Tamara Leigh's Book Recommendation ~ The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis

Years ago, I read and was moved by Sarah Zacharias Davis's The Friends We Keep: A Woman's Quest for the Soul of Friendship (yes, all right, "friendship" is a recurring theme of mine). Author Zacharias provides what has been called a "primer on women's friendships"--the beauty of making friends and (oh my!) the challenges of keeping them. I hope you'll take a peek at this lovely, eye-opening read that includes thought-provoking discussion questions perfect for a book club or women's Bible study.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Why are women’s friendships so tricky?
During a particularly painful time in her life, Sarah Zacharias Davis learned how delightful–and wounding–women can be in friendship. She saw how some friendships end badly, others die slow deaths, and how a chance acquaintance can become that enduring friend you need.

The Friends We Keep is Sarah’s thoughtful account of her own story and the stories of other women about navigating friendship. Her revealing discoveries tackle the questions every woman asks:

• Why do we long so for women friends? 
• Do we need friends like we need air or food or water?
• What causes cattiness, competition, and co-dependency in too many friendships?
• Why do some friendships last forever and others only a season?
• How do I foster friendship?
• When is it time to let a friend go, and how do I do so?

With heartfelt, intelligent writing, Sarah explores these questions and more with personal stories, cultural references and history, faith, and grace. In the process, she delivers wisdom for navigating the challenges, mysteries, and delights of friendship: why we need friendships with other women, what it means to be safe in relationship, and how to embrace what a friend has to offer, whether meager or generous.

STRADDLING THE PICKET FENCE OF FRIENDSHIP

While our youngest son was home from college for the weekend, he asked me how many true friends I have. When one’s eighteen-year-old, who is exploring his new world away from home, asks something like that, the writer puts down her pen and settles into a verbal, son-initiated (gasp!) conversation. I treasured every minute of our hour-long exchange. It took me back years to a ladies Sunday school class where I found myself straddling the fence—of the picket variety, with spear-like points that make one intensely uncomfortable. On one side of the fence was my reaction to the topic of “friendship,” as introduced by the story of Ruth and Naomi: Friends are all good and well, I thought, but one must be cautious. On the other side of that fence was the thought: How wonderful to have a “to the ends of the earth friend” like Ruth. It wasn’t that I didn’t have friends and wasn’t a friend. It’s that my introverted personality, combined with painful experiences as a teenager, made me cautious with the depth of friendship. And so I continued to straddle the fence until our leader, a beautiful, God-breathing woman, demonstrated what the Lord intended when he commanded us to love one another.

She asked if one of our ladies would read a passage from the book of Ruth and pause after each sentence. Then she knelt before a surprised lady and, with each pause between sentences, put Ruth’s words into her own words while holding the woman’s gaze with an intensity that made me duck my head behind my Bible (I do not do drama).

Ruth 1:16-17: Don’t force me to leave you. Don’t make me turn back from following you. Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and I will be buried there with you. May the Lord strike me down if anything but death separates you and me!” (God’s Word Translation)

After the second sentence, I peeked at the scene. Back to my Bible. Deep breath. Another peek. A glance at the floor. My, I mused, I really ought to repaint my toenails. Maybe one more peek. That last time, I made it through the end of our leader’s demonstration without looking away. And when she rose before the speechless, visibly moved recipient, it was obvious we were all affected. I was awed…and touched…and needy. At the risk of vulnerability, I had to get off the fence on the side of Ruth. Not that I was ready to toss out the teabag tag I had been holding onto for years that quotes sixteenth-century Diane de Poitiers: To have a good enemy, choose a friend; he knows where to strike. But the reminder to never allow a friend too near didn’t belong on my refrigerator door. Baby steps…

That was years ago, and I continue to take baby steps with friendship, but what joy to look back and see all those steps have added up to strides. We’re commanded to love one another, and so I continue to work toward gaining friends—and being a friend—like Ruth. We should all be so blessed and a blessing to others.

Introducing Tamara Leigh and Patricia Bradley

Welcome to our blog! I’m Tamara Leigh, a Speech-and-Language-Pathologist-turned-novelist in 1993 when I signed a contract with Bantam Books for four medieval romances. These were followed by three more with HarperCollins and Dorchester, earning awards and spots on national bestseller lists, including the USA Today bestseller list.

In 2006, my first inspirational contemporary romance, Stealing Adda, was released—yes, quite a leap from medieval romance, but a fun change of pace. In 2012, seven contemporary romances later, I returned to the historical romance genre with the 5-book Age of Faith series. If you’d like a glimpse of what this genre is all about, visit my website and follow the link to receive a free ebook of the first in the series, The Unveiling: http://www.tamaraleigh.com

When not in the middle of being a wife, mother, and cookbook fiend, I bury my nose in a good book and my writer’s pen in ink. I live near Nashville with my husband, a Doberman who bares his teeth not only to threaten the UPS man but to smile, and a feisty Morkie named Maizy Grace who keeps me company during long writing stints.

Now before you go, don’t forget to enter the drawing for a KINDLE VOYAGE here on Clean RomanceReads Café!

AND to celebrate our new blog, I'm giving away a copy of The Unveiling audiobook from Audible.com and Lady At Arms ebook. After you meet Patricia (who is also giving away a couple of neat books) enter our Rafflecopter!

Now, here's Patricia!

Hi everyone from Northeast Mississippi! I'm so glad you've visited our new blog. 

I'm so excited to have a place to gather and discuss everything from books to life, and anything in between.

Oh, I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Patricia Bradley, and recently (as in just the past two weeks!!!) made the USA Today list with A Heartwarming Christmas. It's an anthology with eleven other Harlequin Heartwarming authors.

In 2013, after over thirty years of writing, my first romantic suspense, Shadows of the Past, was released from Revell. 
Since that time, I've written three more for Revell and two for Harlequin Heartwarming. 

Right now I'm working on a new series, and I'm not certain what the name of will be! My working title is Memphis Cold Case Series, and I've titled the first book The Case of the Murdered Roommate.

When I'm not writing, I like to visit my daughters and granddaughter and granddog in Florida, and sometimes I throw mud on a wheel and see what comes out. If I'm still long enough, my shelter cat Suzy, will sit in my lap. 

Before I go, be sure to enter both contests! For the Rafflecopter, I'm giving away a digital copy of my first Harlequin Heartwarming book, Matthew's Choice and a copy of Shadows of the Past (print for US addresses). 

Rafflecopter ends the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so let your friends know!

a Rafflecopter giveaway