The best books for spiritual growth, healing, & hope

Why am I passionate about this?

In every book that I have recommended, you’ll find the dynamics of family and love. I’ve been a pastor for over fifteen years and now work as an author of both Christian fiction and non-fiction books. I'm a Chaplain for a Trauma One leveled hospital, and I counsel people of all ages. My master's degree in Religious Education is also a much-used tool as I’ve used education to deepen my quest to obtain knowledge. My love of books about family and love began when I lived in Yokosuka, Japan. I was far away from my family, beginning a new chapter with my own family, but right on the verge of learning how friends can truly turn into family.


I wrote...

Blame It On My Boots

By Danyelle Scroggins,

Book cover of Blame It On My Boots

What is my book about?

Shelly Shanay Smith is sassy and a little tom-boyish but she always thought she had the perfect man to love her, until he left home and never returns. So she did what any woman would… Shelly moved on. Chace loved Shelly and he still does. The thought of her being with another man was too much for his heart to bear. So when he finds out from a little birdie that she’s back on the market, he sees the second chance he’s prayed for and vows to win Shelly back.

But Shelly’s no fool and refuses to release her heart to the man who abandoned her once. It will take more than his killer smile, a chiseled body, and the memory of a perfect kiss to get her back. Will this country cowgirl have faith in her perfect boots, bringing the perfect man? Or will she allow her bruised heart to block her from her happily ever after?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Holy Bible

Danyelle Scroggins Why did I love this book?

For years, I would just skim through it as the pastor would say, “Turn in your Bibles to this passage.” But by the time I was twenty-seven, it hit me that this book was a must-read that produces faith. Thus began my journey of reading for self-revelation, healing, growth, but most of all, faith.

I love it because no matter how old it is, it lends messages of hope, healing, and restoration that cannot or should not be ignored. The greatest value I’ve gotten from the Bible is the power of love.

By Unknown,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Holy Bible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With an attractive new slipcase and binding, this compact Bible is an ideal gift and spiritual companion.

The full text of the ever-popular Authorized King James Version Bible, with all its literary beauty and poetic grandeur, in an attractive size and with beautiful binding and slipcase
making it an ideal gift.

Includes silver gilt edged pages and white marker ribbon.


Book cover of Play to Win

Danyelle Scroggins Why did I love this book?

I love all things family and in Play to Win, Author Ja’nese Dixon gives us a look at a family of seven but the parents get a divorce and are divorced twenty years before they remarry. This series shows how a family deals with divorce, co-parenting, business, marriage, relationships, and broken matters. Throughout this entire series, you will see some twists and turns that will shock you, but also teach you the power of forgiving and love. The value is that when you are a part of a family, you become a unit, even when there are moving parts.

By Ja'Nese Dixon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Play to Win as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rules are meant to be broken, and when it comes to love, this ex-quarterback and single mother are playing to win. 

Kamal Montgomery owned the football field, and now he’s one-fifth of Southern Soul, a family-owned soul food restaurant. Nothing and no one is off-limits until Jayda enters his restaurant in need of a second chance.

Jayda Dallas returns to Houston with her baby on her hip and her ex in the dust. He refuses to pay child support for their third-year-old daughter, and rather than take his sorry ass back, she’s getting a J-O-B. 

Jayda stands back, watching women…


Book cover of Deep Fried Trouble

Danyelle Scroggins Why did I love this book?

I am the girl who loves old people. I get a kick out of listening to their stories and wisdom on life. If you’re ever looking for me and can’t find me, go to the old person who I consider as my mentor. So, Tyora Moody in this five book series introduces the world to Mrs. Eugeena Patterson, a widow and retired teacher who knows almost everyone in her community and stays in their business. This book series will make you laugh and cry beginning with book one. I call her books my pick-me-up books.

By Tyora Moody,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deep Fried Trouble as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Widowed and officially retired, EUGEENA PATTERSON throws herself into organizing the neighborhood association. This presents a great opportunity to re-connect with old friends and get to know new neighbors like recently widowed Amos Jones, that is until Eugeena stumbles upon her estranged neighbor’s dead body. Eugeena’s daughter is fingered as a prime suspect, but where is she? Determined to find her missing daughter, Eugeena and Amos sort through a list of neighbors with shady or unknown backgrounds. The more she searches, the more Eugeena becomes unsure about this neighborhood association idea. Someone closer than Eugeena thinks, wants to keep it…


Book cover of How Faith Works

Danyelle Scroggins Why did I love this book?

When I was seeking God for some things greater than I felt I deserved, I began to search for reading material that could strengthen my faith and help me understand some of the things shared in the Word of God pertaining to faith. Well, the late Dr. Fredrick Price became my go-to-author. In this book, he really dissects some of the greatest stories pertaining to faith found in the Bible and helps his readers to get a full and complete understanding. I am recommending this book because it’s definitely an easy but informative read that you won’t soon forget.

By Frederick KC Price,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How Faith Works as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The principles of faith are God's design to bring you everything you need. The better you understand these principles, the easier it will be for you to overcome adversity and walk in victory. In this book Pastor Frederick K.C. Price reveals from the Bible what faith actually is, and how the spiritual laws that cause faith to work will allow God to work supernaturally to bring the answers you need. Start learning how to step beyond natural circumstances of life into the supernatural flow of God.


Book cover of Dream Again

Danyelle Scroggins Why did I love this book?

There’s is nothing more calming than a book that brings hope. In this awesome book by Author Ann Marie, you’ll find such a mixture of life, struggles, and love. This book is definitely one of those second-chance books that will cause a reader to understand that your past was never meant to define your future. If you have never read a book by this author, you should definitely try one.

By Ann Marie Bryan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dream Again as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One random day. One burst of laughter. One perfect moment. That’s all it takes for Gianna Barrett to capture Carter McIntosh’s attention—and his heart. His whole life has been a series of miracles, so this falls right in line. If only it were that simple. The object of his desire refuses to give him the time of day. Not deterred, Carter is sure he’s ready to put his heart on the line for love. Big mistake. He isn’t quite prepared and finds himself wrestling a soul-deep hurt into submission.“There has been an accident....” That devastating revelation shattered Gianna’s life, and…


You might also like...

Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

By Rebecca Wellington,

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Rebecca Wellington Author Of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am adopted. For most of my life, I didn’t identify as adopted. I shoved that away because of the shame I felt about being adopted and not truly fitting into my family. But then two things happened: I had my own biological children, the only two people I know to date to whom I am biologically related, and then shortly after my second daughter was born, my older sister, also an adoptee, died of a drug overdose. These sequential births and death put my life on a new trajectory, and I started writing, out of grief, the history of adoption and motherhood in America. 

Rebecca's book list on straight up, real memoirs on motherhood and adoption

What is my book about?

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places an even greater emphasis on adoption. As a mother, historian, and adoptee, I am uniquely qualified to uncover the policies and practices of adoption.

The history of adoption, reframed through the voices of adoptees like me, and mothers who have been forced to relinquish their babies, blows apart old narratives about adoption, exposing the fallacy that adoption is always good.

In this story, I reckon with the pain and unanswered questions of my own experience and explore broader issues surrounding adoption in the United States, including changing legal policies, sterilization, and compulsory relinquishment programs, forced assimilation of babies of color and Indigenous babies adopted into white families, and other liabilities affecting women, mothers, and children. Now is the moment we must all hear these stories.

Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

By Rebecca Wellington,

What is this book about?

Nearly every person in the United States is affected by adoption. Adoption practices are woven into the fabric of American society and reflect how our nation values human beings, particularly mothers. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women's reproductive rights places an even greater emphasis on adoption. As a mother, historian, and adoptee, Rebecca C. Wellington is uniquely qualified to uncover the policies and practices of adoption. Wellington's timely-and deeply researched-account amplifies previously marginalized voices and exposes the social and racial biases embedded in the United States' adoption industry.…


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