Review: Light Upon Light

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Barbara Harper

In Sarah Arthur’s introduction to Light Upon Light: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, she writes:

Many of us, when charting the timeline of our lives, can point to a moment when a story or poem happened. It happened the way an accident or a record-breaking snowfall happened: it was perhaps expected, perhaps not. One moment we were performing the usual routine–pouring cereal, say, or opening the mail–and the next moment we sat motionless with a book in our hands, eyes unfocused, a wave of words washing over us as relentlessly as a newsreel.

I’ve had that experience of being stopped in my tracks by a poem or piece of literature, staring out the window or up at the ceiling while the words reverberated in my mind. So I looked forward to such experiences in the pieces Sarah compiled.

There are eighteen sections, beginning the first week in Advent and continuing on until the ninth week of Epiphany. I don’t come from a church background that observes Epiphany, but I knew some churches celebrated it as the time the wise men found the Christ child. I didn’t realize it was observed for several weeks.

Each section has a theme, from Annunciations, to Sojourners, to Love’s Offices, etc. The section begins with an opening prayer, usually taken from a poem. A few Scripture passages are suggested, then several readings from different works are included. There are no assigned readings for specified days: the reader is allowed to meander at his or her own pace.

I loved the idea of this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy many of the selections. Some I didn’t “get” (my fault). Some were a little off theologically.

I tended to like the classical selections better than the contemporary ones. I don’t have anything against modern literature. I read modern writers all the time. But in this case, the modern pieces were most often the ones I questioned, or the ones that seemed more mystical than biblically accurate.

I did find a few nuggets that spoke to me. There were a couple of old familiar favorites, like an excerpt from Dickens’ The Christmas Carol and G. H. Chesterton’s “The House of Christmas.”

There were some new-to-me treasures, like “Hymn on the Nativity of My Savior” by Ben Johnson, “Moonless Darkness” by Gerald Manley Hopkins, “Ring Out the Wild Bells” by Tennyson, and a handful of others.

The introduction says, “Some of the works in this collection are obviously seasonal, some obviously Christian. Some are neither.” I know even secular work can express spiritual truth, so I don’t have a problem with it being included–as long as it’s not misleading. I have more trouble with spiritual works that are inaccurate.

I suppose if I had looked at the book as a collection of literary pieces on certain themes revolving around the holidays, my expectations would have been different. Looking at the introduction again after finishing the book, I see that’s how it was presented. My disappointment came from thinking the book was from a distinctly Christian viewpoint and finding it wasn’t. It seemed more in the “spiritual” rather than Christian vein.

Review: All We Thought We Knew

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Barbara Harper

In All We Thought We Knew, a novel by Michelle Shocklee, Mattie Taylor was adamantly against the Viet Nam war. So she was stunned when her twin brother, Mark, and his best friend joined the military. She blamed her father for not discouraging Mark from going. Then Mark died in the war. The day after his funeral, Mattie left for the hippie movement in California.

Now, a year later, Mattie receives news that her mother is dying and wants to see her. Though Mattie still bristles with anger over the war, she rushes home to see her mother.

Mattie’s mom, Ava, wants Mattie to read some old letters hidden away in a shoebox. Mattie isn’t very motivated–she doesn’t know the people addressed in the letters nor the senders. But she reads a letter or two at a time to placate her mother.

Ava had become a young widow during WW2 when her new husband was killed at Pearl Harbor. Ava lived with her unkind mother-in-law on the horse farm her husband, Mark, had intended to sell. When the military opens a base nearby and sends out a notice that they are hiring civilians, Ava applies for a job to help support herself and her mother-in-law.

Part of Ava’s job is to update the ever-changing personnel files. One day this takes her to a German detainee, Gunther. She learns that Gunther had come from Germany to America before the war to study medicine and become a doctor. Yet when America joined the war, officials rounded up German citizens and detained them at military bases as enemy aliens. Some were allowed to work on the base. Gunther’s medical experience opens a door for him to work as an orderly while under guard.

