The Sunday Post #11: Seeking Silence

As I’m sitting here writing this, it’s still November. My family and I will celebrate Thanksgiving on the last day of the month. The month is coming to a close. The year-end is quickly approaching. December is filled with so much doing and going and running. A month that should be spent on reflection has turned into a sprint to the end. Not how I want it. Not how God wants it. It makes my desire to read Amish romance so much more heightened. Even if I can’t get away from the buzz of a cell phone or the glare of the computer screen, I can escape into a world where most of the modern-day “conveniences” are not only pushed aside but frowned upon.

But December is filled with so much celebration for me and my family — several birthdays, my wedding anniversary, and Christmas. Perhaps, I will seek silence. It’s the best time of the year for it. And Id rather not be thought a fool.


The Sunday Post #10: Rince and Repeat

-See more Sunday Posts-

Eight Fall Amish Romances to Keep Winter at Bay. I’m not ready for winter yet! Until December 21st, I’m embracing fall vibes and cozy Thanksgiving-themed reads. If you love Amish romances as much as I do, here are eight heartwarming books perfect for your TBR. Which one will you read first? Let’s savor fall together!

See more Top Ten Tuesday Posts

Book Review: Rediscovering Christmas Book Review & Giveaway. When tragedy strikes repeatedly, Tori Stallings loses faith in God and struggles to rebuild her life. Forced to move in with her brother-in-law, Micah, old friendships ignite unexpected feelings. Can Tori find hope and love again amid heartbreak? Discover the emotional journey that makes Rediscovering Christmas unforgettable. Curious? Read on! GIVEAWAY OPEN THROUGH 12/2/2024. Prize: One signed copy of Rediscovering Christmas and a $25 Amazon gift card.

Book Review: A Stolen Kiss. What happens when a chance meeting in a strict Amish community leads to a life-altering marriage? LeEtta Miller, never kissed, and Ben Ropp, starting over, must navigate love and trust as strangers. With heartfelt characters and rich storytelling, this is a five star read you won’t want to miss!

See more reviews


12/3/2024 Ten Gift Ideas for Book Lovers 2024. Book lovers rejoice! If you’re looking for unique, thoughtful gifts that enhance the reading experience, this curated list is for you. From cozy must-haves to clever gadgets, each item has been hand-picked with bibliophiles in mind. Which one will capture your imagination and spark your curiosity?

12/05/2024 Book Review: Taken at Christmas by Jodie Bailey. When widowed single mother Mia Galloway becomes the target of a dangerous threat, she turns to her late husband’s best friend, Hayden McGrath, for help. As danger looms and emotions intensify, Mia and Hayden must confront their shared grief and growing feelings. Is their love strong enough to survive the danger?

12/01/2024 The Sunday Post: this is the only blog post that I send out via email. If you want to make sue you see what is going on with the blog, then be sure to subscribe.

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I cannot tell a lie… I did something I say I rarely do—and certainly not to this magnitude. I bought five books. With my own money. Directly from Harlequin. Hangs head in shame. Raises head. But I am not sorry. I will read every one of these Amish romances, and you will hear about it. It will be shouted from rooftops far and wide: “Carla reads Amish romances!” Oh, wait, I think I already do that myself.

But yes, you can count. There are six books here. That’s right—my sweet Bookstagram friend @ruth_reads gifted me a book from my wish list: Risking Her Amish Heart.


12.01.24
🩷️ ️A Cowgirl’s Christmas Reunion by Christina Rich Order
🩷A Stolen Kiss by Patricia Johns Order
🩷What I Left for You by Mindy Obenhaus Order

See more upcoming releases-


How was your week?
What are you looking forward to in December?

Thank you to the following bloggers for their excellent link-ups!
Caffeinated Reviewer hosts The Sunday Post and Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon.


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  1. WordsAndPeace Avatar

    Times of quiet and silence are definitely important to keep things in balance. Enjoy!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I hope you have a wonderful December!

      Like

  2. Jen at Introverted Reader Avatar

    My mom started reading Amish romances several years ago. I had no idea there were so very many until they started regularly showing up in her GoodReads feed. Good luck finding quiet spaces for yourself this month. That’s something we should all be seeking.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      There are way more Amish romances than I’ll ever be able to read. But I’m up for trying. I’ll keep seeking the quiet but it’s hard with so much going on.

      Like

  3. Samantha @WLABB Avatar

    The closest I have gotten to reading an Amish romance was Between You & Me by Susan Wiggs. I hope you find lots of time this month to enjoy some good Amish romances.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I’ll have to take a look at that book. I haven’t heard of it before.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life Avatar

    December is the perfect time for more quiet – the full moon is even named the Quiet Moon in December. I hope you find your quiet space and reflection this month. :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I did not know that about the full moon. Thanks for sharing that fun fact!

      Like

  5. yvonne473 Avatar

    Those books look so good. It’s been a long time since I’ve read an Amish romance and now you have me wanting to read one. I’m sure I have a few on my e-reader. I hope you enjoy your reading and have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I hope you find an Amish romance on your e-reader. Be careful though, you might find them addicting!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    I didn’t realize Amish romances were so prevalent. I guess it’s a whole genre which I didn’t know about. Just curious do you live near Amish country? Have a great week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I live in Missouri but there are several Amish communities just a few hours away. On November 13th there was an Amish wedding with approximately 450 guests in a town closer to Kansas City. They had to publish news articles to caution people about the buggy traffic.

