5 Books I Recommend – February 2018
Here are 5 books I recommend from what I read in February. Once a month we share our current reading lists at Jennifer’s.
Books I Recommend
1. Educated
A Memoir
by Tara Westover
This almost unbelievable real-life story by Tara shares how she grew up in a survivalist home in Idaho with 6 brothers and sisters. Despite abuse and educational neglect, she somehow broke free and went to college, then graduate school, then received her doctorate. People really can overcome many obstacles.
2. Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus
How a Jewish Perspective Can Transform Your Understanding
by Lois Tverberg
How might Jesus explain the Bible to us from the culture when it was occurring? Tverberg shares many insights to get a better perspective of how early believers in God lived. Very informative.
3. The Great Evangelical Retreat
Finding Hope in Surrender (Evangelicals After the Shipwreck Book 1)
by Ed Cyzewski
Sometimes when we most need a way forward, we need to first take a step back. Cyzewski explains why Evangelicals need to surrender and refocus. Ed’s books—succinct and insightful—are always worth reading.
4. Start with Why
How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
by Simon Sinek
Do you know why you do what you do? We too often start with what or how. But why is perhaps the most important thing. This book helps you learn how to ask why about a broad range of areas in your life.
“This book is not designed to tell you what to do or how to do it. Its goal is not to give you a course of action. Its goal is to offer you the cause of action.”
5. Kindred
by Octavia E. Butler
This novel written in the ’70s is still important for our times. It’s about Dana, a black woman, married to Kevin, a white man, in 1976. Through no desire of their own, they find themselves mysteriously transported back to the early 1800s. They both struggle under new roles in Maryland during slavery times.
Reading Now
- The Life You Can Save
Acting Now to End World Poverty
by Peter Singer - Still Evangelical?
Ten Insiders Reconsider Political, Social, and Theological Meaning
edited by Mark Labberton - The Path Between Us
An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships
by Suzanne Stabile - In Search of Wisdom
A Monk, a Philosopher, and a Psychiatrist on What Matters Most
by Matthieu Ricard, Christophe Andre, Alexandre Jollien - Why Evangelicals Need the Wilderness
(Evangelicals After the Shipwreck Book 2)
by Ed Cyzewski
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What good book have you read this month? Please share in the comments.
My books on Goodreads
Previous reading lists
Thank you, Lisa, for the recommendations. I did get the free download of The Great Evangelical Retreat that you made available when you did your review of the book. Thanks so much for doing that!
Thanks, Lisa. I downloaded the book, too, and it’s most insightful. Will all his be e-books on this topic? I love the feel of a book in my hands. 🙂 Always so appreciate your reviews!
Lynn
Lynn,
I think all the books in Ed’s series will be similar in topic. I look forward to reading them all if I can!
Hope you enjoy Ed’s book, Dianna. He always makes me think!
Good morning, Lisa!
I appreciate Ed’s writings … I find them and often share them over on LinkedIn.
And as ever, I walk away from here with a whole new passel of titles. I’m feeling kinda bookish myself this week. That’s what I’m writing about, too …
I love when that happens, don’t you?
I do love when we are synchronous in topic and it happens around the blogosphere more than I’d expect. I especially love it when it’s about books. 🙂 I always read your lists and get a few extras for my own list.
I’m trying to decide if I want to read Suzanne Stabile’s book.
I’ve read two books on the Enneagram (including her first one), and I know there’s lots still to learn, but . . .
Kindred sounds intriguing. My youngest and I are listening to To Kill a Mockingbird, another oldie, and I’d forgotten so much of it. We have a chilling history as a nation.
Suzanne’s book is similar in tone to several of the other Enneagram books, but where it differs (at least so far, in my opinion) is that it’s more about the relationship between the numbers. It may be for more die-hard Enneagram fans. ha.
Yes, we do have a chilling history. That’s a good way to put it Michele. Kindred could easily be classified as chilling.
I read Educated too — outstanding! I’m reading it aloud now to the family after dinner. I always like a tale of someone who overcame great odds. One of these days, I am going to read an Enneagram book — thanks to you 🙂
I’m glad you liked Educated as well! It almost would take my breath away when I heard the things she went through. So hard. Yes, one of these days you’ll dip your toe into an Enneagram book and get swallowed in. ha.
I just saw Educated reviewed somewhere else recently – it sounded both fascinating and incredible. Kindred sounds really good, too. Have you ever watched the TV series Timeless? So far it has been really good (I hope I am not speaking too soon!) But it involves a woman, a white man, and a black man who travel back in time to undo what another time traveler is nefariously trying to mess up. Some of the episodes where they go back to eras before women’s rights or civil rights are really painful to revisit, but they have to adapt in order to do what they need to do without drawing attention to themselves.
I saw one or two episodes of Timeless and really enjoyed what I saw. And yes, that is actually a great analogy to Kindred. Good connecting-the-dots, Barbara!
As always you have a great selection of books. I especially like the sound of Reading The Bible With Rabbi Jesus. I’ve been enjoying A Place To Land by Kate Motaung.
I’ve been hearing good things about Kate’s book. I’ll have to add it to my list. Thanks, Lesley.
Lisa, you have such interesting books you read. The first one looks like I need to read it. Two books I have read recently that I have not been able to put down have been: The Sound of Gravel (a memoir about growing up in a polygamous family) by Ruth Wariner. A Thousand Naked Strangers: A paramedic’s wild ride to the edge and back by Kevin Hazzard (another memoir).
Ooh, both those memoirs sounds intriguing, Theresa! That’s a genre I don’t read enough and would like to read more. Thanks for sharing!
Some great choices there. I think you’ve solved my conundrum on what to read next. On your recommendation I think I’ll go with Education 🙂
Good! I hope you will enjoy Educated…it was both inspiring and sad. Dana endured so much, yet somehow she has worked through it and has made a good life for herself.