Get Money Do Good by J.D. Vermaas

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

Once you have enough money, how do you invest yourself? This story of an unusual couple and their children will warm your heart and help you think in new ways about charity and altruism. 

Across continents, across governments, and across cultures, the Vermaas family includes those others consider least-wanted and throwaways. There's heartache, heartbreak, healing, and hope in these pages.

Recommended for those - with or without worldly resources - who don't know how to change the world. This book reminds us to be who we are and all we are with God's help, one child and one adventure at a time.

The Reluctant Pioneer by Julie McDonald Zander

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
What if you are given no choice but to join your family on a cross-country trip on the Oregon Trail, far away from home?

How do you thrive and survive deaths and challenges and new places when your resources are limited and life is uncertain? Mathilda, Nicolas, and their children set off from Missouri to Oregon. Bolstered by their faith in God, they meet tragedy, new friends, and new love.

The core story comes from historical events, embellished with what life might have been life in the 1800s. Recommended for readers who like history, adventure, and family, mixed with strong stories of trust in God.

Imagining All Generations by Wilson McCoy

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
A thoughtful and much-needed review of the effects of generational separation in the church. Why are young people less engaged and leaving the faith? The author debunks the assumed benefits of segregation by age and interest, based on the results of the past decades.

McCoy provides a way forward to healthier and more sustainable ministry through intergenerational learning and activities. Well worth discussing with your church leaders and your ministry teams.

Unrig the Game by Vanessa Priya Daniel

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
How do women in leadership thrive? What can they teach us about getting done what needs doing? How do they live out their calling, with the additional challenge of being women of color?

Three superpowers in 20 essays, along with mini masterclasses. Well worth adding to your leadership reading list - and referencing on your shelf.

We Don't Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
Carol disappeared decades ago. As people go missing, there's no trace of where they've gone. 

Carol's niece is a journalist who decides to solve the mystery of why happened to her aunt. When clues start to add up, details start to align, can justice be around the corner?

Tragedies and dark family mysteries that resolve with grief, love, and hope. Well worth considering, in light of the many persons who go missing in the USA each year.

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad

Essays on creativity and effect. Each chapter ends with a prompt that gives you meditations or actions to build your creative stamina and artistic breadth.

Jaouad has gathered thinkers, artists, and innovators in a volume of inspiration. Use their ideas to journal your way to the next season of invention. Amazing resource! (PS You don't have to agree with everyone to learn from them.)

How to Fast by Reward Sibanda

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
Fasting can change the way our hearts respond to God. Humility that allows faith to arise is one of the results of fasting. This is the beginning of God' s work in and through us. Sibanda offers practical foundations for short and long fasts. How do you break a fast when you're done, and what can you expect physically as well as spiritually?

"The impossible becoming inconsequential to us--that is the promised open reward of prayer. Once our souls are humbled through fasting, we are finally positioned too begin the serious and joyous kingdom work God has laid before us to do."

Backed by scientific studies and biblical references, this invaluable resource is for those who need reasons and a method for fasting that changes life - for you and others.

I Will Blossom Anyway by Disha Bose

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
A story of intercultural and interracial couples and families, written with sympathy and understanding. What happens when you fall in love outside of your family's clear ideas of marriage norms and appropriate relationships?

Durga takes us on the journey of reconciliation between modern life and family obligations. She finds herself in between full adulthood and knowing who she is - and who she's been. A good story with the potential for a Part 2.

Recommended for those who struggle to understand the interior life of neighbors and families from cultures outside of your own.

In Love by Amy Bloom

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
The process of dying has until recently been natural. Since assisted suicide has become possible, the possibility of killing oneself in a safe and medically-supervised place has gained momentum.

The interactions of the person who dies remain with those still alive. His pain is over with his end of life. Death eases suffering for the one who is killed, but the emotions and processes of grief and letting go are just beginning for those who are left behind.

Bloom documents love and life together with her husband and their decision to end his life. The records the shock of his death and the service of remembrance. The feeling of forgiveness and moving on is raw. It's real. It's in this memoir.

Playing God is not easy.

Unclaimed Baggage by Katie O'Rourke

★★★☐☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
When you have no personal boundaries, your family and friends may expect you to take care of them. Life is hard and uneven. When everyone dumps their drama on you but refuses to listen, how do you hold up?

Blended families and separated families sometimes choose one child to carry their burdens. And what happens when all the assumptions about who you are and who the others are lies?

As a young adult, can you back up and refuse to play your role? This story - about reclaiming your identity and loving from a maturing perspective - is both emotional and heartbreaking. If you're into that, this book is for you!

A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review
Not sure how Macomber comes up with one heart-rich story after another ... but she's done it again. The novel captures the meaning of community and family circles - and the ways we make those things happen. 

As a former Washingtonian, I relate to the ferry, filled with passengers who expect a smooth ride, and commuters who cross the sea all week to work. The ambiance, the complaints, and the coming together were satisfying, as Macomber's stories usually are.

You'll cheer for good endings and loving relationships when you finish the last page. This one's good for any time you need the comfort and smiles brought by happily-ever-afters on multiples fronts. 

