all the books.

How cool is this Little Free Library?! This awesome "book bomb" was in Spokane, Washington. 

Sincerely, Emerson... My aunt sent this sweet picture book to my little letter-writers and they were all big fans! They were already big on snail mail but now they're even more inspired and have written several letters this week! 

God of Wonders ... This little devotional, sent to me by Chosen in exchange for an honest review, is a great pick for anyone looking for a positivity-focused devotional. It will start your day with scripture and a sense of awe and wonder. 

Joy... I've been studying joy a lot over the past few months so when Chosen offered to send me a copy of Joy in exchange for an honest review, I happily accepted. I was so fascinated and moved by Georgian's story about his escape from communist Bulgaria during the height of the Cold War and was so impressed with his joyful spirit. 

The Tuttle Twins Guide to Courageous Heroes... I felt so sure I had already reviewed this book here but I couldn't find the review so apologies if this is indeed a repeat. I really liked this book! This is full of mini biographies of really great people and it was a great way to start my morning for a while. This is going on my kids' shelf for about 8th grade reading level.

Margaret's Unicorn... This gorgeous picture book really enchanted all four of my kids but especially my unicorn-obsessed daughter. Margaret finds a baby unicorn and cares for it until it's ready to return to the wild. The story is captivating and the illustrations are gorgeous so this really did feel like a magical, completely possible situation. 

Make Their ... I've read a few Karen Ehman books and was happy to accept a copy of Make Their Day in exchange for an honest review. This little books offers 101 ideas for loving the people in your life and I think it was well-executed. We are all wired differently and loving one person well looks very different from loving another well. Take, for example, surprise parties. Half you reading this are tickled to death by the idea and the other half are cringing at the mere thought of it. Karen Ehman pretty obviously recognizes this because there's an idea in here for everyone. For introvert, for extroverts, for kids, for teens, for adults, for close friends and family, for acquaintances, for those who are in a season of sorrow, for those who are in a season of celebration... Really, there's something here for everyone! 

The Snow Dancer... I've been dancing again here lately and this delightful picture book has me feeling even more excited about it. It's mostly a book about playing in the snow, but our main character is also a dancer. There's a moment where she talks about the fresh snow before anybody's stomped through it and it made my eyes water because this has always been a thing for me. I liked walking around the edge of our yard but my brother would run and jump through the middle, thrashing around, "messing up" the snow. To this day I feel a ping of sadness when my kids run across the perfect new snow. That's my 1-wing, probably 😂 

(😂 to cover up the 😭 because embarrassing) 

When Twilight Breaks... This delightful WWII Christian fiction, sent to me by Revel in exchange for an honest review, was my first time reading a Sarah Sundin novel. I loved it! This is a straight historical fiction and despite my infatuation with time slips here lately I adored being in Peter and Evelyn's story the whole time. Peter and Evelyn are both Americans in Germany and Evelyn is there as a foreign correspondent. I was a journalism major in college and never found that idea appealing but if I'd read this book at the time I might have had a different opinion! Evelyn is a strong, independent woman and Peter is respectful and enchanted by these traits so this book will likely be a great fit for readers who like heroines fitting that bill.  

Miriam's Song... This is the second biblical fiction I have tried also by Jill Eileen Smith and I think I feel comfortable saying that she is a good writer and that fans of biblical fiction will enjoy this tale of Miriam's story, but it is unfortunately not the genre for me. This makes it hard to review because I truthfully just didn't like it but I also freely admit that this is my taste and not really a reflection on the author.  This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

All Thirteen... This is the story of the Thailand boys soccer team stuck in a flooded cave for two weeks. Such a wonderful story about the resilience of those stuck but also about the loving teamwork displayed by everyone who worked together (often despite language barriers and cultural differences) to make the rescue happen. This is a middle grade nonfiction so it was a fast read and just such a good, powerful, moving book. I cried my way through it, re-read a few parts, and then set it on the husband's nightstand hoping he'll read it too! 

Our Friend Hedgehog... This is exactly the kind of lovely, whimsical book we adore. I put this gorgeous delight on my third grader list. A talks a big game about adventure and mystery books but he immediately re-read this one and then slid it back into the middle of his To-be-read stack. Five stars from us!