Review: The Color of Home

The Color of Home book cover on blue background

A book about an interior designer and her heart for ministry? Count me in! The Color of Home by Kit Tosello paints a beautiful picture of home and the people who add those vibrant hues to our lives.

Many thanks to Revell and LibraryThing for providing a complimentary physical copy for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Thoughts content is also posted on LibraryThing.

Book Synopsis

Audrey Needham, Bay Area interior designer to the rich and pretentious, is down to her last nerve. Her boss is impossible to please, her future is in jeopardy, and her great-aunt Daisy needs support as her husband descends into Alzheimer's.

When Daisy enlists Audrey's help preparing for a move to assisted living, Audrey risks her career to return to the idyllic small town of Charity Falls, Oregon, the summer stomping grounds of her childhood. But Charity Falls was also the place that broke her heart when her father was killed in a tragic fire at the Sugar Pine Inn thirteen years ago.

Despite Audrey's intent to avoid emotional entanglement, the pull of home is hard to resist. Something should be done about the deteriorating inn. A local girl with an incarcerated father needs a friend. And handsome local do-gooder Cade Carter is coloring Audrey all shades of uncertain.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This is a debut that is impressive in its details and heartfelt in its story as we journey with Audrey Needham who returns home to take care of her great-aunt and great-uncle as they face health challenges. Audrey is introspective while being vulnerable, allowing us to have a front seat into her spiritual growth. There are a number of wonderful nuggets about God tucked throughout the book, along with descriptions of some amazing ministries taking place. It's easy to sense the love and earnestness that pour from the main character's, and consequently, the author's heart.

There is a lot in this story about weighing the choices of the world versus the choices that God would have for us, and it is told in a way that is inviting and compassionate. The prose is quite lyrical in moments, while also encompassing some colloquial terms that are of the next generation, which makes for an interesting combination that is all Audrey. Readers looking for a gentle story set in rural Oregon with much inner reflection on God's home for us will enjoy The Color of Home and all of its fascinating characters.

Book Summary

Format of book: 📖
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: 👍

Comments

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 Christian Publishers B&H Publishing Group Previously offered the B&H/Lifeway Blogger program which has since closed Availability: Professors and instructors Link: B&H Academic Book Requests Baker Publishing Group Availability: U.S. and Canadian residents Genre: Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction Imprints: Bet...

The Privileges of Reading

I'm starting to spend more time on Threads now, largely because I'm running into issues and glitches on Instagram, and because there are some good thought-provoking questions around reading that people are asking. One of these questions was posed by a user whom I don't follow (credit to taterturnspages for this intriguing query), but which has made me think a bit since I've seen it. Her question is basically whether some Bookstagrammers are more favoured to succeed over others, and whether there might be privileges attached to it. I understand that the topic of privileges can be contentious as to an extent, defining it can be subjective. At the same time, it's a reality that some people do have life circumstances that make things easier for them than for others. As a Christian, I am especially careful in not wanting to dichotomize people into groupings like "haves" and "have-nots" as this reduces complexity and can contribute toward antagonism wh...

Reading Week

In the spirit of university students taking a Reading Week this week, I'll be taking a short break from blogging and posting content. Not only do I have my own reading to do for work, I also want to catch up on some ARCs and books that have patiently been waiting for me. Here's a fun fact I learnt when I looked into Reading Week a bit more: "For post-secondary institutions in anglophone Canada, it is common to have "reading week" or "mid-term break" during the third week of February, coinciding with Family Day." Source: Revision Week I'm happy that I can have my own Reading Week! I'd love to do this more often, although it might lose its meaning if I turned every week into one 😂