The weather fluctuations are crazy. Last week the highs were over 30 degrees celsius and now today the furnace is on. And I’m still cold.
I’m restless too. That’s the reason why I’m dong this now. Get a few things off my chest so maybe I can settle down and sleep tonight.
I’m still thinking about yesterday’s post where the discussion started with an app on my cell phone that was driving me crazy and then morphed into a discussion about trust issues and fear.
A few things bother me out of that story. One is, I know there are readers who understand and empathize with discussions about abuse, triggers, and PTSD and then there are others who don’t. It’s the readers who don’t that trouble me.
There are other readers who are glad to hear these stories, it validates things they have endured. There is comfort in knowing we are not alone in our struggles.
Another thing that bothers me; those who would say it’s all in the past why can’t you lay it aside, stop rehashing it and move on.
That’s the thing, I’m not reliving anything, ever. My subconscious mind won’t let me. My conscious mind knows enough (it steers away and refuses to think) that the two are in collusion and neither one will let me remember traumatic events. Small details, discussions, memories over the course of many years have allowed me to piece together a hazy but accurate picture of what went on. My mind just shuts down and closes up shop at the mention of this subject.
Reactions, mostly inappropriate (as in not fitting to the situation) such as the one I had regarding a new app on my phone, one that should have been no big deal. A well adjusted mind would thought – interesting, wonder what that’s about – and then explored to figure it out. I viewed it as an enemy trying to impose unwanted interference in my life.
It’s only been a few months since I’ve started to look closely at these reactions, to try and unpack what is going on in my head when it happens. I would name my emotional reaction as the panic you have when a hated spider comes near and you jump, scream, and run. I don’t actually do those things but the emotions running through me feel exactly like that. Get away, get away, get away!!!
To be afraid of something, there has to have been a traumatic encounter of some sort somewhere along the line. The trouble is I have no conscious memories to help me figure these things out. On the other hand, I’m sure it’s a bigger blessing that I can’t remember. There are a few disturbing words that I know apply to me. Good thing I can’t remember what happened.
There is one shadowy memory that has been with me forever it seems. It took many decades for me to figure out what it meant, not that I was trying, or wanting to know. In fact it was the opposite. My curiosity level was zero.
More recently I’ve figured out who was there for that event. There was one man who disapproved of the situation but stayed to protect me as best he could. I can’t explain the gratitude I feel now when I think of him and that memory.
Anyway, that’s enough for this time. My anxiety level has dropped and it’s time for sleep. Any more would probably be counter-productive anyway.
When I started this I wanted to express this story in a way that didn’t feel cryptic or disjointed. I’m not sure that I’ve succeeded.
Today’s edition of a little more of this and that.
A couple of thoughts have been rolling around in my head, provoking me for the last few days. Both of them raised in books I’ve been reading this week, and they aren’t letting go.
The loudest thought was expressed by a character in Charles Martin’s Water Keeper. A young woman exposed to drugs had been through rehabilitation a number of times and knew what was in store. Not fun. This time, because of a severe injury she was addicted to opioid pain killers and was desperate to find some way to make withdrawal survivable. Many years after the fact she shared with a friend how she did it.
She had become addicted to a new book series and as a distraction spent her time reading, desperately by the sounds of it. By the time she was past withdrawal she had re-read the first three books. in the series… twenty seven times.
I guess when she was finished she would just start all over again. In the end they were what helped keep her sanity.
That’s an amazing concept and I can totally see it working. It wouldn’t be easy, or a miraculous quick fix, but it could work.
Reading is my pain killer of choice, too, if I’m honest about why I read. That’s why I’m always on the look out for stories with the ability to transport me to another place. Whatever I’m struggling with is often forgotten, or at very least, in the rear view mirror, by the time the story I’m vicariously living is done.
********
The next expressed thought to grab my attention will be with me for a very long time to come, I think. Probably because it is touching me on a deeply personal level.
I don’t remember which book I was reading but I remember the experience of those words.
One of the characters had an aging parent with dementia. As the disease progressed there was an ever increasing issue with displays of anger and it was causing problems in the care facility. They were threatening to expel the patient if the threat to other patients and staff couldn’t be addressed.
Discussing the issue with her friend, she couldn’t understand how a gentle loving man had become this difficult person.
Here’s the thought that arrested me. It’s not a direct quote, it’s what I can remember of the interaction.
All our lives we were taught manners and self-restraint. We could be angry with someone but it would be impolite to express the way we felt and so we were gracious.
When we fall into dementia those learned filters are no longer in place and unresolved anger comes out freely.