The point of view switches back and forth from Mattie in 1969 and Ava and Gunther in 1942, slowly unraveling the mystery of what ties the three together.

Though I have read several novels set in WW2, this is the first one that has touched on German detainees in America. It’s heartbreaking that they were gathered up and treated as Nazis, even though some fled their country because of Nazism.

It was also interesting to see the inner workings of a couple of temporary military bases in the WW2 section of the story and the horse farm in the 1960s section.

Mattie got on my nerves a bit. She’s totally self-centered–her opinion is the only right one in her eyes. But there was hope that she would mature and grow through the novel, and she did. I liked the way the others in her life patiently dealt with her anger, doubts, and questions.

I felt the “reveal” of the mystery was pretty obvious by the time it came out (to everyone but Mattie). But overall I enjoyed the book.

Review: Rebel With a Cause

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Franklin Graham’s autobiography, Rebel With a Cause, was not on my radar. However, someone gave it to me. I don’t always pray about what book to read next, but when I did a few weeks ago, I couldn’t get this book off my mind.

Franklin Graham is the son of well-known evangelist Billy Graham. In his earliest days, Franklin didn’t have a clear picture of what his father did. He just knew he was gone much of the time. He was quite a handful as a child. I enjoyed some of his mother’s creative and unconventional ways of dealing with him.

Franklin loved where his family lived in NC, motorcycles or almost anything with an engine, guns, and fun, even if it got him into trouble. And it frequently did.

In his first or second year of college, he went on a trip to help two single female missionaries–not for any spiritual reasons, but for a chance to go to a foreign country. He saw their work and simple trust in God and wanted to help more. He began to organize supplies for them, little realizing that this would eventually lead to his life’s work.

Franklin writes of the different male figures in his life who influenced him, mostly for good, in his father’s absence. One day, everything came together to convince him and help him be willing to surrender his life to God.

By his own admission, he was never much of a student. But he finally got serious about his studies and finished college whole married to his wife, Jane Austin.

I had thought that he began Samaritan’s Purse, but, actually, a man named Bill Pierce did. Franklin went on many mission trips with Bill. When Bill knew he was dying of cancer, he talked to Franklin about taking over SP when he was gone. After thinking and praying much, and waiting for the SP board to come to the same conclusion, Franklin agreed.

The SP website states, “Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I appreciated that, whenever they heard of a need, Franklin, or, later, one of his team would go investigate the situation first. They’d try to discern exactly what the need was, whether and how they could help, and who could facilitate the efforts there. They made it clear that they would share Christ while there, and most of the time that was not a problem.

Franklin shares story after story of horrific needs and miraculous supply of both provisions and people to help. My heart was touched by those here and in various countries who stepped in to meet needs.

In later years, Franklin felt he might be called to be an evangelist. But he knew he was where God wanted him at SP. He didn’t want to be compared to his father or look like he was following in his footsteps. Then others began to tell him they thought he was called to be an evangelist as well. Finally one evangelist convinced Franklin to come along with him and help with his meetings. Franklin did, and then began to preach at meetings himself. He concluded that Jesus preached as well as helped people with their physical needs, so Franklin did not have to choose one or the other.

This book was published in 1997 when both his parents were still alive. They contributed a few words at the end.

He doesn’t say anything about Operation Christmas Child in this book. I assume that was started after this book was written. I just saw there is a separate book about that ministry.

While I wouldn’t endorse everything written or all the people and organizations Franklin and his ministry associated with, I was blessed by how God worked in and through him.

Review: Barnaby Rudge

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Barbara Harper

The title character in Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge is a young man in his twenties with the mind of a five-year-old. He’s often called an “idiot” in the book–not in derision, but that was the main word they used at the time for someone with mental or processing deficiencies.

Barnaby lives with his widowed mother in a small village a few miles from London. His father had been the steward of Reuben Haredale, owner of a manor called the Warren. Both men were murdered twenty-two years before. The missing gardener was assumed to be the culprit. Locals still told the story of the murder, especially on the anniversary of it. Some say they see a ghost of one of the murdered men each year on that date.

