The Christian Bookworm

Three new books for parents

2026-05-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have been given the opportunity to read and review some really great new books this month. I want to speak specifically to parents and other adults in child-supporting roles today, about a nonfiction for you and some picture books for the children you love.

Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me?... This sweet picture book, written by the president of Awana, is such a sweet look at the love of a father and the even greater love of our heavenly father. I found it very touching and enjoyed thr illustrations, too. This will make for a perfect Father's day read.

-Every Heart... This rhyming picture book, a good follow-up to Every Neighbor, has such a lovely message. The takeaway is that God has put a unique heart into each of us and we all have a purpose, our own beautiful gifts to share. I look forward to reading this one to my youngest again and again 🥰

This on releases August 4th.

Raising Gen Alpha... This was such a fantastic read! I am Raising FOUR gen alphas and I think all the time about this very strange world that's become so foreign to me, about how to prepare them for things I don't even understand yet. This was a very helpful and very inspiring book I've been talking about and recommending to so many of the moms I know and love!

* I received a free copy of each of these books in exchange for an honest review.

Christian books for 5th graders

2026-05-18T05:00:00.005-08:00

How cute is this little garden trinket? I spotted it at a Dollar General last month.

Amon's Adventures and Tabitha's Travels (Biblical fiction)... These are Biblical fiction stories about Jesus combined with devotionals. I learned about these from Read Aloud Revival and the recommendation was to just read the story portion so that's what I did.

Baxter Family series (fiction)... This is a five book set and my daughters wish there were more. These are focused on a big family, Told from the perspectives of two of the sisters (Kari and Ashley, for those who are familiar with the adult series).

Danger on the Flying Trapeze (fictionalized biography)... I always enjoy good Circus book so I liked this fictionalized story about DL Moody.

Devos for Brave Boys / Devos for Brave Girls (nonfiction, devotional)... I previously had a copy of each of these and found that my children enjoyed them quite a bit at this age.

Everybody Always for Kids (nonfiction)... My kids and I love these Bob Goff books and find the stories inspiring and motivating.

Flight of the Fugitives (fictionalized biography)... This is the Gladys Aylward story and we found it interesting and exciting.

Green Ember series (fantasy fiction)... This is a long-standing favorite series for my children, including the three accompanying series (Old Natalia, Archer, and Lost Tales). My younger kids got to start the series early and they love it, too. There's a new addition releasing May 25th and we pre-ordered it :)

Hero Tales (nonfiction)... This is a great collection of short biographies and stories about various Christian heroes and missionaries. I found that several of these caught my attention and led me to seek out a longer book on the person.

Imagine series (Speculative/Biblical fiction)... These are a fun kind of Time travel/Biblical fiction series that really captured my kids' attention.

Ivan series (fiction)... This communist Russia series was on the Good and the Beautiful Book list. I found it interesting but my oldest did not so you'll have to see what you think!

Landon Snow series (fantasy fiction)... This fun, light fantasy involves talking books!

Lena in the Spotlight series (fiction)... This trilogy, about a Girl who is suddenly thrown into the spotlight is a definite favorite for my girls.

Lizzie and the Redcoat (historical fiction)... We listened to the audio version of this one last summer and it really brought the Revolutionary War to life for my girls.

My Name is Tani (nonfiction, memoir)... We all love this memoir about a refugee who came to America and became a fantastic chess player. Some of my kids have read this one multiple times.

The Power of a Praying Kid (nonfiction)... I've read a few Stormie Omaritan books but this is the only kid book. Only one of my children has read this one so far but she was very inspired.

The Seed of Faith (fiction, Christmas)... This Christmas read, which I do think is a better personal read than read-aloud, is short but sweet.

The Shadow and the Promise (fiction)... This is fun... basically, Biblical fiction from the perspective of animals who were there. I think animal lovers will enjoy this one. It's a series but I've only read book 1 so far.

Soul Surfer series (fiction)... this is my girls' favorite of all the Faithgirlz books they've read do far. This is a series that talks about surfing and amputation, just like Bethany Hamilton's real story.

April reads

2026-05-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

April was a good reading month for sure. I keep getting excited about grown-up books and reading/listening to lots but I really need to focus more heavily on middle grade in May. I'll still enjoy adult books too, just not as many.

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: Matthew. I really floundered a bit with this... I wanted to take an old testament break and get into Matthew but I also hated that my Bible study notes wouldn't be going in order. I actually flitted back and forth for a week before settling into Matthew.

📖 26 Below (Christian, fiction, suspense)... This was a fast-paced, Alaska-set story about what I would call cyber terrorism. It was a good story but I don't think I'll probably read the next two in the series as they start over with different characters.
📖 The All-American (Christian, historical fiction)... I Really enjoyed this baseball-themed coming-pf-age story and added it to our high school list!
📖 All She Ever Wanted (Christian, fiction, time slip)... This family story is heavy in nature and heavy on the sin + consequences. I recognize it would be too depressing for most people but oh my goodness, it was a 5-star read for me!
📖 Chasing the Horizon (Christian, historical fiction)... This is the first Oregon trail story I've read in a long time despite it being such a source of fascination for me for so many years in my childhood. I did enjoy it for the most part but I don't currently intend to continue the series.
📖 Digital Minimalism (Secular, nonfiction)... Loved this great book! Anyone who wants to get more done in a day should read it. It wasn't lost on me that I was listening to the audio version on my phone 😅

📖 Long Way Gone (Christian, fiction)... This Prodigal son retelling was a good, very emotionally moving book. My one problem with the audio version was that it usually took me a few seconds to figure out if we were in the past or present storyline. I always prefer single timeline audio books if I can help it.

📖 Rescue at the Reef (Christian, nonfiction, memoir)... Whew, this was a hard but good/inspiring read by the parents of a young boy who was attacked by a shark but showed remarkable faith.
📖 Restoration series # 3 True Light and #4 Dawn's Light (Christian, fiction, Speculative)... I finished the series. Book 4 involves a child's brutal attack and was very, very hard on me. I was sorrowful from about halfway through it through the end + after. I don't see myself being up for suspense anymore for a while. If you recall, I found this series on a list great for Christian teens but I am absolutely not going to give it to my kids or recommend it for others.

📖 The Wonder of You (Christian, fiction)... This is book 5 in the Christiansen Family books, this one about the youngest daughter Amelia. I think I was less excited about this storyline than any others but I did still enjoy it. I am always bothered by a story about dating two people at once (Amelia) but I am invested in this series + wanted to see how things would play out for a different sibling couple as well as orphaned Yulia. I am looking forward to the next one!

📚 Plus applicable sections of Mom Heart Moments and The Wonder Weeks

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS...

