Friday, January 16, 2026

Some Special Books to Start the New Year

These books touched my heart.

 

Breath of heaven by Deborah Raney. A story of missionaries in modern-day Colombia. Filled with gripping danger. I found myself praying for the safety of the characters and thanking God when elements of help arrived.

 

The daughter of Auschwitz: my story of resilience, survival and hope by Tova Friedman, Malcolm Brabant and Ben Kingsley. Ms. Friedman, born in Poland in 1938, was one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, and when this book was published in 2022, she was one of the few still alive. Her mother repeated to her while she grew up what happened to them, with a goal to keep the memory of the holocaust alive, so that people never forget. This is Ms. Friedman’s goal as well in this book. I am glad I read this book; I believe also we need to keep this history alive and never forget. But it is a hard read. The details are vivid and terrible, in the ghetto, in the work camp, in the death camp.

 

Welcome to the Honey B&B by Melody Carlson. A family is dealing with dementia. I get irritated with the wife and daughter when they get mad at their husband and dad when he messes up. Don’t they realize he can’t help it? Only the thirteen-year-old granddaughter seems to stay patient with him. But then I remember how irritable I can get with people with no good reason. This whole family is struggling with this terrible thing. This is a wonderful story of their love and survival.

 

He Gets Us by Max Lucado. Jesus lived among us, so he knows our struggles and sorrows. And, knowing us completely, he still washes the filth from our feet.

 

Have yourself a Christiansen Christmas and It had to be you by Susan May Warren. I’ve read several of the books in this series. Recently, I found myself reading these two at the same time. These stories involve a large family, struggles with faith, struggles with life shocks and decisions, beautiful descriptions of Minnesota. And, the healing of grace, not just for when we’re saved, but also every day as Jesus walks with us. 

No comments:

Post a Comment