Reviewing I'd Like You More If You Were More Like: Getting Real About Getting Close Me by John Ortberg

Something I have thought about from time-to-time is how I'd like this person or that person if they were more like me. It would make life easier if everyone saw things through the same lens. However, this isn't possible. We know from principals like 5 Love Languages that people communicate their love in different ways. The concept can be broken down to a much more basic level than even that to Walter Burke Barbe concepts of different learning styles (Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic). Pastor John Ortberg, in his book "I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real About Getting Close" attempts to tackle ways in which people can build their intimacy with one another and with God. See what I thought about this book below.

I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real about Getting Close by John Ortberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The title is deceiving and the book was not what I expected. The book is intimacy with others and with God, but it does not, at least adequately, tackle how to better find intimacy with those who communicate their intimacy in different ways. In this book Ortberg explores, in a rather dry way, obstacles to intimacy, the reasons for fear of intimacy, the different way people experience intimacy and most notably intimacy with God.

I did not appreciate the I do this because I am a Christian style of writing as though someone who weren’t a Christian might have made a different choice, because I don’t feel that was true in every instance. Regardless, he backed up reasons for choices, decisions and intimacy with great biblical references.

This book is a great book for a Christian that is looking to deepen and improve their intimacy with their significant other and God, although it could be said that these principals could be easily applied outside of this narrow box. In general, I found the information helpful, but not my style. If I’m to read a book like this, I’d rather read the who, what, when, where and why and then be given information about why and how it aligns with the bible, more like "The Love Dare."

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.

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Reviewing Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota

                I am sad to report that there was a book that I really didn't like, Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota. What makes it even more sad is that I really wanted to like it, especially since I was provided a copy of the book via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. Ugh! I did give it 2 stars, because the book is very well written. I simply didn't like...well, read my full review -

Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was described as "The Devil Wears Prada meets Primary Colors." I completely disagree! This book did not have the wit of the fun feel of either of those books. The book follows character Amanda Gallo as she climbs the career ladder nabbing the job of her dreams. Her personal life struggles mirror the book's real conflict: the ratings-driven news industry. Then it takes a dark turn, when then character Amanda starts voicing how she is "waking up," which is really just code for fictionalizing the 2016 Election, bashing liberals, and shoving a conservative agenda down the readers throat.

As a journalist myself, I appreciate and understand the honest behind the scenes of journalism story line.  However, I think it takes the character too long to realize that every story has more than two-sides. I mean, isn't the golden rule that every story has three sides (at least), Perspective A, Perspective B and the Truth.

What really drove me crazy about this book was the reference to real people and political situations. At this point in time, I began to feel like the opinion of the author via the main character, Amanda Gallo, was all that mattered. Anyone that didn't agree with Amanda Gallo is made to feel like an idiot, or like they are biased and not considering both sides of the story (even though it's clear to any outsider that Amanda's "Fair News" isn't fair and Amanda has her own opinions she can't help but spout). This book to me was simply nauseating, although well written.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Reviewing Waiter to the Rich and Shameless by Paul Hartford

                I am extremely behind on my book reviews since surgery, but I'm back at it. I will begin posting about one a day until I'm all caught up. To start, I would like to share my thoughts about "Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server" by Paul Hartford.

Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server by Paul Hartford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Booktasters Nonfiction (@TasteNonfiction on Twitter) connected me with author Paul Hartford who provided me a copy of "Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server," and I'm thankful that they did. This was a raw, unfiltered, interesting read!

Paul writes about how he, a down and out musician, cuts his hair and becomes a waiter in a very posh restaurant in Beverly Hills, the "Cricket Room," which many suspect is the Polo Lounge. He writes in detail his encounters with celebrities such as Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Johnny Depp and even Donald Trump, including details about their clothing choices and even menu items and ingredients.

Beyond just the stories of his encounters is how the author grew up through his experiences. In the beginning he is a know-it-all and a bit of a pretentious, judgmental, cocaine loving, sexist jerk. Later, he is a married man that doesn't entirely sexualize women (I only say not entirely, because he still makes some word choices that most women would rather he didn't). He becomes frustrated by the overly corporate feeling of the restaurant he works at and how decisions being made from afar about the operations. I think his criticisms of the corporate decisions demonstrate how serious he takes his job and what the "Cricket Room" has come to mean to him and mirror his growing maturity.