This is distressing food for thought, I don’t want to be that angry person if I fall into dementia. For now my filters are firmly in place and there are no temper flare ups, with people.
With inanimate objects it’s another story. Like with tangled hangers in the closet or with plants catching at my rake as I’m trying to gather up fallen leaves. The rage always surprises me and I am worried about where it’s coming from.
I can’t remember enough of the buried details of my abusive early life to have a meaningful conversation with a counselor, at least that is my opinion. On the other hand the root of this anger would be a good reason for a discussion with someone, while I still have filters.
******************
So those are the thoughts rolling around in my head these days.
There is an idea from a third book giving me pause but I’ll save that for another day.
**********
Our cold weather has become more than warm in the last few days. It was 27c yesterday and is supposed to reach 30c today.
Everything is growing like crazy. Tree leaves have been popping out fast enough to make my head spin. We are loving it.
My favorite book so far this week is a parallel, modern and historical. The common denominator is a poignant painting with a checkered past and a complicated present.
I’m not always a fan of blending timelines but in this case it works. Probably the biggest reason, it allows for showing rather than telling. We need both time frames because they are intertwined and the present story only makes sense if we can understand the past.
There is an unforgettable painting with unknown origins. It appeared in the most terrible of circumstances and combining past and present stories adds the right amount of lightness to make the story relatable. The love stories play out in both time frames as the book moves along. The events are unpredictable and the resolution to the story is unexpected.
I would describe the unexpected but that would give away the ending which would never do.
I agree with the reviews quoted below. Unforgettable.
The Butterfly and the Violin (A Hidden Masterpiece Novel Book 1)
Fresh. Fascinating. Unforgettable. The Butterfly and the Violin is a masterpiece of a debut.” –Laura Frantz, author of Love’s Reckoning
“. . .impossible to put down.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 Stars, TOP PICK!
A Mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz–and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan. Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire fordistraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl–a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes. In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover–the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul–who maybe the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron.
A darling of the Austrian aristocracy of 1942, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.
As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: the grim camps of Auschwitz and the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.
I will admit, I lost sleep over this difficult to put down book.
If I had to name my top ten favorite authors, this man would be on the list. That’s why I’m excited to see one of his books suggested by 1531 Entertainment. This is his most recently published and it’s book 1 in a new series. I believe this will be a first for him. I remember a two part story but not a whole series. I’m looking forward to the experience.
One of his sons wrote an emotional review with one strong suggestion. Cancel all appointments and book time off work. He cautions that once we start reading we won’t be able to put the book down. I believe him.
How fortunate that today is Friday. Good timing.
The Water Keeper (A Murphy Shepherd Novel Book 1)
Amazon quote:
A riveting new story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds.
Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.
When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.
With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them.
With Charles Martin’s trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story and a heartrending search for freedom.
Praise for The Water Keeper:
“I’m telling you, it’s an action-packed, classic Charles Martin romance novel unlike anything I’ve ever read. And remember . . . the day you pick up this book is the day you become temporarily unavailable to the world.” —Charlie Martin, son of Charles Martin
**************************
Several of his other books are also listed as a bargain price right now.
Water from My Heart: A Novel
Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami.
Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter.
Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible — and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?
***************************
The Dead Don’t Dance (Awakening Book 1)
Amazon quote:
Experience Charles Martin’s debut novel, a story of loss and undying love written in his signature emotive and heartrending style.
A sleepy rural town in South Carolina. The end of summer and a baby about to be born. But in the midst of hope and celebration comes unexpected tragedy, and Dylan Styles must come to terms with how much he’s lost. Will the music of his heart be stilled forever—or will he choose to dance with life once more, in spite of sorrow and heartbreak?
The Dead Don’t Dance is a bittersweet yet triumphant love story—a tale of one man’s journey through the darkness of despair and into the light of hope.
Full-length, emotive Southern fiction
Sequel: Maggie
***************************
I will be leaving it here for today. There is nothing I can do to top this, except maybe add more Charles Martin books.
It is a good thing I happen to be between books. I won’t even have to think to know what comes next.
Although maybe it’s late enough I should wait until morning to start. Hmmm.
One, I have already but want to mention it anyway. I’ve not read it yet but it is supposed to be good.
Traces by Denise Weimer
Amazon quote:
Even if she evades The Eye, someone wants her silenced.
