Dear me, did I forget to mention that there is a big prize you can win on Read Another Page? As in you could win a few paperback books? Check it you here.

As you can see I have a lot of books in my room



As a writer, books have become even dearer to me. Today, I would like to share some old favorites and then allow you a chance to win a digital copy of one of my books, you get to chose which one.

In Grandmother’s Attic: I read and reread this series over and over as a kid. I still think it is about the best thing out there.
Home on Stony Creek: Between the time I was 11 and sixteen, I reread this series about five times. It combined my love of history, faith, and stories into one.
Looking for a Home: This series is not your typical orphan story about they trying to do everything on their own. Based on a true story, this story is a wonderful story of children finding a family and adventure.
The Boxcar Children: This series was so much fun as a kid. I loved the how the siblings looked out for each other and survived. The writing was solid and engaging. It was one of the few secular series that I liked as a kid.
Patty Fairfield: I am going to let you in on a little secret; I still love reading Middle Grade books. This is a recent discovery of mine that I love.

All the Places to Love: This book is beautifully illustrated and made for parents to read to kids. Mom read it to me all the time. I loved it and read it to my younger siblings when I was old enough.
Tell Me the Secrets: Dad read this book to us when we were younger. Wow, these stories are powerful and hard, but the lessons stuck with me. The final story had us all crying, but left us with joy and hope.
I’ll Love You Forever: This is a sweet story of the love between a mother and child. This was my youngest sisters favorite so I have many fond memories.
The Story Bought Doll: As a girl who loved dolls, this book was one I loved to look at long before I could read. The pictures always drew me in and I liked the story too'
Amelia Bedilia: As someone who loved words from an early age, this story was a hit. I still love the play on words.

There should be bushels of produce coming out of our garden at this point. But as you see, it is very neglected.
However the garden has been neglected because God had other things he wanted us to tend to. He wanted us to sow into the lives of some of the people around us, which meant neglecting our patch of garden.

Harvest and fall go hand in hand. Cotton is being harvested on many farms around us. It always puts me in a pensive mood to think about what this year has reaped. This year, I have sown a lot into the people God placed in my life. I am reaping the results of that planting, and for the most part, that has been a good thing.

Now that we have been all pensive and thoughtful, here are some books from a time when more people farmed...

Welcome to my room! This is where I write, read, and sleep. Pardon my unmade bed, I am not very good at making it. As you can see, I have lots of blankets but allow me to show you two of my favorites. This is Big Fluffy:
This is fluffy, big, and warm. On many crisp mornings, I will wrap myself in Big Fluffy and cuddle a sibling while we sit on the couch. Another one I love is this lovely lap quilt that Mom and Dad made me.

On cool days, I will often wrap this around my lap as I read.

Before we go inside, I want us to show you one of my favorite benches.
This bench is tucked into our wooded area, and I love coming here to read. Now that the weather is turning cooler, you will find me here often in the mornings. But come inside, I have another bench I would like to show you.

It is my piano bench. I am starting to practice music for Christmas. I teach piano once a week and am trying to get back into the habit of spending some daily time practicing after a few years of sporadic playing. Of course sometimes I get distracted by reading…

  Noble Pursuits: This is not your typical romance. This is not one of those insta-love books or kiss-till-the-reader-gages books. This is a romance that goes deeper than attraction and deals with the harsh realities of life and our amazing God who works all out for good. If you haven’t read it, do so.  Beauty for Ashes: This is one of my all-time favorite books. The romance is pretty light, as with most Grace Livingstone Hill books, but this one had a message that really touched me. I also loved the main guy as he was a man of great character.
Stealing the Preacher: I really like this authors books, but this is by far my favorite. The guy is one of my favorite heroes ever, as he stands up for what is right and confronts others in a godly way. The romance was sweet.
Into the Whirlwind: This book has two things that I normally hate in a story; a girl trying to make it in a man’s world, and a love triangle. However, it all felt so real, believable, and I could not stop reading. The romance ended just as it should.
A Distant Melody: This book came at a time I needed it. I was having a very hard week, and this book was a wonderful distraction, a reason to cry for both sadness and joy, and a wonderful reminder of Christian principles.

From the Dark to the Dawn: This book…There just aren’t enough words to tell what this one means to me. It touched me so deeply at a time I needed it and has continued to bless me. Read my full review to understand.
The Messenger: What do you get when you mix a Quaker and a spy? Most books I would consider it a disaster, but this one was amazing. There was no throwing out all the beliefs, or overdone romance. This book was just amazing both in history and characters.
A Home for My Heart: There are some books that are just so beautiful, this is one of them. This was so against the norm that the ending was nothing like what I expected at the beginning which was a good thing. It is just beautiful.
The Abolitionist: I think of this book where Jane Austen and Amazing Grace meet. This is a beautiful story that pulls together both history and endearing characters. This is written by my all-time-favorite author.
Just Jane: Speaking of Jane Austen, this fictional book about her life  was very cool. I loved how it really felt so much like the historical character, pulling from her letters and such. I loved Moser’s whole series, but this remains my favorite.

