God's Hostage: A True Story of Persecution, Imprisonment, and Perseverance by Andrew BrunsonMy rating: 5 of 5 starsWhen Andrew Brunson and his wife answered a request to come to the police station in Izmir Turkey on October 7, 2016, Andrew didn’t realize that he wouldn’t see the inside of his home again for almost two… Continue reading God’s Hostage – review
If you’ve ever taken a Beth Moore Bible study you’ll know she comes across as confident, articulate, funny, beautiful, and passionate about the Bible. You might imagine she’s lived a charmed and trouble-free life, removed from the cares of us ordinary women. But you’d be wrong. In her 2023 memoir All My Knotted-up Life, Moore… Continue reading All My Knotted-up Life – review
It was a thrill to hear, yesterday, that Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was found in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. If you’re interested in the story of the exploratory expedition to Antarctica, during which the Endurance was crushed by sea ice and sank, I recommend Shackleton’s riveting book South. I read and reviewed it in 2020.… Continue reading South: The story of Shackleton’s 1914-1917 Expedition – Review (repost)
It’s All About Love: Confessions of a Caregiver by John Murray My rating: 5 of 5 starsWhen John Murray’s wife Rita was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease just over 13 years ago, it wasn’t a big deal to them. However, in the years following, the disease has impacted the life of this senior couple in increasing… Continue reading It’s All About Love – review
Image from Pixabay A request to beta-read an as-yet-unpublished novel recently brought to mind again the challenges of writing a novel-length story. Two books that were a lifeline for me when I was writing my two Bible fiction novels were How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson and The 12… Continue reading Help for novel construction
Powerful Thinking by Joyce Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn Powerful Thinking, popular Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer challenges readers to take a deep look at twelve mindsets. Each mindset titles a chapter and is expressed as an affirmation (e.g. ”Mindset One: Because I Am in Christ I Can Do Everything I Need… Continue reading Powerful Thinking – review
The Watercolor Flower Artist's Bible: An Essential Reference for the Practicing Artist by Claire Waite Brown My rating: 5 of 5 starsMy newest art book is the gorgeous Watercolor Flower Artist’s Bible: An Essential Reference for the Practicing Artist, edited by Claire Waite Brown.This is quite a comprehensive volume. It starts out with a section… Continue reading The Watercolor Flower Artist’s Bible – Review
Created to Thrive: An Artist’s Guide To Living In Divine Abundance by Matt Tommey My rating: 5 of 5 starsA few weeks ago I took part in a three-session masterclass hosted by artist and mentor to artists Matt Tommey. The class was called “Artist Mindset Makeover.” In it, Tommey stated that one’s mindset is the… Continue reading Created to Thrive – review
The Minister's Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Forgiveness, and More by Karen StillerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I first discovered this book when I attended a webinar on writing spiritual memoir hosted by an Ottawa writing group, where the author, Karen Stiller, was the presenter. I was intrigued. Watching a later… Continue reading The Minister’s Wife – review
Everyday Watercolor Flowers – A modern guide to painting blooms, leaves and stems by Jenna Rainey © 2019. One of my favourite art teachers, particularly of watercolor, is Jenna Rainey. A couple of years ago, her book Everyday Watercolor introduced me to the wonderful medium of watercolor (reviewed here). Her newest book Everyday Watercolor Flowers… Continue reading Everyday Watercolor Flowers – review
Violet Nesdoly 