“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
– Marcus Tullius Cicero

Below are 8 books I recommend from what I finished reading in October plus a 1-minute video review.

Don’t forget that Nonfiction November begins Monday, November 1. Find the details here for this reading challenge.

[See previously recommended books here]

Nonfiction

1. Where the Light Fell
A Memoir
by Philip Yancey

How did Philip Yancey turn into a wonderful spiritual writer about suffering and grace? Now we can know. This is his memoir. It’s a hard story (he went through difficult seasons), but a beautiful one.

[click here if you can’t see the 1-minute book review]

[see more quotes here from Where the Light Fell]

2. Soundtracks
The Surprising Solution to Overthinking
by Jon Acuff

If your brain works overtime, spinning in circles, this is a helpful book to jump off the overthinking treadmill. We all have soundtracks we play in our mind; switch to a better one. Jon Acuff is an easy-to-read author with good content.

3. Leaving the Witness
Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life
by Amber Scorah

This memoir reads like a novel. Amber Scorah chronicles her journey as a devout Jehovah’s Witness. But when she decides to get out, everything changes. A fascinating read.

4. Shoutin’ in the Fire
An American Epistle
by Danté Stewart

As a white woman, I don’t know what it’s like to live in a Black body in white Christian spaces. But Danté Stewart explains it. He writes beautiful, heart-wrenching prose that cuts to the bone. You have to feel something when you read his words.

[more here about Shoutin’ in the Fire]

5. Preventable
The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response
by Andy Slavitt

Want to hear what happened behind-the-scenes during the pandemic in 2020? Andy Slavitt kept notes from his multiple interviews and eye-witness accounts as it happened. It’s very interesting yet sad to read. And also important material for next time. (I also recommend his ongoing podcast about the pandemic, In the Bubble)

Fiction

6. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
by Charlie Mackesy

Although the font is a little difficult to read, this simple, short book is a poignant story of a curious boy meeting new friends. He learns about life and love and being kind. A quick but powerful read.

7. One True Loves
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The story pulled me in from the first chapter: Emma Blair is engaged to her old friend Sam when she gets a phone call from her presumed-dead husband Jesse. He’s alive. Now what?

8. The Book of V.
by Anna Solomon

Three stories in one. (1) A reimagining of the Esther story from the Old Testament, (2) a banished senator’s wife in the 1970s refuses to perform a humiliating act in front of guests, and (3) a modern day woman in Brooklyn tries to keep her life together. I love how the stories overlap (note it does get raunchy in places).

Reading Now

• Your Story Matters
  Finding, Writing, and Living the Truth of Your Life
  by Leslie Leyland Fields
• Abuelita Faith
  What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength
  by Kat Armas
• Reasons to Stay Alive
  by Matt Haig
• Benefit of the Doubt
  Breaking the Idol of Certainty
  by Gregory A. Boyd
• I Take My Coffee Black
  Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America
  by Tyler Merritt

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

“Reading a book is among the most high-leverage activities on earth. For an investment more or less equivalent to the length of a single workday (and a few dollars), you can gain access to what the smartest people have already figured out.”
– Greg McKeown

Below are 5 books I recommend from those I finished reading in April plus my 1-minute video review. 

[See previously recommended books here]

Nonfiction

1. Time Management Ninja
21 Rules for More Time and Less Stress in Your Life
by Craig Jarrow

These 21 easy tips will nudge you in the right direction for better managing your time. 

Here’s my 1-minute video review of Time Management Ninja.

[click here if you can’t see the video]

• Watch more Video Book Reviews here

2. Effortless
Make It Easy to Get the Right Things Done
by Greg McKeown

In the same genre as Time Management Ninja, this book Effortless also lays out easy ways to accomplish the things you want to get done in a day. One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 6, What “Done” Looks Like.

• Read more here from Effortless:
  “6 Tips to Make Life Easier“

3. The Sum of Us
What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
by Heather McGhee

Racism is expensive. And it’s not a zero-sum game. Everybody pays the price. Heather McGhee spells it out in dollars and cents. 

• Read more about The Sum of Us:
  “Racism Hurts Everybody, Not Just Its Victims” 
  

4. Freeing Jesus
Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence
by Diana Butler Bass

We have many ways we see Jesus. Diana Butler Bass shares 6 ways most of us have seen Jesus and prompts us to keep looking even closer. 

