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Mount TBR Challenge Wrap-up

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Barbara Harper

These are the books I’ve read this year that qualify for Bev’s Mount TBR Challenge. I’m listing them in the order I finished them. The publication dates are in parentheses. The titles link back to my reviews.

Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa. (2016)(Finished 1/13/19)
Among the Fair Magnolias: Four Southern Love Stories by Elizabeth Musser, Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, and Dorothy Love. (2015)(Finished 1/14/19)
Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Susan May Warren (2011)(Finished 1/15/18)
Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy (2018)(Finished 2/1/19)
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott (2017)(Finished 2/5/19)
Katie’s Dream by Leisha Kelly (2004)(Finished 2/9/19)
Read the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding and Living God’s Word by George H. Guthrie. (2011)(Finished 2/4/19)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905)(Finished 2/14/19)
Journaling for the Soul by Deborah Haddix (2018)(Finished 2/19/19)
I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (2018)(Finished 2/20/19)
Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis by Patti Callahan (2018)(Finished 3/5/19)
Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson, Unlikely Friends on the Passage to Freedom by Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey (2017)(Finished 3/8/19)
If I Run by Terri Blackstock. (2016)(Finished 1/27/19)
If I’m Found by Terri Blackstock (2017)(Finished 2/1/19)
If I Live by Terri Blackstock (2018)(Finished 3/9/19)
Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke (2014)(Finished 3/17/19)
Love Is Not a Special Way of Feeling by Charles G. Finney (1963)(Finished 3/25/19)
She Makes It Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen (2011)(Finished 3/24/19)
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. (2007)(Finished 3/27/19)
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn (1939)(Finished 3/31/19)
The Fashion Designer by Nancy Moser (2018)(Finished 4/1/19)
I’ll Watch the Moon by Ann Tatlock (2013)(Finished 4/6/19)
Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior (2012)(Finished 4/23/19)
A Room of My Own by Ann Tatlock (2016)(Finished 4/29/19)
Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock (2012)(Finished 5/4/19)
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (1836)(Finished 5/20/19)
All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock (2011)(Finished 5/28/19)
How to Understand and Apply the New Testament by Andrew David Naselli (2017)(Finished 5/31/19)
Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock (2011)(Finished 6/2/19)
The Returning by Ann Tatlock (2009)(Finished 5/28/10)
Close to Home by Deborah Raney (2016)(Finished 6/3/19)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)(Finished 6/12/19)
Home at Last by Deborah Raney (2018)(Finished 6/14/19)
The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper (2017)(Finished 6/20/19)
Rorey’s Secret by Leisha Kelly (2005)(Finished 7/24/19)
There’s a Reason They Call It GRANDparenting by Michele Howe (2017)(Finished 9/4/19)
A Promise in Pieces by Emily T. Wierenga (2014)(Finished 9/22/19)
A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell (2008)(Finished 9/27/19)
Honey, I Don’t Have a Headache Tonight by Sheila Wray Gregoire (2004)(Finished 10/2/19)
Like a Flower in Bloom by Siri Mitchell (2014)(Finished 10/24/19)
Canteen Dreams by Cara Putnam (2017)(Finished 11/17/19)
On Writing Well by William Zinsser. (1976)(Finished 12/4/19)
The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller (2009)(Finished 12/8/19)
Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock (2018)(Finished 12/12/19)
Christmas Stitches: A Historical Romance Collection: 3 Stories of Women Sewing Hope and Love Through the Holidays by Judith Miller, Nancy Moser, and Stephanie Grace Whitson (2018)(Finished 12/26/19)
Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another compiled by Donna Kelderman (2013)(Finished 12/31/19)(Review coming soon)

Bev’s goal markers are in the form of different mountains. I made it up to Mt. Vancouver, which was 36 books. I was just two short of Mt. Ararat’s 48. I enjoyed the climb!

If you’d like to get some of your already-owned books read next year, Bev is hosting this challenge again. Details are here.

