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Doc Susie: The True Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado Rockies
Doc Susie
By Virginia Cornell
Life was hard, very hard, for the residents of Fraser, Colorado, according to Virginia Cornell’s biography of Doc Susie. Most of the year was extremely cold, and some peoples’ bodies never adjusted to the high altitude. Men were employed in low paying, dangerous lumber jobs or in higher paying, but even more dangerous work, digging out and constructing a tunnel to make faster passage west out of Denver on Moffat Road and across the Continental Divide. When finished, it replaced a treacherous railway route that connected Tolland to Fraser. Lives were lost through accidents and illnesses resulting from bad working conditions. The owners of the railroad and tunnel project were anxious to achieve success along with accompanying fame, prestige, and money, without regard for the people who did all the hard work and took the risks.
Doctors were needed in Fraser, but few wanted to stay long. Doc Susie moved there in 1907 as a cure for her own tuberculosis and to escape an unhappy home life. A petite lady, she had graduated from the University of Michigan. Despite being a woman doctor, she gradually earned the respect of the residents. She made a lot of “house calls,” often to the scene of an accident—deep woods or remote, snowy roads. Frequently, she answered pleas for help for sick patients in isolated areas of Grand County. When she arrived, she examined the patient and took charge, giving orders to the family members. She had a “no drug, no alcohol” policy which meant some painful treatments, but she did use ether for surgery. Going to the patient’s home gave Doc Susie the opportunity to teach the families, by word and by example, the importance of cleanliness so that a wound would not become infected or a disease spread. This spunky lady was not afraid to stand up to railroad bosses or any other man who challenged her personally or professionally.
Doc Susie would have enjoyed being a wife and mother, but those roles never worked out as possibilities for her. This book gives a good picture of what life was like in the Rockies during the first half of the 1900’s for both men and women. The information in the book is well-researched. The author brings Doc Susie’s tale to life in a well-written narrative style. She also includes reproductions of many period photos, including some of Doc Susie. The courageous Doc Susie and her friends are historical figures that I cared about as I envisioned their place in the development of Colorado and of the United States.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction
Publication: 1991—Manifest Publications
Memorable Lines:
Doc Susie looked into a sea of sincere blue eyes. She knew these men, knew their word was as good as money in the First National Bank in Denver, knew that trying to change their minds—well, some said it would have been easier for the Captain to turn the Titanic around before it hit the iceberg than to change a Swede’s mind. If these men said they were going to move a building, you might as well stand back because you might get hurt if you stood in the way.
Mountain life was so harsh; a woman’s waking hours had to be spent keeping the family fed, warm and clean. The same drudgeries awaited them week after week: boil the clothes on Monday and hang them on the line to be showered by cinders raining from the sky each time a train passed, iron on Tuesday, bake on Wednesday, mend on Thursday, split kindling, split kindling, split kindling. The only recognitions these drudges got for their efforts was to be yelled at if things didn’t get done.
Sometimes it seemed there were handsome, strong, beautiful men behind every tree. Unfortunately, the pastoral illusion vanished the moment these he-mountains opened their mouths. After an evening of trying to make conversation with some muscle-brain she found herself yearning for the stimulation of a good book. Sometimes she found herself attracted to raw masculinity; usually the man in question vanished from the scene very quickly, intimidated by her authoritative ways and superior education.
The Alchemist: A Modern Classic Fable of Spiritual Healing, Self-Discovery, and the Power of Dreams
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
illustrated by James Noel Smith
translated by Alan R. Clarke
In this fictional account of an Andalusian shepherd, you will find a hodgepodge of philosophy, spirituality, and a variety of religions. Both the writer and the main character Santiago have their childhood roots in Catholicism, but both add in a blend of mysticism, Islamic beliefs, magic, and omens cloaked in a veil of wisdom. The Alchemist is the kind of book that readers will love or hate depending on their backgrounds and what they are searching for—in life and in a good book. The story is an adventure as Santiago goes on a pilgrimage of sorts, trying to live out his Personal Legend. In the process, he learns about the Language of the World, which all things, animate and inanimate, speak, and the Soul of the World in which everyone is a part of everyone else. The goal of his Personal Legend, treasure at the Egyptian pyramids, introduces him to a wise man who calls himself a king, a gypsy, a crystal glassware dealer, caravan operators, thieves, an English seeker of wisdom, and an actual alchemist. He learns first-hand about the desert, oases, love, and tribal warfare.
