​#1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer shows readers how to become free from the burden of stress so that they can achieve God's best for their lives.

As technology increases your accessibility, it becomes harder to mute the background noise of your life and receive God's guidance. Joyce Meyer calls this OVERLOAD, when the demands of your busy life become all-consuming and overwhelming. But to experience the joyful life God has planned, you must make time to focus on His Word. Then you'll receive His healing calmness and gain the strength to take on life's challenges, from physical ailments to problems in relationships. Great as an informative read or a Bible study resource this book can help you through practical advice and Scriptural wisdom learn how to unplug and free yourself from burdens that weigh you down. You'll gain simple, effective tips for better rest and stress management and discover the fulfilling life you were meant to lead. 
​
​Come pick up a copy and pack it for your vacation or poolside read!

Since we have recently moved to the community here in Ottawa, KS I have spent a great deal of time unpacking and going through boxes of our belongings. Most of the time with the intent of purging and simplifying life...then I open a box of books. These I cannot seem to downsize with any ease. These are old friends that have taken me on adventures through other countries and other times; friends I have laughed and cried with, others I have learned valuable skills or information from and there are even some I really didn't get into, but for some reason I still have!  Then there are those acquaintances,not yet friends but ones that I have met briefly and had stashed away to get to know later. Saving them for that perfect time and place to curl up and read them. That perfect time and place that hasn't seemed to have arrived yet. But I know it will come, someday. What has happened though is that I came across a couple that are a mix, one an old friend written by Francine Rivers (one of my very favorite authors) that I had read when it was released in 2010, "Her Mother's Hope".  The second is "Her Daughter's Dream", the final chapter of the family saga that began in HMH and one of those that I had stashed away and not ever gotten to.  I decided that it was time to revisit the first so I could then jump right into the second without skipping a beat and having the heart and soul of the story fresh in my mind.  Now a great deal has happened in life over the last 6 years of finishing one book and stashing the second; children getting married, the youngest leaving for college, grandchildren being born and my sweet mother going home to Jesus.  Now I don't know about you, but it seems that there are times when as certain books bring their stories to life in my mind they also hit really close to home by bringing my own life experiences to mind with similarities in characters, plot or just the feelings that are brought to bear by the reading of the story.These books and this family story were that for me.  They brought laughter, tears and the truth to mind that even in families that are full of love there can be miscommunications, unknown feelings and we might not always be on the same page as others in our life...even those who we think we know so well or who we think know us perfectly. It brought home the importance of talking about the past, healing the present and embracing the future with those we love on a daily basis, so that no opportunity to say what needs to be said and understood passes us by to be lost forever.
I will keep both of these to revisit another time, or to pass on to a daughter-in-love, granddaughter or dear friend so they too can be introduced to an old friend!

Growing up isn’t easy for little Carolyn Arundel. With her mother, Hildemara, quarantined to her room with tuberculosis, Carolyn forms a special bond with her oma Marta, who moves in to care for the household. But as tensions between Hildie and Marta escalate, Carolyn believes she is to blame. When Hildie returns to work and Marta leaves, Carolyn and her brother grow up as latchkey kids in a world gripped by the fear of the Cold War.
College offers Carolyn the chance to find herself, but a family tragedy shatters her newfound independence. Rather than return home, she cuts all ties and disappears into the heady counterculture of San Francisco. When she reemerges two years later, more lost than ever, she reluctantly turns to her family to help rebuild a life for her and her own daughter, May Flower Dawn.
Just like Carolyn, May Flower Dawn develops a closer bond with her grandmother, Hildie, than with her mother, causing yet another rift between generations. But as Dawn struggles to avoid the mistakes of those who went before her, she vows that somehow she will be a bridge between the women in her family rather than the wall that separates them forever.
Spanning from the 1950s to present day, Her Daughter’s Dream is the emotional final chapter of an unforgettable family saga about the sacrifices every mother makes for her daughter—and the very nature of unconditional love.
​

