A couple months ago, I wrote a short must-read book list, Half of it being for me and the other half being for you guys. Well, I’ve gone through most of mine and thought I’d give you my thoughts on two of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Both of which happened to be on that list.
Those of you familiar with Jon’s book and blog called “Stuff Christians Like” know that this guy can write some hilarious material, often noting extremely obvious tendencies in us all and completely capitalizing on them for what always ends up being a great laugh. I personally haven’t taken Jon Acuff very seriously in the past. This is absolutely my own fault as I see now after reading Quitter.
Don’t get me wrong. There is still a lot of great tongue-in-cheek humor shining throughout Quitter, usually right when the tension is really on and you need the laugh to keep from crying. But the best thing about Quitter was just how wonderfully practical it was. Jon was very clear in showing the reader the best way to move from working a day-job to working your dream-job. He answered questions like, “How do I know when it’s time to quit?” and “How can I use this day-job, while I’m stuck here, to get ready for my dream-job?” The best part is that–most likely without meaning to–Jon also answered the question for me of what, specifically, is my dream. That alone was worth much more than the cover price of the book. Highly recommended for anyone with aspirations. That’s right; Anyone.
2. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
What to say? This was just a beautiful book. Though it was practical in some ways, the best parts of Bird By Bird were the personal stories of Anne’s life as a writer, parent, friend, you-name-it. She really shows what it means when it is said that great writers write with honesty; It was just… healing. Though I didn’t think the practical side of Bird By Bird was the real meat of it, I have found myself often quoting tips from this book almost every time I talk to anyone about writing. I guess it was a lot more practical than I thought. This one is highly recommended too for any writer out there. I would even venture to say for everyone from the private journaler, to the seasoned author. This book has both the smarts and the wisdom.
Christopher Paul-Silas Brooks 