Book Review: Christmas Stitches

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Barbara Harper

Christmas Stitches: A Historical Romance Collection: 3 Stories of Women Sewing Hope and Love Through the Holidays, contains three stories, one each by Judith Miller, Nancy Moser, and Stephanie Grace Whitson. As the subtitle says, they have in common some kind of sewing or needle arts. They’re also all set in the late 1890s-early 1900s.

A Seamless Love by Judith Miller takes place in Pullman, Illinois. Hannah Cushman had once been romantically interested in her longtime friend, Daniel Price, but Daniel wanted to remain only friends. Years later, Hannah’s working at the Pullman Dressmaking and Millinery Shop. Her special talent in embroidering bead work has come to the attention of Mrs. Pullman, who asks her to work on some special projects for her. She’s being courted by Louis Nicholson, who lives in Chicago. But her old friend Daniel wants to work for the Pullman Car Company and move closer to Hannah. Something about Louis doesn’t sit right with Daniel. And he’s finally ready to move beyond friendship with Hannah, but is it too late?

Nancy Moser’s story, Pin’s Promise, takes place in Summerfield, England. Penelope Billings, nicknamed Pin, has loved Jonathan Evers as long as she can remember. They promised each other as teenagers that they’d marry after his six years of education training to be a doctor. Now he’s back, trying to find his place with his new ideas in his father’s old-fashioned practice. Pin is an accomplished seamstress and teaches others to sew. She’s driven while Jonathan is laid back. She runs ahead, sure of herself, while Jonathan likes to take his time and think.

Pin becomes aware that a local girl, Annie, who sells eggs in the village has some serious needs. As she tries to help, she learns the family is in poverty because the father is a drunkard who abuses his children.

A tragedy involving Annie’s family pulls Pin and Jonathan apart. Are their differences too great to keep their teenage promises to each other?

One fun aspect of this story was that some of the characters appear in others of Nancy’s books. I’ve only read book in her Summerfield series, but Annie was the main character in The Pattern Artist and The Fashion Designer.

Stephanie Grace Whitson‘s story, Mending Hearts, takes place in small Lost Creek, Nebraska. Rachel Ellsworth’s pastor father has just died and Rachel has to move out of the parsonage in St. Louis. She’s engaged to Landis Grove, but she has nowhere to go before their wedding except to two older single aunts in small Lost Creek, Nebraska. Rachel is an artist looking forward to the Grand Tour on her honeymoon. But for now, she puts her artistic talents to work at the local quilting bees.

Her aunts help take care of the children of a widower, Adam Friesen. Adam had offered to marry his wife to help her out of a bad situation. Though their relationship had grown, he is wracked with guilt that he didn’t really love her as he should have before she died. He’s in a haze of pain since his loss, but he keeps busy in the community.

Rachel receives a letter from home which changes her whole future. At a loss now herself, she struggles with finding God’s will for her life now.

I enjoyed all three of these stories. I’ve loved needle arts for decades, so that aspect was fun for me. But mostly I sympathized with each woman in her situation and her struggles to trust God and apply His truth to her situation.

In addition, the cover is gorgeous and the inside opens out for even more lovely artwork.

I highly recommend this one.

(Sharing with Carole’s Books You Loved, Booknificent)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Barbara Harper

Are you enjoying the last few days of visiting with family, as we are? Or chasing end-of-year sales or gearing up to go back to work on Monday? If you have some leisure, these recent online finds have much good to share. Maybe one or two will pique your interest.

A few related to Christmas:

Handel’s—and Jennens’s—“Messiah“, HT to Challies. I didn’t know that Handel only wrote the music, not the words to his famous oratorio, “The Messiah.” Here’s a look at the man who wrote the libretto and why he did.

An Idaho boy married the girl he sent an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox to, HT to Laura. Sweet story!

Competing with Christmas? I like this idea of leveraging the “fun” aspects of the season rather than seeing them as a competition for the spiritual side.