When a failed romance and a $500,000 prize lure Kate Carson into participating in the reality TV show, Traces, the least she expects is to pick her partner. After all, she’s the PR spokeswoman of the company that derived a thirteen-lens, rotating camera from military use and installed it atop Atlanta’s tallest skyscraper. But she never would have chosen to evade techno hunters for twenty days with “G.I. Joe.”
Stoic, ex-military Alex Mitchell is the sort of man she always vowed to avoid, while the shadows of Alex’s past cause him to spurn emotional involvement. When Kate’s insider knowledge makes her a target of someone more threatening than game show hunters, Alex offers her only hope to reveal the dark plans of proponents of The Eye.
*************************
Looking through the suggestion strips uncovered three more I’m excited to read.
I see I’ve read and enjoyed the first two books in this next series.
Starstruck in Willow Falls (Willow Falls Series Book 3)
Amazon quote:
An acting career on the brink of failure. An upstaged debut novel. A wedding turned into a country-fried spectacle. Book three in the award-winning Willow Falls series has it all.
When a film crew and famous movie stars swoop into Willow Falls to film a full-length motion picture, the small town’s new normal as a popular North Georgia tourist destination is thrown into chaos.
Rachel Streetman fears her life-long dream to act is drifting into oblivion and leaving behind bitter regret. Weeks away from marrying Charlie Bricker, their relationship is tested after she auditions for a role opposite a handsome actor notorious for marrying his co-stars.
Timing couldn’t be worse for Emily Hayes. Her debut novel arrives two days before residents read about the movie-crew invasion in the local paper. The town’s number one gossip accuses Emily of using her editor position to keep the news a secret and give her sister an audition advantage. When Emily and Rachel accept the job as the director’s liaisons, their patience is stretched to the limit by starstruck residents, demanding stage mothers, and wannabe stars.
When Sadie Liles’ budding relationship with Charlie’s father is threatened by an unexpected visitor, the townsfolk rally to stage a protest as American as sweet-potato pie. Will their efforts pay off or drive Brick away forever?
*************************
This next one is a new-to-me author. The first few paragraphs do look interesting.
The Perfect Spy: A Clean Romantic Suspense (An Untapped Source Book 1)
Amazon quote:
She’s got the best undercover crew. But will a sinister secret undo them?
Kate Ross has lost way too much in the last six months. With her mother’s death from breast cancer, an agent she handled killed on the job, and her career in jeopardy, the beleaguered CIA officer’s faith in God seems like another casualty. So she’s relieved to be offered a shot at redemption by managing an innovative team of “mom spies”… until they saddle her with a more experienced man as a babysitter.
Battling self-doubt and a loss of confidence in her espionage skills, Kate directs a smoothly successful first mission for the unit. But just as she opens up to her kind and encouraging supervisor, she suspects he’s withholding key information when the subject of their next assignment is his ex-wife. And the only solution to her predicament may be prayers she has no expectation will be answered.
Can Kate find the guiding light to solve the case before her personal crisis threatens national security?
****************************
This next one will be a difficult read. It exposes the abusive fraudulent and hopefully, also shows the kindness of real. Reading the first two pages I’m rooting for someone to stand up and say enough. I want to read more.
Love the Lord Your God with all your heart (The Cooper Family Book 1)
Amazon quote:
AJ Carter lives in a recurring nightmare. On the outside, her family are model citizens, outstanding Christians. There is a lot more going on under the surface than anybody, except for her best friend, knows. She has been a Christian all her life. But God… she feels that He’s just not interested in what happens in her life.
Mac Cooper has his own battles to fight. He has learned that he can’t fight them alone, that he needs help from the Lord. When he is given an opportunity to help AJ out, he finds himself very intrigued by her. But will God help him earn her trust? And perhaps her love?
*************************
Last but not least, we have a change of pace with a fifth book. Kind of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast
The Billionaire Recluse: A Beauty and the Beast Romance Retelling (A Billionaire’s Tale Romance Series Book 1)
Amazon quote:
He sees a beast, but she sees the beauty within.
With severe burn scars to over half his body, billionaire, Sebastian Bryant keeps himself locked away in his home where he lives and works as CEO in the family business. After almost losing his daughter in the same house fire that took his wife, Sebastian has no idea how to care for the child, nor can he seem to keep a nanny on his employment roster for very long before his daughter scares them away.
Isabel Jordan has just broken up with her self-centered boyfriend and moves back home with her eccentric, inventor father who has somehow managed to put the family home in jeopardy. When she sees an online ad for a nanny position, she applies for the position, hoping to help dig her father out of his debt and save the home she grew up in.