📖 The Blue Door (Christian, YA, fiction)... This is the first book in a series about angels. It felt a little more feminine than I think my oldest will really get into but I guess we'll see!
📖 Catherine's War (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, graphic novel)... This WWII graphic novel was a recommendation by Gretchen Louise. It says "Load of B.S." early on but was a good story I enjoyed.
📖 The City of Ember (secular, fiction, dystopian)... This dystopian middle grade novel was recommended to me by another mom at a birthday party! I agree with her assessment that it was clean. I didn't find it super compelling but I think my oldest will enjoy it.
📖 Emmaline and the Bunny (secular, fiction)... This is cute, nothing super deep but a fun read with sweet bunny illustrations my daughter enjoyed.
📖 Glimmer & Shine: 365 Devotions to Inspire (Christian, middle grade, nonfiction)... My girls loved the Glimmer Girls series and were very excited for this devotional, too.
📖 Isabel: My Journal (secular, middle grade, fiction)... Last month I read the 1999 American Girl journal of Nicki and this month I read her twin sister's journal. It was the same story from a different perspective and I found it appropriate + nostalgically fun.

📖 A Nest for Celeste (secular, middle grade, fiction)... This was a cute read for nature lovers but there were a few things sensitive kids may struggle with. Audubon repeatedly killing birds so he could illustrate them, for example.

📖 Parable Port #1: The Sower's Secret (Christian, fiction)... This one is inspired by the parable of the sower and I really liked it. I added it to our sixth grade list and look forward to trying book 2.

📖 The Puffin Keeper (secular, middle grade, fiction, TGTB book list)... I liked this one and thought the illustrations and story paired together wonderfully. I expect one of my kids to love this story and the rest to just like it okay.

📖 Ratscalibur (secular, middle grade, fantasy fiction)... This was a cute little animal version of the story of King Arthur. Squirrelin instead or Merlin, a sport in the scone instead of sword in the stone, etc. I am guessing all four of my oldest kids will enjoy it.

📖 Tambika and the Shield of Wisdom (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This is the second Lightgliders Origin installment and I think I liked it even more than the first! I look forward to seeing what my oldest thinks.

📖 Yours Forever (Christian, YA, fiction, Christy Miller #3)... These Christy Miller books are so compulsively readable! I read something about Christy being a great role model for teens and decided to give it one more chance. I could see a good shift in her in this book and have decided to keep going with the series.

YouTube: And so it begins...

2026-05-10T15:57:00.003-08:00

Graphic Novels for Christians

2026-05-08T05:00:00.044-08:00

I've had this on my list of book list ideas for years but getting a chance to check out Dominion and Radio Free Amerika this month helped me finally go for it. Graphic novels have become quite a hit at my house. We are book people and will always prefer long novels with sweeping passages or vivid descriptions that transport us to the story. But we're also artistic people and the occasional art-filled graphic novel entices us, too.

These are the Christian graphic novels we've loved so far- hopefully with lots more to come! Fantasy is still the main favorite over here (much to my chagrin) so you'll see a lot of that.

The Action Bible... We'll always prefer the actual Bible, of course, but it is so fun to see a visual version of a story after or alongside the written word.

*Dominion, volume 1 and volume 2... This space agey graphic novel set, which was beautifully illustrated, was a pretty cool anthropomorphic retelling of Saul. I was curious to see how such an ancient story would play out in this setting but I felt it worked quite well. The illustrations were often stunning to look at. I love to draw but I am not skilled with realistic features so these really caught my attention. I know my oldest will absolutely love these books but one of my daughters is obsessed with big cats and will likely love it, too.

Epic Bible and devotional... We'll always prefer the actual Bible, of course, but it is so fun to see a visual version of a story after or alongside the written word. In this case, there's also an accompanying devotional my oldest really liked.

Faithful Spy... This is a fantastic biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his involvement in WWII. We are always checking to see if there are any new John Hendrix novels!

The Harbinger... This one is also a novel and a documentary, both which have been enjoyed around here. This one would be most interesting to teens and adults.

The Hiding Place... I really want everyone to read Corrie ten Boom's powerful WWII memoir before enjoying the graphic novel version... which really is great!

Hinds Feet on High Places... This beautifully illustrated version of the allegory classic isn't a true graphic novel I'm the comic style sense but I'm including it anyway!

The Hobbit... This illustrated version of the Tolkien classic is absolutely lovely!

Kingstone Bible trilogy... We'll always prefer the actual Bible, of course, but it is so fun to see a visual version of a story after or alongside the written word.

Mythmakers... Another hit by John Hendrix! This one is about CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

*Radio Free Amerika... This dystopian graphic novel was such a good one! My oldest child and I both love dystopian fiction and this did not disappoint. It does contain the tension and battle that most dystopian stories contain, FYI, so in our family this is a book for teens, not younger kids.

Raising Dragons... This is the graphic novel version of a Bryan Davis story that my oldest loved.

Sleuth Family Robinson... Fans of detectives and spies will enjoy this one. I really appreciated the family dynamics in this one.

A Wrinkle in Time... I only recommend the first two books in this series. The graphic novel version of the first one is a hit over here.

Clean secular graphic novels we've enjoyed: Anne of Green Gables // Kindred Dragons // Lightfall, Books 1-3 // The Secret Garden // Snow and Rose // When Stars Are Scattered // White Bird

* I received free copies of the Dominion graphic novels and Radio Free Amerika in exchange for an Honest review.

Analog Bag

2026-05-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

I do not have Tiktok, Instagram, or other social media platforms so forgive my ignorance here but I just learned about the concept of the analog bag.

I love the idea. Yes, less screen time! You all know I've been an advocate for this for years! I also love that I have basically already had this since I was a small child- mine is just a stack on my nightstand rather than a tote bag.

I love, love, love to work through "my stack" at bedtime, and sometimes at naptime if my toddler is still asleep when I'm done grading that day's schoolwork.

Currently in my stack:
- Journal
- Planner
- Letter to respond to, plus colored pencils because I enjoy decorating the envelopes
- Notebooks in which I'm writing stories for my children
- current reads (too many right now... Bible // Mom Heart Moments // Hidden Mysteries and the Bible // Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World // Raising Gen Alpha // The Wings of Poppy Pendleton // whatever kid book I'm checking at the moment
- dress to mend + dress to alter

- New phone I'm prepping as a mock dumb phone using this tutorial

In the past:
- loom-knitting projects
- sewing projects
- photo projects
- home decor crafts
- magazines
- handmade holiday gifts
- homeschool lesson prep work
- coloring devotionals
- scrapbook

I also love to paint... but definitely not in my bed.

Things I've discovered are not for me:
- puzzles
- Rubiks cube
- precise sticker projects
- jewelry making

Kalispell, Montana

2026-05-04T05:00:00.002-08:00

We recently enjoyed a very fun adventure in Kalispell, Montana.

