August Book Recap

August was a pretty slow reading month due to all the podcast listening.  I don't know why I didn't consider that this would happen when I set my podcast goal, but oh well.  I did manage to get a couple books read.

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie was definitely not my favorite of her books, and I had no qualms tossing this one into the book destined for the thrift store when I was done.  It's a Miss Marple mystery, but it was just missing something.  The characters where ho hum, and the mystery just seemed far fetched and unbelievable.

God Speaks Tenderly by Marie Shropshire was much better than I expected.  I went into it not expecting much, but I really came away with some applicable insights.  My job gets under my skin a lot.  I've had more headaches, insomnia, and nausea than I can remember with any job, but there's perks too- I like the people I work with, I like the residents, I don't mind most of the work, so what do you do?  Sometimes I feel like God puts you someplace to work on something in your life.  Maybe it's patience, or empathy, or even your courage.  I know there's plenty I need to work on, and you can't just quit something because it's hard, but sometimes growing feels like an impossible task.

Walking in This World by Julie Cameron is a companion book to The Artist's Way.  It stresses the importance of walking for getting the creative juices flowing, as well as giving insights into nurturing your work.  It was a good read, although I will admit, it did take me a while to get into it, and actually a while to finish it.  But, I am keeping it on my finished book shelf because I feel I may want to read it again in the future.

And as far as what I added to my book piles?  Nothing.  I didn't buy a single book last month.  That makes my totals at 25 books read this year and 22 added to my shelves.  I'm aiming for at least five books read in September, because I really need to step up my game if I'm going to make my yearly goal of 48 reads.

August Reading List

So it's time for another reading list.  August is already here

• The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz- I've heard good things about this "fourth book" of the "Girl with the Dragon's Tattoo" trilogy.  So, I'm looking forward to catching back up with Lizabeth Sander.

• The Tempress by Paul Spice- The true story of a 1920s femme fatale?  Interested!

• At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie- Because sometimes a girl just needs a little visit with Miss Marple.

• The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman- Another true story.  The Zabinski's helped Polish Jews by hiding them in their zoo.  Serving as a safe haven for many as they were smuggled out of the country.  There's a movie coming out based on it.

What's on your August reading list?

August Book Recap

So August wasn't the good reading month I was aiming for.  I did find some new treats but as for reading, I'm really getting hung up with Silas Marner and Gracious Living in a New World.  I'm hoping to finally finish both those this month, and get on to some more fun reading.

Here's what I read in August:
A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey- I used this one in my daily quiet time.  It used a passage from Jane Austen and tied it to a virtue.  I really liked it, and it made me want to read the Austen novels I haven't yet, and reread the ones I've already read.

48 Days to Work You Love by Dan Miller- I read this one at the start of my job odyssey and it was really interesting, and motivating.  It has the usual job looking resources like resumes and cover letters, but what made this book stand apart is that it focused on changing career changes or finding a fulfilling side hustle.  If you are at a career crossroads, or just feel as if you're not sure what you're supposed to do with your life, I really recommend this book.

30 Days to Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs compiled by Bruce Wilkinson- This book started out really promising, then lagged in the middle, then ended well.  It has thirty chapters and each one was written by a different Christian author and focused on an aspect and how improving it would help lead to a spiritual breakthrough in your life. 

What I acquired in August:
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie- A classic recommended by 48 Days to Work You Love.

The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesteron- Anytime I find a used Chesterton, which is not very, I pick it up.

The Power of Prayer in a Believer's Life by Charles Haddon Spurgeon- Another classic to add to my study on prayer.

A Pocket Guide to the Stars and Planets by Duncan John- Another Bookmooch find.  I've been looking for a book that will help me learn to identify the constellations.

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes- This was reviewed by Beth on Printcess.  I was intrigued and added it to my wish list on Bookmooch, and wouldn't you know it, a copy came up just a few weeks later.  So I snapped it up.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley- Another classic.

