The Mrs. & the Minister

Kim Vogel Sawyer's Beneath the Prairie Moon is a novel about expecting the unexpected, and about being pleasantly surprised by how good the unexpected can be. Having experience setbacks in life, our main heroine, Miss Abigail Grant (Brantley) have some hard lessons to learn.  Yet as readers, we learn with her.  I love the premise of this not your typical "mail order bride" scenario.  This time, the rugged men of the frontier will learn what it means to "court" and to take on a wife.  Throughout the story, there's a certain way to the author's visualization and words that feels authentic and distinct at the same time.  I enjoyed how many different personalities we've encountered, and also show the internal strength of women.  I'm quite surprised by how much the author is able to put into this story.  Romance, friendship, adventure and a message of God's unique plan for each of us, including matters of the heart. It's a gre...

First, a confession:  My husband and I love The Crown on Netflix!  We sit in bed and watch episodes together, and I'm in withdrawal until the next season is released! So imagine my excitement when I saw The Crown:  The Official Companion , Volume 1.  This book adds rich detail to Queen Elizabeth's story and is a great way for fans like us to tide themselves over until season 2 of the Netflix series premieres in December. Written by the show's historical consultant, royal biographer Robert Lacey, and filled with beautifully reproduced archival photos and show stills, The Crown:  The Official Companion:  Volume 1 adds expert and in-depth detail to the events of the series, painting an intimate portrait of life inside Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.  Here is Elizabeth II as we've never seen her before. Fans of the series and of the Queen and Royal Family need this book! I received a free copy of this book from publisher in exch...

Come as You Aren't: A Role-Playing Game for Adventurous Couples is a simple role-playing kit for couples who want to explore and experiment in ways to seduce one another that they simply wouldn't have imagined otherwise.  The set is meant to offer one partner who draws a Who, a What, and a Where card at random and places them in an envelope for the other partner.  From there, it's up to them to enact the scenarios as they see fit. The instructions are printed on the back cover of the box and the deck comes with a few blank cards for couples to customize. This is a fun little gift for couples -- and just in time for the holidays. I received a free copy of this game from the Blogging for Books review program in exchange for my honest review here.

Alan Jacobs' How to Think:  A Survival Guide for a World at Odds is the right book for the right time.  Jacobs is a good thinker, as any with knowledge of his previous books, many essays, and invaluable blog posts will know.  How to Think is vintage Jacobs -- an incisive, consistently thoughtful work that hits a post-truth, "alternative facts", right-side-of-history American culture right between the eyes.  The worst thing that can be said of it is that it doesn't say quite enough.  Fortunately, How to Think is not directed at any one political polemic or a guidebook for navigating Facebook or Twitter.  Jacobs writes that it's a mistake to assume that human beings are ultimately rational beings whose irrationality cannot be understood.  On the contrary, human nature, and therefore human thinking, is inescapably moral.  We often think and live poorly because we want to. How to Think says we fail to think correctly, fairly, and help...

You are the Beloved: Daily Meditations for Spiritual Living brings together passages from a variety of Henri Nouwen's works to create a 365-day devotional.  Nouwen's later works devoted so much attention to reclaiming the Christian spiritual life of those who are beloved by God.  This collection builds on that notion to bring together some of Nouwen's most important passages from his various works. This is a devotional that should sit next to some other classics. I received a free copy of this game from the Blogging for Books review program in exchange for my honest review here.

Lisa Fain's Queso gives us a collection of recipes for that game day staple.  It brings together some of the most interesting and creative recipes into a fun addition for every kitchen.  Just this last weekend, we hosted another game-day celebration (Go Dawgs!) and I went out on a whim and made one of the recipes from this book.  It was a huge hit!  I love that this cook book breaks down the recipes and ingredients.  It combines flavors that  I never would have thought of combining into Queso before.  Definitely a book to help spice up game day recipes! I received a free copy of this game from the Blogging for Books review program in exchange for my honest review here.

Andrea Raynor's The Alphabet of Grief: Words to Help in Times of Sorrow is an important little book.  And has proven to be an important and timely one in my own personal life.  It's written for those navigating the process of grief.    Written in a warm, pastoral way that combines pastoral excellence with scriptural integrity, Raynor uses each letter of the alphabet to present a systematic way of coping with loss.  The stories are honest, the emotions are raw, and, at the end of it, you will emerge a stronger person because of the hope dispensed by Raynor's writing.     The author does an excellent job of using biblical stories and principles in a way that avoids platitudes, truisms, and other cliches and does not knock them over the reader's head.  I highly recommend this book for pastors and parishioners who are trying to understand mortality in the scope of eternity.    I received a free copy of this game fr...