2022 Book It Reading Challenge: 01

Title:  Belong

Author:  Radha Agrawal

Info:  Copyright 2018. New York: Workman Publishing Company.

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars):  ✮ 1/2

Where Acquired: Purchased at a Women's Health Expo in 2018

Category (ies) - Impulse buy and Potty books.

Synopsis: Agrawal, a self-proclaimed "community architect," offers strategies for getting out of your head and off your phone in order to build community.  She walks the reader through exercises in self-awareness to help identify the most important characteristics of a healthy community.

The Positive:

• Her analogy about the "mean girls" of the mind producing nothing but comparison, perfectionism, and judgement is spot on.  This is a true detriment to a healthy community.
  
• Agrawal puts great stress on getting away from the screen and making face-to-face connections with people.
  
• The cover artistry and the illustrations were innovative.
  

The Negative: 

• After finishing this book, I feel duped. This tome isn't really about building friendships and bringing your strengths and talents to enhance a community It's about building your own little kingdom based on specific sought after benefits and sucking it dry.  Agrawal's definition of community is a homogeneous group of people who look the same and think the same.  In other words, she's teaching the reader how to build a gated community, not a beautiful diverse community. 
• Her advice for building community is unnecessarily complicated.  Her steps are more conducive to building a brand or a platform.  Getting out in your neighborhood, meeting people, being friendly, genuine, and hospitable does not require building your own fonts, slogan, and language. 
• The content reeked of too much "woo-woo," and not enough substance.  For example, the author's main focus in selecting optimal candidates for the community is "energy."  Do what now?
  
• I don't think the author considered how visually traumatizing all the font size and type changes would be to the reader.  I appreciate what she was trying to do, but it was like being pinched one minute and slapped in the face the next.
• I understand the description of FYF (F--- Yeah Friends).  We do need encouraging friends in our lives.  However, Agrawal leaves out an absolutely necessary type of friend; HNF  (the Hell No Friend).  True friendship and healthy community requires accountability, not just dances and "energy."
• If I were a senior citizen, the chapter on "Belonging and Aging" would be a huge insult.  Well, I'm not even 50 yet and it still felt like a huge insult.
  

Conclusion/Takeaway:

This book really rubbed me the wrong way.  Like Uninvited and books of that nature, it felt backhanded: "You belong unless..."   Good thing I was sitting on the toilet when I read through this because it was full of crap.

2022 Book It Reading Challenge: Introduction

Artwork by Shannon Maddox, aka "Auntie."

The Flip and Sip Reading Challenge has come to a close.  It was a very productive reading year.  I finished 60 books, exceeding my goal of 50.  I only had one "Ain't nobody got time for that" volume this time around.

This year, I'm going to slow down my reading goals (thus the irony of calling it a "book it" challenge, since the phrase usually indicates speed).  There were several books over the years that I feel that I didn't get the most out of.  They included journaling or participation in certain activities to get the most out of the volume.  I want to take the time to go back and read and participate.  So, my 2022 goal for the year is 12 books (one book a month).  I'm sure I'll read more than that, but it takes the pressure off me to produce quantity over quality.

NOTE:  In early April, I upped my goal to 20 after I passed the 12 mark.  In late May, I upped it to 40 after passing 20.  After I passed that goal, I just let her eat!

If you'd like to follow my reading progress, see my Goodreads page.

Like my other reading challenges, this one doesn't have any specific instructions or types of required books.  However, some books may be part of various categories.  Examples include:

• Kiddie Lit -children's books.
  
• Recommended Reads - books recommended by what I hope are trustworthy sources.
• Glorious rereads - books I enjoyed so much that I'm reading them again.
• Everybody's Reading It - books that everybody and their grandma read that I'm just now getting to.
• Nobody Admits to Reading It - books that others have said to stay away from (whether they've read them or not).
• Impulse Reads - Books I bought, borrowed, or checked out of the library for no other reason than "hey, this looks interesting."
• "Potty" Books - No, it's not what you think.  I noticed that I was spending my extended visits in the potty scrolling on my phone and/or playing a game (at least it was Words With Friends, so I was feeding my brain somewhat).  Don't act shocked; I know some of y'all do it too.  Before the days of cell phones, I used to keep books and magazines in my bathroom for those times.  This year, I'm running and experiment.  I want to see how many books I can read during those times.  I see enough screens during the day, so I'm reading paper books.
  

My rating systems is as follows:

✮✮✮✮ = Outstanding
✮✮✮ = Pretty good
✮✮ = Could have been better / could have been worse.
✮ = Not so great
Zero stars = Ain't nobody got time for that = DNF (did not/would not/could not finish)

Whether you read one book or 100 this year, I would enjoy some company.  Drop in a comment once and a while to let me know how it's going. Yes, I know I say this every year...I mean it every year.

So, what are your reading goals for 2022?
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Books Read and Reviewed:

Completed books will be marked as a link to the review or Goodreads comments.

