I hope you'll bear with me while I explore this new format. I plan to deliver the same type of content as you found on the old website. 

This month's book for the Comfy Porch Readers Book Club is Birds Alive! by Jen Dodrill. I found this to be a delightful read, one which anyone over 40 should enjoy. All through the adventures of empty-nester Peg and her mother-in-law, I kept thinking of "I Love Lucy" episodes where good intentions sometimes bring unexpected results. The action revolves around the mysterious death of a woman in Peg's bird-watching group, which introduces Peg to several new people, including a couple of handsome men who pursue her. Dodrill has a knack for putting a humorous twist on serious matters. This would make a great beach read.

Here's an easy read about the westward movement in the late 1800s. I appreciated the realistic approach of a family leaving a decent living to pursue a dream, which may or may not pan out. For the young heroine in this book, the move coincides with some growing up pains and learning patience. She also discovers a latent talent when she meets and assists the local doctor. Rebert does a good job of showing the struggle of showing respect to parents and trusting God to work things out for them.

This contemporary romance involves two unlikely people, each of whom has witnessed opposite sides of the justice system. At first, I was tempted to put aside the book because of the subject, but I'm so glad I kept reading. This is a subject that needs to be addressed, and Kinzer did so with grace and empathy. I can highly recommend this book and hope that you'll have the courage to read through to the end and allow God to speak to your heart, as He did to mine, about some of our prejudices related to the incarcerated.

This is not a genre I read on a regular basis, but I really enjoyed the story. I wish I had read the first book in the series, but it didn't take me long to get a good picture of each character and envision the action. This story follows the pattern of classic literature--the hero's (or heroine's) journey--and the writing is practically flawless. Of course, now I have to read the next book, and I would recommend it to teens and adults alike.