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Reviewing in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware

I was genuinely excited to read “in a dark, dark wood” by Ruth Ware. There has been a lot of positive talk about her second and third novels, but I wanted to start with her debut novel, “in a dark, dark wood.” I wasn't sure what to expect. Her books are described as psychological crime thrillers. I'm not sure how much of a thriller this book was. It was rather....well, read my full-review below to find out.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Near the end of what was supposed to be a fun, relaxed weekend in the English countryside at a bachelorette (Hen) party for Clare, Lenora wakes up in a hospital bed badly bruised, confused, a bandaged head and memory loss. The book and plot unfold as Nora remembers the events of the weekend. Then, the book delivers a predictable twist for an unclimatic ending.

What Nora uncovers for the reader is that she had fallen out of touch with her old best-friend, Clare, and decides both out of curiosity and guilt for not staying in touch that she will attend her Hen night. We also learn that Nora is still distraught over a relationship she had when she was 16. Why? Because there is this great, predictable, reason for the life-altering breakup. You know, the kind every sexually active sixteen year old fears. At the beginning of the night Clare tells Nora that she is going to marry none other than the ex-boyfriend that Nora has spent the last ten years so distraught over. One would think this was a big teenage drama was over, but the big foreseeable secret reason for the break-up is left looming chapter after chapter while Nora tries to piece together the events of a horrid Hen night with completely awful characters.

The characters in the book largely left me feeling quite annoyed. They were immature, judgmental and overly dramatic. The worst character of all was Clare's new best-friend, Flo. If I could have reached through the pages and slapped her, I would have. The reader has to suffer through nearly 23 chapters of this crazy annoying character to get to any meat and excitement, but that excitement is more like a one large wet, limp noodle than a great climax.

Reviewing The Space Between Words by Michèle Phoenix

I mentioned in a previous  blog post that I have an amazing book store in my home town of Monument, Colorado, Covered Treasures. In this amazing book store is an entire shelf dedicated to Advanced Reader Copies, ARCs. For a small donation to their charity, you can take home one of their many ARCs to read. Sitting on this shelf was The Space Between Words by Michèle Phoenix, a book that was released September 5, 2017. I was so pleased I picked up this book. Based on the description, I wasn't sure if this was going to read like an emotionally heavy Jodi Picoult book or an overly faith driven fiction book (the kind where either everything is due to the intervention of God or something terrible happens to someone and in return they find God and share that story with everyone). Instead, this book seemed to perfectly balance everything. I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone. A more specific book can be found below.

The Space Between Words by Michèle Phoenix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book takes on the seemingly impossible feat of having faith in a time of terror. The book begins with Jessica, an American girl trying to find her own way in life, regaining consciousness in a French hospital after the Paris terrorist attack at the Bataclan. She survived, and wants to run away from Paris, France and all of Europe as fast as she can, but her "platonically made for each other" best friend, Patrick, urges her not to leave and to follow-through with the treasure hunting trip they planned through southern France before heading back home to Denver.

The author, Michèle Phoenix, takes on the heaviness of the terror by stringing together words, each syllable a blow to the gut and the punctuation at the end of the sentence leaving your breathless. She flawlessly touches on all the facets of terror from the intentions of terror, to the sight of terror and the guilt of survival. With regards to the intentions of terror Phoenix has Patrick tell Jessica that: "The wanted you to feel so scared you'd never step foot outside again without looking over your shoulder and expecting more of the awful you've already been through." Jessica articulates the horrific sights and feelings of terror: "Death had burned its savagery into the fabric of my consciousness. I felt stained. Branded." Phoenix also has Jessica highlight the guilt of survival: "Little was said, but everything was spoken as the injustice and bliss of survival washed over me in jagged ways."

