May Book Reviews!

May was a beautiful month for audiobooks! =)  Round 3 of great female authors, and once again, more nonfiction than fiction content...

1.  The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith

Another recommendation from the Big Boo podcast!  A fictional story about Greta, a single woman in her late 30s trying to carve her own path in a career move her dad did not approve of while grieving the death of her mom.  She was very close to her mom but had a lot of unspoken resentment toward her dad... and this book is the story of her joining him on a week-long cruise to Alaska that was originally supposed to be a 40th Anniversary trip for her parents.  There were relatable elements for me, and I so appreciate that this book focused more on the parent-child relationship and navigating loss and grief than it did on the potential romantic interest.  I also love that it celebrates her courage, independence, and resilience while emphasizing the value of repairing family connections and building healthy relationships!

Favorite Quote:  "Maybe the point isn't always to make things last. Maybe it's just to make them count.”

2.  Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin

This was honestly my least favorite of the four.  I was excited about it after starting my Glimpses blog... but what I really wanted was this same book title with vibrant stories and descriptions written by Shauna Niequist... something a little less intellectual and analytical, and a little more fun and engaging!  Gretchen is good at research-based personal projects that turn into books, and I think there's great value in getting out of our heads and being more present to the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes surrounding us -- I just expected more heart connection with this one, and it wasn't there for me.

Favorite Quote:  "When we experience something familiar—a song, a favorite snack, an episode of The Office—our brains process it more easily, which may make us like it more. Nevertheless, to enjoy ourselves, we usually try something new. Novelty is more work but also more interesting... research shows that people who do new things and visit new places—even something as modest as a trip to a new restaurant—tend to be happier.”

3.  Two Weeks Notice: Find the Courage to Quit Your Job, Make More Money, Work Where You Want, and Change the World by Amy Porterfield

Found this one through Craig's Leadership podcast.  Amy is likable, ambitious, and smart, and she explains things in a down-to-earth way that makes you feel more capable and competent to lead others and chart your own course!  I'm early reading this one, but glad to have the book and accompanying PDF on Audible to come back to if or when I'm trying to "build a brand" or open my private practice later!

Favorite Quotes:  "Courage is something you choose; confidence is something you earn.  Courage has to come before confidence!" 

"A security mindset dims our light.  Deep down, I think we all want freedom more than we want security...  If you're willing to mess up as you go, your dreams are already within reach!"

4.  Don't Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward With Passion and Purpose by Christine Caine

Anointed.  Highly recommend!  I love Christine's fiery personality, and this new book came right in God's best timing for my life (not quite finished with it yet, but loving it so far).  She talks about a big move where she felt torn between the old place and her new home, so she  went back and forth a lot and did not feel fully present with a confident sense of belonging in either one.  In a season where I find myself looking back and missing how certain things used to be and feeling an irrational, deep-seated worry about Tulsa friends moving on and caring less and less about me, this book was an important and needed reminder to focus up and be fully present here in this new season and new-ish city where God has brought me, to look around me and look forward with hopeful expectation in God's goodness, trusting Him with my well-established relationships and with all the new things He is going to do, rather than longing for the past and resisting change.  Every season of life has unique value and beauty, and I want to embrace that and lean into it with my whole heart.  God is active and present here and now, so I can't let myself be timid and fearful and stuck in the past.  (She pulls a lot of great content out of Jesus saying, "Remember Lot's wife.")  Christine also shares her perspective on her own adoption journey, which provided helpful confirmation for some things God is stirring in my heart lately.

Favorite Quote so far:  "You are not a candidate for God’s love; you are the object of God’s love… There is nothing more intimate God could have done than to adopt us.  And when we are confident that He sees us, knows us, and loves us, we can live our lives unafraid.  We can step out in faith and step into the unknown future fully confident that our God is with us, for us, protecting us, and guiding us!  …None of our stories have to end the way the enemy intends.  God is not distant or absent… He is sensitive to what matters most to us in any given moment, and He will help us!”  

Yessss to this!

Annie and Christine = two of my favorites!

*To be very clear, this does not mean I won't still come visit my Tulsa friends, only that I'm realizing I need to get more invested and wholehearted about the life I am building here.  And I need to let go of and/or fight against the cringey relational fear that has crept in lately (not from God) and step forward with GOD-GIVEN POWER and LOVE and a SOUND MIND! ❤ 

So to sum up all of this month's reading:  There is hope and beauty after loss when we choose God-given courage and fully engage with the world around us rather than locking our hearts in the past.  Keep pressing forward, friends and fam.  God is trustworthy in every season, and He has brilliant new things in store for each of us!