Gretchen Louise

“Have you ever looked closely at the blossom of a Christmas cactus? It is exquisite. When this plant is in full bloom, doing dishes turns into an act of worship for me. My hands are in the suds, but my eyes are delighted by the blossoms in front of me. I can’t help but turn my heart to the Lord who spoke a plant like this into existence. He declared this to be good.”
― Christy Fitzwater, Keeping House: A 30-Day Meditation on the Value of Housekeeping

“I found out the Germans are adding to the Otto List.”
“The Otto List?”
“The list of books banned for sale in France. It’s named after Otto Abetz, the German ambassador to Paris.”
― Sarah Sundin, Until Leaves Fall in Paris

“The store smelled of old books and woodsmoke. A counter stood on the wall to his left, flanked by bookshelves and magazine racks. Photographs hung over the counter—pictures of authors, it looked like. Bookcases jutted out from the wall to his right, and bookshelves covered every wall, even under the windows. On the shelf before him, books ran in a proper row for half a shelf, then a stack of books on their sides. More books rested in front of the row, on top, wherever they fit. New books with crisp dust jackets stood beside older titles with spines shiny from wear. More books covered a table by the window, circled by two mismatched wooden chairs and a stuffed armchair.”
― Sarah Sundin, Until Leaves Fall in Paris

“One thing I had come to learn over the years was that you could never judge a book by its cover. People were seldom what they seemed to be on the outside.”
― Ashley Weaver, The Key to Deceit