Relationship Magic – Edythe Denkin

Author Edythe Denkin, PhD. and certified marriage counselor, brings us “Relationship Magic,” a book that helps us define common problems in marriage and find their solutions through use of a fairy tale. As we read the story, we meet Prince James and Princess Cinda. He was raised in a castle while she grew up as a regular maiden, and when they met and fell in love, they thought they’d found in each other the answer to all their emotional needs. His parents were distant, her father was absent, and by loving each other, they felt they would never feel alone … Continue reading

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher – Peter Bowerman

The title of this book, “The Well-Fed Self-Publisher,” caught my eye right off the bat. I’ve been involved with writing and publishing for the last several years and one of the first things you learn is that self-publishing is a hard road and you hardly ever make any money at it. Yet this book blows that out of the water. Author Peter Bowerman takes us step-by-step through the process of self-publishing a book, from making the decision to self-publish in the first place by debunking the myth that you can’t do everything the publisher can, to learning the ins and … Continue reading

Adelaide Piper – Beth Webb Hart

“Adelaide Piper” by Beth Webb Hart began very differently than it ended. We start out with a literary look back at a girl’s childhood, a memoir of her past, her family, and her thoughts and feelings toward them. She is a poet, and we see many of her perceptions of the world around her through the use of her pen. We stay with her for a time as she grows up, and then goes off to college, and then the tone and the focus of the story changes quite a bit. She was date-raped while on campus, something that shocked … Continue reading

The Summer Girl – Andrea Boeshaar

Jena has been working her way through college, determined not to graduate with a pile of bills waiting for her. Consequently, it has taken a her a long time – a semester here and there, taking time off to earn money for the next round, then back to school. Now in her late twenties and with only a few semesters left to go, it’s time again to find a summer job. A sweet elderly lady in her church recommends that she apply to work as a summer girl for a wealthy lawyer, taking care of his daughters. She goes to … Continue reading

Quarterback Dad – Bobby Mercer

I read and browsed through a lot of parenting books when I was expecting my first child. They were all geared towards mothers. In most of the books the fathers of the babies got a brief mention, or at best a chapter. The role of fathers has changed in the last few generations, and that leaves a lot of men without clear guidelines on what to expect, what to do, and how to be a good father. Quarterback Dad: A Play-By-Play Guide to Tackling Your New Baby is a great book written just for new and expecting dads. Author Bobby … Continue reading

The Long Ride Home – Andrea Boeshaar

Lara grew up pudgy and freckled. All the kids teased her—all the kids but Kevin, that is. He always stood up for her and kept the other kids from making her life too miserable. After Kevin’s parents were tragically killed, he and his brother moved away, supposedly to live with a relative, but Kevin ran off to become a rodeo star, and Lara hadn’t heard anything about him in ten years. Now an adult and working as a social worker at the hospital, Lara has moved past the pudgy stage and is now a lovely young woman. She’s jolted when … Continue reading

Always a Bridesmaid – Andrea Boeshaar

In the Christian romance novel “Always a Bridesmaid,” we meet Melody, a young woman who has been hurt by love. While attending college, she met a handsome scoundrel named Scott. He charmed her, led her to believe he loved her, and then just up and disappeared. It was discovered that he’d led on half the women on campus and left one of them pregnant as well. While Melody was glad not to end up roped to a guy like that, her heart was still wounded. Returning to her family home, she wants the chance to heal from everything she’s been … Continue reading

Reconstructing Natalie – Laura Jensen Walker

I didn’t feel well over the weekend and so I got a lot of reading done. Out of the six books I’ve read since last Friday night, “Reconstructing Natalie” was by far my favorite. Natalie is twenty-seven and unmarried, but she thinks that might be about to change – there’s a new man in her life and he seems to be perfect in every way. She’s got a good job working in her parents’ company, and she’s living practically rent-free in her parents’ guesthouse. She has good friends and she loves her life. But one day while trying on a … Continue reading

Chopping Spree – Diane Mott Davidson

Another installment in the Goldy Schultz catering series, “Chopping Spree” takes place two years after Goldy’s marriage to Tom. Life is going well, with the exception of teenage son Arch, who is shortly to turn fifteen and believes that he’s somehow entitled to all the cool gadgets his rich friends have. The catering business has really taken off, and Goldy is getting more jobs than before, which leave her worn out and starting to lose her health, but after so many years of just barely scraping by, she’s excited to finally be making some headway with her career. She’s also … Continue reading

A Pocket Full of Rye – Agatha Christie

One of Dame Agatha Christie’s most beloved detective characters is Miss Jane Marple, elderly but spry, and certainly not missing any of her marbles. With her sweet face and gentle disposition, no one would suspect that lurking under her white hair is a brain like a steel trap, able to solve mysteries in a single bound, and bring evildoers to justice just when they think they’ve gotten away with everything. “A Pocket Full of Rye” is such a mystery, in which we see Miss Marple do what she does so well. Our story begins in the offices of Mr. Rex … Continue reading