The Alchemist is fairly short (175 pages) and mildly interesting, but well-written. I don’t consider it a “treasure” or “masterpiece” as some readers describe it. The main attraction of the book, for me, is the beautiful artwork. From tiny sketches to a few full-color, two-page spreads, the art echoes the text with atmosphere that draws me in, keeps my attention, and enhances my enjoyment of the book.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Philosophy, Fiction, Spirituality, Self-Help
Publication: 1988—first published in Portuguese
1993—Harper One (translated to English)
Memorable Lines:
He was sure that it made no difference to her on which day he appeared: for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happened in their lives every day that the sun rises.
“I’m like everyone else—I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.”
“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person realize his dream.”
Propaganda Girls–lies to win the war
Propaganda Girls
By Lisa Rogak
Writing a biography about a small group of women must be quite challenging. Lisa Rogak divided her task into four main parts. First, she gives background separately on each of the four ladies: Betty MacDonald, a journalist who was living in Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed; Zuzka Lauwers, a bored, multilingual lawyer from the Czech Republic; Jane Smith-Hutton, wife of a naval attaché in Tokyo; and Marlene Dietrich, German-born actress and singer.
In the next section of the book, Rogak describes individually their early introduction to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—recruitment, training, and assignments. Then, in the section titled “Believable Lies,” the author describes the actual work the women did. They put in long, hard days, sometimes in less than ideal living and working conditions, but they loved the independence they had in accomplishing their tasks. Their branch was Morale Operations (MO) where they produced “black propaganda.” Always based on at least a kernel of truth, they created media with the goal of demoralizing enemy soldiers and also citizens in occupied areas. They learned as much as they could about the affected country to make it appear that the flyer, broadcast, or whatever media was chosen originated in the enemy country. In “Back to Reality,” Rogak discusses the difficulties each woman had in finding her place in the world when the war ended.
Propaganda Girls was extremely well researched with an extensive bibliography and footnotes. There are many quotes from those who knew the four women and from written resources. These references give authenticity to the biography. The format Rogak chose for this book is fairly rigid resulting in characters who are well-defined in each progression. They are, however, never infused with personality. If you like your nonfiction to be so exciting that it could be mistaken for fiction or be a page turner, then this will not be a good match for you. If you want to learn about women making a difference in World War II, probably saving lives, and working for less pay and respect than their male counterparts, then you’ll be satisfied with this glimpse into a portion of World War II history that has not been well-publicized.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction, History
Publication: March 4, 2025—St. Martin’s Press
Memorable Lines:
Marlene loved the job, and between the cross-country bond tours, working at the canteen, and making an occasional movie, she was exhausted all the time, but here was a way that she could directly affect the lives of thousands of young men who were about to put their lives on the line. She had found her calling.
Betty had crammed a lot of living into her century of life. But like Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene, her war service was the highlight of her life. “There was a real reason for what we were doing in those days,” she said. “A lot of the things we tried didn’t work, but it was war, and it was important.”
But after more than five years of war, Paris wasn’t in much better shape than Tokyo. The city was impassable in many places; apartment buildings and homes were in disrepair and often uninhabitable. Most buildings in the city had gone unheated for the length of the war, except for those that had been occupied by the Germans.
Ordinary Time: The Season of Growth
Ordinary Time: The Season of Growth
By Amy Peeler
The Fullness of Time series discusses the “riches of the church year, exploring the traditions, prayers, Scriptures, and rituals of the seasons of the church calendar”: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Outside of these specials seasons are more days—a period between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday and another between Pentecost and Advent. This season is called Ordinary Time and is a season of growth. How do these days fit into the life of a Christian? According to Amy Peeler, an Episcopal priest and professor at Wheaton College, “Being grateful for what God has done—previewed in Genesis and accomplished in Christ—is a necessary step toward daily faithfulness. That daily faithfulness is when trust, even in the face of death, becomes our new ordinary.”
The first half of the book deals with many of the common practices of worship in traditional liturgical churches. Especially meaningful is her in-depth discussion of the Lord’s Supper. The Book of Common Prayer holds many declarations and prayers used to proclaim God’s grace and our unworthiness as we join together as children of God to remember his sacrifice with the bread (His body) and the wine (His blood) as he instructed his followers to do when they gathered.
