So many words. So little time.
Category: real life
This was a very challenging week. I wrote one book review, Painted Devils, by Margaret Owen, my May reading post, and my best books I read in May post. I also worked 50+ hours at work, and I am tired. I didn’t get much reading done during the week. I’m really hoping this next week is a bit easier.
Happy writing!
Title: Please, Sorry, Thanks
Author: Mark Batterson
Genre: Christian
Rating: 5 out of 5
The best predictor of success in life, in love, and in leadership is your proficiency at please, sorry, and thanks. Those three words are the foundation of all healthy relationships and successful careers. Those three words are the only ceiling on achieving your dreams. Those three words will determine how happy you are.
With his trademark blend of personal stories, scientific and historical references, and biblical insight, Pastor Mark Batterson shows how you can change your world with your words:
– A timely please can help you unlock the rule of reciprocity for greater results, discover the power of “we is greater than me,” and honor others above yourself.
– A sincere sorry can lead you to mend broken relationships, strengthen connections through being radically vulnerable, and better understand the degrees of forgiveness.
– A heartfelt thanks paves the way toward a resilient mindset of gratitude and an expectancy to see God move on your behalf.
Whether you’re launching out into a new phase of life or navigating long-established complexities, it’s time to harness the power of those three transformative words and let them propel you wherever God leads you to go.
I loved this! The concept is simple: use please, sorry, and thanks frequently—words we all learn as toddlers—to make our relationships and interactions with others more positive and uplifting. Period. As I read, I thought about how seemingly little things in my own life made such a huge difference to me—even something as simple as the older gentleman sitting in front of me at church telling me, with a smile, “It’s so nice to hear someone enjoy singing so much.” My singing is, at best, indifferent, but that compliment made me smile. It took two seconds of his time, but it brightened my day. How many times every single day do I have that same opportunity to show love to other people with three simple words?
Mark Batterson is a bestselling author and lead pastor of National Community Church. Please, Sorry, Thanks is his newest book.
(Galley courtesy of WaterBrook & Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.)
This was a pretty good writing week…even considering how absolutely chaotic work was! I wrote two book reviews, A Novel Proposal, by Denise Hunter, and You Wouldn’t Dare, by Samantha Markum. I also wrote two posts on A Little Bit Greener: Got a minute? and When I’m the one who needs a little green. I’m still finding my way over there with what I want to write about, but actually doing the writing is great. And I actually find myself paying more attention to the small things now, too, when my muse is actively looking for things to write about. There’s a fiction idea sprouting in my mind, too.
Happy writing!
This week, I wrote three book reviews: The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy, Off the Map, by Trish Doller, and The Lost English Girl, by Julia Kelly (will be live on Tuesday).
I also started another writing project here, so that’s a step in the right direction.
What have you been writing?
Happy writing!
This week, I only got one book review written, A Guide to Being Just Friends, by Sophie Sullivan. I’m actually fine with that, as I worked almost 50 hours…and there was a LOT of stress at work. I’m also mentally playing with an idea for a writing project, so that’s exciting.
Happy writing!
This week was marginally better than last week: I wrote one book review. Read almost nothing due to schedule craziness and family being in town. It’s all good.
Happy writing!
This week, I managed to get in all but one planned writing session, and a handful of book reviews. There’s been a lot going on with my family this week, and I’ve been a bit distracted with that.
I got in two fiction-writing sessions this week, instead of my planned five. 😦 Some weeks are just like that…
Books Read in November: 22
Books Read for the Year: 175/150
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Pride, by Ibi Zoboi. (Cultural.) I’m not sure how I ended up reading two Pride and Prejudice retellings simultaneously, but…I really loved this book! I loved the diversity and seeing how this particular culture came to life. Zure was a little much at first, but I ended up loving her attitude and her pride in herself, her culture, and her family.
AHA, by Kyle Idleman. (Spiritual.) I love Idleman’s voice and his brutally honest and down-to-earth style.
Unequal Affections, by Lara S. Ormiston. (From the TBR.) I loved this re-telling of Pride and Prejudice. I thought it was very well done, and stayed true to the characters and world of the original.
Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne. (Classic.) How have I never read this before? An enjoyable adventure tale!
For Review
Nightingale, by Amy Lukavics. This is about a girl in the 1950s who doesn’t want to be a perfect housewife, but wants to write stories about alien abduction. She ends up in an asylum, where she realizes it’s no ordinary hospital. When I finish a book and think WHAT did I just read?, it’s not generally a good thing. This book was odd and just didn’t make sense.