We went to three bookstores on this trip: Good Girls, The Bookshelf, and Barnes & Noble.

Good Girls Bookshop, a romance-specific bookstore, had a fun indie bookstore vibe but wasn't really the store for me (no Christian section, no children's section, and romance isn't my thing anyway) or most of my rreaders. There was also a lot of usage of the word slut all throughout the store, primarily as Book Slut, which was a bummer since I had my girls in tow.

The Bookshelf was a truly delightful indie used bookstore with a great Christian section, a great children's section, and a very kind, friendly, helpful woman manning the counter. (I didn't ask if she was the owner or not).

Barnes & Noble is probably boring for most of you but we don't have one in our general area, plus this is a newer one with a completely different esthetic so we found it fun. We are just a bookstore kind of people and love checking them out. I had mixed feelings about the new B&N style. The clean white lines are very appealing in some ways but I also feel it was missing the warmth and charm of the old style. I didnt feel nearly as much desire to stay all day and browse, browse, browse.

Non-bookstore things we enjoyed:

- The views! 😍

- Downtown

- Kalispell Thrift

- Smith's (a Kroger grocery store)

- Hobby Lobby

- Natural Grocers + Target because, again, we live rural and don't have these in our county or even the next county over and bigger town travels almost always include errands for us.

This was a fun, family-friendly trip and we definitely plan to return!

I was in the middle of a Christiansen family book on this trip so didn't actually read any Montana stories but Montana books we've previously enjoyed: All That Fills Us (adult, Christian fiction, trigger warnings) // The Alliance (adult, Christian fiction, trigger warnings) // Bear Dogs (secular, picture book, nonfiction) // Goodnight Montana (secular, board book) // I Survived: Night of the Grizzlies ( secular, chapter book, fiction)

Bookish links: May 2026

2026-05-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Spotted the above Eric Carle puzzle at a Walmart

May new releases I'm excited about- All That Glows // Brewed Awakening // A Chance for Kallie Mae // The Deep End of Love // The Inklings Detective Agency // Miss Beth Bettencourt // These Empty Places

My personal recommendations for Asian American & Pacific Islander Month- part 1, part 2

Look at this Anne of Green Gables birthday party!

Bookish loose leaf tea infusers- 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Rediscovering the classics through faith

I am tempted by all these beautiful book fabrics to sew 97,534 things!

I have been alternating between audio books and YouTube videos during my afternoon grading sessions. A few bookish YouTube videos I enjoyed last month: Faith's book tour // Oceana's 5-star Christian romance reads // Books Katie loves // 7 Christian books that will strengthen your faith

Love this Kindle cover

What a fun Narnia movie night!

16 novels with heroines who uncovered secrets

How sweet is this little Grandma reading knickknack? (Amy, you'll need this! :D)

Club31's Mother's Day reading guide

I have no good reason to purchase this bookish washi tape. 50% of me is frugal and sees no reason but 50% of me is coming up with all kinds of projects.

Tyndale's creation books

2026 Christian Book Award winners

This isn't Christian book-specific but Lynn recently shared an all-mystery bookstore, Murder by the Book

I recently saw a few Beatrix Potter designs from a modest fashion influencer and had fun delighting in the Fabled website- Peter Rabbit reading earrings // Cottontail necklace // this pin I'd wear every mother's day // Peter Rabbit necklace

7 charming summer romances

What are your thoughts on remote page turners for e-readers? I feel like, "Wow, how convenient. But have we really fallen so far, that gently swiping is too much for us and we're convinced we simply MUST purchase just one more piece of electronic plastic to help us move less? But also, wow, how convenient!"

Tyndale Kids summer preview

Non-book favorites this month: long walks // this song // my current writing project // being home as much as possible after being out/traveling so much in March and April // watercolor painting // The board game Spy Alley with my loves // finally fully catching up our family Christmas scrapbook!! // Writing and coloring creative letters to my cousin (Amanda, whose stories are in Blessed by Birth) who is recovering in the hospital and could use your prayer!

Christian fiction about writers

2026-04-27T05:00:00.022-08:00

✒️The All American (historical fiction)... The protagonistsin this delightful coming-of-age story are Bertha and Flossie, and the writer is their father. We see his writing life through their eyes which I thought was great!

✒️Catching the Wind (historical fiction, time slip)... This WWII novel features a journalist attempting to reunite a brother and sister who Were separated during the Holocaust.

✒️The Christmas Book Flood (historical fiction, Christmas)... This was a great WWII Christmas story about the start of the Icelandic book Flood tradition and a new author protagonist.

✒️Dear Mr Knightley (general fiction, epistolary)... This is a retelling of the classic Daddy Long Legs, about a journalism major writing letters to her anonymous benefactor.

✒️Even Now (romance)... This is a lost Loves romance story in which one of our protagonists is a journalist/war correspondent.

✒️Ladies of the Lake (historical fiction, time slip)... I adore this wonderful book! Our main character is a writer who is mentored by LM Montgomery... delightful!

✒️Meet Me in the Margins (romance)... I'm not much of a romance fan but this was a lot of fun. Our MC is writing a secret fiction novel and quickly hides at her serious, literary publishing house workplace only to find it covered in anonymous editing notes. Then, she starts falling for her anonymous editor and things get a bit complicated.

✒️The Perfect Rom-Com (romance)... Bryony is a ghost writer wanting to write her own stories and dealing with complicatedfeelings for her literary agent, Jack, along the way.

✒️Plot Twist (romance)... Olivia is a greeting card writer attempting to become a screenwriter in this one but it's the unique structure I enjoyed. We just revisit the same one day of each year for about ten years. I really surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this rom-com.

✒️The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck (romance)... I always think of Shoshanna Gabriel when I think about this one. Sarah Hollenbeck is famous for her steamy, spicy, open-door romance novels... and then she becomes a Christian. And falls for her new pastor.

✒️Shadows of Swanford Abbey (historical fiction)... This is such a delightful historical fiction murder mystery. Our main character is not actually the writer herself but I really enjoyed the story and felt it deserved a spot here.

✒️Shaped by the Waves (general fiction)... Christina Suzann Nelson is a favorite of mine and I thought this one was fantastic but debated adding it to the list. Our main character is not the writer and is actually receiving portions of an anonymous manuscript throughout the book.

✒️The Summer of Yes (romance)... Kelsey sets off on a road trip in hopes of writing the exclusive biography of a dying celebrity... but of course hijinks ensue.

✒️Truth Stained Lies (suspense)... Our writer in this suspense thriller is actually a true crime blogger! This one is not a cute cozy mystery but a true suspense- beware.

✒️When Twilight Breaks (historical fiction)... How could we not have a WWII war correspondent on the list?! Here it is, a delightful tale by Sarah Sundin with a delightful cover, too. Our female protagonist is the journalist. The male protagonist is not a writer but he's a linguistics academic so this is good for that Light academia feel.

