Waterbrook Multnomah

Find Your People by Jennie Allen – Review

April 4, 2022 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

About the Book

In a world that’s both more connected and more isolating than ever before, we’re often tempted to do life alone, whether because we’re so busy or because relationships feel risky and hard. But science confirms that consistent, meaningful connection with others has a powerful impact on our well-being. We are meant to live known and loved. But so many are hiding behind emotional walls that we’re experiencing an epidemic of loneliness.

In Find Your People, bestselling author Jennie Allen draws on fascinating insights from science and history, timeless biblical truth, and vulnerable stories from her own life to help you:

• overcome the barriers to making new friends and learn to initiate with easy-to-follow steps
• find simple ways to press through awkward to get to authentic in conversations
• understand how conflict can strengthen relationships rather than destroy them
• identify the type of friend you are and the types of friends you need
• learn the five practical ingredients you need to have the type of friends you’ve always longed for

You were created to play, engage, adventure, and explore—with others. In Find Your People, you’ll discover exactly how to dive into the deep end and experience the full wonder of community. Because while the ache of loneliness is real, it doesn’t have to be your reality.

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert – Review and Giveaway

April 5, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 19 Comments

Have you ever read a story that just gut-punched you? One that forced you to hold a mirror up to yourself and ask some hard questions?

Katie Ganshert delivers exactly that with No One Ever Asked. Hold on friends, because I have a lot to say about this one! In fact, this book is so relevant and so poignant, I’m giving away a copy to two readers.

Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews (Review)

January 17, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

Biblical fiction is not a genre I read often. Although, I am aware there are some fabulous authors who write in this time period (Tessa Afshar, Mesu Andrews, and Connilyn Cossette all come to mind). Can you fathom the amount of research that goes into these books?

In My Opinion

While reading Mesu Andrews’s new release, I hurt and fell in love with a little girl named Ishma. As that girl struggles with her fears of soldiers and of being alone, forges a friendship with a boy who will one day become king, and discovers a new family with the prophet Isaiah, I got to visit Old Testament Jerusalem for a time.

Isaiah’s Daughter takes a handful of Scripture verses and gives readers a more rounded (fictional) account of the life these people lived. It’s a reminder that King Hezekiah, Queen Hephzibah, and Isaiah all lived lives outside of the few details recorded.

The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett (Review)

June 28, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Set in the 1920s in the beautiful Mount Rainier National Park, The Road to Paradise is a delightful read. As someone who has had the privilege of visiting this Washington State gem.

From the flowers and animals in the park surrounding the mountain to the dangers on the face of it, Karen Barnett gives her readers the inside scoop on this beauty.

Review: Peace in the Valley by Ruth Logan Herne

May 12, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

In spite of their differences, Trey Walker Stafford knows he owes his life to cowboy and legendary rancher Sam Stafford–the uncle who rescued him after his parents’ death. Trey had left the Double S Ranch to pursue music against Sam’s wishes, but returns to central Washington when he learns he’s the best match for a procedure that could save Sam’s life. Although Trey’s found country music fame and success, he’s also endured the tragic loss of his wife. He croons about love, but struggles with a yawning emptiness he can’t explain.

Overwhelmed by a growing list of challenges, but mistrustful of Stafford men, single mother Lucy Carlton reluctantly accepts Trey’s help to revive her crumbling farm when Sam instructs him to repay the overdue debt to her family.

As the two grow closer, Trey slowly begins to open his heart to this beautiful woman and strives to let go of the grief he’s held for years. Lucy has a complicated history of her own. Can Trey accept her as she is, learn to forgive the past, and find the elusive peace he’s sought for so long?