Meredith's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 01 May 2025 03:57:44 -0700 60 Meredith's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Of Mice and Men 12553791 Of Mice and Men was John Steinbeck's first masterpiece. Originally published in 1937, it's the timeless story of George Milton and Lennie Small, ranch hands who drift from job to job, always one step ahead of the law and a few dollars from the poorhouse. George is small, wiry, sharp-tongued and quick-tempered; slow witted Lennie is his opposite—an immense man, brutishly strong but naturally docile, a giant with the mind of a child. Despite their difference, George and Lennie are bound together by a shared vision: their own small farm, where they'll raise cows, pigs, chickens, and rabbits, where they'll be their own bosses and live off the fat of the land.

Listening Length: 3 hours and 11 minutes]]> 4 John Steinbeck 1101530901 Meredith 0 currently-reading, classics 3.95 1937 Of Mice and Men
author: John Steinbeck
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: currently-reading, classics
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry]]> 18293427
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.]]> 260 Gabrielle Zevin 1616203218 Meredith 5 book-club, novels
� What is the point of bad dates if not to have amusing anecdotes for your friends?
� …most people's problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance.
� You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?
� Sometimes books don't find us until the right time.
� A place is not really a place without a bookstore.]]> 4.00 2014 The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: book-club, novels
review:
Very quirky, lighthearted, yet surprisingly deep! Several unexpected twists and turns and memorable characters. A unique writing style that felt fresh. Some favorite quotes:

� What is the point of bad dates if not to have amusing anecdotes for your friends?
� …most people's problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance.
� You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?
� Sometimes books don't find us until the right time.
� A place is not really a place without a bookstore.
]]> A Gentleman in Moscow 34066798 The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers—Now a Paramount+ with Showtime series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov

From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.]]> 462 Amor Towles Meredith 0 currently-reading, novels 4.28 2016 A Gentleman in Moscow
author: Amor Towles
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: currently-reading, novels
review:

]]> Daddy Long Legs 212006 Daddy Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen.]]> 184 Jean Webster 0340040491 Meredith 4 classics
� Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit.
� You must be mad to live in a city when you might live on a farm.
� It is a pleasant sensation to come back to something familiar.
� I like winter to be winter with snow instead of rain.
� The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way. The whole secret is in being pliable.
� It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones - I've discovered the true secret of happiness, Daddy, and that is to live in the now.]]> 4.40 1912 Daddy Long Legs
author: Jean Webster
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1912
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: classics
review:
A sweet, enjoyable read! Unique plot with good character development and witty writing. I guessed who Daddy was, which was fun. Some favorite quotes:

� Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit.
� You must be mad to live in a city when you might live on a farm.
� It is a pleasant sensation to come back to something familiar.
� I like winter to be winter with snow instead of rain.
� The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way. The whole secret is in being pliable.
� It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones - I've discovered the true secret of happiness, Daddy, and that is to live in the now.
]]> <![CDATA[Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years]]> 123220671
This courageous, no-nonsense Christian went on to write dozens of books, host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. She was a pillar of coherent, committed faith—a beloved and sometimes controversial icon. And while things in the limelight might have looked golden, her suffering continued refining her in many different and unexpected ways.

Her early years, related in Becoming Elisabeth Elliot , traced the transition of a young woman who dealt in “certainties� to the woman who lived with the unknown.

Now, being Elisabeth Elliot increasingly meant confronting how much she did not understand. She sought her reference point beyond her own experiences, always pondering what she called the “impenetrable mystery� of the interplay between God’s will and human choices.

And it is that strange mystery which shaped the rest of her startling life story.]]> 304 Ellen Vaughn 1087750997 Meredith 5 christian-living, memoirs 4.36 2023 Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years
author: Ellen Vaughn
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: christian-living, memoirs
review:
Wow! I devoured this almost more eagerly than the first biography. Vaughn is an excellent writer, weaving together a lifetime of Elisabeth’s correspondence, memories, convictions, joys and heartaches into a very readable account. Fascinating, uplifting, raw and utterly human.
]]> Before You Knew My Name 60321522 This is not just another novel about a dead girl. Two women—one alive, one dead—are brought together in the dark underbelly of New York City to solve a tragic murder.

When she arrived in New York on her eighteenth birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe. She may be dead but that doesn’t mean her story is over.

Meanwhile, Ruby Jones is also trying to reinvent herself. After travelling halfway around the world, she’s lonelier than ever in the Big Apple. Until she stumbles upon a woman’s body by the Hudson River, and suddenly finds herself unbreakably tied to the unknown dead woman.

Alice is sure Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her short life and tragic death. Ruby just wants to forget what she saw…but she can’t seem to stop thinking about the young woman she found. If she keeps looking, can she give this unidentified Jane Doe the ending and closure she deserves?

A “heartbreaking, beautiful, and hugely important novel� (Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author), Before You Knew My Name doesn’t just wonder whodunnit—it also asks who was she? And what did she leave behind?]]> 320 Jacqueline Bublitz 1982198990 Meredith 0 to-read 3.66 2021 Before You Knew My Name
author: Jacqueline Bublitz
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Life Under the Sun - Bible Study Book: The Unexpectedly Good News of Ecclesiastes]]> 101984457 208 Hannah Anderson 1087785154 Meredith 4 bible-study 4.08 Life Under the Sun - Bible Study Book: The Unexpectedly Good News of Ecclesiastes
author: Hannah Anderson
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: bible-study
review:
Overall, good content and insightful connections to the original Greek and Hebrew. Did not care for the topical approach, though I understand why Anderson formatted it this way. I personally prefer a chronological verse-by-verse approach. Still enjoyed working through this with my Bible study group!
]]> Little Secrets 49200254
A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a PI to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

Permanently.]]> 10 Jennifer Hillier Meredith 4 novels 4.12 2020 Little Secrets
author: Jennifer Hillier
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/09
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: novels
review:
This was a wild ride. The middle dragged on a little too much for me with some unnecessary scenes, but the writing (and audio narrating) was excellent. I guessed the perp, but not quite in the way everything played out. Overall, a very good read.
]]> <![CDATA[Of Literature and Lattes (Winsome, #2)]]> 50162082 Katherine Reay returns to the cozy and delightful town of Winsome where two people discover the grace of letting go and the joy found in unexpected change.

After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having exhausted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup then move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.

Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he’s been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money—and he’s not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them—but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.

With the help of Winsome’s small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.]]> 325 Katherine Reay 0785222049 Meredith 4 novels
Favorite quote: “Reading is therapy.� ]]> 3.58 2020 Of Literature and Lattes (Winsome, #2)
author: Katherine Reay
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: novels
review:
4.5 ⭐️ Again, a really sweet read. Engaging plot line and good character descriptions. Reminded me of Jan Karon’s Mitford series.

Favorite quote: “Reading is therapy.�
]]> <![CDATA[Be Satisfied Ecclesiastes: Looking for the Answer to the Meaning of Life]]> 9218353 160 Warren W. Wiersbe 1434765067 Meredith 5 bible-study 4.32 1990 Be Satisfied Ecclesiastes: Looking for the Answer to the Meaning of Life
author: Warren W. Wiersbe
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: bible-study
review:
Wiersbe always presents such relatable, practical exposition alongside the text I’m studying. A helpful companion to Ecclesiastes!
]]> <![CDATA[The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew]]> 229956708 One of Vogue' s most anticipated books of 2023.

A quintessentially American fashion narrative about the rise and fall of the first lifestyle brand, J.Crew, and what the company’s fate means for the shifting landscape of the retail industry.

Once upon a time, a no-frills J.Crew rollneck sweater held an almost mystical power—or at least it felt that way. The story of J.Crew is the story of the original “lifestyle brand,� whose evolution charts a sea change in the way we dress, the way we shop, and who we aspire to be over the past four decades—all told through iconic clothes and the most riveting characters imaginable.

In The Kingdom of Prep, seasoned fashion journalist Maggie Bullock tells J.Crew’s epic story for the first time, bringing to life the deliciously idiosyncratic people who built a beloved brand, unpacking the complex legacy of prep—a subculture born on the 1920s campuses of the Ivy League—and how one brand rose to epitomize “American� style in two very different golden eras, and also eventually embodied the “retail apocalypse� that rocked the global fashion industry and left hollowed-out malls across the country.

In a juicy business narrative rich with humor and insight, Bullock combines the colorful characters of The Devil Wears Prada, the business insight of Deluxe, and the nostalgia factor of True Prep, to chart J.Crew’s origin story, its Obama-era heyday, and its brush-with-death decline through the stories of the mercurial characters who helmed the company. There is founder Arthur Cinader, who set out to sell the Ralph Lauren look for half the price, and his daughter Emily, who turned J.Crew into a new campus uniform, and then a temple to �90s minimalism. Then came ex-Gap CEO Mickey Drexler—the most renowned (and controversial) retailer of his generation—who took J.Crew to a never-before-seen peak, only to contribute to its financial disaster, and the brilliant designer Jenna Lyons, who rose from the anonymous ranks of a catalogue company to become a star in her own right, but burned so bright she left J.Crew in her shadow.

Through extensive interviews with more than 100 J.Crew insiders and top industry experts, Bullock crafts an impossible-to-put-down, neon-glitter-sprinkled tale that traces the trajectory of American style, invites us into the inner sanctum of fashion’s most bold-faced names, and weaves together the threads of style, finance, and culture like no other brand’s story in our lifetime.]]> Maggie Bullock Meredith 5 5.00 2023 The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew
author: Maggie Bullock
name: Meredith
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
Really interesting! Loved learning the history and ins-and-outs of popular American clothing retailers that I personally like. Not a boring timeline of events, but engaging stories and business/marketing tidbits.
]]> The Last House on the Street 57693519
Secrets won't stay silent for ever.

2020. A recently widowed architect moves into the home she and her late husband designed, heartbroken that he will never cross the threshold. But when disturbing things begin to happen, it's clear that someone is sending her a warning. Who is trying to frighten her away, and why? It is only when she meets an elderly neighbour that she learns the street has a shocking and tragic past. A past that some will go to any lengths to keep hidden.

1964. A young white female student becomes involved in the fight for civil rights in North Carolina, falling in love with one of her fellow activists, in a time and place where an interracial relationship must be hidden from family, friends and especially the reemerging Ku Klux Klan. As tensions rise in the town, she realises not everyone is who they appear to be.

