I don't know how many of you are readers, quite a few of you I hope. Not because it makes a difference to me, but because I know it can make a difference in your life. Anyway, I plan to start reading and reviewing at least one book a month with you. If there is enough interest in it, I may even start an online discussion group as I have always wanted to be a part of a book club and it is REALLY hard to get one organized right now.
So, to start this off I want to give you a taste of a book review. Now, I make no reviewing the book and really don't get anything out of it other than a book to read from the publisher. I will be honest at all times in my reviews. For November I read The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.
by Andy Andrews who apparently also wrote The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success
which I have not read. (But I want to now!) The basic story line is that a man of indeterminate age and race visits a town dispensing wisdom that ultimately causes people to change their lives for the better.The main character, Jones, has a Christ-like quality about him. He seems to be there when people need him most to help them see things the way they really are. Jones assists the narrator first, who at the time was homeless with no hope of any other future. Jones calls himself a "noticer". He notices things that should be apparent to everyone if they only had the right perspective. Throughout the story he shares his perspective on how to be truly successful, how to keep from getting divorced before you even get married, how to value your life and so much more.
This story is full of quotable wisdom. I found myself copying and pasting so many things (I was reading the e-book version) to save and print out that I lost track of the number. I would read a chapter and say to myself, "I think this is my favorite chapter" only to finish the next and think the same thing. Each chapter is it's own little story addressing one area of life.
One chapter addresses how we view and express love. As I was reading it I thought of the 5 Love Languages as it had a similiar feel and we had just done a study on it at church. However I enjoyed Andrews analogies better. You are either a cat (physical touch), a canary (quality time), a puppy (words of affirmation), or a goldfish (favors and deeds). Although Andrews didn't go into nearly as much detail about each as he could have, he covered enough the reader understood and had an "aha" moment about each.
The chapters are brief, with the entire book (10 chapters) encompassing only 156 pages. However, I think that is perfect. A person can read one chapter in a short amount of time and meditate upon it. I gleaned inciteful advice and inferred many life applications of my own. As Jones would say, it is all a matter of perspective, something that definitely needed adjustment in my life. As a result I very much recommend this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it. The writing is a bit simple at times, and I found myself occasionally skipping over sentences or paragraphs to "get to the good part" but I tend to do that with many books that I read. I am an inpatient reader! LOL. If you decide to read it, please let me know what you think of it.
The next book I plan to read is Jesus Lives by Sarah Young. It is a devotional gift book.
Love,
