Sarah Bessey never disappoints. This book is like a warm cup of tea that surprises you with spice. Sarah holds space for hard stories, doubt, faith questions, walking away. And she offers a gentle invitation to think again, to find beauty, to hold on. I don't know how she does it - wading all the way into really hard topics like grief and inclusion/exclusion and the collective rage over, you know, ALL THE THINGS in Christianity, all with such grace and truth. I suspect it's because she really does love Jesus and trust God'sgoodness and believe it's the Spirit's job (not hers as an author) to change and transform us into whatever God wants us to be.

I loved this book, and plan to buy the study guide (I never do that as I'm snobby about questions and reflection prompts, but I need to process some things this book stirred up for me and I trust SB.) The audiobook is excellent except there are SO MANY passages I wanted to underline. I might need a paper or kindle copy also. Sigh.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I love this series, I love these characters, I love this world, an early 20th century version of of Britain/Europe that includes real and studied elements of the Faerie world, including Emily Wilde and her fellow scholars at the Cambridge Department of Dryadology.

Do I Stay Christian? by Brian D. McLaren

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challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

I was required to read this for the spiritual direction training program I am just about to finish. Tough assignment, I’m very glad to be done with this book.

I’ve read Brian McLaren before, he is a universalist, and for me, he has not been a safe guide for reimagining faith (aka deconstruction, but that’s a word that’s mostly lost shared meaning.) Also: I’m not the audience for this book, as I’m not asking the questions it’s asking. I love Jesus and am going to keep following Him. So yes, I’m staying Christian.

However I am asking a question that he lands on in the end: What kind of humans do we want to be (whether we’re Christian or not)?

And I appreciate the gentleness with which this book approaches the real, hard, justifiable, questions being asked by others who are wondering if they can stay with the faith they were raised in.

This book was challenging (he starts with 10 reasons not to stay Christian, all valid points), depressing (he presents an ironically apocalyptic vision of where white Christian nationalism and ecological disaster are leading us.) But it was also hopeful, particularly the third section on how to stay Christian. And he has a generous orthodoxy, which I always appreciate. I’m glad I read it, and it will definitely help me host space for people in spiritual direction. But it’s going to mess with me for a while I think…

Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is one of those books I wish I could assign, particularly to anyone who is leading others. I started it when I was in a leadership role in my job, but the truths and tools for showing up as a non-anxious presence in the world are priceless whatever our jobs or roles are. Same with tolls for becoming more aware of the anxieties that drive us. The author is an Australian pastor, this is written from a Christian perspective, but I think it would be helpful to people of all (or no) faith systems.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I liked this even better than the first (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone). I knew what to expect this time, tone wise, and this book gets to the action a lot more quickly. I also loved that so many characters are writers, and how that affects the way the story unfolds. I suspected the murderer but there are multiple mysteries going on here that I didn’t see coming at all.

I read this mostly with my eyes, but the audio came in yesterday so I did a little of both. Fun Australian accents helped the strong sense of place. And I loved the train setting.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is a blast, and has a little bit of everything. A road trip adventure, a curmudgeon story, a coming of age story; a friendship story, a heist story and a little bit of a mystery.

Content Warnings

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I missed this when it was originally published (2010) and had never heard of it. I saw it on an Indy Bookshop shelf, and it’s described as Little House on the Prairie meets the X-Men, which felt tailor made for me.

Fun middle grade adventure, a little slow to get to the good stuff. One of the best villain origin stories I’ve ever read. It’s hard to tell where it’s set in time, the beginning feels like it’s in Dorothy’s Kansas in the 1920s but it’s modern day. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators accent is very yee-haw, but it is a kids book.

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reemeyer's reviews 1052 reviews

reemeyer's reviews
1052 reviews