First Line Fridays: "Whose Waves These Are"

Happy Friday, friends! School's out for the summer (my condolences to those of you who go into June ...), so my boss has decided to let us adjust our office hours, and we're now officially closed at noon on Fridays! I still have lots of yearbooking to do, so this long weekend won't actually be much of a break for me, but at least I can work on the book from the comfort of my living room (with the Cubs game on, currently) instead of in the office!

Review: "The Printed Letter Bookshop" by Katherine Reay

A novel set in a bookstore? What could be better? (Owning said bookstore myself—that's what could be better 😉)

Review: "Rise of the Mystics" by Ted Dekker

Rise of the Mystics continues Rachelle Matthews' story ... a story that really began with Black oh so many years ago.

Review: "The 49th Mystic" by Ted Dekker

I first "met" Ted Dekker in 2004 when my college roommate gave me a copy of Black, the first book in the Circle Trilogy (which later became a four-book series, but I prefer to think of it as just the three books).

For a while, I read everything Dekker wrote, and the twist endings he's a master of still awe me (hello, Skin and Three!), but after a while his books became a little too much for me. Boneman's Daughters was the final straw, and I drifted away from his writing. But a couple years ago, I heard about A.D. 30 and A.D. 33, biblical fiction set during Jesus' ministry. I really enjoyed both of those books, which made me more inclined to check out the Beyond the Circle series, of which The 49th Mystic is the first.

Review: "Sweet on You" by Becky Wade

Seven years ago, I picked up a little book called My Stubborn Heart by an author I'd never heard of. I loved it, and I couldn't shut up about it. I lent it to anyone who asked me for a book recommendation, I named it my favorite book of the year, and I eagerly awaited news of the author's next book.

Ever since then, I've read everything Becky Wade has written. When my sister talks about her, she calls her "your girl Becky Wade" ... because I definitely haven't kept my love for her books quiet!

For the last two years—ever since I read book one of the Bradford Sisters series—I've been anticipating Britt Bradford's story. And now, it's finally here!

Review: "Her Oklahoma Rancher" by Brenda Minton

A couple weeks ago, I reviewed Rescuing His Secret Child as part of TLC Book Tours' Love Inspired tour. Today, I'm back with another Love Inspired title, Her Oklahoma Rancher.

Review: "Moments We Forget" by Beth K. Vogt

Earlier this week, I (finally) read Beth K. Vogt's excellent Things I Never Told You. It had been on my TBR shelf for nearly a year, but with the upcoming release of Moments We Forget (and the looming deadline for this review), I finally picked it up. I was captivated. I loved the introduction to the Thatcher sisters, and I was so glad to be able to move right into this book once I finished Things I Never Told You. (Also, you didn't miss it—I haven't posted that review yet. Coming soon, I promise!)

April Wrap-Up

Hello, May! I'm happy to say goodbye to April—after losing a friend to cancer and making it through some crazy-stressful work stuff, I'm thrilled to be moving into May! (May will be crazy, no doubt. But I'm hoping it won't be as hard as April was.)

Review: "Shadow among Sheaves" by Naomi Stephens

I am all about retellings of famous stories—Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Bible. So when I heard that Shadow among Sheaves was based on Boaz & Ruth in the Bible, I knew I wanted to read it.