The Narrow Path by Rich Villodas

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Wisdom is hard to find. Understanding and discernment? They're fragile in today's world. "Seek the ancient paths," says the scripture.

Villodas goes back to the teaching of Jesus to draw out universal principles of a good life - counter to the world's values and advice. Some of his insights will be familiar. Others will make you pause and take inventory of your own expectations. 

Well worth considering - where you are and where you long to be. Take this one along on a day or more of retreat and reflection.

The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Whether you think you've gone beyond redemption and salvation - or if think you're too good for the world - you'll enjoy this book. This love story of transformation, forgiveness, and new life gives hope that anything is possible.

You'll like the characters, find yourself cheering for a happy ending, and enjoy the descriptions. It offers the reader a chance to consider the effects of rushing to judgment and condemnation of others. In Ephraim and Birdie's relationship, there's joy and growth - and yes, that happy ending. 

Good for passing time in a quiet week, as a bedtime novel, or speeding along your commute.

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Charm, likable characters, and a relatable dilemma. What's not to enjoy in Stone's novel? I was rooting for Lexie and Theo from first to last. And wasn't disappointed when I was done.

Recommended when you ned an engaging story about possibilities and hope in the midst of life's challenges. Figure it out with Theo and Lexie on your commute, during a quiet night, or just before Christmas.

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Emily Giffen is a good storyteller. She reminded me of how much I love meeting with girlfriends of 30 years - though now we meet online since we live in different parts of the world.

Three very different women track their journey and their friendship over 10 years, through grief, celebration, and surprising revelations that we learn about each other as life unfolds. You'll love this for a beach read, on the commute, or when you need to be reminded that old friends can remain Friends of the heart.

Humor Me by Cat Shook

★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
I'm not good at jokes. And I don't enjoy jokesters or comedians much. (= I'm opposite to my husband, who never forgets one.) So I didn't find the humor in this novel.

However, the conversations between girlfriends and others, the interactions at work and beyond, and the possibilities that others see and hope for us hooked me. 

The coarse language? I think it would have been just as effective without it. The amoral lifestyle? I couldn't cheer for the characters much of the time. But could life happen this way? It probably does in some settings. 

Read it at your peril and for your own amusement?

Trust the Whisper by Kathy Izard

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
How do you know when God is speaking to you? How can you be sure that your purpose and path are the right ones? That you are being guided and led?

I liked the stories of how God has spoken to others. It gave me ideas of ways God has whispered to me in the past and brought life and light to my journey. It's a tale of progress in the faith, of understanding how ordinary life unfolds day to day. Sometimes we see the steps we are taking. Other times, we look back in wonder at how far we've come. 

If you aren't certain that God is a speaking and interacting One, if you think God is far away and uninterested in you, read this book. It will help you look at the voice and the voices around you - how the Living Word is present in and through you. 

Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Love is risky. We know that after the first disappointment, the first heartbreak. Yet are we willing to stay open to new people and fresh experiences when those things happen and those people crush our expectations (not in a good way ...)?

I came late to the Christian calendar, growing up in a low-Protestant environment where liturgy and church feasts were suspect. This book reconciles the human need for connection and being a conduit for living water with the reality of a broken world. 

Smith makes personal the idea of having hope amid distractions and disappointments. She offers stories and pathways to see life as abundant and glorious even in seasons of pain. She invites the reader to connect to the life of Christ and the life of others: of "joining" this unfolding of the Kingdom of God.

I enjoyed it. I recommend it to spiritual seekers, those distrustful of Christ's community of faith, and to those maturing and opening their hearts to the joy offered in the Body of Christ.

The Secret Lives of Numbers by Kate Kitagawa; Timothy Revell

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
"I avoid math but I like stories." I can honestly start my review that way. Reading about the people and ideas that shocked and propelled the way people see the world was interesting. 

There are twists and turns at many points of history that open our understanding to what is there. There are dead ends and rabbit trails. I found the travels through thousands of years of mathematics fascinating. And, since I didn't stand in God's math line (but instead in his art and story line), you might really enjoy this as well.

Recommended for the curious and explorers.

Being a Sanctuary by Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review. 
 The dedication gives the hope of the contents: radical love, radical labor, radical life that is sacred, soft, and safe for the Church and the world around it.

Contrasting the perceptions and realities of an unloving, not-serving Body of Christ with the hopefulness and possibilities of Christ's nature, Dominguez opens the possibilities of a collective reflection, repentance and restoration of what Jesus intended.

Each chapter starts with a quote, a verse and a story or observation on how things are. And it ends with reflections in meditations, questions, and scripture. Well worth picking up. Because the concepts are worth pursuing wherever God has placed you in this world of hurt and hopelessness.

Be the body! I'm recommending this for spiritual formation, ministry leadership, and ministry team members - so that through you will flow living water as you reach and teach others in the same.

