It was an interesting month of reading: a long audiobook, a book with a quote that stuck with me, a bestseller, a great four book series, a short book, a productivity book, some more fiction, and an inspiring sports memoir. I ceased alternating fiction and non-fiction while reading the series. I got pretty caught up in it and again wondered if reading is too much of an escape for me. How I wish I was not so prone to extremes, as well as being an overthinker. I want to enjoy life and honor God, and sometimes those desires seem to be in opposition. But readers probably came here for the books, not me psychoanalyzing myself, so without further ado, here's my October list:
139. Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll [Audiobook]—This book got long, and maybe that was the point. It is about Rich Roll’s struggles with addiction, and then his re-making of himself into a vegan athlete. The chapters about his Epic Five Ironman triathlons in Hawaii were the longest. Maybe it’s that I am not a triathlete. Maybe the writing accurately reflects the endurance it takes to survive such attempts. Either way, I got tired. The chapters at the end of the book on plant-powered living did not cite actual research, and seemed biased towards Roll’s vegan lifestyle. Roll also cited weight loss as a reason for this way of eating several times. I almost did not finish listening to this audiobook, because of this, but pushed through to say I did. Unless you are a fan of Rich Roll or very big into one of his passions of ultramarathon or plant-powered eating, I don’t recommend it.
140. Eyes Up: How to Trust God’s Heart by Tracing His Hand by Alexandra V. Hoover—This book started slow. Hoover writes about "Ebenezer stones," and recording places where God has worked. Then she starts to preach, explaining how God works in and through hard times: “Rejections in this life as being used by God as holy redirections.” God is always present, she writes, giving His people strength to endure, as well as a testimony. That testimony is not just for us, but for others, and for God's glory. "For the love of God, multiply your story," Hoover exhorts. That is what she does in this book, by her own example first. I recommend this book!
141. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi—Theo (no surname) moves to Golden, Georgia for reasons no one knows. While there, he invests in the community through getting to know both its past and present history. Theo even starts a community service project of sorts, buying and gifting portraits drawn by a local artist. This is a philosophical book, written in a style reminiscent of John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is poignant, emotional, and rich with scriptural references. I read fairly slowly, letting the story sink in. There was some sense of mystery and unknown. And then tragedy struck, and the story took on new levels of meaning as previously unrevealed information came to light. This is truly a masterpiece of a novel, maybe written simply, but yet so artfully. It is what Theo was to Golden: a gift.
142. Lone Star Sanctuary by Colleen Coble—Widow Allie Siders escapes to Bluebird Ranch in hopes that it will be a safe haven for her and her daughter Betsy. She has already lost her husband to war, her parents to a plane crash, and her sister to a murder. Her daughter won’t speak, and now she has a stalker after her. Allie is loathe to trust ranch owner Elijah and his foreman Rick Hansen, but she has need to trust both, and quickly. This book galloped away with my attention, and I finished it in about a day. Although I found the conclusion a bit dramatic and I did guess the stalker before he was actually revealed, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I looked forward to reading the next installment in the series!
143. Lonestar Secrets by Colleen Coble—Another damsel in distress in Texas, another marriage of convenience. I have to say that Coble does this trope well, though. She also adds some new angles to the “switched at birth” storyline. Single mom and veterinarian Shannon is such a strong woman, in spite of her traumatic upbringing and health issues. Mustang trainer Jack might be rich, but he has a good heart. And Allie and Rick Bailey from the first book on this series, Lonestar Sanctuary, also play key roles in the story as friends of Shannon and Jack. Mystery and conspiracy are afoot and there are beautiful horses and some suspense I could stand, to boot. I appreciate Coble’s emphasis on love as a choice. Although I think it’s a bit shallow to depict men as being easily won over by beautiful women, I think the struggle Shannon and Jack have in trusting one another shows a struggle many married people have, strangers or not. All in all, this is a good book, though I’m glad not the lone star of this series. I’m hoping books three and four will also live up to the hype!
144. Lonestar Homecoming by Colleen Coble—This book starts with a wedding, well, almost. Gracie is to be wed in an hour when violence strikes, causing she and her daughter Hope to hightail it home, only they really don’t have the money to make it there. Still in her wedding dress (now tattered and torn), Gracie passes out at the train straight and is caught by Lieutenant Michael Wayne, a man facing his own grief. Michael also needs someone to care for his kids while he works for Border Control. Both seeking safety, they enter into a marriage of convenience, only for their partnership and bond to be tested. Will they begin a real marriage or will it just be a sham? This book has it all, from drug cartels, personal vendettas, and murder attempts, to heartwarming prodigal stories. This book is about safety, security, and ultimately redemption.
145. Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble—No marriage of convenience here, just two people who divorced, only not fully. Clay Larson and Eden Davidson met young, had a child young, and then separated after someone kidnapped their baby. Now they have reason to believe that their daughter Brianna is alive at at Bluebird Ranch. Complexed and nuanced, this is a plot that I did not figure out ahead of time (even with trying to skim ahead). Although a few of the near-death escapes seemed a little unrealistic, the story as a whole and its lessons about faith and trust (in God and others) were invaluable. I think book two of this series was still my favorite, but what's a series without a wrap-up? This was a good one!
146. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings—and Life by Laura Vanderkam (10/18/16)—More a pamphlet than a book, this was a quick 20 minute read for me. I would say it is a short recap of one of the greatest lessons from Vanderkam’s 168 Hours book—to make use of the morning. I think I do make use of the mornings, but I also try to fit too much into them. I do need to decide what things are priorities, and what things I could do other times, or let go.
147. Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women by Kate Northrup—I am glad I read this book, but I cannot really recommend it. It has too much “woo:” psychoanalyzing, talking about the universe and the moon, along with brief mentions of astrology and other things that do not fit with my faith orientation. She also writes with a distinct feminist lens, something with which I neither fully agree nor disagree. So what was good for me? The discussion about asking for help. Being able to outsource is probably a little bit beyond my current financial status, but I could ask for help more. I hate doing it, but I hate the results of not doing it, too. The thing is that I can't do it all, and if it is true that presence is a gift to others, I have to stop doing some stuff in order to be present. Basically, this book reminded me that I have life work to do, at a time in my life when I need to keep asking questions about how to live a better life, because this one life is all I've got.
148. The Summer of Me and You by Denise Hunter—Ethan Reynolds supposedly died six years ago at his military post in Pakistan. Then his wife Maggie thinks she sees him at an amusement park. She enlists his brother (and her friend Josh) to track him down, and in the process, they have to confront (and re-confront) a lot of what has happened in their lives, Ethan's death, and beyond. Maggie's cute little girl Zoey adds to the sweetness and poignancy of this story, and the resolving of the “mystery man” truly caught me by surprise. I can't fully get behind this story of unrequited love for a few reasons (divorce and the ways advanced fertility science plays into the plot), but I can say that Hunter is a skilled author who writes an artful story. For that reason, I look forward to reading some of her other books. Her portrayal of real life and clean romance in this book give me hope!
149. Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter—Landon and Sam grew up in Nantucket as best friends, until Sam disappeared. Now she is back to flip the house that her stepfather left her. She doesn't want to face the memories of that time, but she is determined to do so for the sake of the future of her daughter Caden. Landon never left Nantucket. In fact, he still lives in his parents' old home a few doors down from Sam. He's determined to help Sam, to find out what happened to her, and to show her that “love isn't earned. It's a gift.” Sam, meanwhile, is terrified. Having lost her father and her mother ,and grown up with abuse rather than love, commitment terrifies her. She's already turned it down once, and she does everything in her power to push Landon away, including telling him the horrible reasons why she left Nantucket. She keeps up her walls, until nearly losing her life in the bay, the moment at which she chooses to surrender. This was a pretty intense book, reminding me in some ways of Redeeming Love, but with a little shorter plot development. Readers like me who actually skim the ending notes of the book will find out that this book, like Redeeming Love is allegorical. That honestly changed my perspective on the story (as I saw missed opportunities for faith integration) and raised it's ratings for me. The author says she based this Nantucket Love series on Zephaniah 3:17, and I am interested to see what she does with the rest of it.
150. Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal—I didn't really want to read this book, because what I want at this stage of life is not necessarily to be more productive, but to be more efficient, so that I can get the “have-tos” done and enjoy more of life. Still, parts of this book really resonated with me. United Kingdom Doctor Ali Abdaal found himself burned out in the medical profession, and so he took a break to make his productivity business his main gig. From that emerged this book about finding motivation, aligning values with work, blocking barriers to productive work, and learning to approach life with curiosity and wonder. I found his writing about the different types of burnout (overexertion, depletion, and misalignment) particularly insightful. This is a good book and easy to read, if you're in a season of life where it make sense to do so.
151. Unstoppable From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion by Anthony Robles with Austin Murphy [Audiobook]—Born to a 16 year-old unwed mother. Born without a leg. The odds were stacked against Anthony Robles from the start, but his mother told him that God had a purpose for him, and he lives that out. Overcoming insurmountable odds, Robles became an impressive athlete. He could crutch a mile in eight minutes. He did every workout his two-legged college wrestling team members did, even climbing Piestewa Peak. Facing problems at home and burnout, he nearly quit wrestling, but then cards from third graders got him back in the game to become a national champion during his senior year. This is a story not just of perseverance, though, but of a mother who believed in her son, of a son who tried to see the good in his abusive, unfaithful stepfather, of a Christian who tried to be upstanding in the sport. Though the Christian faith does not factor prominently into this book, it is apparent from the mentions Robles gives it that it does matter to him. I was definitely inspired listening to this. Who wouldn't be?
152. The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter—A messy, widowed carpenter. A strait-laced and uptight, but famous marriage therapist, author, and advice columnist. They marry to save her from public shame and embarrassment when her fiancé jilts her at the altar. He knows her mother and his were best friends before her mother tried to wreck his parents’ wedding. She never knew that story, but she doesn’t want him to know what her growing up life was like, either. But here they are, living in the same house, her counting down the days until she can quietly divorce him in a year and move on, him knowing that he loves her and wants her to stay. Hunter writes a nuanced plot here, and I would say she does it well. I am still struggling with the nearly perfect male characters in this series—but that is how God loves us, not conveniently, but perfectly.
*Note: I recommend this book for adults only due to mature themes such as mental illness, suicidality, and substance use, among other things.
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And that's a wrap on this month. Who's read any of these?
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