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.

A Lesson Before Dying- Audio

Ernest J. Gaines writes compelling stories that requires readers to think beyond their typical viewpoint. After reading his novel, ...Miss Jane Pitmann, I was looking forward to reading A Lesson Before Dying. Gaines highlights two stories closely, Grant and Jefferson, who are in the midst of recognizing human worth, learning about their relationship with God and their purpose in life. Grant, a school teacher in the quarter, is asked to meet with an inmate who is on death row. Jefferson, that inmate, is thought of with little value except from his nana. Gaines highlights the unfair treatment of African American people in 1940s through specifically the judicial system. 

I was challenged to look further of who God is and how different cultures view their ability to receive God's love. As a white person, it was eye opening to think about how some African American's can view God as for white people and not for all. It is saddening to think of the many hinderances that were done "in the name of God" but negatively represented Christ. 

I listened to this audio book, partially on a drive through Thanksgiving and then when I returned to my home. I wasn't captivated by the writing or story for 85% of the story. At the last disc, I was finally interested when it came to the viewpoint of the inmate. As the narrator read through the journal of the inmate, the story became more interesting. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend the story, but if someone asked specifically for the book, I wouldn't dismiss it. It is important to view other's stories, this story accomplished that goal.