2024… Your Year of More: Plan your goals and invest your efforts by Noah William Smith

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review. 
Forget the date. We're halfway through the year and I'm still finding the questions in this A-Z book helpful. If you like coaching yourself or others, you'll find a topic that resonates.

I liked that I could choose a topic - an emotion, action, or idea - and work through it at my own pace. I'm stingy at giving 5-star reviews but this has been useful all year. And I plan to go back to it next year and in the coming years.

If you're stuck, trying to get to the next level in goal-setting and self-understanding ... or if you're doing practical get-in-motion counseling to encourage your employees, grown kids, or friends to take the next step, grab a copy.

The Journal by Tiffany Joans

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
 Many of us keep journals. Sometimes the things we write have shaped us. And sometimes they influence who we are becoming. What if someone else read your journal and "met you" this way? 

This story of finding a home and finding a heart-companion is a tale of second (and third?) chances.

If you struggle to trust, to rebuilt a broken past, and want a good story to create hope and open your heart to possibility, read this one. Good for a girls-only book club, too.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Some people are central to all their circles - family, friends, schools, churches, neighborhoods ... and such is Annie. When she dies, her influence continue to shape the lives of those who loved and knew her.

This book is full of characters you want to meet and get to know. You'll experience their emotions, their consideration of how to act and think, and their realization that life goes on but memories remain forever.

Since the Day We Danced by Kerk Murray

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
 A sweet romance that offers the potential for a second chance. When you're blind-sided by divorce, wishing love would come, or just want characters you cheer for, this will be a book for you.

I struggled through it because the background was dark - but what I read was a story I'd take on a commute or shove in my tote bag for a day away. You'll get absorbed in the romance and possibilities.

Healing What You Can't Erase by Christopher Cook

 

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
It happened. It was ugly. Awful. Traumatic. And here you are, broken and bleeding.

How do you deal with what you can't change? Is it possible to move on without keeping your victim status intact? Do you even want to?

Maybe you wonder if God cares about your future when he's allowed the past to be marked with suffering. Is he able to restore your heart, your compassion, and your trust?

If you want to heal, if you want a clear path forward, please get this. 

When It Hurts to Hope by Rachel Miller

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
What happens when your expectations are unfulfilled? When life as you thought it would be is passing you by? Miller tells stories and gives counsel on how to live a full life - even when it's not the life you hoped for.

Honest in its emotions and strong in passion, the book allows the reader to explore unmet needs and disappointments. It names our biases and unhealthy responses. And it offers healthier ways of dealing with pain, abandonment, and rejection.

Read it. Be affirmed in faith. Be affirmed in personhood. And risk trying on the ideas in daily life. Miller offers tips and tools to move forward and live life to the fullest - especially when it's not all that you dreamed it would be.

Three Keys by Laura Pritchett

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
The second act of life, as it's sometimes called, can be more than challenging. Setting out to redefine who she is in middle age without a husband, child, or job, Ammalie is in for more than adventure. 

You'll enjoy this tale of discovery, mishaps and danger, surprises and cautions. A likable character, a complex plot, and a satisfying story. What's not to love?

The Art of Work by Jeff Goins

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

It's worth a deep dive into this book. For me, it triggers many memories of how life was in my 20s and 30s. Before I married, I had high energy and was willing to try anything. It was life without limits. After decades of staying home with our kids and watching my husband thrive at work, I became much more contained and constrained. 

Goins says that passion and luck are not enough to move you into your calling. It takes careful attention to opportunities and things that you allow to shape you, the help of others, grit when things get tough, and an unwavering commitment to master who you are designed to be.

I liked the stories, the assurance that every unique person has something to contribute, and the "Start From Here!" attitude in the book.

Whether you're going at full speed toward worthwhile goals or stuck, Goins has something to offer. It may be a reminder of who you are or can be. It may be a challenge to pick up what you really care about. And it may be a shout-out to courage if you're struggling.

Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the world by Philippa J. White

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Why are human connections important in this age of digital messaging and AI? White offers stories of people around the world who make a difference by networking, doing what they love, and creating where they live.

As an artist, the stories of wonder and connections spoke to my heart. They made me hopeful that people remain when settings and circumstances shift. Life is not all about screens and efficiency and templates. Work is not just about hierarchy and status and ability.

Sometimes the simplest and most direct ways toward positive changes and meeting needs are found in the people who are nearby. People who dream, call others into their circles, and lead by being themselves. 

Whether you're in a season of restrictions or others' boundaries, or if you're in a wide-open sea of possibilities, there's a story for you. You'll be inspired and you'll be challenged. 

In the global economy, in the season of high innovation and attrition, this is a most-read for anyone working interculturally or developing a business outside their home culture. Don't miss this one if you're spinning your wheels, wondering whether you or your team are an extinct species.

The Women of Wynton's by Donna Mumma

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
This book draws the reader into the backdrops of women's power, privilege, education, and interactions.

