Week 33: August 14

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

I started out a little disappointed as I couldn't figure out the narrator and the random bolded side stories were distracting. Thankfully, that turned around and I was able to thoroughly enjoy this book! 

During WWII, Leisel is dropped off to live with foster parents for her safety. The Book Thief tells her story of how she coped with the tragedies and changes that have occurred, one of which, stealing books. She shows incredible determination to learn to read and write when it seems all around her she is set up for failure. 

The last 200 pages were a tough go as I was constantly tearing up. This is a great book and it has lived up to the hype! 

Week 32: August 7

"After You" by JoJo Moyes

I was a little skeptical that I would enjoy this book as I have found the sequels are never as good as the originals (unless it's a series) especially where "Me Before You" had such an intense emotional message. But I'm happy to say that I really liked this one!

Lou has now had to live for the last 18 months with the guilt she felt for failing Will's family as he decided to end his life. She has traveled and now lives in London as a barmaid, not exactly what she envisioned Will wanted for her.

This book takes you through Lou's grief and her attempts to move on. Tragedy and life come into play as she just can't seem to get it all right.

I loved how Moyes continued Lou's story. I would definitely recommend this sequel!

Week 31: July 31

"The Florence Prescription: From Accountability to Ownership" by Joe Tye with Dick Schwab and forward by Charles S. Lauer

If you think this book is about the history and perseverance of Miss Florence Nightengale or is a motivating book on how to stay positive while working in healthcare, you were sadly mistken.

I received this book when I started my job 4 years ago and just now decided to actually read it as it was my last week there and I did have this goal to read 52 books in one year. But I was disappointed within the first 10 pages and I can tell you, I was left with no excitement to get out there and be the best healthcare professional I could be!

No offense to Tye and Schwab, but putting a fantasy spin on a make believe hospital to try to motivate your workers will only leave them feeling like you think they are children that can't do their jobs. Yes, the book had some good points such as how there should be no caste system in the hospital (which there is) and how all employees should feel like they have an ownership in the workings of the hospital. It's all a very nice idea but rarely gets truly promoted.

I strongly recommend not giving this book to your employees with the hope that it will change their outlook. In these instances I feel like the true success stories are what make employees buy into the concept. Keep to those folks! And above all else, no matter what book you throw at your workers, no matter how many motivational speakers you have, what gets people changing is to SEE it in their leaders. Not the talk, but the action. This will get the ball rolling more than anything else I feel like.

Week 30: July 24

"The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts" by Gary Chapman

I was excited to dive into this book because not only had I heard great things about it, but I wanted to look at this as a chance to better my own marriage. Not to say our marriage needed any immediate help, but it never hurts to try and understand each other and to treat each other a little better to show your love for one another.

The 5 Love Languages that Dr. Chapman describes are:
1) Words of Affirmation
2) Quality Time
3) Gifts
4) Acts of Service
5) Physical Touch

He describes each of these in their own chapter and paints a clear and easy picture of how to understand the languages of each. Some I realized overlap a bit but it was good to have examples of real couples going through each of these languages.

The biggest takeaway was the realization of not only your own love language but the love language of your spouse and how you need to overcome any hesitations or discomforts to learn their language. I thought I had BJ's all figured out but it turns out I was wrong. I thought I knew my own but, again, I realized it was another.

I always thought mine was Acts of Service because I get so discouraged when BJ doesn't help me with the daily chores. Diving in a bit more, I realized it to be more Quality Time. I enjoy it most when we do things together, including chores, and work as a team I feel the most content and loved.

I always thought BJ's was Words of Affirmation but thinking back to arguments we've had, I think he's more of a Quality Time also. Dr. Chapman was quick to point out that two of the same languages don't necessarily mean peace and harmony. There are also different dialects to think about.

This was a fun read that made you look to yourself, put yourself in the hot seat to get answers. I encourage all to take a look at this book!

Week 29: July 17

"Hebrews" of the Bible

This might still be considered cheating but when I'm three weeks behind the Bible is also a good way to catch up :)

The Letter to the Hebrews encourages people to abandon the old covenant and embrace the new covenant of God. The author does this by emphasizing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and how his blood shed basically trumps that of the bloodshed of livestock that the Old Testament of the Bible encouraged.

When I read of Christ's life, I always feel such a guilt at all he had to endure to ensure we could experience the Kingdom of Heaven. He was alive just as we are alive. He had to grow through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, just as we do. And yet, he did so with purity. I think sometimes we assume that the world didn't have the same issues as we encounter now but we are so wrong! There was evil 2,000 years ago just the same as now. There was indecency, homosexuality, abortion, murder, theft....all these sins were present then just as they are now and yet Jesus Christ was able to hold strong to his faith as become our savior.

He was given the same ridicule and peer pressure that we all receive daily in our lives and it is such a defeated feeling to me that I cannot even come close to 10% of the disciplinarian that Christ was. In "Hebrews" it talks of Christ's time in purgatory....Yes, Jesus had to endure purgatory as a perfect human being with no sin. It makes me fearful for how long I will have to endure the time of purification before I am able to enter the gates of heaven.

"Hebrews" also talks of how our sufferings actually bring us closer to God, which is also something I've had to come to terms with throughout my life. Our lives are not meant to be without obstacles. It is through these challenges, through these sufferings that we become reliant on God and on Christ's sacrifice to push through these challenges. I noticed that "by faith" was a frequented beginning to a sentence because it is "by faith" that we grow and mature to tackle those challenges and become better people.

I continue to encourage myself to look to the Bible as a refresher of what God has in store for all of us after our time on Earth. Although this may count as cheating such some of the books are shorter, I will never regret diving into the word of the Lord to better myself and to encourage a richer meaning of life.