Linda the Librarian

In Dreams Forgotten by Tracie Peterson The last two weeks have leant themselves to fun, relaxing reads.  It's been gray and snowy here, not great weather for deep thought and wrestling with big ideas.  So I read book two in the breezy Golden Gate Secrets trilogy by Tracie Peterson. After the deaths of her parents, Judith Gladstone travels to San Francisco with the hope of finding her aunt and possibly other family members as well.  Friend and lawyer Caleb Coulter does everything he can to assist her in the search.  What will she find?  Who will she find?  Will she find love in the process?  I won't tell you because that would spoil all of your fun!   If you're looking for a pleasant way to spend a weekend or several evenings with hot cups of tea I can recommend this book to you.  The plot is predictable, but enjoyable.  I felt relaxed and happy at the conclusion of this book.   Until next time...

My TBR pile for the next few weeks.  What's waiting to be read at your house?

Pinfluence by Beth Hayden The title of the book really is the book's purpose statement.  Ms. Hayden is writing to help people know how to use Pinterest to promote and grow their businesses.  The book is older (it was published in 2012), so some of the information is dated (e.g. there is no more "like" option).  However, I still found this a worthwhile read.  I didn't read the book cover to cover, I skimmed a lot of it and deeply read the sections that were applicable to my use of Pinterest in a nonprofit setting. I thought it was clear and very readable.  She packed the book with real life examples from businesses - some businesses you would recognize.  It was practical and many of the strategies could be immediately applied.  Pinfluence made me rethink some of how we use our Pinterest account in the library setting.  There will be changes to our Pinterest account in the near future, I think!   If you are a business owner or are the person in charge of

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis We watched the 2005 version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe while our girls were home for Christmas.  I realized once again how much I love all things Narnia so I decided to read (actually listen to) the stories once again.  I'm listening to them in Narnian chronological order rather than in the order of publication. The Magician's Nephew is the story of Digory and his friend Polly who are tricked by Digory's Uncle Andrew into taking a trip to other worlds.  They meet  evil Queen Jadis from the rapidly dying world of Charn.  When they realize just how evil she is they try to leave Charn without her, but end up bringing her back to our world.  They try to lose her again, but accidentally take her to Narnia at the time when Aslan is first creating Narnia.  Aslan tells the children that Jadis will be kept in check for a time, but then she will do harm to Narnia. I love C. S. Lewis.  I love the way he describes

This weekend provided a very natural and good excuse to stay indoors with a good book...or two!  It was snowy, windy, and bitterly cold, so my crazy little dog and I curled up with a blanket and some fun reading.  In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson is the first book in a trilogy called Golden Gates Secrets.  Camri Coulter travels from Chicago to San Francisco in 1905 to find her brother Caleb from whom they haven't heard a word in about three months.  Along the way she meets two other young ladies also on a search for people and answers of their own.  Is Caleb still alive?  Will Camri find him?  Will she find love in San Francisco?  There's only one way to find out.  You need to read the book!  This was a light, breezy read that was a pleasant way to spend my time indoors with cups of tea and hours of classical or light jazz music (variety is the spice of life!). The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott is the first novel she wrote at the age of 17.  If you are saying, &qu

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell One of the great things about having daughters in university is that they will sometimes bring home textbooks that interest me.  One of my daughters took a class about the life of Christ and this was one of her textbooks.  I've read the older version before, but this one is updated and co-authored by the father and son team.  I'm not going to add my words, I'm just going to share one story from the book that I especially loved and encourage you to read the book for yourself.  Whether you have questions about who Jesus Christ is or you know Him, but want to know Him better this book is for you. At this point many people ask the natural question, "Why couldn't God just forgive without requiring payment?"...Wherever there is forgiveness, there is payment.  For example, let's say my daughter breaks a lamp in my home.  I'm a loving and forgiving father, so I hug her and say, "Don&#

It seems you can't watch television without seeing an advertisement for medication to treat some form of depression or anxiety.  Is all of that medication necessary?  Can we do something to alleviate the problem or heal ourselves?  This book definitely gives direction for those seeking an alternative way to care for anxiety and fluctuating moods.  Each chapter deals with a different aspect of our health as it relates to food (sugar and blood sugar swings, caffeine, alcohol,  nicotine, gluten and other food sensitivities, digestion, and taking supplements).  Really what a lot of this boils down to is paying attention to our bodies when we eat and noting how food makes us feel (both physically and emotionally).  Ms. Scott encourages food journaling to track what was eaten and what our reaction was to the food.  She also shares real life stories of  her patients that relate to the topic in each chapter.  I don't believe that we should all swear off doctors and medicine as

Reading about Wallace the American Pitbull Terrier with my little Jack Russell Terrier! I love stories about underdogs who make good.  Wallace was a misunderstood Pitbull living in an animal shelter with his life hanging in the balance.  People thought he was aggressive, but he was really overstimulated with no outlet for his energy.  Enter Roo and Clara Yori, the couple who could see his potential and loved him for who he was.  They took him home and found ways to channel his energy.  With the help of his humans he became a champion disc dog.  After you read the book, check out videos on You Tube to see them in action.   Needless to say, this book has a very happy ending.  I enjoyed the book immensely and I'm glad I met Wallace through hearing his story.   Until next time....

Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach This is one of the books I try to read yearly.  I have certainly not perfected keeping Christ in mind every moment of every day, hence the reason this book needs to be read yearly.  I find that different passages stand out to me each time I read this little book (it's only 106 pages).  I thought I'd share the passages that spoke to me this reading. This is the best way to act: talk a great deal to the Lord.  Frank Laubach page 23 We ought not to be discouraged on account of our sins; rather, simply pray for the Lord's grace with perfect confidence, relying upon the infinite mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ.  God has never failed offering us His grace at each action.  I can distinctly perceive that grace, and I am never without a sense of that grace unless it is when my thoughts have wandered from a sense of God's presence or I have forgotten to ask the Lord for His assistance.   Brother L

I tried to read this book, but I couldn't get into it.  I think the subject matter is worthwhile, but the author's writing style didn't appeal to me.  Let me know if you read this book and enjoy it.  You just might! Until next time...

We're going to have an evening filled with popcorn and Pooh Bear!  I'm pretty excited.  What do you have planned for this evening?

Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist Confession time, I actually read Cold Tangerines before the calendar flipped to January 1 and Bittersweet I started December 30 and finished on January 1, but I thought close enough was good enough for this post.  Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet are the second and third books respectively that I've read by Shauna Niequist.  I came across them on another blogger's post on Pinterest of books that helped them when they were struggling with depression.  Both are collections of essays describing times of difficulty and transition in Ms. Niequist's life.   The theme of Cold Tangerines is celebration. I think she was trying to describe how even in times of difficulty and transition we can celebrate God's activity in our lives.  Honestly, I didn't think the book felt celebratory.  I didn't come away with a more hopeful outlook.  The theme of Bittersweet is that even in difficulty and transition there is a