      Like

  7. Tammy Avatar

    I love your sentiments about December being a month of silence and reflection. I guess we just have to make those moments happen! Have a wonderful week:-)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      If we don’t make them happen, they won’t. Have a great week!

      Like

  8. Cindy Davis Avatar

    No need to hang your head in shame! I hope you enjoy them all and look forward to hearing about them. Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      Thank you, Cindy! I hope you have a great week as well.

      Like

  9. Claudia Riley Avatar
    Claudia Riley

    I hear you about the need for silence. Where I am I do get quite a bit of it. When dogs aren’t barking, or chickens clucking.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      Dogs and chickens wouldn’t bother me too much!

      Like

  10. Jodie | That Happy Reader Avatar

    I love reading what I love and what brings me joy and I feel like you do too! Enjoy every one of these new books!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I tried many different genres in the past but now I just stick with what I know will bring me joy. If my grandkids highly recommend something, I’ll read it but otherwise I stick with mostly Amish romance with a few other types of romance sprinkled in. Have a great week!

      Like

  11. shanaqui Avatar

    Hope you enjoy all the new books! It can feel great sometimes to just go on a little spree, especially when it helps show publishers etc that people love a certain kind of book.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      That’s one of the reasons I bought the books. Harlequin doesn’t currently have an Amish romance subscription.

      Like

  12. Deb Nance at Readerbuzz Avatar

    I really liked your gift ideas post. You included many items that were both bookish and useful.

    I’m toying with choosing Quiet (or something to that effect) for my word of the year. I want to completely focus on listening next year. I always say I am going to do that, but I always seem to fall back into my talk, talk, talk mode.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      Listening is such a critical skill. Something we all need to practice. I just zoned out for the last 15 minutes of a work call and wound up with more on my to do list.

      Like

  13. buffywnabe Avatar

    December does go by so quick! I like rushing the first 3 weeks because then I have a two week break away from work. But then the month is gone. We also have my nephew’s birthday at the beginning of the month too. With divorced parents I also have to always plan when I will celebrate with each side. Even as an adult. Enjoy your new books!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I usually take the last two weeks off work but this year I opted not to. I’ve been out a lot this year and feel like I need to work.

      I hope you get all of your celebrations timed out just right.

      Like

  14. shelleyrae @ Book'd Out Avatar

    I hope you enjoy your new Amish romances

    Have a lovely reading week

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful week too!

      Like

  15. Northwoman Avatar

    Haha. About a million years ago, I had a Harlequin subscription where I got 4 paperbacks a month. That had to be in high school or college years. Thankfully, we are pretty low key. We don’t go out much except for medical appts or grocery shopping. So much is done on our computer. So we get a lot of that peace, with gardening, reading, crafting or dog walking.

    Anne – Books of My Heart

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I keep thinking about getting a Harlequin subscription but I’m afraid I’ll wind up with too many books. There are a lot of other places I get books as well. We don’t go out much either but with 11 grandkids it’s quite busy here sometimes.

      Like

  16. mjeanpike Avatar

    I so agree — the weeks leading up to Christmas should not be about rushing from one thing to the next. It sounds like you have some lovely celebrations coming up though, and I’m glad you splurged on the gift of books for yourself! We need those little splurges now and then :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      We do have plenty of things to celebrate. My second oldest grandkid will be 15 this month. I am happy about the books. I just need the time to read them.

      Like

  17. joyweesemoll Avatar
    joyweesemoll

    We have a lot of quiet around here for holidays. It’s a good thing that we like it that way. All the better for reading.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      It is better for reading!

      Like

  18. Vicki Avatar

    One of my friends writes Christian Amish books. Her name is Marlayne Giron. I really enjoy her books.

    Like

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I’ll have to look her up.

      Like

  19. Tina Avatar

    Good for you splurging and buying yourself some books. If that gives you joy then you just have to treat yourself now and then. Books always give me joy when they arrive in the mail.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I was very excited to see them! Just not sure when I’ll be able to read them.

      Like

  20. QuietIdea Avatar

    Amish romances really? I didnt know there were many. Our thanksgiving celebration was small this week, but that kind of made it delightful.

    The Sunday Post

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      Amish romances are a pretty popular genre within romance. A small celebration is nice.

      Like

  21. Sophie @BewareOfTheReader Avatar
    Sophie @BewareOfTheReader

    You are right that we are rushing towards the end of the year while we should slow down!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      I hope you have an opportunity to slow down.

      Like

  22. mikaschmeing Avatar
    mikaschmeing

    ”several birthdays…..” the most important one being YOURS! 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Carla Bruns Avatar

      Thank you, sister!

      Liked by 1 person

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Welcome to Carla’s Book Crush where I share my favorite clean, Christian reads. I review everything from Amish and historical romance to suspense, contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and the occasional devotional. If it has heart, hope, and a message that points back to Christ, it’s probably on my shelf. I also love chatting with authors and featuring interviews that give you a peek behind the pages. Whether you’re looking for a new release, a cozy weekend read, or just something uplifting and well-written, you’re in the right place. Clean stories. Encouraging faith. Books worth reading.