Becoming by Beholding by Lanta Davis

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
I've enjoyed recent trends and discoveries in spiritual formation. It takes a while for a book to come to press so the ideas aren't completely new to me. 

This book highlights the mysteries of our faith: the beauty of art, the thoughtfulness of writing, the history in orthodoxy and orthopraxy. I was fascinated by the threads of care- and carefulness related to Christian beliefs and praxis.

If you are teaching, experiencing, or considering a spiritual director or spiritual formation, I recommend that you ponder these explorations and exercises. Caution is advised: stay close to the scriptures and examine what you read as you open your heart to experiencing God-with-us-in-Christ in new ways.

This Used to Be Us by Renée Carlino

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Marriage is hard. And difficult. And sweet. And ever-evolving. And vibrant. Unless we pour ourselves into each other day after day, time after time, we experience a natural atrophy of kindness and consideration. I know: married 47 years.

The story narrates how perceptions of character, personality, and friendship shift with time. Can love be recaptured? As Dani and Alex consider the long investment and value of marriage and family, you'll hold your breath. 

And when you finish the last page, you'll be glad you read it. Recommended for those who enjoy stories about our inner lives and relationships.

The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf

 

★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
A descriptive novel of madness and visions and being "other" in the world. The inner world of Ellen and her responses to life around her took me a while to wrap my head around. 

I didn't really like it - but it made me ponder what goes on behind the polite words and manners of those with mental illness. I recommend it if you want a mind-bending exploration of the human psyche.

The Houseboat by S E Stanley

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
A strange and wonderful growing-up story about the meaning of friendship and family. How can one person change the course of another's history? Bud and Jeremy negotiate a changing relationship that leave your heart satisfied.

I was surprised, hurt, and happy for the character as the story unfolded. Worth reading on the beach, in the bus or train, or when you want to live someone else's happy ending.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
A novel for women, about 3 generations of women, entwined. The Starbirds, a group of friends. The raveling and unraveling of relationships.

"I've been thinking a lot about your mother and mine," Grace said. "Having a baby does that to you. your perspective changes." And your perspective of influence, genetics, and decisions will shift as you read, too.

I found myself pulled in many directions as I read, hoping for a happy ending. And when I closed the book, I felt satisfied, if not exactly happy. Rieger is a storyteller, no doubt about it.

Recommended for when life is in a lull and you want to live in someone else's chaos and adventure.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

 

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Staggering in its emotional demands, this novel had me on the edge of my chair a few times. Cherry gets on a plane and changes lives by her predications.

What if someone told you when and how you would die? Would you live more? Or prepare for the inevitable? There are many possibilities, none of them predictable.

I didn't know who Moriarty would wrap up her 126 chapters, especially with multiple intersections of families and friendships. At the end, I was wrung out and blinking. The story has to be one of the more interesting things I've read recently.

A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Time after time, I'm surprised by the creative stories Macomber thinks up. This was no exception. I enjoyed the steady pace of relationships, the rich descriptions, and of course - the romance between Hailey and Jay.

If you want a novel that stirs the heart, warms your emotions, and leaves you happy at the end, this is it. It will also get you in the mood to think about decorating, chopping a Christmas tree, and gathering family around. 

A Wondrous Mystery by Charles Spurgeon, ed. by Geoffrey Chang

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

Christmas is coming - and with it come many reflections on the mysterious coming of Jesus, God-with-us. If you want light reading, skip this one.

However, if you want a deep dive into the theology and biblical purpose for the incarnation, you will love this book. Spurgeon examines who Jesus is and why he came. How did the events unfold? What are the effects and benefits of God coming among us?

If you've never heard of him, Charles Spurgeon was a Victorian-era preacher in the 1800s. He loved Christmas but didn't fuss about it at church. Instead, his preaching highlighted the beauty of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection all year long. And from those sermons comes this book.

I'm glad the language has been updated - but the message is the same. He has come! Celebrate what he has done! Recommended.

The World Rejoices by

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
It's time to look forward toward the Christmas season. This Advent devotional is written for families and small groups who want to reflect on the biblical and cultural highlights of the season. 

The 25 day countdown is full of scripture, stories, reflections, and activities. It's colorful, it's compact, and it's doable. Pick up your copy today.

The Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Let's start with the cover. Liked it. I felt pulled into Japanese culture from the first page. If you're a lover of all things Japanese, you'll find delight in the story.

I got lost at times, accustomed as I am to fast-paced Western novels. But there's a soothing meditative rhythm to the development and unfolding understanding of the "heartbeat" felt by the characters.

Worth reading if you enjoy a novel that immerses you in another culture and another time.

Christmas in Chestnut Ridge by Nancy Naigle

 

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
You don't expect to like a Christmas book in May, which is when I read this. But you may really like this one. It's a pleasure to meet people you admire or would befriend, negotiating a season of pain and pleasure.

Recommended when you're in a sentimental mood or just want to relax with a good story.