Winter Reading Pleasures

Every once in a while I like to indulge in a little me time by spending hours soaking up good books. It’s fun to disappear from the real world and be taken into the world of imagination. And while I love movies, and feel they, too, can take you away for awhile, it’s books that truly feed your mind and cause your brain to “actively” think on its own. While you read the words, your mind has to form visuals of the places, the characters, and the events taking place. I’m always surprised when a book is turned into a movie, to discover how I visualized everything isn’t how the producers visualized the events, the places, or the people.

I Recommend

These Boots Weren’t Made For Walking
By Melody Carlson

These Boots Weren’t Made For Walking isn’t your traditional Christian Chick-lit. It’s filled with laughter, surprises, and lots of drama. Cassie Cantrell purchases a pair of Valentino boots, believing they’ll symbolize the good changes that are taking place in her life. But no sooner does she own the boots, does life start to fall apart. Her raise is lost, job interviews aren’t panning out, her boyfriend’s a jerk, and she ha to move back home—crawling all the way. Does God truly exist amidst all the chaos? Cassie doesn’t think so. But she’s soon to discover that God is there.

On a side note: My niece has chosen to become an atheist. It’s heartbreaking to say the least, but as to not scare her away, I don’t push the issue but try to subtly open her mind up to the possibilities. It’s Christian Chick-lits like these that truly open the door to conversations and new thoughts. She really enjoyed this books, “despite the Christian talk”.

Beloved Castaway
By Kathleen Y’Barbo

Beloved Castaway is about an illegitimate daughter of a white, rich man and his mistress, a quadroon (a mistress who was of mixed blood, part being black). The daughter, Isabelle, was born into slavery and hated every minute of it. Longing for freedom, she accepts a gift from her half sister and heads to England to live in a beautiful cottage. But her journey is not as smooth as she’d like and soon, she finds her herself falling in love with the Captain of her ship—a Godless man. But can their love survive her past and his inability to trust God?

As you begin to read Beloved Castaway, you may find the initial chapters a bit confusing, but hang in there, things get better. The plot can seem a little complex, for a love story, but it’s necessary to get a full understanding of the era and what the characters must go through to finally be able to trust and to love.

Snitch
By Rene Gutteridge

Snitch is about an undercover police rookie by the name of Mackenzie Hazard. Mackenzie just lost her parents in a freak accident and is ready to turn in her “clown” career for something much more rewarding—the life of a police officer. Not quite sure how she got a gig on a task force just out of rookie school, Mackenzie is excited to delve deep into the world of crime.

Snitch is a wonderful book, full of comedic antics as a bunch of misfit cops work together to solve a crime ring involving automobiles. But being a Christian novelist, it is also filled with Christian insight and wisdom, showing that you can live amongst the regular world and still stay true to your faith.

When Morning Comes
By Cindy Woodsmall

When Morning Comes takes place in an Old Order Amish Community. The main character is a young Amish woman by the name of Hannah. She’s had a falling out with her fiancé after the loss of their baby and flees her old, familiar surroundings for something better and thus embarks on an adventure in a foreign land—modern-day America. Her heart is torn between her past and her present. But as she struggles to find solace and new purpose, she discovers a friend that just may not be worth letting go of.

When Morning Comes is filled with inside knowledge of how the Amish people live, think, and believe. It digs deep into their culture, as they shun those who do not live by the rigid rules forced upon them. Unforgiveness, hatred, and shunning cause Hannah to feel unloved and unworthy. But thanks to an Aunt who welcomes her with open arms, Hannah discovers that leaving her Amish home isn’t the end of the world and that God is a loving, forgiving God, after all.

Just Beyond The Clouds
By Karen Kingsbury

Cody Gunner is a professional bull rider who recently lost his wife to cystic fibrosis. Without his wife by his side, his bull riding days are over. He returns home in hopes of finding a new purpose—to help his brother, a victim of Down’s Syndrome move forward with his life. But upon returning home, he discovers that his brother doesn’t need him as much as he thought he would, and Cody has a hard time letting go.

Just Beyond The Clouds is about finding hope and the strength to continue on, even when everything in life keeps telling you it’s time to give up. It’s about understanding that life goes on, and about understanding that even when you don’t think it could possibly get any better, it can. Just Beyond The Clouds is filled with real-life scenarios and can, if you allow it to, minister to your soul.