The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Are you a reader? I am a definite wannabe reader! I absolutely love searching for books, buying books, and having a ton of books! Have I read them all? NOPE! I have good intentions of reading them, and sometimes I do, but if the book doesn’t capture me in the first three pages, I stop reading it.

How about when someone says to you, "You wanna read a good book? I have a good recommendation." I immediately think, "No, I don’t want your recommendation because I’m a book snob and want to find books on my own." But I do give in, and I’m thankful I do because some of the best books have come from recommendations by friends.

So I’m here to recommend some books to read, and you want to know the best part? We have a public library in town! You can get them from there! And if they don’t have them in, the odds are, they can get them in for you! So cool!

The variety of books I recommend here are primarily spiritual and personal development books, but they are still good! At least, I think so, and you may find one you absolutely love! I wish I could put them on a list from best to worst for you, but I’ve genuinely enjoyed them all. I have a few favorites from these and will put an asterisk on those. The book summary I will share with you will be from Amazon so you can see what the book is about.

Watch for three articles of five books to consider during the rest of January.

Laughing Through the Ugly Cry and Finding Unstoppable Joy by Dawn Barton. “Do you believe that joy is a choice? Dawn Barton does. She’s an upbeat Southerner with good hair and a successful business background, but she’s had more heartache than most of us can imagine. Laughing Through the Ugly Cry is a collection of honest and sometimes raw stories. Dawn throws an arm around readers as she brings them along on her journey through the loss of a child, divorce, cancer, rape, the death of her only sibling, her husband’s substance abuse, and finding her way back to Jesus in the middle of it all.”

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordan (or any book by him, he’s great!).”An international best seller by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment at work and at home. Jon infuses this engaging story with keen insights as he provides a powerful roadmap to overcome adversity and bring out the best in yourself and your team.”

*The Miracle and Power of Blessing by Maurice Berquist. “Maurice Berquist shares his discoveries of blessings from life and the Word of God.”

Shaken by Tim Tebow. “Most of us have been on the receiving end of rejection, a broken dream, or heartbreak. And while this is not an easy space to go through, when we are grounded in the truth, we can endure the tough times. In this powerful book, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow passionately shares glimpses of his journey, staying grounded in the face of disappointment, criticism, and intense media scrutiny. Tebow talks about what he’s learned along the way, building confidence in his identity in God, not the world. This moving book also features practical wisdom from Scripture and insights gained from others who have impacted him in life-changing ways.”

*The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. “The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.”

Hopefully, you have been curious about at least one of these books, and you find a good one to read! With winter around the corner, maybe you can love more than one and spend some time reading this winter.