Wise Men: Gentiles Who Sought the Savior. I enjoyed this look at the Magi, the reminder that salvation has always been available to Gentiles, and the contrast between the reaction of Jews and Gentiles at Christ’s birth. I was particularly intrigued by the “bookends” Chris pointed out in the gospels. For instance, myrrh was a gift brought to Jesus at His birth and ointment was poured on Him not long before His death; He was called the King of the Jews by the wise men but not called that again until the crucifixion. I had known those as separate facts but never thought of them as bookends.

When Love Is Hard to Give, and Harder to Receive.

A Weary Mom Rejoices. When the world seems too much, it’s good to rest in the only One who can do anything about it.

That Might Preach, But…it might be not accurate, or the main message of the text. HT to Challies. “In our desire to make Scripture ‘preachable’ we import uncertain meanings into the text, while ignoring glorious truths that are actually there.”

A Fragrant Offering, HT to Challies. “It is through our willingness to bear the sufferings of others that people will see Christ. As we do, we become a pleasing aroma to God and the ones we love. The prevailing aroma of Christ pours forth in and through us.”

Still Looking for That Better Country, HT to Challies. Really interesting perspective from a missionary living in a country she’s not a citizen of, comparing that to our living in the world yet being a citizen of heaven, warning herself against the settling-down that can take place as she comes to her own country.

To Serve God in Heaven Will Be a Great Reward, HT to Challies. I’ve often wondered about that phrase concerning serving God in heaven. “Service is a reward, not a punishment. This idea is foreign to people who dislike their work and only put up with it until retirement. We think that faithful work should be rewarded by a vacation for the rest of our lives. But God offers us something very different…”

‘Advertising breaks your spirit’: the French cities trying to ban public adverts, HT once again to Challies. Yes! I can’t condone public vandalism in the name of stopping advertisements, but I agree with pushing back against being assaulted by advertising in every nook and cranny.

And finally, interesting footage of a seagull who stole someone’s GoPro. I’m amazed the owner got it back!

Happy Saturday!

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Barbara Harper

It’s Friday, time to count the blessings of the week
with Susanne and other friends at Living to Tell the Story.

Some weeks it takes searching and thought to come up with five good things. Other weeks are overflowing. This one is the latter!

1. Our 40th anniversary. We didn’t celebrate on the exact day (except exchanging cards) because that was the day Jeremy came in, and we had a family outing that had to happen that day due to the venue closing. But we went out for a nice dinner the night before. Then the next day we thought we were just going to lunch at Jason and Mittu’s, but they had made an anniversary dinner. Mittu made this wonderful cake. We have a couple of things planned for next week: Jim has the whole next week off, but the kids will all be back at work.

They decorated with doily hearts all over.

2. The family all together. Jeremy’s flight was delayed a day, but we were thankful that occurred before the first flight rather than during a layover. We’re enjoying lots of talking, eating, playing games, watching movies and videos, and togetherness.

3. Christmas in the cavern. The Historic Cherokee Caverns dress up for Christmas with lots of lights, music, and a few characters. We picked up Jeremy at the airport, had a nice dinner out, then went to the caverns. Because it was the last night, it was sooooo crowded. They don’t sell out or sell tickets ahead of time. Eventually we found a parking space not too far away and got through the lines to get tickets. In one sense, the lights, music, and crowds were all a little too much. But it was a fun evening overall, and it made us want to go back and explore during regular hours.

4. Christmas Day. Lots of good food for breakfast, lunch, and dessert, gifts lovingly given and received, the remembrance of our Savior who left heaven’s glories for such a lowly birth, to live and die and be raised again for us.

5. An enjoyable and productive short road trip. Jeremy just bought a new condo with hardwood floors. One of Jim’s customer’s has a rug outlet about 3 1/2 hours away. Jim gets a discount there, so he planned to drive down with Jeremy to see if he could find anything for his new place. I was conflicted about going: my body just doesn’t handle even short road trips well, and spending the day in the car didn’t appeal to me. But I also didn’t want to give up a day with Jeremy while he was here. So I decided to go at last, and I’m so glad I did. We enjoyed talking together, or sometimes I listened while they talked. Eventually on the way back we all got quiet, with me reading, Jeremy on his device, and Jim driving. We had a nice lunch at Subway. Jeremy found all the rugs he needed, I think. We enjoyed a beauitful sunset on the way home then got pizza delivered for dinner. Not only did I enjoy the time together, but I read almost all of one book. It was bliss to have nothing I had to do after one of the busiest days (weeks, months) of the year for me.

Bonus: While at Jason and Mittu’s house, I admired these new decorations. When I asked Mittu where she got them, she said her mom had sent them and had sent a set for me, too. It might sound silly, but it was a special moment for me—one of those times God gives you something you want before you even ask.

I hope you’ve had a good week as well!

Book Review: Yuletide Treasure

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Barbara Harper

Yuletide Treasure is a collection of two novellas by Lauraine Snelling and Jillian Hart.

In The Finest Gift by Lauraine Snelling, Arley Hoople had been orphaned and then raised by her rich, imperious grandmother. Her grandmother had been rather cheerless since her own widowhood.

One of Arley’s ministries is reading to the children at an orphanage. After reading a book to the children about a dollhouse and seeing the longing in their eyes, Arley comes up with a plan to ask the local woodcarver to help her build a dollhouse, which she she will present to the orphanage at Christmas in her grandmother’s name as a present to her.

The woodcarver has a gruff grandson living with him. Nathan had been expected to take over the family business until an explosion scarred him inside and out. He was sent to recuperate with his grandfather. As he learns his grandfather’s trade, he begins to think he’d rather be a woodcarver than go into business. But he doesn’t think he can get out of his father’s expectations. He admires the young woman who comes to his grandfather for help with a dollhouse, but he comes across as so silent and unfriendly, he doesn’t think he’ll ever have a chance with her.

As the three work on the dollhouse and its furnishings together, something happens in each of their hearts. And surprises are in store when the house is presented.

In A Blessed Season by Jillian Hart, Rafe Jones is an intimidating bounty hunter. But an orphan girl who has been hired out to work melts his carefully guarded heart when she asks him to help her find her mother. All she has is a sewing box of her mother’s with the name Cora Sims engraved on it.

Rafe tracks down Cora and observes her for a while to assess the situation and see if the child would be safe with her. Cora owns a dress shop and considers herself a “plain bird,” an “old maid” at thirty. But Rafe thinks she is beautiful and admires her kindness. People usually steer clear of Rafe due to his size, demeanor, and the guns he carried. But Cora shows him the same grace she does everyone else. She doesn’t seem the type to abandon a child. Perhaps she had no choice, or was attacked?

As Rafe and Cora get to know one another, the two wounded hearts are drawn to one another and the mystery of the child’s parentage and the sewing box is revealed.

I enjoyed both of these sweet, heartwarming stories.

(Sharing with Carole’s Books You Loved, Booknificent)

Merry Christmas to you!

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Barbara Harper

I hope you all have a very special Christmas! May this sweet thought be a blessing to you:

A Perfect Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Barbara Harper

(Photo courtesy of Bev Lloyd-Roberts at the stock.xchng.)

Most of us have a vision in our minds of the perfect Christmas: family gathered around, a clean and sparkling house, a beautifully adorned Christmas tree with piles of lovingly chosen presents underneath, a feast for the eyes and the table, scents of roasting turkey or ham, pumpkin pies, apple cider, everyone marvelously getting along like the end of a made-for-TV movie.

But what if that’s not reality this year?

What if one member is in prison? Or the hospital? Or overseas or across the country? Or in heaven?

What if a lost job or a major medical expense has led to a depleted bank account and bare cupboards?

What if grief overshadows joy?

Is Christmas then ruined?

Let’s go back to that first Christmas.

