Walking the Theological Life by Timothy Gaines

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review. 
With low expectations, I flipped to the first chapter and started to read. I was quickly engrossed in the stories and theology. Gaines' presentation of methods of exploring are simple yet profound. My husband is a theologian and teacher so the descriptions of joy and abandonment to learning about God felt familiar to his "I love learning about God and sharing that with friends."

"This is for every student starting Christian Thought 101 - and for every seminary graduate," was my gut reaction by the time I'd read a few chapters. 

I'm going to recommend it to coworkers and theology professors, to my fellow adventurers and Christ-followers, and to everyone who is curious about what draws Christians into a relationship with a personal God.

Each time I picked up this book, I read much longer than I had time for. I was pulled again and again into the wonder and mystery of God-who-wants-to-be-known. In a phrase: "Highly recommended reading."

The Framed Women of Ardmore House by Brandy Schillace

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
I hope this is the start of a series. A high-functioning autistic American lands in the UK after inheriting a crumbling mansion. A dead body. Unlikeable exes. Lumbering police. Trips here and there.

The advantage of an atypical neurology, combined with determination and curiosity? It makes for a great murder mystery with so much more than a typical plot.

It was suspenseful, twist-and-turns delightful, and surprising. I recommend it when you have a week off or want to dash in and out on a long journey of reading. Fair warning, you can pick it up anytime ... but you may be turning pages and have a hard time putting it down.

The Justice and Goodness of God: A Biblical Case for the Final Judgment by Thomas Schreiner

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
How can we expect justice from the courts and other people and limit the justice of God? Schreiner examines the roots of our alienation from God as nations, groups, and individuals. He brings together the Jewish and Christian theologies of God's justice and the consequences of our separation from God - sins committed, good left undone.

In a world that demands a happy ending to every fairytale and universal salvation for every person, this book will be neither popular nor accepted.  The idea of God as sovereign Creator and moral center goes against the liberal norm - until we are harmed by others' actions. (In which case we demand punishment for the perpetrators.)

Well thought out and researched. I may disagree with finer points or come to other conclusions, but I want a good and just God to be ruling the universe. Better to have an all-knowing Creator telling me what to do and meting justice than fickle and bribable humans.

Leading Beyond the Numbers: How accounting for emotions tips the balance at work by Susan Ní Chríodáin

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
This was unexpectedly useful and interesting. I switch my Kindle reader on 2X and buzz through but find myself wishing I had a notebook for main points. 

Can an accountant quantify emotions, interactions, and working relationships? I think so, after reading this. The book offers a missing piece of the puzzle in work success.

I recommend it for team leaders, company owners, and - yes - accountants who need a life beyond the numbers.