The second half of the book starts at the beginning of Genesis with the story of Abraham and Sarah and how they grow in faith by seeing God and acknowledging that God sees them, which leads them to trust God. Next is the story of Hagar, a slave, and her son by Abraham who was named Ishmael. There are many lessons about trust, which leads to gratitude, in their story. During Ordinary Time, as in the other seasons, the Scripture readings, prayers, and hymns are all chosen to reflect the theme and, of course, to point to the Trinity: God, the Father; Jesus, the Son; and the Holy Spirit.
Although short, Ordinary Time is not a book you will want to rush through. Its topics are practical, but the discussion reaches deeply into areas that could become perfunctory, but shouldn’t. I appreciated its accessibility while, at the same time, it went deeper, theologically speaking, than is normally expected from a brief book.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Religion, Spirituality, Theology
Notes: The Fullness of Time series is edited by Esau McCaulley. It is composed of seven stand alone books that can be read in any order: “Each volume in the Fullness of Time series invites readers to engage with the riches of the church year, exploring the traditions, prayers, Scriptures, and rituals of the seasons of the church calendar.” Ordinary Time completes the series.
Publication: 2026—InterVarsity Press
Memorable Lines:
The Holy Spirit does not choose the worthy but the willing.
The shattering of the wafer recalls this defeat of death through death.
We might, as Hebrews instructs, meet a stranger who is actually an angel (Hebrews 13:2), but even if that surprising event does not occur, we can rest assured that every person we meet bears the image of God and should be treated as such. Jesus too instructs his followers to treat others as we would treat him (Matthew 25:34-46).
The League of Tribes—Publication Day!
I am delighted to announce the publication of my husband’s first novel. It is available on Amazon as a paperback or in a Kindle version. Visit his website drjohnhiggins.com to learn more about the book and the author and see some of the illustrations included in the book.
Suppose you were by accident of time-space transported 13,000 years into the past of a wilderness area you have been visiting with your son. For a time, your survival depends largely on a small band of Ojibwe natives. In this book, the protagonist, Dr. Jackson, is an advanced engineering professional. At its core the book reimagines the purpose of civilization in a way that seeks to improve the lives of those it encompasses. Realizing ultimately that he can never return home, he gradually adopts his new culture and new family relationships. His final fifteen years are invested in seeding two important changes to help his adopted people in the future. He introduces domestication of the horse, avoiding premature extinction and securing the horse an early and permanent place in the native culture. He travels widely and then develops a durable school to prepare for the eventual arrival of Europeans: their avarice, disease, and advanced technology as well as their more positive characteristics. Can such a small seed in time amount to much effect?
A Sky Full of Stars–family secrets
A Sky Full of Stars
By Fay Keenan
When Dr. Charlotte James, a historical astronomical archivist at the University of North West Wessex, said goodbye to the last of the departing undergraduate students she supervised in dormitory housing, she moved for five weeks to Brambleton. With incredible timing, because she had just broken up with a boyfriend who returned to the U.S., Charlotte was offered a temporary job archiving the remaining documents at the Lower Brambleton Observatory, which was being decommissioned. A housing development is scheduled to replace the observatory when archiving and demolition of the structure are complete.
Although the site is remote, Charlotte is provided nice housing in an annexe to Lorelai Ashcombe’s cottage. It is within walking distance of the observatory with a nice area for her cocker spaniel, Comet, to play. Lorelai raised twins Tristan and Thea (her grandchildren) when their parents, both astronomers, died in a car accident. Mystery shrouds the observatory as well as the Ashcombe family. Many years later, they are still trying to recover from the trauma of the unexpected deaths. Charlotte’s discovery of an important document may change the way certain family members are perceived.
Tristan and Charlotte have a rocky start as he is very protective of his grandmother and fearful of her taking in strangers. It doesn’t help that their first accidental meeting occurred when Comet decided to explore the observatory site fenced off in preparation for demolition. The enemy to lover trope appears early in the book, and Tristan and Charlotte’s initial, bristly response to each other is fairly quickly resolved. Then the story branches out to Charlotte’s finds at the site’s records room and her interaction with various family members. A resident and aficionado of Bristol, she finds she also enjoys the quiet and beauty of Brambleton and the new friends she makes in the area. The denouement of the novel showcases a lot of breath-holding action followed by a satisfying conclusion.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #1 in the Brambleton Series
2. Contains one steamy scene, but nothing graphic. There is some swearing, but not a lot and mainly during a crisis scene.
