Ok people. Imma start with a confession/disclaimer. Let’s get ‘er out of the way in week one. I’m new here. And a Christian. Please don’t kick me out. My personal belief system can be summed up as: “You can love Jesus and not be a douche about it”. I hate to use the word “Christian” because of the horrible things that have been done/said/written under that label. I like to distance myself from the religious wackos as much as the next person.
That being said, I occasionally read books on the topic of faith/religion/spirituality (and not always ones that line up with my own beliefs, just to be clear- I just find faith an interesting topic in general)… and welp, I need all the help I can get making it to the end of this goal, so the reviews are gonna show up here. I promise to not be preachy (and if any reviews are perceived as such, please lemme know- that is NOT my intent, ever). I know religion is one of those hot-button genres, and I’m not here to be “that girl”. I’ll try to keep ’em short and sweet and relatable to all :)
Are we cool? Can I stick around?
AAAAANYWAYS.
Present Over Perfect.
This is not the first of Shauna Niequist’s books that I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. Her books are the literary equivalent of sitting down with a good friend over beer and nachos and having one of those *real* conversations about life- the good, the bad, and the ugly. She is not one of those “let’s put a fake, happy, churchy, mask on the realities of how hard life can be” types. I appreciate this.
This book was born out of her life as an extroverted work-a-holic, and the burnout that resulted from that. She details her journey from being an over-achieving people-pleaser who found her worth in being the “yes-man” to everyone around her (in work, church, family, etc), to doing a 180 into a different way of life. It’s a collection of reflections and essays that recount her process of learning to slow down, to simplify, to find joy and purpose in who you are, and to know that saying ‘no’ to the demands that others put on you is ok.
I actually started this read at the end of 2016, and ironically was too busy to get very far into it. But even the bit I read then was enough to start a bit of a re-evaluation process in my mind. Like everyone else here, I LOVE to read… but reading had become a luxury to me. Saved for vacations or waiting rooms. A reward for finishing my to-do list (which was never, to be honest). I had gotten to a point of feeling guilty about reading (“there are so many other things you have to DO!”). This book was like having a friend give me permission to make things like curling up with a book for a couple hours a necessity. A priority even. It was freeing! It’s partially why I’m here.
It’s a book I’d recommend to anyone feels burnt out and “not enough”…. best read in the bathtub with a glass of wine.
I am torn about books like these. I often feel overwhelmed and like my priorities are out of whack, but when I read essays in this vein online to try and figure things out, I find them infuriating. Someone is prioritize far flung travels because their spouse has an excellent paying job to enable an Eat Pray Love experience, or they bought an small organic farm and are learning to make cheese and get back to the earth and it’s all Hunter boots and homeschooled kids skipping down the lane, etc. Is this book different from that? Because I feel like I could use the help, you know?
I understand!
Yes, this book is different from that, in that it’s not a “you must replicate this life chgange exactly how I did in order you see results” book. It’s very much HER story, and she is clear that it is not a one-size-fits-all thing.
The biggest difference, I’d say, is that instead of saying, “You need to travel! Or uproot your life! Or [insert any other major life shake-up here]!”, she’s just saying, “Stop.”
It’s more about finding the time to just sit and be quiet. To get to know who YOU really are, as opposed to who you think you have to be. About finding the things that truly bring you joy and pursuing those things (and they might look different for everyone) – she kept coming back to what she found she needed- spending time near the water, and spending time with friends around a table eating good food. Less book tours, road trips, having a perfect home, etc.
It wasn’t so much a “how-to” book, as much as a memoir of her experience. And while I don’t have the same starting point as her (for example, as an introvert I’m already pretty ok at finding ‘alone’ time), but I still found it valuable.
That’s great, thank you.
Oooh, my new years resolution is actually to be more present in the moment! Does this book offer tips on how to do that, other that just constantly reminding yourself…It kind of makes me feel like my brain is a disobedient school kid ;)
It’s not so much a “how-to” book with practical advice, no. I found it more to be a telling of her story, with principles I can apply. More memoir, than self-help book.
She’s a married mother of two, extroverted people-person. I am none of those things. Haha! So the crazy burnout of her life looks different from mine, but when she talks about the true gut-level motivation for why we try finding happiness in all these unachievable places (even though those places might look different from person to person), those were the times I thought, “yep, I feel that! I don’t react the same way as her, but I definitely feel the same way!”
I found it less prescriptive, and more of a permission slip. It’s ok to say, “no, sorry, I don’t have time for that.” It’s ok to take some time to re-evaluate my priorities- and it’s ok if my priorities don’t end up looking like someone else’s. Kinda freeing, actually. :)
Oh I love permission slips <3
Good news! You are not the only Christian here. There are several, and sometimes they review books about faith, too. You will be fine.
Thanks for the welcome! :)
Welcome to the Cannonball Read. I hope you’ll find that we are a welcoming lot, and there are readers/reviewers here from all sorts of different backgrounds. Some readers read very diversely, some read exclusively from one genre. Some read a lot of genre fiction, others prefer non-fiction. As long as people aren’t trying to be offensive or rude, we welcome everyone interested in reading and reviewing, with the side-benefit of sticking it to cancer.
Thanks for the reassurance! :)
Yeah, I’m a practicing Catholic who’s a full time student and mom to a special needs child – I’ve reviewed several books that are very specific to each of those things. No one’s ever been rude or unpleasant. You’ll fit right in here, congratulations to you for making self-care a priority. Reading feeds the soul and the brain. :)
Oh my! How do you find time to read at all?! :)
Thanks for the reassurance!
Hello new friend! Welcome to Cannonball, and you’ll do just fine reading and reviewing books about faith. Several of us have/do/will review them as well, and part of the joy of this particular space is getting to work through some ideas you’re having with an incredibly diverse group of people.
Thanks for the welcome- I’m glad to be here! Looking forward to being a part of the diversity (both in people, and in reading material!) :)
I’m a fellow person of faith, and I know the struggle to “out” myself, because the most vocal Christians in the media spotlight are kind of dickish about different opinions or, you know, basic civil rights. This is a loving, warm, and accepting community, and you’ll fit in just fine here. Welcome!!!
On the book side of things: I will add Niequist to my list. I hadn’t read her, but I’m always on the lookout for thoughtful texts that don’t make me itch.
Yes! That’s exactly it. I don’t want to lumped in with that very vocal group, who make my skin crawl.
I do recommend Niequist- I especially like a couple of her earlier books, ‘Bittersweet’ and ‘Cold Tangerines’. They’re all in the same style of groups of essays, but I find them refreshing. :)