The Book Devotions

Hello, my friends! A couple of weeks ago, I announced that I am moving this newsletter to Substack. It's a simple change of platforms, and you don't have to do anything—you'll receive emails from me as usual. But this move is coming with some exciting changes! This column will be cozily nestled as a section within Library Binding, and it's called Saturday Morning Serial. Saturday Morning Serial. Zero calories! Super healthy! 😂 As you may have guessed, it'll arrive in your inbox on Saturday...

Hey there, Reader. Today, I'm sharing a printable discussion guide with deep questions to ask about any book. Any fiction book, that is. It's a gift from me to you. 💕 Use it with your book club or your students. There's something beautiful about discussing books with other people. I hope this flexible list of questions will get your thoughts bubbling. Download Meet Melody Trowell, Author & Poet If you can’t resist a story that begins with “Once upon a time,” then you’ll love Melody Trowell....

Hello, my friend, I've got another fun quiz for you today. But first, think about your favorite friendship between two fictional characters. There are so many... Pooh and Piglet Wilbur and Charlotte Tom and Huck Emma and Harriet Sherlock and Watson Harry and Ron In this super-silly-TGIF bookish quiz, you will discover the answer to the question: Which fictional BFF are you? When you get to the end, I'll reward you with book recommendations. Take the quiz Have fun! Meet Sarah Tinney, author...

Hi, Reader! I hope you're enjoying this fine Friday and looking forward to the weekend. If not—if life has not been kind lately, which happens—please hit reply and tell me so that I can say a prayer for you. Today, I've got a small stack of book reviews for you. I've been on a mystery kick! The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie. A classic whodunnit. The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey. A most British detective novel. The Peasant King by Tessa Afshar. Historical Christian romance....

Hey, Reader, I hope you had a great week and that it's starting to feel like fall where you are. This is such a gorgeous time of year where I live in Arizona. Since starting a Substack earlier this year, I've been spending more time on the app. I don't have the stamina to engage with social media, but Substack has been a tad addicting, and that has raised my eyebrows. Substack is like a water cooler where all the AP English nerds have gathered to discuss what they're reading and writing....

My 7-year-old son asked, "Mommy, can you drink too much water?" "Yes, you sure can." "But water is good." "That's true, but too much, too fast, can make you sick." You can easily visualize this when it comes to food, right? Broccoli is good for you, but if you eat too much for dinner, you'll be tossing and turning past bedtime with a gassy tummy. Or is that just me? 🥺 This is true of (almost?) everything that we intake, even noble intangibles like books. Have you ever gone on a voracious...

Do you enjoy a good detective story, Reader? At this moment, I'm listening to The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (impeccably narrated by Hugh Fraiser). This is one of Christie's more well-known books, and, I must say, it's good so far. Want to get matched with one of her lesser-known titles? Then, I've got a fun quiz for you. These quizzes are—of course—just for kicks! I hope this one makes you smile and give you a good book rec on this fine Friday. 1. It’s your ideal weekend...

Dear Reader, Do you ever have what you think is a slow reading month only to look back and realize that you read way more than you thought? That's how I feel about August. Can you believe that summer is officially ending this weekend? We've already had a handful of crisp, overcast days here in Arizona. I hope you're enjoying the change of seasons wherever you are in the world. Onward to the book reviews... I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger (literary sailing adventure) Rebecca by Daphne du...

Yesterday, I was in the car with my two little boys, driving home from our Back-2-Homeschool party at the park, when the sky fell. A few hours earlier, we'd been surrounded by kids in bathing suits sprinting through the community splash pad, inhaling the scent of damp grass and spray-on sunscreen. A heavy gray cloud that we'd seen approaching all morning had finally made its way overhead, and it unloaded itself mercilessly on our mountaintop town. Thankfully, by that time, our party had...