Book Update!

Yall, I think I have a problem with my summer reading list. I'm kind of addicted to it. I finished the Brene Brown book in 3 days. THREE DAYS! I read the first 200 pages Dr. Perry's book in one day. When I'm out doing other things like working and whatnot, I think to myself "man, I could be reading so much good stuff right now." That's not unhealthy, right? Okay good.

Book #2: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

Description via Amazon: In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, "No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough," and to go to bed at night thinking, "Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging."

My Review: AMAZING. This book killed me. Brene Brown has her PhD and is also a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and all of her books are based off of her research on shame, fear, and vulnerability. All pretty scary words, huh? Lemme tell ya, I do not like dealing with hard emotions. As much as I hate to admit it, I will avoid them at all costs. However, in this book, she fleshes everything out and shows that that is not okay. AT ALL. I feel like every chapter that she wrote was specifically calling me out in the most compassionate way possible. Chapter 1 was "Cultivating Authenticity: Letting Go of What People Think." Ouch. Way to start the book off nice and easy Brene...

Second chapter was "Cultivating Self-Compassion: Letting go of Perfectionism." Wait a minute. I try my hardest to be compassionate to every person I encounter. It is a necessity at my job. But you're telling me that I have to be compassionate to myself?? That's a completely different story. This is how the whole book went, yall! It spoke to my heart and soul! I HIGHLY recommend this book and any of her books. I know that once I finish my stack of books, I plan on buying her other ones and diving in.  There were so many quotes in the book that I marked. I wanted to share some with yall but it's so hard to pick just one! Here are some I especially loved:

• "Self-doubt undermines the process of finding our gifts and sharing them with the world. Moreover, if developing and sharing our gifts is how we honor and connect with God, self-doubt is letting our fear undermine our faith."
• "The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It's our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows."
• "Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are."

Pretty great, huh?

Book #3: The Boy who was Raised by a Dog.

Description via Amazon:  "Child psychiatrist Bruce Perry has treated children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, witnesses, children raised in closets and cages, and victims of family violence. Here he tells their stories of trauma and transformation."

My Review: This would be a book that the average person probably would not enjoy. However, if you work with or are in interested in children that have experienced trauma, then you will find this book fascinating. Each chapter is a different case that Dr. Perry has encountered over his years of practice. You read about different cases of children that have been abused, neglected, and traumatized in different ways and then learn about how that affected their brain. Towards the end, he then talked about how as a community, we need to understand the emotional needs of children and the importance of emotional and mental health. I found it super interesting and it allowed me learn a great deal about the population that I plan on working with. However, if this is not your area of interest, it's probably not the book for you because some of the stories are pretty gruesome and hard to read. 

Next up: If I am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus 

Summer Reading

IT'S FINALLY SUMMER!!!

Words cannot express how happy I am that it is finally summer break. I was signed up for a Maymester class but decided that a mental break was necessary. The whole second half of the Old Testament in 11 days just did not sound enticing right after finals. So no school until August for this girl! I'll be working two jobs and enjoying life. AND READING! 

When you're in seminary, or just grad school in general, it's almost impossible to find time to read a book that isn't for school. Therefore, I've devoted this summer to reading and I'm super super excited about it! I ordered a few books on Amazon the other day and I was seriously giddy about getting them. Even the free 2 day prime shipping wasn't fast enough for me. I've also decided to keep all you fine readers (all 10 of you) updated about the books I read. I'm hoping to make it through my whole list and I'm hoping that all of them are wonderful and fascinating. Also, if you want to borrow a book, just let me know and I'd be happy to lend it to you! But know that my books are my babies and I will hunt you down until I get it back. Someone borrowed a book from me about 4 years ago and I never got it back and I'm still sad about it. 

So here's my list: 

First off, don't judge my choices. I realize that I read weird books that most wouldn't choose. For instance, 3 of the 11 books are about cults and 2 of the 11 are on child abuse/trauma and how it effects the brain. But I'm so excited!!! I know you're just as excited about reading about them too, right?! 

I plan to read them in the order that they're in the pile and hopefully I make it all the way through before classes start back up in August. Actually, I literally just finished the top one so I'm making good progress!! 

Book 1: 7, An experimental mutiny against excess by Jen Hatmaker 

Description via Amazon: "7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence."

Personal Review: I thought this book was thought-provoking yet a bit extreme. I like the idea that she's going for and I agree that we tend to live in a constant state of excess. Her 7 categories were clothes, spending, waste, food, possessions, media, and stress. I appreciated the fact that she was incredibly transparent throughout the book and admitted to the fact that sometimes, the experiment just wasn't fun. However, she also let us into her spiritual life and told us what God was revealing to her throughout the 7 month experiment. It was a nice reminder to me that a lot of time while I'm living in a state of "excess" and not even noticing it, there are others that are living with the complete opposite; nothing. It also reminded me that my earthy possessions whether they be food, clothing, books, media, etc., can very easily replace God in my life. So I'm starting off my summer by remember that my stack of books may be thought provoking, super exciting, and interesting, but they do not in any way, shape, or form, replace my time reading God's word. It's all about balance, people! 

Up next: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. 

To give you a glimpse at the amazingness of Brene Brown, take a look at this Tedtalk about vulnerability that she did a few years back. SO good! 

Happy Summer, all!! At some point, I'll also post about how this semester went. God was at work, for sure, and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.