• Read more about Freeing Jesus:
  “6 Ways to Take the Plastic Wrap Off Jesus“

Fiction

5. Salt to the Sea
by Rita Sepetys

I didn’t know about the MV Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise ship used as an armed transport ship during World War 2. This novel is a riveting account of four refugees who come together on board. Highly recommend as a story but also for its historical value.

Reading Now

• The Great Sex Rescue
  The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended
  by Sheila Wray Gregoire
• Storyworthy
  Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling
  by Matthew Dicks
• The Making of Biblical Womanhood
  How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
  by Beth Allison Barr
• Dwell on These Things
  A Thirty-One-Day Challenge to Talk to Yourself Like God Talks to You
  by John Stange
• Get Out of Your Head
  Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
  by Jennie Allen
• Home Fire
  by Kamila Shamsie

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

A peasant that reads is a prince in waiting.
– Walter Mosley

Below are 7 books I recommend from those I finished reading in March + a 1-minute video review. 

[See previously recommended books here]

Nonfiction

1. Caste
The Origins of Our Discontents
by Isabel Wilkerson

Caste is a must-read for those who want to better understand the divisions in America. I highly recommend it. Even if you’ve read other books you think are similar, read this one anyway. 

Here’s my 1-minute video review of Caste.

• Watch more Video Book Reviews here

2. Journey to the Cross
A 40-Day Lenten Devotional
by Paul David Tripp

I’ve been reading these 40 devotionals during Lent. They’re short enough to be read daily, but long enough to be meaningful. I’ll keep the book to read again in a few years.

• Read more about Journey to the Cross:
  “It’s the Season of Spiritual Poverty”

3. Irresistible
Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World
by Andy Stanley

Why was Christianity so irresistible to many in the first century, and yet so repellant to many in our century? Andy Stanley suggests we need to return to the roots of Jesus. Jesus is the real draw. I appreciate Stanley’s message. 

4. Faith after Doubt
Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do about It
by Brian D. McLaren

Read this book for a four-stage model of faith development that you may be experiencing yourself and seeing around you. Brian McLaren walks you through each stage from Simplicity to Harmony. This isn’t a book for everyone, but for those willing to question their old beliefs, this book is refreshing.

• Read more:
  Book Review—Faith After Doubt

5. Chatter
The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
by Ethan Kross

We talk to ourselves all day long. Are we saying the right things? This book helps us have a better conversation with our inner voices. I really found it helpful.

• Read more about Chatter:
  “How to Harness the Voice in Your Head”

6. The Power of Writing It Down
A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life
by Allison Fallon  

This book helps you see the importance of having a personal, daily writing practice, not so you can publish a book, but so you can understand your life.  It motivated me to start again. 

Fiction

7. Meet Me at the Museum
by Anne Youngson

I enjoyed this novel written as a series of letters between farm-dwelling Tina in England and Professor Anders from a Danish museum. I alternated between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook (depending on if I was at home or driving). I recommend both versions.

Reading Now

• The Sum of Us
  What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
  by Heather McGhee
• Freeing Jesus
  Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence
  by Diana Butler Bass
• Salt to the Sea
  by Rita Sepetys
• Effortless
  Make It Easy to Get the Right Things Done
  by Greg McKeown
• Storyworthy
  Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling
  by Matthew Dicks
• Time Management Ninja
  21 Rules for More Time and Less Stress in Your Life
  by Craig Jarrow

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

Below are 7 books I recommend from those I finished reading in February. See all my recommended books here.

Nonfiction

1. Funny How Life Works
by Michael Jr.

Michael Jr. is a clean comic. This book is a collection of his funny stories, but also of life lessons. I’m on the launch team for his book, which has been extra fun. The book will be available April 13. Preview it here. 

2. Charitable Writing
Cultivating Virtue Through Our Words
by Richard Hughes Gibson

This isn’t a book explaining how to write, but about why to write. It presents writing as a spiritual discipline for you and as a blessing for those you write for. Excellent. 

3. Invisible Women
Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
by Caroline Criado Perez

If you’re a woman, you already know the world isn’t designed exactly for you: seat belts don’t fit you right, public transportation can work against you, medicine dosages aren’t adjusted for you, etc. This is an eye-opening book to explain lots of little things we may have noticed, but couldn’t quite articulate.

