Be Kind to Yourself!

It can be so difficult to be kind to yourself. Often the words we use in our self-talk or our lack of taking time for ourselves to rest and rejuvenate are exactly the opposite of what we would say or encourage anyone else to do. I think we have heard the acronym JOY, put Jesus first, then Others, then Yourself so often that in many respects we feel guilty being kind to ourselves and feel that it is not what "good Christians" do. Well, hang on to your hats, because this brand new book gives you permission and encouragement as well as specific ideas on how to Be Kind to Yourself!

To many readers, the name Cindy Bunch is not unfamiliar as she is the associate publisher and director of editorial for InterVarsity Press and is particularly involved in their Formatio line of spiritual formation books. As such she's been around the publishing business for a long time, but Be Kind to Yourself is her first book she has written beyond LifeGuide Bible Studies. One of the first things you notice about this book is that it is a "doing book" rather than a book to simply read. Throughout the book from p. 7 to near the last page, Bunch highlights a variety of practices in which the reader can engage. These practices are so important that there is an index of them at the back of the book. Trying to add all 41 of these practices to your life at one time could be kind of overwhelming. For this reason, I suggest that this is a book you will wish to dip into often as a treasury of ideas to implement as needed instead of adding all of the practices to you to-do list. However, the one practice you will want to implement that is referenced throughout the book is a version of the Daily Examen.

Throughout the book Bunch comes back to the questions of "What's bugging you?" and "What's bring you joy?" It so refreshing and freeing to be able to acknowledge what bugs you and you can do so using this 30 Days of Awareness download that Bunch has made available. Dwelling on those items can be detrimental but stuffing them down and never admitting them can be equally so.  After introducing these two questions, Bunch uses them to introduce each chapter. Each chapter begins with an episode from Bunch's life which is used as a springboard to demonstrate how she became with familiar or has used a particular practice in her life and how you can to. When introducing the various practices, Bunch frequently mentions a book or resource in which more information can be found. I have a feeling that I will be returning to many of those familiar titles or locating titles that were new to me.

I highly recommend this brief book. Be Kind to Yourself is a book you will return to frequently as you consider and use the various practices described. It would be a great book to work through with others and to share your experiences using the various practices. This book is also highly recommended as a book to gift to others in your life.

Way Up Is Down

The title The Way Up Is Down: Becoming Yourself by Forgetting Yourself caught my attention on Twitter and sounded interesting. In 10 chapters, author Marlena Graves digs into the Bible and spirituality and particularly focuses on kenosis or voluntary self-emptying. She returns to this word and concept throughout the book and spends a most of the first chapter unpacking its meaning.

While reading this book, I enjoyed Graves' honesty and openness. She does not hesitate to share stories from her own life. I felt almost like I was reading someone's journal as you are allowed to experience raw anger and grief alongside the author as well as joy. However, she quickly moves to share biblical and spiritual truths that arose from those moments. Graves also pulls in examples from other lives to illustrate her points. I found this is not a book to read quickly. It needs to be savored and thought about in order to truly grasp and apply the concepts presented. Reading the book in community with others would provide opportunity to discuss and apply these truths.

I received a complementary copy from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I am not required to provide a positive review.

The Art of Being Indispensable at Work

Everyone wants to be indispensable in their work place. Doing so can be difficult and possibly lead to burnout or being overwhelmed and overcommitted. The Art of Being Indispensable at Work, published by Harvard Business Review Press, provides the resources you need to become the go-to person in your workplace and teach others how to be indispensable as well. After reading this book, being indispensable won't feel like a lofty and out of reach goal.

Tulgan emphasizes that businesses today are using a collaborative model instead of an hierarchical model. This flatter organizational chart can provide opportunities for more cross-departmental projects and collaboration. But cross-departmental projects can lead to confusion as to who is in charge and who has authority over projects. With this collaborative work environment in mind, Tulgan emphasizes the importance of working both vertically with a boss or supervisor and individuals whom report to you as well as sideways and diagonally with individuals in other departments. In all of these relationships Tulgan encourages readers and provides a blue print to become a go-to person who gets things done fast, right, and on time.

From page one until the end of the book, Bruce Tulgan provides practical how-tos and examples everyone can understand and relate to--in fact you will recognize yourself or someone you work with in the examples. While published by a noted business publishing company, this book is not limited to people who work in an office setting or are business executives. This is demonstrated by the fact that Tulgan uses examples drawn from the medical field and manual labor including ditch digging in addition to traditional businesses. The Art of Being Indispensable at Work is highly recommended as a textbook or as a book to read with colleagues. While some might want to keep the secret to being indispensable to themselves, Tulgan encourages that a true indispensable person helps others to become indispensable as well.  Buy this book for yourself and for everyone in your office and learn how to work better and smarter regardless of your position.

I received a complementary copy of The Art of Being Indispensable at Work from Harvard Business Review Press via NetGalley.

Historical Immigrant Saga

The initial description of The Nesting Dolls by Alina Adams grabbed my attention. Spanning the

life story of four generations of women in a Jewish immigrant family from the USSR, this story sounded exactly like something I would enjoy.

