Why We're Not Emergent by Kevin DeYoung My rating: 5 of 5 stars A few weeks ago I agreed to read a soon-to-be-released book about children’s ministry with a view to reviewing it for a print magazine I write for from time to time. Silly me, I didn’t check out the authors or do any… Continue reading Why We’re Not Emergent (review)
Ocean Neighbourhood Cuttlefish, Brittle Star, Bull Shark and Conch Blowfish and Electric Eels Grey Whales and Dogfish Sharks, Gastropods, Clams Jellyfish, Orcas and Seals Purple Sea Urchins, Sand Dollars and Squid Octopus, Tuna and Sponge Walrus and Angelfish, Right Whales and Blue Nurse Sharks and Makos that lunge Sea horses, Corals, Crustaceans and Krill Man-of-War,… Continue reading Ocean Neighbourhood
Last week we traveled through rural Alberta, past blonde fields of silken wheat and barley, and beside harvesters laying down bulky swaths of hay for the balers. Back home in farmers' markets, colourful mounds of cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers, and corn tempt us gardenless city folk. September is the month of harvest! The Bible is… Continue reading September prompt: harvest
Made to Last by Melissa Tagg My rating: 4 of 5 stars Miranda (Randi) Woodruff is the star of the handy-girl show From the Ground Up in Melissa Tagg's debut contemporary Christian romance Made to Last. Though Randi is a celebrity of the how-to world, she's managed to keep her private life private—sort of. But… Continue reading Made to Last (review)
Bright Scarves of Hours by Diane Tucker My rating: 5 of 5 stars Nothing is wasted on Diane Tucker. From the lyrics of an Arlo Guthrie song to a dull November day, a wait for the bus to the sounds of someone bathing in the next room—it’s all poem material, and woven into her Bright… Continue reading Bright Scarves of Hours (review)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars I don’t remember who recommended The Hunger Games to me but I downloaded it—probably for free—on my Kindle a while ago. When I found that none of my unread Christian novels on the same device were appealing (after awhile they all start out… Continue reading The Hunger Games (review)
The 3 Js by Beverly Boissery My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thirteen-year-old Jenn North is dreading Grade nine because it’s such an in-between and boring year. But even before school begins things start to liven up—though not in entirely good ways. Her dad’s law practice takes him to Toronto, he and mom aren’t getting… Continue reading The 3 Js (review)
Stephen Kennedy tells me about his newly published collection of poems at breakfast Friday morning of the Write! Canada conference (Guelph, Ontario, mid-June). He looks pleased as he talks about the hand-pressed covers and individually assembled and tied books. As soon as I get home, I order one. I love chapbooks—especially when I know the… Continue reading Humble Fare (review)
Here in the Lower Mainland of B.C. we haven't had a drop of rain for all of July. This is a record for the first calendar month ever without any rain recorded at the Vancouver weather station! By now lawns that aren't watered are looking brown and thirsty. Forest fires are a very real threat… Continue reading August prompt: rain
A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner My rating: 4 of 5 stars Elizabeth Landis makes the decision to become a Christian on a Sunday just hours before she discovers her husband is having an affair. Jamie Langston Turner’s novel A Garden to Keep is the story of the next four months. It is… Continue reading A Garden to Keep (review)
Violet Nesdoly 