Barnaby has a pet raven, Grip, who talks and interacts in the story in surprising ways. Dickens says Grip is based on two pet ravens he had. Wikipedia posits that Grip was the inspiration for Poe’s poem, “The Raven.”

Reuben Haredale’s brother, Geoffrey, now lives at the Warren with his orphaned niece, Emma, as her guardian. Emma is in love with Edward Chester, the son of Sir John Chester. But neither Geoffrey nor Sir John will agree to the match because of the disparity in each family’s financial situation, in their religion (the Haredales are Catholic, the Chesters Protestant), but mostly because the two men have been strong enemies since their school days.

Various people in the village, including Barnaby, have helped the young couple by delivering messages and aiding their rendezvous, but their guardians put a stop to it.

The Maypole is a tavern and inn in the village, run by John Willet. John’s son, Joe, feels oppressed by his father’s treating him like a child, especially in front of the clientele. He decides to run away and become a soldier. First he stops to confess his love to Dolly Varden, the locksmith’s daughter. But, though she likes him, she’s a flirt and doesn’t give him any encouragement.

Hugh is the gruff hostler at the Maypole inn. His mother had been hanged for stealing when her husband had been “pressed” into military service and some of their belongings has been seized for debts. Hugh was just a child when this happened and had a rough upbringing.

Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association, comes through the village on his way to London. He’s protesting the Papists Act, which lessened in some degree discrimination against Catholics set in the Popery Act of 1698. Though Gordon is fictionalized in the novel, he was a real historical character who really did protest the Papists Act, which stirred up anti-Catholic sentiment and resulted in several days of riots, looting, burning of Catholic homes, storming Newgate prison, and threatening anyone who did business with or helped Catholics. Wikipedia says the rioting “was the most destructive in the history of London.”

The novel’s characters get caught up on opposite sides, resulting in tragedy or near-tragedy for some and the emergence of heroism in others.

Some years ago, I set myself a mission to read all the Dickens’ novels that I wasn’t familiar with. I had previously read A Tale of Two Cities (two or three times–my favorite), David Copperfield (second favorite), Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist. Barnaby Rudge was the last one I got to

Barnaby was one of his earliest novels written, but it was the fifth one published. It wasn’t a complete flop, but it didn’t sell nearly as well as his others. I think the lack of interest in it may have been because it was presented as a story about the Gordon Riots some sixty years after they happened. The subtitle of the book is A Tale of the Riots of Eighty. In fact, one reason this book is the last of his I read was that it did not sound at all exciting. It looks like it wasn’t thought to be exciting even in 1840. But I trusted that he would write a good, colorful, redemptive story. And he did.

Saying Barnaby is about the Gordon Riots is like saying A Tale of Two Cities is about the French Revolution. It is, but it’s more about the lives of Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette and her father, and Sydney Carton and how their lives intersect amid the happenings of the Revolution.

Barnaby Rudge is the same way. It’s not an encyclopedia entry. It shares the history of the times in the lives of mostly fictional characters.

It might seem strange that animosity against Catholics could grow into such monstrous rioting and pillaging. But England had fought wars in the past over Catholicism.

Dickens says in his introduction that he had “no sympathy with the Romish Church, although he acknowledges, as most men do, some esteemed friends among the followers of its creed.” He felt his descriptions were impartial. He definitely painted the rioters as villainous. He also says in his introduction:

It is unnecessary to say, that those shameful tumults, while they reflect indelible disgrace upon the time in which they occurred, and all who had act or part in them, teach a good lesson. That what we falsely call a religious cry is easily raised by men who have no religion, and who in their daily practice set at nought the commonest principles of right and wrong; that it is begotten of intolerance and persecution; that it is senseless, besotted, inveterate, and unmerciful; all History teaches us. But perhaps we do not know it in our hearts too well.

