers' delightful novel.

📒Content Caution: sex and language