Run to the Mountain by Thomas Merton- I stumbled across this one at the thrift store, and wasn't so sure about it, but for a dollar, I figured it was worth checking out.  I'm not Catholic, but I seem to be drawn to books about Catholic saints, monks, and authors.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker- This is another one that I've seen other bloggers ooh and ahh over, so when I found a copy at Goodwill for half price, I snapped it up.


2016 Year to Date:
Read: 28
Acquired: 39

August Reading List

I got big plans for August.  I'm hoping to make it through six books this month.  I've got some that I started last month, but here are the four that made the reading list for this month.  Warning: It's kind of a hodge podge of randomness.

Finding Your Extraordinary by Jessica Dilullo Herrin- This one came at just the right time.  I'm looking for uplifting stories of women who get stuff done.

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olson- One of my girl friends read this and I don't think she really enjoyed it so it kind of got pushed to the back of my to be read pile, but my desire for a Scandinavian mystery caused me to pull it out for August.

The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell was a library book sale find from a few years back and reading the back cover now, it sounds a little dark, but I decided to give it a read anyway.  It rated out at 3.80 on Goodreads, so that's a good sign right?

48 Days to The Work You Love by Dan Miller- With all the weirdness going on at work, I've been pulling anything that may be illuminating off my bookshelf and giving it a closer look.  There's conflicting info on whether your work should be your calling, after all, as Mike Rowe argues, we need septic tank cleaners and bug exterminators.  And I'm willing to bet  those people don't feel that their work is their calling even though it's important.  But, I figured I could at least give this one a read.

Anyhow, with being temporarily/partially laid off as late, I figured I should be able to catch up on my Goodreads challenge (I'm currently two books behind), and if I get all these read, I still have books from past months and even last year, still waiting to be read.  What is one book you're hoping to make it through this month?

August Book Recap

August was a good month for me for reading.  I didn't feel like doing much so I spent a lot of time curled up with a book.  Here's a reap of what I bought and what I read.

I made it through all my August to read books except The Tipping Point which I am currently reading, and I even snuck in two old picks that I hadn't read in the month I was shooting for.  Sarah's Key was on my June reading list, and Me Before You was supposed to be read in May.  But, I finally got around to both of them this month.

First up, let's talk abut what I read:

• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch was not at all what I was expecting.  It was more a biography than anything.  I think this book definitely gained traction because Randy was dying when he wrote it.  Everyone wants to feel like they will have something that outlives them and in Randy's case, his children were so young when he found out he was terminal, he felt like he wanted to leave some words of wisdom, stories, and such behind for them.  I don't want to sound like I'm ragging on this book, because you gotta respect the place it came from, it just wasn't as amazing as it was hyped to be, but still worth the quick read. 
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes was good.  It stuck with me for a while after I put it down.  I'll be honest, I pretty much read it because I like to read the book before I see the movie, and I heard they're filming the movie version of this one right now.  It was an interesting read, had good characters and I really liked how they developed and grew.  Even the secondary characters were at least decently fleshed out.  I don't want to give anything away, so if you haven't read it yet, it's worth the read. 
• Unafraid by Susie Davis was reviewed by me here. 
• Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott was pretty interesting.  It's a collection of biographical essays.  I like her.  She reminds me of my friend Chris, who's a massage therapist.  They always seem to be able to find the good in people and they have very clear ideas of who they are.  I'm excited to read more of her writings.   
• Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rossay left me with mixed feelings.  A whole spectrum of 'em.  I had never heard of the Vel d'Hiv Roundup during the German occupation of France, and I don't really understand why not, because it's sounds pretty horrible.  The book alternates between Sarah's story during the round up and Julia's story taking place sixty years later.  The book was suspenseful and heartbreaking, yet had a few happy points too. The ending is what really turned me off.  It felt like De Rossay's editor told her the story needed a little more romance so they slapped together this not really believable chain of events to tie the two stories together even more and give Julia a happy ending.  It was worth the read, but the ending really didn't feel realistic in my mind.

What I Acquired:
For once it's the same amount as what I read.

