Neighbors
January 5, 2021
Christmas Books of 2020!!
January 1, 2021
One of my favorite things about the Christmas season are the books! The festive stories of old that I reread annually and the new ones I discover with each new year. Once December1st arrives, I'm a nonstop Christmas reading machine. Any, and every, book I pick up will be Christmas themed until the 31st comes. I get excited to curl up with a comfy blanket and a mug of hot chocolate. I can't wait to discover a new story, or revisit one I've loved for years. I have some favorites that I read every year. It's just a magical time of year for me reading wise.
It's Never Too Late
December 1, 2020
When Kathie Lee Gifford stepped down as cohost of the fourth hour of the Today show with Hoda Kotb, you might have thought her best days were behind her. It turns out, she was just getting started. As Kathie Lee says, “I’m not retiring; I’m refiring!”
Taking us from her Chesapeake Bay childhood when she first heard God’s calling, to her skyrocketing fame with Regis, to her decision to leave television for Nashville, Kathie Lee inspires us to pursue what really matters. Because it’s never too late to forgive, to dance the cha-cha, or to make a difference in the world. --bn.com
This book felt like Kathie Lee was sitting down with you and going through photo albums and briefly chatting about each memory. It was fun to read. She was honest and lighthearted. She was vulnerable and humble. She was open about her faith and the times her faith was tested. While she didn't do a bare her sole type of giving you information, she gave you everything you needed to connect with that particular memory.
I've always admired her strength. I may not have followed her life and career very closely, but I was aware of enough to know the woman has seen her share of rough times. I remember her being accused to knowingly running sweatshops. I was also there to see how she responded to the charge. I was aware of it when her husband's adultery, and the plot surrounding it. I was also aware enough to see how she tackled it. Within this book, she walks you through all of this and more. You see how her faith in God helped her keep her course- even when that course was more difficult to stick to than walk away from. You see how she conducted herself behind the scenes, where it truly counted.
It was a pleasure to read this book. I respected her in the days these events happened, and I respect her all the more now. I respect that she was open about the good, bad, heartbreaking, and anger inducing. The truth is, none of us are guaranteed to escape some of the things Kathie Lee faced. Her dignity, poise, and focus on what really matters is something we can all learn from.
Premeditated Mortar
Shannon is raring to get started on the enormous project and is shocked when a group of unruly protesters shows up at the groundbreaking ceremony and wreaks havoc. She’s even more freaked-out when someone pushes her into a pit of bricks in a closed-off room of the asylum. Despite her close call, Shannon wants nothing more than to get back to work . . . until she finds a body not far from where she was pushed. Now Shannon is determined to get to the bottom of the goings-on at the Gables even if it kills her. . . . --bn.com
Finding Quiet
November 9, 2020
The Noel Letters
October 28, 2020
Christmas Ever After
September 29, 2020