I have a section on my site about books and sites I find valuable enough to recommend, and this past week I have been glued to my earphones and Audible.

I prefer Audible because I tend to multi-task, organizing my office or painting in my studio while I listen. There are two more authors I have to share with you because of the truths and insights they pass on to us.

First I want to tell you about Matthew Quirk, who I discovered accidentally while browsing the political genre. I think the United States has gone so far off the rails that I am always looking for new information or commentary. Matthew Quirk’s fiction is educational, certainly, because of his background and knowledge he gained while working for The Atlantic.

His book, Inside Threat, although fiction, includes enough real information to wake us up to realities we never considered.

Another author I am devoted to following is William Kent Krueger. I have read (or listened to) most everything he has written. This above link takes you to his author page. I began reading his books with the Cork O’Connor series, which is fascinating and inspirational.

However, I have just finished his novel, This Tender Land, which took my breath away. It is an absolute miracle, a book that has to have been dropped into my view by a Guardian Angel! I want to share this novel with everyone I know, here and on Facebook or Threads or anywhere I can.

Because it’s not part of the Cork O’Connor stories, I ignored it for months. The title just didn’t grab me. I read The River We Remember out of a desperate search for a new book, and I hoped This Tender Land would be a winner too.

(I even wrote a review on Amazon, something I rarely do.)

I was so moved by this book that I found myself near to tears about halfway through the book, even thinking maybe I should stop reading it, but fortunately for me, I kept going through the night and the next morning. I am so impressed with the qualities of this author and the wisdom he imparts — particularly through this novel — that I would love to get to know him. I don’t know any other contemporary writer with the degree of insights he possesses.

I hope I have inspired you to read This Tender Land. It will resonate with anyone whose life has contained adversities and growing pains.