Tuesday, February 1, 2022

The Insanity of God, book #2

 



This book slayed me.  You should read it.  For those of us in America, it will open your eyes and make you realize that we need to STOP taking our freedom for granted.  It reminded me of this book we read earlier.

The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage, but discovered it would be anything but. After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, "Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place?  It sure didn't work in Somalia.  Nik recalls that, “God had always been so real to me, to Ruth, and to our boys. But was He enough, for the utter weariness of soul I experienced at that time, in that place, under those circumstances?” It is a question that many have asked and one that, if answered, can lead us to a whole new world of faith.  How does faith survive, let alone flourish in a place like the Middle East? How can Good truly overcome such evil? How do you maintain hope when all is darkness around you? How can we say “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” when it may not be visibly true in that place at that time? How does anyone live an abundant, victorious Christian life in our world’s toughest places? Can Christianity even work outside of Western, dressed-up, ordered nations? If so, how?  The Insanity of God tells a story—a remarkable and unique story to be sure, yet at heart a very human story—of the Ripkens’ own spiritual and emotional odyssey. The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough.  (picture and description at Amazon)

Book Count : 2/55

Ready for an easier read after that!

Keep Reading!

O:)

Melissa

Thursday, January 6, 2022

The Wish Book Christmas, book #1

 


New Year ~ New Books ... in fact, 55 new books!  Since I am turning 55 this year I have been thinking of 55 things I could do, and one thing that will hopefully be easy is to read 55 books.  So here we start with our first one! 

From the bestselling author of If I Were You comes a nostalgic and endearing holiday story that reminds us that sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones we least expect and don’t deserve. Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday. They begin by helping Bobby and Harry plan gifts of encouragement and service for those in their community, starting by walking an elderly neighbor’s yellow Lab—since a dog topped the boys’ wish list for Santa. In the charming tale that follows, Audrey and Eve are surprised to find their own hearts healing from the tragedies of war and opening to the possibility of forgiveness and new love.  (Description and photo from Amazon)

I was quite honestly all over the place with this book.  At first I thought it was cheesy, then I really got into it, then the end just BOOM! dropped me like a dead mike.  I'll be curious as to how the my Book Club Buddies felt about it.  

Book Count : 1/55

Happy Reading!

:)

Melissa

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Merry & Bright, book #32


I was about half way through this book before I realized I had read it before, but it was a quick read and every so often it's fun to hold an actual book!  


Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She’s taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry’s well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her—minus her photo—and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.  Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects—or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.  (Picture and description from Amazon)

Happy Reading!

O:)
Melissa
 

Thursday, December 23, 2021

The Cowboy Christmas Reunion, book #31

 


So I have gotten out of sync with this, but I actually finished this book before Caitlyn's Christmas, for anyone who is counting or cares :)

A jilted cowboy gets a second chance at love when his ex-fiancée returns with her small daughter. When Kade Delgado joins his buddies in a Cowboy Santa program to shower Christmas blessings on old folks and single moms, he doesn’t expect his former fiancée to return to Saddle Springs, in need and with a child in tow. Does God really expect him to treat Cheri the same as the others on his new Christmas list? Cheri Mackenzie has never forgiven herself for the pain she caused Kade by fleeing a week before their wedding, but undoing the past is impossible. Circumstances force her back to her aging grandparents’ Montana ranch, where Kade, now a widower with a toddler, is making himself cheerfully indispensable. When she receives kindness instead of the hostility she surely deserves, she can’t help but pray for a Christmas reunion with the cowboy she’s never stopped loving.Is there any hope for a second chance at love?  (picture and description at Amazon)

Merry Reading!

O:)

Melissa


Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Unlikely Santa, book #30

 



What would you do if you were mistaken for Santa?  Amish Bishop Christopher Stoltz had no idea a shopping trip with his fraa could change his life. But when young Jaycee Parker mistakes him for Santa Claus, his heart is moved with compassion for the boy and his family. Will this unlikely pair discover more than just a holiday filled with food and gifts?  At eighteen, Englischer Shannon Parker is left the sole caretaker and provider of her three younger siblings. All she truly wants for Christmas is to be able to provide a happy holiday and decent gifts for each of them. Not an easy feat, given that her low-paying waitressing job is their only source of income. When a handsome stranger walks into the restaurant offering kindness, she has a feeling her life will never be the same again.  (picture and description at Amazon)

Sunday, December 5, 2021

Caitlyn's Christmas, book 29

 


This book is one Marsha picked out for Book Club and it was a perfect length and story for this month!  It is one in a long series, but I could totally enjoy the story without reading all the others before it.


