Music Review: The Martins New Day

January 21, 2012 in: Book Reviews

I just found out The Martins are coming to St. Joseph on Feb. 17. I am thrilled to see them in concert and if you listen to this CD, you will be, too. In the first line of the first song, Joyce Martin sings, “If we could clear the stage, if we could kill the [...]

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There’s A Baby Up There

December 22, 2011 in: Devotions

NativityScene-300x235

At Christmas Eve services last year, we crowded into church, the night filled with both a sense of contentment and anticipation that is unique to December 24. The service was simple and moving, two teenagers portraying Joseph and Mary, gifted musicians singing old carols and new worship songs. In the row behind me, young Emily [...]

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Book Review: The Merchant’s Daughter

December 21, 2011 in: Book Reviews

I am delighted to tell you this book by my friend is being offered for $1.99 on the Kindle. If you believe in fairy tales, or just enjoy the magic of romance, you’ll love Melanie Dickerson’s newest book The Merchant’s Daughter. This Christian fiction is loosely based on the classic tale of Beauty and the [...]

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Book Review: Christmas With Tucker

December 12, 2011 in: Book Reviews

Christmas With Tucker was a gift from my friend last year – because my dog’s name is Tucker. A box of Kleenex later, I made it through this touching story that still warms my heart. Christmas With Tucker is a pre-quel to Greg Kincaid’s very popular A Dog Named Christmas ($9.99). It’s 1962 in eastern [...]

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Reflections on Mark Twain’s river

November 28, 2011 in: Reflections on the RiverWriting

Mark Twain, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer having a conversation

The first time I read Huckleberry Finn was in third grade. If memory serves correctly, I had to get special permission from Mrs. Gates the librarian to check it out for an extra week so I could finish. She was good at encouraging kids to read that way. Much of the symbolism was lost on [...]

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A few hundred gifts of thanks

November 23, 2011 in: Book ReviewsDevotions

This year I’m giving thanks, a little bit at a time. I have been engrossed reading The Hunger Games Trilogy thrilled to find it really is as good as promised. The main character is a teenage girl who sneaks under a barbed fence to hunt to feed her family. I’m in the middle of Book [...]

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Night at the Museum

November 18, 2011 in: Reflections on the RiverWriting

JoeHouts

The St. Joseph Women’s Press Club met at the St. Joseph Museum this week and hostess Jackie Lewin helped us experience the Civil War. We started with an authentic Civil War era meal made by club members.                         Jackie made “interpretive” tags for each [...]

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Pumpkin Fest at the Pony Express

October 16, 2011 in: Reflections on the River

pumpkin

One of the fun things about living in historic St. Joseph is that each morning on my way to work, I drive by the Pony Express Museum. As the museum prepared for its annual Pumpkin Fest, I witnessed the tents, carnival rides and pumpkin mountain going up. Pumpkin Fest, one of the museum’s main fund [...]

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Conference Highlights from ACFW

October 2, 2011 in: Writing

The Kansas City ACFW Chapter

The American Christian Fiction Writers annual meeting Sept. 22-25 in St. Louis was a fabulous time. It’s so inspiring to hang out with authors, editors and agents. From beginning writers to award-winning authors, we all share a love of words and using them to spread the gospel.   Here are Laura Franz, author of Courting [...]

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Book Review: A Most Unsuitable Match

September 14, 2011 in: Book Reviews

Stephanie Grace Whitson is my new favorite author. Not that she is new, but I’ve just discovered her. She lives in Lincoln, Neb., and her stories ring true to the Midwest. I chose to read A Most Unsuitable Match because this historical novel is set on the Missouri River. St. Joe even got a shout [...]

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About Susan

I'm Susan Mires, writing reflections from my perspective on the Missouri River in St. Joseph, Mo. I am a newspaper columnist, free lance writer and aspiring novelist. I enjoy keeping up with local issues and the things that make everyday life so interesting. Book reviews and devotions are also featured here. Find out more on the Reflections page.