Did you know there are approximately 1,000 books published every day?
Imagine a voracious reader like myself – and many of you – trying to sort through those thousand books, plus all the thousands of books published in the previous month. You just want to find a book that will engage, enlighten, or delight you for a few hours. That’s why I’m reviewing books. I’ll try to bring you the best I’ve read and let you make the choice.
— Fiction Recommendations —
The Girl in the Cardboard Box by Jane Daly
Yes, this is my own book, but I had to listen to the audio version prior to it being uploaded for approval by Audible. Think about watching yourself on a video – do you cringe and wonder why you don’t picture yourself like you’re shown in the video? Same thing with listening to your written words. Even though they’re read by someone else, it makes me cringe. The editor part of me thinks, “I could have written that better or differently.”
With that being said, the message in this book hasn’t changed. God doesn’t punish us for past mistakes. He doesn’t cause our baby girl to get hit by a car because we had an abortion. His grace extends to ALL our past sins.
The Wrong Ocean by Kathy Boyd Fellure
Boy did this book bring up feelings I’d forgotten when I cared for my aging parents. The novel is heartrending and heartwarming. It’s a story many of us in the Boomer generation can relate to – watching a beloved parent or grandparent slowly lose themselves to Alzheimer’s. Fellure captures this difficult subject with grace and humor. I give you permission to lose yourself in this story. 😊
— Non Fiction Recommendation—
Abolish the Label by A.M. Revere
This little gem is a reminder that we are more than how we label ourselves. When Mike and I went through marriage counseling years ago, the counselor talked about the different roles we play in our family dynamic. The smart one, the leader, the shadow, the clown. Sometimes we allow these labels to carry into adulthood. We become the label. A. M. Revere gets specific about how to break free from those labels.
The Eden Option by Allen Arnold
Allen Arnold has done it again with this gem. He asks the question, Are you living in Story One or Story Two. So simple yet so profound. Story 1 is God’s original intent for us – freedom. Story 2 is the counterfeit – we’re the center of the universe. No, we’re not!
You won’t devour this book in one or two sittings. Each chapter made me pause and reflect the truth of what Allen reveals.
Jane S. Daly is the author of two nonfiction books and five novels.
Jane is addicted to coffee, purple pens, and her husband, not necessarily in that order. A self-proclaimed introvert, she enjoys the solitude of riding shotgun in Rigsby, her 37-foot motor home. But when they pull into a new campground, her favorite thing is to make new friends and find hangouts featuring local musicians. Her fantasy involves writing lyrics for country music songs and hearing them played on the radio. In the meantime, she’ll stick to writing novels. And seeing as much of the country as possible.