On the bookshelf in October

The first book I read was Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level by Laura Tremaine. I often feel that judgy, “I know so much so you need to read my book” vibe, so I automatically feel defensive when I pick up a book like this, however, I am very pleasantly surprised to say that I loved it! Laura Tremaine’s writing felt incredibly genuine & not at all like she was coming from a superior place. Part of my role with my job as a counselor spills over into my daily life, especially when it comes to forms of communication. I definitely find great value in deep conversations. This book shares prompts that will lead to exactly that! & you get to read Laura Tremaine’s answers first so by the end of the book, you kind of feel like you’re best friends. I gave this book five out of five stars (which literally never happens so this is a big deal)!

The second book I read was Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel. Y’all this book was so weird. I didn’t enjoy the characters, the plot, or the style of writing. I had such a hard time keeping track of everything & often didn’t want to pick it up. It mainly followed one character, but involved so many others. There was a big betrayal in the beginning that caused a huge rift in some friendships & even caused one of the girls’ lives to kind of fall apart. Typically I would be pretty invested with a story line like this one, but I just could not get into it. I know this sounds super harsh, but I gave this book one out of five stars.

The third book I read was All the Places to Go…How Will You Know?: God Has Placed before You an Open Door. What Will You Do? by John Ortberg. My parents gave this book to me back in 2017 & I’m just now reading it… oops! I gotta be honest, this book was SO HARD to get through. I felt like every chapter was pretty much the same thing, just written a different way. He would also incorporate different stories, Bible verses, etc., but it didn’t flow at all & I would have to reread sections & still be like… what? I’m not sure if I was just really not in a good mindset, or if this book was really as bad as I felt it was… I gave it one out of five stars.

The fourth book I read was The Friend Zone by Abby Jiminez (this is the first book in a series of three). I really really enjoyed this book!! It had depth, & humor, & a great plot. I felt so involved with the characters — deep empathy for some, & irritation with others. The chapters bounce back & forth between two main characters — Josh & Kristen. Josh breaks up with his girlfriend, Celeste, because she doesn’t want kids. He ends up moving to another state to start working at a fire department with his longtime best friend, Brandon, who is getting married soon. Josh is Brandon’s best man, so with all the upcoming planning, this new gig was pretty sweet! Of course, Josh ends up meeting Brandon’s fiance’s best friend & maid of honor, Kristen. The two of them do not hit things off at first — they actually get into a car wreck! But as all good rom coms go, they end up quite liking each other’s company. However, Kristen just can’t end up with Josh. Her reasoning is pretty heartbreaking, but you’ll have to read the book to find out more. I had tears in my eyes when I finished this one — I’m so thankful it’s part of a series! I gave this book five out of five stars.

The fifth book I read was book two, The Happy Ever After Playlist. This book was about Kristen’s best friend, Sloan, & the whole plot of the book revolves around a huge bomb that drops at the end of the first book, so I really don’t want to say too much & spoil it for all of you! However, there’s a sweet pup in the story named Tucker & he loves Sloan so much — Piper got lots of hugs while I was reading this because it was too cute lol. These books read so easily that I honestly feel like I’m watching a movie play out in my mind. Love it! I gave this book five out of five stars.

The sixth book I read was book three, Life’s Too Short. I had super high hopes for this third book since I really loved the first two. I think part of it was the first two books had a lot of the same characters, so I was pretty invested in their story. The main characters of this book were totally new, so it kind of felt like starting all over again. This book still had the same whitty humor & whimsical writing, but I didn’t enjoy the storyline as much as the other two. I gave this book three out of five stars.

Have you ever read the whole Bible? I’ve always wanted to & I’ve tried a few times but it’s hard. It’s just so hard to understand! I had heard several people talk about the Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading & Understanding the Entire Bible & wanted to give it a try. Tara-Leigh Cobble walks you through reading the Bible chronologically in one year & she has a podcast that goes along with it. While that all sounds great, I knew that truly reading it every single day was not attainable for me. Yes, I feel guilty saying that. After all, He has done for me, I should be able to spend that much time each day reading His word. However, I know myself & I know I wouldn’t & I also know that getting behind would stress me out & then I’d want to give up completely. Then she wrote a book & I knew this was the answer! I just read it when I can! I try to make it a priority but if it doesn’t happen that day, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Her summary of what you read is absolutely amazing. I cannot believe how much I’ve learned already!! It’s designed to be read in a year, however if it takes me two, that’s okay! Because reading the entire Bible in two years is better than not at all. If I’m honest, I’ll probably start over once I finish because it’s that good & I’m sure I’ll learn something new each time, because He’s where the joy is!

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