✒️The Words We Lost (romance)... I loved this book so much, about a eoman who has struggled with reading (her job!) since the death of her writer best friend. There's so much depth and richness in this one I'd like to re-read. I also loved the sequel, The Roads We Follow, and plan to read the third.

Great Christian books for 4th graders

2026-04-20T05:00:00.079-08:00

📚Adventures of Lily Lapp (fiction)... My little Amish fiction fan and I have read the first two books in this series so far and she's definitely looking forward to the next one. This one will probably appeal most to girls.
📘Concord Cunningham: The Scripture Sleuth (fiction)... I was surprised by how much one of my kids loved this one, I guess because I expected it to be too dated.
📔Decisions, Decisions (nonfiction)... This is kind if like choose your own adventure meets devotional, but with very obvious consequences for the wrong choice. Some of my kids found this one to be very fun.
📗The Drummer Boy (fiction, Christmas)... We loved this short dystopian Christmas story, in a place where the name of Jesus is never spoken.
📘Everyone a Child Should Know (nonfiction)... We loved this book of short, mini biographies of people important to Christian history. We read this in our homeschool morning time years ago, just one short biography at a time, and all loved it!
📕Fiasco in Florida (fiction)... This time travel adventure story was the first in a series but I haven't gotten to the next one yet.
📚Glimmer Girls series (fiction)... This one is definitely girly, but it's a favorite for my girls. I Really appreciate the depth involved (especially in book 4) and the sisters working through struggles with each other.
📚Imagine series (fiction)... This is a Biblical fiction time travel adventure situation my kids really liked.
📚In Grandma's Attic series (fiction)... I wondered if this one would be too preachy but my daughter's really loved it and one has read this series multiple times. This is another that will likely appeal most to girls.
📘Indescribable (nonfiction)... We loved this devotional full of science and nature facts tied into scripture and thoughts on the Christian life. This was an excellent way to start homeschool mornings for a while and we loved the sequel and atlas book, too.
📔Love Does for Kids (nonfiction)... Bob Goff is a fantastic storyteller and this was a fantastic book of short little stories inspiring us to love people well.
📕One Wintry Night (fiction, Christmas)... We did this as a Christmas read- aloud a few years back and then I moved it into our fourth grade shelves. This is another good one.
📚Prince Warriors series (fiction)... My kids loved this fantasy series by Priscilla Shirer and all of them have read the series multiple times.
📗The Serpent Slayer (fiction)... I loved this one, another kind of time travel Bible fiction adventure story.
📘Stand-Up Guys (nonfiction)... Mini biographies of inspiring Christian figures- specifically focused on males.

March Reading

2026-04-13T05:00:00.038-08:00

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: Nothing specific other than what I was covering through church, Becoming a Girl of Grace, and my (not finished) morning read, Hidden Mysteries and the Bible.

📖 Always On my Mind (Christian, fiction, book 4 in the Christiansen Family series)... l was really looking forward to this one (so much DRAMA!!) and it did not disappoint!
📖 Make Your Own (secular, nonfiction, cookbook)... We've been looking forward to this cookbook for so long! We are all very happy with it. The first thing we made was chili cheese fries using this cheese sauce and everyone loved it.
📖 Pearl in the Sand (Christian, Biblical fiction)... I read this biblical fiction about Rahab of Jericho with my church book club. I wouldn't have chosen this for myself and didn't like it very much. This is the 4th Biblical fiction book I've tried and it's the 3rd that felt to sexual for a Christian novel! Is that a fluke or is this a thing? Would love your thoughts if you're a Biblical fiction reader.
📖 Relationships 101 (Christian, nonfiction)... My focus this year is love, you know? This short, powerful book gave me a lot of inspiration in this area!
📖 Restoration series: #1 Last Light, #2 Night Light (Christian, fiction)... This EMP aftermath/survival series was on a list of great books for Christian teens so I wanted to give it a try. It is a murder mystery (not super graphic though) and does talk about edgier subjects (teens getting drunk and high, a man selling pornography) but through a Christian lens. I'll finish the series before deciding if I'll give it to my teens someday.

📚 Plus applicable sections of Mom Heart Moments and The Wonder Weeks

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS...

📖 The Blossoming Summer (secular by a Christian author, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this WWII home front family story- a great one for Indigenous Peoples Month, too!
📖 A Boy and a Bear in a Boat (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I read this one because one of my children picked it as their library book. I didn't love it and neither did the kiddo.
📖 The Castle in the Attic (secular, middle grade, fiction)... Not my very favorite but overall fine. Reminds me of a less rude Indian in the Cupboard.
📖 The Children of Willow Farm (secular, middle grade, fiction, The Good and the Beautiful Book list selection)... One of my kids has been excited about this out-of-print pig book for years and my dad finallyfound a copy! The pigs don't come in until pretty far into the book but I still think it'll be a hit.
📖 Freedom Train (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, TGTB book list)... This Harriet Tubman book was a quick skim for me. I appreciated the Faith content.
📖 In 27 Days (secular, YA, fiction)... I did like this creative YA novel but don't plan to add it to our lists. Parents will want to know there's a lot of kissing and a few minor language issues like "BS," the acronym not the full word.
📖 Nicki: My Journal (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I enjoyed this 1999 American Girl story and will try the longer Nicki story, too.
📖 The Scourge (secular, middle grade, Speculative fiction)... I liked this middle grade dystopian/epidemic kinda book. It had the caste system, friendship, and adventure of The Hunger Games but without the violence. There's also a kiss. I'm putting it on our 8th grade list.
📖 The Secret Keepers (secular, middle grade, fiction)... This 15-hour-long audio book is by the author the Mysterious Benedict Society series we love. The first three chapters I was not feeling it but then I loved it to the end and couldn'twait to listenagain! My oldest loved it, too.
📖 Summerhill Secrets #1: Whispers Down the Lane (Christian, YA, Amish fiction)... This was the exact dramatic YA novel I would have loved as a teen. This was intense subject matter (a friend's alcoholic father has been beating her and the teenage MC is trying to figure out how to handle the situationwith integrity) but I felt it was handled well, from a realistic Christian teen perspective. I will try book 2, too.
📖 Who Was Harry Houdini? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... I was glad one of my children chose this library book because I had fun learning about Houdini.

📚 PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom // Eric Carle's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Favorite read this month: Always On My Mind or The Secret Keepers

*I used Amazon Affiliates links in this post. If you make an Amazon purchase I make a small referral commission at no additional cost to you.

Kindred & Co

2026-04-06T05:00:00.049-08:00

We recently went to an event in Post Falls, Idaho and ended the event with a stop in Kindred & Co.

