Who Needs a Good Book??

I love getting good book recommends, so I thought I'd share a few of my recent favorites with you all.

Ready? Let's go.... (in no particular order).

Secular Fiction: 

THE STORYTELLER by, Jodi Picoult

Click here for the link on Amazon

I have really enjoyed Picoult's recent books. She is well researched and able to formulate a thought provoking, unpredictable novel. This story has a few plots interwoven, but one of the main plots is the story of a girl who survived Auschwitz--simply fascinating.


Fiction/ Historical Non-Fiction

THE 19th WIFE by, David Ebershoff

Click here for the link on Amazon

This book is unlike anything I have ever read. It is a present day murder mystery within the Fundamentalist Mormon community (fiction portion) intertwined with an original work set in 1875 when Ann Eliza Young (one of Brigham Young's wives) tried to rid the nation of polygamy (non-fiction). Mixed in with both of these stories are historical documents from the Latter Day Saints' archives. The way this "novel" comes together is nothing short of a work of art. And, as always, I was incredibly interested in reading about the Fundamentalist Mormon community.


Christian Fiction

SWIMMING TO THE SURFACE by, Kristin Billerbeck

Click here for the link on Amazon

WHAT A GIRL WANTS by, Kristin Billerbeck

Click here for the link on Amazon

I came across this author from a recommendation from a friend. They are lighthearted, easy reads. I'm currently reading What a Girl Wants and I find myself laughing out loud. Billerbeck does a good job of keeping her novels light, entertaining, and not at all cheesy.


Young Adult

MATCHED TRILOGY by Ally Condie

Click here for the link on Amazon

I LOVE reading young adult books--probably because I teach "young adults" (if you can call them that). This book was recommended to me by Erin Moffitt and I LOVED the trilogy. It's a mix of futuristic science fiction (which I normally don't love) with a bit of reality (which I do love). I can handle (and actually really enjoy) science fiction when the characters are realistic and believable, and when I can actually believe that the circumstances could possibly happen, although highly unlikely. This novel did just that.


(Christian) Non-Fiction 

GOD LOVES UGLY by, Christa Black

Click here for the link on Amazon

From the book description: In this raw testimony, Christa Black takes women on a step-by-step journey of faith and positive belief to reveal that if God loves ugly, then we can too. 

From a review on Amazon: "If ever there was a book worth reading and a journey worth taking, it is this one. Christa has a remarkable way of putting her heart on paper. GOD LOVES UGLY will encourage you to search your own and rediscover truth, beauty and how love changes everything. Whether you're nine or 109, the words in these pages will teach you to see with new eyes." (--Kari Jobe, Worship Leader, Songwriter)

I just started reading this book, and man, it'll hit you straight to the heart--no matter what you're going through (even if you think you aren't "going through" anything!). It is a quick, easy read, but the end of each chapter gives you an opportunity to stop, reflect, and journal. I'd encourage all of you to check out this book and take this journey with Christa.



I hope I gave you a wide range of book recommendations. Now what do you have for me?!? 

How to Deal 3.0

In case you missed them, check out:

A Letter to the Church from a Single Lady

How to Deal 1.0

and

How to Deal 2.0 

And today I bring to you....

How to Deal 3.0: Good Reads

Reading good solid truth is always an excellent choice when it comes to remaining in the correct mindset, dealing with challenges, and battling against struggles. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Psalm 139 (click here to read the entire chapter) 

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. It's currently the background picture on my phone. One summer I was challenged to read it every day for a month--it's incredible how the Lord speaks to you in different ways through the same words. Give it a try!

This Momentary Marriage by, John Piper

Click here to check it out on Amazon--"This Momentary Marriage unpacks the biblical vision, its unexpected contours, and its weighty implications for married, single, divorced, and remarried alike." 

Why, you ask, does reading a book about marriage help you deal with being single? Well, it enables you understand marriage as God created it and intends it, it helps prepare you for marriage (if that's what God wills), and it helps you, as a single person, keep a correct Biblical view of marriage, not a romanticized Disneyprincess version of it. 

The Land Between by, Jeff Manion 

Click here to check it out on Amazon--Manion "uses the biblical story of the Israelites' journey through Sinai desert as a metaphor for being in undesired, transitional space." 

Hmmm....undesired, transitional space? Yup. It's a good, solid read. 

The Sexy Celibate blog by, Kate Hurley

Click here to check it out! I love love love it! Her tagline: Thirty something. Christian. Fully Clothed.

I'm also quite excited her book that was just released--Getting Naked Later. I just ordered it, and I'm quite excited about her great sense of humor and her raw heart.

...and on the docket to read after Getting Naked Later is...

The Meaning of Marriage by, Timothy Keller

Click here to check it out on Amazon--"Timothy Keller with his wife of 36 years, delivers The Meaning of Marriage, an extraordinarily insightful look at the keys to happiness in marriage that will inspire Christians, skeptics, singles, long-time married couples, and those about to be engaged."

I'm thinking this will be along the same lines as Piper's book--I'm quite looking forward to learning as much as possibly and dealing as well as I possibly can. :)