Decades later, past and present are set to collide in the last house on the street...]]> 344 Diane Chamberlain 125026796X Meredith 4 book-club, novels 4.20 2022 The Last House on the Street
author: Diane Chamberlain
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: book-club, novels
review:
Slow to start, but then very engaging! An interesting take on the typical flashback storytelling. It was fun to try to figure out how the characters were connected. The 1965 characters were more complex and relatable, while the modern-day felt a little cliché and flat. Some difficult, emotional parts to read, but necessary.
]]> Becoming Elisabeth Elliot 53419962
This courageous, no-nonsense Christian went on to write dozens of books, host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. She was a pillar of coherent, committed faith; a beloved and sometimes controversial icon. In this authorized biography, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, bestselling author Ellen Vaughn uses Elisabeth’s private, unpublished journals, and candid interviews with her family and friends, to paint the adventures and misadventures God used to shape one of the most influential women in modern church history. It’s the story of a hilarious, sensual, brilliant, witty, self-deprecating, sensitive, radical, and surprisingly relatable person utterly submitted to doing God’s will, no matter how high the cost. For Elisabeth, the central question was not, “How does this make me feel?� but, simply, “is this true?� If so, then the next question was, “what do I need to do about it to obey God?�

“My life is on Thy Altar, Lord—for Thee to consume. Set the fire, Father! Bind me with cords of love to the Altar. Hold me there. Let me remember the Cross.� –Elisabeth Elliot, age 21

]]> 320 Ellen Vaughn 1535910933 Meredith 5 christian-living, memoirs 4.60 2020 Becoming Elisabeth Elliot
author: Ellen Vaughn
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: christian-living, memoirs
review:
Fascinating, challenging, moving, and very, very REAL.
]]> <![CDATA[The Printed Letter Bookshop (Winsome, #1)]]> 40590422 Love, friendship, and family find a home at the Printed Letter Bookshop

One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly twenty years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt—and the now struggling bookshop left in her care.

While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas. Reeling from a recent divorce, Janet finds sanctuary within the books and within the decadent window displays she creates. Claire, though quieter than the acerbic Janet, feels equally drawn to the daily rhythms of the shop and its loyal clientele, finding a renewed purpose within its walls. When Madeline’s professional life takes an unexpected turn, and when a handsome gardener upends all her preconceived notions, she questions her plans and her heart. She begins to envision a new path for herself and for her aunt’s beloved shop—provided the women’s best combined efforts are not too little, too late.

The Printed Letter Bookshop is a captivating story of good books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings, and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship.]]> 324 Katherine Reay 0785222006 Meredith 4 novels 3.93 2019 The Printed Letter Bookshop (Winsome, #1)
author: Katherine Reay
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: novels
review:
4.5 ⭐️ A very sweet, lighthearted read! Great characters and interesting plot. At times, very predictable, but I enjoyed the cozy setting and redeeming resolution.
]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Positive Thinking]]> 82085 "This book is written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life." -- Norman Vincent Peale

The Power of Positive Thinking has helped millions of men and women to achieve fulfillment in their lives. In this phenomenal bestseller, Dr. Peale demonstrates the power of faith in action. With the practical techniques outlined in this book, you can energize your life -- and give yourself the initiative needed to carry out your ambitions and hopes. You'll learn how to:

• believe in yourself and in everything you do

• build new power and determination

• develop the power to reach your goals

• break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life

• improve your personal and professional relationships

• assume control over your circumstances

• be kind to yourself

]]> 218 Norman Vincent Peale 0743234804 Meredith 3 reference
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others.“]]> 4.13 1952 The Power of Positive Thinking
author: Norman Vincent Peale
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1952
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: reference
review:
Overall a good, uplifting read. Practical, common sense tactics, though some were overstated and generalized. Could be summed up with Romans 12:2 and Swindoll’s “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.�

“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others.�
]]> <![CDATA[Jesus and Women - Bible Study Book: In the First Century and Now]]> 48695439
Those words, once meant to comfort a hurting woman’s soul thousands of years ago, were also meant for you.

Join biblical culturalist Kristi McLelland on those dusty roads as she transports you back to Jesus� world, following in the footsteps of the women who came face-to-face with the Living God. Over 7 sessions, examine the historical and cultural climate of first-century Middle Eastern society to not only understand Jesus more deeply but to fuel your worship of Him today.

Note that video access is not included with thepurchaseof this Bible Study book. To view the seven essential teaching videos for this study (approximately 60 minutes per session), please purchase the Jesus and Women leader kit. Viewing of video teaching is recommended for the best experience of this Bible study book.

]]> 160 Kristi McLelland 1535992034 Meredith 0 4.74 Jesus and Women - Bible Study Book: In the First Century and Now
author: Kristi McLelland
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.74
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: currently-reading, bible-study
review:

]]> <![CDATA[40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life: Living the 4:8 Principle]]> 14330933 Drawing on the core message of the New York Times bestselling The 4:8 Principle , 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life is a fun and highly practical action plan providing readers with time-tested strategies and exercises for experiencing joy by design―God’s design. Fans of The 4:8 Principle will love the fresh format and timeless reinforcements offered in 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life , while new readers will be introduced to the life-changing power of The 4:8 Principle for the first time! All readers will benefit from the uniquely packaged inspiration and encouragement delivered in bite-size chunks for easy consumption and in a “sticky� style custom-made for easy retention and long-lasting joy.]]> 288 Tommy Newberry 1414366906 Meredith 0 4.39 2012 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life: Living the 4:8 Principle
author: Tommy Newberry
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: currently-reading, christian-living
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks - Bible Study Book with Video Access]]> 197631533 208 Priscilla Shirer Meredith 5 bible-study 4.64 2006 Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks - Bible Study Book with Video Access
author: Priscilla Shirer
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: bible-study
review:
Very good, practical study on learning how to hear and listen to God’s leading. I especially appreciated her teachings on the Holy Spirit and learning the difference between our mind, will, conscience, and emotions. Priscilla’s teaching videos were excellent!
]]> Searching for God Knows What 1737076 0 Donald Miller 1596445459 Meredith 3
“The very scary thing about religion to me is that people actually believe God is who they think He is…and it makes me wonder if God created us in His image or if we created Him in ours.�

“If we think of God’s grace as a technicality, a theological precept, we can disobey without the slightest feeling of guilt. But if we think of God’s grace as a relational invitation, an outreach of love, we are pretty much jerks for belittling the gesture.”]]> 4.09 2000 Searching for God Knows What
author: Donald Miller
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:
A very unique read. Miller has a bold, edgy approach to breaking down serious doctrinal concepts. I appreciated a lot of it, but his humor and hyperbole quickly became redundant. However, he made some poignant points that made me think twice about how we often go through the motions spiritually. I appreciated his example of the tendency for Christians to seek “justification by comparison� rather than true fulfillment in a relationship with God.

“The very scary thing about religion to me is that people actually believe God is who they think He is…and it makes me wonder if God created us in His image or if we created Him in ours.�

“If we think of God’s grace as a technicality, a theological precept, we can disobey without the slightest feeling of guilt. But if we think of God’s grace as a relational invitation, an outreach of love, we are pretty much jerks for belittling the gesture.�
]]> Small Things Like These 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 Meredith 0 to-read 4.13 2021 Small Things Like These
author: Claire Keegan
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall]]> 28510777
Forty Autumns makes visceral the pain and longing of one family forced to live apart in a world divided by two. At twenty, Hanna escaped from East to West Germany. But the price of freedom—leaving behind her parents, eight siblings, and family home—was heartbreaking. Uprooted, Hanna eventually moved to America, where she settled down with her husband and had children of her own.

Growing up near Washington, D.C., Hanna’s daughter, Nina Willner became the first female Army Intelligence Officer to lead sensitive intelligence operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Though only a few miles separated American Nina and her German relatives—grandmother Oma, Aunt Heidi, and cousin, Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team—a bitter political war kept them apart.

In Forty Autumns, Nina recounts her family’s story—five ordinary lives buffeted by circumstances beyond their control. She takes us deep into the tumultuous and terrifying world of East Germany under Communist rule, revealing both the cruel reality her relatives endured and her own experiences as an intelligence officer, running secret operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk.

A personal look at a tenuous era that divided a city and a nation, and continues to haunt us, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written story of courage, resilience, and love—of five women whose spirits could not be broken, and who fought to preserve what matters most: family.

Forty Autumns is illustrated with dozens of black-and-white and color photographs.]]> 416 Nina Willner 0062410334 Meredith 0 to-read 4.35 2016 Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall
author: Nina Willner
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way through the Wilderness to God]]> 182095077
In The Path of Loneliness , Elliot gives hope to the lonely through tender reflections on God's love for us and his plans to bless us. Here you will find honesty and compassion, not platitudes. She tackles this difficult topic with grace and faith, showing you how to make peace with loneliness, however it has come about, and how to grow through it.]]> 208 Elisabeth Elliot 0800745566 Meredith 5 christian-living Excellent. 4.60 1988 The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way through the Wilderness to God
author: Elisabeth Elliot
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.60
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: christian-living
review:
Excellent.
]]> The Woman in the Window 34848682
It isn't paranoia if it's really happening . . .

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble?and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.]]> 429 A.J. Finn 0062678418 Meredith 5 book-club, novels 3.91 2018 The Woman in the Window
author: A.J. Finn
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: book-club, novels
review:
Ah! What a fun, freaky read! Read this with my book club and we thoroughly enjoyed trying to figure this one out. Super unique writing style, complicated characters, a vivid setting, and a twist none of us saw coming!! Loved the witty humor sprinkled throughout. Would definitely recommend!
]]> <![CDATA[From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir]]> 220267535
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK Born to an American myth and raised in the wilds of Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley tells her whole story for the first time in this raw, riveting, one-of-a-kind memoir faithfully completed by her daughter, Riley Keough.

In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir.

A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and now grieved.

Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, lay in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran toward his body on the floor. About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. About her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, what they had in common. About motherhood. About deep addiction. About ever-present grief. Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother’s wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world.

To make her mother known.

This extraordinary book is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, a mother and daughter communicating—from this world to the one beyond—as they try to heal each other. Profoundly moving and deeply revealing, From Here to the Great Unknown is a book like no other—the last words of the only child of an American icon.]]> 6 Lisa Marie Presley Meredith 5 memoirs 4.30 2024 From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir
author: Lisa Marie Presley
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: memoirs
review:
Rating memoirs is always challenging and it’s not like I’m some big Elvis fan, but this was a beautiful read. Audiobook was excellently recorded by Julia Roberts and Riley Keough with included recordings from Lisa’s interviews. I appreciated Riley’s raw, honest and heart-felt storytelling.
]]> No Place Left to Hide 223342996
Some secrets just won't stay hidden in this twisty new thriller from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Megan Lally!