Love in Catalina Cove, by Brenda Jackson. A solid read by a good author, about a woman who goes back to her hometown and finds her past is not what she thought at all.
Forbidden and also Embolden, by Syrie James and Ryan St. James. Two more “meh” reads. I love the idea of angels and Nephilim, but the main character is so selfish and ridiculous that it completely detracted from the interesting idea.
The Ministry of Ordinary Places, by Shannan Martin. I don’t usually find nonfiction riveting, but this I did. Highly recommended.
Shadow of the Fox, by Julie Kagawa. I love the Japanese culture and mythology, and the Iron Fey series was fantastic, so I was excited to read this. But I found this a little predictable, despite my liking for the naive main character.
The Witch of Willow Hall, by Hester Fox . Family scandal, mystery, and secrets in this Gothic tale set in 1821. I enjoyed this a lot!
When the Lights Go Out, by Mary Kubica. After her mother dies, Jessie Sloane finds out she has the name and social security number of a dead girl. As she tries to figure out what that means, her lack of sleep stretches into days and she starts seeing things that aren’t there—or are they? I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I’ve never wanted a character to get some sleep so much!
The Lying Woods, by Ashley Elston. After Owen’s father disappears with millions of dollars, destroying the lives of most of the people who live in their small town, he moves back home to try to help his mother—and figure out if his dad really did take the money. What Owen finds is hatred, violence, and the truth about his father. This was a fantastic read!
Burning Fields, by Alli Sinclair. When Rosie returns home during World War II, she finds some things never change, no matter how badly you want them to, but maybe with the help of the Italian man next door, she can find out the truth about her family. A solid, enjoyable read.
A Marriage in Four Seasons, by Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki. This tale, which opens with a miscarriage, moves to an affair and a divorce, and through to a reconciliation, is a slow, emotional read that is at times painful to follow.
When Elephants Fly, by Nancy Richardson Fischer. This book was such a good read! Teenager Lily is trying to live a stress-free life to hopefully avoid the genetic curse of schizophrenia. When she was seven, her mother tried to kill her, but Lily has hopes of avoiding her mom’s fate. When she ends up covering the story of a baby elephant abandoned by its mother, she finds herself way too emotionally involved.
Little White Lies, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It’s been a while since I read anything by this author, but I completely enjoyed this tale of Sawyer, from the wrong side of the track, who ends up living in high society for debutante season, as she tries to find out who her father is. The feel of this loosely reminded me of the Gallagher Girls series, except not as comic.
Love à la Mode, by Stephanie Kate Strohm. A cute read about two teens who get into an elite cooking school in Paris. This book made me hungry!
Second Chance at Two Love Lane, by Kieran Kramer (review forthcoming). I found this kind of underwhelming. There was too-much glossing over of things, so it seemed o skip around, and several of the characters were caricatures and not fully fleshed-out. And one of the sub-plots was basically pointless, with its resolution summed-up and not resolved.
Just Because
Fury, by Rachel Vincent. I was excited to read the conclusion to the Menagerie trilogy. This is a fascinating world, and I love the characters. Great read. I finished it in one sitting, but I was not a fan of the ending.
Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis. I had to stop myself from devouring the whole thing straight through. I want to be friends with Rachel!
Look Alive, Twenty-Five, by Janet Evanovich. I do love this series, but…this one was sadly lacking in humor, apart from Lula’s antics. I think this series is starting to get stale.
Title: The Ministry of Ordinary Places
Author: Shannan Martin
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian
Rating: 5 out of 5
Many people dream of big ministries in places they feel at home in, surrounded by people like them. Shannan Martin found that that sort of ministry wasn’t her destiny at all. Instead, she ended up in a working-class neighborhood in Goshen, Indiana—okay, a neighborhood where sometimes finding a job to work at is hard—an ordinary place, surrounded by ordinary people who might be wildly different on the surface, but who are alike at heart: struggling and in need of love.
Truly paying attention to both the big things and the small can open your eyes to the truth in the world around you, and Shannan built a home amidst people who were willing to do life together—no matter how hard that is at times. Sometimes, when God calls people to ministry, it’s not a Billy Graham-style of ministry. Instead, it’s smaller, quieter, and has a profound effect on the people around us, the people who make up our lives.
This book. This book. Usually when I read nonfiction, I can only read a few pages at a time, but I wanted to read large chunks of this at a time. Shannan’s writing is so powerful and evocative, full of truth that touches the heart and opens the mind to broader ideas of home—and what that can look like.
Shannan Martin is a writer and speaker. The Ministry of Ordinary Places is her newest book.
(Galley provided by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 