Wanda E. Brunstetter’s Amish Friends Farmhouse Favorites Cookbook: A Collection of Over 200 Recipes for Simple and Hearty Meals, Including Advice and Stories by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Wanda E. Brunstetter’s Amish Friends Farmhouse Favorites Cookbook: 

by 

Wanda E. Brunstetter

About:

Ever feel as famished as a farmer and long for simple country cooking ideas?

Brand new, from New York Times bestselling author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter, is a must-have cookbook from the heart of Amish Country. Amish cooks, who know how to please their hard-working family members, contributed over 200 recipes in traditional categories from main dishes and sides to desserts and snacks. Also included are kitchen tips and stories from growing up on Amish farms. Encased in a lay-flat binding and presented in full color, home cooks of all ages will be delighted to add this cookbook to their collections.

My Thoughts:

I love getting Wanda Brunstetters cook books. I could not wait for this one to arrive in the mail. This cookbook is filled with beautiful photos and recipes alike. Filled with easy ingredients, you'll be sure to whip up a quick recipe in no time. I love that Wanda takes the time to fill these cookbooks with amazing stories. The pages lay flat too, with the spiral binding, which is perfect when you're following a recipe. I also love that this cookbook included a section on home remedies that are fun and helpful. Overall, this is another amazing cookbook to add to your collection. Pick up a copy today! 

About the Author:

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. She is the author of almost 90 books with more than 10 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine and USA Today.

Wanda's fascination with the Amish culture developed when she met her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church, and whose family has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Meeting her new Mennonite sister-in-laws caused Wanda to yearn for the simpler life. In their travels, she and her husband have become close friends with many Amish people across America. Wanda's desire to explore their culture increased when she discovered that her great-great grandparents were part of the Anabaptist faith.

All of Wanda's novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Many of her books are well-read and trusted by the Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

Wanda's primary attraction to the Amish is their desire to live a devout Christian life that strives to honor God, work hard, and maintain close family ties. Whenever she visits her Amish friends, Wanda finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties, which is in stark contrast to the chaos and busyness that plagues so many modern "Englishers." Time and time again, Wanda loses her heart in the Amish life, and she hopes her readers will, too. For more information, visit: www.WandaBrunstetter.com

The Summer House By Lauren K.Denton

About The Summer House

Hardcover: 352 Pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 2, 2020)

Sometimes it takes losing everything to find yourself again.

Lily Bishop wakes up one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated, but a flyer at the grocery store for a hair stylist position in a local retirement community provides a refuge while she contemplates her next steps.

Rose Carrigan built the small retirement village of Safe Harbor years ago—just before her husband ran off with his assistant. Now she runs a tight ship, making sure the residents follow her strict rules. Rose keeps everyone at arm’s length, including her own family. But when Lily shows up asking for a job and a place to live, Rose’s cold exterior begins to thaw.

Lily and Rose form an unlikely friendship, and Lily’s salon soon becomes the place where residents share town gossip, as well as a few secrets. Lily soon finds herself drawn to Rose’s nephew, Rawlins—a single dad and shrimper who’s had some practice at starting over—and one of the residents may be carrying a torch for Rose as well.

Neither Lily nor Rose is where she expected to be, but the summer makes them both wonder if there’s more to life and love than what they’ve experienced so far. The Summer House weaves Lauren K. Denton’s inviting Southern charm around a woman’s journey to find herself.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton is the perfect summer beach read.  Lily Bishop is left in home at Safe Harbor, where she has less than a week to stay and must figure out a new life as she is left unexpectedly with divorce papers. Devastated, Lily cannot believe what is happening in her life, but recognizes that she needs to make a new life for herself. Lily finds a job, begins to engage with the community and starts a new life for herself. In Safe Harbor she finds friends, forgiveness, love and community. No matter the age, Lily learns she can start over again and build a life that she loves.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a light read and I loved the friendship between Lily and Rose. I read this book in two days and was cheerleading for Lily the entire time. Pick up your copy today, you will enjoy the power of healing and new beginnings in this book! 

About Lauren K. Denton

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, THE HIDEAWAY, was a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, HURRICANE SEASON, released in spring of 2018, is a USA Today bestseller. GLORY ROAD will release in March, 2019.

.

Connect with Lauren

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Afraid of the Light by Cynthia Ruchti

Afraid of the Light

by 

Cynthia Ruchti 

About:

She helps others manage their desperate lives--but who will help her? Clinical psychologist Camille Brooks isn't put off by the lifestyle of her hoarding clients. After all, she lost her mother to the crippling anxiety disorder. She'll go a long way to help others avoid the same pain and loss.

Despite Camille's expertise, her growing audience for her Let in the Light podcast, and the national recognition she's gaining for her creative coaching methods, there are some things she isn't prepared for. A client who looks far too much like her mom catches her off guard. And the revelation that she's also hoarding something sends her spinning.

Can she stand to let the light into her own life with the help of a friend who wants to stand by her for life and the God who created and loves her? Or will she find that defeating her demons proves too much to bear? 

