Santa Rosa is not taking these troubled times sitting down...

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My Reading List: March & April

How is it May?

I once again read 11 books in this two-month period, putting me at 22/50 (almost halfway!) for my reading goal for 2026. All but Rebuilder by Megan Schaulis and Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer were tour copies.

Also, a quick aside… last month I went to a book sale and managed to snag all but the first volume of the Christy Miller series AND the entire Sierra Jenson series, along with a couple other books, for only $11! It was a very happy day.

Let’s get to it!

Click on the title of the book to head to Goodreads for my star rating and full review (including potentially problematic content).

When They Met Again by Leslie Gould

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I struggled with getting invested in this one. The prose felt a bit clunky and repetitive for the first half, and I had a hard time connecting with the plot. Once we got past the halfway mark, the momentum built and carried through to the end, though, and I did appreciate the messages the author chose to include.

Anna of Bethsaida by Susanne Blumer

This novel felt so sweet and wholesome–devastating at times, but simultaneously coated in grace. I haven’t read book one (and now need to), but I was drawn right into Anna’s world and caught up pretty quickly. The character arc isn’t dramatic in Anna of Bethsaida, but it was her journey and growing strength which truly made the story.

An Arrival of Hope by Alena Mentink

A delightful and riveting continuation of the Home to Osceola series! An Arrival of Hope delivered mystery, a light and sweet romance, and above all else, the reminder that the story isn’t over until you’re gone, and life is worth the living. The mystery and intrigue was planted early on and while it took a backseat for a while, it kept the stakes high and the plot surging forward. And the romance… I won’t lie–I was annoyed when the misunderstanding got the better of them, but fortunately it didn’t last long. For the most part their journey to “I love you” was relatively bump-free!

The Ultimate Blindside by Leslea Wahl

There was a lot that I loved about this book–the setting, the filming elements, the healthy dating relationship between Sophie and Jake. I also liked the parental involvement (and disappointment and consequences) because I feel YA fiction sometimes likes to ignore that parents exist. The opening hooked me pretty quickly, and the end was WILD. But a few aspects made this book harder to enjoy.

Where Your Treasure Is by M. Liz Boyle

Wow, that was a wild ride! I’ve followed M. Liz Boyle’s blog for a while but had never read one of her books, and I’ve been missing out! Where Your Treasure Is was thrilling from start to finish. Boyle didn’t hesitate to jump straight to the action, and she kept Ruby on her toes all the way through page 281.

Claire Holloway Is Winging It by Angela Ruth Strong

This was such an adorable and thought-provoking Christian rom-com! Angela Ruth Strong pulls her readers right into the commercial airline world, packing in amusing incidents from her own experiences as a flight attendant. Claire and Nathan were both easy to love, and while I considered liking Wyatt, Claire’s relationship with him proved itself clearly lacking. I worried that there would be cheating here, but Clair and Nathan both worked hard to honor each other and her relationship with Wyatt. And the main message of this book… SO beautiful. I never considered the difference between letting go of someone out of love and perhaps hurting them… and actually harming them through your actions. Strong got me thinking.

The Hidden Key of Brooke Sumner by Susan L. Tuttle

The Hidden Key of Brooke Sumner brings the Treasures of Halstead Manor series to a thrilling conclusion, once again taking Everleigh, Natalie, Brooke, and their entourage on a mind-bending adventure (which I’ll admit I struggled to keep up with at times). Tuttle capitalizes on found family, bodyguard, and friends to enemies to more tropes in this finale, and she held my attention from the opening pages.

Fires of Injustice by Kendy Pearson

I love when Christian fiction peers into little-discussed or even avoided topics from our history and teaches me something new while also remaining uplifting, and that’s exactly what Kendy Pearson provided in this book. I had no concept of most of the events covered in Fires of Injustice, so I got a history lesson alongside the reminders of God’s faithfulness in our darkest seasons.

Rebuilder by Megan Schaulis

Megan Schaulis never ceases to amaze me with her writing that brings together thrilling (and life-threatening) adventure, sweet romance, AND powerful faith content. No worries about low stakes here! I’m so glad Hatch got his own story after what happened in Proclaimer, and Myah was easy to love. I want Rafferty to be my uncle, and Zerub, Yara, and Ezri cracked me up–you can’t go wrong with a gaggle of flirtatious old ladies. This book wasn’t without its serious moments, though–and I stayed up WAY too late to finish the last quarter.

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

I think Stealing the Preacher may just beat every other Christian Western I’ve read. The characters were witty and distinct, and the plot had me REELING. (I didn’t expect the title to be quite so literal!) This was my first book by Karen Witemeyer, and I enjoyed it from the first page to the touching finale. It made me laugh and kept me on the edge of my seat–although I did see some of the elements of the ending coming from early on.

A Girl’s Guide to Having It All by Leslie Kirby DeVooght

I had fun reading this book, even if it was a bit slow for my taste. If you enjoy contemporary romance about career-driven thirty-somethings who are scared that life is going to pass them by, you’ll enjoy this read!

