25 For 25

Because I have lived on this earth a quarter of a century (which is quite a short amount of time), I thought I'd celebrate the occasion with a list of 25 books that have impacted my life so far:

1. The Bible. I don't think I need to explain this one.

2. The Hobbit. This one holds a special place in my heart. My father read this one to us when we were children, and I simply never stopped reading it.

3. The Chronicles of Narnia. Another series (yes, I know, technically this doesn't count as one book but seven. But it's my birthday so I get a pass, right?) my father read to us growing up.

4. The Wind in the Willows. Because seriously, who doesn't love Badger (and Mole and Toad and Rat)?

5. Manalive. G.K. Chesterton is a genius, and by far one of my favorite philosophical writers.

6. The Space Trilogy.  Because C.S. Lewis is a boss (and this is a series, yes I know, I've cheated twice now).

7. Till We Have Faces. (See above note about Lewis' bossness)

8. The Screwtape Letters. (Ibid)

9. The Man Who was Thursday. Because, Chesterton.

10. Crime and Punishment. This was the first piece of Russian literature I read. It has since led to an obsession which may or may not be completely healthy.

11. The Blue Castle. I enjoyed LM Montgomery's other books, but I didn't really love her as an author until I read this book.

12. A Tale of Two Cities. The first Charles Dickens novel I read, and I am very glad I started with this one.

13. Little Dorrit. In my opinion, this book was the pinnacle of Dickens' work. But I haven't technically read Nicholas Nickelby yet (I've watched the adaptation about a million times, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't count). I could prove myself wrong.

14. The Sovereignty of God. I read this book by AW Pink the year after I moved out of my parents' house and started life on my own. It is one I would recommend for everyone struggling with that in-between period.

15. Prodigal God. I tend to be very pessimistic. This book reminded me of the lavish love and goodness of God towards His children during a time when I really did not feel it.

16. Passion and Purity. Elisabeth Elliot is a boss and everyone needs to read this one.

17. Killer Angels. Michael Shaara taught me what it really means to write historical fiction well. He inserted no fictional characters or situations, merely dialogue. And that dialogue was drawn from letters, newspaper articles, and journals from the historical figures themselves. I hope I can write something half as well as he has someday.

18. The Brothers Karamazov. I love the moral dilemmas, the dialogue, the character development, and the stark portrayal of human depravity found in this work. I love Dostoevsky, I just love him.

19. War and Peace. Because massive Russian dramas involving Napoleon Bonaparte are always amazing.

20. My Ántonia. I didn't know I could love American literature so much until I read Willa Cather. She is a beautiful writer.

21. A Grief Observed. C.S. Lewis understood my grief at a time when I thought no one could.

22. A Severe Mercy. Because we all need our hearts cut and our idols revealed so that we repent and so better love and worship our God. Sheldon Vanauken's work exemplifies it so beautifully for us.

23. Anna Karenina. A story about sinful people doing sinful things, with a striking contrast between  repentance/forgiveness versus indulgence/despair. Leo Tolstoy is a genius.

24. The Johnstown Flood. This short, 200+ page book established David McCullough as my favorite historical author (so far).

25. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. An honest, moving testimony of the power of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit to change lives.

This is not a complete list, by any means, and as I wrote this list I kept thinking of more and more books to add to it. Ah well, that is what the next years are for, adding more books to the list. I hope you enjoyed reading this list, and I hope it inspires you to go read some of them for yourself. It won't be a waste of time, I promise.

That One About Lifestyle Changes: Book Review #4

I am really challenging myself this year to read things I would not normally be interested in. My goal is not to read books that I always agree with, but rather ones that challenge me to understand my beliefs and my lifestyle better, and to glean from them what wisdom I can.

A Mind of Your Own
Author: Kelly Brogan, MD

This was quite an interesting read and one, I must admit, that was quite a stretch for me. I have limited medical knowledge, and this book is full of medical research and naturopathic methods. My own mind was having to perform acrobatics to keep up!
This book was very helpful for me in understanding vitamin and dietary deficiencies as linked to depression and emotional health. The author is very secular, and her belief system tends to lean more towards Eastern mysticism than anything else, but she has some very helpful medical advice for women struggling with depression and metabolic issues. She is not afraid to question the money-making, big-Pharma schemes that promote medications over lifestyle changes. Instead she digs deep into medical research to show the long-lasting benefits of a holistic lifestyle change versus the short-term benefits of antidepressant and antipsychotic drug therapy.
While I would not espouse her belief system, I would challenge you to read this book and consider how you view your own health and personal care. Are you mindful about the things you eat? What you expose your body to? How much do you sleep or exercise?
Being mindful of these things isn't wrong, particularly since we are commanded in Scripture to care for the body as well as the spirit. I would not say, though, that the application of such practices allow you to completely reverse the effects of the Fall, as she claims in the beginning of her book; death and the slow decay of the body are inevitable. And I would not endorse the pendulum-swing of obsessing over your food or your physical well-being. Being mindful, though, of these things and taking care of yourself so that you can better serve those around you - these are all things that we are called to do in order to be good stewards of what God has given us.
Read this book if you would like to be challenged in how you think of taking care of yourself. Read this book if you want to expand your knowledge of the physical relationship between your body and your mind. I found it to be quite an informative and challenging read, particularly as someone who has worked with medications for five years of my adult life. I would encourage any woman struggling with metabolic/emotional/hormonal issues to read it as well, for it is a very good resource for understanding and conquering the physical struggles that come with those issues.