My Thoughts:

Having read several books by Cynthia Ruchti, I was thrilled at the opportunity to get my hands on her latest book. This book offers light, hope and Jesus to anyone in who is working through fear, addiction and anxiety. This book focuses on a difficult topic with hoarding, but does it in a way that is respectful, clean and tasteful through a fictional story. 

I appreciate how Ruchti handles this book. While the reader has a realistic perspective, the details are handled at a careful pace, while being sensitive to the reality of what people deal with. She weaves a romance story in a beautiful way that captures the reader. She ultimately allows the reader to see that through difficult stories, we find our hope and trust in one person. This is an awesome inspirational fiction story and you will highly enjoy it. I loved the faith element and the story telling through this book.

About the Author:

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed-in-Hope through her novels and novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, and through speaking for women's and writers' events. Her books have been recognized by many top industry readers', reviewers', library, retailer, and other honors. Cynthia is the Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and a literary agent with Books & Such Literary Management. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five (to date) grandchildren.

The White Rose Resists By Amanda Barratt

The White Rose Resists By Amanda Barratt

Inspired by the incredible true story of a group of ordinary men and women who dared to stand against evil

The ideal of a new Germany swept up Sophie Scholl in a maelstrom of patriotic fervor--that is, until she realized the truth behind Hitler's machinations for the fatherland. Now she and other students in Munich, the cradle of the Nazi government, have banded together to form a group to fight for the truth: the White Rose. Risking everything to print and distribute leaflets calling for Germans to rise up against the evil permeating their country, the White Rose treads a knife's edge of discovery by the Gestapo.

Annalise Brandt came to the University of Munich to study art, not get involved with conspiracy. The daughter of an SS officer, she's been brought up to believe in the Führer's divinely appointed leadership. But the more she comes to know Sophie and her friends, the more she questions the Nazi propaganda.

Soon Annalise joins their double life--students by day, resisters by night. And as the stakes increase, they're all forced to confront the deadly consequences meted out to any who dare to oppose the Reich.

A gripping testament to courage, The White Rose Resists illuminates the sacrifice and conviction of an unlikely group of revolutionaries who refused to remain silent-no matter the cost.

My Thoughts:

Wow! This book was not what I thought it was going to be, but even better! This is one of those books that does not leave your heart soon. The characters feel very real and you feel as though you know them. This book came to life for me as Amanda Barratt told this heroic story. I was not able to put this book down. It kept me up late at night. If you like historical fiction, you will love this book! Pick up a copy today. You will have this book read in no time! 

About the Author:

ECPA best-selling author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story—a spin-off of Jane Eyre. Now, Amanda writes romantic, historical fiction, penning stories of beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very different from our own. She's the author of over a dozen novels and novellas including The White Rose Resists: A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler and My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love.

Amanda lives in the woods of Michigan with her family, where she can be found reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.

Connect with her on Facebook and visit her online at amandabarratt.net.

LET THEM BE KIDS by JESSICA SMARTT

LET THEM BE KIDS

About Let Them Be Kids: Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need

Paperback: 256 Pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 9, 2020)

As every parent hopes to raise kids with good manners and values, Jessica Smartt’s practical guide fills the gaps of uncertainty and provides tips on how parents can equip their children in purity, faith, and creativity.

Former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, especially with all the outside pressures and influence of the world. She struggled with how she could raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to utilize technology wisely.

Let Them Be Kids is Jessica’s offering of grace and confidence to moms, giving them practical ideas to meet these challenges. Her well-researched, tested methods, woven together with her personal stories and witty humor, deliver wisdom on the tough topics of life, such as

• family time vs. outside activities,
• being “cool” or not,
• boredom,
• technology usage
• sexual purity, and
• showing grace when kids disobey.

Part story and part guidebook, every chapter includes doable strategies and encouragement for the journey.

Let Them Be Kids helps moms feel confident and equipped with ways to provide a safe, healthy, Christ-centered childhood for their children. It leads them to conquer fear and find truth that transforms them and their families as it reminds them how to enjoy and cherish the special memory-making moments of building family values together.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt is a book that explores family traditions, experiences, memories, adventure, imagination, family values and creating life habits. I love how many of the concepts in this book are laid out in a simple fashion that allow the reader to be able to pray and implement in their family. I love the chapter on boredom. I think in a culture where busyness has become an idol and god in our families between sporting events, school and home, this chapter was refreshing. I love the idea that your children should be allowed to get bored because boredom creates and sparks imagination. In a culture where we hand our children devices to pacify time, I am re-thinking about how we allow our children to experience boredom. This chapter really stuck out to me and I thought this is something I would want to implement in our home.

Overall, this book is a great read for parenting and provides practical things that we want our children to experience. I highly recommend picking up a copy today!

About Jessica Smartt

Jessica Smartt is a former English teacher turned homeschooling mama of three. A week after her first baby was born, she began her motherhood blog “Smartter” Each Day. Jessica and her husband live in beautiful North Carolina, where she loves hiking with kids (mostly), steaming coffee in the afternoon, family bike rides, and anything that’s ever been done to a potato.

Connect with Jessica

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram