Lisa notes

Read Too Much? Unlikely, But Read More Mindfully

By LisaNotes September 5, 2019 Book reviews 19 Comments

Read Too Much?

Is it possible to miss out on life by reading too much?

I suppose it is. Anything can become too much, subtracting from our life instead of adding to it. Even reading.

But most people aren’t in danger of reading too much. If anything, we read too little.

That’s why it’s important to get the most out of what we do read. To read mindfully. Artfully. Joyfully, like a child.

The real danger is reading absent-mindedly, not getting enough from what we read.

We just aren’t paying attention.

Read mindfully

The Art of Mindful Reading

Ella Berthoud has a plan for that. She is a bibliotherapist. She prescribes fiction books as therapy to her clients (yes, that’s really a thing). Her new book, The Art of Mindful Reading, can help us be our own bibliotherapists, getting more out of our reading.

“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.”

She points out that reading might help you live longer—it slows your heart rate and produces a stress-reducing meditative state in your brain.

But this book isn’t just about the effects of reading on the brain; it’s also a how-to on enjoying reading more, by being more mindful. She gives advice on how to lose yourself in a book. She encourages exercises on discovering a new awareness of reading, depending on whether you’re an auditory, visual, or kinesthetic reader.

For poetry lovers (alas, I’m not much of an aficionado), she also includes a section on reading poetry mindfully. (Which makes me want to actually go read some poetry.)

She encourages her readers to create a reading nook, to learn passages by heart, and how to make reading a daily habit.

We often read for different reasons—knowledge, wisdom, emotional intelligence, excitement, escapism,catharsis—and that’s why it matters what we read, but it’s also why it matters how we read. This book addresses both.

Whether you consider yourself an avid reader or not, you’ll likely read advice you can benefit from in Berthoud’s book.

Pay attention to what you’re reading. 

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Why do you read? For pleasure, for information, for help? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

My thanks to Net Galley
for the review copy of this book

5 Links, Books, and Things I Love – September 2019

By LisaNotes September 2, 2019 Life updates, Links I like 40 Comments

Every month I share my list of favorite 5’s.

Things I Love September 2019

  • 5 interesting things online
  • 5 articles about words, books, or podcasts
  • 5 pictures of things I love
  • 5 blog posts from the month

What are you enjoying this month?

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5 Things Around the Web

1.  8 Questions to Ask Someone Other Than “What Do You Do?”

There’s much more to learn about each other than, “So, where do you work?” I would appreciate being asked these questions. (Although we have a friend who regularly asks #5, and I’m never quite sure how to answer. ha)

2.  Having Kids Makes You Happier…Once They’ve Moved Out 

I’m not saying I agree or disagree, but I do see the logic here.

3.  Make Sunday Mornings Uncomfortable: Three Rules of Engagement at Church

Nobody likes being uncomfortable. But that’s kind of the point here. Help others be comfortable, even if sacrificing your own comfort temporarily.

And along the same lines, also read Jesus Invites Interruptions.

“The life of Jesus calls us to transform our daily lives in such a way that people are no longer ‘interruptions’ but ‘inter-ruptions.’ I am slowly learning that a Jesus-informed way of life must pry my hands away from the need to get things done toward connecting with people in such a way that my encounters with them ‘rupture’ me internally.”

4.  The Most Gender-Switched Names in US History

Boy name or girl name? Depends on the year. These charts are a little hard to follow at first, but the data is interesting.

5.  5-Day Automation Challenge by Asian Efficiency

Although this challenge was officially last week, you could do it anytime. I did all 5 days and learned some cool tricks to save a few minutes here and there. It all adds up, right?

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5 Things with Words and Books

1.  Instagram LineBreak Caption Generator

This little tool is wonderful if you like to break up your lines in Instagram instead of having one long paragraph of unbroken text. Just type in your text and hit Convert. It works every time.

2.  Why Don’t I Read All My Books?

Do you have unread books on your shelves at home? I do.

3.  In Defense of Reading the Same Book Over and Over Again

And at the same time, I have other books that I read again and again (The Practice of the Presence of God; The Power of Now; Unoffendable; etc.) Why? This article explains some of the reasons.

4.  13 Words That Mean Something Completely Different in the South

This makes me smile. Since I’m from the south, these definitions make complete sense to me. But maybe not to you? These ordinary words include: toboggan, ugly, buggy, and cut.

5.  7 Books I Recommend

Here are 7 favorite books I review from what I finished reading in August, including Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates.

7 Books I Recommend_Aug 2019

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5 Pictures of Things I Love

1.  Tennessee Aquarium

Morgan was able to squeeze in a quick trip to the Tennessee Aquarium and then our house a few weekends ago. Such fun getting to show our grandbaby all the sea life that she’d only seen in books thus far!

aquarium

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2.  Celebrating Giant Leaps

His Way is a local residential recovery center here that puts on a great annual dinner. I love seeing my precious Jesus-loving friend Selwyn there each year. This year’s speaker was Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys, and the theme was One Small Step (which leads to giant leaps!), an appropriate theme for our Rocket City and the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Both Selwyn’s and my father worked for NASA for years on the space program.

Sel and Lisa

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3.  Splish-Splash!

Jeff and I took a quick trip to see our sweet baby girl and play in the water a few Sundays ago. She loves her slip ‘n slide and we love her.

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4.  Photobombed by Dead Presidents

Jeff and I took an anniversary trip (our 27th anniversary is this Wednesday!) to South Dakota. We saw Mount Rushmore for the first time, the Badlands, ran into buffaloes, and crossed into Wyoming for about 30 minutes.

south dakota

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5.  Birthday Celebrations

The Lunch Bunch met on Friday to celebrate birthdays of one of my best friends Julie and my sister Sandy. Later our family got together to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday. We’re blessed to live close enough to see each other fairly often.

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5 Favorites from the Blog

1.  Who’s Needy? Practice Closer Encounters

Who is the needy one—me or Ryan? When we look closer, we’re all the needy one. Practice encountering needs, in others and in yourself.

2.  Free Printable for Hebrew/Greek Word Studies – It’s Easier Than You Think

It’s easier than you think to study Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Bible. Get your downloadable study sheet.

3.  You Have a Safety Net. Take the Risk.

Do you take more risks when you know there’s a safety net? With Christ, there’s always a safety net. Take more risks.

4.  What’s on Your Spiritual Shopping List?

What’s on your shopping list? Does it reflect an investment in stuff? Or in people?

5.  Unexplainable Love in Any Language

I spoke little Spanish. She spoke little English. It’s hard to explain how love fills in the gaps.

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What was a highlight from your August? What do you have planned for September? Please share in the comments.

previous Links and Books

On the Blog – August 2019

By LisaNotes August 31, 2019 Archives No Comments

On the Blog 2019-08

Here are brief summaries and links to blog posts from August 2019.

Just the Right Fit for You

By LisaNotes August 29, 2019 Trust 9 Comments

Just the right fit for me_pin

I had a moment last week.

I’d strained a nerve (literally); the internet was down; our credit card messed up. And I’d gotten a discouraging phone call.

What did I do?

I lay down on the floor and cried.

Is This My Size?

Do you ever question God’s measurements?

Do you wonder if he really knows your perfect fit?

  • The perfect fit of blessings
  • The perfect fit of trials
  • The perfect fit of timings


3 bears

Sometimes it feels God gives us more than we can bear—either in bad things OR good things (because good things can bring their own bag of temptations, right?).

But no. He promises not to push us past our limits (1 Corinthians 10:13).

He never gives too little to deprive us,
nor too much to lead us astray.

He walks with us through enough—enough to honor his name and to depend on his strength, not our own.

“. . . Don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day.

“If I have too much, I might deny that I need you, Lord. But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.”
Proverbs 30:8-9 (ERV)

Just Right for Me

I cried for 5 minutes. I knew God heard my my cries. My first-world problems, while painful in their own ways, weren’t lasting issues.

These were tiny problems this time. I was thankful they weren’t big ones. This time it was easier to make the attitude adjustment because the problems were little.

God knew that all along. I’m just slow to catch up.

“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
Lamentations 3:26

God never asks us to walk alone.

  • I was walking with a doctor,
  • with a friend,
  • with my ever-so-patient husband.

And I was walking with the Lord himself, the perfect fit for me. 

Lord,
I want to be content with your perfect measurements. Don’t make me too rich or too poor in anything, if either would lead me away from you. May I be grateful for your perfect fit for me.

And oh yeah, thanks for turning the internet back on. You know my limits.

* * *

For those facing MUCH bigger things today, I ask God to match you with even BIGGER doses of grace.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

updated from the archives

7 Books I Recommend – August 2019

By LisaNotes August 26, 2019 Books I Recommend, Video Book Reviews 45 Comments
“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.

7 Books I Recommend_August 2019

Books I Recommend

NONFICTION

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

Insight-reflections on the gifts of being an introvert

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

The Moment of Lift

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

Stop Being Reasonable

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 If God Wrote Your Shopping List

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

The Art of Mindful Reading

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

While the World Watched

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

Where the Crawdads Sing

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

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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

Great & Small Prayers for Babies – Book Review

By LisaNotes August 22, 2019 Book reviews 8 Comments

Since I’m back in the market for baby books—and my favorites have peek-a-boo flaps like this one—I’m glad I found Great and Small Prayers for Babies. It is a sweet board book that’s small enough for little hands to hold, but large enough font for Granna to read without her glasses.

Never too young for thank you

The hand-drawn illustrations by Anna Abramskaya are my favorite kind: one major uncluttered element per page for focus (in this case, an animal) but a few small details sprinkled in for when you want to linger and chat about the extras.

But the words are still what matter the most to me, even in children’s books. They don’t have to be many (actually, they should NOT be many). So I was pleased that Pamela Kennedy kept it simple in this little board book, thanking God for friends, flowers, birds, and more.

No one is too young to learn “thank you.”

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My thanks to B&H/LifeWay Bloggers
for the review copy of this book