To Brooke, image is everything. She works hard to maintain perfect grades, perfect looks, a perfect life—especially after "the incident" that threatened it all. Getting into her dream university puts her that much closer to a fresh start. How can she say no to celebrating with all her classmates?

Hanging out with her crush by the bonfire is the perfect end to the night. Except it isn't the end. An old truck starts aggressively tailing Brooke and her best friend on the isolated road toward home. Someone thinks they know the truth about "the incident," and they won't stop until it's all out in the open. This terrifying drive is about to bring out Brooke's worst fears…if she survives it.]]> 8 Megan Lally Meredith 0 novels, did-not-finish 3.43 2025 No Place Left to Hide
author: Megan Lally
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: novels, did-not-finish
review:
Gave up about 35% of the way in. Absolutely terribly cliche plot with zero likable characters. I was waiting for something to turn or get exciting, but I just got more annoyed. Felt like a dumb early 2000s teen chick flick but with horrible language. Do not recommend.
]]> Jesus Loves Me 535924 132 H.L. Roush 0892930497 Meredith 5 christian-living 4.33 1997 Jesus Loves Me
author: H.L. Roush
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: christian-living
review:
One of THE most beautiful books written on God’s heart for His own.
]]> <![CDATA[People Pleaser: Breaking Free from the Burden of Imaginary Expectations]]> 210136975 Are you a people pleaser? Can you even begin to measure how the approval of others has shaped your heart and mind? Your faith and relationships? Your habits and identity? InPeople Pleaser,New York Timesbestselling author Jinger Vuolo shares her personal journey of constantly seeking approval from others and how she found her true identity.

From childhood to early adulthood, Jinger Duggar Vuolo followed the expectations of others, never taking the time to discover who she truly was. It wasn't until she asked herself the question, "Who am I?" that she realized she was a people pleaser. This realization led her on a journey of self-discovery and ultimately, to rely on God for her approval and sense of self-worth.

Through her faith and reliance on God, Jinger began to break free from the need for approval and discover true freedom. This book is a guide for anyone struggling with people-pleasing tendencies and seeking to find their true identity and purpose in life. Learn how to:

- discover the beauty of community and how we were made to enjoy others,
- identify sin and how it can hinder your ability to be in community with one another,
- diagnose yourself with ruthless honesty but without judgement, and
- understand who you are in God's eyes.

Jinger hopes this book will inspire others to embark on a similar journey towards freedom.]]> 224 Jinger Duggar Vuolo 140034171X Meredith 4 christian-living, memoirs 3.54 People Pleaser: Breaking Free from the Burden of Imaginary Expectations
author: Jinger Duggar Vuolo
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: christian-living, memoirs
review:
Though her writing style is rather juvenile, Jinger provides very practical, biblical insights on overcoming unhealthy relational tendencies. As a perfectionist, I could relate to many scenarios. A helpful read with a Christian perspective, not a tell-all for Duggar fans.
]]> The Frozen River 112975658 A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.]]> 432 Ariel Lawhon 0385546874 Meredith 5 novels Wow. 4.37 2023 The Frozen River
author: Ariel Lawhon
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: novels
review:
Wow.
]]> I Need You to Read This 217559585
The author of the “clever, atmospheric, and creepy� (Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon returns with a sly and addictive new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor’s murder.

Alex Marks’s move to New York City is supposed to be a fresh start. She plans to lay low with her mundane copywriting job but the news of the murder of her childhood hero, Francis Keen, throws her for a loop. Beloved staff writer and the woman behind the famous advice column, Dear Constance , Keen’s death is a shock to her countless fans and readers.

When Alex sees an advertisement searching for her replacement, she impulsively applies, never expecting to actually get the job. But almost immediately, she begins to receive strange letters at the office and soon, Alex wonders why the murderer has never been found. Worse, she can’t help but question if her new boss and editor-in-chief, Howard Dimitri, was involved with Keen’s death.

As she starts her own investigation, the dark secrets of her own past rise to the surface and soon, Alex finds herself trapped in a dangerous and potentially deadly mystery. Will she solve the murder and save her own skin? Or will Alex face a similar fate?]]> Jessa Maxwell Meredith 3 novels 3.18 2024 I Need You to Read This
author: Jessa Maxwell
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: novels
review:
First of all, this was a cozy mystery, not at all a creepy thriller. That said, the storyline was super unique with a fun cast of characters. I enjoyed the premise and trying to solve the mystery. While there was one twist I never saw coming, this felt blah to me in the end. I was hoping for a bolder, more satisfying ending.
]]> <![CDATA[Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives]]> 60784614 The revelatory New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Award.

An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation―and the moral implications that affect us all.

Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo―because we are all implicated.]]> 288 Siddharth Kara 1250284309 Meredith 5 reference
“The most advanced consumer electronic devices and electric vehicles in the world rely on a substance that is excavated by the blistered hands of peasants using picks, shovels, and rebar.�

“Labor is valued by the penny, life hardly at all.�

"Please tell the people in your country, a child in the Congo dies every day so that they can plug in their phones.”]]> 4.36 2023 Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
author: Siddharth Kara
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: reference
review:
A devastatingly difficult expośe that opens your eyes to the atrocities of modern human slave labor that powers the devices the world uses daily. Remarkable research and reporting. A vital, relevant topic that must be addressed in our lifetime.

“The most advanced consumer electronic devices and electric vehicles in the world rely on a substance that is excavated by the blistered hands of peasants using picks, shovels, and rebar.�

“Labor is valued by the penny, life hardly at all.�

"Please tell the people in your country, a child in the Congo dies every day so that they can plug in their phones.�
]]> The Happiest Man on Earth 58097204 Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.

Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp.

Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country.

Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the 'happiest man on earth'.

Published as Eddie turns 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.]]> Eddie Jaku Meredith 5 memoirs What is there to say? 4.65 2020 The Happiest Man on Earth
author: Eddie Jaku
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: memoirs
review:
What is there to say?
]]> What Lies in the Woods 63610667 Listening Length: 11 hours and 16 minutess

They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison. They were heroes . . . but they were liars.

Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls� testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.

And they were liars.

For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods―no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.]]> 12 Kate Alice Marshall 1250882443 Meredith 3 novels 3.82 2023 What Lies in the Woods
author: Kate Alice Marshall
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: novels
review:
Meh. This was not my favorite.
]]> <![CDATA[Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents]]> 55515766 The New York Times bestselling author of The Benedict Option draws on the wisdom of Christian survivors of Soviet persecution to warn American Christians of approaching dangers.

For years, emigres from the former Soviet bloc have been telling Rod Dreher they see telltale signs of "soft" totalitarianism cropping up in America--something more Brave New World than Nineteen Eighty-Four. Identity politics are beginning to encroach on every aspect of life. Civil liberties are increasingly seen as a threat to "safety". Progressives marginalize conservative, traditional Christians, and other dissenters. Technology and consumerism hastens the possibility of a corporate surveillance state. And the pandemic, having put millions out of work, leaves our country especially vulnerable to demagogic manipulation.

In Live Not By Lies, Dreher amplifies the alarm sounded by the brave men and women who fought totalitarianism. He explains how the totalitarianism facing us today is based less on overt violence and more on psychological manipulation. He tells the stories of modern-day dissidents--clergy, laity, martyrs, and confessors from the Soviet Union and the captive nations of Europe--who offer practical advice for how to identify and resist totalitarianism in our time. Following the model offered by a prophetic World War II-era pastor who prepared believers in his Eastern European to endure the coming of communism, Live Not By Lies teaches American Christians a method for resistance:
- SEE: Acknowledge the reality of the situation.
- JUDGE: Assess reality in the light of what we as Christians know to be true.
- ACT: Take action to protect truth.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said that one of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming totalitarianism can't happen in their country. Many American Christians are making that mistake today, sleepwalking through the erosion of our freedoms. Live Not By Lies will wake them and equip them for the long resistance.]]> 7 Rod Dreher 0593344014 Meredith 5 reference
“A single generation always stands between us and tyranny.�

“Now, in liberty and relative prosperity, the children of the last communist generation have fallen into a more subtle, sophisticated tyranny. One that tells them that anything they find difficult is a form of oppression. For these millennials, unhappiness is slavery, and freedom is liberation from the burden of unchosen obligations.�

“Much of popular Christianity…has become a shallow self-help cult whose chief aim is not cultivating discipleship, but rooting out personal anxieties.�

“No Christian has the power to avoid suffering entirely, it is the human condition. What we do control is how we act in the face of it. Will we run from it and betray our Lord or will we accept it as a severe mercy? The choices we will make when put to the ultimate test depend on the choices we make today in a time of peace.”]]> 4.18 2020 Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents
author: Rod Dreher
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: reference
review:
Very hard to read, but very necessary. Nothing I haven’t heard before, but excellent reminders to know history, fight for truth and live for future glory.

“A single generation always stands between us and tyranny.�

“Now, in liberty and relative prosperity, the children of the last communist generation have fallen into a more subtle, sophisticated tyranny. One that tells them that anything they find difficult is a form of oppression. For these millennials, unhappiness is slavery, and freedom is liberation from the burden of unchosen obligations.�

“Much of popular Christianity…has become a shallow self-help cult whose chief aim is not cultivating discipleship, but rooting out personal anxieties.�

“No Christian has the power to avoid suffering entirely, it is the human condition. What we do control is how we act in the face of it. Will we run from it and betray our Lord or will we accept it as a severe mercy? The choices we will make when put to the ultimate test depend on the choices we make today in a time of peace.�
]]> <![CDATA[Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World]]> 29491948 256 Karen Ehman 0310339677 Meredith 5 christian-living
“Jesus wasn’t about doing big things. He was about doing the right thing. And often for Him, the right thing was noticing one simple soul.�

“We don’t do good for the sake of looking good; we do good in order to point others to Jesus.�

"A sorrow shared is but half a trouble, but joy that's shared is a joy made double." [Swedish proverb]

“I was once told that there are two types of people in the world: those who enter a room full of people and narcissistically announce, ‘Here I am!� and those who walk into a room, seek out someone, and lovingly declare, ‘There you are!� I want to be the second type of person. I want to make sure that life is about others and not just myself.�


]]> 4.18 Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World
author: Karen Ehman
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: christian-living
review:
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Karen is so relatable and down-to-earth. Loved her stories, suggestions and truth-filled insights. Incredibly practical with tons of tips and ideas for living an intentional life. Some great quotes. Here’s just a few of my favorites:

“Jesus wasn’t about doing big things. He was about doing the right thing. And often for Him, the right thing was noticing one simple soul.�

“We don’t do good for the sake of looking good; we do good in order to point others to Jesus.�

"A sorrow shared is but half a trouble, but joy that's shared is a joy made double." [Swedish proverb]

“I was once told that there are two types of people in the world: those who enter a room full of people and narcissistically announce, ‘Here I am!� and those who walk into a room, seek out someone, and lovingly declare, ‘There you are!� I want to be the second type of person. I want to make sure that life is about others and not just myself.�



]]> The Soulmate 61405525
Get ready for a thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge.

There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral... Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate . . . lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.]]> 11 Sally Hepworth 1250878322 Meredith 3 novels 3.53 2022 The Soulmate
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: novels
review:
This was okay. Kind of boring. I appreciated the final twist and buildup of the converging storylines, but I didn’t really have anyone to root for, so it fell flat for me.
]]> The Family Inside 219625899 It takes a special family to turn a home into a nightmare. Since her husband’s unsolved murder three years ago, Iris Blodgett’s life has unraveled. Awash in grief and buried in debt, she can’t pay her mortgage—and now that she’s lost her job, she has no idea how she’ll provide for her unruly teenage daughter, Ellory.

Facing eviction, Iris turns to her new beau, prominent architect Hugh Smoll, for a shoulder to cry on. But the seemingly perfect Hugh offers her something more in an invitation to move into his mother’s centuries-old mansion while he renovates the property.

It seems like the perfect solution, but when Iris and Ellory arrive at Ravencliff, the family inside isn’t quite what they expected. Iris didn’t even know Hugh had siblings, much less that they’d all be living together.

With repairs underway, the house gives up its dark secrets one by one. Before long, Iris unearths a chilling family history—and the terrifying reason she and Ellory were invited in the first place…]]> 384 Katie Garner 0778334465 Meredith 0 to-read 3.65 2025 The Family Inside
author: Katie Garner
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps]]> 54655753 A growing number of Americans want to tear down what it’s taken us 250 years to build—and they’ll start by canceling our shared history, ideals, and culture.

Traditional areas of civic agreement are vanishing. We can’t agree on what makes America special. We can’t even agree that America is special. We’re coming to the point that we can’t even agree what the word America itself means. “Disintegrationists� say we’re stronger together, but their assault on America’s history, philosophy, and culture will only tear us apart.

Who are the disintegrationists? From Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States to the New York Times� 1619 project, many modern analyses view American history through the lens of competing oppressions, a racist and corrupt experiment from the very beginning. They see American philosophy as a lie � beautiful words pasted over a thoroughly rotted system. They see America’s culture of rights as a façade that merely reinforces traditional hierarchies of power, instead of being the only culture that guarantees freedom for individuals.

Disintegrationist attacks on the values that built our nation are insidious because they replace each foundational belief, from the rights to free speech and self-defense to the importance of marriage and faith communities, with nothing more than an increased reliance on the government.

This twisted disintegrationist vision replaces the traditional “unionist� understanding that all Americans are united in a shared striving toward the perfection of universal ideals.

How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps shows that to be a cohesive nation we have to uphold foundational truths about ourselves, our history, and reality itself—to be unionists instead of disintegrationists. Shapiro offers a vital warning that if we don’t recover these shared truths, our future—our union—as a great country is threatened with destruction.

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins]]> 7 Ben Shapiro Meredith 4 reference 4.14 2020 How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps
author: Ben Shapiro
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: reference
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Half Baked Harvest Super Simple: More Than 125 Recipes for Instant, Overnight, Meal-Prepped, and Easy Comfort Foods]]> 43888840 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - There's something for everyone in these 125 easy, show-stopping recipes: fewer ingredients, foolproof meal-prepping, effortless entertaining, and everything in between, including vegan and vegetarian options!

We all want to make and serve our loved ones beautiful food--but we shouldn't have to work so hard to do it. With Half Baked Harvest Super Simple, Tieghan Gerard has solved that problem.

On her blog and in her debut cookbook, Tieghan is beloved for her freshly sourced, comfort-food-forward recipes that taste even better than they look. Half Baked Harvest Super Simple takes what fans loved most about Half Baked Harvest Cookbook and distills it into quicker, more manageable dishes, including options for one-pot meals, night-before meal prep, and even some Instant Pot(R) or slow cooker recipes. Using the most important cooking basics, you'll whip up everyday dishes like Cardamom Apple Fritters, Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese, and Lobster Tacos to share with your family, or plan stress-free dinner parties with options like Slow Roasted Moroccan Salmon and Fresh Corn and Zucchini Summer Lasagna.

Especially for home cooks who are pressed for time or just starting out, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple is your go-to for hassle-free meals that never sacrifice taste.]]> 288 Tieghan Gerard 0525577076 Meredith 5 cookbooks 4.31 2019 Half Baked Harvest Super Simple: More Than 125 Recipes for Instant, Overnight, Meal-Prepped, and Easy Comfort Foods
author: Tieghan Gerard
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: cookbooks
review:
I’m not a HBH follower, but this cookbook looked like a great one to start with! I haven’t made anything yet (disclaimer!), but I appreciate a photo for each recipe, generally easy-to-find ingredients, and unique flavor combos!!! Already picked out several things I’m going to try.
]]> Bright Young Women 197720175 Listening Length: 13 hours

From the author of the New York Times bestseller and #1 Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive comes an extraordinary novel inspired by the real-life sorority targeted by America's first celebrity serial killer in his final murderous spree.

January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.

On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.

Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.]]> 13 Jessica Knoll Meredith 3 novels 4.00 2023 Bright Young Women
author: Jessica Knoll
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: novels
review:
Unsure how to rate this! Obviously, very gripping with a unique perspective to such an infamous account. I really enjoyed the author’s writing, but the different POV segments and flow felt oddly disjointed. I appreciated the overall point and clever approach, just not sure what to make of fictionalized true crime.
]]> <![CDATA[Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir]]> 45302834 Trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl took the risk (and the job) of a lifetime when she entered the glamorous, high-stakes world of magazine publishing. Now, for the first time, she chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet, during which she spearheaded a revolution in the way we think about food.

When Condé Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America's oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer, not a manager, and had no inclination to be anyone's boss. And yet . . . Reichl had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her career. How could she say no?

This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and worrying about losing her soul. It is the story of the moment restaurants became an important part of popular culture, a time when the rise of the farm-to-table movement changed, forever, the way we eat. Readers will meet legendary chefs like David Chang and Eric Ripert, idiosyncratic writers like David Foster Wallace, and a colorful group of editors and art directors who, under Reichl's leadership, transformed stately Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication. This was the golden age of print media--the last spendthrift gasp before the Internet turned the magazine world upside down.

Complete with recipes, Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making a mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams--even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be.]]> Ruth Reichl Meredith 5 memoirs 4.03 2019 Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir
author: Ruth Reichl
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: memoirs
review:
An interesting read! And I love when authors narrate their own books. I didn’t grow up reading Gourmet—we were more of a Taste of Home and America’s Test Kitchen family. But I enjoyed Ruth’s range of stories from the memories of her childhood and the beautiful descriptions of Paris to the heartwarming recounting of cooking for the responders and firefighters in the aftermath of 9/11. If you’re already a fan of Ruth, or just a foodie in general, you’ll laugh and cry along with this memoir.
]]> We Used to Live Here 199798006
As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it� (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh).]]> 312 Marcus Kliewer 1982198788 Meredith 0 to-read 3.66 2024 We Used to Live Here
author: Marcus Kliewer
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> If I Live (If I Run Series) 35540277 352 Terri Blackstock 0310332540 Meredith 4 novels WOW! 4.51 2016 If I Live (If I Run Series)
author: Terri Blackstock
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: novels
review:
WOW!
]]> <![CDATA[The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus Our Shepherd, Companion, and Host]]> 83822699
Psalm 23 is one of the most recognizable passages in the whole Bible. Though relatively short, this poetic depiction of God’s love epitomizes Christ’s goodness and provision as he leads his children. Even lifelong Christians will find fresh encouragement by closely studying these familiar words.

David Gibson walks through each verse in Psalm 23, thoroughly examining its 3 depictions of the believer’s union with Christ as sheep and shepherd, traveler and companion, and guest and host. Gibson provides canonical context for the Psalm’s beautiful imagery, inspiring praise and wonder as readers reflect on the loving Shepherd who meets every need.

Rich Adapted from 3 engaging sermons by David Gibson Closely examines Psalm 23’s imagery and what it reveals about the relationship between Christ and his followers Uplifting and Encourages deep reflection on Christ’s provision, comfort, and eternal strength With a Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson]]> 157 David Gibson 143358798X Meredith 0 to-read 4.73 The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus Our Shepherd, Companion, and Host
author: David Gibson
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.73
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cloak of the Light (Wars of the Realm, #1)]]> 18112194 320 Chuck Black 1601425023 Meredith 0 to-read 4.39 2014 Cloak of the Light (Wars of the Realm, #1)
author: Chuck Black
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hotels of the Stars: A-List Haunts and Hideaways]]> 34795077
In a fascinating account of some of the best hotels in the world, where literary and cultural history has been made, Tessa Williams reveals the secrets of the Hotels of the Stars.

Find out where such cultural heavyweights as Steinbeck, Garbo and Dali hung out, and where their modern-day counterparts like Kanye West and Naomi Campbell have rested their heads.

'Hotels of the Stars' features more than 50 unique hotels, from Positano in Italy to New York, New York.

- Preface by award-winning actor Richard E. Grant, presenter of TV show "Hotel Secrets"

-Gorgeous coffee-table book full of stunning interiors of the best hotels around the world

-Scintillating detail of the comings and goings that occur in luxury hotels around the world]]> 255 Tessa Williams 1909399981 Meredith 0 to-read 4.67 Hotels of the Stars: A-List Haunts and Hideaways
author: Tessa Williams
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Truth for Life: 365 Daily Devotions (A Gospel-Saturated Gift Devotional for the Entire Year - Includes a Yearly Bible Reading Plan, Durable Cover, and Ribbon Marker; Perfect Graduation Gift)]]> 57072418
We all need to be reminded of the truth that anchors our life and excites and equips us to live for Christ. Reflecting on a short passage each day, Alistair spans the Scriptures to show us the greatness and grace of God, and to thrill our hearts to live as His children. His clear, faithful exposition and thoughtful application mean that this resource will both engage your mind and stir your heart.