3. In the U.S., we call an addition to a building an “annex.” In Great Britain, it is called an “annexe.” Likewise, “realize” becomes “realise.”
Publication: March 18, 2025—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
“Some things deserve to be torn down,” Lorelai replied, and this time there was no mistaking the dark edge to her tone, more pronounced than it had been last night when they’d first discussed the development. “It’ll be for the best when that place is gone. And then, maybe everyone can at last move on.”
Charlotte was more than used to encountering rogue pieces of information; documents that implied one thing but on further investigation revealed another; suggested truths that became elegantly constructed falsehoods after further investigation and research.
She hadn’t realised how accustomed she’d got to the quiet until she was back in the noise of the city.
God Bless This Child: Bedtime Prayers and Praises for Little Ones
by Max and Denalyn Lucado
Illustrated by Lisa Alderson
Max Lucado and his wife Denalyn have written a rhyming book of prayer for little ones. Each prayer in this board book also has a short blessing parents can pray over their children and a Scripture verse (with reference) to accompany the prayer. This sweet book has lovely, colorful illustrations that little ones will enjoy looking at.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Children, Nonfiction, Devotional
Notes: For Baby-5 years old
Publication: March 4, 2025—Tommy Nelson
Memorable Lines:
I saw a puppy, furry and small.
I saw a tree, so strong and tall.
I saw the sun and thought of Your light.
I saw the moon shine bright at night….
Thank You for making everything I see.
Most of all, God, thanks for making me!
Theo of Golden–showing kindness
Theo of Golden
by Allen Levi
A common question: “What is Theo of Golden about?” I can answer that two ways. In summary, it is about a humble, Portuguese man in his 80’s, Theo, who comes to live in the town of Golden, Georgia. He visits a coffee shop with a wall decor of 92 framed portraits and is inspired to connect each pencil drawing with the person represented. He buys a picture, invites the subject of the drawing to a park bench, gifts the depiction, and encourages that person to talk about themselves. That description is accurate, but falls short. Theo of Golden is about kindness, about looking into a person’s eyes to see their soul, about listening to their story, and about walking alongside them in times of pain and of joy. Yes, Theo of Golden is about kindness. Not random acts of kindness, but intentional, well-planned, respectful acts of kindness that are born of love.
Theo of Golden can be viewed as a book with Christian themes—or not. Its perspective is that of a man who wants to make the world a better place. I don’t think the author set out to write a “Christian book”; but, as a Christian, he did create a character who lives out the example set by Jesus. Kindness is held to be a positive value, something one should ascribe to, whether viewed as part of the Christian faith or not.
Most of the book is a slow and careful revelation of Theo. He is initially an enigma to the townspeople, but soon they accept him, appreciating casual interactions on a daily basis or a deep friendship with him that develops for some of them. Along the way to learning more about Theo, we meet many of his new friends—a night janitor whose daughter is hospitalized after an accident, a talented graduate student with a passion for the cello, and a homeless lady with mental issues. Tony, the owner of the Verbivore, a bookstore, is perpetually “a week away from closing his doors.” Asher is the prolific artist who created the portraits. Theo, with his quiet, calm, and kind ways, makes a difference in all of their lives and in that of so many of Golden’s residents.
Theo of Golden is a book that deserves a re-read as so many details will take on more depth of meaning when the reader has the benefit of a type of omniscience in regards to the characters and the plot. This novel will enchant and inspire; it will bring chuckles and tears. In the end, it will leave no reader unmoved.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Literary Fiction
Notes: Theo of Golden is Levi’s first novel, but it has taken the book world by storm. It is at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, with currently over a million copies sold since its publication by Atria. Before that, as a self-published book, 175,000 copies had been sold.
Publication: October 3, 2025—Atria
Memorable Lines:
“…for anything to be good, truly good, there must be love in it.”
“I confess that at first I did it hoping to make someone else happy. Now I fear that my reasons are almost entirely selfish. I do it because it brings such happiness to me.”
The little girl savors the warmth and expressiveness of the old man’s voice. It is not merely a sound. It is a place. A color. A haven.
“There is no virtue in advertising one’s sadness. But there is no wisdom in denying it either. And there is the beautiful possibility that great love can grow out of sadness if it is well-tended. Sadness can make us bitter or wise. We get to choose.”