Pressured by his mother to hire a suitable nanny, and finding Isabel only a step above the others, Sebastian hires her to care for his daughter. With his brother biting at the bit for the CEO position, Sebastian’s mother warns him that he can be replaced if he can’t manage to keep a nanny on to care for his daughter.
Isabel can hardly stand the self-loathing billionaire, but if she quits, her father will lose his home.
Forced to spend each day together, Isabel finds the beauty hidden beneath his scars and a little girl begging for the affections of her beastly father. If only she could make him see what she sees.
***************************
I’d better quit while I’m ahead. There were three or four more possibles so I added them to my wish list. That will help me find them again. I can revisit them tomorrow and hopefully they will still a bargain.
I’m scared to tally up my book spending for last month, I have a feeling I’ve gone over budget, again. I have a feeling this month may not do so well either, the way things are going.
It’s casual browsing day today and it’s been fun. By the look of the first treasures found (I’m needing some light reading) I thought today was going to be a Cowboy – Marriage of Convenience theme. Several books are like that but then I came across something interesting with a darker side to it. There went my lighter theme. Oh well, variety is nice.
A Marriage of Convenience in the Show Me State (Cowboy Crossing Western Sweet Romance Book 5)
Amazon quote:
Zane Hudson just got custody of his four young children. Only problem is, he can’t watch his kids and run his farm, too. He needs a permanent housekeeper. He has every intention of hiring someone until…
Waverley Madris is two months behind on her rent and about to lose her house and her children. Getting stuck with handsome Zane Hudson and his four kids in the Diner bathroom seems like just the type of thing that was just her luck.
Except she emerges from that bathroom an engaged woman.
***************************
Show Me a Marriage of Convenience: Small-Town Single-Father Cowboy Romance (Cowboy Crossing Romances Book 1)
Amazon quote:
An ex-player cowboy with a little son, the boy’s shy plus-size aunt, and a reluctant modern marriage of convenience only the boy is excited about… A sweet, clean, wholesome romance with a happily-ever-after!
Kade agrees to a crazy proposal from the woman his child adores. But as a former foster kid, Kade learned to walk away before getting hurt. Can he now learn to stay and love?
Heather Johnson dreams of a real marriage with the man her sister abandoned. But the rumor is Kade might leave their small town again and take her darling nephew with him. She’s reluctant to trust a womanizer, husband or not. If she allows love for him to ignite her heart, will her marshmallow-soft heart become roasted and burned?
**************************
This next one is in the serious category. There are many forms of abuse in our world today and this is one of them.
Shattered Dream (Prisoners of Hope Book 1)
Amazon quote:
Cassie True dreams of the day she can resume her music career. Only one thing stands in her way, a court-ordered rehab program sponsored by a religious cult determined to steal her soul.
Singer/songwriter Cassie True enters a rehab program that promises to change her life. And it does…in ways she neverexpected. Caught in a religious cult’s ever-constricting web, she fights not only for her sanity but for the freedom to form real friendships. She longs to put alcoholism behind her, finish the program and return to her career. But when her friend is forcibly separated from her husband by the cult leader and a young boy is abused at the cult’s elementary school, she can’t stand by and do nothing.
Bucking the system is dangerous and could result in dismissal from the program—and a return to jail. Can Cassie and her coworker, Corban Dahlstrom, toe the party line yet work together behind the scenes to help others escape the cult’s clutches? Will they be able to withstand the fiery backlash that’s sure to come? Does their budding romance have a chance in a world where an iron-fisted leader controls all relationships?
***************************
One more in the serious category. This is a second look for me, at this suggestion. In many ways it will be a tough read but the topic is timely. The reviews tell me I should take a chance on this. The writer’s treatment of the subject makes all the difference and reviews suggest this has been treated well.
More Than Us by Dawn Barker
Amazon quote:
When parents disagree on how to care for their child, is it justifiable to take extreme measures?
Emily and Paul have a glorious home, money in the bank and two beautiful children. Since leaving Scotland for Paul to play football for an Australian team they have been blessed. But sadness lies behind the picture-perfect family – sixteen-year-old Cameron has battled with health troubles his entire life. There’s no name for what he has, but his disruptive behaviour, OCD and difficulty in social situations is a constant source of worry.
When Paul’s career comes to a shuddering halt, he descends into a spiral of addiction, gambling away the family’s future. By the time he seeks help, it’s his new boss Damien who recommends and pays for a rehab facility.
While Paul is away, Emily has to make a tough decision about their son. She keeps it from Paul knowing he’ll disapprove. And when a terrible accident reveals the truth, Paul takes his son and goes on the run, leaving Emily to care for fourteen-year-old Tilly, who unbeknown to her parents is fighting battles of her own.
