Hello and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! I hope you are having a beautiful day! I love reading and last year was NOT a good reading year for me. I normally read close to a hundred and in 2021, I didn’t even hit 40 books! But you know what, it’s okay! I don’t know how many books I’ll be able to fit in my schedule this year, because I’ll be adding a newborn to the mix! But that being said, I’m optimistic for 2022, because I will be doing a lot of sit down activities because of said newborn 😉

So my plan for these posts are to share five books I specifically want to read this month and five for next month. I hope to read more, but there’s a lot of stuff up in the air, so I won’t bog you down with my full list, lol! Instead, I will focus on books I hope to review on the blog. And then, before we go, I will share 5 Winter Recs with you as well! So let’s get started!

1| Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This is a book I’ve been curious about for some time but brushed off as just another cheesy romance. At the collective gasps of indignation from many a dear friend, I have decided to amend my prior judgement and give her a try! Have you read P&P? Tell me your thoughts below!

2-3| Dare (reread) and Deny by Tricia Mingerink
I have read Dare twice with the intent to read this series through and every time another book came up that demanded my immediate attention. The series premise is basically the persecuted church in a dystopian medieval type setting. It’s pretty intense.

Dare was very interesting and I do want to do a full post about it, so stay tuned. I will say there is a hint of what I believe is Calvinism in this book, so I will be addressing that in my review. For clarification, I do NOT agree with Calvinism and stand firmly against it, as it is unbiblical and cruel. However, it is not my intention to attack anyone here, so when I write this post, I will not be doing a hit piece, just noting my beliefs and sharing scripture for what I believe. That is all. We should always speak the truth with boldness, but also with love.

4| Koala Beach Outbreak by Robert Elmer
This book is part of the Adventures Down Under Series! I need to look back and review the books between this one and the last one I reviewed, but so far I have immensely enjoyed this reread of the series! This book focuses on the Chinese in Australia and an outbreak of some type of fever. This book is special to me because it is the book I was reading when my grandmother passed away in 2006. So it’s been awhile… I can’t wait to read it again 😊

5| Rebel Wave by Tor Thibeaux
This is a short episode in a 12 part series that I saw going around Goodreads. Some friends were reading it, it looked interesting, and I thought I would see what the fuss was about 😉 Its basically a sort of sci-fi story set under water in a submarine style survival colony fleet? That’s my understanding anyway, lol! If you have read this book, fill us in below!

1| Confederate Black Ops by Charles Tilton II
This is a reread to help me prepare for rewrites of the 5th book in my Battle for Heritage Series! It’s an excellent read all about the inner working of the Confederate spy rings, secret service and special operations! Written by a Green Beret, this is an epic read!

2| Heretics of the Piedmont by D. J. Speckals
This book was released last year and I am so excited to read it! It’s about the Waldensians of Europe and Baptist history has always been a favorite of mine, so of course I had to get it 😉 It was also written by the brother of a young lady I met last year, so that’s always fun!

3| The Dawn of a Life by Rachel McBride (Davis)
I loved this series growing up and I need to reread these so bad! It’s high time I dig out my favorite western and read it again for the 25th time (okay slight exaggeration, but I have read this over a dozen times growing up!) This series follows the life of Sam Goodton and Tom Sampson and I just can’t wait to visit these characters again as they travel the wagon trains from Indiana to Montana!

4-5| The Land of Cotton and Our Heritage to Save by Yours Truly
This is for research purposes for writing book 5. So, you can read about them here *halo*

1| Dare by Tricia Mingerink
I may have mentioned this on a winter list before, I cannot remember, but it really has a strong winter vibe for me, so I’m throwing it in there again, haha! The beginning of the story is set in winter but not necessarily Christmas, so that’s a plus as well!

2| The Case of the Very Bad Cat by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick
This is book 4 of 5 of the Kitten Files series and is so adorable! The story follows Mia as she tries to get to the bottom of who is leaving dead mice on a neighbor’s porch. It’s set just before Christmas, but it’s not about Christmas, so there ya go, haha!

3| Befriending the Beast by Amanda Tero
I don’t even know if winter is mentioned in this book at all, but the general feel of the story just makes be feel like it should be so we’re going with that, lol! A father-daughter retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this is one of my favorite reads by this author!

