All Right Here

Despite the Parenthood-esque cover, the storyline of this book was choppy. The storyline did not flow well, although the family issues included in the book are real issues: drinking to cover up relationship problems, sleeping with your boss, emotional affairs, and racism.

It took me a while to get into the book itself. It might have been the book I read previously that was along the same genre and was written better that made it hard to engage with this story.

At times, there were cheesy Christian lines.

Overall I would say it's probably your best bet to leave this book on the shelf.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for a review.

Networking is Not Working

Back in May, my friend tweeting that he was reading Networking is Not Working. 

It automatically made me think of this clip from Ugly Betty. Ha.

My friend actually bought me the Kindle version of this book. (Thanks, Joel!)

I would appreciate it more if I was in more of a business setting. There was still practical insights into networking. 

As an introvert, it may surprise people that I actually love networking. I love connecting people with each other to make their lives better. 

"Networking: any activity that increases the value of your network and/or the value you contribute to it."

Seth Godin says, "The value of your connection is worth far more than the value of your service or widgets" (Kindle 61).

Coburn ended up creating his own networking group and being the Ultimate Resource, connecting people in different fields and adding value to their networks.

Thought this book was practical and to the point. Again, I think I would appreciate it more if I was in more of a business/sales role, although networking as he does works in most careers. 

A Table By the Window

I really enjoyed this book by Hillary Manton Lodge.

The main character, Juliette, was easy to relate to as she navigated family situations, online dating, and coping with life's hardships by cooking up some of her favorite recipes. I love that the recipes were included. Now I just need to make a list, go to the grocery store and test out a few of these! They sounded amazing. Juliette's mom was French and her dad was Italian, so you can just imagine the food she prepared throughout the book.

It was a fun, easy read. The only thing I wish Lodge had gone into more detail about was Juliette's trip to Europe. It was at the very end of the book and not much detail. Kind of disappointing because I thought it could go somewhere. 

Overall, I'd recommend it to 20-30 something-year-old women looking for something fun to read this summer. If you're going on vacation, add this to your packing list!

"Why did I try online dating? I imagine the reason most people do - I was lonely. And it wasn't for lack of people around me. There is a special kind of loneliness for the single and the busy, people with friends and jobs and family and the gnawing awareness that as I get older and more responsible, I'm still alone" (128). 

I reviewed this book for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers Blogging for Books. I received this book for free in exchange for a review of the book.

Neighbors + Wise Men

I have a friend from college who knows Tony the Beat Poet from Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. Tony has written a book, Neighbors + Wise Men.

I could relate a lot to what Tony was saying throughout the book because he had to unlearn quite a bit of religion he grew up with in order to relate better to people and reach a healthier state of being.

Tony shares his experiences abroad in Albania, surviving seminary, conversations in Portland pubs, and interacting with students at Reed College.

I started reading this book without a highlighter. Eventually I broke down and started marking up my book because even though he's sharing his stories, there's so many great lessons!

"What if sharing the gospel was... like sharing a sunset?... As you share a sunset, you must stand shoulder to shoulder, not face to face. When you share a sunset, both observers are caught up in the glory and beauty and mystery. When you share a sunset, everyone present has equal opportunity to contribute; anyone can have a thought to share or implication to suggest. It is a remarkably shared experience" (172).

Because of his stories of interacting with people, I want to be a better person. Tony shared so many lessons from who he met, no matter their religious beliefs. He was able to learn from every person he encountered, which is a great way to live life.

Sometimes when I read books I am ready to finish them and the writing gets worse as the book goes on, but this one just became even BETTER! The last few chapters were really challenging.

Tony has a new book coming out soon and I can't wait to read it!

Coming January 2015: ALOOF: Figuring out life with a GOD who HIDES.

Leaders Eat Last

If you're a leader, get to know the name Simon Sinek. He also wrote Start with Why. I presented a TED Talk to my protege class on that book and decided to follow up with another TED Talk on his latest book, Leaders Eat Last.

This book was engaging. It is applicable in every situation -- ministry and marketplace positions. The main thing I got from the book was creating a Circle of Safety within your workplace environment. 

It's the difference between working a job where you don't know your co-workers to feeling like you BELONG somewhere and enjoy getting to know your co-workers on a deeper level than work. 

I will never adequately review this book because there's just so much inside, but I will highly recommend it for people seeking to improve their leadership. 

Here's my TED Talk (and you can definitely find Simon Sinek's talks online):

Overwhelmed

Whew. Perfectly timed book.

Because of Lent, it took me about a month to read this, but I appreciated it so much.

The thing I like about Perry Noble's writing style is his ability to relate to his reader. He is real with where he is at in life, and I appreciated his subject matter a lot. Too many people in ministry feel like they have to have everything together, but I like Noble's courage in tackling tough topics like worry, depression, and anxiety.

"God is a 'right now' God! Right now He is at work - no matter your circumstances, no matter how you're feeling, no matter if you can see Him" (Kindle location 390).

It's not every day you hear a church leader give an honest view of what the church has become to so many: "Somehow church has become a place where we don't want to hear about real issues or relevant struggles or sins we've been dealing with all week long. We'd rather hear obscure history lessons, Greek and Hebrew word training, and lots of quotes from dead white guys" (Kindle location 542).

My favorite chapter was seven, which includes Perry's own story. It's amazing to look at him from the outside. He's obviously a passionate man (have you ever watched him on NewSpring's podcast or seen him preach live?!) reaching people for Christ. From the outward appearance, he was a success, but inside was a different story.

If you've ever been overwhelmed in life, you know you don't want someone to say all the right things. You just want someone to BE WITH YOU. To let you know you are not alone. Perry Noble has given that gift to the world. I highly encourage you to grab this book the next time you're at a bookstore or on Amazon. If you're not overwhelmed now, you will be at some point, and Perry offers hope and encouragement.

I Like Giving

Get this book ASAP!

I heard about the I Like Giving movement last fall when I was explaining to a friend that I would be fundraising for a year to live in DC. She said God has it taken care of and that people like giving! Being the recipient of monetary gifts has been a humbling experience, and I really appreciated Formsma's encouragement to get creative in giving.

Thanks to the generosity of NCC, we received this book for free. It was great to hear from Brad Formsma live a few weeks ago. Good to know Michiganders are making differences in people's lives. I am so greatly encouraged by the stories in this book.

"No matter how successful you are, it is giving your life away to others that makes you happy" (67).

"Giving is a way to actually invest in someone's life" (120).

"Receiving can be harder than giving, because receiving reminds me that I need other people.... Receiving can be scary because we have less control. When we are in the position to give to someone else, we can decide when and how to do it. We can even change our minds if we want to. When we are in the position of receiving, we control none of those things" (163, 173).

My favorite stories within the book were "I Like High School" + "I Like People". I had seen previous short films (not knowing they were a part of this movement). My favorite of those is "I Like Adoption". 

It is great to read about generosity -- it's another thing to put it into practice.

Grab the book, read the stories, be encouraged, and GIVE!

I reviewed this book for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers Blogging for Books. I received this book for free in exchange for a review of the book.

A little trailer for you: