Linda Stoll: The Bookbag * September 2018

'If you are indeed what you eat, a well-strung sentence is a rack of lamb.

Read plenty, read often. Get thee a library card.
Try on the classics; abandon what doesn't fit ...

Find an author to love, one who reveals the impossible to you,

who shakes you by the shoulders a bit.'

Erin Loechner

Bring Me a Vision: A Story of Redeeming Hope
Pam Ecrement
'Our greatest wounds happen in context of relationship. An all-loving and all-knowing God heals in the context of relationship as well.'

Author / counselor Pam gently weaves the chaotic, redemptive story of her client, Becky, in this stirring, unsettling, and ultimately victorious book. If you've grown up with no one to model safety or boundaries, you'll find you're not the only one. If you've devalued your intelligence and abilities, if you've been abused verbally, emotionally, or sexually, this story is for you. If you haven't been able to get to the heart of your hurts and trauma, if you've been rendered unable to parent well because of all that you've lacked, Pam's book is tailor made for your yearning heart.

And if your life has somehow been void of pain and heartache and loneliness, it's probably best that you pick this book up as well. Because there's a hurting world out that yearns for your loving kindness .. and compassionate action.

Written by a wise counselor who lavished acceptance on her client even as she modeled grace and spoke truth, this book reveals the beauty of the counselor / client relationship ... and the awesome healing power of Jesus Christ for His wounded and weary daughters.

And their scarred children.

Any profit after expenses goes to Rahab Ministries, reaching hundreds of women each month caught in the web of human trafficking. Please note the book is available only through Pam's website. Click here to buy.

Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering
Joanna Gaines
If a traditional cookbook and a gorgeous coffee table book had a baby, Magnolia Table would be her name.

I'm not a cook. The kitchen isn't my favorite room. But paging through this gorgeous volume filled with recipes and their stories was relaxing ... and inspiring, too. I served the yummy Three-Cheese Quiche on a sultry summer evening to supper guests. {Hint - add lots of bacon.} We took a crockpot of tender Sunday Supper Beef Tips to share with my mom on a Friday night. And I even bought a 5 lb. bag of bread flour so I could create JoJo's Biscuits.

{I do love homemade biscuits straight from the oven with just a pat of butter on their steaming, fluffy insides. You, too?}

I've been using a copy on loan from the library. But I'd really like my very own. 'Cause maybe I'll be spending a bit more time in the kitchen in the days ahead.

Oh, that reminds me ... I need to pick up a pound of baby kale for the Sausage and Kale Soup.

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
Anne Bogel
Curling up with this little treasure was like sharing conversation with friends over our mutual affection for books. Anne is smart and fun and has an exquisite flair for writing. Over time, she has accumulated a vast knowledge of a number of genres and knows how to pull her reader in and get you excited about the reading life.

She chats about her life long love affair with books, the serendipity of living next door to the library, how books seem to find their perfect reader. She drops hints on organizing your shelves to suit you best ... and admits 'bookshelf envy.' She talks about her one day stint as a bookshop seller, and clarifies why it's not a great idea to be 'book bossy.' And along the way she drops the names of a number of titles that'll have you enlarging your own must-read list.

Chapter 10, Bookworm Problems, is worth the purchase price alone ... the rather humorous dilemmas of a life filled to overflowing with much loved reads.

I don't want to be 'book bossy,' but this truly is the best gift to give your book club pals, your hostess, and any and every reader on your Christmas or birthday shopping lists.

And be sure to buy your very own copy.

The Trumpet of the Swan
E.B. White
I've never been what would be called a 'fun' grandma. I don't jump on trampolines, scale rock walls, or water ski. You won't find me shooting hoops or hanging upside down on the swing set. Not going to happen.

One of my joys as mama and grandma has been to cuddle up close and read. Bliss.

If you loved Charlotte's Web, you'll adore this E. B. White book. How very fun to turn pages with a little one in your life ... and be as captivated and caught up in the story as they are.

Confession. I actually had to check out the book after said grandchild returned home with her copy. I couldn't not finish the rest of the story.

It's that good.