Christian Shelves

I'm grateful that I've discovered such beautiful Christian poetry as a result of meeting talented poets online. Virtue of the Most High by Shay McNally  is one such collection that I look forward to revisiting again based on how much it brought me to a place of stillness and peace. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Virtue of the Most High is a collection of free verse, confessional Christian poetry drawn from real experience and real faith. The poems move through family history, breaking harmful patterns, grief, depression, healing, love, marriage, calling, friendship, repentance, spiritual warfare, prayer, forgiveness, and the long path of discipleship formed by the Spirit through the Word. Christ stands at the center as the Lord who speaks through Scripture and stays with His people. The writing holds to this truth and enters both the struggle and the grace with candid h...

This is it! The last book in the Freddie and Grace Mysteries , ending an era of whimsical sleuthing from a sweet married couple. The Bachelor Spy by  Pepper Basham  brings us back a little closer to home after several adventures abroad. Even so, Grace doesn't escape the mysteries that land at her doorstep. Many thanks to Barbour Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of:  mentions of clairvoyance and ghosts Book Synopsis Spies Infiltrate Havensbooke Hall. . .and Another Mystery Adventure Begins Stephen Blake's life goal is to protect people, especially those closest to him, but war in 1914 England doesn’t follow any rules. When Blake is informed that a noted German spy may have taken up residence at Havensbrooke Hall―his cousin Lord Astley’s estate, which is being used as a convalescent war hospital―he’s sent there to uncover the plot. Lady Grace Astley has become a forc...

Patricia Lee is a new-to-me author and after reading this book, I'm excited to read more from the Heiress Unaware series . The Scrapbook kicks the series off by tangibly putting together the most precious mementoes and memories into a keepsake for a young girl who believes that she is on her own in the world. It's a reminder that she belongs to loved ones and that she is much treasured. Many thanks to Mountain Brook Ink for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis After a boating accident, wealthy businessman Loyal Hollingsworth grieved both the death of his son Peter and the disappearance of his soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Knowing Rosalyn was secretly pregnant with his grandchild, he searched for the mother and child for years without success. Over a decade later, his attorney finds the now-teenage girl in foster care—but when attempts are made to reach her, the girl resists. Jamielyn Rogers doesn’t trust th...

After reading I Choose Love by Chip Ingram , I knew that I had to read his earlier works on other fruits of the Spirit. I Choose Joy is the perfect complement to that book as it puts into practice the things that we encounter in life and how we can respond as believers while operating from a place of joy. Many thanks to Moody Publishers for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Joy―our lifeline and strength through life’s suffering. C.S. Lewis said, "Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Too often, however, joy is missing from our lives. When we look to Scripture, we see examples of early Christians thriving even amid hardship and persecution. How do we recapture that deep and stubborn joy? Pastor and author Chip Ingram takes us to God’s Word, helping us shift away from self-centered happiness and toward lasting joy found in God’s goodness. “Choosing joy in the midst of difficulties goes against all our in...

Happy release day to In Every Chapter , the second book in the Reluctant Romantics series by Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht ! Amnesia stories always make me wonder what memories I would lose and whether it would be possible to recover them. Paisley goes through such an experience, with her story taking us on an emotional roller coaster ride of feeling lost and arriving home. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : past domestic violence, military PTSD Book Synopsis Like my favourite bookish heroines, I found the love of a lifetime, except I can’t remember how… Paisley: My summer plans were simple. Kiss my husband, snuggle my dog, and create an elite reading list for the library. Losing seven years' worth of memories after near-death by window artistry, thanks to my klutzy nature? Absolutely not part of the plan. In one short day, I went from stealing kisses with Greyson to wakin...

I have to give credit to Joomi Kim, a secular BookTuber, for first alerting me to one of her challenges with contemporary novels (see timestamp starting at 22:25 ) where she notes that many of the books she has read are about authors or those in academia. While I found her entire video to be thought-provoking regarding contemporary literature, I seldom read enough secular books to be able to comment on them as a whole, so this isn't a commentary on what she has presented. The secular books I read are ones that usually serve a cultural purpose or are interesting enough for me to pick up, which is more rare when my TBR of Christian books keeps expanding. I've also chosen not to focus on those books on my blog or social media; although I try to keep up-to-date with broad trends on my own time, I'm not well-versed enough to add my perspective to that discussion on here. Rather, this is a springboard into the one point that she raised about authors writing what they know. It see...