I’ve often marveled at riots in our own time. It seems incongruous that people mad about something in society would take it out on their neighbors who had no part in the situation, There’s a kind of madness in the midst of a wild mob. Then again, in this time as well as in Dickens’ not all the rioters and looters were acting for their cause. Some of Dickens’ characters didn’t care about religion at all–some were anti-authority of any kind, some thought it was fun, some just got caught up in the crowd, some were taking advantage of the situation for personal gain.

The riots are the main subject of the middle part of the book. Gordon isn’t even mentioned until about a third of the way through. The first third sets up the characters and situations mentioned, plus many others, and the last third tells the aftermath and wraps up the various threads.

I wondered why the book was named for Barnaby. Perhaps because of his innocence, perhaps because Dickens often brings to the forefront how society treats the poor and marginalized.

Dickens doesn’t say in his introduction which characters are based on real people except Gordon and the young woman who was hanged. He does say that “in the description of the principal outrages, reference has been had to the best authorities of that time, such as they are; and that the account given in this Tale, of all the main features of the Riots, is substantially correct.”

I enjoyed the book very much, despite being not very excited when I started it. It contains Dickens’ trademark humor and pathos along with an array of characters ranging from decent, salt-of-the-earth types, to quirky ones, to villains.

My favorite characters are Gabriel Varden (the locksmith) and Joe Willet.

I listened to the audiobook, marvelously read by Jason Watkins. He did such a good job not only with the sound of the different characters’ voices and accents, but with infusing their personalities in his voice. I also got the Kindle version for reference. You can find the Kindle versions for a lot of classics ranging from free to a couple of dollars.

Review: James for You

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Barbara Harper

The New Testament epistle of James has been a controversial book over the years. Some have felt that his emphasis on showing faith by works contradicts Paul’s writings that salvation is by faith, not works. But Sam Allberry shows in James for You: Showing You How Real Faith Looks in Real Life that the two writers are really saying the same thing. They are just looking at faith and works from different angles.

One of the main things I appreciated in Allberry’s books is that he showed how the book flows together. We tend to–or at least, I have tended to–read the paragraphs as isolated topics. For instance, James 2-3 talks abut the sin of showing partiality, then faith without works, then taming the tongue, then wisdom from above, then worldliness. But each paragraph leads into the next.

Allberry describes James’ style as “practical, pithy, and very direct.” James was the half-brother of Jesus, and his book is “soaked in the words and wisdom of James’ older brother. He may not be named much in this letter, but his presence is felt throughout.” Like Jesus, James uses simple, everyday illustrations.

Some of the themes James deals with, in addition to faith and works, are wisdom, obedience, dealing with trials, needs of the poor, responsibility of the wealthy, the danger of double-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue.

A few quotes that stood out to me:

Faith needs the pushback of trials for us to grow spiritually. Trials and difficulties are an opportunity to cling on to the promises of God more tightly.

It is what God can accomplish through suffering that is good, not the suffering itself. It is an opportunity to gain the most valuable thing on earth: a faith that is complete and lacking nothing; maturity and depth in our relationship with God.

Good behaviour in one area does not cancel out law-breaking in another.

And so the battle is with the will. James is not saying that Christians will automatically be able to experience joy in suffering. We are called to “consider” trials in this way. We need to fight to think about them in the right way: consciously to force our perspective and vision above and beyond the present suffering, so that we look forward to the good that God will, over time, produce through them.

I have not read anything else by Sam Allberry–I had not even heard of him before. But I appreciate the insights he brought to the study of James.

Devotional Books for Lent and Easter

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Barbara Harper

I don’t observe Lent per se, but I do like to spend the weeks leading up to Easter reading devotional-type books on the death and resurrection of Christ. Otherwise, this season goes by too quickly without thinking of its meaning as much as I would like.

I’ve been surprised that there are far fewer books of Lenten and Easter reading than there are for Advent and Christmas. Of course, there are multitudes of books about Jesus’ death and resurrection that are not just for Easter.

