Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I was first "introduced" to Susan Cain through her speech/talk  at TED conference. After I watched that video I was convinced that I had to read her book. So I went ahead and purchased it. 

Quiet is a great book for basically everyone - whether you're an introvert, an extrovert or in between. It's a great tool for understanding the way you're wired and accepting that. As well as learning how to use your strong points and enhance those that you need to in order to function well whatever your environment is.

I am an introvert and a Psychology graduate, so, I know how all this temperament thing works, but I can say I found this book extremely useful just because it approaches a lot of scientific information in an easy-to-understand style, and offers lots of practical advice and techniques. 

It is a great read - lots of scientific studies (great research!), true life stories and practical steps for both temperaments.

::: book trailer

:::  Cain's speech at TED conference 

Unexpected Love by Julie Zine Coleman

As I read the book’s description I was quickly captivated by the subject – the author’s objective for this book is to analyze the conversations recorded in the Bible between Jesus and women. She does that wonderfully – I was amazed at how in depth she digs into the original meanings of some key words in conversations, as well as bringing the context of those conversations in bright light for us to understand. There are a LOT of notes for each chapter which only proves how amazing of a job she did with the research, so she is not just pointing out her opinions and speculations here, she brings objective and valuable information based on solid research.

The book is divided into 9 chapters, one dedicated for each conversation recorded in the Scripture. The chapters are smartly organized: before the beginning of each chapter there is the passage in the Bible where the conversation is recorded. The chapters begin with a summary of the story, then there’s the Digging Deeper part and here’s where the author answers the difficult questions with thorough research; at the end there’s an applicable part entitled For Today’s Woman. For those who want to go deeper and use this book as a tool for group studies, there’s the Food for Thought part after each chapter. And for personal study there’s the Journaling part, which I loved.

It was truly an amazing book. It’s perfect for digging deeper into the Word of God and understanding Jesus and his heart for people, especially for women. I am definitely planning on reading this book again.

For more resources you can check out Julie Coleman's blog and the book's official website.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com; book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I Am Second by Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett

This is a compilation of stories of people who came to know deep brokenness and at the end of that, the redeeming power of Christ's love. The one red thread you can see throughout all these stories is the search for life’s true meaning and the satisfaction that every one of them couldn’t find in anything other than Jesus.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the brokenness that flowed out of every story, the raw emotions and thoughts that everyone shared, the reality of these experiences. It is an easy read and I liked the way it is organized, with pictures so you can put a face on the person who you just came to know. There is also a youtube channel that incorporates all the videos with people’s stories not only the ones that appear in this book, this gives a different touch to the stories.

Even though I enjoyed the book I guess I was disappointed in the fact that the stories were a bit short, like I said it is an easy read. I think I would have liked it more if the stories would have been more detailed. Even though I understand the fact that it would have been tough considering that these are not just stories, but real life experiences, nonetheless I think there would have been much more potential focusing a little bit more on the stories.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com; book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Shack by Paul Young

At first I was a little skeptical as I started reading the book because of all the controversial talk and comments about it (I did my research before reading it). After I started it I was just hooked. It’s really well written, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I don’t really want to add to the comments out there that say the book is not biblical, because Young himself says this book is a metaphor about God and the journey understanding suffering. Therefore, I find it useless to consider it other than a novel. It was actually written initially for his children at his wife’s suggestion.

Like I said, it is a really good written novel, and I enjoyed it as that. I also loved the personification of Trinity, I guess what I loved about it was that it challenged me to think outside the box when thinking about my God. I mean, I came to analyze and diagnose my relationship with the Lord, the way that I perceive Him. And I actually love the fact that Young went so far with the personification of Trinity because it is a real challenge for the reader to analyze his/her own perception of God, which I believe it’s important for an authentic relationship.

As I mentioned earlier, before reading the book I did my research and I found a video of Young explaining a bit about what he wanted this book to be.

[read in August 2012]

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin

Miss Ella was the only loving parental figure Tucker and Mutt ever knew. She was the help their father hired to get the boys out of his hands and make sure his business wasn't interrupted by him being a father. 

These two boys had a childhood of two extremes - on one hand there was Rex, their abusive father, whose only interests were making money and liquor. On the other hand there was Miss Ella, who compensated for everything Rex lacked in  – love.

Tucker and Mutt’s lives take unexpected turns as they grow up and become adults. And I love how the author manages to point out the struggles and the transformation process that takes place in both their lives. Miss Ella used to say to Tucker “I want to tell you a secret. Life is a battle, but you can't fight it with your fists. You got to fight it with your heart [...] If your knuckles are bloodier than your knees, then you're fighting the wrong battle.”

I really loved this novel. I may be biased by the fact that I haven’t realized how much I had missed a good novel until I actually started reading it. But what I enjoy the most in Martin’s novels is not the plot, even though he quite manages to keep it unpredictable, but the way he makes his characters seem like real people – I really felt like the struggles that the characters faced were real; the sense of reality that Martin manages to bring to his novels is what I admire the most.

One of my favorite quotes from this book was this one:

Miss Ella, will you always be in here?

Always, child. Me and God, we're not going anywhere [...] Child, you can whip it and beat it senseless, you can drag it through the streets and spit on it, you can even dangle it from a tree, drive spikes through it, and drain the last breath from it, but it the end, no matter what you do, and no matter how hard you try to kill it, love wins. 

5 years

"I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels." {Isaiah 61.10}

Everything I do and say tells a story of who I serve.