A Guide to Deep Mid-Winter Reading ⛄ Porch #205

Heart-shaped bookmarks. The Sensible Shoes series. A unique look at hospitality as spiritual practice. John Grisham's latest. And those grab'em quick Kindle deals.

A GRANDDAUGHTER’S BOOKCASE

‘Books - stories in particular - expand our imaginations with materials, images, characters, events, outcomes, possibilities, people, problems, solutions, disasters, delights, and so much more than we’d ever “see” in our minds without them.’
Karen Swallow Prior

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Friends, hello again! It’s the middle of the month and that means we’re all about Literary Chatter.

Simply put, I can’t help but believe that God designed this deep mid-winter season especially for reading. By a roaring fire. Or curled up in a quiet nook. Under a well-worn quilt, of course, some kind of hot drink close by. Maybe a vanilla scented candle glowing bright?

I’m here for all of it.

And I know you are too.

First things first. These heart-shaped leather bookmarks. Right?! 30 of them! Enough for you and everyone you ever met. A limited time deal at less than $8.

Click here now. Thank me later.

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The Sensible Shoes Series: Sensible Shoes / Two Steps Forward / Barefoot / The Extra Mile
Sharon Garlough Brown
’Four Strangers, One Retreat Center, A Story of Transformation’

The exhausted pastor. The driven college student. The lonely widow. The abused wife. This fictional genre-crossing series weaves tender stories of four very different women together with the life saving spiritual formation practices they’ve learned during hard times.

Reaching for book number 3 this week, I’m a huge fan. A perfect Christ-centered book club read. Books are sold separately as well as in a set.

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Becoming a Person of Welcome: The Spiritual Practice of Hospitality
Laura Baghdassarian Murray
’We need our identity and the practice of receiving God’s goodness, love, confidence, and words to be deeply rooted in us. Otherwise, when we offer hospitality, we’ll find our anxiety taking up the air in the room. Our concerns about what people think will lead us to manipulate. We will not allow others to be free because we have not been set free.’

You can cultivate and develop a beautiful posture of welcome as you gain deeper insight into listening, generosity, humility, discernment, and boundaries. This little volume is a needed invitation to expand our rather limited definition of hospitality to more clearly reflect God’s generous, welcoming, caring presence.

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The Widow: A Novel
John Grisham
One of my favorite fiction authors is back with his first who-done-it. A greedy, small town lawyer finds himself accused of the murder of a wealthy, elderly woman and he must work quickly to find the real killer before he spends his life behind bars.

Taut and fast-paced, this is vintage Grisham at his best. You’ll burn the midnight oil on this one. Grisham seldom if ever disappoints.

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KINDLE DEALS!
The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, & Enjoy It Like Never Before
Kendra Adachi $5.99

Ninety Days of God’s Goodness: Daily Reflections That Shine Light on Personal Darkness
Randy Alcorn $4.99

Experiencing Prayer with Jesus: The Power of His Presence & Example
Henry & Norman Blackaby $1.99

The 4 Seasons of Marriage: Secrets to a Lasting Marriage
Gary Chapman $2.99

Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book
Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield $2.99

Made for the Journey: One Missionary’s First Year in the Jungles of Ecuador
Elizabeth Elliot $3.99

How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay & When to Walk Away
Emily Freeman $2.99

Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World
Emily Freeman $3.99

Hope for Each Day - 730 Morning & Evening Devotions: Words of Wisdom & Faith
Billy Graham $1.99

Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection & the Meaning of Easter
Timothy Keller $4.99

Truly, Madly, Deeply: A Novel
Karen Kingsbury $1.99

Waiting for Morning: A Novel
Karen Kingsbury $1.99

Almost Everything: Notes on Hope
Anne Lamott $4.99

Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
Anne Lamott $5.99

Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope & Repair
Anne Lamott $5.99

A Grief Observed
C. S. Lewis $1.99

Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety
Max Lucado $1.99

The Wisdom of Tenderness: What Happens When God’s Fierce Mercy Transforms Our Lives
Brennan Manning $2.99

Creative Ministry
Henri Nouwen $5.99

Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
Henri Nouwen $5.99

You Are the Beloved: 365 Daily Readings & Meditations for Spiritual Living
Henri Nouwen $1.99

The Return: A Novel
Nicholas Sparks $2.99

Holy Available: What If Holiness Is About More Than What We Don’t Do?
Gary Thomas $2.99

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I’d love to hear what’s on your nightable or TBR list. If you use bookmarks or your pages are dog-earred. And your favorite spot to curl up and read is . . .

And if you don’t have time for conversation you can say sorry Linda this was fun but I gotta run by tapping the 🤍 below.

Love you guys.
Linda

PORCH
A CHRIST-CENTERED
WEEKEND NEWSLETTER
gentle conversation & calming snapshots
uplifting linkage & occasional surprises
for those who delight in doing life
in the company of kindred spirits

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