Personally, I don’t want Lenten reading from a Catholic or liturgical viewpoint, which narrows down the reading selections even further: I just want to mediate on what Jesus did for us and our response. We do that often, not just this time of year. But it’s good to have a special emphasis on these things at this season.

Here are some of the books I have enjoyed for Lent and Easter, linked to my reviews:

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter compiled by Nancy Guthrie from writings as far back as Augustine and Luther through to writers as current as John Piper and John MacArthur. I think I have read this at least three times. One favorite quote from the book:

In human religions, it’s the worshipper who placates the offended deity with rituals and sacrifices and bribes. But in the gospel, it is God Himself who provides the offering.—Ray Ortland

The Women of Easter: Encounter the Savior with Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, and Mary Magdalene by Liz Curtis Higgs. The book does just what the subtitle says. Liz considers Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection through the eyes of these three Marys. Liz has done extensive study in different translations and commentaries. I think I have read this twice. A favorite quote:

Worship isn’t a task. Worship is a response.

Songs of the Morning: Stories and Poems for Easter was compiled by Pat Alexander and includes excerpts from the writings of C. S. Lewis, E. B. White, Dickens and others, some (mostly poems) written by children. I don’t think I realized this book was written for children (about the age of those who would enjoy the Narnia books) when I first got it. But I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I didn’t list any quotes from this one in my review.

Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Reading from C. S. Lewis is a compilation of selections from his writings. I include this one with a bit of caution. As much as I love C. S. Lewis, I differ with him on a few points of theology. I noted in my review that some of the selections used didn’t seem to fit the theme of the book or suffered from being taken out of their context. But there were still some good nuggets here. One such quote:

Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in (p. 212, originally from Mere Christianity).

An Ocean of Grace: A Journey to Easter with Great Voices of the Past, another compilation of quotes from across the centuries, this time by Tim Chester. Chester says he updated some of the archaic language and changed some of the description into prayers or exhortations. I think he overdid the editing. But I did enjoy much from the book. One favorite quote:

May all the charms of sin be overcome by this ravishing love, from Stephen Charnock’s “A Discourse of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified”

I may have read other Easter devotional books, but these are the only ones I can remember or that I made note of here on the blog.

I own, but have not yet read, The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection by Lee Strobel. It’s not a devotional book, but I think it would be valuable reading. I enjoyed The Case for Christ by Strobel.

This year I am planning to read a couple of new-to-me books. I enjoyed The Characters of Christmas: 10 Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus by Daniel Darling so much that, when I saw he had a similar book based on Easter, I immediately got it. It’s title is The Characters of Easter: The Villains, Heroes, Cowards, and Crooks Who Witnessed History’s Biggest Miracle. It’s not exactly a devotional, but I am using it in that way.

I’m also going to at least dip into Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, another compilation from writings across the centuries recommended by Michele. I can tell, from the writers listed, that I am not going to agree with all of them. But there are several others that I am sure I’ll enjoy.

Do you enjoy reading that focuses on Lent and Easter?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Review: Through Each Tomorrow

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Through Each Tomorrow is the sixth in Gabrielle Meyer’s Time Crossers series. Time crossers are not time travelers. They live in two timelines. They wake up one day in one time, wake up the next morning in the other, and then wake up the next day back in the first timeline. This goes on until either their twenty-first or twenty-fifth birthday, when they have to decide which timeline they want to remain in for the rest of their lives. After that, they just have one timeline.

Lady Cecily Pembrooke serves as one of Queen Elizabeth’s six maids of honor in 1563. A maid of honor in this time and place was not an attendant at a wedding: she was one of the closest attendants to the queen. The plague is raging through London, and the queen and her entourage have traveled to Windsor Castle.

Cecily had lived in 1900s, the daughter of Kathryn and Austen from the fifth book, Every Hour Until Then. She loved painting and had planned to stay in that path. But she died of polio in 1913.

