Wednesday, December 30, 2015

One Thousand Gifts

 I received this book from a friend who loved it. We were in Haiti when she read it three years ago - and it took me three years to be disciplined enough to pick the book up and read it.

I don't like flowery language. Say what you need to say... or become a fiction writer. It was hard to read this book because she had this story writing feel while trying to get across the main point of the book - thankfulness. Please pick one or the other, Ann. I appreciated your openness in sharing parts of your own story, but it was meshed with little nuggets of wisdom that could have done better in a different setting.

I like the general concept - be grateful and realize all the blessings God is giving you every day. My pastor mentioned almost weekly the idea of having a gratitude journal (which is not a new thing that Ann invented, she is just bringing it into the spotlight).

This book is for some people, but not for all. I felt like she was the Charles Dickens of Christian authors. Does she get paid by the word?

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Still


 This book.

Stop what you are doing now and treat yourself to this book.

Lauren F. Winner teaches at Duke. She is divorced. She lost her mother. She is honest that life does not always turn out the way you thought it would.

I knew I had found a kindred spirit when she talked about her inability to create masterpieces in the kitchen, her love for doodling prayers, and her affinity for the balcony at church.

"[W]hat I feared most about loneliness [was n]ot being alone, which I often ind perfect and peaceful, but loneliness, which makes me want to die, which makes me think I will die, which I will do anything to avoid feeling" (54). "Sit with the loneliness and ask what the loneliness can do for you" (56).

"I am too lazy to do what's important, or hard, so I stay busy with everything else" (105).
I cannot pinpoint the exact thing that makes me connect and love her writing, but I plan to check out more of her books. My favorite chapter was "A Sunday morning in Massachusetts".

Check it out!

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Through a Man's Eyes


Shaunti Feldhahn and Craig Gross partner up to bring women what they want: an inside scoop on what men are thinking. Feldhahn and Gross talk about what goes on in a man's mind and why he is so visual. They cover a variety of topics and do not shy away from tough ones. They include how to address porn and masturbation. They are quick to let you know it is not uncommon to get professional help for relationship problems based on problems like porn.

Because I have read most of Feldhahn's books, men's visual nature is not new to me, but it may shock some women. "Whereas women's memories are tied more to what they felt, men's memories are more tied to what they have seen" (37).

Every woman can benefit from reading this book. While some of it is addressing husbands, we all know men - fathers, brothers, sons, friends. It is important information that might help you communicate better. There's an extensive Q&A section in the back of the book that will help.

I received this book for WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books. I received this book for free in exchange for a review of the book.