Mary and Joseph away from home in a strange city. They did not have a beautifully decorated house: they did not even have a hotel room. The only scents of the season were those of nearby animals. Mary, as a young, first-time mother, did not have the blessing of a modern hospital and sanitary conditions, a skilled nursing staff and childbirth training. Giving birth was painful and messy. If Joseph was her lone attendant, he would have been out of his element helping a woman deliver a baby. Perhaps he was dismayed or frustrated that he could not provide better for her in her moment of need. And after the blessed relief of a healthy child safely born, there was little acknowledgment of this Child. The shepherds, Simeon and Anna, and, later on, the wise men rejoiced in who He was. But soon the young parents would face the danger of a king bent on killing the Child in their care. Mary’s reputation would suffer as many thought her Child was illegitimate. The ominous promise hung over her head that a sword would pierce through Mary’s own soul.

What did Mary and Joseph have then, that lonely, uncomfortable, smelly night? They had the Child of promise. A Child whom they were told to name Jesus, which means “Jehovah saves.” His very name is a promise. He would reconcile them to God by taking care of their greatest need: He would “save His people from their sins.” They had the realization that this Child was the long-awaited and longed-for Messiah, the King, the Son of the Highest. What cause for joy and wonder! They had no idea how it would all work out. But they had the promise, and because of the promise, they had hope.

It’s certainly not wrong to enjoy a decorated tree, presents, wonderful food, and family gathered. But we can celebrate Christmas even all of those elements are missing or less than ideal. We can celebrate in our own hearts and with those around us that same promise, that same hope. Like Mary, we can treasure these things and ponder them in our hearts. Like the shepherds, we can make “known the saying that had been told them concerning this child” and go back to daily life “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2: 17-20). If all we have is faith in Jesus’ fulfillment of the hope and promise of that first Christmas, we are blessed indeed.

(Revised from the archives)

(Sharing with Inspire Me Monday, Global Blogging, Senior Salon, Hearth and Soul,
Happy Now, InstaEncouragement, Anchored Abode, Grace and Truth, Faith on Fire)

On our 40th anniversary

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Barbara Harper

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This evening marks 40 years my husband and I have been married!

I had not planned to post about it until next week’s Friday’s Fave Five. But then I accidentally came across a post from ten years ago on 30 things I love about my husband on our 30th anniversary. So I thought I’d repeat and expand it.

40 Things I Love About My Husband:

1. He loves God.

2. He fulfills well the admonition in Deuteronomy 6:7 to teach children God’s Word in the course of daily life: “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Jeremy has said he gets more out of a conversation with his dad than almost any sermon.

3. He is a wonderful father.

4. He leads gently, not tyrannically or despotically.

5. He has kind eyes.

6. He kills bugs for me.

7. If he drives my car and notices the gas is low, he fills the car up for me.

8. He knows how to fix a multitude of things.

9. He is smart.

10. He can usually handle problems and issues with people firmly but not angrily.

11. He is calm in a crisis and knows what to do or can figure it out in short order.

12. He has a great sense of humor.

13. He is very patient with my foibles.

14. He is a great griller!

15. After Thanksgiving dinner he gets the rest of the meat off the turkey and then cleans out the roasting pan.

16. Sometimes he will clean the bathrooms unasked and unexpectedly.

17. He has a strong work ethic. He not only works hard and long to support us, he likes to do his best at any task.

18. He took excellent care of his mother.

19. He is generous.

20. He has a lot of financial savvy.

21. He has a lot of sanctified common sense.

22. He is discerning.

23. He is generally more relaxed than I am. I appreciate the counter balance to my tenseness.

24. He can handle most of the technological stuff.

25. He is thoughtful.

26. He is more outgoing than I am.

27. Though he probably would say he doesn’t feel at ease in social situations, he handles them with apparent ease.

28. He is generally more upbeat and cheerful than I am. If he does get into a bad mood of some kind, it doesn’t usually last long.