Can the family join together for the sake of their loved ones, or will their troubles tear them apart?
What people are saying about More than Us:
‘Dawn Barker has the reader enthralled and reading as quickly as possible to find out what happens to the complex, flawed, yet endearing main characters.’ Reader review
*************************
Of the four, the book I’m looking forward to most at this moment is the first one, I’m in need of a lighter read to brighter my day. I’m not sure why that is exactly, it just is. Moods seem to be like the weather, unpredictable and change at a moments notice.
Before I can get to the new read I must finish the current one…
I think this one isn’t helping my mood. Probably because the villain reminds me of someone in my past. I think maybe I’d better speed read through this one.
Other than all that it has been a good weekend. I enjoyed a fun visit with my family and a pleasant sunshiny drive to get there yesterday.
BookBub has a bargain suggestion that looks good. I’ve read and enjoyed books 1 and 5 in this series and that’s a good recommendation.
Pawleys Island Paradise boxset, Books 1 – 3
Amazon quote:
Boxset contains these books:
Book 1: Roadtrip to Redemption — Her escape brought her home.
Leslie Malone faces an empty, lonely summer. Her marriage is over. Her daughter is overseas, living her dream. Her students are enjoying a carefree summer break. What’s the purpose of her life if she’s not a wife, mother and teacher? The idea of a roadtrip beckons her. Aimless wandering? Or inspired discovery? A woman of faith, she asks God for His guidance, then does her best to follow His direction.
Hank Harrison is a quiet man, good with his hands, but short on words. He’s paid a heavy price for not forgiving his son for horrible mistakes made years ago, mistakes with vast consequences. Hank recognizes Leslie as an answer to his prayers, and together, they begin to mend their futures.
Book 2: Tide to Atonement — Life knocked him down. Faith raised him up.
Jeremy Harrison served his time — ten years in prison paid his debt to society for bad business practices. Now released, his plan for rehabilitation is clear: put his faith in God, work hard and put his past mistakes behind him. The last thing he wants is to be featured in a magazine article about ex-cons who successfully re-acclimated into society. Worse still, the gorgeous reporter takes an instant dislike to him.
Emma Jean Slotky knows that one of the interviewee names in her new magazine article assignment sounds familiar. Her dad helps her figure out why — Jeremy Harrison was responsible for the destruction of his employer and ultimately, Emma’s family, all those years ago. How can Emma possibly face the man who ruined her family with professionalism, and not disappoint her boss?
Book 3: Journey to Fulfillment — Let no man put asunder
A traumatic family event. Distinctly opposite ways of dealing with it between husband and wife. Instead of joyfully celebrating the safe return of their kidnapped daughter, Tom and Marianne are struggling to understand why they’ve landed on polar opposites of this parenting issue.
Accepting her husband’s approach would require Marianne to disown a beloved family member. That can’t be God’s will.
Accepting his wife’s approach would require Tom to relive past mistakes made by his own father that he forever swore he’d never repeat.
**************************
I’m currently reading a new book from yesterday. I’m only just starting chapter three so it’s too early for an opinion but I’ve loved all her other books and expect to enjoy this one too. It sounds like the bad guy in this story is one scary dude.
Axel: a clean romantic suspense (Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits Book 2)
Women are missing. Private security firm Blackout must find them before another victim disappears.
Axel Hendrix likes to live on the edge. That’s why being a Navy SEAL suited him so well. But after his last mission, he cut his losses and joined Blackout instead. His team’s latest case involves an undercover investigation on Lantern Beach.
Olivia Rollins came to the island to escape her problems—and danger. When trouble from her past shows up in town, she impulsively blurts she’s engaged to Axel, the womanizing man she’s seen while waitressing. Now, she may not be the only one in danger. So could Axel.
********************
I feel like I’m copy and pasting things in all the wrong places and it’s hard to find what I think I’ve done. I’m having trouble staying awake long enough to finish this and that is likely a contributing factor to my sleep deprived, drunken journey through this post. If things are weird… my apologies.
I’m not confident I can keep my eyes open long enough to read before lights out but I’m sure going to try.
It’s fiction, it doesn’t matter if I can’t read it right, it’ll be fun anyway.
Lots of meat to chew on with this read. T.D. Jakes always has many thought provoking things to add to any story and this was no exception. He gives us an in-depth look at four woman types and the hardest one for me to read was the one most like me. All of the women were hurting in one way or another, that’s the way life is. Difficult patches in life are inevitable. It’s what we do with them that will make or break us.
