I love reading. Like LOVE reading. I wanted to be a librarian when I was little because I loved books and sorting books and shelving books so much. The library in Beauty and the Beast is #goals and you can be guaranteed that my future house will have a ton of bookshelves if not a library. I think we had an overstuffed bookshelf in every room of the house but the bathroom growing up so I come by this naturally. I digress.
I love reading and I love learning, the problem is I am a touch ADD and dyslexic. This results in 1) me reading crazy fast, basically fast skim reading, because when I focus on each individual word, I start moving words around and getting really confused, but I have incredible reading comprehension and recollection and 2) I start like 15 books at a time and then take 12 ages to finish them because I want to read them all at the same time and that is literally impossible because 2 pieces of matter cannot exist in the same space at the same time #scienceyo! (I need to figure out how to make gifs so you can see me doing this attempt to be super cool while saying #scienceyo! in a weirdly deep voice).
So, all that to say, I have taken stock of all (most? some? I’m living in one bedroom at my grandparent’s house so who knows how many half read books I have in storage right now) of the books around me that I have started or been given or purchased with the intent to read within the past 3 months and plan to work through them, one at a time, over the next 3 months. I figure that I should probably read these books at some point and what better time than the present AND once I finish my books, I am justified in getting more (though TBH, I just bought another one today from Amazon because it went on sale and I have been looking at it for a few weeks. I *might* have a book problem).
Below at the books I have rounded up to work on reading by the end of March. Some of them are really dense – I’m looking at you The Body Electric – so I am giving myself grace on those to read one maybe two chapters and then go on to something else because dear goodness, my brain will be mush if I read that much dense material in one sitting. I might do reviews on the books as I finish them but I need to preface that with the caveat that I love books which means I have a hard time saying a book is awful so you would get a more neutral review. I will think on it. Without any further ado (there have been a lot today), here are the books on my list for Winter 2020:
How Not to Die
by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM
I received this book for Christmas last year, 2018, and have been slowly working my way through it. This is one of those really dense books with lots of good information piled into a mere 300ish pages. Dr. Gregor takes the top 15 reasons Americans die (at the time of him writing the book in 2015) and breaks down what the illness/disease/problem is and then, based on scientific studies (all references listed in the back of the book) explains what foods science has proven whether in vitro (in a lab) or in practice to support, halt, and sometimes even reverse diseases. All in all, this has been very interesting and informative to read and I look forward to finishing the book.
Whole
by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Howard Johnson, PhD
In this book, Dr. Campbell explains the science behind the evidence he proposed in his first book The China Study, the ways our current scientific paradigm ignores the fascinating complexity of the human body, and why, if we have such overwhelming evidence that everything we think we know about nutrition is wrong, our eating habits haven’t changed.
This book is significantly smaller than How Not to Die so I think it will be a faster read, but it also seems to be denser. Dr. Campbell also has a bias toward a whole food, plant-based diet but he grew up on a dairy farm so he does a good job explaining why he changed his diet so drastically.
This book is significantly smaller than How Not to Die so I think it will be a faster read, but it also seems to be denser. Dr. Campbell also has a bias toward a whole food, plant-based diet but he grew up on a dairy farm so he does a good job explaining why he changed his diet so drastically.
Everything is Figureoutable
by Marie Forloe
While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it’s “a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward.” If you’re having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn’t you. It’s that you haven’t yet installed the one belief that changes everything. Marie’s mom once told her, “Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you roll up your sleeves. Everything is figureoutable.” Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to dance, heal a relationship, or grow a business, Everything is Figureoutable will show you how.
This book was given to me for my birthday in September and I just haven’t gotten around to reading it. My aunt who got it for me really likes Marie Forloe and she really enjoyed the book. I like reading self-help books because I like to see other people’s views on how to tackle life, so I am looking forward to reading this book. Also, I have recently begun to look into the science of training your brain to work for you not against you and this seems to fit in that category as well.
The Body Electric
by Robert O. Becker, M.D., and Gary Selden
The Body Electric tells the fascinating story of our bioelectric selves. Robert O. Becker, a pioneer in the filed of regeneration and its relationship to electrical currents in living things, challenges the established mechanistic understanding of the body. He found clues to the healing process in the long-discarded theory that electricity is vital to life. But as exciting as Becker’s discoveries are, pointing to the day when human limbs, spinal cords, and organs may be regenerated after they have been damaged, equally fascinating is the story of Becker’s struggle to do such original work. The Body Electric explores new pathways in our understanding of evolution, acupuncture, psychic phenomena, and healing.
I am so excited to read this book. I was first introduced to the world of using frequencies to heal the body about 3 years ago and I still think it is the coolest thing ever. Because I like science to prove the things that I have been taught about but that seem like mumbo-jumbo, I am excited for this book. This book is also super dense so it might take me longer than just this quarter to finish.