However, this story isn't a gruesome recounting of the events of the terror attack. This story is a relatively light, and entertaining read about discovering the history behind the faded documents Jessica found concealed in an antique sewing box. Through the treasure-hunt plot, the book tackles healing and how "...it's too easy to blame God for the stupidity of humans." In the end, it leaves the reader believing too that, as Grant said, "But if there is a God-the kind that weeps when the weak and powerless get hurt...that there's a force for good in this world....I want to believe that there's a force for good in this world and that that force won't let the bad have the final word. It doesn't explain or undo the darkness, but...I think somehow it covers it with light."

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9 Weeks Until 2018 & the 9 Books I'm Reading

                There is something about the cool, crisp air that makes me want to curl up with a good book every spare moment I can. Do you have a favorite season for reading? I found the most fabulous book store in my home town, Covered Treasures, and I got a stock-pile of books for the rest of the year. To finish out 2017, I'm reading the following (plus another book or two at least, I'm sure):

1. The Space Between Words by Michele Phoenix

2. in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware

3. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

5. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

6. The Widow by Fiona Barton

7. A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

8. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

9. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

What's on your 2017 reading bucket list?

Reviewing The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

                While in college I took a course titled the History of the Later British Novel as a transient student at the University of North Florida by a wonderful professor, Dr. Marnie Jones. One of the intentions of the course was for us, as students, to learn about and explore the meaning of the novel and fiction. What we discovered are there are two main opinions regarding the purpose of the novel/fiction: 1) The purpose of a novel is to entertain. People use fiction to escape from every day realities. 2) The purpose of the novel is to provide commentary or spark conversation about a particular topic or social issue.

Based on all I learned while pursuing my degrees in English and History, I formed the opinion that novels are meant to entertain and regardless of whether or not the author intends to or not (some do and some don't) there is going to be some form of commentary or moral. Why did I come to this conclusion? Even if an author creates a completely fictional world and story there is analysis that can be created based on even the world (s)he created and how it is designed. Questions naturally arise: How does its creation different from the world the author is/was living in? What elements of it are relevant to the story/plot and how would they be different if the environment was different? All of these questions, whether intentionally built into the fiction or not, tell a story both about the author; their relationship with their current world, and offer something to the fiction being constructed. If it didn't add something to the story, it wouldn't be included.

Why do I mention this? It directly relates to my review of The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin.

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you believe that the purpose of fiction is or should be more than entertainment; it should teach the reader something or at the least spark conversation about something, this book may be for you. Especially if you want to read, learn more, and contemplate about love - not hot and steamy roll down a hill with your lips and legs inseparably intertwined love, but a deeper, life-altering, non-physical love.

On the surface, this is a survival story. Ashley, a freelance writer trying to get to her wedding and Ben, an orthopedic surgeon that has a history with love get on a charter plane when commercial flights are canceled. The pilot, Grover, a man Dr. Phil would have nothing on when it comes to discussing and giving advice on love and relationships, crashes in a massive expanse of wilderness. The crash leaves Grover dead, Ben and Ashley stranded high on a plateau with mountains, snow and trees for miles.

Conveniently (all too conveniently), Ben is an orthopedic surgeon and trained and practices emergency medicine. He also has a back-pack filled with supplies from a recent mountain hike and he is a long-distance runner, so he has a lot of stamina. The deceased pilot has important survival supplies that Ben doesn't have otherwise. If you can push past the perfectly set-up plot, you can enjoy the story that emerges.

About half-way through (maybe Chapter 34) the book I suspected what was going on. However, not too long after Ben said something that really piqued my interest, “We’ve all seen movies where two strangers are lost in some vast wilderness. And then just like An Officer and a Gentleman, they end up rolling on the beach. Mad, passionate love that solves all their problems. Movie ends, and they walk off into the sunset. Weak-kneed and googly-eyed. But this is real life. I really want to get out of here and back home.”

That same quote that piqued my interest is ultimately what left me feeling disappointed at the conclusion of the book. I expected the "twist." (There were lots of hints.) I wanted this, somehow, to end a different way and was let down when it didn't. That being said, this was a good book. It was entertaining and easy to read.

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