4. Difficult Conversations
How to Discuss What Matters Most
by Douglas Stone

This book is 20 years old and I’m only now discovering it? It’s an incredible resource for how to improve your conversations. I’ve already had an opportunity to try it out (I discovered I need to look back at my notes). 

5. Humor, Seriously
Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (and How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.)
by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas 

If you need to find more humor in your life, this is a book to help you uncover it. It’s not a funny book per se (although it does use humor all through it), but it reminds you to look for reasons to laugh. I needed this one after our year of 2020 and the first two months of 2021. 

6. Apollo’s Arrow
The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live
by Nicholas A. Christakis

This book was written and published quickly about the worldwide pandemic that we’re living through. It’s full of fascinating statistics and explanations, while leaving room for ever-changing circumstances and updated knowledge. Fascinating. 

Fiction

7. 11/22/63
by Stephen King

As you can guess from the title, this novel revolves around the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. But it also takes place in modern times. I won’t spoil the plot if you’re unfamiliar with it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite it being SO long (850 pages). It isn’t scary or gory, which is the only reason I could read a Stephen King novel, although it is full of suspense. 

Reading Now

• Irresistible
  Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World
  by Andy Stanley
• Faith after Doubt
  Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do about It
  by Brian D. McLaren
• Journey to the Cross
  A 40-Day Lenten Devotional
  by Paul David Tripp
• Staring at the Sun
  Overcoming the Terror of Death
  by Irvin D. Yalom
• Chatter
  The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
  by Ethan Kross
• The Sum of Us
  What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
  by Heather McGhee

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

“A library is infinity under a roof.”
– Gail Carson Levine

5 Books I Recommend

Every month I share the best of what I’ve finished reading. Here are books I recommend from March. See all my recommended books here.

Nonfiction

1. The Library Book
by Susan Orlean

I love libraries. So naturally I loved this book.

Our library closed its doors two weeks after I finished reading this book and recording the video. I don’t think I had even considered the possibility. But of course I understand their wise decision. And of course I’m heartbroken.

[click here if you can’t see the 1-minute book review, The Library Book]

2. Live in Grace, Walk in Love
A 365-Day Journey
by Bob Goff

This little book has been a lifesaver of encouraging words in this season. Bob Goff points you to what really matters, loving God and loving people in every way you can, no strings attached. Everything else is extra. He shares the best stories, making you laugh along the way and sometimes cry, too. 

[My review here of Live in Grace]

3. Talking to Strangers
What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know
by Malcolm Gladwell

Such an interesting book! Gladwell shows through stories that we don’t always make proper assumptions about strangers. And those misconceptions lead to problems. “We should accept the limits of our ability to decipher strangers.”

4. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
by Lori Gottlieb

Another excellent book! Gottlieb is a therapist herself who decides she needs a therapist after a breakup. Her honesty and insights about her own therapy as well as her patients makes for such interesting stories that we can apply to our own lives. 

Fiction

5. The Turn of the Key
by Ruth Ware

This suspenseful mystery will keep you turning the pages, but without the violence that often comes with mystery novels. This one is about a nanny, Rowan Caine, who accepts a dream job in the Scottish Highlands working for a family with young children, but something goes terribly wrong. 

Reading Now

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
  How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
  by John Mark Comer
• Write Better
  A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality
  by Andrew T. Le Peau
• Upstream
  The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
  by Dan Heath
• A Spark of Light
  by Jodi Picoult
• I’ve Seen the End of You
  A Neurosurgeon’s Look at Faith, Doubt, and the Things We Think We Know
  by W. Lee Warren
• Human(kind)
  How Reclaiming Human Worth and Embracing Radical Kindness Will Bring Us Back Together
  by Ashlee Eiland

* * *

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing with Modern Mrs. Darcy

“Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.“
– Plato

Should the Title Match the Content?

Please, yes.

For me, I want to know what a book is about when I look at the title and/or subtitle. AND I want it to remain true to its premise throughout the whole book, not just a few chapters here and there.

Granted, I appreciate a coy title or one that’s witty. (And fiction books don’t apply to this conversation at all; I love when novels surprise us with off-the-wall twists).

But for nonfiction books, I appreciate authors who stay focused on their intended goal from beginning to end. I’m sure it’s difficult. But if they need to write about unrelated topics, put those in a separate book.