Each day includes prompts to apply what you've read, a related Bible text to enjoy, and a plan for reading through the whole of the Scriptures in a year. The hardback cover and ribbon marker make this a wonderful gift.]]> 384 Alistair Begg 1784985856 Meredith 0 4.69 Truth for Life: 365 Daily Devotions (A Gospel-Saturated Gift Devotional for the Entire Year - Includes a Yearly Bible Reading Plan, Durable Cover, and Ribbon Marker; Perfect Graduation Gift)
author: Alistair Begg
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.69
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: currently-reading, bible-study
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible]]> 51343629
Emphasizing how God's character can be seen throughout Scripture, the recaps are simple and short yet deep enough to help you understand the hard parts and press into knowing God better. As Cobble says, The primary role of Scripture is to show me who God is, and if I behold God, my life will naturally conform around what I learn about him. The Bible Recap will not only help you grasp the entire narrative of the Bible, it will fortify your faith.]]> 752 Tara-Leigh Cobble 0764237039 Meredith 5
2023: 2nd year through! Still loving this plan. I mainly listened to the recap podcast, but I enjoy having the book to follow along. If you haven’t read through the Bible in a year yet, I highly recommend TBR!

2022: An incredibly helpful companion to reading the Bible in a year! The Bible Recap takes you through a yearly chronological reading plan of the Bible and recaps the daily reading in 2 pages, or about 8 min on the podcast. I used the book interchangeably with the podcast � some days I just listened, some I followed along in the book. Tara-Leigh’s recap is very similar in both.

I recommend to anyone who desires to read through the Bible in a year. A very relatable, digestible approach! The recap isn’t super deep or overly theological, but a summary of key themes that points you to the greater redemptive metanarrative. Only a few times did I disagree with Tara-Leigh’s commentary, but she prefaces all applications with humility and an understanding that several different views exist. I plan to follow this same plan in 2023!]]> 4.86 The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible
author: Tara-Leigh Cobble
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.86
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: bible-study, currently-reading
review:
2024: TBR has become such an important habit in my morning! I typically listen to the podcast, but I still follow along and reference the physical book. Love TBR!! Highly recommend.

2023: 2nd year through! Still loving this plan. I mainly listened to the recap podcast, but I enjoy having the book to follow along. If you haven’t read through the Bible in a year yet, I highly recommend TBR!

2022: An incredibly helpful companion to reading the Bible in a year! The Bible Recap takes you through a yearly chronological reading plan of the Bible and recaps the daily reading in 2 pages, or about 8 min on the podcast. I used the book interchangeably with the podcast � some days I just listened, some I followed along in the book. Tara-Leigh’s recap is very similar in both.

I recommend to anyone who desires to read through the Bible in a year. A very relatable, digestible approach! The recap isn’t super deep or overly theological, but a summary of key themes that points you to the greater redemptive metanarrative. Only a few times did I disagree with Tara-Leigh’s commentary, but she prefaces all applications with humility and an understanding that several different views exist. I plan to follow this same plan in 2023!
]]> The Christmas Guest 198983029
An American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.]]> 3 Peter Swanson 0063297477 Meredith 4 novels 3.36 2023 The Christmas Guest
author: Peter Swanson
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: novels
review:
A fun, festive read! Unexpected and enjoyable.
]]> <![CDATA[New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional]]> 19353106 384 Paul David Tripp 1433541386 Meredith 4 christian-living 4.54 2014 New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional
author: Paul David Tripp
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: christian-living
review:
Some excellent entries filled with truth, but I’m realizing I’m not a big fan of Tripp’s writing style. I completely understand there’s going to be repetition in a daily devotional book, but so many of these had such a similar message. I would recommend to others, and I marked some of my favorite pages, but I’m ready to start something new.
]]> If I'm Found (If I Run, #2) 30649227 Is Dylan hunting Casey to prosecute her or protect her?


Casey Cox is still on the run, fleeing prosecution for a murder she didn’t commit. Dylan Roberts—her most relentless pursuer—is still on her trail, but his secret emails insist that he knows the truth and wants to help her. He’s let her escape before when he had her in his grasp, but trust doesn’t come easily.


As Casey works to collect evidence about the real murderers, she stumbles on another unbearable injustice: an abused child and a suicidal man who’s also been falsely accused. Casey risks her own safety to right this wrong and protect the little girl from her tormenters. But doing so is risky and just may result in her capture—and if she’s captured, she has no doubt she’ll be murdered before she ever steps foot in a jail.


In this riveting sequel to the USA Today bestseller If I Run, evil lurks, drawing Casey out of the shadows . . . but there is light shining in the darkness. Is Dylan a provision from the God who loves her, or another heartache yet to happen?]]> 384 Terri Blackstock 0310332486 Meredith 3 novels 4.27 2016 If I'm Found (If I Run, #2)
author: Terri Blackstock
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: novels
review:
The plot progression was essentially the same as the first book (both ended annoyingly similar!), though the action was still very engaging. I’m enjoying the case buildup, but I still eye roll at the overwritten writing style. There is absolutely no subtly or leaving conclusions up to the reader.
]]> <![CDATA[Prayers of REST: Daily Prompts to Slow Down and Hear God's Voice]]> 58570951 432 Asheritah Ciuciu 0802419488 Meredith 0 4.70 2022 Prayers of REST: Daily Prompts to Slow Down and Hear God's Voice
author: Asheritah Ciuciu
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: currently-reading, christian-living
review:

]]> Do You Remember? 60144714
She can’t recognize her home. Her bedroom is unfamiliar. And she can’t remember the handsome stranger lying next to her in bed. A stranger who claims he’s her husband.

Tess reads a letter in her own handwriting, composed during a rare lucid day, explaining her life as it now exists: She was in a terrible car accident one year ago. Every morning, she wakes up unable to remember most of the last decade. Including her own wedding.

Tess has no choice but to accept her new life and hope her memory will return. After all, why should she doubt the letter she wrote to herself? Or the kind man from the wedding photos on her dresser who seems to genuinely care about her well-being?

And then Tess receives a text message on her phone. One that changes everything:

"Don’t trust the man who calls himself your husband."]]> 334 Freida McFadden Meredith 4 novels 4.01 2022 Do You Remember?
author: Freida McFadden
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: novels
review:
Really enjoyed this one!! Engrossing and creepy.
]]> <![CDATA[Three Seconds of Courage: How Small Acts of Bravery Lead to Big Change]]> 214974548 What do I want to do with this gift of life I've been given? She realized that she could let fear rule over her--or she could choose to have courage.

Sharing her remarkable personal story, Riley shows you how small acts of bravery can change your life in ways you can't imagine. They can mean the difference between a life of isolation or one of connection, between playing it safe or taking a bold step forward, between being self-focused or reaching out to help others, between holding a grudge or offering and accepting forgiveness.

Filled with dramatic and touching stories--such as when Riley performed CPR on a drowned man and brought him back to life and when she climbed onto the ledge of a bridge to talk a young man out of jumping--this book will inspire you to approach every day with a spirit of courage, possibility, and hope.]]> 192 Riley Kehoe 154090427X Meredith 0 to-read 4.44 Three Seconds of Courage: How Small Acts of Bravery Lead to Big Change
author: Riley Kehoe
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Table for Two 195474144 From the bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Rules of Civility, a richly detailed and sharply drawn collection of stories set in New York and Los Angeles. The millions of readers of Amor Towles are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter six stories set in New York City and a novella in Los Angeles. The New York stories, most of which are set around the turn of the millennium, take up everything from the death-defying acrobatics of the male ego, to the fateful consequences of brief encounters, and the delicate mechanics of compromise which operate at the heart of modern marriages. In Towles’s novel, Rules of Civility, the indomitable Evelyn Ross leaves New York City in September, 1938, with the intention of returning home to Indiana. But as her train pulls into Chicago, where her parents are waiting, she instead extends her ticket to Los Angeles. Told from seven points of view, “Eve in Hollywood� describes how Eve crafts a new future for herself—and others—in the midst of Hollywood’s golden age. Throughout the stories, two characters often find themselves sitting across a table for two where the direction of their futures may hinge upon what they say to each other next. Written with his signature wit, humor, and sophistication, Table for Two is another glittering addition to Towles’s canon of stylish and transporting historical fiction.]]> 451 Amor Towles 0593296370 Meredith 5 novels 4.15 2024 Table for Two
author: Amor Towles
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: novels
review:
Loved it all. Towles� writing is simply captivating.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico]]> 50358675 The long-awaited, best-selling cookbook from Mely Martínez,The Mexican Home Kitchen, compiles the traditional home-style dishes enjoyed every day in Mexican households, with influences from states like Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Veracruz, Puebla, Estado de México, and Yucatán.

*As featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, People Magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine, Eater, Epicurious, Chowhound, The Kitchn, Prevention, and Taste of Home*

Illustrated with stunning photography, this book includes recipes for stews, soups, and side dishes, along with famous dishes like mole, enchiladas, picadillo, and milanesa, and is rounded out with delicious salsas, drinks, and desserts.

For Mely Martínez, Mexican cooking has always been about family, community, and tradition. Born and raised in Tampico, Mely started helping in the kitchen at a very young age, since she was the oldest daughter of eight children, and spent summers at her grandmother’s farm in the state of Veracruz, where part of the daily activities included helping grind the corn to make masa.

Mely started her popular blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, to share the recipes and memories of her home so that her son can someday recreate and share these dishes with his own family. In the meantime, it has become the go-to source for those looking for authentic home-style Mexican cooking.

Recreate these favorite comfort foods using inexpensive, easy-to-find ingredients:


Caldo de Pollo (Mexican chicken soup)
Tacos de Bistec (steak tacos)
Carnitas (tender, crispy pork)
Albondigas (Mexican meatballs)
Tamales (both savory and sweet)
Enchiladas (both red and green sauces)
Mole Poblano (one of the most classic and popular moles)
Nopales (recipes made with cactus paddles)
Empanadas (beef and cheese filled)
Chiles Rellenos (stuffed and fried poblano peppers)
Pozole (both red and green versions)
Camarones en Chipotle (deviled shrimp)
Salsa Taquera (salsa for tacos)
Pastel de Tres Leches (a luscious and moist cake that’s a Mexican favorite)
Buñuelos (crispy dough fritters coated in sugar)
Aguas Frescas (horchata, hibiscus, and tamarind flavors)
and much more!