This was such a cool, quirky bookstore! Even the light fixtures were unique and fascinating. I really appreciate that in our sea of blank rectangles these days. There were also a few beautiful workspaces and reading areas I didn't photograph.

There was a pretty standard curation of secular titles but we were happy to see a small faith-based fiction shelf! I even learned about a new book in the Deep Haven series which I plan to continue the Christiansen Family series with! The Fox Family?! You know I love a family saga.

I almost got a peppermint tea in the café but decided I probably shouldn't drink tea before starting the drive back home.

My husband did find the finance section disappointing but we were all quite enchanted by the children's section!

The pirate ship chandelier among cloud lights! The dollhouse bookshelves! Peter Pan, right? 😍

We purcased a lovely new copy of King Arthur, a nonfiction on the history and breeding of dogs, and the first Nancy Drew book... but I was hoping one of my kids would choose this beautiful Peter Pan since the cover was so pretty and the room was so inspiring!

As is the case in so many modern bookstores, we did see a few book covers we didn't love. We didn't see any in the children's section though and I very much appreciated that. Overall it would be a fun visit for most.

Bookish links- April 2026

2026-04-01T05:00:00.079-08:00

April new releases I'm excited about: The Bookshop of 99 Doors // Capable // The Girl Upstairs // The Lost Story of Via Belle // The Lumber Barron's Wife // Raising Gen Alpha // Witness Protection // The secular book Yesteryear sounds so good if reviews tell me it's clean!

7 scintillating Amnesia romances

Why is it so hard to find Christian books for teens?

Things that caught my eye in the Christianbook.com Easter mailer: Women of the Bible cover // Wonder Bible audio player... what a wonderful gift for, say, a not-so-techy grandmother with poor eyesight // this lovely pallet art // Bible memory verse coloring cards

Easy book sleeve sewing tutorial

I'm currently making my way through the Christiansen Family series and then I'll start the accompanying Deep Haven series. I was so excited to see that the later Deep Have books start a new family, the Fox family!

I also want to read the Timeless series.

I always love seeing Amy's books-and-coffee dates with her sister! I need a bookstore date, too.

Where to get free books // Where to buy cheap books

My list of Christian fiction books by year has already grown so much as I've been prioritizing historical fiction in 2026.

Clean rom-com books

Have any of you tried any of these bookish games?

Fantastic graphic novels your children will love

Adorable bookish mugs

Crystal's favorite devotionals and Christian books for women // for teens

The best Biblical fiction according to Goodreads

Janssen's favorite books on home organization

Okay where are you, adults who loved the American Girl Samantha books? They're releasing an adult version in October! Samantha: The Next Chapter. I hope they do this with all my old favorite girls!

This Kindle case is so delightfully spring-y!

Christian fiction exploring sister dynamics

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All That We Carried... This one is a very character-driven novel. We see two sisters (who couldn't be more different) hiking to commemorate their parents' death and working through years of relationship strain together.

The Baxter Family... This series makes it onto nearly every list but that's only because it's such a long drama series that it tackles nearly every topic! There are four sisters in this series and the books mostly cover all kinds of dynamics and dramas but the sisters' relationships with each other do take center stage from time to time.

Bitter and Sweet... This one features a very painful, bitter sister relationship in relation to a family business.

The Heart Between Us... Two sisters on an international adventure, one as she learns to live again post-heart-transplant, one in an attempt to keep her life from falling apart.

House of Secrets... Three sisters, together in their family's summer house, unraveling the events of a serious childhood trauma.

I'll Be Seeing You... In this time slip we see two sisters who love the same boy and the painful decisions made as a result.

The Roads We Follow... This second novel, about a mother and her daughters on a road trip, works just fine as a stand-alone novel. We see sisters supporting each other through hard times, resenting each other for the roles they all live in, hiding things from each other, and of course having a bit of fun, too.

The Spice King... This book's heroine is the primary caregiver for her blind sister, although that isn't the primary focus of the book. I really enjoyed their relationship. We saw quite a bit of it and I would happily have read about it even more.

Things I Never Told You... I heard the author describe her Thatcher Sisters novel as "Little Women gone wrong" and I can see it. The sisters in this one are so dysfunctional!

The Way It Should Be... In this one, one sister takes kinship care custody of her addict sister's children during rehabilitation. There's a lot to unpack in this one, as you can imagine, and I thought it was very well-done.

Name a great (middle grade) book about...

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Art: The Restorationists series (Christian) for fiction, The Mona Lisa Has Vanished (secular) for nonfiction. Both!!

Books: The Edge of Everywhen (Christian)
Cooking: Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids (secular)
Dance: Shadow of His Hand (Christian)
Education: Rosa Takes a Chance (Christian)
Fire: The Angel Tree (one character's family's house just burned down pre-book) (secular)
Grandmother: Life Behind the Wall (Christian)
Home: Key House (Christian)
Influencer: I don't know of any... but I love this subject and will happily take recommendations!
Japanese internment: Sylvia and Aki (secular)
Kidnapping: Vanished (Christian)
Libraries: Lumber Camp Library (secular)
Moving: Best Family Ever (Christian)
New baby: Heartbeat (secular)
Ocean: Iceberg (secular)
Paris: The Family Under the Bridge (secular)
Quilting: Canada Goose Quilt (secular)
Road trip: Road Trip Rescue (Christian)
Sickness: Small Steps (secular)
Theft: Escape at 10,000 Feet (secular)
University:
Vikings: Guts & Glory, Vikings edition (secular)
WWII: Hunger Winter (Christian)
Xenophobia: Echo (secular)
Yellow cover: The Tanglewood 's Secret (Christian)
Zoo: The Elephant in the Garden (secular)

February reads

2026-03-16T05:00:00.064-08:00

Lots of great reads in February! Two fun things- I realized while listening to my audio book on the 14th that I happened to be listening a book called The HEART Between Us on Valentine's Day... then when I later read a physical chapter of Always On my Mind (Didn't finish by the end of February), the chapter turned out to be taking place right before (and then the next chapter ON) Valentine's Day! Fun.

I really ramped up my audio book listening this month so I can get my kids' book lists moving again. I have a love-hate relationship with audio books to be honest. They save me time and help me check lots of kid books, which I love... but I've also always loved quiet and time to think/reflect/be. I don't think I'll utilize them beyond road trips once I'm done building my kids' book lists.

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: Still working through Genesis. Ready for an Old Testament break though, I think.

📖 The Heart Between Us (Christian, contemporary fiction)... This book was not at all what I was expecting because the cover looks so playful. It was so relationship-focused, which you know I love! Sisters, marriage, friends, boss-employee, so much! But I do have to warn that there is a SA focus. One character experienced the abuse off-page, pre-book, but it's reflected on/mentioned multiple times, enough that you can't just skip a few parts. I didn't add this to our high school lists.

