She came fluttering into my personal space, squealing like she’d made the best thrift store find in a decade.“I’m so glad to meet you! I have the perfect man for you! He’s right over there, see? And very handsome, I must say.“But you know the best part about him?” she added. “His parents are ... read more
Book Lists
How to Find the Connection You Crave in Your Friendships
It’s embarrassing to admit it but somehow I have reached my mid thirties and still am not exactly sure how to crack the code of creating authentic, especially local, friendships. No matter how I try, I feel perpetually floundering when it comes to making friends as an adult. Even though my ... read more
12+ Historical Novels to Fascinate Every Age
As a historical fiction author, I'm often asked what gems of the genre I recommend. I love being asked for book suggestions, but I always follow up with a few questions first because there are so many facets (and sub-genres) to historical fiction! Here are my questions and answers, and most ... read more
when fear and anxiety produce tunnel vision
I like to imagine myself in a Jane Austen novel--engaging in witty banter with a handsome member of the landed gentry, whirling around a ballroom into the wee hours of the morning and taking trips to Bath. But if I’m honest, I find myself identifying less with an Austen heroine and more with one of ... read more
25 Classic Stories that Have Delighted Generations
I looked around the table when we were last at my parents’ and realized four generations were talking about books. My sister-in-law and my daughter were discussing the Redwall series (they’re both ardent fans, the younger thanks to the older’s introduction). My parents were telling us about a new ... read more
Audiobooks That Touch the Heart
When I was a little girl and my dog was hit by a car and had to go to the veterinarian, I turned on my favorite Your Story Hour tape about Clara Barton. My mom questioned my choice, but it was somehow comforting to me about listening to the story of a Civil War nurse while my dog was undergoing ... read more
Ultimate List of Free Kindle Books for Christian Readers
How does a booklover pack for an extended out of state trip without going over the weight limit or leaving her beloved stack of books behind?I’m the girl who never left the house--even for a grocery run--without a book in my bag. Packing for my first long trip posed a unique challenge. When it ... read more
6 Books to Grow Your Faith
“That is a good book it seems to me, which is opened with expectation and closed with profit.” (Louisa May Alcott) Did you ever sit on a phone book as a kid? Maybe you were too short to reach the table at grandma's house and the latest, hefty edition of The Yellow Pages was commissioned as a sort ... read more
5 Books Every Storyteller Needs to Read
She comes up to me at church almost every Sunday, notebook in hand. "I have a new chapter for you to read!" I eagerly flip through the pages right then and there to discover what new sentences await in the story she's penning. She's half my age and reminds me of who I was in middle school: a ... read more
The Easiest Way to Build Traditions at Christmastime
It was the December I was ten years old. A family friend dropped the third volume of Christmas In My Heart in my lap a few days before Christmas.I read it through three times that Christmas. And every year since, no matter what the weather is like or who I’m celebrating the season with, those ... read more
