Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

Both my dad and I have read this book and we absolutely loved it! If you haven't seen the previews already, it is going to be made into a movie which looks great but the book is amazing. It is about a journey of a man who join the circus business and basically tries to keep up let alone survive. It makes a for thrilling tale but be warned it is graphic. There is a stripper character Barbara (skip these parts completely they have no effect on the plot of the story), August the head animal trainer and a very abusive husband, and there is an epic turn of events which are also graphic.


Sara Gruen makes a point through out the book that a lot of times we settle for what we really want. Almost every character makes poor substitutions for fulfillment and finds themselves in the same pile of misery every time. Jacob the main character is faced with decisions that could kill him or keep him alive longer. But in the fast pace business of the circus, Jacob decides to change everything to go after what he ultimately wants. 


As I have said before my dad and I both got to read this book so I wanted to include his opinion not only because he was in a circus himself! But, he is my dad and he loves a good book just as much as I do. Here are his thoughts: 

I really enjoyed the book Water for Elephants.  It is a wonderful story that transports the reader from the aching soul of an elderly man to a young man's journey to find himself in the world of the circus.  Whereas my circus didn't revolve around animal acts or the "carnival" aspects of circus, the fast pace of touring everyday was very real.  You get into a routine of set up, perform, tear down day in and day out.  The book also brings out the aspect of spending a considerable amount of time daily with the same people - your learn their idiosyncrasies, habits and personalities. (And they learn yours)  You are a family that must co-exist to achieve the performance of excellence.  It is similar in that it still requires people to keep the circus spirit alive.  It is different for me in that it was always a secondary hobby.  It was such a special time in my life because I went to college and did circus almost like some would participate in a sport.  Reading this book takes the reader to the place of a total lifestyle where the circus show was the most important thing.  Although it never took the number one spot in my life, it truly was a time of growth and unabashed fun.  Also, our circus wasn't just about entertaining. We used the circus as a vehicle to share the gospel with folks.  We were not in it for our own passion, but for the passion of telling others about Christ.  

In the end, I wouldn't exchange it for anything else at the time...I learned so much, had a blast with some amazing folks and in the end, married the girl who travelled with us on my last tour.  

I highly recommend this book but due to the graphic-ness of it all be careful. I hope you enjoy! 

Reading Tip

Do you ever find yourself stuck in the "Prime reading time" without a book? For example; a waiting room, an airport, etc. Many times I find myself in these situations where I could get so much reading done but I don't have any reading materials what so ever. This is a growing problem that I'm convinced we should solve.

The solution! Many people have fancy phones, Nooks, Kindles and more which actually give you something to read electronically. This is fantastic don't get me wrong, but if you are like me then reading a tiny screen for long periods of time does not sound like fun to you. I have found that many times these devices offer you sample reads of a book for free which gives you a good chunk of the book for you to preview. I love this because you get to read something for free and it lets you find a good (real) book that you can later buy and flip pages. Also, if you are ever buying a great book you should buy it in a smaller paper back copy that way it is easier to throw in your bag or carry around with you on the go.

Have more ways to read on the go? Let me know what you think.

Need Critical Answers?

While working at my church (Which I currently do not anymore) I took a class for employees under the age of 25. We studied the book Critical Choices That Change Lives by Daniel R. Castro.

My first thought was "This looks likes every other book I have read on leadership." and you are probably thinking right now the cover is not very interesting...It is a trick! I could not stop highlighting in this book. It teaches you how to be productive in decision making and how to evaluate the ins and outs of your everyday situations.

This book is excellent because of the different scenarios it takes you through and how to over come them. It is filled to the brim with amazing quotes from names such as Beethoven, Galileo, Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many more (Which also make dynamite Facebook status updates). A few of my favorites from this read are:

"In some ways, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it find a meaning." -Viktor Frankl

"Individuals behave not in accordance with reality, but in accordance with their perception of reality." -Denis Waitley

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind." - William James

I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book. It is a motivator to get out there and take charge in life. Happy reading!

Top 3 Favorite books

Hey everyone!

So to start off this book blog I think it would be good to establish my favorite books of all time. They are my favorites because I can read them over and over and learn something new every time I flip the page!

Number one- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
It is a brilliantly written book of success stories. Need a pick me up? READ THIS! Malcolm writes ""Outlier" is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience". This book takes a deeper look into the sport of hockey, the Beatles, cooperate lawyers and more seeing what brought them to where they are now. This book taught me to see the big picture, but in the big picture to look at the underlining patterns and systems that bring success. I absolutely loved reading this because Malcolm Gladwell challenges us to ask questions. So many times I just go with the flow and believe what I'm told. (I'm not saying go against authority) I'm saying picking apart situations, businesses, even people and figuring out what makes them work and how they find a solution that works for them.

Number two- The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Throughout high school you learn the facts of history and don't understand me wrong I loved those classes, but this book really paints a picture of the emotional side of history. It puts you in the middle of all chios and brings to light the hard yet brave decisions that General Robert E. Lee and his men had to make during the civil war. Although it is a bit gory (expect this I mean it is about fighting) The Killer Angels makes this important piece of history more than just facts and dates. I could not put this book down due to the style of Michael Shaara's writing it keeps you on the edge of your seat! (even though if you took a history class, you know what happens in the end).

Number three- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
An Epic Classic. I know what your thinking guys "Girl Book" and it is BUT! Jane Austen's style of writing is so perfectly entertaining. Her language is witty and engaging, it makes you want to talk like her. This story of Elizabeth Bennet is fun and inspires woman to not give in to the pressures of society no matter what era. I find that every character in fact is relatable to at least someone I know and it makes the book all the more entertaining. This book is a good vacation read, no matter if you are in a plane for long hours or on the beach this book will keep you turning pages until you run out of them.



It was hard to only pick three, but these books are absolutely amazing! If you need a good book start with this list! If you have any good book suggestions please let me know!

Mission Statement.

Welcome,

I don't know about you, but I am quite possibly addicted to reading. There is a rush of adrenaline flipping the last page of a book and I don't plan on quitting any time soon. I'm 20 years of age and I find myself running into the problem of finding good books. There are books for adults and youth but what about the in between? People think "Oh well when you are not a teenager anymore you become an adult." This might be true in some cases, not in book world. I don't want to shift through adult books looking for relevance to my life, and I'm more mature a tween series about peer pressure. If I could make my own category it would have books about motivation for when real life begins and stories of determination (not "take over your school" determination but "take over your life and rock at it" determination) With plots and suspense but none of those trashy adult novels where it seems like only one thing happens at the end.

Okay enough to the mission statement. I'm writing this blog as a source for readers like me for I am convinced they are out there. Instead of skimming the back of a million books I want to provide people with a good meaty list of books that simply cannot be put down. Including novels, self-help, biographies, and more I am on the hunt to find amazing reads!

If you have any questions and/or suggestions of good books to add please let me know :)