Her step-brother, Charles, is a time crosser as well. In 1563, he’s the youngest member of the queen’s council and a favorite at court. In 1883, he’s trying to salvage his father’s horse farm in Virginia. It had been a successful business until the Civil War. Charles’ father had died in the war, leaving Charles with the responsibility of his mother and his sister, Ada.

Charles isn’t sure which timeline he is going to choose. He has obligations in each one. His parents in 1563 died, and he doesn’t want to leave Cecily alone. But he needs to find a way to rebuild the horse farm to take care of his mother and sister there.

His lifelong friend, Drew, occupies the same paths and has a plan. In 1863, Drew is the son of a wealthy shipping magnate. He feels sure his father will invest in Charles’ business if Drew asks. In return, he wants Drew to pretend to be the Earl of Norfolk–which technically he is in 1563–and come to Newport. His mother is in a battle for social supremacy there–which sounds a little silly, except the author says in her notes that this conflict is based on a real one. Having an earl visiting them would be a feather in his mother’s cap. Drew doesn’t care about such things, but he hopes this will put an end to the feuding.

Charles agrees if Drew, who is training to be a physician in 1563, will come to Windsor Castle to see if he can learn what is wrong with the queen.

Of course, plans based on deceptions are going to have their problems. Charles is a believer but isn’t walking with the Lord at this point. One of the things he learns is that he can’t manipulate things according to his desired outcome. He needs to seek the Lord and follow His will.

Further complications arise when Charles, Drew, and Cecily each fall in love with someone they can’t have, according to the strict class rules at the time.

It took a short while for me to settle in to the story, with so many time crossers in the same book. But I did enjoy the characters’ journeys and what they learned along the way.

It was neat to see some connections with characters from the previous books.

I have not read much about the 1500s, but everything I have read has confirmed that I am glad I don’t live in a royal court at that time. The strict unwritten rules, the politics and posturing, the constant care of not displeasing the monarch, would all add up to a lot of pressure.

After reading the first few books in this series, I wondered how many Gabrielle could write, how many different takes she could come up with for this concept. Sure, there are multitudes of historical settings she could use. But so far she has managed an unexpected twist in her time crossers’ situations in each book. I know at least one more book is coming in this series. I look forward to it.

Review: The French Kitchen

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Barbara Harper

The French Kitchen by Kristy Cambron is a novel set mostly in two timelines in France–one in 1943, during WWII, and one after the war in 1952.

Kat Harris likes to work in her deceased father’s garage in Boston, but her high-society French mother wants to turn her into a debutante. Her brother, Gavin, stops by to say he’s going on a trip with friends for a couple of weeks and will write. But he never does. Kat learns that he joined the military to fight in the war, but he’s missing. Kat is recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and is sent to France.

Due to an accident on her way to her assignment, she is injured. She wakes up in the house of the Vichy captain in a small French village. Since Manon, the chef at the nearby Chateau du Broutel–also an operative–was expecting a replacement who didn’t arrive, she claims Kat is the person she was expecting, named Celene. Kat aids the OSS and the French Resistance under the noses of the Nazis while also learning to cook French Cuisine.

In 1953, Kat receives a telegram saying her brother is alive. She believes it was from the same Vichy captain. When she confronts him, he neither confirms nor denies it. But they decide to enter a marriage of convenience to help each of them with their pursuits.

Then Kat runs into the man that betrayed her during the war. He goes by a different name now, and they can’t let on that they know each other. But now she wonders if he sent the telegram for his own purposes. In addition to searching for her brother, she has to keep one wary eye in what this man is doing.

Kat’s friend, Mimi, talks Kat into coming to cooking classes with her, taught by Julia Child–before she was known as the Julia Child. As Julia and Kat become friends, Kat learns she has more in common with Julia than a knowledge of French cooking: Julia also worked for the OSS during the war.