All Is Calm, All Is Bright by Colleen Coble 
​
As we officially enter the "Holiday Season" we spend much of our time decorating, shopping for the perfect gifts for those we love, baking and cooking all those Good Housekeeping and Martha Stewart recipes that we have saved on Pinterest.  What we don't seem to have a lot of time for is grabbing a good book, putting our feet up and diving into an adventure.  A road we travel from our comfy chair with only the friends we make within the pages taking a brief reprieve from the crowds and business that this time of year always seems to include.                May I suggest a possible quick-fix?
All Is Calm, All Is Bright by Colleen Coble is a collection of two Christmas novellas in one place. These two novellas set in two of Colleen Coble's most popular series, Lonestar and Hope Beach, are my introduction to this Romantic Mystery and Inspirational author.  I am not usually a novella fan but in these busy days it was a treat to go through a quick and enjoyable read that still had the mysterious twist and turns, sweet romance and even some surprises in the pages. It was a short journey but an enjoyable one!​I look forward to diving into one of Mrs. Cobles full length novels and seeing where that road leads.
 
All Is Calm
Brendan Waddell needs a place to recuperate. Lauren Everman needs a place to hide. It's going to be an unexpectedly romantic Christmas at Bluebird Ranch.

Brendan Waddell has always considered Bluebird Ranch a little piece of heaven: an idyllic ranch that pairs abused children with abused horses, run by one of his old Marine buddies. Now, recovering from an on-the-job injury, Brendan thinks the ranch is the perfect place to spend Christmas healing up.

When Lauren Everman was a seventeen-year-old foster kid, Bluebird Ranch was the safest place she knew. Now it's the perfect hideout for a woman on the run. As the witness to a murder, Lauren needs somewhere to lie low, and her skill with horses means she'll be able to lend a hand with the troubled kids at Bluebird—without answering too many questions.

Lauren's rich hair, high cheekbones, and dark eyes immediately get Brendan's attention—but so does her secretive behavior. This Special Ops Intel man knows a woman on the run when he sees one, and he's not about to let her put Bluebird Ranch at risk.

But as Brendan and Lauren get to know each other, their suspicions evaporate and romance starts to sizzle. But this would-be couple has more to worry about than each other—there's a killer on the loose who wants Lauren kept quiet.

All Is Bright
A romantic, Christmas wedding at her seaside hotel gives Delilah a chance to shine with her unique gifts. But will her light be snuffed out before the bride and groom say “I do”?

As manager of the Tidewater Inn, Delilah Carter has been planning a spectacular Christmas wedding for her friends at the grand hotel overlooking the ocean. While picking up still more twinkly lights and some last-minute groceries for the reception dinner, a huge truck runs her off the freezing, wet roads into the dark night. Her car stops just short of an enormous tree and the truck speeds off into the night. Delilah escapes with her life and has almost convinced herself the whole thing was an accident, but then she begins to receive threatening phone calls. With the wedding just hours away, she's distracted and anxious. Then Sheriff Tom Bourne stops by the inn and volunteers to help.

Tom has always had a soft spot for Delilah, and he's determined to protect her. But he is pulled away by a bizarre Christmas stunt that has the neighborhood reeling, and Delilah is attacked again.

Will Delilah have to cancel the Christmas wedding at Tidewater Inn? And will Tom's protection be enough to save Delilah from the shadowy figure looming in the background? 

If you are anything like me the chilly breezes in the Fall are a signal to grab my soft blanket, a cup of something hot and seek out my favorite chair with a book.  It can be a new friend that will introduce me to a new place, new people and a new adventure or it can be a tried and true old friend that I am so familiar with that the pages are worn and weathered from the numerous reads and journeys we have taken together.  It could be a story that has come from the author's invention or a narrative packed with information on a subject that I am interested in knowing more about.  

My mother introduced me to books as a little one and I have been an addict ever since her reading "The Pokey Little Puppy" or "The Little Engine That Could" to me, over and over again.  I remember right after I found out I was expecting my first son I found myself in a bookstore purchasing C.S Lewis' Narnia Chronicles boxed set so I could read them to him as soon as he arrived.  In truth I just wanted him to love the stories as much as I did, and not just these stories but just love books and the magic of reading altogether. 

So that son now has sons and daughters of his own, but he also has that boxed set and has taken his kids on the journey to Narnia.
In the posts to follow I will be sharing my thoughts on various books that we have here at Cornerstone Books. 
I hope that this will inspire you to come and see us and to read the books we review for yourself, or even better you will find many different friends and adventures that you can recommend and share with us!  After all it is getting chilly and I just bet you have a favorite chair and soft blanket waiting for you at home too.