Book 01
Book 02 - A glorious reread
Book 03 - A glorious reread
Book 04 - A glorious reread

Read, but not Reviewed:

1. Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis
2. Our Daily Biscuit by Todd Starns and Michelle Cox 
3. Knowing God's Will by R. C. Sproul
4. Come Before Winter and Share My Hope by Charles R. Swindoll
5. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
6. Show Up for Your Life by Chrystal Evans Hurst
7. The Art of Writing and the Gifts of Writers by C. S. Lewis
8. Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
9. Discipling by Mark Dever
10. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero
11. How to Write a Lot by Paul Sylvia
12. Discipled by Jesus by Robert Gelinas
13. Hearing God by Dallas Willard
14. The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron
    
15. Living Above the Level of Mediocrity by Charles R. Swindoll
16. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F--k by Mark Manson
17. The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith (a glorious reread)
18. Chasing Vines by Beth Moore (a recommended read)
19. Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande
20. Strengthening Your Grip by Charles R. Swindoll
21. How Can I Cultivate Private Prayer by Joel Beeke
22. Jesus:  The Open Door by Kenneth Hagin Sr.
23. Conflict Free Living by Joyce Meyer
24. The Peacemaker by Ken Sande
25. It's Not Too Late by Tony Evans
26. Art and Faith:  A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimur
27. Soul Keeping by John Ortberg 
28. The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal
29. How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie.
30. Improving Your Serve by Charles R. Swindoll
31. Dropping Your Guard by Charles R. Swindoll
32. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
33. The Tale of Mrs. Tuttlemouse by Beatrix Potter
34. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter
35. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
36. The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter
37. Christ the Healer by F. F. Bosworth
38. Worship by A. W. Tozer
39. Discipleship by A. W. Tozer
40. The Great Omission by Dallas Willard
41. How to Find Your Wealthy Place by Dr. Leroy Thompson
42. Deep Work by Cal Newport
43. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottieb
44. The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
    
45. Growing Deep in the Christian Life by Charles Swindoll 
46. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version
47. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson
48. Prayer by A. W. Tozer 
49. Eternal Living:  Reflections on Dallas Willar'ds Teaching on Faith and Formation by Gary W. Moon
    
50. The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer 
51. Going Higher with God in Prayer by A. W. Tozer
52. Knowing God by J. I. Packer 
53.  Concise Theology by J. I. Packer
54. Watch Your Mouth by Tony Evans
55. Psalms:  The Prayer Book of the Bible by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
56. The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll
57. On Christian Doctrine by St. Augustine
58. Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon
    
59. The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott 
60. The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson 
61. Sanctuary of the Soul by Richard J. Foster
    

Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!:

Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

Book Trek 2018 - 06

Book:  Your Best Year Ever. (Audio version) 2022: Kindle version.

Author:  Michael Hyatt

Info:  Copyright 2018.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Books

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars):  ✮✮✮✮

Where Acquired:  Library check out.  2022: Purchased e-book from Amazon.

What it's about:  Using a five-step plan, Hyatt walks the reader through nontraditional goal setting.  He makes a guarantee that if the reader seriously and thoroughly completes the steps, he will have a much better success rate with goal completion than the standard New Year's resolution.  Using stories from history, client testimonies, and anecdotes from his own life, the author paints both an encouraging and accurate picture of goal completion.

Favorite Quotes:

From the Introduction: 
Dragging the worst of the past into the best of the future is another reason our goals fail.

From Chapter 3: 
Impossible is not a fact; it's an opinion. - Muhammad Ali

From Chapter 7:
If we're working against ourselves, we'll experience more heartburn than progress.

From Chapter 9:
What I like to do is set a goal that's almost delusional and then dial it back a few clicks.

A goal is not just about what you accomplish; it's about what you become.

From Chapter 10: 
People lose their way when they lose their why.

From Chapter 14:
Your goal might be sacred, but your strategy isn't.

What I liked

• I appreciate that Hyatt gives the option of revision, removing, and/or replacing a goal that isn't working.  He does not consider this a failure, but a chance to pivot to a more productive direction.  That's not typical of many goal setting techniques.
• His method of changing the familiar SMART goal technique into SMARTER goals is much more encouraging and engaging.
• I've heard the author's podcast, so the sound of his voice is familiar.  However, there is a difference between conducting a podcast and reading a book aloud.  He's a very good narrator who uses proper inflection and change of tone to keep the text interesting.

What I didn't like

• Some things seemed confusing and out of order.  For example, in chapter four, Hyatt gives steps to conducting what he calls an "after action review."  Then several chapters later, he is on a completely different subject, but chooses to go back to the after action review.  Granted, if I saw the print version of the book, it would probably make more sense.  2022:  The e-book helped it make more sense.
  
• No references for the historical research were given.  Again, they might be in the print version. 2022:  There is a Notes section.
  