“Baby, they’s justice and they’s mercy. If you not sure what to do and you gotta choose one or the other, I say always go the mercy way. If you make a mistake, make it for mercy. Bad mercy don’t hurt nearly like bad justice, and always remember, the eye of God can see.”
Ambush–exotic animals
Ambush
by Colleen Coble
Paradise Alden returns home to Nova Cambridge, Alabama, to find some things the same and others completely different. She has the same feelings for Blake Lawson that she had in high school, and he reciprocates, but they have some emotional negotiating to do first. Paradise had a tough time in the foster care system, but is now a veterinarian. Blake was a Marine combat paramedic, but received a discharge to help his mother raise his two adorable stepbrothers when their father died suddenly in an accident. They meet up again at the family owned Sanctuary Wildlife Preserve where Paradise has been hired by Blake’s mother, Jenna, as an exotic animal vet and all-round help. Paradise is also recovering from a nasty wound she received from a black jaguar. She loves large cats, but needs to conquer her fear of the big animals.
Colleen Coble’s tale is definitely suspenseful, the type that will keep you turning pages, but not keep you up all night. In this mystery, there are a sequence of at least nine events aimed at hurting The Sanctuary or its workers. Negative attention is drawn to the wildlife park when a protestor is found dead on the premises. If possible, things just go downhill from there. As it becomes apparent that these are not isolated incidents, the main characters are convinced that someone is out to destroy The Sanctuary Wildlife Preserve, but who and why? A number of people in the area are suspected, but lech and bully Deputy Creed Greene is laser-focused on pinning it all on Blake.
Although the main puzzles and mysteries in this book are solved, there are still many threads that will lead to more excitement and discovery in the next books in the series. This novel has Christian overtones as Blake’s family models the love of Jesus so effectively that both Paradise and another hurting character are led to trust in God despite past traumas. It is clean and the romance is gentle. I’m looking forward to continuing this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Suspense, Romance
Notes: 1. #1 in the Sanctuary Series.
2. #2 was published in November, 2025 and #3 is expected in July, 2026. I’m looking forward to both of these.
4. Clean in all aspects.
Publication: March 4, 2025—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
Being courageous led to more courage, while being afraid led to more and more fear.
“I never realized having the resource of prayer was such a big deal. It’s somehow comforting to know events are outside my control and that’s okay. It makes me realize I never had the control I thought I had.”
Blake wasn’t someone who spoke flowery words of love—he was a man of action who showed his love for those close to him with every decision he made.
More Power to You–outstanding devotional
More Power to You: Declarations to Break Free from Fear & Take Back Your Life
by Margaret Feinberg
Looking for a good book for daily or weekly devotionals?
Margaret Feinberg was an optimistic Bible teacher until, as she states, “A series of brutal struggles—a cancer diagnosis, financial woes, failed friendships, a painful betrayal, unanswered prayers—all worked together to corrode my confidence, leaving me shaky and uncertain.” That’s when Satan slipped in with all kinds of lies about herself that Feinberg gradually began to believe. When she recognized the “downward spiral” that she had allowed to occur, she determined to change her mindset using “bold Daily Declarations rooted in Scripture about God’s goodness, the fierce love of Christ, and my worth.”
In fifty-two chapters, Feinberg shares her Daily Declarations along with the lie that needs to be erased and the Scripture reference that supports the new viewpoint. The declarations are listed in the beginning and repeated at the end of the book along with the Scripture reference. She expands on each truth with a brief teaching that is personal, Biblical, and meaningful. Having read it cover to cover during my daily time with God, I recommend this devotional and will probably come back to it for a reread in the future. As a bibliophile, I also enjoyed the design and layout of the hardback book with its heavy, smooth paper and uncluttered pages. It is a nice addition to my home library.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Devotional
Publication: 2020—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
Studies show that 85 percent of the scenarios people worry about never end up happening. In harboring these thoughts, you allow tomorrow’s forecast of rain clouds to steal today’s sunshine.
The hardships we face in life may refine us, but they do not have to define us.
The kingdom of God advances among dinner tables and church pews, in doctor’s offices and cubicles, in the carpool pick-up line, and maaaaaaybe even while you’re on hold with the customer service agent. The kingdom of God tears in whenever you allow Christ’s love to saturate you and spill out onto those around you.
education pathways 