View from a Blue Bike

I always intend to do a better job of consistently blogging about the books I've read and then life gets busy, I end up with my nose in a book and a month has gone by without a post.   Lately, I've been into audio books as well, which has increased  my reading by so much but I'll save my post about the merits of Audio books for another time.  Today, I want to share one of the books I just finished reading.  It's just recently been published.  That alone is something for me to blog about, I usually hear about a book after it's been on the best seller list for several months.  The name of the book is View from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider.  She subtitles it, "the art of living intentionally in a chaotic world" .   The book appealed to me on so many levels and as I read, I found myself at times, remembering the past and yet, dreaming about the future.  

Tsh has a unique way of looking at life.  Much of her wisdom comes from the opportunities she has had to live internationally and witness first hand, the slower pace of life compared to the fast pace of the United States.  She also has the unique perspective of working for herself, which does afford more of a sense of control over her schedule.  What made me want to savor every page of her book was the fact that she is so authentic.  She didn't push a value system on me, she didn't claim to have it all figured out, she just shared what had worked for her family and in doing so allowed me the opportunity to think how it might work for mine.

Tsh is in a much different phase of life and parenting that I am but living intentionally is something that I've been trying to do myself. Sometimes I'm pulling my family along for the ride, but as they are becoming adults of their own, sometimes I'm just hoping they are watching me lead by example. And as I ride off on my own "blue bike", (mine's actually white), living intentionally will bring each of us to a closer understanding of what life was meant to be.

The Glass Castle

Several years ago a friend recommended I read "A Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  It went on my wish list but I never seemed to make it a priority.  This year, as I started the "Empty Shelf Challenge", I also wanted to try and go back through my wish list and read recommended books as well as some of the classics.  As I read the Glass Castle, I found myself wondering, why I waited so long to read it!

The author shares her life story in a way that touches every fiber of your body and makes the reader sit up and evaluate what it means to overcome.  The amazing part is, she does it with humor and a sense of purpose that in spite of her life circumstances, you are drawn in not with anger but with compassion.

Ms. Walls grew up in what we would now label a dysfunctional family; but at the time, it was all she knew.  The extreme poverty did not define her, nor did her alcoholic father, or challenged mother, instead, she used each circumstance to build her own strength and character.   Her vivid descriptions, place the reader in her "home" in the desert, or her "home" in West Virginia.   Whether she is baking in the Arizona heat or freezing in the West Virginia weather, she recognizes her value and challenges herself, her siblings, and yes, her parents to be over-comers.

As I look back on my own childhood, I recognize that each of us are shaped by the circumstances of our growing up years but we are also each made stronger through whatever adventure we are thrust into.   Ms. Walls allowed me to see that my past, whether 40, 30, 20, 10, or 5 years ago shapes who I am but becoming who I am is defined everyday.   As I fill my shelf this year, in addition to making sure the shelf doesn't remain empty.  I want to clear off the shelf of the clutter that isn't making room for more.  I want the shelf to be full of a new past-one that labels me just as the author demonstrates; full of unconditional love.

7 by Jen Hatmaker

New Year's Day is only a few days away and I shared yesterday about the Empty Shelf Challenge from Jon Acuff.  I added my first book today.  O.K.  I admit, I didn't read an entire book in one day but with a little head start and a day at home I was able to finish this amazing book and feel challenged for the New Year.

7 has a subtitle, "an experimental mutiny against excess"  The author takes us along with her as she identifies 7 areas of her life that she wants to focus on reducing the excess.  Some are as tangible as only wearing 7 items of clothing for an entire month ( I could do this if I didn't have to wear scrubs to work-I'm thinking about modifying it).  Some were a little more complex, like reducing stress.  In addition to these two areas, she also tackles, spending, waste, food, possessions, and media.  

The most refreshing part of the entire book is that she didn't get all legalistic on us.  She was authentic when she screwed up, and she also allowed others to bless her or take a challenge alongside her.   I've been in a minimalist mode for the past several months.  Slowly and methodically, clearing the clutter.  It is much easier said than done, when you have 6 people living in one house, we got a lot of STUFF!  What I'm finding though is exactly what Jen was able to identify in her experiment.  The less I have, the more I can focus on living the life God designed for me.  