• In his "10 interrelated domains of real life," he lists marital and parental (which are very important) but doesn't list any alternatives for those who are not married or a parent.  Does Hyatt consider those who don't fall into those categories a failure who isn't living a "real life"? 2022:  Even when you take the Life Score quiz, those areas show up as missing pieces of a pie.  If an area does not apply, it should be removed from the results so that the pie is complete.  Maybe it's just a mental thing, but I didn't appreciate that.
  
• In listing what he considers encouraging statistics, Hyatt lists the dropping annual number of hours worked as a positive.  How is that positive?  Doesn't that mean that less people have jobs, or more people are having their hours cut?  I'm not statistician, but that doesn't make sense to me.

Takeaway:

Last year, I read Zig Ziglar's book Over the Top, part of which deals with goal setting.  While it was a very good book from which I gleaned much insight, Michael Hyatt's approach to goal setting seems like it will work best for me.  He doesn't simply give some rah-rah, guru-like statements to encourage the reader to set up a page full of lofty goals, then wag a disappointing finger at the reader for not accomplishing all the goals by December 31st.  The author makes the reader take time to think through and process each goal, plus deal with any past mental blocks that may impede progress on current goals.

I plan to purchase a print copy of this book for my personal library.  In the years to come, I can go through the exercises again to set and accomplish my goals.

2022:  I purchased the book and worked slowly through the prescribed exercises. It took a lot longer to complete than I had anticipated, but the next time around will be easier and quicker.

Book Trek 2018 - 01 (Revisited 2022 & 2026)

 

I read this book again in 2022.  I've added additional comments in purple.  I read this book for the third time in 2026.  I've added additional comments in orange.

Book:  The Turquoise Table.

Author: Kristin Schell

Info:  Copyright 2017: Nashville:  Thomas Nelson

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars):  ✮✮✮✮

Where Acquired:  Borrowed from a friend.   2022:  Borrowed from the library.  Borrowed from the library and reread again in 2026.

Category:  Impulse Reads.  2022: Glorious Rereads, Potty Books.  2026;  Glorious Rereads.

What it's about:  A calling, a deep desire for community, and an inexpensive picnic table from a home improvement store; these are the ingredients for a renewed commitment to show the love of Christ to a neighborhood.  Kristin Schell, a busy wife and mother, shares the story of building friendships and renewing the lost art of hospitality through a simple turquoise-colored wooden table.  She offers stories, advice, scriptures, and recipes to encourage her readers to become "front yard people."

Favorite Quote(s): 

We've all felt the sting of not being included, the yearning to belong.  Whether the pain of the circumstance is short-lived or long suffered, the loneliness of exclusion is hard to shake.  Community is a basic need of humanity and the table--all tables--should be a place of inclusion. - pp. 115-116.

Before we can be a good host, we must experience being a welcomed guest, and before we can create a place of belonging for others, we must believe we belong.  For that, we must first know to whom we belong.  We are able to love because we were first loved. - p. 121

What I liked:

• The author kept it simple and far from perfect.  The goal is hospitality, not entertaining.  She didn't give us a list of chores and prep work to rival Martha Stewart or Southern Living magazine (to which I subscribe and thoroughly enjoy, by the way).  In fact, she emphasized that the simpler we keep our efforts, the more the focus will be on the visitor rather than on us as the host. 
• Though she is a wife and mom, Schell didn't turn this into a Mommies-only club.  Ideas from the book can be used by anyone.
• The photos were a refreshing surprise...and in color to boot.
• I find it funny that I thought there was going to be some esoteric, ethereal meaning behind the color turquoise.  Nope, the author just liked the color. 2022:  I don't know how I missed this the first time, but on page 52, Schell  says "In many cultures turquoise symbolizes friendship."
  

What I didn’t like: 

• The publisher's use of the aside box, aside page, and repeat bar.  Yes, I know I gripe about this in every book I review that contains them.  But this was the most disruptive use of these I've seen in a while.  I'd be in the middle of a sentence at the bottom of the page, have to flip over a couple of pages to finish the sentence, and then, flip back to see what was written in the box.  I wish I could understand the purpose for this mess.  All it does is disrupt the flow of reading and annoy the stew out of me.  Surely I'm not the only one.  UPDATE 2026:  I read the audiobook and noticed that the narrator, though very good, had a hard time knowing where the proper pauses went because of the jumbled format of the print edition.  So no, it isn't just me.

Takeaway:

The Turquoise Table was a fun read full of encouragement and good stories.  It reminded me of my childhood neighborhood: all the neighbors knew each other and most spent time together over a simple table (either inside or out in the yard).  There was no Pinterest board we needed to consult or social media comparisons with which to be concerned.  We were just giving the gift of gracious hospitality and making friends.  Quite frankly, I miss that.  This book has sparked many ideas of how to go back to being a "front yard person." (And I don't even have a yard).

2022:  After reading this for the second time, my opinion about this book hasn't changed.  In fact, I've gotten even more ideas for being more hospitable to my neighbors.  And no, I still don't have a yard.

2026:  Still love the book; still don't have a yard.