T.D. Jakes doesn’t hold back, he tells it raw and real. He doesn’t expose us and then leave us hanging out to dry. He leaves us with answers (not always the ones we want to hear but answers nevertheless) and points us to hope. Some people will tear us all apart pointing out the broken places then walking away. He doesn’t ever tear us apart, rather he sheds a light in the dark places to help us see the important things we are missing. His goal is to help us choose a better way.
The broken among us have bought into lies we’ve been told over and over. His novel is one more tool in the arsenal to help us break out of our prison of lies.
He is a great story teller. Everything he is trying to share is woven into the fabric of the story making it strong. The best kind.
Cover Girls by T.D. Jakes
This compelling novel follows four women as they learn to balance children, estranged husbands, boyfriends, and problems at work through their faith in God.
Michelle, Tonya, Mrs. Judson, and Miz Ida. African-American, white, rich, poor — they seemingly have nothing in common. Yet every day they face the complex realities of twenty-first-century urban life as they try to balance their needs with their belief in God. Through the course of a year, these women must come to terms with the past, discover their true identities, and recognize the unexpected miracles that reveal God’s all-encompassing love.
These four women entertain us and invite us to join in their lives. As they welcome us, they also introduce us to the men in their lives. The men play supporting roles, adding color and zest to the lives of the Cover Girls.
Bishop Jakes knows the struggles real women encounter and the losses that make it difficult to face the future. He brings compassionate insight and deep wisdom to this novel and proves that he is not only a gifted preacher, but a born storyteller.
****************************
Currently, I’m into a lighter read. It’s not fluffy by any means, just lighter by comparison.
Run With My Heart: Sweet, Christian Christmas Romance: (A Texas Tornadoes Single Author Sports Romance book 2) (Texas Tornados)
A football player who’s lost. A woman in danger of losing all she loves. Could he be the Christmas Miracle she’s been praying for?
Pro football player Tucker Jackson has a chip on his shoulder. His mother died when he was young, his father threw himself into his work, and the team he now plays for is in danger of losing their season.
His anger drives him to a bar where an ensuing fight earns him service at a community center. Can he find a way to tame his ire before it destroys his dreams forever?
Shelby Doll has a heart for kids, but the community center she runs is short on funds. Tucker Jackson is her last hope to keep the doors open, but will he leave her in a lurch when it matters the most?
Podcasts. They have captured my attention and it would be safe to say I have been binge-watching often lately. Tonight was no exception and this is where the one-thing-lead-to-another comes in. And, in the end it led to books. I think that is quite awesome.
It’s no secret that there is abuse in my background. I’ve talked about it sparingly along the way and by the looks of it, will be sharing again.
As is often the case, the interviewee on the podcast has recently come out with a new book. Out of the six excellent videos watched tonight, the one to capture my interest the most was a story similar to mine. The ending in relation to her marriage was better than mine, aside from that though, the content was definitely helpful. Spoiler alert… the issue in the marriage was pornography, highly addictive and destructive. At the end of this post I’ll share the link for the podcast. Here is the book…
Choosing a Way Out: When the Bottom Isn’t the Bottom
Amazon quote:
Was it all a lie?
When the author heard her husband’s confession, it took her breath away. Looking back she realized her husband’s sin exposed the deception in her own life. This uninvited crisis proved to be the impetus for her ultimate healing.
Kirsten writes that for most of her adult life she believed:
• She wasn’t good enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough, or rich enough, or talented enough, or whatever enough.
• She wasn’t a good person. She was too stubborn, opinionated, and direct.
• She was a failure because she’d tried something bold and audacious and didn’t succeed like planned.
• She was invisible and forgettable.
In these pages, you’ll experience raw honesty and a clear path through the pain. You’ll realize that no depression is too dark and no lie too strong. Discover a powerful process where you exchange isolation for accountability and deception for deliverance. Today you can experience a way out, even in the bleakest of circumstances where the bottom doesn’t feel like the bottom. The truth is that God is greater than your pain.
*********************
There’s more.
In the suggestion strip at the bottom of the screen there was a book that appears to apply to me. The longer I looked at it, the more familiar it felt. I checked. I have two copies of it, gifted years ago by a concerned friend. I have read it and taken copious notes, it was that helpful. I have it but will tell you about it again anyway.
The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Amazon quote:
For those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and those who love and care for them, The Wounded Heart offers a tender, compassionate window into the psychological effects of abuse and the theological foundations for healing.