📖 Imagine Heaven (Christian, nonfiction)... I always love a good NDE/ Heaven book but wow, this one is an absolute favorite! It particularly had me thinking a lot about my job (everyone's job) to love my neighbor... my family, my actual neighbors, my cashier, the person who cuts me off in traffic, the person who says something rude to me, everyone. I thought so much about this during and after this book. How do I love people who repeatedly reject my attempts? Is it love if they (at least seemingly) don't want it? Love looks like grace, understanding, compassion, forgiveness, engaged listening, the five lobe languages... what else? Anyway, excellent read for me!
📖 Just Once (Christian, historical fiction)... I really enjoyed this love story. For those who have read/watched The Baxters, this is Hank and Irvel's story! It's just fine as a stand-alond for those who aren't already familiar. I didn't add this to our high school lists.

📖 The Spice King (Christian, historical fiction)... I wanted a historical fiction audio book and saw this one available on Libby. I remembered a ton of Christian bookworms loving it a few years ago so decided to try it. Loved it! Foodies will like this one, too. :) I did add it to our high school list but only because some topics interest some of my crew. I don't think it'll appeal to most high schoolers as Gray is 40.

📖 Theo of Golden (secular, fiction)... My church book club normally reads only faith-focused books but this month someone highly recommended this one. It did contain a few curse words, especially the D word quite a few times, but it was a beautiful story I think anyone who can ignore cursing will love. The bookstore in this book is called The Verbivore and I want to go there just for its name 😆

📚 Plus applicable sections of Mom Heart Moments and The Wonder Weeks

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS...

📖 Arabel's Raven (secular middle grade, fiction, The Good and the Beautiful book list)... I don't personally like funny books but some of my kids will really enjoy this one.

📖 Bryce and the Lost Pearl (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I think this will be a hit with my 7th grader and I'll definitely try book 2.
📖 Frindle (secular, middle grade, fiction)... This was cute and I decided to read it aloud to my kids after I finished it. :)
📖 History Mystery Kids: Fiasco in Florida (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... This was fun and not super deep, the first in a time travel series I suspect some of my kids will love. I always appreciate a book with male and female protagonists.
📖 The Homeless Kitten (secular, chapter book, fiction)... This was cute and sweet, very similar to the other books in this series.
📖 Hotel Flamingo (secular, middle grade, fiction, The Good and the Beautiful Booklist)... I read this one because I thought two of my kids would love it, but then once I was reading it I decided they'd just like it. Correct- they like it, but it wasn't the hit I'd initially hoped it would be.
📖 It's Not About Me (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... I really like Max Lucado's books and I liked this one, too.
📖 The Key House (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this Christian fiction about two tween brothers. One of the does mistreat his brother but is given wise council about it and does reflect on the situation. Parents should know that there is a sentence where an adult talks about the importance of helping orphans as Christians and does say (without any graphic details) that many girls who leave orphanages turn to prostitution. We will try book 2.
📖 Marvel at the Moon (Christian, middle grade, nonfiction, devotional)... I don't personally get excited about supace stuff but kids who do will love this devotional. Lots of interesting tidbits mixed into each message.
📖 The Mona Lisa Vanishes (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... This nonfiction about art theft was so good!
📖 Nanny Piggins (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I read this at one of my kids' request. I personally didn't care for it so didn't add it to our book list, but I did allow my daughter to read it.
📖 One Wrong Step (secular, middle grade, historical fiction, The Good and the Beautiful book list )... So good! Mt Everest stories do interest me (especially the yeti kind) but I have thoroughly enjoyed each of Jennifer A Nielsen's riveting historical fiction novels so far.
📖 Polar the Titanic Bear (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... This was such a fun angle, to look at the Titanic through the eyes of a stuffed bear who was brought onto the ship. This feels more like a very long picture book than a middle grade novel and was filled with photos.
📖 Sisterhood of Sleuths (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I tried this one because the author's Book Scavenger trilogy was such a hit in our house. This one was fun (Nancy Drew-themed literary history, friendship, research on a light murder-free mystery) but I do like the Book Scavenger trilogy more.
📖 So You're About to be a Teenager (Christian, middle grade, nonfiction)... I liked this book for 12-year-olds. It does explain the basic mechanics of sex in a very short, simple way. It talks quite a lot about purity but in a way that (I feel) is neither shaming nor condemning. Also peer pressure in other ways. Overall good read.
📖 Sophie Mouse #5: The Maple Festival (secular, chapter book, fiction)... This was cute and sweet, one I'm fine with my second grader reading. We've read the first book in the series too but I think that's the only other one and this is book 5.
📖 Welcome to the Bed and Biscuit (secular, chapter book, fiction)... This one, which I checked for pig purposes, was overall cute. It lands around a 3rd-4th grade reading level.
📖 Winnie Dancing On Her Own (secular, chapter book, fiction)... I tried it for the ballet theme and I liked this friendship book fine for third graders but doubt it'll ever be read by my kiddos.

*We all worked through The Ology, Atlas Adventures, Mushrooms & Fungi for Kids, and Home Ec for Everyone in homeschool (along with our regular subjects). I also worked through Becoming a Girl of Grace with two of my girls.

📚 PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Dozens of Doughnuts // Floss // Richard Scarry's First 100 Words // Stuck // You and Me, Little Bear

Favorite read this month: Imagine Heaven

Name a great (Christian fiction) book about...

2026-03-09T05:00:00.041-08:00

I'm challenging myself to fill it out with no repeats!

Art: Formula of Deception (forensic artist... I'm going to count it!)

Books: Hidden Among the Stars
Cooking: The Divine Proverb of Streusel
Dance: The Italian Ballerina
Education: Moonlight School
Fire: The Lines Between Us
Grandmother: The Lost Manuscript
Home: Bless Your Heart, Rae Sutton
Influencer: All That We Carried
Japanese internment: I haven't read one... but I'd like to!! A secular book I loved was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Kidnapping: Intervention
Libraries: To Love a Beast
Moving: The Prayer Box
New baby: Tending Roses
Ocean: Whose Waves These Are
Paris: Until Leaves Fall in Paris
Quilting: The Hawaiian Quilt
Road trip: The Summer of Yes
Sickness: Over the Edge
Theft: The Light on Halsey Street
University: Dear Mr Knightley
Vikings: The Words We Lost (Admittedly a stretch but they're mentioned by a side character, maybe even more than once!)
WWII: When Twilight Breaks
Xenophobia: Under the Tulip Tree? I don't think this would count but it's the closest I could think of and really is a wonderful book.
Yellow cover: Plot Twist
Zoo: Someone Like You

Let me know if you full this out too, Christian fiction or otherwise :)

Bookish links- March 2026

2026-03-02T05:00:00.060-09:00

March new releases I'm excited about: Lost // Magnitude // Make Your Own cookbook

8 riveting novels to enjoy this spring

I love this sweet reading print!