It explores how women see each other: threat, burden, helper, or friend? How do they boost each other or keep other women from thriving?

Those themes unfold in this wonderful story of structure, intuition, and intentions. Though the settings are old-fashioned, the observations ring true and are satisfying in scope and resolution.

I recommend this for feminists and traditional thinkers, male and female. Mumma understands women's hearts and abilities as they're lived out at home and under external power structures. She pictures the need for accountability, mentors, and people who make the way for anyone viewed as less privileged. 

And in the process, she encourages the reader to seize the day for themselves. A book that enthralled me at times and reminded me of the push and pull of relationships within our assumptions of who someone else is. You'll cheer for the characters as you close the book. And maybe, just maybe, you'll try something you've resisted and been afraid to tackle. Maybe you'll have the courage to approach someone you thought was beyond you - up or down in your hierarchies and webs of connections.

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
This story slowly sucks you into the internal worlds of its characters. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it because it took me a while to understand who was who.

And then I became invested in the conversations.

If you like deep dives into the personality and progress of couples, marriages, family life, and communities, you'll enjoy this one. Take your time to get to know the characters and the setting. Your last exhale as you ready the final page is worth the journey.

I Want to Move On: Break Free from Bitterness and Discover Freedom in Forgiveness by Lauren Vander Linden

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Many of us are not free. We remain tangled up in the past, holding onto bitterness and hurts. We have been betrayed, unjustly accused, or offended. Whether we excuse ourselves, delay forgiveness, or refuse to consider it, we cannot break free from disappointments and offenses until we let go. 

Going through a variety of excuses - self-justification, bitterness as a valid response, assuming offenses, and more - Vander Linden develops an understanding of personal harm and collateral damage, the consequences of holding onto grudges and not forgiving.

If your heart is hurting, if you're ready to change direction, and if you're ready to heal, get a copy. It will transform your future and change the past's grip on your heart.

Through the Valley of Grief by Mattie Jackson

★★★★★  The publisher provided a copy for review. 
Here's a companion for the year - or if you skip days here and there - for the whole season of grieving. you can feel the emotions and spiritual progress on each page, written by someone who has experienced the deepest sorrow and the process of restoration and healing.

"The book I wish I had," writes the author, who lost her husband a year into marriage. There are 4 kinds of devotions: wait (lament); connect (a defense against utter withdrawal); worship (honesty in offering praise from the heart); and hope (peace in the storms that follow a loss).

Each day offers a scripture, a short devotional, and a question to help you consider what you are experiencing. It's a hopeful and compassionate journey from devastation to acceptance. Highly recommended after closure of many kinds - loss of relationships, persons, jobs, and other expectations.

What if you're right? by Emily Colwell

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review
Colwell writes with empathy and integrity about her exploration of sickness and need, beliefs and worldviews. While you may not agree with her current state of faith or her conclusions, the journey is an interesting one.

Scripture tells us that each person is uniquely shaped in the image of God with purpose and meaning. Often the people around us try to shame and shape us into their own image. I was blessed with parents who affirmed that God was amazing and able to handle questions and doubts. Human life was a great adventure and there was a reason for the way I was made.

"Don't let anyone put you in a box," was my dad's reoccurring warning.

In this book, Colwell chronicles her journey as a doctor and adviser from the viewpoint that she gets to decide who she is and who she is becoming. I'm heartsick at the direction she's going (the universal god-squad) but interested to see how her life will be shaped by honest enquiry in the future.

The Baxters by Karen Kingsbury

★★★★★  What a sweet set - you'll love the Baxters. They experience most of life: illness, heartbreak, family and work challenges, yet keep their faith at the center. Start with this prequel if you want a clean novel series with spiritual content. Oh, and there are romances old and new to keep you smiling.

I'd also recommend this if you're a politician or manager trying to understand the American Christian worldview. Kingsbury nails the interests and aspirations of healthy Christians as they face challenges in this compelling and interesting story.

You'll like the people, relate to the circumstances, and look for the next books once you turn the last page of the saga. Good luck in reading only one of these!

Make your art no matter what by Beth Pickens

★★★★ ☐ When you're ready to move beyond excuses to action, here's your coaching book. I've recommended this to friends who are professional coaches because the topics are relevant across disciplines - art, business, life ... anyone could benefit.

Pickens' questions are excellent and focused, whether you are stuck about time, energy, money, or other common ticking points. The last coach I talked with noted how incredible it is to have these mentors available today.

Pickens will take away all your "good reasons" and help you prioritize what matters to you. That may not be what you think it is - and knowing that everything has a tradeoff and you can put certain things on hold can be reassuring.

Another book that belongs on my bookshelf - and yours.

#makeyourartnomatterwhat #bethpickens 

Progress by Johan Norberg

★★★★ ☐ If you watch the news, you've probably bought into the story that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Life, society, and the planet are so terrible that they are imminently burning up, freezing out, on fire, under water, or ready for another cataclysmic disaster.