Complete with easy-to-follow instructions, beautiful images, and stories from Mexico, along with recipes for making corn and flour tortillas and tips for stocking your pantry, The Mexican Home Kitchen will have you enjoying this delicious cooking right in your own home.]]> 192 Mely Martinez 1631066935 Meredith 5 cookbooks 4.29 2020 The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico
author: Mely Martinez
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: cookbooks
review:
This is a lovely cookbook! ❤️ Beautifully written with clear directions and a photo for almost every recipe. I’ve made just a few things but am excited to try more! I appreciate that Mely gives suggestions on what to use for hard-to-find ingredients in the States or what can be left out altogether. I would say the recipes are approachably (I think I just made that word up) authentic.
]]> <![CDATA[Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional]]> 34002208 How to focus on Christ during Advent

Most Christians agree that Christmas is all about Jesus, yet most of us spend little time preparing our hearts to celebrate Him. Why is this? Partly because we don’t know how.

In Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, Asheritah Ciuciu leads readers through the four weeks of Advent (Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love). Each week:


Begins with an interactive family devotional that equips readers to celebrate Advent together
Offers five daily reflections that focus on that week'sname of Jesus
Includes suggestions for fun-filled family activities or service projects
This devotional can be used by readers in their own personal worship times or as a tool to engage in family worship during the busy holiday season.Either way, participants will gain a greater sense of awe and wonder at who Jesus is.

By focusing on the person and character of Jesus throughout the Advent season, readers will prepare their hearts so that when they admire the live nativity, sit in the candlelight service, or wake up on Christian morning, they can join the faithful who sing from the bottom of their hearts, "O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!"]]> 128 Asheritah Ciuciu 0802416721 Meredith 4 christian-living 4.34 2015 Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional
author: Asheritah Ciuciu
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: christian-living
review:
Some excellent entries on the names of God. While Asheritah was theologically sound and uplifting in her writing approach, I wish she connected more to the Christmas account. This was also written more for families with suggested activities and weekly prompts.
]]> <![CDATA[From Heaven: A 28-Day Advent Devotional]]> 31690494 “We live between two mighty events…�

Advent is as much about looking back as it is looking ahead—back to Christ’s incarnation, ahead to His return. From Heaven combines A. W. Tozer’s best reflections on these two themes to help us better appreciate the season of Advent. Each daily reading is paired with Scripture for meditation, drawing our attention to the rising light of Christ.

“I am struck with the wonder and the significance of the limitless meaning of these two words, He came. Within them the whole scope of divine mercy and redeeming love is outlined.� � A. W. Tozer

Chapter titles

Christmas Reformation Long OverdueThe Meaning of ChristmasThe Logic of the IncarnationDivine Love IncarnateGod Manifest in the FleshWhat the Advent Established]]> 130 A.W. Tozer 1600669034 Meredith 0 to-read 4.27 From Heaven: A 28-Day Advent Devotional
author: A.W. Tozer
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always]]> 60492093
If there’s one name for Jesus that captures the whole heart of God, it is Emmanuel —God with us. No other name similarly expresses the fullness of God’s eternal desire for His image-bearers. He’s always wanted us to be with Him.

From the bestselling author and artist behind GraceLaced and Beholding and Becoming comes this gorgeously illustrated Advent exploration of what it means to intimately experience God’s presence in our daily lives. Ruth Chou Simons welcomes you and your family to partake in a season of surrender as you discover the true miracle behind that while we journey to grow in our relationships with Jesus, He has already come so He can be with us forever.

Christmas Day is not the end of our celebrations, but the beginning! Emmanuel is an invitation to rejoice in the everlasting fellowship and hope God extended to us on the day of His Son’s birth, guiding us to realize that having God with us all year long is Christmas’s most incredible gift.]]> 240 Ruth Chou Simons 0736984968 Meredith 0 to-read 4.63 Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always
author: Ruth Chou Simons
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.63
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah]]> 101759
Edersheim divides his work into five sections, or books:
Book 1 "The Preparation for the Gospel"
Introductory historical, religious, political, and cultural material based on the author's extensive knowledge of Jewish lore and customs.
Book 2 "From Bethlehem to Jordan"
The background of Herod and his reign, St. John the Baptist and his message, and the birth and baptism of Jesus.
Book 3 "From Jordan to the Mount of Transfiguration"
Thirty-seven chapters explore the miracles and teachings of Jesus' early ministry.
Book 4 "The Descent into the Valley of Humiliation"
A history of the latter part of Jesus' ministry from the Transfiguration to the journey to Jerusalem.
Book 5 "The Cross and the Crown"
A chronicle of each day of Passion Week, from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection.
Appendices
Valuable background material on Jewish history, tradition, and law"]]> 1136 Alfred Edersheim 0943575834 Meredith 0 to-read 4.34 1883 The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah
author: Alfred Edersheim
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1883
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lonely Planet Kids America's National Parks]]> 198493885 About Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Kids - an imprint of the world's leading travel authority Lonely Planet - published its first book in 2011. Over the past 45 years, Lonely Planet has grown a dedicated global community of travelers, many of whom are now sharing a passion for exploration with their children. Lonely Planet Kids educates and encourages young readers at home and in school to learn about the world with engaging books on culture, sociology, geography, nature, history, space and more. We want to inspire the next generation of global citizens and help kids and their parents to approach life in a way that makes every day an adventure. Come explore!]]> 272 Alexa Ward 1837582580 Meredith 4 kids, reference 4.29 Lonely Planet Kids America's National Parks
author: Alexa Ward
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: kids, reference
review:
A really fun read for kids—and adults! Now I want to go to every single park!!
]]> The New Couple in 5B 205649130
A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this binge-worthy thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.]]> Lisa Unger Meredith 3 novels 3.25 2024 The New Couple in 5B
author: Lisa Unger
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: novels
review:
Engaging, creepy plot line with interesting characters. A little slow and weird at times, but I appreciate that I didn’t see the end coming.
]]> The Younger Wife 58837506
Sally Hepworth, the newest breakout star of domestic suspense delivers her next twisty novel about family secrets and lies in The Younger Wife.

Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is, he's still married to his first wife, even though she is in a care facility for dementia. But he'll take care of that easily, by divorcing her--even if his adult daughters protest.

Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. Clearly she's a golddigger and after their father's money. Heather has secrets that she's keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen.

With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family's secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is. But will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses...in all of them?]]> Sally Hepworth 1250835666 Meredith 3 novels 3.64 2021 The Younger Wife
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: novels
review:
While I enjoyed the characterization and mystery, the main plot line was disturbing. I wish the end had wrapped up with more closure for some characters.
]]> Hidden Pictures 56687439 A wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.]]> Jason Rekulak Meredith 4 novels 3.73 2022 Hidden Pictures
author: Jason Rekulak
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: novels
review:
Couldn’t put this down. Thoroughly enjoyed the writing and characters. Unique plot line. Some inconsistencies in the storyline and definitely wasn’t horror, but an engaging read.
]]> Want to Know a Secret? 57134682 Everyone has secrets.

YouTube baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she’d rather you didn’t know.

Like where did her son go when he snuck out of the house? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows? And what’s buried in her backyard?

Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others. April’s secrets are enough to destroy her.

I’ll make sure of that.]]> 397 Freida McFadden Meredith 2 novels 4.07 2021 Want to Know a Secret?
author: Freida McFadden
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: novels
review:
This was so ridiculous. A soap opera. I liked the setting and general premise, but it was so corny and over-the-top.
]]> Darling Girls 196480623
SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling work of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

DARLING GIRLS asks the questions: what are we capable of when in a desperate place? How much can we hide the demons inside us? And can the past ever truly be buried?]]> Sally Hepworth Meredith 4 novels 3.81 2024 Darling Girls
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: novels
review:
Enjoyable read. Hard to put down and fairly disturbing! Good writing with interesting characters and twists. Ending was a little dull compared to the intensity of the beginning, but overall, a satisfying read.
]]> <![CDATA[Revelation - Bible Study Book with Video Access: Eternal King, Everlasting Kingdom]]> 198395652 224 Jen Wilkin 1087776074 Meredith 4 bible-study
However, while the point of this study was not to build out a timeline of events or teach from a particular viewpoint, some of the questions were clearly asked with a certain viewpoint in mind. I was eager to come in with an open mind even though I’m pretty firm on my viewpoint, but I wish Jen had taken the time to explain or share caveats when differing interpretations exist.]]> 4.73 Revelation - Bible Study Book with Video Access: Eternal King, Everlasting Kingdom
author: Jen Wilkin
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.73
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: bible-study
review:
Great study with excellent companion teaching videos. Appreciated a fast-paced, high-level study approach to an intimidating book. My understanding was broadened, especially to the OT symbolism of John’s vision.

However, while the point of this study was not to build out a timeline of events or teach from a particular viewpoint, some of the questions were clearly asked with a certain viewpoint in mind. I was eager to come in with an open mind even though I’m pretty firm on my viewpoint, but I wish Jen had taken the time to explain or share caveats when differing interpretations exist.
]]> <![CDATA[Fearfully and Wonderfully Made]]> 1057398
The human body is an endlessly fascinating repository of secrets. The miracle of the skin, the strength and structure of the bones, the dynamic balance of the muscles . . .your physical being is knit according to a pattern of incredible purpose. In Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Brand and best-selling writer Philip Yancey explore the human body. Join them in a remarkable journey through inner space -- a spellbinding world of cells, systems, and chemistry that bears the impress of a still deeper, unseen reality. This Gold medallion Award-winning book uncovers eternal statements that God has made in the very structure of our bodies, presenting captivating insights into the Body of Christ.]]> 240 Paul W. Brand 031035451X Meredith 5 reference, christian-living
“If each of us can learn to glory in the fact that we matter little except in relation to the Body, and if each will acknowledge the worth in every other member, then perhaps the cells of Christ’s Body will begin acting as Christ intended.”]]> 4.40 1980 Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
author: Paul W. Brand
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: reference, christian-living
review:
Profoundly humbling. Not overly technical, but a digestible scientific overview on the miracle of the human body created by a creatively powerful God. Tear-jerking firsthand medical accounts and excellent biblical comparisons to the Body of Christ.