Christian fiction reading plan, January through June

How to use games in your homeschool

15 easy ways to read more books

Uni the Unicorn pajamas one of my daughters would have loved as a preschooler!

Which is the best book tracking app?

10 transporting historical fiction novels for WWII buffs

A reader lives a thousand lives teacup & saucer

West coast reads to captivate you

Reminder for those of you with little ones in your lives- Dolly Parton sends a free children's book every month for the first five years of life to children in qualifying zipcodes!

I thoroughly enjoyed this England bookstore haul + exploration while cooking a big pot of chili. It was a cloudy winter evening dream come true.

How to place Libby books on hold before they're released

11 second-chance novels that offer a fresh start

You probably know that romance is not my thing but I stumbled upon a Christian romance podcast I thought I'd share in case it's yours!

Romance readers, have you heard of Romance IO for checking on the spice before you start a book?

15 + Christian historical fiction recommendations

Single timeline historical fiction

2026-02-23T05:00:00.033-09:00

Lynn recently shared a great list of historical fiction with only one timeline. I love timeslip novels but I do find them nearly impossible to keep track of in audio format. These are the single-timeline Christian historical fiction novels I have enjoyed over the years. I have limited time before my baby wakes up so I'm going to link to the books and let you read those descriptions rather than trying to type descriptions and running out of time.

For more historical fiction, check out my list of Christian fiction by year.

All Things New... 1865
The Barrister and the Letter of Marque... 1818
The Healer's Apprentice... 1386
The Key to Everything... 1947
A Life Once Dreamed... 1880
The Lines Between Us... 1945
The Merchant's Daughter... 1352
The Moonlight School... 1911
No Ocean Too Wide... 1909
Once Upon a Wardrobe... 1950
A Picture of Hope... 1944
The Promise of Dawn... 1909
The Right Kind of Fool... 1934
Shadows of Swanford Abbey... 1820

The Spice King... 1900
Stories That Bind Us... 1963
To Love a Beast... 1886
Until Leaves Fall in Paris... 1940
When the Meadow Blooms... 1925
When Twilight Breaks... 1938
The White City... 1893

January reads

2026-02-16T05:00:00.001-09:00

New year, new reading priorities and plans!

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bible study: Genesis! Starting over, working through book by book unless I see the need to move in a different direction.

📖 Following Jesus (Christian, nonfiction)... Wow, what a book! I expected to feel like, 'Eh, not bad.' Instead it was just full if important little gems. I'm reading and hearing the same thing again and again in 2026... Following Jesus means loving his children. Even they're jerks, even when I'm busy, even when our values don't line up.

📖 Knights Templar (secular, nonfiction, history)... I was curious about this group after seeing them pop up on multiple episodes of Unexplained. I learned a lot and overall enjoyed this one but gosh, what a sad ending the Knights had :'(

📖 Ladies of the Lake (Christian, fiction, time slip)... Amy has been recommending this to me for years because it's set partially in Connecticut and I needed that state for my USA list. I wasn't super interested in the plot so put it off a while but WOW, did I love this book! Especially at some point when I went 'Wait, WHAT? Now I want to read this all over again with this in mind!' Amy, THANK YOU for such a fantastic recommendation!

I also finally watched The Baxters with my husband! There were a few differences from the books but overall I liked all three seasons and would watch more if they put out more. He of course didn't adore the show but he did like it fine and would watch more seasons with me.

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS...

📖 Babe the Gallant Pig (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I wasn't a fan of this one but I'm fine with my pig-loving daughter reading it. FYI, lots of stupid and idiot usage in this one.
📖 Beauty (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling, great for middle schoolers.
📖 Dolphin Tale (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I liked this movie years ago and I'm fine with this book adaptation.
📖 Kindred Dragons (secular, middle grade, graphic novel, fantasy)... This was also an Amy recommendation and I loved it so much! Anne of Green Gables with dragons, very fun.
📖 Mindwar (Christian, YA, Speculative fiction)... This was a very thrilling, fast-paced YA novel partially set in virtual reality. It's not my style but it still kept my attention and I know my son will love it in a few years.
📖 Thoughts for Young Men (Christian, YA, nonfiction)... This was full of valuable wisdom for young men to keep their faith strong but it was definitely a bit intense at times. Probably ideal for 9th ish grade.
📖 Time for Courage (Christian, middle grade, historical fiction)... Loved this sequel to a favorite (Hunger Winter) and so did my middle schooler! But we both almost always love WWII fiction.
📖 Top Secret Files: World War I (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Again my middle schooler and I both loved this one! We both know a lot about WWII but neither of us knows a ton about WWI so this one was very informative for us.
📖 The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp (secular, middle grade, fiction)... I listened to this while very distracted. I didn't catch anything that concerned me (an adult drank brandy and I believe I heard the word stupid 3x, if those are a firm no for you) but my middle schooler plans to read it and let me know if I missed anything.
📖 Understanding Screen Addiction (secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... Good, quick, informative read that isn't anti-technology and offers a balanced view while presenting the facts.

*We all worked through The Ology, Atlas Adventures, and Home Ec for Everyone in homeschool (along with our regular subjects).

📚 PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: Baby Animals (my baby's current favorite... we probably each read this one 30-50 times this month! // Every Neighbor // The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts // Mama and Baby (my baby's second favorite) // Pigs to the Rescue // Red Truck

Favorite read this month: Ladies of the Lake!

Bookish links- February 2026

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February new releases I'm excited about: Mists Over the Channel Islands // Oscar and the Mystery of the Glowing Orbs

My Black History Month recs and Valentines Day picture book recs

Valentines Day gifts from Christianbook.com

Bookish art for over your bathtub: Elegant Woman // Winnie the Pooh // Bubble Bath // // Cat Reading Book in Bathtub // Woman Reading in Jungle Tub // Cozy Cat // Cute Rabbit in a Bathtub // Reading Girl in Bathtub // Home Alone postcard

4 books to read for motherhood

Raggedy Ann book + doll

Ooooh, speaking my language- 34 novels with family dramas and hopeful Christian themes

My husband and I can very much relate about these Biblical lineage lists. 😂 We're aware that they're important. Still, sigh.

I know some of you adore Francine Rivers so maybe you'd like this FR book club.

The books children read matter!

I'm so interested in this book, Embodied Holiness! I have so many big, spiritually motivated reasons for healthy eating and I know this book will probably fascinate me and make me think!

Love this shirt! Every good story whispers His name

This blog is so cool- The Bible Cookbook! (Daniel's Veggie Platter and Jacob's Red Lentil Birthright Stew very much appeal to me)

9 novels with strong female characters

This Paddington Bear tea set is so adorable!