Thirty years ago, with great courage and vision, Dan Allender brought Christians to the table to acknowledge, understand, and help victims heal from their experience of the evil of sexual abuse. His work continues to help victims and those who love them to honestly acknowledge their abuse, understand the unique challenge of repentance for victims of abuse, and learn to love boldly in defiance of their trauma. Ultimately Dan offers the bold assurance to sexual abuse victims that even they can find their way to joy and hope in the comforting embrace of a good God.
The Wounded Heart has sold over 400,000 copies and has been the first book family, friends, counselors, pastors, and victims have turned to in search of Christian answers to the calamity of sexual abuse. With a new introduction reflecting on the ongoing importance of the book, and a companion workbook for personal and group recovery, The Wounded Heart continues to offer an urgently needed word of grace in a world ravaged by sexual abuse.
**********************
So, further investigation led me to a newer book that I think is an updated version of The Wounded Heart. I think I need to read this one too.
Healing the Wounded Heart: The Heartache of Sexual Abuse and the Hope of Transformation
Amazon quote:
First published in 1989, Dan Allender’s The Wounded Heart has helped hundreds of thousands of people come to terms with sexual abuse in their past. Now, more than twenty-five years later, Allender has written a brand-new book on the subject that takes into account recent discoveries about the lasting physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual ramifications of sexual abuse.
With great compassion Allender offers hope for victims of rape, date rape, incest, molestation, sexting, sexual bullying, unwanted advances, pornography, and more, exposing the raw wounds that are left behind and clearing the path toward wholeness and healing. Never minimizing victims’ pain or offering pat spiritual answers that don’t truly address the problem, he instead calls evil evil and lights the way to renewed joy.
Counselors, pastors, and friends of those who have suffered sexual harm will find in this book the deep spiritual guidance they need to effectively minister to the sexually broken around them. Victims themselves will find here a sympathetic friend to walk alongside them on the road to healing.
**************************
One more for me from the suggestion strip.
For years I have been working on telling my story, looking for ways to express it more effectively. It’s important for several reasons. It’s therapeutic for me and affirming to those who hear it.
The percentages listed for those suffering as victims of abuse is high.
It looks like the numbers involved in addictions is even higher. Addicts leave victims, adding even more to the number of casualties. The importance of sharing our story is even greater now than it was when I started on this healing journey many years ago.
To Be Told: Know Your Story, Shape Your Future
Amazon quote:
God wants to reveal himself through your story. Discover how he has written your life so far, and how he is leading you into the rest of your story.
“This is a book worth reading. To make sense of your life. To discover the role God is giving you in his story.”—John Eldredge, bestselling author of Wild at Heart and Get Your Life Back
Everyone wants clearer guidance from God on what to do with their future. In this insightful book, therapist and professor Dan Allender shows you how to listen to the stories of your life and identify the themes that God has written there. As you begin to understand both the hope and the heartache, you will gain a clearer sense of the meaning that God has written into every detail of who you are. You’ll also see how he invites you to join him in coauthoring the rest of your story. God is your Author, and he is showing you how to follow him into the future.
**************************
In the above blurb the book Wild at Heart is mentioned. Excellent book. I have read my copy and highly recommend it. It’s written for men but gives helpful insight to the women in their lives.
Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul
Amazon quote:
God did not create men to be nice boys. He created us to live a life of passion, freedom and adventure. To be dangerous men living in a really big story.
God designed men to be powerful. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: to be a hero, a warrior, to love a beauty, to live a life of adventure.
But sometime between boyhood and the struggles of yesterday, most men lose heart. All those passions, dreams, and desires get buried under deadlines, pressures, and disappointments. Christianity feels irrelevant to the recovery of their heart. No wonder most men leads lives of quiet resignation, meanwhile looking for a little “life” on the side. In this provocative book, Eldredge invites men to wholeheartedness by
recovering their true masculine hearts;
healing the wounds and trauma in their stories; and
delighting in the strength and wildness they were created to offer the world.
In this updated and expanded edition of the timeless, bestselling classic, John Eldredge calls men—and the women who love them—to discover the true secret of a man’s soul and embrace the danger, passion, and freedom God intended for every man.
**********************
I didn’t plan for this post to go so long but it’s all good stuff.
As promised, here is the link for the podcast that started this ball rolling for me. The interview was in two parts and it was the second that impacted me the most. They were both good though.
It would probably be a good idea to watch part one first to give you context. Due to the length of this post I won’t include the link but it will show up for you when this one is opened.
