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Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for September 28, 2016

An invitation to do it all differently: Review of Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

September 28, 2016

I really love the way Shauna Niequist puts words together and the lessons she learns that she shares with us, her readers. And the message of her latest book, Present Over Perfect, that we can let go of our frantic lives to take hold of something more meaningful and simple, is one my heart/mind/soul needs to hear. (Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of the book in exchange for my review.) present-over-perfect

There are some writing gems in this book, like:

“The inciting incident for life change is almost always heartbreak.

And,

“It seems to me that Christians, even more than anyone else, ought to be deeply grounded, lying a courageous rhythm of rest, prayer, service, and work.”

Also,

“In season of deep transformation, silence will be your greatest guide.”

So, there are some great take-aways from this book. However, I just wasn’t excited about the format. It’s set up as a series of essays, somewhat connected to a theme, but I couldn’t get into a flow when reading. A lot of great writers and books use this collection-of-essays format, but it just didn’t work for me here. I like a book I can’t put down, and this one almost begged you to set it down and walk away. Although now that I think about it, maybe that’s the best way to read this book and let its message sink in.

Overall, I was encouraged by the book and challenged by some of the questions about how my life is lived and what I might need to say no to. It’s a good read for the fast-paced world in which we live.

Filed Under: books, Non-fiction, The Weekly Read Tagged With: hustle, present over perfect, shauna niequist, silence

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Hi. I’m Lisa, and I’m glad you’re here. If we were meeting in real life, I’d offer you something to eat or drink while we sat on the porch letting the conversation wander as it does. That’s a little bit what this space is like. We talk about books and family and travel and food and running, whatever I might encounter in world. I’m looking for the beauty in the midst of it all, even the tough stuff. (You’ll find a lot of that here, too.) Thanks for stopping by. Stay as long as you like.

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Lisa Bartelt is a participant in the Bluehost Affiliate Program.

Occasionally, I review books in exchange for a free copy. Opinions are my own and are not guaranteed positive simply due to the receipt of a free copy.

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