When an injured cat runs across the road, Caitlyn doesn’t hesitate to rescue the feline. But she isn’t prepared to witness a brutal murder. She slips away, only to lock eyes with the murderer, recognizing him as someone she’d seen earlier. Now the killer knows who she is, too. Caitlyn calls her cop friend Devon Rainer for advice, humbled when he agrees to protect her.  Devon is concerned about Caitlyn’s safety, especially after they return to the scene of the crime to find the dead woman gone without a trace. The escalating attacks against Caitlyn, prove the killer intends to silence anyone who can identify him. Devon’s priority is to keep Caitlyn safe, while finding the killer. Will they survive long enough to celebrate Christmas and their newfound love?  (picture and description at Amazon)


I can't wait to tell you about the next Christmas book I'm reading now!  

Keep Reading!

Melissa


Enchanted Christmas Series, books 26-28

 



Well, I can't figure out how to make these line up side by side so here we are.  But just like sometimes recipes you make don't end up looking like the picture, but they still taste good, that is the important part :)  And these three were all super yummy with great and funny stories and characters.  They were all quick reads and I highly recommend if you want some short Christmas books to read this season.  I will tell you, though, these are only available as Kindle books so you cannot find them at your local library or bookstore.

One Enchanted Christmas (Book 1)

Last December, mystery author Maren Grant had the most perfect night of her life. On a glimmering winter evening, she got to watch the photo shoot for her very first book and ended up on a magical date with the cover model himself—Colin Renwycke.  Fast forward one year. This December, with a looming deadline, restless spirit and her creative spark long since gone, Maren is desperate to get unstuck. And she can’t get Colin out of her head…or his year-old open invitation to spend a couple weeks writing at his family’s farm. Drew Renwycke never planned to come home and take over the Renwycke family farm. But he’s spent too many years watching his siblings unravel, including his brother, Colin, after one terrible family mistake. If moving to Maple Valley, Iowa, renovating an old farmhouse and switching careers is what it takes to put the Renwycke family back together, he’ll do it. But his simple plan upends when a scrappy author lands on his doorstep. And she just might be the key to coaxing his brother home. But what if he wants her all to himself? Drew will have to choose between his Christmas wish and the enchantment of a holiday romance that just might be the happy ending they all long for. (picture and description at Amazon)


One Enchanted Eve (Book 2) 

After years of mistakes and regret, Colin Renwycke finally has a plan: Hone his baking talent at the Denver Culinary Institute and embark on a new career as a pastry chef. If he's lucky, he might even manage to earn back his family's respect. But despite his skills in the kitchen, Colin's a mess in the classroom and his ongoing disasters are proving too much for his prickly instructor. If he loses his spot at the school, he's out of backup plans.  Culinary school instructor Rylan Jefferson has the chance to reclaim her dream of running her own bakery. But she only has until Christmas Eve to come up with the perfect recipe to impress an eccentric investor. She has no time for holiday parties or family plans . . . and especially not for the unruly student baker who couldn't follow a recipe if his life depended on it.  But Colin has the one ingredient Rylan needs most—talent. Lots of it. And when he makes a proposal that just might solve both their problems, Rylan can't say no—even if it does mean traveling all the way to Iowa. It just might be that the snow-covered plains and a charming small town full of postcard Christmas cheer are exactly what her hungry heart needs . . . along with a man who is much more than he seems. (picture and description at Amazon)


One Enchanted Noel (Book 3)

Seb Pierce isn't exactly a cowboy, but after fifteen years on a ranch in Texas, he might as well be. And he'd do just about anything to keep the rancher who took him in so many years ago from losing his land...including returning to the wealthy roots he's long since abandoned. Seb agrees to work for his stern grandfather for one year in return for an early draw on his inheritance. But he never expected the agreement to land him in a quirky small town in Iowa at Christmas-time, renovating a dilapidated theater...and running into a woman he never thought he'd see again. She might not remember him, but he remembers her. After too many years away from her hometown--and too many failures to count--Leigh Renwycke is finally back in Maple Valley and living the stable life she used to wish for. If only she could shake the old restlessness that used to get her into trouble. When Seb Pierce waltzes into her world and begs for her help planning the theater's holiday reopening, it could be the solution to her discontent. If she pulls it off, it might be enough to jumpstart a new career...and to prove once and for all that the new-and-improved Leigh is here to stay.  But between old secrets and new sparks, restoring a town treasure in time for Christmas may not be as easy as it seems...especially once Leigh learns the truth about Seb. (picture and description at Amazon)


Happy Reading!

O:)

Melissa