Vibe
by Robyn Openshaw
Vibe explores the foods, natural substances, and lifestyle practices that can raise our vibrations. Robyn Openshaw reveals evidence that shows how drinking green juice, using certain essential oils, and engaging in yoga and meditation raises the frequency of the human brain and other organs. Living in a “high vibe” state can make us resilient to illness, fatigue, burnout, and depression. Readers will learn all about the low vibration emotions (fear, anger, inertia) and the high vibration emotions (love, peace, gratitude) and how to achieve higher vibrations in everyday living.
This book, similar to The Body Electric, discusses frequencies and how they interact with the human body. Where The Body Electric approaches this topic from a very science-based view on bioelectricity, Vibe has a more conversational approach. I began reading this book in Summer 2019 but with my move and packing and unpacking, the book got a bit lost along the way. I look forward to being able to continue reading through this book and being able to compare the conclusions made here to the conclusions made in The Body Electric.
Afraid of All the Things
by Scarlet Hiltibidal
What does the gospel say about your fears? What does it say about the irrational ones, like sinkholes in the Target parking lot? How does it speak to the rational ones, like pet scan predictions? And does the gospel have a word for the fears you feel you’ll have for life, like the possibility of losing the one you love most?
Above is the beginning to the description of this book. I bought it from the sale at the Lifeway store in Tuscaloosa less than 2 weeks after I graduated college with no job and a plan to move to Nashville, TN based on a gut feeling that I thought was maybe the Holy Spirit and to figure it out once I got there. I was terrified of everything and while I knew that the Bible says do not fear and do not be afraid, the practicality of that was nowhere near me. I started this book and it was fantastic. I’m really not sure why I didn’t finish it so it will be one of the first books I pick up to finish up this quarter.
The Honor Key
by Russel Evans
Honor affects every part of your life – your family, your job, your finances, and your church life. In fact, it affects everything. God has a great deal more for us than the narrow slice of life so many of us experience – more abilities, blessings, and inheritance. He wants us to experience heaven on earth – to live life and to live it abundantly. He wants you to operate in your gifts and abilities, but honor is the key that releases these things in your life. Honor is the foundation of the kingdom of God, and it unlocks the possibilities of heaven.
This book was written by the head pastor of the church I attend, PlanetShakers. While it is not required for someone in a volunteer position in the church, it is highly recommended. I started this book while I was taking our DNA Course, which explains the culture of the Church and the Kingdom of God as is stated throughout the Bible. The course was fantastic and the book was great too. Somehow, it got lost in a pile of things in my bedroom and never got finished so that will be remedied soon.
Girl, Stop Apologizing
by Rachel Hollis
Rachel Hollis has seen it too often: women not living into their full potential. They feel a tugging on their hearts for something more, but they’re afraid of embarrassment, of falling short of perfection, of not being enough. In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself
My former roommate and I read Rachel Hollis’s first self-help book, Girl, Wash Your Face on one of our many road trips. I picked up Girl, Stop Apologizing from Target before Christmas because it was on sale but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. Honestly, it is actually just sitting as décor right now. Soon it will be a read piece of décor.
Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot
by Mo Isom
Sex. In a world overwhelmingly obsessed with it, why is the church so silent about it? While our secular culture twists, perverts, cheapens, and idolizes sex, there are gaping holes in the church’s guidance of young people. The result is generations of sexually illiterate people drowning in the repercussions of overwhelming sin struggles. Enough is enough, says Mo Isom. With raw vulnerability and a bold spirit, she shares her own sexual testimony, opening up the conversation about misguided rule-following, virginity, temptation, porn, promiscuity, false sex-pectations, sex in marriage, and more and calling readers back to God’s original design for sex–a way to worship and glorify him.
My best friend is at the University of Kentucky for grad school right now and the student ministry on campus video called Mo Isom in for a talk several weeks ago. My friend talked about how powerful Mo’s testimony was and how much she appreciated the candid talk about sex, one of the most talked about topics in society but least talked about topics in the Church. So, after that glowing recommendation, I decided to purchase and read the book.
Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis
In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.
C. S. Lewis is arguably one of the greatest writers and defenders of the Christian faith of the 20th century. I grew up reading The Chronicles of Narnia and have now progressed to his more advanced writings. Mere Christianity was recommended to me by my student pastor while I was in college but I didn’t get around to purchasing it until I was at Goodwill a few weeks ago and picked it up for $1.50. I know this book will be dense but I love reading defenses for my faith and diving deeper into what the Bible means beyond just the words on a page.
If you would like to get any of these books, here is the link to find them on Amazon. If you get any of the books, be sure to comment below and tell me what you are reading! I love to read along side friends, it makes it even more fun! Also, let me know if you would like me to review the books as I finish them. I know sometimes it is nice to read someone else’s take on a book before you commit to buying it.
Talk to y’all soon!
