Fluent On The First Try: How To Learn Any Language And Never Quit by Federica Lupis

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

Many of us have begun to learn a language or at least thought, "I should try." Maybe it's because you want to travel. Maybe your nana or your neighbor speaks another language. Maybe you just want to touch the heart of someone from another culture.

Lupis encourages us to start! Then have fun and persist. Don't give up too soon. These practical tips, realistic roadblocks, and anecdotes of language learning and the rewards of knowing other languages besides our mother tongue/s will cheer you on.

Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin

 ★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

I wasn't sure what to expect. I get Rubin's blogs and updates but wasn't sure I'd enjoy plowing through a whole book about sensory life. Filled with quotes, studies, and personal experiences, Rubin explores what it's like to live fully and mindfully using the senses as our connection to people and the world around us.

I really like the the exercises, the value placed on awareness, whether with hearing or seeing, touching, tasting or smelling. She suggests ways to enhance daily life and the trajectory of relationships by being present through the senses. I liked her transparency with her own experiences. It was readable, interesting, and informative. 

Lots to explore and see where your own senses lead you.

Mind Shift by Erwin McManus

★★★★★ The publisher provided a copy for review

Erwin R. McManus is hardly new on the coaching or pastoral scene. He's know for his passionate pursuit of creative communication and encouraging others. He's done a lot of things already - movies, church, fashion, etc.

In this latest book, he reviews internal-mental shifts that lead to success and a full happy life of service. They include a focus on people, integrity, knowing that even the best relationships may be seasonal, the importance of hard work, and much more.

It's hardly ground-breaking or cutting edge new information. Rather, it is an essential summary of 12 core values that are often ignored in current culture. 

I listened to it twice, and that's the first book I've done that with in years - because I didn't want to miss the lessons. I took notes. I'm going to pass it on to the people I mentor and share it with my mentors.

The Essential Questions for Couples Journal: A Workbook to Help Find, Keep and Connect to Love by Randall Chapman, Kate Chapman

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
 Want a workbook to restart the romance? Want to explore why you're better together? 

Find out more about each other while you affirm your past. You'll begin to understand why you're together and what's behind your partner's actions and thoughts. 

Lots of questions, and lots of fun ahead for couples of any age. Answer for yourself or your partner - and see how well you know each other. How close do you come to their observations or your past and present, as well as your dreams and aspirations?

Love is a puzzle but this workbook may hold the key to some missing pieces. Enjoy!

Embrace Your Almost: Find Clarity and Contentment in the In-Betweens, Not-Quites, and Unknowns by Jordan Lee Dooley

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 
Maybe you had big dreams and thought your plans were certain to work out. What if they didn't? What happens when disappointment or less-than-success is the result of your efforts instead?

Dooley examines the "almost" accomplishments that can derail our hopes and make us feel stuck. He offers options for moving on from what didn't go as planned.

Is life still good? Can you still contribute and feel that life has purpose and meaning. He says a resounding yes, and asks you to consider what you may have learned, grown in, and clarified by failures and pain.

Get this if you're stuck or in transition.

At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof

★★★★★ The publisher provided a copy for review 

Maybe you look back longingly at the work you used to do, at the projects you used to finish, and the milestones you used to reach. COVID's been a strange beast, hasn't it? It's affected everybody. 

Maybe you're feeling stressed and almost at the end of your rope, fighting for equilibrium in this strange and unknown season. If so, this book is for you.

Nieuwhof is always an interesting writer, and this volume on avoiding burnout is no exception. He helps the reader diagnose things that aren't working (and maybe some things that weren't working in the past for you.) He invites you to look at stress points and where you are functioning at less than capacity.

The author offers choices for going forward: what is the life you are designed to live? How do you get there - to live at 100% rather than surviving day to do. I'm not giving away his advice or secrets. Read them for yourself!

Do It for a Day by Mark Batterson

★★★★★ The publisher provided a copy for review 

"Show me your habits and I'll show you your future. It's that simple. It's that complicated." The book starts with this provoking observation.

Batterson says that in 30 Days, you can change the trajectory of your life by examining where you are now, where you are headed, and how you can be more intentional about the direction of your life.

If you're uncertain what the future holds, this is the book for you. By putting deliberate steps in place, you  give yourself the advantage - life does not have to be random and others shouldn't be planning your future. Buy this book.

Wake Up Grateful by Kristi Nelson

 Science shows that even a minute of gratitude rewires the brain. What if you could rewire your brain to more positivity and creativity that easily?

However, author Kristi Nelson posits that thanks once in a while isn't the same as grateful living. She introduces 5 principles for grateful living - and encourages the read to adapt these into daily life. Whether it's being kind to yourself, others, or relishing nature, a life of gratitude spills over into care for the world.

Pick this one up if COVID has you dragging your heels or hunched at home depressed. Nelson will challenge you with good questions, can-do encouragement, and her own stories. Enjoy it!

The Art of Tablescaping by Bugsy Drake

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review

Are you pretty serious about hospitality - or do you just want to enjoy the fun of setting a table? This book is loaded with ideas. It's like stepping into a Southern belle's brain. How do you theme a party? What resources and help do you need to pull it off?

I'm more of a general idea person so was boggled with the level of detail - from concept to text to photos. If you're a perfectionist, you're gonna LOVE it. Buy it to kick off your own creativity, too.

