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What I've been reading lately

Our Christmas trip to CT provided quality time to fellowship and READ! I read a few books that are worth exploring, depending upon your interests so here they are, in no particular order:

If I had to pick a favorite of all the books listed here, this would be it. This one had me awake until 2am more than once, reading to find out what happened to Shackleton and his men. It is an amazing story of perseverance against all odds. I won't spoil the ending but it is well-worth a read. It's also made me curious to learn more about Shackleton as a man and what made him the courageous, effective leader he was.

In a similar vein to the previous title, this filled my late nights with stories of overcoming odds in cold climes.  In addition to covering Mallory's Everest attempts, the book chronicles the discovery of Mallory's body on Everest so I wondered if that might shed new light on whether Mallory reached the highest summit in the world. Unfortunately, the book could not confirm this and the details of Mallory's final ascent remains a mystery.

This book was a gift from one of the authors, Greg Gianforte. It's excellent. Having started a start-up and then advised startups, I wish I knew of this book many years earlier as it would have saved me a lot of grief and headaches. Greg draws on personal experiences with his startup, RightNow Technologies, as well as many other startups. He includes concise steps entrepreneurs ought to consider and each chapter ends with homework for the reader.

This was a tough book for me to get into. From start to finish, I hoped for more examples to sink my teeth into. It's more theology than practical examples. While communicating theology shares broad information that we can apply to all situations, examples are helpful because they provide a context for the theology. I hesitate to recommend this book because I don't think you need to spend hours to understand the driving point. The concept is pretty simple: instead of raising little Pharisees who think they can be good enough to earn God's or parents' love, we need to show our kids their great need for God and His grace by highlighting how they can never be good enough. (If you're reading this and what I just wrote sounds really harsh and unfair to you, comment or email because I'd love to have a deeper discussion about it.)

Similar to the last book, this one took me awhile to sink my teeth into. Once again, the beginning was theology-heavy and example-light. What is it about me that needs concrete examples? Now that I'm more than halfway through it, I'm enjoying it more and more. It complements well the book I'm writing about sibling grief from a Christian perspective. So much hinges on what perspective we choose to adopt on any given day, at any given moment. Choosing joy is a conscious choice and Kay Warren, who struggles with depression, is a shining example of someone who lives that truth.

Comments

Unknown said…
Did you really read these all while you were home?!
How was the whole of 'Choosing Joy'? I just walked past it and realized I haven't read that yet...
SHiNE said…
I read at least parts of all of those on vacation. I finished a couple up once we returned to Montana. Choosing Joy was good. Kay shares stories from her own experience and is vulnerable and honest about her journey. If she writes a sequel, I will read it.

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