When a book meanders within its pages, even if it returns to touch base now and again to its stated purpose, I feel disappointed and eye the author (and its editor) suspiciously.

I recently read How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, expecting it to be about pulling ourselves away from our Western idolatry of efficiency and productivity. Instead the author meandered on a wide variety of topics that, to me, had little connection to the title. I felt I was wasting time reading it when, instead, I could have actually been doing nothing (but that’s my fault).

The book might have been good in itself, but the title set up an expectation that it didn’t match. 

In contrast is You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters (review below). Author Kate Murphy covers a lot of diverse areas, but they ALL relate to listening. I love how she stuck with her theme from beginning to end.

Maybe this is just my pet peeve. But I like a book to deliver what it promises.

3 Books I Recommend

Every month I share the best of what I’ve finished reading. Here are books I recommend from February. See all my recommended books here.

Nonfiction

1. You’re Not Listening
What You’re Missing and Why It Matters
by Kate Murphy

Learn more about how and why your listening skills need to improve. Excellent material, well-organized, and informative.

[click here if you can’t see the 1-minute book review, You’re Not Listening]

2. Seven Transforming Gifts of Menopause
An Unexpected Spiritual Journey
by Cheryl Bridges Johns

This is not a book about hot flashes and hormones. Instead it shows how women can use this season of life to transition to new things, even when it’s different than anything they’ve experienced before. (Full book review to come in March.)

Fiction

3. The Dearly Beloved
by Cara Wall

Once I got the four characters straight, I loved watching their individual journeys and then their side-by-side journeys through life and faith and family. This novel doesn’t give easy answers along the way, but it shows real struggles that we have through the lens of two pastors, their callings, and their very different wives.

Reading Now

• Talking to Strangers
  What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know
  by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
  How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
  by John Mark Comer
• Write Better
  A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality
  by Andrew T. Le Peau
• Upstream
  The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
  by Dan Heath
• Stay
  Discovering Grace, Freedom, and Wholeness Where You Never Imagined Looking
  by Anjuli Paschall
• The Turn of the Key
  by Ruth Ware

* * *

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

“No book is for everybody, but every book is for somebody.“
– Al Hsu

More Than One Book at a Time

Do you read more than one book at a time? Or do you think that’s crazy?

Here’s how I do it.

I keep a running list of books I’m currently reading, preferably around 5 books. The book that needs to be finished first is always #1. Maybe it’s a library book almost due or a book I need to review soon.

The other books are in order of highest interest and/or need to be finished next. I try to read from a variety of genres at any given time, so no two books are too similar in topic. Most are nonfiction plus one novel.

When I have a minute to read, book #1 is the book I pick up first. If no other books get read during the day, at least this one did. I usually aim for around 10 pages a day in this main book. 

I read the other books sequentially, working my way down the list as time allows. My optimal goal is to read at least 2-3 pages in every book on the list at some point during the day. But I rarely succeed. That’s okay.

I usually read down the list in the same order, although I’m not rigid about it. When I’m low on time, the books lowest on the list don’t get read for a few days. They’ll get their turn more frequently once I finish books higher on the list.

That is how it works for me. It’s rarely as regimented as it sounds. But eventually all books get finished this way, and the wide variety keeps me interested.

How do you like to read?

6 Books I Recommend

Every month I share the best of what I’ve finished reading. Here are books I recommend from January. See all my recommended books here.

Nonfiction

1. Introverts in the Church
Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture
by Adam S. McHugh

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable as an introvert in extroverted spaces, this book reminds you that you’re fine as you are, and also shows you ways to contribute as you are. Especially in church.

[click here if you can’t see the 1-minute book review, Introverts in the Church]

2. Transforming Your Thought Life
Christian Meditation in Focus
by Sarah Geringer

It’s hard to control our thoughts. Sarah’s book shows us how to escape our tangled thoughts, transforming them into God-honoring and healthy thoughts through use of scriptures and prayers.

[see my full review of Transforming Your Thought Life]

3. Outer Order, Inner Calm
Declutter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness
by Gretchen Rubin

Want inner calm? Create outer order; it helps. Gretchen Rubin gives us lots of practical tidbits for getting control of our stuff.

