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jessicachenard_author's reviews
58 reviews
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau
4.0
Before reading this book I knew all about my internal motivation, a term he writes about in chapter 13, for creating the @herhikecollective group & hiking at least once a month. I believe that I have endless fuel of internal motivation. It stems from honoring my brother's life & continues on to seeking adventures, staying active & helping others do the same. I always knew that external recognition, that he also writes about, wasn't my main motivator & that this was rooted solely with internal motivation. But what I didn't realize until chapter 13, is that I have been creating this quest. Sure, I was creating a community, experiences & memories, but the word "quest" makes me believe that these hikes & the women hiking with me truly have the possibility to be a remarkable, life-affecting quest. My Brother's college baseball number was 13, so as I realized all of this while reading it came as no surprise to me that I learned it while reading chapter 13 of Chris Guillebeau's book. And, that is an external recognition that I would go outside for a moment & smile as I face my head towards the sky as to nod a 'thank you', & I did just that. This book is stories of people around the world on quests as Chris was on his own, visiting every country in the world. I won't give a spoiler but if you are feeling like something needs to be added to your life, you want to set off on a new challenge or dream I highly recommend his book!
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
4.0
It has been a great book to start my new year off. The best part, the book is about their family from their dog's perspective! Perfect for this dog lover who definitely considers her dogs to know exactly what she is saying! This is such a great read that is full of heart & reminds me a lot of my older dog Windsor, who was by far the one witness to all of our hardships through out the years & knew exactly what to do. That is something I will never forget about him.
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
5.0
I LOVED reading it! I want to share one of my favorite excerpts from the book & hope to share with anyone who made need it: "One of the traditions of this place is that when you see kayakers in the water paddling by from the nearby camp, no matter what, you stop & throw candy to them. Because it's fun. Because it's a sweet tradition. Because it makes people happy. If you knew me ten years ago, you'd say, that kind of thing is SO Shauna. But to be honest, I don't know if you'd say that about me the last couple years. One afternoon, the kayakers crossed in front of the dock while a million other things were happening. Two large boats were docking, a sailboat, & a few paddle boarders were trying not to get in the way. All at the same time, in a small space. But the man who was in charge of it all, our host - the one who was responsible for everyone, stopped what he was doing & sprinted down the dock to get candy. I had a little panic attack, because what he was doing seemed irresponsible. He threw candy, in the middle of it. Over & over, handful after handful. And everything was fine. As I watched from the deck I put my head down & I began to sob. Because I use to throw candy, right in the middle of it all. I use to no matter what. Then I became the kind of person who threw candy as long as nothing else was going on, at approved times. And then I got so wrapped up in being responsible that it was never the right time to throw candy. Then, the worst thing: I became the kind of person who made fun of candy-throwers...What a loss - for me, my family, & laughter & silliness we missed out on because I was busy being busy. I'm done with that kind of responsible. I don't want to get to the end of my life & look back and realize that the best thing about me was I was organized. I want to look back & remember all the times I threw candy, even when it didn't make sense. Especially when it didn't make sense. And that's why I'm throwing candy every chance I get." This my friends is what I want us to think about! I hope when I take women on hikes, play with my dogs, or go on trips with my Husband I know that it's about 'throwing candy'.
The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
5.0
The Shack was recommended to me by a friend because of the storyline, a tragedy happened to a family, overcoming it & healing from it. They recommended this to me because of my own tragedy with the loss of my brother. If I am being honest I was hesitant to read this book because when my brother passed I had a few people say things like, "God has our destiny planned," basically the religious version of, "everything happens for a reason," & whether that's true or not I would advise not to say those words to a grieving person. No one meant harm by it BUT it may have started my growing reservations about faith. Luckily, this review of this book has nothing to do with that! I was very touched by this book & pleasantly surprised with its meaning! I even cried during the chapter of Mack & him looking through the waterfall. I won't give any spoilers away but I do want to write out the quote in the book that I was probably searching for all along: "Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I needed it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets & colors." In the book, the next sentence Mack says is "Actually, that's a relief," & let me tell you I choose to believe this outlook about destiny because that's how I felt... I exhaled with the weight of a few years rolling off of my shoulders & thought about the relief I felt. I could write many more sentences that I loved but I'll leave it at that!
Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to Be Here in a Getting There World by Hannah Brencher
5.0
Trust me when I tell you I got SO MUCH out of this book. These words will be dear to me for so many reasons. Some included, "Be the invitation. Be where your feet are. Walk in the valley. Be in the stories. Show up. And just come matter here - where you already are, where the real magic happens." These all remind me to be present, to be where I already am & to be there for others. Hannah writes about us all being in the same club, the one called “we’re all just doing the best we can” & I couldn’t agree more. So be here/there for yourself, for your loved ones, for your friends & do the best you can. So much life happens when we look around & decide to just live in the moments we have been invited into... & I think out of everything that reminder has been the most beautiful to me!