• Missing You by Harlan Coban was on my book wishlist.  I don't remember why or when I put it there, but when I saw the book available on Bookmooch, I figured I'd snap it up. 
• The Garden of Beasts is by Erik Larson, one of my favorite history writings.  I already read Devil in the White City and really liked it.  I had also bought a copy of this one for Jolene when we were paired up in a previous CG Books and Bloggers swap. I found it for a couple bucks at Goodwill and had to get it.
• A Secret Kept by Tatiana De Rossay was found on the same Goodwill trip.  I hadn't read Sarah's Key yet, but this was on clearance for .99 so I thought I'd take a chance on it.
• On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson was acquired when I won a blog giveaway over a Just Bee and came with a super cute mug too.  I love the shape of it.  Anyways, Hannah had all good things to say about this book, and sense I like fantasy stories, I was super happy to win it.
• Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott arrived in the mail yesterday.  It was another Bookmooch find.  It's fiction, but sense I liked  Traveling Mercies so much, I'm interested to read more of her works.

2015 Totals
Read: 30
Acquired: 42

What about you?  Did you read anything good last month?  Let me know!

Book Review: Unafraid

I recently signed up for Blogging for Books, which is a cool program, where you can select a book from a wide variety of genres.  They send it to you for free, you read it, and then give a fair review of your thoughts regarding the book.

Unafraid: Trusting God in an Unsafe World

For my first book, I chose Unafraid: Trusting God in an Unsafe World by Susie Davis.  I'm not really sure what drew me to this book.  I'm not usually a very fearful person in my day to day life, but it sounded interesting, so I wanted to check it out.

The author, Susie Davis, was thirteen years old when a classmate came to school and shot one of her favorite teachers, right in front of her and the rest of the class.  This was in 1978.  Following the shooting, the kids in her class were loaded on to a school bus, hauled to the police station to give statements, and then sent home with their parents.  There were no counselors, no psychiatrists, no idea how something like this would impact the kids.  Susie had panic attacks, and struggled to try to control her life by obsessively checking door locks, developing bulimia while in college, by constructing rituals for even the most mundane events like bringing groceries home from the store, having to check for any intruders who may have broken in while she was gone.  She was unable to stay home alone overnight without panicking.  This went on for years- beyond college, after she got married, even after her kids were born.

She was constantly exhausted from worry and her rituals that she thought would keep her safe.  She helicopter parented and constantly worried something bad was about to happen to someone she loved.  In the 1990s, she finally had a breakdown, which lead to a breakthrough.

She realized she wasn't trusting God, she was trusting fear, and this was causing her so much unnecessary worry and strife.  I think we often feel that way about God.  Like He's there, He sees everything going on, but He doesn't want to get involved in the down and dirty stuff of life.  We feel like He's got more important things to do or doesn't really care about our day to day problems.

I liked how honest this book was.  Susie didn't admonish or criticize.  She simply told her story and laid it all out there.  It was inspiring to see how her life changed and she finally was able to overcome her fear.  At no point did it feel preachy, and I really liked that.

I think this book would be great for anyone going through a fearful time in life, who has been struggling with the whys of life or who has someone in their life dealing with fear.  There's also a study guide in the back of the book with questions and notes.  I think it's a great read and I really like Susie's writing style.  She uses a lot of analogies and really breaks insights down in easy to understand ways.

I received this book for free, in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books, but all opinions are my own.

August 2015 Reading List

After I picked my books for August, I realized I may have gotten in too deep- emotional I mean.  Not a novel to be found.  Oh well.  It should be a nice contrast to the lazy days of summer.

Here's what I picked:

• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell- In a continued effort of making better habits, I thought this would be a good read.
• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch- I know this is going to be a teary book, but I've been wanting to read it.  Also, does anyone else have this thing where they won't read a book when it's popular?  I don't know what that's about.
• Unafraid by Susie Davis- New from last month.  Sounds interesting.  In a world that seems to be continually spiraling into more and more despair, I thought it'd be good to shore my faith up a little.
• Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott- Also new from last month.  I'm just really excited to finally read Anne Lamott.  Sometimes I wonder what takes me so long to give an author a try.

What's on your reading list this month?