If you know me at all you know I'm a voracious reader; I read extremely quickly and appreciate writing across genres and time periods. I've been so busy with work lately that I haven't had much time for reading, but now that this last conference is finished I decided to return to my Kindle and read much of yesterday. I am usually in the middle of two to four books at any one time (five right now!); part of why my kindle is one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever (from Mom two years ago - thanks Mom!) because I can jump around without hauling tons of paper around everywhere! In fact, I actually have only two books in paper: my ESV study bible and Praying God's Word by Beth Moore. (I sorta recommend those infinitely higher than anything else :))
So, because I thought some of you might find it interesting, here's what I'm in the middle of!
Love Does: Discover a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world by Bob Goff - this guy is absolutely hilarious and whimsical and awesome. He gives tangible examples from his own life about how we have the opportunity to make the ordinary, extraordinary, by simply changing our outlook or saying yes more often or embracing adventure. So good!
Nasara: Dispatches from a District Hospital in Chad by James Appel - a newly-certified family practitioner decides to serve in a rural hospital out in the African bush and this is a book of his blog posts. It's a raw, honest, a beautiful delivery of the reality of life in Africa. He doesn't shy away from the darkness, the death, malaria, performing surgeries he's only read about and the joys that come with knowing you're exactly where you're supposed to be. It's one of those books that make me wish I had gone to med school. It also brings me back to my days as a Peace Corps Volunteer at a rural health center... how hard it was but also how amazing it was.
Sycamore Row by John Grisham is the fiction book I'm working through. I personally think you simply can't go wrong with John Grisham, though I didn't really care for the baseball-themed ones he did this book puts him back in a courtroom in the deep south where he belongs. It's pretty new and cheap on amazon right now. They call it a sequel to A Time to Kill but it isn't really, some of the characters are the same but you don't need to have read that one to enjoy this one. If you've never read JG before, though, my top choice is and always will be The Firm. In fact, that was the third and only additional paper book I had with me through my Peace Corps service!
So Long, Insecurity: You've been a bad friend to us by Beth Moore. This lady is one of my favorite bible teachers and I stumbled across this book when looking at a different one, and it made my heart jump. Over the last few weeks (months?) I've sorta realized I have issues with insecurity and her words have just brilliantly spoken directly to my heart. This quote really got me: "Insecurity's best cover is perfectionism. That's where it becomes an art form." ya think? A good one to spend some serious time in...
When People Come First: Critical studies in global health by Joao Biehl is an overview of recent developments in global health, bringing together a huge pool of international and interdisciplinary studies and researchers covering the most recent decade of findings and growth in international and global public health crises and successes. It's more like a college textbook than anything; It's totally fascinating to me and piques my interest in someday getting my Masters in Public Health - but I can't quite justify the price tag that comes with those little initials after my name, so unless someone volunteers to pay for my graduate education, I'll just have to find books like this on my own!
A couple of other recently-read books that I highly recommend:
The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right by Atul Gawande
Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain
Unfinished by Richard Stearns
Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin
World Without End by Ken Follett
Happy Reading!
--krissy
Oh, and happy Romanian independence day! :)
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