Kristy Cambron is one of my favorite authors. I would almost buy a new book from her before knowing what it was about. I liked the overall story here, but I found it very hard to follow. I’ve read many books with dual timelines–and even a few of Kristy’s with three–without any trouble. But I think the fact that these two timelines were close together, involved many of the same people, many of whom had two different names due to their espionage, and both timelines involved looking for Kat’s brother, made them so similar that it was hard to distinguish them at first. I had to make a point of looking at the dates before each chapter to get oriented.

Plus there were a lot of details and surprises of discovering who certain persons were and where their loyalties unexpectedly leaned.

Also, Kristy usually writes Christian fiction. There’s little mention of anything Christian here besides an occasional reference to prayer or a “God help him.”

The book did have its bright spots. It was fun to discover who some of the people really were. I liked the unfolding relationship between Kat and her husband. And though I know nothing about French cooking and little about Julia Child, I enjoyed seeing her in the pages.

I didn’t dislike the book–I just didn’t enjoy it as much as some of Kristy’s others. But lots of other readers did, so you might, too.

Kristy wrote a fun article about what she learned from Julia while writing this book here.

Review: Saving Grayson

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Barbara Harper

In the novel Saving Grayson by Chris Fabry, Grayson Hayes has early-onset Alzheimer’s. He knows his diagnosis and realizes his thinking ability and memories are slipping away. But there are some wrongs he would like to right while he can–even if he doesn’t remember exactly what they are.

He has a recurring dream about a woman in his home town. She’s on a bridge and someone is trying to push her off. Grayson feels his dream is a sign that he is supposed to go back to his home town in West Virginia and either save her from her fate, or find out what happened and who is responsible so justice can be satisfied.

Gray’s longsuffering wife, Lottie, has sworn never to go back to WV. And she can’t let Gray drive alone. But a young Black man named Josh volunteers to drive Grayson from AZ to WV.

As you might imagine, Josh and Grayson have several arguments and misadventures along the way.

Grayson isn’t a very nice person. At first we assume this is because of his condition and his frustration over things like his wife trying to sell his tools and pack up for a move. Grayson is paranoid, instantly thinking people are conspiring against him instead of assuming there is a reasonable explanation for whatever is happening. Lottie knows this is part of his disease but admits she is exhausted.

Yet when Grayson finally makes it to WV, nearly everyone he meets says, “I can’t believe you would come back here.” So we wonder if maybe his abrasiveness is not completely due to his disease after all.

Yet Grayson had an encounter with God late in life that changed him, and moments of clarity sometimes come through.

Chris Fabry skillfully weaves together threads of what it’s like to lose your memories and yourself, to love someone in this situation, the value of all life, the nature of forgiveness and receiving love, a little humor, and some suspense.

I’ll admit the first few chapters were not a cozy read–it was frustrating to read of Grayson’s misunderstandings and antics. Yet I am sure it’s many times more frustrating for all involved to actually deal with these issues.

But I am so glad I kept with the book. I loved the redemptive arc the story took. There was a nice “aha” moment when I realized who one character was (I don’t want to say more and spoil the surprise for other readers). The last chapter was a nail-biter.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

He had clear memories of the past, but others were fuzzy, like a photo taken from a car at a high rate of speed (p. 9. Kindle version).

How many of the mean people he’d met in his life were just scared of something, a monster they couldn’t see past? (p. 55).

Can God forgive what a man can’t remember? Can a man atone for the mistakes that haunt him when his memory is in ruins? If I could go back and relive a moment or an action, I don’t know where I’d go or what I’d do to make up for my failures (p. 215).

Let people love you. Don’t push them away. Allow God to love you through those he’s put in your life. Live knowing you are loved. You don’t earn that kind of love. You just receive it every day (p. 229).

Forgiveness is not never thinking of the bad things again. Forgiveness is choosing to move past them. Or maybe better put, allowing the past to move in next door (p. 240).

Chris has a Q&A about the book here. I got the Kindle version on sale last year and then the Audible version, read by Chris, a few weeks ago. It was nice to be able to switch back and forth between them.

