Y’all know I love books. I’m constantly in the middle of three or four and, let’s just be honest, there are stacks of books piled high all over my room.
Here are three recent reads that you might be interested in.
In addition to my thoughts on each read, I’ve linked to where you can find more information and/or order the book.
++++
Stand All the Way Up: Stories of Staying In It When You Want to Burn It All Down :: Sophie Hudson
My thoughts:
For those who have read Sophie Hudson’s previous books, this much-anticipated new title is exactly what you would expect: funny, thoughtful, a bit sassy, and with wisdom/truth woven through.
It was a good bit lighter than I thought, based on the title and subtitle – but I laughed out loud multiple times, teared up over one particular story (told beautifully, by the way), and was encouraged throughout. Although it left me with things to think about, I’m already anticipating Sophie’s next book and hope there will be more to come.
++++
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making :: Andrew Peterson
My thoughts:
Andrew Peterson’s writing in Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making is approachable, helpful, honest and kind.
Through the book, Peterson shares several personal stories as well as practical advice that pertains to storytelling, songwriting, serving the reader and creativity.
While this book isn’t for everyone, it serves its intended reader well. If you’re an artist, this is a title you’ll want to add to your shelf.
++++
Coffee with Mom: Caring for a Parent with Dementia :: Mike Glenn
My thoughts: I was so grateful when I first saw the title of this book. It’s something that is part of my family story and a topic I haven’t seen many people write about honestly.
While I hope the book does well so that perhaps more books for those walking through this chapter will follow, I was really disappointed in the book itself. The writing itself is not strong. In fact, of all 50 books I’ve read so far this year, it’s probably the worst writing I’ve come across so far. I have to wonder if the publisher was trying desperately to meet a word and page count, as there appears to be extra whitespace in the formatting and almost every single sentence / idea is repeated a minimum of three times.
I would find it hard to believe an editor touched this manuscript. It easily could have been trimmed down by 30% and would have had a stronger impact on the reader. As it is, I found myself annoyed as the author wrote the same thing three or four different ways on every other page. Trust the reader to understand what you’re saying. Don’t play dumb or make the reader feel like you think they’re dumb by rewording the same sentence or making the same point half a dozen times in every chapter, only to then say it all over again (multiple times) in the next chapter.
PSA: I received these books in exchange for honest reviews. Affiliate links are used on this page.