*Review written in 2014*
Buy it Here
Age Appropriate For: 13 and up for mild romance, reading level
Best for Ages: 13 and up
Description: Her first six months of "motherhood" included an ant infestation, a major move, house renovation, and lessons in how to be a mom to eight lively children. Now that the house is nearly complete, her children are headed back to school, and she has a few tantrums under her hymn-singing belt, Aggie is certain life will settle down. Poor Aggie... William makes his intentions known, Luke and his mother are always there for her, and between a new kitten, a box full of puppies, and chicken pox, Aggie's home begins to resemble the local zoo! Her children keep testing the waters, the unrealistic budgets she makes refuse to balance, and she learns that life with children means that nothing stays done and perfect for long. Add Geraldine and her histrionics to the mix and it's no wonder she's ready to run away from home. When a surprise letter arrives, everything could turn upside down. Relief is in sight, but can she bring herself to jump to plan B? Has this just been a practice game, or is she playing for keeps? Will her household shrink drastically, or will it expand?

It took me long enough to read the second book in the Aggie’s Inheritance series, but I am so glad I finally made the time for it. It was even better than the  first book.

Watching as Aggie deals with school and chicken pox, as well as her own romantic life, was so enjoyable. Yes, at times the story can seem a bit slow or Aggie’s whining becomes a bit much, but it was still wonderful.

As the romance develops, I especially enjoyed seeing how Aggie explains things to Vannie and how she makes the right decisions. I also love the part in this story where Aggie explains the difference between doing something (such as wearing skirts, or saving your first kiss for your wedding day) can be a wonderful standard to have, or a legalistic tool to make you look more spiritual.

One of the things I loved best about these books is that each of the kids is different, and it really shows in the book. Sometimes, when writing about large families, the kids all come out sounding the same. Havig did a great job of making them each sound different.

I highly recommend this book for those who enjoyed the first book, love god-honoring romance, and stories about ordinary people.

Buy it Here
Age Appropriate For: All Ages
Best for Ages: 15 and up
Description: Written in a beautiful and engaging style, Seven Men addresses what it means (or should mean) to be a man today, at a time when media and popular culture present images of masculinity that are not the picture presented in Scripture and historic civil life. What does it take to be a true exemplar as a father, brother, husband, leader, coach, counselor, change agent, and wise man? What does it mean to stand for honesty, courage, and charity, especially at times when the culture and the world run counter to those values?
Each of the seven biographies represents the life of a man who experienced the struggles and challenges to be strong in the face of forces and circumstances that would have destroyed the resolve of lesser men. Each of the seven men profiled—George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, John Paul II, and Charles Colson—call the reader to a more elevated walk and lifestyle, one that embodies the gospel in the world around us.

Alicia Willis recommended this book to me a while back, and I have wanted to read it ever since. She and I share a passion for our faith and history, and she knew this book was something I would love.

Metaxas picked some well-known and some not well known people in this book, but each of them were chosen for their faith. While I have read books on George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, others - Jackie Robinson, John Paul II, and Charles Colson - were only names to me before this book. My admiration for all these men grew as I read the pages.
If you are intimidated by those thick books about historical characters, this book is for you. It isn’t very long, and each chapter can be read in half-an-hour or less, giving a quick overview of the life and faith of the person.

Metaxas style is engaging and not dull in the least. This never feels like a list of historical facts, but stories about people who really live and why they are relevant. We need more books like this and more people reading them. Being reminded of those that have gone before is always a great way of inspiring both the young and the old.

I highly recommend this book for those who love history or those that want to learn about heroes of the faith.

Buy it Here
Age Appropriate For: 15 and up (some marital themes and matter best for older readers)
Best for Ages: 15 and up
Description: “In order to learn what it means to be a woman, we must start with the One who made her.” Working from Scripture, well-known speaker and author Elisabeth Elliot shares her observations and experiences in a number of essays on what it means to be a Christian woman, whether single, married, or widowed.

Elisabeth Elliot is an incredible woman whom I have looked up to for years. Though I might not always agree with everything she says, I know whatever she says comes from a heart that is devoted to God and is seeking him. As this year I am spending a lot of time reading about Biblical Womanhood, this was high on my list.

One of the things I loved about this book is that it was from a mother’s heart to her daughter. So much of the advice felt not like so many of the books on the market, but like I was sitting at her beach home listening to her talk. I felt as if I was peering over Elisabeth’s shoulder reading these letters, unfiltered, no nonsense, but with deep beauty.

The advice was so steeped in Scripture without any of the softening that so many books try to do. I loved the way she made fun of feminism and did not shy away from saying things that are politically incorrect with no apology. So many books on womanhood for Christian women (I am finding) almost sound as if they are apologizing for the politically incorrect way God wants women to live. Elisabeth Elliot does not apologize; she shows what a wonderful thing is.

This book really got me to thinking in such a good way. I saw so many areas that I need to allow God to work on me. There is nothing as empowering as seeing a reflection of what you are supposed to be, and I found it in this book.

Elliott does talk about sex in this book. After all, it is a part of life, womanhood, and her daughter was about to be married.  I found this chapter one of the more encouraging ones, oddly enough. I think because she talks about it very matter-of-factly but also doesn’t become crude about it. All her advice and encouragement is steeped in biblical principles and personal experience. I didn’t find it awkward, but rather much like a good mother-daughter talk.

I highly recommend this book to women who are trying to live their life aligned with God and the Bible, not the world.