Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree

History of Texas

Posted on February 9, 2026February 4, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

A Captivating Guide to Texas History, Starting from the Arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in North America through the Texas Revolution to the Present (U.S. States)

If you want to discover the captivating history of Texas, then keep reading…

Free History BONUS Inside!

Texas is one of the most recognizable states in the United States of America (it is the second-largest, behind Alaska), and it also has a reputation for being unlike any other. This reputation is well-deserved, in part because of the state’s long and often contentious history.

That history has fascinated many people not only in this nation but around the world for centuries. From the heyday of the Wild West and the state’s oil boom to the storied Texas Rangers and the construction of one of NASA’s primary facilities, it seems nearly impossible to fully explore everything in the state’s rich past.

In History of Texas: A Captivating Guide to Texas History, Starting from the Arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in North America through the Texas Revolution to the Present, you will discover topics such as

Before Columbus
Early Colonizers – Spain and France
Spanish Settlers Claim the Region
Americans Settle
Rising Tensions between Mexico and the Settlements
The Fight for Texas Independence Begins
“Remember the Alamo” and Other Major Battles
Annexation to the US and the Mexican-American War
Role in the Civil War
Reconstruction
Texas Rangers – One of the Most Illustrious Law Enforcement Agencies
Texas Tea – The Texas Oil Boom
The Space Race
Assassination of JFK
Texas Today
And much, much more!

Daily Thought

Verse of the Day February 8, 2026

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

#non-fiction

How to Keep House While Drowning

Posted on February 8, 2026February 7, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing

An NPR Best Book of the Year | USA TODAY Bestseller

This revolutionary approach to cleaning and organizing helps free you from feeling ashamed or overwhelmed by a messy home.

If you’re struggling to stay on top of your to-do list, you probably have a good reason: anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. For therapist KC Davis, the birth of her second child triggered a stress-mess cycle. The more behind she felt, the less motivated she was to start. She didn’t fold a single piece of laundry for seven months. One life-changing realization restored her sanity—and the functionality of her home: You don’t work for your home; your home works for you.

In other words, messiness is not a moral failing. A new sense of calm washed over her as she let go of the shame-based messaging that interpreted a pile of dirty laundry as “I can never keep up” and a chaotic kitchen as “I’m a bad mother.” Instead, she looked at unwashed clothes and thought, “I am alive,” and at stacks of dishes and thought, “I cooked my family dinner three nights in a row.”

Building on this foundation of self-compassion, KC devised the powerful practical approach that has exploded in popularity through her TikTok account, @domesticblisters. The secret is to simplify your to-do list and to find creative workarounds that accommodate your limited time and energy. In this book, you’ll learn exactly how to customize your cleaning strategy and rebuild your relationship with your home, including:

-How to see chores as kindnesses to your future self, not as a reflection of your worth
-How to start by setting priorities
-How to stagger tasks so you won’t procrastinate
-How to clean in quick bursts within your existing daily routine
-How to use creative shortcuts to transform a room from messy to functional

With KC’s help, your home will feel like a sanctuary again. It will become a place to rest, even when things aren’t finished. You will move with ease, and peace and calm will edge out guilt, self-criticism, and endless checklists. They have no place here.

Cozy Mysteries

One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross

Posted on February 8, 2026January 30, 2026 by Reluctant Retiree

On a trip to the Holy Land, Rabbi Small is drawn into a deadly conflict between religious extremists in the New York Times–bestselling series.
Retired millionaire Barney Berkowitz, from the small Massachusetts town of Barnard’s Crossing, invites Rabbi David Small to come to Israel and bar mitzvah him, as Berkowitz never went through the ceremony in his youth. On what should be a joyous occasion—and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Holy Land—the rabbi discovers danger lurking in every corner and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the state of Israel.

An innocent American has been murdered and when the sleuthing rabbi begins his investigation, he finds the death may have been part of an international conspiracy fueled by religious radicals and an arms-smuggling scheme. Anyone, from a liberal Jewish-American professor to a young religious fundamentalist, could be a suspect—and the rabbi must rely on his Talmudic logic and daring chutzpah to untangle the mystery and prevent an even more deadly attack.