A Place of Healing

A Place of Healing
By Joni Eareckson Tada

As many of Joni’s books have dealt with suffering so does this one. Written with the same eloquence and compassion we’ve come to know Joni for she poses the question, “If God can heal, why doesn’t He?”




Joni invites us to walk with her as she asks this question trying to understand her new battle of chronic pain. After nearly forty years of quadriplegia she is asking once again how God can use her while is so much pain. She is open, encouraging, and gives the honest answer to the question of God’s healing. It is His choice of who and when to heal according to His will.



She then goes on to explain the process and verses she has used in her journey to accept her new situation. Her advice may not be the easiest to swallow but I believe that with hard work, determination, and the right mindset this book can aid in making sense of suffering.



Favorite Line:

“Authentic strength walks hand in hand with weakness”




Rating: a whole gem parcel

A Time to Dance

A Time to Dance

By Karen Kingsbury



Everyone thinks John and Abby Reynolds are the perfect couple but secretly they are about to lose it all. After growing apart over the years and John nearly having an affair, they have decided to divorce. As John and Abby sit their family down to make the announcement their oldest daughter, Nicole, announces she’s engaged and wants to get married on her parent’s anniversary. In the moment John and Abby decide to keep their divorce quiet until after the wedding. Can they still find joy as the wedding approaches?



As the wedding does approach John and Abby are each filled with turmoil, flashing back to when things were good between them along with the struggles they have overcome during their marriage. Every scene, whether present day or flashback, pulls the reader in and offers the ability to feel both John’s and Abby’s pain as they question if they are making the right decision.



Throughout the book there are many whispers from God into their situations and it’s really interesting to see when and how both of them respond. Sometimes they follow the Lord’s leading and sometimes they don’t, just like any normal person.



The biggest down fall to the book is if the reader isn’t completely paying attention or is too caught up in the story, the reader may not realize when the perspectives have switched and may be left a little confused.

I received this book free for review from Thomas Nelson publsihers.


Favorite Line:

“The music never changes but it’s up to us to keep dancing.”



Rating: 5 carats

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The Island

The Island
By Elin Hilderbrand

The Island is a story of four women taking a month long vacation on the island of Tuckernuck, Massachusetts, a remote island off the coast of Nantucket. All four bring their own heartbreak and try to sort through their problems together.




The story alternates between all four perspectives so you have the opportunity to get to know each character and why they wanted to escape to the island. This is supposed to be chick-lit but it didn’t seem very upbeat like chick lit traditionally is. Laced with pain the story was a bit depressing and listening to the audio version the narrators voice was dry, easy to lose track, and hard to follow.



Favorite Line:

“Plans for the vacation changed, and then changed again.”


I received this book free for review from Hachette Audio Group

Rating: 3 carats

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Latte Daze

Latte Daze
By Erynn Mangum



Latte Daze is the second book in Erynn Mangum’s Maya Davis series. Maya Davis’ life is going just fine. She’s working at her favorite coffee shop, Cool Beans, alongside her boyfriend, Jack, living with her best friend, Jen, hanging out with her pilates loving dog, Calvin, and building a better relationship with her brother and his wife. Everything is just as Maya likes, calm and predictable, until Jen gets engaged, Maya’s sister-in-law announces she’s pregnant and Jack says “I love you” but does she love him?



This is a great follow up to Cool Beans. As light and fun-loving as this book is, Maya’s struggle to trust God in the midst of change is a great reminder to us as the reader to keep the faith. Maya knows in her head God is in control but does she feel it in her heart? Erynn does an awesome job of applying scripture to the character’s situations and sharing how God can speak in the right place at the right time.



Favorite Quote:

“Reasons It’s Okay to Like Change:

1. God is in control.

2. God is in control.

3. God is in control.

4. Without change, we would not have any ice-cream flavors except vanilla.”




I recieved this book free for review from NavPress publishers

Rating: 5 carats

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