Have you ever read books via Open Library? I never knew about it before last week!

Loved Courtney Walsh's thoughts on you not liking her books.

This is a lovely image for a lovely Charles Spurgeon quote!

15 Christian historical fiction recommendations

5 Fascinating New Releases for February

2026-01-23T05:00:00.001-09:00

I was given five new releases from David C Cook this month and I'm pretty excited about them! If you check these out I'd love to know what you think!

📖 Even If (Christian, nonfiction, memoir)... I enjoyed I Can Only Imagine but I liked Even If even more, probably because of the family element. As a wife, I also really appreciated Shannon's perspective. I will definitely watch the upcoming movie!

📖 Every Neighbor: Greeting Everyone With God's Love (Christian, picture book, nonfiction)... This picture book is a fun look at God's children all over the globe (learning to say hello in various languages was of course fun) that combines world culture with a gentle reminder of the call to love our neighbor. We'll re-read this one often, I'm sure!

📖 Fake ID (Christian, nonfiction)... I've been thinking A LOT over the past few months about technology, especially AI, both as a parent and as a person, and specifically as a Christian. I still have a lot of questions and unknowns but this book came to me at just the right time and has me thinking so much. You should know that gender dysphoria is discussed in the beginning so be aware of that if you'replanningto hand it to your teens.

📖 The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts (Christian, picture book, fiction)... This was a cute picture book to illustrate the concept of monitoring our thought life. It's not my favorite style but it's a good message we'll probably revisit often over the years.

📖 A Journey With Jesus (Christian, nonfiction)... Okay if you've ever wondered about those tours of Biblical places but also had no desire to travel overseas, this one is for you. Bob Goff created a really cool, immersion experience with this one as it also includes videos. I did enjoy quickly working through it on my own for this review but I'm so excited to do this one with my husband and really discuss and dissect it all together!

* I received a free copy of each of these books in exchange for my honest opinion.

5-Star Reads of 2016

2026-01-19T15:39:00.000-09:00

I'm seeing so much 2016 nostalgia online and I thought I'd share my book-specific version.

At the start of 2016 I was pregnant with my third baby, then parenting 3 under 4. I was writing at naptime every day and still blogging for income. I was incredibly busy but still had time to read and write a fair amount, I think because I still used a flip phone! These were my 5-star reads that year.

- Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
- One Born Every Minute by Maria Dore
- Miracles From Heaven by Christy Beam
- Hope Unfolding by Becky Thompson
- The Midwife's Here by Linda Farley
- Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis
- Braving It All by James Campbell
- Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
- The Mother Letters by Amber C Haines
- Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
- Love Unending by Becky Thompson
- Operation Christmas Child by Franklin Graham

Winter activities we love

2026-01-16T05:00:00.001-09:00

I'm starting to hear rumblings from family and friends who are growing weary of winter weather. Winter is my personal favorite so I thought I'd share things we love about it in hopes of helping! (I have to do the same thing for myself in the summer)

- Reading, of course. Bonus points if this includes a favorite blanket and a mug of tea or cocoa
- Bundling up for chilly walks (snow crunching under my boots is one of my favorite sensory experiences) or snowplay
- Soup for every lunch + quite a lot of dinners
- Wearing the coziest hoodies, flannels, sweatshirts, sweaters, and socks!
- Cozy hobbies (puzzles, sewing, knitting, drawing, painting, etc) with music or an audio book in the background
- Board game / movie nights with the people we love
- Baking
- Writing
- Learning about a subject that fascinates us
- Warm baths

December Reading

2026-01-09T13:40:00.000-09:00

This was a great reading month for me, I guess because we were on a school break the whole time.

GROWN-UP READS:

📖 Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale (Christian, historical fiction, 🎄)... I love Amanda Dykes' lovely writing style! This one was very short but it was a good one.
📖 The Christmas Book Flood (Christian, historical fiction, 🎄)... This sweet, bookish Christmas novela was set in WWII Iceland. I enjoyed it- it felt so incredibly cozy!
📖 Evergreen (Christian, fiction, 🎄)... This was book 3.5 in the Christiansen Family series and it was focused on parents John and Ingrid in their first Christmas as empty nesters. It was of course a little sad in some ways but I loved it!
📖 Marley Madison short mysteries 1-3 (Christian, fiction, mystery)... This is Christina Suzann Nelson's new mystery series. The deaths were a bit much but they were not shown on-page. I am more sensitive to suspense these days and probably won't read the next set (but ill still read her main body of work.
📖 Mr. Nicholas (Christian, fiction, 🎄)... This was sweet, about a man kind of getting to know his son with Down Syndrome for the first time- of course duringthe Christmas season. This had some depth and richness to it I really loved. I can see why it was a Christy Award winner!
📖 Tidings of Comfort and Joy (Christian, fiction, 🎄, historical fiction)... I liked this grandmother-grandmother Christmas novela. This was my second Davis Bunn Christmas story and I'll absolutely try more in the future!
📖 Unwrapping the Names of Jesus (Christian, nonfiction, 🎄)... I read this one with my church book club. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was still a good read.

* My mom and I abandoned our buddy read, The Gift of Christmas Present, this year, because of a rape storyline we weren't expecting in a Christmas novela.

📚 Plus applicable sections of The Wonder Weeks

YA & MIDDLE GRADE READS

📖 Arcade and the Triple T Token (Christian, middle grade, fiction)... I didn't expect this book to have so many lovely messages and moments! I enjoyed it and know some of my kids will really enjoy it, too. I'll definitely try book two.
📖 The Case for Heaven (Christian, middle grade, nonfiction)... This was such a great book! I really love books about Heaven and this one was quite moving.
📖 I Saw Three Ships (secular, middle grade, fiction, 🎄)... I've been curious about this one for years because Sarah Clarkson recommends the author for fans of Anne of Green Gables. I did enjoy this very short Christmas read and added it to my kids' shelves.
📖 The Trees Kneel at Christmas (Christian, chapter book)... This was a short, sweet Christmas story by the author of the Betsy Tacy stories.
📖 A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park (secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... This was a great nonfiction, full of details + color photos, and now I hope we can take our kidsto Yellowstone one day soon!
📖 Who Were the Beatles? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction, history)... One of my kids is taking a music appreciation course and is really into music history in general right now. The history of rock n roll gets talked about in this one and we had some great conversation about the various changes in music over the years.

*I also read part of Stella by Starlight as a buddy read with one of my kids and The Angel Tree & Adoration at the Manger as read-alouds all together.

PICTURE BOOKS WE LOVED: God's Animals, my baby's current favorite// The Golden Hour // The Wonderful Book // all of these Christmas picture books

Favorite reads this month: Evergreen and The Case for Heaven