Friday Book Club: June Books

Well the fun continues and I've now officially made it halfway through the year and my goal of two books a month is still alive!  Woo hoo!!  Today I'm sharing my June Books with Friday Book Club.  (If you missed any of my prior reviews, just click here!)

The Glass Castle

Remember my love for the book Half Broke Horses?  Well the author also wrote this book called The Glass Castle, so when College Roomie recommended it and I saw it at the airport in Costa Rica (before the almost hijacking of my plane), I knew I had to buy it.  I had finished that baby within 12 hours, and I am by no means a fast reader. 

I just could not put it down.  The author writes completely candidly about her shockingly horrible childhood.  Hunger and poverty, abuse and lonliness, parents who stole from their children and squashed dreams all the while telling the kids how lucky they were.  Examples of the unconditional love a child has for a parent, and where even that love reaches a limit.  It was unreal to read, and even more unreal to know that it was true and that the author and her siblings got out and made great lives for themselves.

I do not have favorite quotes from the book, but I'm telling you, this is a must-read if you ask me.  This woman has a gift for writing and I promise you any other book that she pens will be on my shelf.

How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

In general, I liked this book.  It's probably more geared towards high school/college girls, but there were certainly some great parts that were quite applicable to my life situation.  I loved the part talking about the 10 types of "Mr. Wrongs" and looking through the list only to realize that I've had crushes on 7 of the 10 types.  The 10 types are:  (1) the flip-flopper--the guy who can't make up his mind about what he wants while the girl follows him around like a puppy dog; (2) the fixer-upper--the problem child, the bad boy; (3) the walking hormone--self explanatory; (4) the smooth criminal--like the walking hormone, but smarter and ergo more dangerous, guy with all the rihgt lines; (5) the control freak--has to know where you are and what you are doing 24/7; (6) the older guy--also self explanatory; (7) the potty mouth--it's really not attractive, guys; (8) the tearful cheater--dude is a jerk but somehow talks his way back in; (9) the spiritual midget--guys who are just not interested in faith, either their own or yours; and (10) Mr.-I-Don't-Have-Enough-Social-Skills-To-Meet-Girls-Without-The-Internet--I'm not knocking online dating, it works for some people, but there are some real losers out there as well.  And just for the record, sometimes I am good enough to like a guy who fits in the several of these categories at once.  And that, ladies, takes talent.

Maybe more than the content of the book, I like the idea behind it.  In finding the person who we are meant to be with, I think that it is critically important to not lose ourselves in the process.  We have to know--and stick to--our standards, who we are, what we are looking for, what purpose (and person) God calls us to. 

A few of my favorite quotes:

"There can only be one God.  Either we call the shots or we trust what He's revealed to us."

"So much depends on having the courage to let go of what was never meant to be."

"What the world needs is for women to climb out of their shells of fear and become who God created them to be."

"Let there be no doubt that God honors those who honor Him, and that He always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him."

"Sometimes, God's greatest blessings are when He takes away something that we desparately want."

"The Lord gives us a time of singleness to serve Him and many of us either fill it up with passing relationships or spend it miserable because a future relationship hasn't unfolded according to our plans."

"You'll notice that what saved her from throwing her life away was the fact that she dreamed of something bigger and better for herself."

"At some point in your life you have to decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it."

"Give yourself permission to hope."

"One's soulmate is only visible to the person who is living in the will of God.  Otherwise you could live next door to him your whole life and never know it, unless you were living as God was calling you to live."

"When we don't trust God, we often take matters into our own hands.  It's then that we become our own worst enemies."

"The real reason why people don't stop to listen to God is not because they don't think He'll speak to them.  They're afraid He will."