Books I read in 2010

In my 2010 goals I wrote that I wanted to read 2 books a month. Well I did it and thought I had posted about it but I hadn't! So I'm doing it now! Sorry it's so late but I still wanted to share these wonderful books with you! I'm working on 2011 reading goals now, but I didn't want to forget on highlighting these! If you want to know more about any of them just click on the photo and it will take you to some great info or review on the book!

Happy reading!

Jodie on: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

When I got this book review from Jodie I got really excited because I just recently read this book and loved it! Jodie bought me my first Donald Miller book (Blue Like jazz) because she loved it so much and knew I would too (and of course she was right). Now I’ve read every one of his books that I can get my hands on. Her review really does capture the book amazingly, like her writing always does. Enjoy!

Let me preface this review by saying it will be totally biased. I am a wild, raving fan of Donald Miller and have read everything that he has ever written. This book is a textbook example of why I love this author so. A Million Miles in a Thousand years is a story about story. Donald Miller's most popular book, Blue Like Jazz, was picked up to be adapted into a film. In the process of working with a team to facilitate the transition, he is confronted with the tale of his basically autobiographical book. The reflections lead him to realize that all our lives are is story - just like a movie. How is that playing out? He tackles this question with a brutal, raw honesty and every ounce of his humanity.

Miller doesn't ever let his quest for a better story and thus a better life fall into pleasing other people - he only considers his opinions of the life he is leading. In an era of endless self help books, this is the simplest. Just decide on the story you want to live and live it. While this may seem like it would make for a short read, Miller takes us through the years in which he decides to reshape his life, making this much less self help and much more memoir. He shares his moments of triumph, defeat, inspiration and enlightenment with his readers in that accessible, tactile way that hits your emotion button. I took this book to the beach with me and had to tear myself away to swim and found sunbathers looking at me quizzically as I cried on the beach. In this story peppered with incredible experience and exuberantly expressed emotion and tied with a non-treatening spiritual bow, the reader sees themself and their desire for a great life and a great story. So read this story and promptly begin rewriting your own.

Check out Jodie's awesome blog Seamstress for the Band

Jodie on: When God Winks by Squire Rushnell

Jodie from Seamstress for the Band on:

When God Winks

by SQuire Rushnell

I was hunting for some reading material for the 10 hour bus ride home from Singapore to Malaysia. Reaching the end of my trip, I was running a liitle low on funds and often the non-fiction books I favour cost a little more than a $10 chick lit novel. However, this book was on sale and caught my eye. As the book would put it, a Godwink. However, this book and my chance meeting was not as poetic as some of the stories packed into the 113 pages. The premise is promising, and one I firmy believe in, but the book ran out of steam early on.

Rushnell explains his belief that everything in life is connected and we are often given clues and hints, or 'winks', from our Creator to keep us on our path and encouraged. However, this is quite a simple theory and to fill in the gaps, he uses seemingly endless stories of real life coincidences meant to inspire. His flip-flopping between the use of the name God and a more vague 'being' and 'universe'. I think his point would have come across well had he stuck to one or the other, but the lack of consistency was really distracting for me. The book did offer up some really effective visualization activities and suggested that we do need to open out eyes to all the opportunities presenting ourselves to them. While it's not a terrible book, I feel there are many that offer the same message with much more substance.

Buy it here

Guest Writer Jodie On: Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland

Eleanor Rigby was the first Douglas Coupland book I read, after he came very highly reccomended to me by many of my literary friends. I picked this book simply because it shared a title with one of my favorite Beatles songs - and appropriately so. The novel explores the themes of loneliness and the quiet deperation of the lonely in ways which are relatable and inspire symopathy and compassion, as opposed to pity. Liz is just your average woman living in North Vancouver. Her very beige life is extremely unremarkable and drab as the furniature that fills her boring, average apartment. Then, she receives a phone call from the hospital. Someone whose name she has never heard in her life had listed her as their emergency medical contact and requires her assistance. She can no longer simply go on living unnoticed anymore - she matters to someone.

This book is an incredibly easy read - I sped through it in a day and a half, not wanting to put it down. It quickly made me fall in love with Coupland's style. He writes with a gentle, yet raw honesty and weaves a bit of humor into his well-penned dialogue. The most incredible and compelling thing about his writing in general, but most specifically in Eleanor Rigby, are the characters. He creates such vivid and heartbreakingly complex characters that you feel you know someone in real life - don't be surprised to be looking at the Liz in your life with a little more compassion. While the novel is certainly character-driven, the story is a sweet, yet sad one that holds your attention. This book is an absolute must-read!

Check out Jodie's blog, Seamstress for the Band Here

My Book Club

I'm starting a book club! I'm really excited about it. I figured I love reading books, I love talking about books, and I love getting a bunch of girls together so what better then this right?

So I thought I would share the details with you here, maybe for those of you that like the idea but don't know where to start!

Oh and if you have some good reads send the suggestions to me! I'm always open to a new book!

So here’s how it’s going to work:

1) Each month we meet to talk about that month’s book (E.g. the last Thursday of every month)

2) We alternate locations (restaurant, someone’s house, etc) and the host is the one that picked the book for that month (try to pick a book that none of the other members have read)

3) At each meeting we pick the next month’s host and they let us know which book they have picked

4) Try to pick a book you know can be read off www.wattpad.com or is available at the library

5) Other then the host, two additional people (volunteers, or a rotation) will bring a snack of some sort (cookies, spinach dip etc.)

Guest Writer: Jodie from Seamstress for the Band

My good friend Jodie asked me a while ago over our doubles at Dean’s if I wanted to be a guest writer on her blog! I was thrilled and in turn asked her if she would be a guest writer on mine. We both agreed and here we are at the start of it, and I’m super excited! Currently we live super far apart but I’m so happy to have some level of closeness through guesting for each other! I know you’re going to love her as much as I do!

Jodie’s Bio

Hey everyone!

My name is Jodie Layne and I'm absolutely tickled Amanda invited me to be a contributor on her blog! Mandi and I met around 3 years ago and she has continued to be one of my favourite people to spend time with, a great sounding board, and inspiration, and is always reliable for some huge laughs.

I'm a 20-year-old free spirit/professional nanny/yogini/lover/dreamer/vegan/blogger currently living in Manjung, Perak, Malaysia. I am originally from Winnipeg, but have recently spent most of my time living in Canmore and Banff Alberta, indulging my love of snowboarding and discovering my knack with kids. In my spare time I am so so passionate about exploring, listening to and making music, reading, doing yoga, drinking tea, skateboarding, taking pictures with my great grandpa's SLR, thrifting, and writing.

My blog is Seamstress for the Band. I write motivational posts, share art and music(and interview the people who make it!) that I absolutely adore, fashion I currently dig, and other little trinkets and treasures that inspire me! As well, I have recently started a creative writing project, Petit et a Enchanté to share vignettes of my daily life. On Mandi's blog I will be sharing my favourite literary gems with you!Look forward to connecting with all of you and getting feedback on some of YOUR favourite books!

Love&Light,
Jodie

Reading, Reading, Reading!

I love reading!! I wanted to start doing posts about books, and I still might, but I thought joining some sort of book club might be better, you know meet more people, find some new books to read.

With most things I am trying to learn more about I googled “book clubs” and found Shelfari. It’s really easy to use, and you can add books to your shelf (it’s very visual) that you’ve read, are going to read and are reading right now. And then you can search for people that are reading the same books as you and make friends and join discussions. I’m really liking it so far!


So if you are looking for a online book club/group I would suggest thing one! www.shelfari.com