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A forbidden romance, a fractured family, and one woman’s journey to piece it all together
THE BITTER END BIRDING SOCIETY
The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt prepare for retirement. A town called Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from the attention and unwarranted admiration of her community. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird-watchers takes her under their wing–a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree–one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son–what began as a getaway to help her great-aunt becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.
An immersive faith-based novel of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings for fans of southern fiction. This narrative of friendship and community makes for a perfect book club selection.
Purchase Links
Revell | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Discover how to intentionally keep Jesus first amid your over-busy, over-notified, and overwhelmed life.
OVERBOOKED AND OVERWHELMED
Overbooked and Overwhelmed: How to Keep Up With God When You’re Just Trying to Keep Up With Life by Tara Sun
“A refreshing, heartfelt, and practical guide to finding peace in the chaos of everyday life. Don’t miss this one!” —Lysa TerKeurst, #1 New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries
Ever have those days where every battery in your life is running low? Every ping you hear is from someone who needs you. Every item you cross off your list has three more to take its place. Let’s face it: Sometimes those days are every day. And the result? God ends up getting the leftovers. It’s not that you don’t value time with Him, deeper rest, or growing your faith. You just don’t know where you can find the energy to make those things more than an afterthought when so much is constantly vying for your attention. How can we stop the busyness long enough to pursue what we know we need the most?
In Overbooked and Overwhelmed, author and podcaster Tara Sun gives you the ideas and inspiration you need to be fully present with God, but are over-busy, over-notified, and overwhelmed. Tara will help you explore how to:
- Adjust your speed to walk at Jesus’ pace instead of trying to keep up with the world’s hustle
- Understand why true peace starts not with ordering your schedule but your heart
- Develop spiritual resilience for the times they feel stuck in their faith
- Trade habitual busyness for intentional rhythms of rest, even in seasons when life does not slow down.
For all who feel behind before the day even starts, Overbooked and Overwhelmed helps you put distractions in their place, center your life around Jesus, and prioritize His presence—no matter how crazy-busy life is.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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“A spirited romp on the Caribbean seas, Salty is an upstairs-downstairs tale with Kate Myers’ signature colorful characters and a setting to die for. For fans of Below Deck and beyond, Salty belongs in your beach bag this summer. A fun and frothy treat!”—Rachel Koller Croft, USA Today bestselling author of Stone Cold Fox and We Love the Nightlife
SALTY
Salty: A Novel by Kate Myers
From the bestselling author of Excavations, a hilarious page-turner about two estranged sisters who reunite to take down the luxury yacht owner who destroyed their childhood home—and might be responsible for the dead body next door.
Captain Denise is more comfortable facing down a stingray than a party guest, though she’s punched both in recent memory. After spending half her life at the helm of yachts across the Caribbean, she’s risen through the ranks thanks to one rule: never, ever mix with the owners.
Her sister, Helen, is a walking HR violation, one of many reasons the two haven’t seen each other in years. Recently fired after burning all her bridges, Helen returns home to work for Denise.
The clashing sisters’ first charter is for the Falcon family, shady real estate developers who mowed down Helen and Denise’s childhood home to build condos. But then the latest Falcon building collapses—and a dead body turns up beside it. Helen and Denise comb through the wreckage to uncover just how low the Falcons will sink in order to stay afloat—before the big storm wipes out the evidence.
Purchase Links
HarperVia | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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When was the last time you awakened to a swirl of out-of-control thoughts? Perhaps you were overwhelmed with the weight of worry, the fear of failing, or the grip of guilt. The way we think directly impacts our joy and peace. In Tame Your Thoughts, Max Lucado provides three biblical and practical tools to renew your mind and transform your life.
TAME YOUR THOUGHTS
Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life by Max Lucado
Our thoughts have consequences. Most people would agree that positive thoughts generate positive actions. Negative thoughts activate negative behavior. But do we understand that we can manage our lives by managing our thoughts? Not only does neuroscience back this concept, but the idea is also embedded throughout Scripture. “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom.12:2 esv). Tame your thoughts and transform your life!
In Tame Your Thoughts, Max explores three key thought-management tools and then applies them to the most common thought problems: worry, guilt, anxiety, and other types of mental quicksand that threaten to trap us. God loves us too much to let us lead a life marked by poor thinking. He made our brains; he can retrain our brains. God has not left us alone in this battle of the mind.
Stuck in your head? Hounded by regrets? Weighed down by worry? Change is possible! The thoughts that have characterized your past need not characterize the rest of your life. Readers will learn to
- take thoughts captive,
- test each message against the truth of Scripture,
- interrupt poisonous thought threads, and
- think and act like Jesus.
If God can resurrect the dead, can he not resurrect hope? Defy depression? Clarify confusion? Silence shame? Destroy doubt? Banish bitterness?
Take God at his word. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7 nkjv, emphasis added). With God as their helper, the reader will discover a new way of thinking and a better way of living. A new person will begin to emerge.
We can tame each thought, friends.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Go from feeling frustrated when reading Scripture to learning to love the Bible.
THE BIBLE, SIMPLIFIED
The Bible, Simplified: Learn the Story, Live the Story by Zach Windahl
Feeling overwhelmed and confused by the Bible? Bestselling author Zach Windahl breaks down its entire storyline in The Bible, Simplified, making Scripture clear, accessible, and life-changing so you can gain confidence in your faith.
In The Bible, Simplified, you will learn how to:
- Understand the entire storyline of the Bible
- Gain clarity and confidence in your faith
- Incorporate the Bible’s teachings into your daily life
You want to understand the Bible and feel a deeper connection to God, but busyness, relationships, and everyday distractions seem to crowd out Bible reading most days. Not to mention it’s hard to know where to start—and deep down, you might even wonder if the Bible is relevant to your modern life. It’s overwhelming. It’s confusing. And it’s easy to feel frustrated on your faith journey.
Too often, you find yourself walking away from reading Scripture, feeling lost instead of encouraged, something Zach Windahl experienced firsthand. Even though he grew up going to church, his Bible often remained on the shelf. It wasn’t until he discovered the joy of reading the Bible that he became passionate about helping others do the same. In his relatable and easy-to-read style, Zach has simplified Scripture to help you—especially if you’re a new Christian—understand the Bible’s message in a way that’s approachable and life-changing.
If you’re feeling lost with Scripture, this book will be your guide. You no longer need to be confused, disconnected, and overwhelmed in your faith. Take the first step to understanding God’s story—and your remarkable role in it.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Please fill out our super short registration form (click the “Enter Now” button above) by August 31st for a chance to win a set of up to ten copies of one of these great books for your book club! We will randomly choose a winner at the end of the month. This giveaway is open to clubs in the US only (our apologies to friends in other countries).