Browse my bookshelf

6 books to bring you joy, insight, or both +⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kindle deals by favorite authors + 2 October releases I can't wait to settle in with

All you reading aficionados, this one’s for you.

Every mid-month I unpack my bookbag right here and invite you to do the same in the comment section. We all come out richer and more well-rounded for the experience of sharing the meaningful titles that have caught our attention or captured our hearts.

I don’t know about you, but I do love browsing other people’s bookshelves. The titles tell a bit of a story of who that person is and what they value, don’t they. And it’s the perfect introverted activity when you’re at a gathering where you know hardly anybody and easy conversation seems hard to find.

I highly recommend.

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Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry
Beth Allison Barr
I knew this newly released volume would quickly become a best seller, but I didn’t expect it to be a fascinating page-turner, as well. Written by professor, author, and SBC pastor’s wife Beth Allison Barr, you’ll find yourself in turn educated, surprised, and challenged by her extensive study of biblical passages, church history, and carefully documented research.

Agree with her conclusions or not, this is must reading for those who hold great love for the Church … and the women gifted and called by God to serve there.

The First Ladies: A Novel
Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
I’m a fan of historical fiction but never saw one focused on Eleanor Roosevelt. Having lived in her Hyde Park stomping grounds for decades, I have a bit of affinity for this First Lady and found this storyline of her friendship with one of the leading Black civil rights leaders and educators of her time, Mary McLeod Bethune, to be captivating.

This is somehow a light, enjoyable read of a difficult chapter in our country’s history.

LifeStyled: Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life
Shira Gill
If you’re looking for a comprehensive guidebook for ‘implementing better habits, setting boundaries, and simplifying your routines,’ this professional home decorator will take you there. Calming, captivating photographs and simple, doable strategies make this a relaxing yet motivational book to page through. ‘An actionable antidote to an overextended life.’

Put your feet up and enjoy what life might look like.

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
John Grisham & Jim McCloskey
The best selling author teams up with the founder of Centurion in presenting ten real life riveting, shocking stories of innocent victims who were falsely imprisoned. Cases are extensively investigated and re-opened, but there are not always fair and just endings. An ‘exposure of the infuriating, recurrent factors involved in so many unrighteous convictions’ (The Washington Post).

Not for the faint of heart, I give this book an R rating for violence and sexual content.

Caring Assertiveness: Relating Directly, Honestly, & with Respect
Kenneth Haugk, Joel Bretscher & Robert Musser
No more walking on eggshells, stuffing hard feelings, or dancing around the truth, folks. This guide is the real deal. Leadership teams, extended family members, student ministry groups, this one’s for you. Clear and direct, with plenty of real life examples, this is a pastoral call to put aside the extremes of aggressiveness and passivity and embrace purposeful conversations in a biblical, common sense way.

I can’t think of a family or a church that couldn’t use a life-changing read of this invitation to ‘speak the truth in love.’ You’ll probably find it on my best of 2025 list.

You Are the Beloved: 365 Daily Meditations for Spiritual Living
Henri Nouwen
Nouwen is known for his sensitive spiritual insight and deft way with words that touch the yearning soul. This collection is the perfect companion when you have just a few minutes of down time and need to be recharged and refocused on what matters most.

Sure beats picking up your phone and scrolling. Good stuff.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ KINDLE DEALS BY FAVORITE AUTHORS
(GRAB ‘EM NOW … THEY SOMETIMES VANISH QUICKLY!)

Holy Bible, NIV - $3.99

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

Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Got Married
Gary Chapman - $3.99

9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love & Life: A Psychologist Learns from His Patients What Really Works & What Doesn't
Henry Cloud - $3.99

12 'Christian' Beliefs That Can Drive You Crazy: Relief from False Assumptions
Henry Cloud - $1.99

Making Small Groups Work: What Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know
Henry Cloud - $1.99

Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions
Rachel Held Evans - $1.99

The Anxiety Cure: A Proven Method for Dealing with Worry, Stress, & Panic Attacks
Archibald Hart - $2.99

A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort & Celebration, Collected by Father Tim
Jan Karon - $5.99

The Four Loves
C. S. Lewis - $1.99

Image & Imagination
C. S. Lewis - $1.99

Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer
C. S. Lewis - $1.99

Reflections on the Psalms
C. S. Lewis - $1.99

Weight of Glory
C. S. Lewis - $1.99

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World
Max Lucado - $3.99

Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God
Brennan Manning - $1.99

Happiness Is a Choice: New Ways to Enhance Joy & Meaning in Your Life
Frank Minirth & Paul Meier - $4.99

Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom & Faith
Henri Nouwen - $1.99

Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life
Henri Nouwen - $1.99

Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith
Henri Nouwen - $1.99

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, & Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
Richard Swenson - $3.99

The Beautiful Fight: Surrendering to the Transforming Presence of God Every Day of Your Life
Gary Thomas - $2.99

How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong
Leslie Vernick - $4.99

God's Power to Change Your Life: Exchanging Personal Mediocrity for Spiritual Significance
Rick Warren - $1.99

Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23
Dallas Willard - $1.99

Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?
Philip Yancey - $1.99

Dear Jesus ( with Full Scriptures): Seeking His Light in Your Life
Sarah Young - $1.99

COMING IN OCTOBER

John Grisham’s returning with his first-ever whodunit, The Widow. And all us Jan Karon fans thought she’d published her last novel in 2017. Surprise! She’s returning with #15 in the Mitford series, My Beloved.

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Come hang out with a whole lot of bookish kindred spirits in our follow-up discussion. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been paging through in recent days …
Linda

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SHARING MY WRITING with Anne . Paula . Joanne . Andrew . Joanne

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