A quick note of business: since I am not participating in a reading challenge in 2019, I now have a bit more wiggle room in my blogging calendar for some book-themed posts beyond my monthly Quick Lit review roundups. This post is the first in a monthly series featuring books that are deserving of extra… Continue Reading
Hello! I’m emerging from my blogging break today, and it feels good to be back! How has January been treating you? I’ve had a bit of a rocky start to the new year, but I’m plowing forward and am still determined to make 2019 a great one. And I’m so happy to be getting right… Continue Reading
You hear that? It’s the collective sigh of parents everywhere, relieved that we have survived the madness of Christmas and can now turn our attention to the business of wrapping up this year. I kid. I love Christmas and am always sad to see it end. But I also love end-of-year wrap-ups and best-of lists,… Continue Reading
On Monday I shared my twelfth and final book review for my 2018 Reading Challenge. This was the third consecutive year that I’ve participated in a personal Reading Challenge (here’s 2017 and 2016), and it was a highlight of my reading life in 2018. Just for fun, let’s take one last look at the categories I chose… Continue Reading
Like most readers, my introduction to book awards came through those shiny Caldecott stickers adorning the covers of the books our school librarian read to us during our weekly library visits. I liked those books, I truly did, but they were never favorites. Even as a child, I came to associate those circular silver and… Continue Reading
Today’s Quick Lit post is my last one for 2018, and we’re ending on a high note. There are some excellent books in this batch, with plenty to discuss. Let’s dive in! Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by Patti Callahan: I remember when C. S. Lewis first became a personal hero of mine. I was in sixth grade… Continue Reading
I have eight more book reviews for you today. My total word count for this post is pushing 4,000 so I’ll keep this introduction short and get straight into the reviews! The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self Discovery, by David G. Benner: In 2011, Luke and I participated in a Spiritual Formation… Continue Reading
I reached new reading levels with the number of books I read last month, all in my rush to read 200 books this year (I made it, phew!). Amazingly, I enjoyed (or was at least glad to have read) every single book: my lowest star rating was 3 stars (and I’m positive that opinion was… Continue Reading
One of the great wonders of a book is its ability to instantly transport the reader to a new world. Through reading I can visit any country in the world from the comfort of my own living room. Yet I rarely embrace these opportunities, at least not as often as I would like to. I… Continue Reading
Today I’m back with the third and final installment of this month’s book reviews. These six books each contain challenging content, but also provided me with some great new perspectives. What We Keep, by Elizabeth Berg: The novel opens with Ginny Young boarding a plane to California to visit her mother, Marion, whom she hasn’t… Continue Reading