How to Live in Fear: Mastering the Art of Freaking Out, by Lance Hahn

Part memoir, and part inspirational instruction, How to Live in Fear by Lance Hahn is a refreshingly candid and transparent look at one pastor's struggle with panic and anxiety. With honesty, humility, and humor, Hahn takes the reader deep inside his personal story, sharing his individual journey with a panic disorder, as well as the steps he took (and continues to take) to manage it.

As someone who struggles with panic and anxiety, particularly as of late, this book was a balm to my exhausted and weary soul.  Mr Hahn's willingness to so openly share his experiences not only provided the much needed relief of knowing that someone else gets it, but also an overwhelming feeling of hope and inspiration along with the motivation I needed to more proactively seek help and healing myself.  Hahn never once condescends or speaks down to the reader, instead choosing to take an understanding approach;  one built on partnership and encouragement, from someone who is in the same boat.

Lance Hahn comes across as a gentle friend and cheerleader, giving the reader many good points to consider in their management of their own panic and anxiety.  When it comes to the topic of treatment, therapy, and medication, he employs a balanced approach.  True to his established style, he is very open about what avenues have worked for him, but offers no judgment on those who choose different paths.  Instead he encourages staying open-minded, and not being afraid to explore all modalities of treatment to find what works best for you. He also spends a great deal of time talking about additional steps to take when it comes to self-care, from adjusting your lifestyle, to learning tips to control your mind, to evaluating your spiritual journey (and what an important role that spirituality plays when it comes to your mental health).

This was a beautiful and hopeful book, and one that should be read by any believer who has or is experiencing any form or panic or anxiety.



I received this book for free from the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

How To Weep In Public, By Jacqueline Novak

I have to start by saying that this book left me a little confused.  To be fair, Ms Novak was very clear from the start about what the book was, and what it was not:  Her little disclaimer in the beginning states:

What This Book Will Not Provide:

Useful exercises
Insights of lasting value
Relief from depression
Help of any kind

And indeed, it did not provide any of those things.

What the book was meant to be was a funny, irreverent look at depression from someone who was deep within its trenches.  It was meant to offer a sort of camaraderie from someone who understands.  And it was those things.... kind of... but for much of the book it left me feeling more depressed than when I started.  

As someone who's struggled with depression for most of my adult life, I'm definitely not above looking at it through a lighthearted lens.  Jenny Lawson's book, Furiously Happy, was one of the funniest things I've ever read.  This book though, didn't leave me with the same reaction, and I'm not sure why.  Jacqueline Novak is a great writer, and describes the depths and complexities and layers of depression well.  It's entirely possible that it just took me awhile to really "get" her sense of humor, and that by the time I had, the book was nearly over. Perhaps if your sense of humor is different than mine, you might love this book.  

One word of caution is that it's one to skip if you are offended/bothered by profanity and sexual references, both of which Novak uses liberally.  Otherwise, check it out to see if it's your style, but definitely heed the author's own disclaimer at the beginning.  



*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

This Is Awkward, by Sammy Rhodes

In This Is Awkward, Sammy Rhodes talks directly, honestly, and hilariously about the most painfully uncomfortable subjects in our lives. In chapter like "Parents Are a Gift (You Can't Return Them)" and "D is for Depression," he boldly goes where most of us fear to tread, revealing that we can be liberated by the embrace of a God who knows the most shameful things about us and loves us all the same. Because nothing is too awkward for God. (from the back cover)

Depression, divorce, porn, social media, introversion, and.... donuts?  These are just a few of the weird and randomly awkward chapter topics in This Is Awkward.   If that's not enough, Rhodes starts each chapter with a little behind-the-scenes venture into his meandering, neurotic mind (and I say that with total respect... and as a person who also has a meandering, neurotic mind) as he writes... or tries to write... or thinks about writing... mostly at places like Starbucks.  I would have honestly read the book just for these little excerpts alone.  To say that I could relate would be a gross understatement. They met me in the most vulnerable, darkest, awkwardest, weirdest corners of my psyche.  I'm not a husband, or a father, or a male, but I get Sammy Rhodes.

I started reading this book in the waiting room at the dentist, and found myself praying that he'd be running late so I could keep reading.  I felt like a little kid, plotting to beg her parents, "Just five more minutes!" when they came in to find me reading in bed and told me it was time for lights out.   Sammy Rhodes writes in a wonderfully relatable and conversational style that made me want to keep turning the pages.  He writes about the things that so many of us think about, but are afraid to say. Plus, he's hysterical.

The truly great thing about this book though isn't so much the camaraderie you feel reading about someone who's just as weird and awkward as you are (though that's certainly a part of it).  What makes it great is the overall hopeful message that God accepts and loves even at our most embarrassingly awkward.  Something that I think I can never hear enough.

Read it.

I received this book for free from the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It Was Me All Along, by Andie Mitchell

It was Me All Along is a memoir about a young woman's life, loves, and relationships, particularly when it comes to food.  All her life, Andie Mitchell turned to food for comfort, companionship, and as a refuge from the turmoil in her fractured family life.  This story chronicles that disordered relationship, and the toil it took on both her body and her sense of self of self, as she navigates the ups and downs of growing up, going to college, and eventually finding where she does - and does not - fit in the world.  Reaching an all time high weight of 268, Andie does the hard work to discover why she's always turned to food, what she can do about, and ultimately the path she needs to take to find health and healing.

