Talking to Strangers

One of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell covers relevant topics that make me think and discuss these topics with others. This book focuses on the judgements that we make of strangers and decide if they are telling the truth or not. Bookending the book is a black woman who is stopped in Texas with out of state plates by a white cop. You can guess the ending from here, but the book goes through the process of how people judge and if we side on trust or not. I wish this was required reading for all police officers. There are many stories that weave through the book, Part 1 highlights a few sexual assault cases with very graphic content. Though the information helps the story, I had difficulty listening to it all.

The Call of the Wild - Jack London

I'm in a book club. I committed to reading the books. I would not read again, nor will I watch the movie. For me, reading is for enjoyment or information. This book was not enjoyable.

To Stop A Warlord

Also recommended off a podcast, this book piqued my interest as I first hear about this subject back in undergrad. The LRA, highlighted by Invisible Children puts so many people at risk in Africa. Davis has taken the last few years of her life to find a way to stop or reduce the impact of the LRA. Davis takes the readers through the journey she embarks on of private sector meeting public sector to create a change. Davis brings investors into the game and demonstrates real action against the LRA. This eye opening book is recommended and not easily forgettable. There is harshness and reality that Davis clearly conveys to the reader. 

Hamlet - for High School

Ahhh Hamlet, how I did well to avoid Shakespeare for most of my reading adventures. I knew my students needed to be exposed to more literature and British Lit. So Hamlet was recommended on various websites. There was more vulgarity in the book, but overall the students connected with work at did well. There are quite a few lines from Hamlet that are used today, in particular, "To Be or Not To Be." I appreciate that I read this, thankful for the No Fear translation, and probably will not read it again.

Rising Strong by Brene Brown

I first heard of this author on a podcast, where I receive a lot of my recommendations. However, I didn't pick up one of her books till I watched her special on Netflix. It was a great reminder to think about how I need to think from other's perspectives and think about the story they are hearing in their head at that moment of interaction.

I am interested in reading more of her work.

Pride & Prejudice

 When your friends start a book club and you have to be the first to choose a book, you might choose Pride and Prejudice. My brother bought me this particular edition for Christmas, and I enjoyed reading it again. Although it takes a little longer to read the text, I appreciate the rich language and conversations throughout the book.

Life was so different in 1800s; different roles, different expectations, and different lifestyles. What always gets me about this lifestyle is how quickly people fell in love and decided to get married. Today we think about how long you should date someone before getting married, with a minimum of knowing people around 6-9 months before being serious. Back in the 1800s, you could meet someone and be engaged within weeks or months.

I'm not sure what I'm going to talk about during the book club talk, but I need to come up with something. :) As always, I would recommend this book.

The Dream of You - Jo Saxton

I met Jo Saxton at the E-Women's conference in Roanoke in 2018. I purchased two books, and she signed this. Previously I tried to read this book but was put off by the forward. This time I skipped the forward, and was hooked, which is what I will recommend when I pass it to someone else.

Jo writes this book as a letter to the reader, looking to pinpoint various stages of life and how God meets us in those stages. She also highlights the importance of who you dreamed of being, and how to revive that dream God has input into your heart. After reading this I realized I haven't really dreamed in a long time. Why? Well, it seems that my dreams do not happen, and God seems to block them. Or is it me that has blocked the dreams and the consequences is that the dreams stay deferred? I'm trying to let my heart dream, but how do you dream without being heartbroken? Maybe you can dream without putting hopes into it.

blink: The power of thinking without thinking - Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite authors, for the ability he has to challenge how you view common things. He does well to make the reader examine what is really going on behind thinking that you do. Blink examines how a judgement or thought is made in a blink of a moment, usually an accurate thought that is not always realized or explained.

I listened to this book on my way to Maine for Christmas. It definitely had me thinking and pondering different people's ability to make quick judgements and decisions.

Waiting on God - Andrew Murray

This book was on a recommended list somewhere, little did I realize it had been sitting in my Kindle App for a bit. A devotional for 31 days, examining various ways to wait on God. Through scripture, hymns, and his insights, readers are challenged to look at their desire to wait on God. 

To be truthful, I did not read this as slowly and reflecting as I should have. I need to take apart my desire to finish a book, for the desire to learn and grow from the reading, especially books that are intended to grow my spiritual life. I did retain a couple of important thoughts, such as; "A holy, joyful expectancy is of the very essence of true waiting." For the next book that challenges, I need to be more reflective. 

Dumplin' & Puddin' by Julie Murphy

One weekend, I watched this movie Dumplin' that I ended up watching 3 times throughout that weekend. I looked up the movie script writer and found it was based on this book by Julie Murphy. It immediately became a favorite movie, identifying with the fat girl who seems to reside in my inner thoughts. I was hooked on the story line and wanted to read the book, then I found out there was a companion story, Puddin'. I knew I would have to save these books till break, assuming that I would read them continually till them were finished. Pretty much true.

Dumplin' follows a bit of a female lead's life in high school. It is a story about learning about self and accepting body type and realizing other people do as well. There were quite a bit of differences from the book to the movie, but it's expected. One big difference is the character of Amanda who is not in the movie. Perhaps it would have taken away from the plot of the movie, but overall a great read that I finished in one day. This book is a young adult novel, and covers themes that I wasn't allowed to read in high school, but it's a different world. I would recommend this, but would have a hard time recommending it to youth group girls due to the amount of language and sex themes.

Puddin' follows Millie and Callie through a season of life, and how their life intersects. I would not call this a sequel as it doesn't follow the main character's story from Dumplin' but includes the same characters and looks at a different point of view. This story highlights friendship and how to build friendships, including unlikely ones. Less language and sexual conversations. I'm not sure if they will make this one into a movie, but will not be surprised if they do. Julie Murphy has a few more books that I may find to read, but probably not till summer based on my experience with these.