Finish 4: Book Review
One of my iChoose goals was to finish 4 books last month. I figured a book review was great accountability for that and I am ALWAYS looking for new books, so I really appreciate when other bloggers share their favorite reads.
I try to read something useful/educational, something classic, something easy and something fun. That way my brain doesn't get all overloaded or bored or sucked into the Nicholas Spark time warp where I look up and I've read 3 of his books in a week and have accomplished nothing...but those books are still really fun to read, in moderation of course.
So, in no particular order, here are the books I read this month and what I thought about them:
7 Practices of Effective Ministry (useful): The first half of this book is a fictional scenario explaining the 7 Practices in a baseball setting. I read the first half in one setting, I could have stopped there and learned an unimaginable amount. The second half is a little longer, but details the practices in true, Andy Stanley, practical and applicable form. There are real examples of how Northpoint runs their ministries and is very applicable to small ministries and large ones. I read it to increase my leadership skills in my small group of 12 girls and I have taken away a ton of points that I am working to implement. My co-leader, Jamie of Southern Simplicity, is reading it too. I cant wait to discuss it with her!
The Dressmaker (easy): This is under the easy category because I accidentally ordered it as an audiobook from the library. I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to look like a moron so I just checked it out and went home and stared at it. Finally a friend told me to listen in the car. So after a few days, I did. Im in love. Not only with this book but with this new hobby/way of travel I have now. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to and from work. So about 40 minutes total, sometimes more depending on traffic, that I get to spend enveloped in a story. I have no idea why I didn't start this sooner, I will definitely be ordering audio books for my car all the time now. It makes driving and sitting in traffic so much less stressful and I don't really mind it now. It is also the perfect way for me to disconnect from work, calm myself and refocus on home life. Social work aint the easiest job to unplug from at the end of the day, ya know? But! Here's the thing with audiobooks though, some are TERRIBLE. I got really lucky with this accidental one as my starter book. The Dressmaker is read by Claire's mom from Lost! Oh that sweet British accent, I could listen allll day! Ill have to be really careful and maybe even figure out how to preview the readers voice before ordering, because there is no way Ill be listening to a drone for 12 hours straight.
Now on to my review of the actual book: This is about a servant girl with dreams of being a fashion designer who boards the Titanic (and we all know how that ends) with a famous fashion designer who takes her under her wing but she ends up in the middle of a huge scandal. I loved it. Sweet, dramatic, makes you believe in the American spirit of hard work, honesty and morals.
Neverwhere (classic): So this guy in London has the normal life: a fiancée he doesn't love, a job he doesn't like and an apartment that he hates. Then he helps a wounded girl and subsequently he no longer exists. He gets pulled into London Below in the underworld of magic, villains, angels, sewage people, rats and royalty. He doesn't have a magical transformation but he makes real friendships, finds some things he truly believes in and stands up for his convictions. This book was fascinating. It was really odd. Some of the imagery and descriptions of characters were a little difficult for me to fully grasp. This book would be one of those that I really wish I could go back to high school English and read with my English teacher so we can point out all the symbolism and metaphors and whatnot together. I feel like I missed a lot. But if science fiction is your thing this will have you on the edge of your seat.
So, I couldn't finish 4 novels. But, I am not dismayed. I am on an upswing of a reading frenzy and that makes me happier than anything.
On deck for my next reading go round are:
The Memory Keepers Daughter, The Great Gatsby, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Bossy Pants
What are you reading? Please share, I always love recommendations!
This post is a part of the National Blog Posting Month Challenge. You can see a list of more blogs participating in this challenge here and see a full list of my posts here.