I really connected with this book.  Ms Mitchell is a wonderful descriptive writer and story-teller, and she makes you both root for her all while wincing at the stops and starts along the way.  It did take me a little longer to finish than it normally takes me.... not because the book wasn't great (it was), but because it was a heavy and at times heart-wrenching read.  Her story was a messy one, but it was also filled with hope.  It left me feeling inspired, and proud of this woman I have never met.  Her weight loss (of over a hundred pounds!) was amazing, but it was almost secondary to the realizations about self-love she made along the way, as well as the healthy and balanced relationship she had with food by the end.  As someone who really appreciates good food, in what I'd like to think is a healthy way, her triumphs made me happy, especially after learning that she actually went into food blogging and writing as a career.  It was as if her disordered eating - which could have chewed her up and spit her out - instead refined her, made her stronger, and forced her to find the tools she needed to turn her love for food into something beautiful and healthy and life-affirming.

Very inspiring.

For me, the mark of a great book versus a good one is what I do when I'm done.  When I finished this book, I immediately looked up Andie Mitchell to follow her all over social media (which, by the way, I suggest you do too.... if for no other reason to find out what became of her relationship with Daniel)

Beautiful book, and beautiful human.  Inside and out.

Prison, by Toni V Lee

I really wanted to like this book.  The plot sounded so interesting:  Sonja Grey and Max Trent are narcotics detectives who are chosen to go undercover to capture a "thug" who is dealing drugs at Sonja's church.  Promising mystery, suspense, and romance, it was indeed the makings of a good book.

Unfortunately, this kernel of a good story was completely lost in a bunch of cliches, overly stereotypical characters, and unbelievable dialogue.  Sonja and Max go from acting like immature grade schoolers - dealing with their attraction for each other by picking fights - to becoming the stuff of a Christian version of a Harlequin romance.  I lost track of how many times Sonja admired Max's "bulging, rippling muscles," and at one pointed she deemed him "looking good enough to eat."  For his part, Max struggled with controlling his fleshly desires, allowing himself only to "kiss her senseless"  (more than once), and delivered lines like, "Don't you know my heart beats in time with yours?"

The secondary characters, including the young man they were trying to capture, were basically caricatures, rather than believable, three dimensional characters.   We're also led to believe that the bad guys are going to be covered in tattoos and wear dreadlocks, because obviously, tattoos and dreadlocks equal a thug.

Ultimately, I was disappointed and frustrated while trying to read this all the way through.  I did finish the book, but found myself skimming at times, because it was just too difficult to take seriously.



I received this book for free from the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Mountain Midwife, by Laurie Alice Eakes

Ashley Tolliver is a third generation midwife living and working in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. She is devoted to her work and to her clients, but is also feeling a pull to leave her small hometown to go to medical school. When a mysterious couple arrives at her door late one night, she finds herself unexpectedly delivering a baby only to have the driver, baby, and mother (who is dangerously bleeding) vanish out into the night without a trace.

Hunter McDermott is a successful engineer from the DC area who is begrudgingly experiencing his fifteen minutes of fame after rescuing a young girl.  He returns home after working overseas hoping to rest and catch his breath for awhile.  Instead he finds a cryptic phone message from someone claiming to be his birth mother. After confronting his parents, he learns that he was in fact adopted, and goes on a quest to research this new-found piece of his personal history.  His journey brings him to the mountains of southwestern Virginia, where he crosses paths with Ashley Tolliver.

Eakes tells an interesting and fast-moving story here.  The mystery of the young missing mother, and Hunter's personal quest to find his parents are intertwined as Ashley and Hunter meet and forge a tentative relationship. There are plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages, and the characters are well-developed.  The mountains and landscape of the area are described beautifully, and almost serve as a character in their own right.

Unfortunately I did have a few gripes that kept me from giving the book a higher rating. There were some confusing plot lines and continuity issues, and the ending was extremely abrupt, leaving many secondary stories completely unresolved.  It is a shame too, because Eakes is a great writer, and I enjoyed her overall descriptive style.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and little quibbles aside, I would definitely give another of her books a try.



I received this book for free from the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Classic Human Anatomy In Motion

Classic Human Anatomy in Motion, by Valerie L Winslow, is as beautiful as it is practical.

I recently resurrected a long-neglected drawing practice, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to review this book. It did not disappoint. As an artist and a yoga teacher, I am fascinated with the human body... how it all works, how it moves together, how nothing acts in isolation, but instead works in harmony with everything around it. It is the perfect marriage of science and art, and the author of this book understands this so very well.

An in-depth study of joints, muscles, and bones; a detailed primer on accurately representing it all through pencil and paper; AND a gorgeous coffee table book all in one, this is a book I will refer to again and again. What makes the book truly great is that it doesn't just show you - for example - how to draw a hand. It helps you understand what is going on beneath the hand, making your artwork richer, more balanced, and more realistic. Covering everything from facial expressions to arm and leg movements, to full nudes, this book covers everything you need to know about drawing or painting the human body, and then some.

It is a must for any artist, from the beginner to the most experienced. Detailed, thorough, and packed with information and beautiful images, it should be on everyone's shelf.... whether you are an artist, want to be one, or just appreciate the wonder of the human form.


*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*