The Elias Enigma by Simon Gervais

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
A winding tale that includes family, past relationships, various locations, and suspense. I enjoyed it though it took me a while to grasp who was who - and who met when and where. 

It's evenly paced, a gripping spy story of mayhem and behind-the-scenes maneuvering. If you like a good thriller, spy story, or mystery, you'll like this one.

Design For Your Mind by Annie Guest

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

The subtitle is "How a Family Caregiver and Mental Health Therapist Renovated Her Home to Recharge Her Life - and Didn't Break the Bank." The premise is that our spaces matter, and healthy spaces are possible for us and our families. 

Whether you are a designer working with a client who has mental health issues or if you want the comfort and calm that "home" provides, this book offers science and design to make that possible. Useful tips for making classrooms and other public spaces "safe" for others, too.

Editing Emily by Mia Rosette

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
 Life not going as expected? Welcome - it's the same for Emily, who is "finding herself" as a young adult in a big city. The language was raw, the choices were consequential, and the progress was winding.

This is a novel for those who understand the hearts of women, prefer conflicts that don't destroy, and invite new seasons of hope. It's Book One of a series, so you might want to get this one first.

A Rebellion of Care by David Gate

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review
I thoroughly enjoyed these reflections and poems. They were thoughtful - and thought-provoking. I don't align politically or socially with Gate views but the winsomeness of his observations and good writing made this a worthy reading experience.

I found myself stopping. Pausing. Thinking through the idioms and metaphors. Agreeing and shaking my head. 

I recommend this for its perspective of influence as life and engagement in things that matter to us. To the prospective poet and essayist in each of us, I say, "Get a copy."

Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
A novel about summer. About defining oneself in a new season. About family. About island communities. About love that is born, love that evolves, and love that is left behind. About people who care for each other. And about romance and personal consequences.

Beautifully written, crafted to bring empathy and joy to a summer break. Thayer writes with kindness, compassion, and understanding in a novel I'd recommend to a girlfriend.

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

★★★☐☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.

Art and money and habits and history intertwine in this novel. Beautiful descriptions evoke childhood memories and family life. The conversations weave in and out so you feel like you're sitting with the family at the noodle bar, the bar, and other gatherings. 

What happens when a stranger joins an established family? When she takes over someone in the family and keeps him away? And when that person disappears and dies, how does a family cope?

I was really looking forward to this. It's a compelling story that's hard to put down - and hard to keep track of at times. I was not thrilled that an obligatory gay couple is thrown in. It felt contrived as though satisfying an obligation to current social norms. (Can any famous or ambitious author write only about heterosexual couples and families? Seems like never.)

The Serendipity by Emma St. Clair

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
When you walk into your closet and come into another room entirely, something's going on. A fun novel that includes romance, place-travel, and commitment to those around you. 

You'll smile, be surprised, and get a good story between the two covers. I enjoyed all 3. Take it on your commute, read it as a summer diversion, or just enjoy it on its own.

Deep Listening: Transform Your Relationships with Family, Friends, and Foes by Emily Kasriel

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
If you struggle to understand or be understood, Kasriel provides a pathway forward: Deep Listening. The intentionality, clear explanations, and practical examples will give you a way to gain trust and insights from others.

Worth reading if you a team leader, team member, or someone who seeks deeper relationships and friendships. Recommended. 

Between Two Shores by Lisa Renee

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.

I enjoyed this story of long-distance interest and connections. I didn't expect the plot to unfold as it did, which is always good. The long timeline, enough challenges and heartaches to create sympathy, and enough good moments to make you cheer made this one a good novel!

Take this one to the beach, on a commute, or when snuggled in bed with a cold. (The latter is how I read it; very satisfying as I turned the last page.)

 

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk

 ★★★☐☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.

Maybe a standard plot, but I enjoyed it. I got lost a few times in the descriptions. The ending was worth the read anyway.

If you've got some hours to kill, like a classic who-dunn-it, and have room in your bag, get a copy. It will pass the time with its twists and turns, and you'll close the last page with a sigh.

With by Skye Jethani

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review
 If you wonder how healthy your relationship with God is, here's a challenge. Jethani explores what it means to be engaged with God in every part of life. Easy reading - so get a copy!

I found this book an opportunity to examine how much I depend on God, trust him, and follow where he leads. Are my intentions his? Are my actions pleasing because we are connected (or because I'm trying to do something "for" him)? 

Jethani offers many questions - and many encouragements to start on an adventure: life WITH God. Highly recommended for 

• those happily following Jesus 
• those bored with rituals of social Christianity
• those disappointed with faith or the church
• those who are considering becoming disciples of Jesus

Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World by Toby Stuart

 

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review
This fascinating research tracks how society and families boost or ignore individuals and group. Does promotion depend on good work? Good connections? Timing? or ...? 

I really enjoyed Stuart/s summaries of the ways those who are "anointed" in one way or another (or in multiple ways) rise through the ranks - or skip them altogether to places of power and influence.

Well worth reading if you resent "privilege" or are curious about what difference your "place in life" makes. What doors can you open, and which ones are opening for you? Which ones will remain shut unless you have leverage or a mentor?

Highly recommended for those in the social sciences, anthropology, or intercultural studies. Going to recommend this one to my students.