“If each of us can learn to glory in the fact that we matter little except in relation to the Body, and if each will acknowledge the worth in every other member, then perhaps the cells of Christ’s Body will begin acting as Christ intended.�
]]> Home Before Dark 50833559 What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?]]> 389 Riley Sager 1524745170 Meredith 4 novels 4.05 2020 Home Before Dark
author: Riley Sager
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/11
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: novels
review:
CA-REEPY!! Felt a little drawn-out, but liked that this was an actual thriller with a wild story.
]]> The Good Sister 57265691
Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law, delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights, and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich, and shocking story of unexpected love.]]> 7 Sally Hepworth Meredith 5 novels 4.03 2020 The Good Sister
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves: novels
review:
This was not at all what I was expecting! Definitely not a thriller, but more of the cozy mystery-type. I loved the characterization. While I had a feeling where the plot line was going, I still found myself engrossed. A fun read!
]]> <![CDATA[Be Victorious (Revelation): In Christ You Are an Overcomer]]> 3161590 192 Warren W. Wiersbe 1434767825 Meredith 5 bible-study 4.33 1985 Be Victorious (Revelation): In Christ You Are an Overcomer
author: Warren W. Wiersbe
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: bible-study
review:

]]> Do Not Disturb 61060977
To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.

But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.

Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick's ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.

In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She'll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.

But first, she must survive the night.


Do Not Disturb is a Hitchcock-style psychological thriller that will keep you tearing through the pages until you reach the shocking conclusion!]]> 325 Freida McFadden Meredith 4 novels 4.15 2021 Do Not Disturb
author: Freida McFadden
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: novels
review:
Predicted one of the twists but not the other! Definitely absurd at times, but Freida is always a fun read.
]]> <![CDATA[What I Ate in One Year (and related thoughts)]]> 207299300
“Sharing food is one of the purest human acts.�

Food has always been an integral part of Stanley Tucci’s life: from stracciatella soup served in the shadow of the Pantheon, to marinara sauce cooked between scene rehearsals and costume fittings, to home-made pizza eaten with his children before bedtime.

Now, in What I Ate in One Year Tucci records twelve months of eating—in restaurants, kitchens, film sets, press junkets, at home and abroad, with friends, with family, with strangers, and occasionally just by himself.

Ranging from the mouth-wateringly memorable to the comfortingly domestic and to the infuriatingly inedible, the meals memorialised in this diary are a prism for him to reflect on the ways his life, and his family, are constantly evolving. Through food he marks—and mourns—the passing of time, the loss of loved ones, and steels himself for what is to come.

Whether it’s duck a l’orange eaten with fellow actors and cooked by singing Carmelite nuns, steaks barbequed at a gathering with friends, or meatballs made by his mother and son and shared at the table with three generations of his family, these meals give shape and add emotional richness to his days.

What I Ate in One Year is a funny, poignant, heartfelt, and deeply satisfying serving of memories and meals and an irresistible celebration of the profound role that food plays in all our lives.]]> 8 Stanley Tucci 1797185489 Meredith 4 memoirs 3.81 2024 What I Ate in One Year (and related thoughts)
author: Stanley Tucci
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves: memoirs
review:
This was fun, but not as heartwarming as Taste. I still thoroughly enjoy Tucci’s humor and wit.
]]> <![CDATA[The Joy of the Trinity: One God, Three Persons]]> 165058945
But our God wants to be known and loved, and He’s told us a lot about Himself in the pages of His Word—particularly that He is a “three-in-one� God. Although it is a crucial and classic Christian teaching, understanding the Trinity can be intimidating at first. But it doesn’t have to be!

Join bestselling author, Bible teacher, and podcaster Tara-Leigh Cobble as she walks you through the triune nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As you turn each page, you’ll discover a beautiful, foundational view of the Trinity that will not only inform how you relate to God but give you deeper intimacy and greater joy in knowing Him!]]> 224 Tara-Leigh Cobble 1087787416 Meredith 5 christian-living 4.51 The Joy of the Trinity: One God, Three Persons
author: Tara-Leigh Cobble
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.51
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves: christian-living
review:

]]> If I Run (If I Run, #1) 26263487 Casey knows the truth.

But it won’t set her free.

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.]]> 305 Terri Blackstock 0310332435 Meredith 3 novels 4.07 2016 If I Run (If I Run, #1)
author: Terri Blackstock
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/06
date added: 2024/11/06
shelves: novels
review:
Very engaging storyline that kept my interest, but the author doesn’t leave anything to the reader’s imagination!! Overwritten and at times, cheesy. Reads like a YA novel. Will finish the series to find out what happens, but unimpressed with the writing style.
]]> If Something Happens to Me 205040141
From “one of the genre’s most exciting voices� (E! News) comes one of the year’s most-anticipated thrillers.

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He's put his past behind him.

Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me�

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told from several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The story cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.]]> Alex Finlay Meredith 5 novels 3.55 2024 If Something Happens to Me
author: Alex Finlay
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/01
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: novels
review:
Great read! Several characters and storylines to keep track of but the twists were shocking and satisfying. A more mature novel for Finlay that had Grisham vibes.
]]> ǰǰö 13129925
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, ǰǰö is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, ǰǰö delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.

Designed by Andie Reid, cover photography by Christine Ferrara.]]> 248 Grady Hendrix 1594745269 Meredith 4 3.64 2014 ǰǰö
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves:
review:
Hilarious, horrid, but surprisingly heartwarming.
]]> The Other Mothers 101145752
She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. A group of sleek, sophisticated women who live in a neighborhood of tree-lined avenues and stunning houses. The sort of mothers Tash herself would like to be. When the mothers welcome her into their circle, Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of—their elegant London townhouses a far cry from her cramped basement flat and endless bills. She is quickly swept up into their wealthy world via coffees, cocktails, and playdates.

But when another young woman is found dead, it’s clear there’s much more to the community than meets the eye. The more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the other mothers. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who?]]> 384 Katherine Faulkner 1668024780 Meredith 4 book-club, novels 3.79 2023 The Other Mothers
author: Katherine Faulkner
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/23
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: book-club, novels
review:
Had a hard time putting this down! Lots of characters and couples to keep straight, but the plot is engaging. A fun, twisty read.
]]> <![CDATA[Be Ready When the Luck Happens]]> 219576778
In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.

Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.

From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of recipes and images from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.]]> Ina Garten Meredith 5 memoirs Devoured this. 4.23 2024 Be Ready When the Luck Happens
author: Ina Garten
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/21
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: memoirs
review:
Devoured this.
]]> <![CDATA[The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism]]> 58127845 A Threshold Editions Book. Threshold Editions has a great book for every reader.]]> 304 Tucker Carlson 1508296537 Meredith 5 reference 4.25 2021 The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism
author: Tucker Carlson
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves: reference
review:

]]> The Last House Guest 42202832 Publishers Weekly, starred review) featuring “dizzying plot twists and multiple surprise endings� (The New York Times Book Review).

Littleport, Maine, has always felt like two separate towns: an ideal vacation enclave for the wealthy, whose summer homes line the coastline; and a simple harbor community for the year-round residents whose livelihoods rely on service to the visitors.

Typically, fierce friendships never develop between a local and a summer girl—but that’s just what happens with visitor Sadie Loman and Littleport resident Avery Greer. Each summer for almost a decade, the girls are inseparable—until Sadie is found dead. While the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can’t help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie’s brother, Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name, before the facts get twisted against her.
The Last House Guest is a smart, twisty read that brilliantly explores the elusive nature of memory and the complexities of female friendships.]]> Megan Miranda 1508251495 Meredith 3 novels 3.27 2019 The Last House Guest
author: Megan Miranda
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves: novels
review:
This was sooooo boring. I liked the setting and plot twist, but with virtually no character depth or development, I didn’t care about anyone.
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)]]> 197717652
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes.

But her cold stare gives me chills�

The Lowells� maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?

I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?]]> 383 Freida McFadden 1464221138 Meredith 3 novels
The first half was super underwhelming and several aspects uncharacteristic of the Enzo and Millie we’ve come to know. I don’t get why Enzo wouldn’t confide in his wife. Ending was shockingly surprising, but because we were provided ZERO suspicion, it was more deflating than satisfying. ]]> 3.89 2024 The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: novels
review:
I think Freida foreshadowed her readers� thoughts on page 323� “The first and the second one are so good. The third one is good too, but not my favorite. The third in a series usually isn’t that great, so it’s not his [the author’s] fault.�

The first half was super underwhelming and several aspects uncharacteristic of the Enzo and Millie we’ve come to know. I don’t get why Enzo wouldn’t confide in his wife. Ending was shockingly surprising, but because we were provided ZERO suspicion, it was more deflating than satisfying.
]]> I Let You Go 30689367 A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .]]> 400 Clare Mackintosh 1101987502 Meredith 0 to-read 3.96 2014 I Let You Go
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> What Lies Between Us 53142315
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.]]> 363 John Marrs 1542017025 Meredith 0 to-read 3.97 2020 What Lies Between Us
author: John Marrs
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Who Am I? Identity in Christ 13510029 The Pursuit of Holiness,The Discipline of Grace,The Bookends of the Christian Life, and many other books) asks perhaps the most fundamental question of "Who am I?� He then turns to Scripture to unpack for the Christian eight clear, interlocking, illuminating

I Am a Creature
I Am in Christ
I Am Justified
I Am an Adopted Son of God
I Am a New Creation
I Am a Saint
I Am a Servant of Jesus Christ
I Am Not Yet Perfect

A direct, honest presentation of biblical truth, and all new material from Jerry Bridges,Who Am I?demonstrates for believers that they can and should rightfully claim for themselves an unshakable, lifelong, personal foundation of confidence in one thing and one thing the gospel of a victorious, resurrected Savior.]]> 108 Jerry Bridges 1936760495 Meredith 4 christian-living 4.31 2012 Who Am I? Identity in Christ
author: Jerry Bridges
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/12/22
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: christian-living
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming]]> 48849913 The Lifegiving Home. Every day of your family's life can be as special and important to you as it already is to God. In this unique book designed to help your family enjoy and celebrate every month of the year together, you'll discover the secrets of a life-giving home from a mother who created one and her daughter who was raised in it: popular authors Sally and Sarah Clarkson. Together they offer a rich treasure of wise advice, spiritual principles, and practical suggestions. You'll embark on a new path to creating special memories for your children; establishing home-building and God-centered traditions; and cultivating an environment in which your family will flourish.]]> Sally Clarkson Meredith 3 christian-living 4.29 2016 The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming
author: Sally Clarkson
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: christian-living
review:
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Overly repetitive (how many times can one mention lighting a candle and drinking a cup of tea!?) and idyllic. Read more like a family memoir. Lovely concepts and some great ideas sprinkled throughout, just not my cup of tea�.pun intended.
]]> Greenwich Park 55905003
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.]]> 384 Katherine Faulkner 1982150319 Meredith 4 book-club, novels 3.80 2021 Greenwich Park
author: Katherine Faulkner
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: book-club, novels
review:
I never guessed how this would end!!
]]> With a Kiss We Die 192796696 Two college lovers suspected of a brutal double homicide enlist a podcasting crime journalist to proclaim their innocence in this psychologically riveting and compulsively enjoyable novel of love, lies, and murder, perfect for fans of The Lady Vanishes podcast and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.

