Book Reviews

I thought I'd take some time and share my thoughts on the books I've been reading. So here they are:

Leap of Faith
I started reading this book in September, about a month before I traveled to Jordan. I really enjoyed the perspective it gave me. It did feel a little bit like a piece put out by Jordan's Minister of Tourism and/or Information, but I didn't expect a queen to be critical of her people or nation. The neatest part about reading the book before and during my Jordan trip was seeing the things that she talks about in real life. There's a main road named after her brother-in-law, and the eco-tourism projects that she was instrumental in are up and running.

Type Talk
While in Jordan, our host had a book called Types at Work and is about how personality types function in the workplace. I read quite a bit while there, and wanted to follow up once I got home. On Tuesday I checked Type Talk out from the library and finished in a day (it was much of the same material as the authors' other book).

This book, and the whole idea of personality types, is fascinating. The authors use the Myers-Briggs personality indicators (or whatever it's called) as the basis for their work. I'm an ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging). It turns out only 25% of the population is Introverted, and only 33% of Thinkers are women. Lucky me.

All week I've been aware of how my personality influences my behaviors. The book's description of my type is disturbingly accurate; right down to my ability to act like and be mistaken for an Extravert (my Jordan host thought I was an E). It also described my roommate's personality - even as far as her occupation (nurse). It'd be fun for all of you readers to take a free online test and post your results as a comment! Test 1 or Test 2 (I like Test 2 better because it gives percentages)

Sixty-One Weeks
This is an unpublished manuscript by my friend, Joel (see link on right). It is very thought-provoking and I will be writing more about the thoughts provoked later. Here's the background: Joel travelled from Beijing to Istanbul in 61 weeks and wrote about it.

The Peacemaker
See my post called "Conflict and Resolution" for a review of this book.

Left to Tell
I read this for my book club. Even though I picked it, I wasn't terribly impressed. It felt a little simplistic and pedantic. Too bad, because the author's story is worth hearing.

Blessings

Last week I received a free ticket to a women's church event I wanted to attend. It only cost $10, but I had been hesitant to purchase a ticket because I wasn't sure the event would be worth it. Then, a young friend of mine who comes in and out of my life (in when she needs help, mostly) saw the ticket when she came to visit me at work. She's been involved in drugs and alcohol and has a generally unhealthy lifestyle. It's been almost six weeks of clean living and she started counseling and getting other professional help. Anyway, she left very broad hints that she would like to attend the party - saying things like "That would be good for me," and "I need to learn how to have clean fun" and so on. So I offered to take her with me.

I ended up buying her $10 ticket on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, I did a favor for someone and they insisted on paying me when they didn't have to. I made an easy $20.

My friend and I had a great time.