• “Every item should have a specific home. NEVER LABEL ANYTHING MISCELLANEOUS.” (Oops, I do.)
• “If three times the thought has occurred to me, ‘I wonder if I should get rid of that,’ I get rid of it.”
• “If I didn’t already own this possession, would I buy it? If not, why keep it?”
• “Remind yourself, If and when I need this, I can buy it. Maybe I’ll never need it, so I’ll store it at the store.”

4. 24/6
The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week
by Tiffany Shlain

We know this, but it’s good to hear it again: take an occasional sabbath from technology. Specifically, Shlain suggests turning off screens one day every week for your mental, relational, and emotional health. I’m attempting this in a small way this year with my One Word: Linger, but in a more moderate way than Shlain recommends.

5. Enneagram and the Way of Jesus
Integrating Personality Theory with Spiritual Practices and Biblical Narratives
by A.J. Sherrill

This short but powerful book is packed with spiritual lessons on the Enneagram. I’ve used it in preparing for my new series starting February 1 here: “The Enneagram for Spiritual Growth.” Sherrill connects our types with specific practices of discipleship for becoming more like Christ.

Fiction

6. Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng

Did Izzy burn the house down? This novel starts off hot with the Richardson family and their individual relationships with Mia and Pearl Warren, drifters who move into town. A lot of topics are built into the storyline along the way, including adoption, abortion, family, and social structures.

Reading Now

• The Dearly Beloved
  by Cara Wall
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
  How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
  by John Mark Comer
• Thinking, Fast and Slow
  by Daniel Kahneman
• Seven Transforming Gifts of Menopause
  An Unexpected Spiritual Journey
  by Cheryl Bridges Johns
• Convenience Store Woman
  by Sayaka Murata
• Upstream
  The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
  by Dan Heath
• Stay
  Discovering Grace, Freedom, and Wholeness Where You Never Imagined Looking
  by Anjuli Paschall

* * *

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing with Modern Mrs. Darcy

“Think before you speak. Read before you think.”
– Fran Lebowitz

Every month I share the best of the books I just finished. Here are books I recommend from September’s readings.

Books I Recommend

1. The Nickel Boys
by Colson Whitehead

“Most of those who know the story of the rings in the trees are dead by now. The iron is still there. Rusty. Deep in the heartwood. Testifying to anyone who cares to listen.”

We do care to listen. Colson Whitehead tells a riveting story about a young African-American man who gets sent to a reform school in Florida. The saddest part is that it’s based on a real school. Excellent novel.

[click here if you can’t see 1-Minute Book Review]

2. Range
Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
by David Epstein

Such an interesting book! The paths we think lead to success aren’t always successful. For example, Epstein says,

• Rarely does a “head start” end successfully, if narrowly focused.
• It’s better to diversify than be too narrowly specialized.
• Slow and hard learning may last longer than quick, guided learning.
• Know when to give up; don’t have too much grit.

This book kept my attention from beginning to end.

3. The Death of Politics
How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump
by Peter Wehner

This is a book to make you think. You may or may not agree with all of it, but you won’t come away unconvicted. It steps on my toes in places, and encourages me in other places to love more deeply instead of giving up in resignation.

“Our politics is deeply divided because we the people are deeply divided.

“White evangelicals got a seat at the table of power, something that in his life Jesus never did. But this ascent to power has come at a devastating cost to evangelicalism’s moral integrity and credibility, damage that might take generations to heal, if it ever does. To put the case bluntly, evangelicals and others were correct to say that religion should inform politics—but they let down their guard against politics corrupting religion.”

4. Happy Money
The Science of Smarter Spending
by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton

Another fascinating book. Would you rather buy a material possession or an experience? Depending on the situation, the authors in this book suggest you’d be happier in the long run if you invest in the experience. Here are five ways to spend your money that their studies show might make you happier.

1. Buy experiences.
2. Make it a treat.
3. Buy time.
4. Pay now, consume later.
5. Invest in others.

5. The Death of Mrs. Westaway
by Ruth Ware

This mystery novel by Ruth Ware is about Hal, a poor woman in England, who receives a mysterious letter saying she’d inherited money from her recently-deceased grandmother. But Hal knows she’s the wrong recipient. The plot moves quickly as Hal meets the family anyway and uncovers secrets that had been hidden for years.