Block Print for Beginners by Elise Young

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review

If you've ever wondered about making your own stamps or blocks, want to put color on fabric or paper, or just want to explore a new craft, you'll enjoy this beginner manual. Young makes it simple with clear instructions, options to customize your work, and drawings. 

Have fun! This is definitely one for my artsy friends to try.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness by Olivia Telford

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

How is your mental health? Struggling with depression, anxiety, phobias, procrastination, or sleeplessness? Maybe there are other ways that your mind is sabotaging your health.

Telford offers some practical but research-based ways that a therapist would guide you through the process of healing. It's not self-help exactly (unless you can read it and do the steps yourself.) 

It's more of a guide and explanations that you can work through with a therapist when you have trouble changing your own thinking. Highly recommended as helpful as we muddle through the pandemic.

Soul Anatomy: Finding Peace, Hope, and Joy in the Psalms by George Robertson

 ★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

If you're wondering what scripture has to say to your emotions and your mental health during this pandemic and beyond, here's a series of "talks to the soul" that will lift you up. Whether you are happy or sad, angry or calm, afraid or confident, the Psalms address every aspect of our response to God and those around us. 

Robertson explores the psalms - and encourages us to deeply reflect in reading and response on what God is doing. Is your life going smoothly? Choose a chapter about that. Are you suffering because of others' decisions? There's a psalm for that.

At the end of each chapter, you can personally record how you are engaging with scripture and bringing God's reassuring presence into your life. Recommended to all.

Get Outside - a journal for getting into nature

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review. 

You have been considering taking walks, going camping, or exploring other ways of getting out of the house or office. During the pandemic, you've found that time in nature is transforming and life-giving, right?

But where to go in the USA? What to do when you stand outside your door or get out of the car? This Ink&Willow book has multiple to-go lists, from hikes to parks, to ideas of how you can restore your soul by getting OUTSIDE.

It's new, it's fun to browse, and you'll find a bucket-list to suit you. While this is specific to North America, it will give you a blueprint to follow around the world. Have fun!

Recommended for the sedentary who need inspiration as well as the active who just need new places to go.

Stand Out Networking A Simple and Authentic Way to Meet People on Your Own Terms by Dorie Clark

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Relationships built up over time are valuable and can change the course of life and work. Rather than manipulative name-collecting, Clark advocates for - and explains how to - genuine networks that are of mutual and expansive in their reach.

Clark says, "Rightly understood, networking is a way of living your life with integrity, helping others, and benefiting in proportion to the mount you do and the way you navigate the world." The longterm investment of self in other people brings lifelong benefits and opportunities.

The core mindset of kindness and looking out for others is explored with how-tos, suggestions for maximum effectiveness, and encouragement to become part of a global network that brings mutual and widespread advantages.

Well worth consideration.

MicroShifts Transforming Your Life One Step at a Time by Gary Jansen

★★★★★ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
If it's too hard to make big changes, what happens when small changes are repeated over and over again? Life transformation or big changes in trajectory can be a result of tiny decisions day after day. Jansen encourages the reader to accept challenges by moving toward them incrementally. The stories, examples, and incentives mentioned make transformation seem not only possible but attractive.

Move forward, one small step at a time. Start by reading this book.

Why? What makes us Curious? by Mario Livio

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
What's the first question you remember asking? The curiosity that drives innovation and exploration is unique to humans. Livio explores the qualities of asking "why" that compel us to seek answers. No matter what work we are drawn to - science, art, mathematics, literature ... we want to know why and what and how, when, what for, and what ways things work.

A fascinating look at the inner life and outer workings of curious minds.

The Mindful Writing Workshop: Teaching in the Age of Stress and Trauma by Richard Koch

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Stuff happens. Life does not always unfold as it should, with loving parents, caring siblings, and trustworthy friends. Nor does the environment always stay peaceful and supportive of children as they grow up.

This book is intended as a working manual for guiding children through their traumas and stresses toward health and an integrated, productive life. Koch presents an opportunity for a classroom in which children can choose their part in the activities from options that draw them out and draw them forward. The key values are compassion, kindness, respect, and attention from teachers, which are fostered among the students themselves.

Though the underlying philosophy is Buddhism, the principles of caring for each other are valuable and important. Christian teachers (and those of other religions) can translate the values of respectful compassion into their own ways of thinking and pedagogy. This worthy volume will deepen conversation, enhance interactive learning, and encourage respectfulness among colleagues and our students.

Recommended.

Science in a Jar by Julia Garstecki

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Sometimes I fondly remember the days of homeschooling, when our four kids were baking, cooking, blowing things up, and painting. This book would have been great fun - it allows you to explore the environment and speculate on what might happen.

Then it gives you ideas on what you can do and what should happen: "What could you learn from this project?" Parents will like it for its lessons - but kids will like it because it's a fun book and there are lots of ideas.

Recommended.

The Simple Life Guide To Decluttering Your Life by Gary Collins

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
We've become buried in stuff. And we want to live well. So there are a lot of "simplify" books out there. This one was useful because it categorized the various aspects of life in a different way: time, space, energy, etc. We need to declutter. We know that.

And here's a fresh look at how you might do it - and the freedom you're about to experience from that process. Recommended.

Inside Outside by Linda O'Keeffe

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
This landscaping picture book includes a lot of practical suggests as it explores structure and beauty through text and pictures.

There are enough photos to inspire you and enough white space for notes - I recommend circling what catches your eye and making it a workbook, beyond the coffee table.

Recommended.