“She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.” – Louisa May Alcott
I’m excited to share about the two books I finished most recently. One was great and the other was absolutely glorious!
Catching Your Breath by Steve Austin was great. I read the entire book in just a few days. It was interesting and engaging. Woven through his story were many nuggets of truth, ideas to consider, and tips to act on. I appreciated both his humor and his directness. Rather than perpetuate the mistaken idea that faith automatically makes us happy and solves all our problems, Austin offers the reality that sometimes life is just hard – and that’s okay – and that living authentically requires vulnerability. Here are just a couple of things I highlighted:
“Courage is criticism’s hidden gift. But just because something is beneficial doesn’t mean it is always comfortable.”
“Everything can be rolling along just great as you try to do what’s right or kind or wise. And things can still fall apart.”
It should be noted that the language and some of the stories might garner a PG-13 rating. However, I hope you won’t let that dissuade you from what you might gain from reading this book. It is one I will read again and that I plan to add to my book club’s selections for next year.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.
Glory Happening by Kaitlin B. Curtice was absolutely glorious! It is one of the books I purchased last Fall at the Evolving Faith conference. Many avid readers are familiar with reading a book (usually fiction) where you just don’t want it to end. I can only remember a few times when I felt that way about a non-fiction book and this is definitely one of them. Each of the short chapters offers a vignette of Curtice’s life that delivers exactly what the subtitle states: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places. After reading the first few chapters, I realized this was a book I wanted to savor. I ended up reading it more like a devotional and found myself drawn to it whenever life felt crazy or stressful. It was always like a deep breath of fresh air that rejuvenated my weary heart. There is a prayer following every chapter and I have marked a few of them I found especially meaningful so I can pray along with them again.
There is nothing not to love about this book. I have already purchased a second copy that I gave to a friend who was going through a rough patch and foresee purchasing more as gifts for family and friends.
Porch Time Ponderings 