READING NOW

• Gospel Allegiance
  What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ
  by Matthew W. Bates
• Something Needs to Change
  A Call to Make Your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need
  by David Platt
• Indistractable
  How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
  by Nir Eyal
• Reborn Again
  Crucifying Christendom & Resurrecting a Radical
  by Christopher Vanhall
• The Lying Game
  by Ruth Ware
• A Thousand Lives
  The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown
  by Julia Scheeres

* * *

What good book are you reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing with Modern Mrs Darcy

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
– Joseph Brodsky

Every month I share the best of the books I just finished. Here are books I recommend from August’s readings.

Books I Recommend

NONFICTION

1. Insight
Reflections on the Gifts of Being an Introvert
by Beth Buelow

I sometimes struggle being an introvert in an extroverted culture.

But Beth’s book helps uncover the strengths of introversion.

[click here if you can’t see 1-Minute Book Review]

See more from Beth’s book here: 7.5 Reasons to Celebrate Introverts

2. The Moment of Lift
How Empowering Women Changes the World
by Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates (Bill’s wife) has a large platform of wealth and power. How wonderful that she’s using it to strengthen those without wealth and power. Inspiring book and good info about the work going on around the world to empower women.

When women are lifted up to an equal status with men, everyone rises.

I listened to this one on audio, read by Melinda Gates herself (which was surprisingly delightful; I typically don’t prefer the authors for audio).

3. Stop Being Reasonable
How We Really Change Our Minds
by Eleanor Gordon-Smith

We each think we are the reasonable ones. It’s other people who don’t think logically. If only they’d listen to us, we could change their minds. But probably not, says Eleanor Gordon-Smith. She doesn’t provide quick solutions in this book, but she does help us see the difficulties in thinking we can reason our way out of disagreements.

“Why can’t they hear what I keep saying? It makes you feel choked and frustrated and like language won’t work, and it’s no wonder that so many people terminate arguments like this by simply storming away: the one communicative gesture that can never be misunderstood.”

My book review here of Stop Being Reasonable

4. What If God Wrote Your Shopping List?
52 Ways to Find Freedom from “Stuff”
by Jay Payleitner

What we buy says a lot about us. Jay Payleitner helps us rethink our purchases (literal ones and figurative ones) in light of spreading God’s love. Quick and easy read.

The list includes things such as comfort foods, items that evoke memories and sharing stories, and even character traits like ambition and frugality.

My book review here of What’s on Your Spiritual Shopping List?

5. The Art of Mindful Reading
Embracing the Wisdom of Words
by Ella Berthoud

Do we miss out on living if we read too much? This book answers no! So naturally I love it. It addresses all things about reading: how to read widely, the advantages to reading, help for auditory and visual readers, reading poetry mindfully, and much more.

“As a bibliotherapist, I believe that every novel you read shapes the person that you are, speaking to you on a deep, unconscious level, and altering your very nature with the ideas that it shows you.”

My book review here of The Art of Mindful Reading

6. While the World Watched
A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement
by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

This is a painful story. Carolyn Maull McKinstry was 14-years-old on September 15, 1963, in Birmingham, AL. That morning, the Klan exploded a bomb in her beloved 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four of her friends. Carolyn recalls the events leading up to that day, the day itself, and how it affected who she is now. She tells her story with integrity and grace, yet with conviction. Even though it hurt, I’m glad I read it.

FICTION

7. Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens

This novel lives up to its hype. It’s the story of Kya Clark, the “Marsh Girl,” who lives basically alone on the North Carolina coast. When a local boy is found dead in 1969, fingers point to the Marsh Girl. The story unfolds in a beautiful setting despite harsh realities at the time.

READING NOW

• Range
  Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
  by David Epstein
• The Death of Mrs. Westaway
  by Ruth Ware
• The Complete Enneagram
  27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge
  by Beatrice Chestnut
• Afraid of All the Things
  Tornadoes, Cancer, Adoption, and Other Stuff You Need the Gospel For
  by Scarlet Hiltibidal
• Garden Spells
  by Sarah Addison Allen
• The Death of Politics
  How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump
  by Peter Wehner
• Gospel Allegiance
  What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ
  by Matthew W. Bates
• Happy Money
  The Science of Smarter Spending
  by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton

* * *

What good book are you reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing at Modern Mrs. Darcy

When we come out of a book, we’re different.
– Jacqueline Woodson

Every month I share the best of the books I just finished. Here are seven books that I recommend from July’s readings.

