Specters in the Glass House
By Jaime Jo Wright
Reviewed by Sonya VanderVeen Feddema
In 1921, Marian Arnold reluctantly returns to Mullerian Manor, her family’s summer estate in the countryside near Milwaukee, Wis. Yet it is a residence she fears—for good reason.
When the first person is found dead in the glass butterfly house with broken butterfly wings nearby, the police are called and an investigation is launched. Who is the Butterfly Butcher?
In the present day, Remy Shaw finds employment as a research assistant for Elton Floyd, a famous biographer and the new owner of Mullerian Manor. Elton and Remy work together to unravel the history of Marian Arnold and the murders attributed to the Butterfly Butcher.
Wright exhibits a deep sensitivity to people marginalized by society’s prejudices and paints a portrait of a loving God who remains when all else fails or falls apart. (Bethany House Publishers)
Of Moose & Men: Lost & Found in Alaska
Reviewed by Trevor Denning
This 25-episode podcast dramatizes Torry Martin’s misadventures in moving to Alaska. A natural storyteller, Martin has a gift for seeing the potential in his everyday experiences, which include having his trailer attacked by what he thinks is a hungry grizzly bear. Martin adapted stories from his 2016 book with help from writer Marshal Younger.
Given the pair’s work on the children’s audio drama Adventures in Odyssey, it’s no surprise that the 20-minute stories are filled with wisdom and whimsy. A true story about a reindeer in the kitchen might not seem like a natural transition to the parable of the prodigal son, but in Martin’s mind, it is.
What Of Moose &Men illustrates so well is that God is always whispering truths to us; we just need the ears to listen. Then, when we’re ready, we can share that truth with others. (AccessMore)
Signora Volpe
Reviewed by Cynthia Beach
A disillusioned British spy-turned-detective starts a new life in the beautiful heart of Italy, but she soon finds trouble following her wherever she goes.
This British television series showcases lovely Sylvia Fox and Italy—specifically Panicale, a stunning village.
We meet Fox as she’s handed the last straw at her workplace, which happens to be MI6, the British foreign intelligence agency. A new boss and her ex make her job harder. Thankfully, her niece’s wedding whisks her to beautiful Panicale, where she can solve crimes away from those frustrations.
Fox’s competence as a spy adds enormous entertainment value. It’s the surprise of it all. She’s good at what she does and inserts herself into dicey situations where we watch her figure it out.
Violence and language are minimal. (Acorn TV)
Death Is a Day Worth Living
By Anna Claudia Quintana Arantes
Review by Mary Li Ma
Written by a hospice care doctor in Brazil, this book is an international bestseller on the rare topic of how to die.
From her rich experience caring for dying patients, Anna Arantes reviews the physiological, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of this last and most intimate stage of life. Arantes observes that death might “trigger one’s transformation” spiritually because it is the moment “when you come to understand a … new version of God.”
Death offers so many lessons about how to live and how to let go. “If you live and love to the fullest,” Arantes writes, “then you can let things and people go on their way. If you have experienced all that the relationship has to give, then you are free.” (Broadleaf Books)
The Lowdown
Why Your Work Matters: In this newly expanded and updated version of his 2011 book Work Matters, author and pastor Tom Nelson wrestles with the latest trends and dynamics of work, including remote work, work-life balance, technology, the meaning of sabbath, and working for the common good. (Brazos Press)
Miss Austen: The fictional story of the lives and loves of British writer Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra, starring Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen. (May 4, PBS Masterpiece)
Bono Pulls Back the Curtain: Bono: Stories of Surrender is a vivid reimagining of the Irish singer-songwriter’s’s critically acclaimed one-man stage show Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief. He pulls back the curtain on a remarkable life and the family, friends, and faith that have challenged and sustained him. (May 30, Apple TV+)
Voices of the Future: Christian Reformed Church member and university student Annika Crum has a story published in the anthology Voices of the Future: Stories of Bravery &Belonging. Books are available viaCrum’s website (annikacrum.com), and free copies of her 2022 award-winning story are available by joining her email list.