I’m Ryanna Raines. And welcome to “The Raines Report.�

Ryanna Raines is the host of a popular true-crime podcast. Her specialty is investigative journalism, her style is truth-seeking moxie, and with millions of listeners along for the ride, her star is rising. But when an intriguing message is left on her tip-line, the reporter is pulled into the most challenging case of her career.

The mangled bodies of a husband and wife have been discovered in their multi-million-dollar estate in Southern California. The prime suspects are their twenty-two-year-old son and his girlfriend, two college theater students who are now facing arrest and indictment. In a surprising move, they only want to speak with Ryanna, offering exclusive interviews in exchange for her help getting their side of the story told.

Instead of a badge or a weapon, Ryanna carries her voice recorder onto the battlefield of the high-profile murder investigation. Through a series of interviews, Ryanna examines her subjects from multiple angles and diverse points of view, breaking past the walls of “he said, she said� to pierce at a dark and horrible truth.

Written in the style of a true-crime podcast, With a Kiss We Die is a heart-racing mystery and thought-provoking tale about love and secrets that unfolds episode by episode as it hurtles towards an explosive conclusion. L. R. Dorn has crafted a suspenseful examination of our cultural obsession with true crime, the complicated moral obligations between journalists and their subjects, and the often-deadly line between performance and deceit.

Full list of narrators: Therese Plummer, January LaVoy, Lucas Cheng, Kirsten Høj, Vikas Adam, Lisa Flanagan, Gabra Zackman, Fred Berman, Lauren Fortgang, Hillary Huber, Dan Bittner, Jarred Webb, Joan Cheam, Angel Villalobos, Amaris Canada, William Huffaker.]]> L.R. Dorn Meredith 3 novels 3.73 2023 With a Kiss We Die
author: L.R. Dorn
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves: novels
review:
This was a very fun read with an excellent audiobook production! I appreciate the unique writing perspective, but wish there had been more suspense and shock value. The ending definitely fell flat, which I totally understand often reflects real-life crime stories, but the podcasting buildup made it disappointing.
]]> Rules of Civility 10054335 335 Amor Towles Meredith 5 novels 4.06 2011 Rules of Civility
author: Amor Towles
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: novels
review:
Absolute perfection. � I devoured this book and loved everything about it—the cozy nostalgia, rich characterization, subtle plot lines, unique vocabulary…just FABULOUS writing. I didn’t want it to end.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore]]> 201751300 An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations

Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see those stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including The Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who appeared to sign books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.]]> 416 Evan Friss 0593299922 Meredith 0 did-not-finish 3.92 2024 The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
author: Evan Friss
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
Okay, I’m done. This was super disappointing. Was expecting an interesting history on bookstores in America but it’s just a bunch of woke essays on very specific radical bookstores located primarily in NYC.
]]> <![CDATA[Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament]]> 40584233 Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting God's goodness.

Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God--but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many Christians today. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust.

Exploring how the Bible--through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations--gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of grace and mercy God offers in the darkest moments of our lives.]]> 224 Mark Vroegop 1433561484 Meredith 5 christian-living So so so good. 4.54 2019 Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament
author: Mark Vroegop
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: christian-living
review:
So so so good.
]]> The Rom-Commers 199249998
She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.� Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?]]> Katherine Center 1250344794 Meredith 2 novels 3.93 2024 The Rom-Commers
author: Katherine Center
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: novels
review:
Oh my word. This was ridiculous.
]]> <![CDATA[Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life]]> 198663103 152 Mark Vroegop 1433590972 Meredith 0 to-read 4.49 Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life
author: Mark Vroegop
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beechdale Road: Where Mercy is More Powerful Than Murder. A True Story]]> 210006364 92 Megan Shertzer Meredith 5 4.45 Beechdale Road: Where Mercy is More Powerful Than Murder. A True Story
author: Megan Shertzer
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/02
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves:
review:
Didn’t intend to finish this in one sitting, but I couldn’t stop reading. I prayed daily for Linda and her family and was gutted when I heard the news. I’ve grown up near the Amish community and know of their testimony for bold forgiveness, but reading a first-hand account from an incident that happened locally was riveting. The power of God’s grace, mercy, and overwhelming love to flow so naturally from Linda’s family was such a gut-wrenchingly beautiful picture of what God did for each and every one of us. Grab some tissues and settle in to be rebuked, humbled, and assured of God’s grace that “exceeds our sin and our guilt.�
]]> <![CDATA[The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done]]> 48931078 Being a Lazy Genius isn't about doing more or doing less. It's about doing what matters to you.

"I could not be more excited about this book."--Jenna Fischer, actor and cohost of Office Ladies podcast

The chorus of "shoulds" is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.

It's so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well.

Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn't. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra's thirteen Lazy Genius principles, including:

- Decide once
- Start small
- Ask the Magic Question
- Go in the right order
- Schedule rest

Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else's "shoulds." Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.]]> 240 Kendra Adachi 0525653910 Meredith 3 reference
In one chapter Kendra acknowledges how we can’t depend on ourselves and we need God every day. Then she wraps up with the “be kind to yourself� and “you are enough� mantras. What? Which is it? While I think I can grasp her intention in context, it’s sloppy theology and I’m so over Christian women promoting these misleading and often wrong concepts.]]> 4.11 2020 The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done
author: Kendra Adachi
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/02
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: reference
review:
Overall, very practical and helpful (though, primarily for someone who really struggles to feel organized with her life). I loved some of her tips and approach to finding systems that actually work for you and your family. Great. Yet, I do not understand what Kendra believes. Either write from a biblical viewpoint or don’t.

In one chapter Kendra acknowledges how we can’t depend on ourselves and we need God every day. Then she wraps up with the “be kind to yourself� and “you are enough� mantras. What? Which is it? While I think I can grasp her intention in context, it’s sloppy theology and I’m so over Christian women promoting these misleading and often wrong concepts.
]]> Don't Look for Me 49127515
The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man in a truck offering her a ride to town. With him is a little girl who reminds her of the daughter she lost years ago. It feels like a sign. And Molly is overcome with the desire to be home, with her family—no matter how broken it is. She accepts the ride. But when the doors are locked shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.

When a new lead comes in after the search has ended, Molly's daughter, Nicole, begins to wonder. Nothing about her mother's disappearance makes sense.

Nicole returns to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to find the truth. The locals are kind and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves and she comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her.]]> 342 Wendy Walker 1250198704 Meredith 0 to-read 3.96 2020 Don't Look for Me
author: Wendy Walker
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Listen for the Lie 127279000 What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.]]> 352 Amy Tintera 1250880319 Meredith 0 to-read 4.07 2024 Listen for the Lie
author: Amy Tintera
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow]]> 199889664 Women were made to give life—and they can do that right in their own homes.

Hygge [HYOO-guh] has become a cultural buzzword. When many read about this Danish practice, their shoulders lift in excitement, then fall in exhale. In a culture of rush, hygge appeals to their desire for rest—for slow living, shared moments, and fostered friendships. Hygge has strong ties to beauty, contentment, and well-being. It’s warm and inviting. Hygge is the opposite of hustle. It eschews abundance. It savors. It takes things slow and envelopes you in sanctuary. Hygge is home. When you sit in a comfy chair by the fire, that’s hygge. When you arrange a fresh bouquet of wildflowers on a bedside table, that’s hygge too. Candles, soft furnishings, natural light, fresh-baked pastries, intimate gatherings with friends—these are what come to mind when you think of hygge. But hygge can be so much more.

In Holy Hygge, author Jamie Erickson unites the popular Danish practice with the deep, theological truths of the gospel. She unpacks the seven tenets of hygge: hospitality, relationships, well-being, atmosphere, comfort, contentment, and rest. In addition, Erickson shows how the external veneer of a lifestyle can create a life-giving home only when placed under the hope of the gospel. Holy Hygge provides practical ideas for using hygge to gather people and introduce them to faith in Christ. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions, Scripture references, and a prayer.]]> Jamie Erickson Meredith 4 christian-living 4.00 2022 Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow
author: Jamie Erickson
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/30
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: christian-living
review:
Sweet, inspirational read. Nothing groundbreaking and I felt like I’ve heard most of her pithy statements and quotes before, but overall, this was a cozy read on practical hospitality. Interesting tips at the end. Would make a good housewarming gift.
]]> I Hope This Finds You Well 213810114
In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues� private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text colour to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favour, convince HR she’s Supershops material and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker’s private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.

Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.]]> Natalie Sue Meredith 4 novels 3.59 2024 I Hope This Finds You Well
author: Natalie Sue
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: novels
review:
A heartwarming, hilarious, relatable read!! Fun characters with a redeeming plot line.
]]> The Perfect Son 53430752 371 Freida McFadden Meredith 4 book-club, novels That was a wild ride! 4.06 2019 The Perfect Son
author: Freida McFadden
name: Meredith
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: book-club, novels
review:
That was a wild ride!
]]> <![CDATA[Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff]]> 38915707 208 Myquillyn Smith 0310350913 Meredith 5 reference 3.75 2018 Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff
author: Myquillyn Smith
name: Meredith
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves: reference
review:
Super practical! I resonated with this book much more than The Nesting Place. Laugh-out-loud funny while providing logical steps and helpful tips to make your house a cozy home. Would make a great gift for someone who recently moved!
]]>