**************************
I hope this will be as helpful to you on your journey as it has been to me on mine.
LPC Books has some FREE suggestions for us. I can tell without looking that both of these authors are new to me.
I peeked in case my memory is a little faulty. For a change I was right. Definitely new to me.
Thicker than Blood by Don Brobst
Amazon quote:
Blood is thicker. But is blood enough?
The murder of one old friend and the revelation of a secret life by another leads Dr. Bailey Pogue to risk his life by going undercover for the CIA. But when he exposes a plot by an international crime syndicate that threatens to upset the balance of power in the Middle East, the revelation comes at a price: the syndicate has kidnapped his daughter. Now he must stop the trafficking of young girls and rescue his daughter while remaining undercover.
Is saving those you love worth committing treason?
God Family Country Will Pogue’s loyalties prove too high a price to pay?
******************
This one is YA, and it’s also FREE
One Degree of Freedom by Taryn R. Hutchison
Amazon quote:
Fifteen-year-old Adriana Nicu lives in the sheltered world of Bucharest, Romania, in the year 1987. Under the rule of Communist president Nicolae Ceaușescu, citizens of Bucharest live with the eyes and ears of the government ever present. Adriana’s future, which will involve becoming an engineer, is locked in against her will.
During a visit to her aunt’s apartment, Adriana walks through a wardrobe into a hidden room filled with stacks of forbidden novels. Stories bring light into the darkest of circumstances as her family begins to unravel and her life strangely parallels those of her novels’ heroines. Adriana’s childhood loyalties and her belief that God doesn’t exist are called into question as her circumstances force her to rethink things she once believed were certain.
********************
This next one I’ve read and it is a FREE suggestion from BookBub
Celebrating Tina: A Sweet Romantic Suspense (Stryker Security Force Book 3)
Amazon quote:
A K-9 handler determined to prove she belongs. A detective with an unwavering plan. Can they overcome their painful pasts and accept the gift of love?
Tina West has spent her life feeling like she stood on the outside, but since taking a job at Stryker Security, life seems to be turning for the better.
Tina never imagined when she took a job as a nanny she’d end up training for search and rescue. Yet, when her boss shows up with a retired military dog and the opportunity to train with him, Tina snatches up the chance to help those who are lost. If she saves enough people, maybe she could find meaning in a life that left her with nothing but a bruised heart and a tarnished picture of family. As holiday festivities loom before her, she wonders if she’ll ever shuck the regrets that haunt her dreams and keep her from connecting with others.
Milo Bishop’s every move has been to take care of his mom and younger brother.
Since his father’s murder, Milo has worked hard to make sure his mom and brother were provided for. He joined the police force straight out of high school, took night classes so he could move up to investigator, and put his life on hold until his brother graduated from college. But when he is rescued on Thanksgiving Day by Tina West, his well-laid plans take a sharp detour.
When a series of kidnappings threaten to ruin the holidays, can Tina and Milo put aside their doubts and find the abducted children before it’s too late?
***********************
It looks like the titles in this series I’ve been reading keep changing, which is very confusing.
Anyway, I’ve read and enjoyed the first two books and I’m about to start book three.
Still With You (Baxter Boys Book 3) Sweet Contemporary is the way it comes up in Amazon today but the cover on the left below is what it looked like three weeks ago. Before that it had another name. It looks like each change of title and cover could be an update to fit the times.
I double checked by reading the first page and they are definitely the same book. I’d say check it out to see if I’m not right but the cover I have disappeared and won’t be coming up for you anytime soon. No checking possible but if by some fluke it does appear…
Harris Winsted opened the heavy library door, shifted the massive bulk of papers and books in her arms, …
Amazon quote:
She doesn’t laugh. He can’t be serious. How will they ever work together?
County librarian Harris Winsted can’t believe she lost her leading man. No. What she really can’t believe is that her friends think Harris’s childhood nemesis, Turbo Baxter, might be able to play the part. Even if it is just a small production to raise money for a hospital library, Turbo’s class-clown personality makes him a disastrous choice.
However opening night is three short weeks away. Left with Turbo as her only option, she can only hope he suddenly develops a brain, decorum and a big boil on his handsome face, because when the guy decides to be charming, he is irresistible. But the attraction stops there. She could never be with a man who professes his hatred of libraries and laughs about never reading a book.
*********************
So far, I did enjoy this current series in spite of the confusion. I’m thinking today’s new selections will be intense by comparison but I’m looking forward to them anyway.
Hopefully, you are experiencing some interesting reads well.
For the Love of Books 