The Bookbag * October 2018

Hey, my book loving friends!

This is the season we've been waiting for.  As the days get cooler and dusk backs itself right into late afternoon, we find ourselves spending more of our time indoors.  With a relieved anticipation, we're looking for spare moments to burrow ourselves into a comfy corner, warding off the chill with a quilt and pillows and all things cozy.

And in the process, our eager focus is turning toward that stack of books that have been oh-so-patiently waiting their turn.

I hope you'll find something here that's calling your name.  

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Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World
Shelly Miller
Author Shelly writes, 'Guilt is one of the main roadblocks for making Sabbath a reality.  Guilt about the things we leave undone, and guilt when we don't rest perfectly.  Lofty expectations about a day set apart for rest keep us immobilized, and Sabbath elusive.  Guilt is usually a sign that you've made rest a routine with strict rules.  If you struggle with guilt about taking time to rest, then perhaps you are trying to implement a Sabbath routine instead of a rhythm of rest.'

This gentle, grace-filled invitation to Sabbath rest is for:
- Those whose childhood Sabbath memories revolved around an endless, frustrating legalistic list of do's and don'ts

- Those whose Sabbath is currently jam-packed from morning til night with an exhausting string of church services, classes, practices, and meetings

- Those whose Sabbath has morphed into a day to catch up on errands, laundry, and a back-up of household tasks

This creative, beautifully penned book has the potential to upend what you thought Sabbath was all about in ways that will calm your spirit and draw you closer to Christ.  And not a moment too soon.

As I hit the PUBLISH button, the Kindle version is at the ridiculous price of 79 cents!  Grab this huge bargain right here!


Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life
Tish Harrison Warren
Author Tish writes, 'My morning smartphone ritual was brief - no more than five or ten minutes.  But I was imprinted.  My day was imprinted by technology.  And like a mountain lion cub attached to her humans, I'd look for all good things to come from glowing screens.

Without realizing it, I had slowly built a habit: a steady resistance to and dread of boredom.

We have everyday habits - formative practices - that constitute daily liturgies.  By reaching for my smartphone every morning, I had developed a ritual that trained me toward a certain end: entertainment and stimulation via technology.  Regardless of my professed worldview or particular Christian subculture, my unexamined daily habit was shaping me into a worshiper of glowing screens.'

And that's just a taste of what Tish puts on the table.  This Christianity Today 2018 Book of the Year is a must read to savor, to journal over, to discuss with those closest to you.  For yes, the sacred can be glimpsed in the ordinaryness of our everyday lives ... making the bed, brushing teeth, losing keys, or sitting in traffic.

A superb book club choice.


Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

Susan Meissner
And if you crave historical fiction, look no further than Susan Meissner.  This author's become a favorite in the last year or so with her mesmerizing storylines and fascinating characters.

If you're a Gone with the Wind fan, if you cherish one or two lifelong friendships with women, if seemingly innocent lies have webbed their way into your heart and almost destroyed everything that has meaning, this is your book.

Set in Hollywood in 1938 with a mysterious find that emerges in 2012, this is historical fiction at vintage perfection.

Betty Ford: First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer
Lisa McCubbin
I'm guessing I've read at least one bio of every First Lady.  There's something fascinating in sneaking a peek behind the scenes of power to glimpse the life of women who were thrust into roles that many never expected or yearned for.

Betty Ford's legacy is one of candor and impact.  For what presidential spouse before her spoke so honestly about breast cancer, addiction to pain medication, or alcoholism?

It makes you wonder how many lives were saved because this First Lady gave up her privacy to share the truth of her life.  This book reads like a compelling family story, not a political datebook.  The family intervention that ultimately propelled Mrs. Ford into getting treatment is a powerful, sensitive glimpse into the dark night lived by those entrapped by addiction ... and those who love them.  This alone makes this book important reading.

And the decidedly non-partisan tone of this Presidential couple's journey and relationships is a breath of fresh air in the current political season we find ourselves in.

BOOKISH LINKS

This Is What Happened When I Finally

Got Rid of Hundreds of Books

Laura Lippman

Why Many Introverts Are Drawn To Writing

(And Are Really Good At It)

Jenn Granneman

Trying to Be a Good Writer

is a Complete Waste of Time

Jeff Goins

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BOOKS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CURLING UP WITH

Retreat:
The Gift and Necessity of Time Away With God
Ruth Haley Barton

Dare to Lead:
Brave Work.  Tough Conversations.  Whole Hearts

Brene Brown

Homebody:
A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave

Joanna Gaines

The Reckoning

John Grisham

Almost Everything:
Notes on Hope

Anne Lamott

Gender Roles and the People of God:

Rethinking What We Were Taught About Men and Women in the Church

Alice Mathews

Introverts in the Church:

Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture

{expanded & revised}

Adam McHugh

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What page-turners are stashed in your bookbag, 

perched on your night table, or stacked in that ever-growing pile?

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sharing great reads with

Mary & Holley & Anne