Books I Recommend

NONFICTION

1. The Myth of a Christian Nation
How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church
by Gregory A. Boyd

Was this really published back in 2005? It feels very 2019. This book still serves as a current wake-up call, urging us to rein in our hunger for political power and instead go about doing the things Christ would do. I find it very thought-provoking.

Is it the church’s mission to overpower the world, or rather to serve those in the world?

“Only what looks like Jesus qualifies as a kingdom-of-God activity. Slaughtering, enslaving, cheating, conquering, and dominating are not the sort of activities Jesus engaged in.”

[click here if you can’t see 1-Minute Book Review]

2. The Enchanted Hour
The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction
by Meghan Gurdon

I loved reading aloud with my two daughters as they were growing up, even long after they could read for themselves. And now I love reading with my granddaughter. So I don’t need to be sold on the virtues of reading-aloud; I’m already a believer.

Yet I am still inspired by this book about the importance of reading aloud at ALL stages of life, including reading to those who may be bed-ridden and/or dying. Filled with research, beautiful excerpts, and practical tips, this is a relevant book for all of us.

3. Glorious Weakness
Discovering God in All We Lack
by Alia Joy

This book is grace for our tender spots. Alia Joy writes with humility and rawness about her own hurts and weaknesses in a way that we all can relate to. Sometimes the book felt a little too dark for me, but if you hang in there, she always lets the light of Jesus shine back through again.

“His words served as a reminder of the Christian response to suffering—we enter into it together, share in it together, lament with each other.”

My book review of Glorious Weakness is here

4. Thriving as an Empath
365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People
by Judith Orloff

This is a daily devotional for sensitive people. It focuses on gratitude, on small daily practices, and on self-care. I started reading a review copy this spring. I have benefited from the short reflections each day on how to protect our time and energy in balanced ways while staying engaged with the world.

“Finding this balance is the art of healing. Inwardly you can say, ‘This is not my burden to carry.’ It is impossible to fix someone. Everybody deserves the dignity of their own path.”

My book review of Thriving as an Empath is here

5. Just Show Up
And Other Enduring Values from Baseball’s Iron Man
by Cal Ripken Jr.

I remember in 1995 when baseball’s “Iron Man” Cal Ripken broke the MLB record for playing in the most consecutive baseball games: 2,131 games. Then he kept playing, eventually reaching 2,632 consecutive games.

So when I saw his book title was the mantra I’ve been using for years—Just Show Up—I had to check it out from my library. I’m glad I did. It’s about his life, but it’s also for our lives. It’s about integrity and determination and character.

And some baseball thrown in, too.

“We do our best, we hope we’ve done the right thing, and then the next day, we show up again, ready to hit a baseball, or make a ruling, or raise a kid, or be kind to the person serving us in a store.
We only get a few innings on this planet, after all. May as well show up, ready to play, for every one.”

(He also made me feel better about streaks that I like to keep; maybe I’m not so weird after all? “A streak is not an end in itself. It’s a way of doing things.”)

Fiction

6. Before We Were Yours 
by Lisa Wingate

A beautifully-told story that goes back and forth in time, this novel tells about five siblings living in a shanty boat in Memphis in 1939, and then a present-day family with a yet-to-be discovered past. Even though this is fiction, it revolves around a real-life scandal of a Memphis adoption agency.

“It’s funny how what you’re used to seems like it’s right even if it’s bad.”

7. I Let You Go
by Clare Mackintosh

I’ve never been caught off guard at a plot twist as much as I was with this novel. The story begins with a horrible accident: five-year-old Jacob is killed in a hit-and-run accident. The novel then keeps you engaged, switching narration back and forth between involved parties, including the police investigators. I’d read this one again.

READING NOW

• Where the Crawdads Sing
  by Delia Owens
• The Weather Machine
  A Journey Inside the Forecast
  by Andrew Blum
• Stop Being Reasonable
  How We Really Change Our Minds
  by Eleanor Gordon-Smith
• Crossing to Safety
  by Wallace Stegner
• What If God Wrote Your Shopping List?
  52 Ways to Find Freedom from “Stuff”
  by Jay Payleitner
• The Art of Mindful Reading
  Embracing the Wisdom of Words
  by Ella Berthoud
• While the World Watched
  A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement
  by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

* * *

What good book are you reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing with The Modern Mrs Darcy

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