Exciting Shadows Over Broad Street news coming…

If you aren’t already subscribed to my author newsletter, now would be a great time! I have some really exciting news about Shadows Over Broad Street that I’m going to be sharing on Thursday in my monthly email, and you won’t want to miss it!

(I’m serious. It’s BIG news.)

Subscribe here!

What books have you read lately? Any new favorites?

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From VSN Newsroom Jersey City May Day Protest Highlights 2026 #mayday #protest #jerseycity #newjersey, #march #nj

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hivdsLp1bqI

#news #left #resist #resistance #vsn #DiverseSpectrumOfTheLeft #SupportIndependentMedia

Violence, politicians, marches

Violence against Jews in UK has generated a lot of anger, fear and anxiety

May 2026

The 126th peace vigil in Salisbury took place on Saturday 2 May with around 30 present. It passed without incident. A video of the event is available here courtesy of Peter Gloyns. It took place at the end of a week in which a man attacked two Jewish men in Golders Green* and has been charged with attempted murder. Jews living in the area are reported to be fearful and places like synagogues are surrounded by security fences to protect them against attack. It follows other attacks against people and property and has resulted in the threat level being raised to ‘severe’.

The attacks have generated a huge amount of comment. It is perhaps unfortunate that the attack took place only days away from local elections which has led politicians to jostle with one another to make statements and promises some of which are regrettable.

We should not need reminding that article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and article 9 of the Human Rights Act both of which say that everyone has freedom of thought, conscience and religion. In passing we might want to reflect on the fact that several of these self-same politicians are keen for us to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and modify or repeal the Human Rights Act. All of which legislation protects the rights of minorities, like Jews and Muslims, to live their lives free from violence, intimidation and attacks.

These events cannot be detached from what is happening in the Middle East. One of the problems is the conflation between criticism of Israel, anti-Semitism and Zionism. The Israeli government has been keen to label any and all criticism of their actions in Gaza, south Lebanon, and the violent actions of their settlers in the West Bank, as anti-Semitic. This policy appears to have been successful in curtailing comment and criticism by some media organisations most notably the BBC. The accusation has been misused and has begun to lose much of its potency. It’s overuse paradoxically, weakens the claim when something truly is anti-Semitic.

Ban on marches

Another response to the attacks in Golders Green is to call for a ban on marches. This was the argument of the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. Labelled by some as ‘hate marches’ they have for the most part been peaceful and are held to promote the idea of a Palestinian state. The forthcoming march on May 16th being organised by the Stop the War Coalition is to go ahead as planned unless government or police action intervenes. It has to be recognised that marches of this kind are upsetting for some. They are noisy and although the great majority attending are reasonable people who want to draw attention to their cause, there is always a minority who want to cause trouble, who shout or display anti-Semitic statements and sometimes engage in violent actions.

Protest is part of our national culture and article 20 of the UDHR protects freedom of assembly. Governments have sought to whittle away this right with a series of laws curtailing or restricting them. Jonathan Reith of the Stop the War Coalition was interviewed on the BBC radio programme the World at One arguing that they are infrequent with the forthcoming one being only the second this year. Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health, was interviewed after Reith and described his interview as ‘nauseating’ for unexplained reasons. He is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.

An interesting event took place on the BBC Any Answers? programme on Saturday 2nd where members of the public can phone in and express their views following Any Questions? Two Jewish men phoned in. One said you cannot understand what we are seeing in this country away from the terrible events going on in the Middle East. The other said a problem was the conflation of Israel, anti-Semitism and Zionism. Too long one said the Israel government has claimed that any criticism of them was ‘anti-Semitic’. Many Jews were deeply upset by what’s happening in the Middle East.

…

Another event took place during the week on Thursday 30 April. This was the interdiction on the high seas of the flotilla attempting to take aid to Gaza. The boats were seized near Crete. Called the Global Sumad Flotilla, Israeli forces seized the vessels and destroyed the engines and communications equipment in what was almost certainly a criminal act. The action was supported by the US. We can find no condemnation of what happened from the UK government.

*Golders Green is a suburb of London with a high concentration of Jewish residents.

We shall have a stall at the forthcoming People in the Park event and would welcome enquiries. For anyone thinking of joining the local group it would be a good time to make contact.

Previous posts:

• Violence, politicians, marches
• 125 and counting …
• Opposition to Death Penalty: UK Government’s Position
• Foreign Office to close monitoring unit
• War, war, war

daisies, periwinkle, Black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s lace

Promise to the meadow
Patricia Davis-Muffett

#Poetry #PatriciaDavisMuffett #Promise #Meadow #CiderPressReview #March #August #Daisy #Periwinkle #BlackEyedSusan #QueenAnnesLace #Plastic #FossilFuel #Wish #Burial #Alligator

https://ciderpressreview.com/cpr-volume-28-1/promise-to-the-meadow/

‪Anti-fascist march against war and violence.
Peace, freedom, and justice for all.
In Tel-Aviv!

#Justice #march #peace #war #palstine #israel