Adams covers a vast sweep of history ranging from prior to World War II to modern day time. She also pulls back the curtains on life in the USSR. The stories of neighbors turning each other in for alleged offenses and how your life was dictated by the government is chilling. Beyond the glimpse into life under Communism, Adams shows the impact of family expectations and how trauma and experiences of previous generations impact future generations. In particular, each woman and man made choices based on what was best for their family rather than what was their heart's desire. While I found the story interesting and enjoyable, The Nesting Dolls did not grab me in as I was anticipating.

I received a complementary copy of The Nesting Dolls from Harper Collins via NetGalley.

The Digital World: Darker than You Realized

The Dark Side of Our Digital World: And What You Can Do about It takes a deep dive into all of the ways technology has become an impervious and seemingly inescapable part of our lives. In four parts, Andrew Weiss considers how  information distracts us, how we suffer from information overload, how conspiracy theories seem to be lurking behind every bush, the realities of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news, and then concludes with what we can do to protect our privacy, defeat trolls, and preserve democracy. Weiss, a librarian at California State University Northridge, presents an extremely well-researched dossier of how technology is in many ways "the genie out of the bottle." Even for those who consider themselves well-informed about technology and privacy issues or "fake news" will be shocked at the ways in which our lives, businesses, and the government are shaped and manipulated by big technology.

Although written by a librarian with an audience of librarians in mind, this book could easily be read by any professional who is concerned about technology and in particular the rise of privacy issues and dis/misinformation. Libraries and librarians in particular are mentioned a few times but not so much that would prevent others from reading and enjoying this book. I see the information shared in this book become the basis for many information sessions and webpages regarding digital privacy, fake news, and other technology related items. Weiss provides wonderful succinct, and often times memorable, definitions that describe the issues our world is facing and makes the important case that information literacy should not be confined to libraries but is key to not only education but the survival of democracy and the free world. The Dark Side of Our Digital World: And What You Can Do about It is highly recommended for librarians, educators, and anyone who cares about democracy and privacy. Be warned that this is not a quick and easy book to read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The Dark Side of Our Digital World: And What You Can Do About It from Rowmand & Littlefield via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Gospels as Stories

Often when we read or study the Bible, we focus on the meaning of a specific passage or pericope. While knowing that understanding how the passage fits into the overall story of the Bible, it seems like too often we focus intently one one particular puzzle piece rather than looking at the picture as a whole. We often forget that individual books of the Bible are entire literary texts that were originally read as one story. In her new book The Gospels as Stories, Bethel University professor Dr. Jeannine K. Brown emphasizes looking at the whole story.

Brown begins The Gospels as Stories: A Narrative Approach to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John by examining a variety of critical methods used in studying the Bible with specific attention given to narrative criticism. This individual chapter does a wonderful job of both setting the stage for the remainder of the book and providing a wonderful introduction to the landscape of current Bible scholarship. After laying this important groundwork, Brown goes on to expand on various concepts within narrative criticism. Each aspect of narrative criticism is described in a chapter using examples from all four Gospels followed by a chapter which examines that aspect in a specific Gospel. This combination of a chapter delving into the specifics followed by a chapter demonstrating how the information is used in a Gospel provides a wonderful look at how to apply narrative criticism.

Reading The Gospels as Stories reminds you that each Gospel is a story and as such includes a plot and character development. The authors had a particular audience in mind and would include information that connected with the specific audience in order to emphasize specific aspects of who Christ is and his purpose. While and after reading this book, you will wish to sit down and read an entire Gospel from start to finish--in fact, I would encourage you to do so while reading this book. The Gospels as Stories will be a wonderful book for use in a class on the Gospels, New Testament, or Introduction to the Bible. Beyond its use in a classroom setting, Brown's work is readable and accessible to a wider audience of educated individuals who wish to better read and understand the Bible. Highly recommended!

I received a complementary copy of The Gospels as Stories from Baker Academic/Brazos Press via NetGalley.

Peasant's Dream

Take one well-known fairy tale, reverse the gender roles, add a sprinkling of Bible stories, and the writing ability of the ever-so-talented Melanie Dickerson to create The Peasant's Dream which is book 11 in the Hagenheim series.

The book summary for this new release indicates it is "a reverse Cinderella" story. While reading the story, I did not recall this bit of information and did find myself wondering "Which fairy tale is this?" In fact, I found the Bible parallel more apparent until near the end of the story when the fairy tale aspect became unmistakable. Dickerson's books, as they are published by HarperCollins Thomas Nelson Publishing, always have some Christian themes. Most often this includes the characters praying, receiving advise from their priest, and in a general a "clean," unobjectionable book. However, Bible stories are mentioned more frequently in The Peasant's Dream due to the main characters job. The mentions are appropriate due to the medieval setting of the books and not heavy-handed. Previous familiarity with the Bible stories or characters mentioned is helpful in understanding the story but readers who are not familiar with them will be able to follow the plot.

One of the things I enjoy about Dickerson's books is that while they are written for YA readers and are completely clean and appropriate for even early teens, they are written in a manner that holds the interest of even adult readers and she includes just enough sexual tension between the couple. The Peasant's Dream does not disappoint in that regard. A slight change is the non-descriptive reference to the main character's parentage and the emphasis that a person's character and future is not dependent on the circumstances of their birth.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA books. If you have been following the Hagenheim story, you will definitely want to read The Peasant's Dream. If you have not yet read any of the previous books, you can definitely start with The Peasant's Dream but will want to go back and read the previous books.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The Peasant's Dream from HarperCollins Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.