I recently finished reading the book “Mattering” by Jennifer Wallace. Usually I would add this to my top 10 books of 2026 and deal with it at the end of the year. But I found this book so impactful and helpful that I want to share it with you now. I’m sure it will also …
From Off the Shelf
Birdie Books in Westerville
I recently took an hour to browse through Birdie Books in Westerville. I had been there before, but it was a quick trip. They recently expanded and I thought it was worth checking out again. Birdie Books is owned by Shari Russell. She decided to open an independent bookstore in 2021, but it ended up …
Christian Classics Everyone Should Read
I have been thinking about Christian classics – the books I think everyone should read. I’m not usually big on book recommendations because everyone has such individual reading tastes.  But there are some Christian books that I return to again and again. They contain timeless truths or push me to grow in my faith. I like …
Best Books of 2025
Have you ever wondered why we use ten as our demarcation for lists? I was listening to a podcast that talked about the 11 most endangered historic places in the United States. The podcaster asked the person he was interviewing, why 11? She responded that the first year they couldn’t narrow the list to 10, …
Thinking Caps On
Today is time to get our thinking caps on. I have collected some deep thoughts over the last year and want to share them with you. This is not a skimming post. You can skip it, but you can’t skim it. I invite you to take a little time to read it and use those …
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
I recently finished the book “Parnassus on Wheels” by Christopher Morley and now I am recommending it to everybody. The book was first published in 1917, but I had never heard of it. I was reading “The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore” by Evan Friss and it mentioned “Parnassus on Wheels.” Being intrigued …
Fire Weather by John Vaillant
I finished “Fire Weather” by John Vaillant at the very beginning of 2024. Although it did not rate high enough to be one of my favorite books for 2024, it is a book that I have referenced many times in the last year. The massively destructive fires in Los Angeles that have been in the …
Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz
Last year I read “Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age” by Annalee Newitz. It didn’t make it on my favorite books list, because I only gave it four out of five stars. Non-fiction generally moves much slower than fiction, so it is less likely to get five stars from me. Five …
Best Books of 2024
Every year on Goodreads, we vote for the best books of the previous year. I always vote, although the books I vote for seldom win. Like the politicians I vote for. This year I only voted for books that I had read, so I skipped a lot of categories. When the winners were announced, I …
That Sound Game – A Noisy Game Without Words
John and Jackie introduced us to “That Sound Game” on our game afternoon after Christmas. We recently bought our own copy to use for game night with the other volunteers. The game is simple, challenging, and hilarious. The rules for That Sound Game are easy. You divide up into two teams. Each team takes turns …