colette's library | january - february 2018

Hello friends!

In case you don't know, I have ALWAYS loved a good book. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are going to the library and picking out tons of books to bring home and devour. I even made Michael take some of our engagement photos in the Excelsior Springs Library where I used to work during the summers while I was in college.

I've always loved Fiction but as I become older I appreciate non-fiction more and more. Every couple of months I check in on here and tell you about the books I recently read (or listened to because audiobooks are awesome for multitasking). Thus, here is 2018's first installment of Colette's Library! So far I've 5 books and I just realized they are all non-fiction. I enjoyed all of them!

I added my star rating (from 1 - 5) for each book. Click on the title of the book for more information about it via Amazon. To see my previous book blog post (there is more variety of fiction and non-fiction in that one) click HERE.

The Day the World Came to Town: : 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede (non-fiction): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ After Thanksgiving Michael and I saw the musical Come From Away while we were in New York City. It was the BEST musical/play we've ever seen. We learned about the 38 jetliners who were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada on September 11th. The population of this small town on Newfoundland Island grew from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The small town citizens worked together to welcome all of the passengers into their community and homes. I wanted to learn even more about this whole experience, so I found this book. I am so glad I did! I really loved delving into the passengers' true stories about friendships and heartache and the good in mankind.

The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson (motivational/non-fiction): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a couple coworkers/friends mention this book to me and I am so glad I listened to them and downloaded it!

This book shows how to overcome the obstacles that keep so many people from living the life they were created by God to live. It was very motivational and convicting. The main takeaway: There is no limit to what God can accomplish when we decide to pursue the dreams He gives us for His glory.

Educated by Tara Westover (memoir): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A good memoir always sucks me in! It is always fascinating to me to read about other people's lives. In this memoir, Tara talks about how her and her six siblings were raised in the mountains by survivalist, strict Mormon parents who did not believe in public schools, the government, or doctors, and spent a lot of their time diligently preparing for the end times by doing things like canning food and learning survivalist skills. At a base level, I started the book sympathizing with Tara's parents. I don't always trust the government, public schools or everything in the medical industry either, and it seemed like the father's reasoning was because of what he thought God wanted. However, if your children don't go to public school, I believe they should be properly educated at home. Tara and her siblings were not. If your dad forces you to work in a dangerous junkyard and not wear seat belts, you should probably be allowed to go the hospital for severe burns, gashes, car wrecks, motorcycle accidents, etc. One of Tara's older brothers was violent, abusive, and irrational but Tara's parents just looked the other way. Tara was not allowed to show any skin and was called a whore at a young age if she rolled up her t-shirt sleeves while working in the heat of summer. She was meant to feel ashamed for just being a female. She was expected to do "women's work," and not talk to boys. She saw one of her older brothers go to college, so she decides to try to attend as well. I enjoyed this memoir learning about Tara's struggles, dreams and being able to do what she feels is right even if it means certain family members shun her for her "evil" ways.

Falling Free by Shannan Martin (memoir): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another memoir! In this one Shannan Martin talks about how she had everything she ever wanted. She was living the safe American dream in her dream house with her husband, three kids, money, friends, and church. But then they decided to take a terrifying leap and follow God’s call to something totally different: a small house in the city, a much lower income, a rough public school, and the harshness of a jail (where her husband became chaplain).

Personally, God has really been speaking to me about if this whole comfortable American life is really what he wants for his followers. Shannan's memoir helped me to rethink God's plan and the good life, look past fear and beyond the comfortable, middle-class Christianity toward a more fulfilling life.

The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa TerKeurst (motivational/non-fiction) ⭐⭐⭐I heard about this book on the podcast Goal Diggers by Jenna Kutcher. She mentioned it several times so I decided to look it up. Lysa TerKeurst talks about how when you say yes to one thing you are actually saying no to other things. It is ok to say no if you are saying yes to God, and that we really have to protect our time with our priorities. Personally as someone who wants to make everyone happy and sometimes has the fear of missing out, this book had A LOT of reassuring reminders and tips for me that made complete sense. Time is a not a renewable resource and we need to be purposeful of how we spend our time. After reading this book, I reevaluated some aspects in my life and made some changes regarding work, relaxing, church, and volunteering goals. I gave it 3 stars because this book could have been much shorter. She seemed to repeating a lot of things and she was teaching about time management so I was starting to feel antsy trying to finish it.

If you have read any of these books, let me know what you thought about them, and please share any book suggestions you have for me!! Warmly, Colette

The photo above is by Steven Michael Photography. Location: Excelsior Springs, MO public library where I used to work.