29. He is still a gentleman.

30. He’s a man of strong principles.

31. He builds things for me.

32. When there’s one piece left of a special treat he knows I like, he leaves it for me.

33. He’s a wonderful father-in-law.

34. He’s a wonderful granddad.

35. He listens when I need to talk something out.

36. He likes to find good deals.

37. He likes to problem-solve and is good at it.

38. He is compassionate.

39. He shows his love to me in countless ways every day.

40. He made this video for me eleven years ago to one of my favorite songs: “The Voyage,” sung by John McDermott of the Irish Tenors. I love to watch it every year. Some day we need to make an updated version.

Happy, happy anniversary! I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the last 40 years with anyone but you!

(Sharing with Global Blogging, Senior Salon, Hearth and Soul, Happy Now, InstaEncouragement, Grace and Truth)

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Barbara Harper

It’s Friday, time to count the blessings of the week
with Susanne and other friends at Living to Tell the Story.

During the busiest weeks, it’s still important to stop and count our blessings—maybe even more important then since they can so easily be forgotten in the rush of activities. But since we are busy, I’ll keep it short and sweet.

1. Christmas cards and newsletters. We get fewer every year, but I love sending and receiving them.

2. Christmas lights. They provide such cheer, I always hate to take them down after Christmas. I know we don’t know for sure exactly when Christ was born, but I love that we celebrate His birth in the darkest part of the year. That makes all the verses about light seem even more meaningful.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone (Isaiah 9:2).

My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

3. Packages arriving from all the online ordering. Fun! One even went to the wrong place, but the recipient graciously brought it to us.

4. Tylenol and Icy Hot spray. My back has been giving me a hard time this week.

5. Central heat. I know I say this every year. But it’s been cold this week, and I am so thankful all I have to do is push a button to turn the heat up.

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

TBR Pile Challenge Wrap-up

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Barbara Harper

Some time before the end of the year, probably after Christmas, I’ll post the books I read this year as well as my top ten or so. Meanwhile, I’ll post the wrap-ups to some of the reading challenges I’ve participated in.

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It’s amazing, isn’t it, that we accumulate books we really want, but then they sit unread for months or years.

Adam at Roof Beam Reader hosted the TBR Pile Challenge to encourage us to get to those books on our shelves, Kindles, or TBR lists. The goal was to read twelve books, and we could choose two alternates in case we decided not to finish one of our original picks. I’m happy to report that I was able to complete everything on my list. The titles link back to my reviews, and the date immediately following is the year of publication.

How to Understand and Apply the New Testament by Andrew David Naselli (2017)(Finished 5/31/19)
There’s a Reason They Call It GRANDparenting by Michele Howe (2017)(Finished 9/4/19)
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. (2007)(Finished 3/27/19)
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. (1970)(Finished 8/6/19)
Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior (2012)(Finished 4/23/19)
On Writing Well by William Zinsser. (1976)(Finished 12/4/19)
Katie’s Dream by Leisha Kelly. (2004)(Finished 2/9/19)
If I Run by Terri Blackstock (2016)(Finished 1/26/19)
Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson, Unlikely Friends on the Passage to Freedom by Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey (2017)(Finished 3/8/19)
Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa (2016)(Finished 1/13/19)
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn (1939, finished 3/20/19)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905)(Finished 2/14/19)

My alternates were Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohkle (2014, finished 3/17/19) and Close to Home by Deborah Raney (2016, finished 6/3/19).

I enjoyed all of these to some degree. I’ll probably benefit most from On Writing Well (at least I hope can remember to incorporate its instruction). How to Understand And Apply the New Testament and There’s a Reason They Call It GRANDparenting had lots of great advice. Booked had much food for thought. A Little Princess and The Wednesday Letters were sweet and charming. So was How Green Was My Valley except for a couple of scenes. Annabel Lee was riveting. 84, Charing Cross Road had been on my TBR list for years, so I was glad to finally see what it was all about. Leisha Kelly’s series was a favorite. Steal Away Home brought a story to light I had been unaware of. Terri Blackstock’s books are always good, and her If I Run series provided great reading time. So did Deborah Raney’s Chicory Lane series. Cathy Gohkle is a new-to-me author but already a favorite.