You need this book.

Norberg examines 10 factors that make today "the good old days," as he puts it. These include a look at the food supply, modern sanitation, life expectancy, the environment, abundant literacy, places of freedom ... and more. Life has never been THIS good, he argues.

I was encouraged by his broad view of facts from current research and history. He may make an optimist out of you, so if you struggle with depression and tuning out because "this is such an awful time to be alive," you may be in for a pleasant turnaround. 

Get the book!

When Religion Hurts You by Laura E. Anderson

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
It seems like a lot of previously religious people are tossing in the towel. They're becoming areligious or anti-religious. Sometimes they walk away from settings where they cannot bring their doubts and questions to God or religious leaders. Sometimes it's because of cultish abuse, mental anguish, sexual trauma and other issues.

Anderson gives hope for healing from such traumas. She uses psychology to consider the control issues and abuse that lead to fear and lack of trust in adults and authorities. She does a good job.

I recognize much of what she writes about. My family and my husband's family grew up in a high-control ethnic church where peer pressure (on adults and children) and edicts from the pulpit were prominent. Those defined what was acceptable in theology, recreation, and clothing (hey, no jewelry but brooches; though fancy hats with feathers and other ornaments were ok).

Preachers defined and warned against interactions "with the world." Any thinking child or teen knew some of the strict prescriptions were a double standard or just made no sense. But we went along with it and carried on as a group.

However, the balance for me was that our family had a personal faith and welcomed questions. We children could ask our parent questions as long as we asked respectfully - no sassing or badmouthing. (I don't consider genuine respect for authority to be abusive; it was healthy and reassuring for kids.) My mom and dad sincerely answered with what they did and didn't know. And they encouraged my brothers and me to search the scriptures for ourselves and pray for guidance. 

That worked for me. We left a lot of the cultural baggage and narrow theology behind as university students and adults.

And then we had children who grew up in the next generation of faith. We were much less restrictive but still rule-bound as "strict" parents. So our kids challenged us even more.

We did some weird stuff with dress codes. Ask my daughter about the skirts she wore over her shorts in elementary gym class - what was I thinking? By her teens, I resorted to "wear whatever's modest" for our fashionista, since living in Seattle in the 90s offered grunge clothes in dark, limp, secondhand cover-ups. 

"Don't you care what your kids are wearing?" asked people at church. (Nope. "Modest enough, they're not naked," made this mama happy.) 

And that happened with other things. Because our own parent allowed us to explore the faith, we gradually shed the culture and unclenched our religion. As parents ourselves, we chose the principles of Love God; Love others as more important than following religious mandates that were not in scripture.

"I hate the dumb rules," said one of our teens of the strict codes of behavior and dress in his private school. "I don't think any of this matters. And I don't want to be a hypocritical follower of Jesus by looking good and being unchanged inside like some of my classmates."

"I think you're right, but you're in a place where it matters to your teachers," I replied. "Definitely don't adopt a fake religion with an unchanged heart. Work out your faith with God ... because God is not afraid of your questions. You made a promise to obey him when you were baptized, so take up your issues with him."

So he did. And he came out not only alive, but with more questions and a thriving robust faith.

I'm sorry for those who were brutalized by abuse. I understand the pain like some of our young peers experienced without the balance of being able to ask sincere questions and develop healthy skepticism against strange old-country habits. They weren't able to assimilate truth while living with weird cultural constraints and autocratic boundaries. 

If you're one of those, this book will help you heal. Just don't throw it all away because other stuff got mixed in with scripture. Don't deconstruct to the point where there are no core values left as foundations for growth and abundance.

Always remember that God's not afraid of your questions. The One whose math keeps the planets spinning and the God how hope who renews the ground isn't afraid to let you explore. He cheers your search for what's real and applauds when you leave behind what's been added to his grace, justice, and lovingkindness.

--PS The people Jesus got angry and frustrated with were religious leaders who insisted on adding their burdens to the freedom and liberty of a life with God. Check him out in the eyewitness accounts of his contemporaries in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success (No Matter What Life Throws at You) by Jim VandeHei

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
The main points are in bold. The text is thin and digestible. If you want wisdom from a successful elder, here you go.

You've heard or read much of this before. But the clarity of presentation and the grouping of ideas makes it possible to take a nibble at a time of VandeHei's experience and mentorship.

Enjoy it when you have a project, are tackling something risky, or if you're just stuck and need inspiration. 

Love Has a Name: Learning to Love the Different, the Difficult, and Everyone Else by Adam Weber

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.
Weber explores the different kinds of love that Jesus offers his followers. With stories and personal experiences, we are invited into the life of loving others.

You'll probably have to wipe a few tears and will certainly laugh aloud. Whether you are that person who is in need of understanding and love or you are the person who needs to understand and love those who are not like you ... you'll find inspiration and joy in this book.

Recommended for those who struggle to accept others. Or those who have a hard time being accepted.