by Laura DeNooyer | Aug 15, 2023 | Book Reviews
Decades ago, on my first trip to Southern Appalachia during college, I visited the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. That’s when I fell in love with the Smoky Mountains, the surrounding area, and its people—as an outsider and a Northerner. But author Pepper...
by Laura DeNooyer | Aug 1, 2023 | Book Reviews
For years I read snippets about author Sigmund Brouwer and his books in my Calvin College alumni magazine, The Spark. I kept thinking I ought to read something of his. After all, we had things in common. We overlapped at Calvin (though we never met), we’re both...
by Laura DeNooyer | Jul 5, 2023 | Book Reviews
Whenever I visit new places, I often buy a piece of artwork by a local artist, usually a painting or drawing. In Maine, the lighthouses intrigued me the most. Of course I couldn’t decide among them, so I ended up with two framed prints. One of them is the Pemaquic...
by Laura DeNooyer | Jun 20, 2023 | Book Reviews
Twenty years ago, I finally had the opportunity to visit San Francisco. My husband, Tim, and our two daughters, thirteen and eleven, experienced all the thrills: street performers and artists on Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square (yum!), cable cars and Lombard Street, the...
by Laura DeNooyer | Apr 25, 2023 | Book Reviews
Author Cathy Gohlke does not hesitate delving into rough territory through her novels, going where angels fear to tread. With masterful storytelling, she champions the oppressed and victims of abuse. This includes those found in Christian circles—abuse that nobody...