Christian Shelves

If you've attended outdoor music festivals, this is a book that may speak to you. This unique setting captured my attention, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read a story about two young adults who find that they have more in common with each other than they realize. I am grateful to the author's public relations company for providing me with a complimentary copy of Always Think of Me . All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : some New Age references (cosmic feelings, premonitions), one expletive, drug usage, alcoholism, suicide, child abuse Book Synopsis Sometimes love gives you a second chance. Sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it returns in a way you could never imagine. Tyrus Cal, TC to his friends, had no plans to leave his party boy life, but when he met Ginny at an outdoor music festival, he fell. Hard. He brought out his best stories to charm her, and she returned the sentiment with long-buried secrets about her traumatic past. When their bu...

I am so glad that the author reached out to me about this upcoming release as it was exactly the book that I needed to read in this season of my life. Many thanks to Harvest House Publishers and Eric Schumacher  for providing a complimentary copy of The Good Gift of Weakness: God's Strength Made Perfect in the Story of Redemption  for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis This overview of the theme of weakness in the Bible offers readers practical encouragement and hope as they learn to view their frailties as part of God’s plan and purpose for their lives. Our culture deifies strength―and sadly, the church does too. Who has the most successful ministry, the largest congregation, or the godliest family? Our misplaced faith in human strength is a false hope with no basis in Scripture. But a closer look throughout the Bible reveals the central role human frailty plays in the redemption story. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s power is made perfect when pe...

This is a disclaimer that although this book is published by a Christian publisher, this book falls along the lines of clean fiction, so expectations should be set accordingly. I shared the following when I reviewed Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other , and as this book follows that book, I'll adopt the same refrain again: This is more of a crossover title that fits the genre of what the author terms "pop culture-infused rom coms." That being said, while this book does not reference faith either explicitly or implicitly (faith on the whole absent is in this book), it does fit the bill for those looking for a fun and clean read. As such, I will be reviewing it strictly as a rom com. Many thanks to  Thomas Nelson  and  NetGalley  for providing a complimentary copy of  Cole and Laila are Just Friends  by  Bethany Turner  for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : There are a lot of pop culture references in this book,...

Alright, it's not really madness, but it is a catchy wordplay off of March Madness. I even remember seeing people work through their ARCs back in March, with a few creative folks creating brackets out of the books they read. I haven't done that with the books I've read yet as I'd have such a difficult time choosing between two really good books, so I'd probably just have a bunch of winners instead. I've been missing in action a little over the past while, not due to disinterest, but more so because I have taken on additional employment and my days are quite full. It wasn't so long ago that I had a lot of spare time to create and write to my heart's delight; however, I have to be a lot more judicious about how I use my time now. It's a good season to be in, though, and I'm grateful that God has allowed me to both have enough leisure time so that I could launch this blog, and now more work time so that I can be better about not wasting spare moment...

Finding Christian books, especially Christian fiction, is a little bit like trying to spot an animal in the wild. They've become more elusive in secular bookstores, and they don't seem to be as readily available, depending on the public library system. Christian non-fiction, on the other hand, is more a matter of discernment where finding biblically faithful books can involve further research and digging if buried between titles by popular but not always theologically sound authors. Over the years, I've noticed the elimination of a Christian fiction section at Chapters/Indigo (the Canadian equivalent of Barnes and Noble), along with fewer Christian fiction and non-fiction titles being purchased by the library system that I belong to. Long wait times have made it so that for the titles that are part of the library catalogue, I can be waiting several months. Otherwise, I am selecting the "notify me" option on Libby like crazy and hoping that any recommendations I su...

It feels so bittersweet now that I'm finished the Heroes of Freedom Ridge series! When I first started, I wasn't sure if I could make it through all 18 books, but what a pleasure and delight it has been to get to know the town and its stories so thoroughly. Reading Blind Date with the Hero was both exciting and wistful; however, I'm thankful I got to travel to Freedom, Colorado this past year and get to know so many great authors! Book Synopsis She’s on a series of blind dates, but all she can think about is her Secret Santa… Alexis would rather skinny dip in a snowbank than make good on the bet she lost. Ten blind dates? As though the holidays weren’t hard enough, now she has to sit at awkward Christmas parties with men who were more likely to be intimidated by her military experience than infatuated. At least her Secret Santa was keeping things interesting. K9 Specialist Jared Keen couldn’t believe his luck when he got his best friend’s name in the Secret Santa pool. Af...

Memorizing Scripture: The Basics, Blessings, and Benefits of Meditating on God's Word by Glenna Marshall is a book that has been widely promoted on Bookstagram and completely deserves all of the hype. Book Synopsis Reclaiming the art of Scripture memorization Bible memory has fallen on hard times. It can feel unnecessary since we have Scripture at our fingertips. Or it just feels daunting and unattainable—you know it’s important, but you’re just not good at it. Writer, mother, and lover of Scripture Glenna Marshall shows us that to love God with our hearts, we must first love him with our minds. Through Scripture memorization, we begin to meditate on God’s word. This causes us to think deeply about God, which leads to intimacy and trust. Scripture memory bolsters our daily faith, grows us in discernment, and gives us courage to walk through trials. It arms us with what we need to share the gospel, to fight sin, and to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ! But how and where...

Targeted Witness by Jacqueline Adam was such a good distraction for me as I read this book in a hospital waiting room. If you're looking for a way to get your mind off waiting, reading about someone running for their life will help! Book Synopsis A witness under protection. A serial killer out for revenge. After the killer she identified finds her in witness protection, artist Cassie Whitfield must go on the run to avoid becoming the next victim. But there’s nobody she can trust—except her ex-boyfriend, former FBI agent Ryan Matherson, who doesn’t know her real identity. Now telling him the deadly truth is her only option if she wants to stay alive… Source:  Amazon Book Thoughts This book definitely lives up to being suspenseful, with action-packed content paired with a sweet romance. Just when there is a sense of how things will go one way, the book proves that it can go in any other direction. Jacqueline Adam's debut is a thrilling journey that captivates readers as they awa...

The topic of reading speed came up in a conversation I had at church when there was a discussion about how many books people can read in a year. I confess that there are many books I listen to rather quickly just to get through it; however, most of the time, I do want to savour what I'm reading or listening to. With physical books, it's a little harder for me to speed through, and if I start skimming quite heavily, I'll know that it's not the book for me. I've also realized that while I enjoy listening to Christian non-fiction when I'm doing chores, I don't necessarily retain every detail. My comprehension is strongest when I'm doing things that don't require much thought, but the moment I start multi-tasking, something will usually give. It's getting to the point where I've observed that it's hard for me to pay attention to people talking to me for long periods of time as my brain goes into auto-pilot as if they're an audiobook! To c...