My favorite quote of the entire book came near the end, when she said, "when did the church stop living the Bible and instead start studying it?"   I want to live the Bible and if cutting the excess stuff out of my life can help direct me down that path-I'm all for it.   Let's see how many passengers will come along with me.  Oh, By The Way, I'm not cutting down my reading or blogging to 7, so get ready to help me fill that Empty Shelf and I bet by the end of the year, we'll all have at least 7 ways reading has impacted our lives!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Empty Shelf Project

I follow Jon Acuff on several social media sites and he has a challenge that I want to extend to all of you...It's called the Empty Shelf project.   I'm attaching the link to his blog, you'll have scroll down to his 12/24/2013 entry to read it, but the 4-1-1 on the project is to find an shelf in your home and empty it!  As you read books through the year, add them to the shelf.   At the end of the year, you're shelf will have a whole new look and you will have a whole new reading list that you've developed.  Who knows, maybe it will spur you on to write your own reading blog!   So get going...empty that shelf, start reading and see what exciting things happen through the world of books in 2014!


http://acuff.me/

Amy

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Every once in a while, you need a book that is a total escape from reality.  Gone Girl is certainly that kind of book.  Writing a book review for this book has proved to be difficult because as the book kept me guessing until the last page, any specific information that I share with my readers has the potential to spoil the surprise. 

The book is full of surprises and interestingly, it is written from the viewpoint of both main characters over a period of time.  When Nick’s wife goes missing, his side of the story begins to unravel.  One minute I found myself rooting for Nick and the next, just like the supporting characters in the story, I found myself unsure about Nick, but of course at this point in the book I am only hearing Nick’s story.  Enter his missing wife, Amy, and my swaying back and forth between how I feel is compounded. 

 In a series of entries, written by either Amy or Nick, the author succeeds in causing me not only to doubt Nick’s story, but Amy’s as well and in turn, doubt my response as the reader.  Do I like the characters or am I mad at them?  Do I believe Nick or Amy?  Do I stay up just 30 more minutes and read or do I turn out the light so I can start my day in the morning?  I tended to stay up too late, get honked at in the drive trough as I was reading to get to the next part, and urgently read before I needed to return it to the library.  These are all components of a successful fiction book filled with escape and mystery.  

You’ll keep reading until the end and find yourself wishing for just a little more!

Bread and Wine

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist

I love it when I chose a book that I know nothing about and absolutely fall in love with the book, the author, and the words.   I had that experience with Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  Ms. Niequist writes about some of my favorite subjects, food, family, and her Christian walk and she does it with honesty and humility. 

From the introduction, where she says, “Food is the language of care, the thing we do when traditional language fails us, when we don’t know what to say, when there are not words to say. …  It’s the think that connects us, that bears our traditions, …our ability to live and breathe each day.  Food matters”, to the closing chapters where she pens the words, “And the table is where we return to stitch our hearts back together after the breaking”. 

Along the way she shares recipes and stories that are from the heart.  The stories make me want to recreate not only the meals but to create my own memories surrounding them.  I believe that is her intention.  She hopes to instill in each reader, a love not only for the food but more importantly for the symbolism that we can begin to associate with each family dinner, with each bar-b-que with friends, and with each breaking of bread in our faith. 

I fell in love with the book, I am now a faithful reader of her blog and you can absolutely be sure that I am ready to read her other two books but I think I’ll do that after I enjoy a little “Bread and Wine”.  

Paris In Love

Maybe it’s the secret desire I have to reinvent myself, or maybe it’s the recognition that life is as full as we make it; but something drew me to the title of this book and the synopsis which shared the author and her family relocating to Paris for a year.   Although I am not sure I would be quite that adventurous, throwing caution to the wind, and spending a year reconnecting with myself and those closest to me doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

Ms. James is extremely candid throughout the book and though brutally honest at times, I found myself wondering how much rebellion she must have truly faced when she uprooted her husband, and two children, ages 15 and 11 to leave the life they had created for one entire year.  In my home, we would have had a revolt.  Her family seemed to embrace the adventure even with the hurdles they encountered along the way.

The memoir is broken up in to little tidbits of her life.  Some as short as a facebook post, and most no more than an “blog”, but in these short essays she covers the entire year, highlighting both the high and low points.  I chose to listen to this book on audio tape but I would recommend the paper or electronic version since her writing style in this book, jumps quickly from one moment to the next.  Listening on audio could quickly lead to confusion.  Once I realized the writing/listening style.  I found myself eager to listen to her next essay.  From the friends they made, to the struggles her family had,  from the 27 pound chiuaua to the death of her dear friend Rose, you’ll find yourself laughing and crying within the same few moments. 

Moments that replicate life for all of us, whether in a small rural community, a large city, or even Paris France, are easily identified in her honest sharing of Paris in Love