I wasn’t sure what “Jerry Jenkins Presents” on the front cover referred to. That wasn’t explained inside the book. But this article shares that this book was one of three published by Focus on the Family and edited by Jenkins which deal with modern issues in a redemptive way.

Though this book would be helpful for friends and loved ones of people with dementia, I think it would be beneficial to anyone. The story itself is excellent and enjoyable. And many of us wrestle with feeling we have to earn people’s love–or God’s–instead of receiving it. Or we feel we have to atone for our sins, when Jesus is the only One who can do that.

Review: Count the Nights by Stars

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Barbara Harper

In Count the Nights by Stars by Michelle Shocklee, Audrey Whitfield is the college-aged daughter of the manager of historic Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville in 1961. The hotel had once been one of the grandest in Nashville, but was now mainly used as a residential hotel.

Audrey’s mom passed away the year before. Her brother, Emmett has some kind of unspecified developmental issues–though he’s seventeen, he has the mind of a five-year-old. Her father had a near break-down of his own. Plus the employee who worked at the front desk had just gotten married and moved to Texas. So Audrey is helping out until she can get back to school or decide what to do next with her life.

Then one of their oldest residents, Miss Nichols, suffers a stroke. When Audrey’s father learns that Miss Nichols probably won’t return to the hotel, he asks Audrey to box her things until they know what to do with them.

Andrey finds a scrapbook in Miss Nichol’s room dating back to the time of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897. She keeps it out to show a friend who is interested in history. They find clippings about the expo as well as postcards written from someone named “Peaches” to a “Luca.” Then there’s an article about six women who disappeared during the exposition. Audrey and her friend, Jason, try to research and find out more about this time in their city’s history.

The book goes back and forth between 1961 and 1897, when Priscilla Nichols was the daughter of a railroad magnate. Their family lived in Chattanooga but came to spend several weeks at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Her parents keep thrusting her into the company of Kenton Thornley, hoping for an engagement. But Priscilla refuses to be married as part of a business deal. Plus, she knows Kenton isn’t all her parents think he is.

The luxurious Maxwell House Hotel supplied ladies’ maids and drivers for its guests. Priscilla’s maid is a lovely young Italian girl named Gia, and her brother, Luca, is the family’s carriage driver. Since Priscilla’s parents have various social obligations, and Priscilla can’t go around the Expo alone, she is often accompanied by Gia and Luca. She’s amazed at how much more respectful and thoughtful Luca is than Kenton.

Then one day, Gia mysteriously disappears. As Priscilla and Luca use their separate resources to search for Gia, they discover a seamy side to the beautiful city. As they work to rescue Gia, Priscilla can’t help but wonder about the other young women caught up in the same business about which polite women did not speak. But if no one speaks for them or intervenes for them, how will they ever make it out?

I loved the historical aspects to this book, which sent me on internet searches for more information. The Maxwell House Hotel was a real grand hotel in its day, which later became a residential inn. It’s also where Maxwell House coffee was first served. Sadly, the hotel was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. The current Millennium Maxwell House Hotel was named for it but was built on a different site.

It was fun to learn about the Exposition as well. I found some sites online with drawings of some of the buildings and features mentioned in the book. A replica of the Parthenon from the Expo still stands.

I didn’t see in the author’s notes whether the part about six girls going missing during the expo was true. But I respected the careful way Michelle dealt with the trafficking issue. Priscilla wants her life to count, and she knows that if she starts to work with a couple who helps rescue women in this situation, she’ll likely never marry or be accepted in “polite” society of that era.

Michelle says in this interview that one theme of this book is “I see you,” while another is “Love thy neighbor.” I think she brought out both themes well.

I enjoyed Audrey’s story, too. She’s at a crossroads in her life, waiting until she can take the next step. How God leads her and how she changes in the interim was a nice arc as well.

I listened to the audiobook, nicely read by Sarah Zimmerman. But I also checked the Kindle version from Libby especially for the author’s notes.

This is my second book by Michelle, the first being The Women of Oak Ridge. I am eager to read more.