4| The Holy War by John Bunyan
This book is an allegory and set in a medieval time era and this just screams winter to me. It’s cold and a little dark, but the light breaks through and AGH! I need to reread this this year…

5| Modern Warriors by Pete Hegseth
Sue me, this isn’t set in winter, but because I read it last January, it will always be a winter book to me. Loved it so much! (Read my review here!) It’s a compilations of Soldier Stories and the patriotism and lessons they have for us and the way they try to bridge the soldier/civilian gap just makes me so happy…
 
What are you reading this month? What books would you recommend to be read during the winter? Share them with us below in the comments so we can grow our TBR lists!
 
Have a blessed day and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn (and Baby Peterson 😉)
Jude 22

Hello everyone! It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone already! I’ve been married for a whole year! I’m six month pregnant! I’M HAVING A BABY THIS YEAR!!! *insert happy squeals* I am beyond excited to meet my baby girl and start my relationship outside the womb with her! If her current disposition is any indication, I’m gonna have my hands full! She loves to kick and punch me at the same time, trying to trick me into thinking she has turned into twins! Little stinker 😊

But y’all didn’t click on this post to hear me gush about my little Southern Belle. Not yet anyway 😉 Don’t worry, I’m sure its coming *wink* (Pst! Subscribe, I’ll share more in my newsletters in weeks to come!) Y’all clicked on this post to see what’s gonna happen with the blog, or if I will even keep it going now that I’m fast approaching motherhood outside the womb. (Yes, I will keep referring to it that way, because I’m already experiencing motherhood inside the womb and its wonderful even if she has been causing me to be sick pretty much the whole time, lol!)

So! Without further ado, lets jump into today’s post!

Things are changing around here. I am cutting my schedule back to one post a week (I’m batch posting, Lord willing!) instead of two and I will be attempting to send out a newsletter to subscribers once a month.

With the Lord’s help, there will be a devotional as usual, a reading related post, a writing or history related post, and on the fourth Monday of every month with five Mondays (confusing I know, sorry!) I will attempt to bring you an author interview! I also intend to make the final Monday of the month a wrap-up of goals accomplished that month and setting new ones. Book Reviews will be posted at random as I write them.

I am due to give birth on April 6th, but as we all know, babies come on their schedule, not ours. Regardless, I am taking a hiatus the month of April. I can’t promise I’ll bounce right back in May, because I’m gonna be soaking up all those baby snuggles. I appreciate your patience and understanding as I undergo this new stage of my life. I love creating content for y’all and knowing you understand when I’ve had to put on the breaks has been a huge blessing to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I’ll give you the short answer: I got sick again. Then school amped up (I teach electives for a Christian School. No, I’m not telling you where 😉), midterms were approaching and I just didn’t get the book edited in time.

I have not put To Save A Life on the back burner however. I will give more details in an upcoming writing update, but know this is my current WIP and I am enjoying polishing this rough cut story into something I hope God can use to touch lives and save some babies and their families from the destruction of abortion.

I am so excited to share this year’s word of the year. God has been stirring my heart about so many different things related to this topic and my dear friend, Katja, helped me find the word I was looking for.

So, without further ado, the word of the year 2022 is…

As Christians, there are many things God has called us to do. Yes, the Great Commission is the main one and it is not to be tossed aside lightly. But God has commanded us, as our Supreme Commander, to do many great things for His honor and Glory! This year, I hope to scratch the surface as I attempt to grow in these areas myself. Will you join me?

I do have a few goals to share with you today and I encourage you to make a list yourself!
 
Writing||
            Complete edits on To Save A Life
            Batch Posts for February

Reading||
            Read 10 books minimum
            Complete one of my devotional books from last year 😉

Life||
            Stay on top of grading for school (A huge struggle!)
            Make our baby registry (Yeah, I’m way behind!)
            Eat more veggies (gotta keep me, hubby and baby healthy!)
            Journal daily (Something I’ve been wanting to get back to!)
 
So that’s about all I have for you today! Now it’s your turn! Do you have a word of the year? Do you have any special goals for this month? Please comment below and let us cheer you on!

Have a blessed day and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn (and Baby Peterson 😉)
Jude 22