My First Books of 2019!

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Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

Confession time, I actually read Cold Tangerines before the calendar flipped to January 1 and Bittersweet I started December 30 and finished on January 1, but I thought close enough was good enough for this post.  Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet are the second and third books respectively that I've read by Shauna Niequist.  I came across them on another blogger's post on Pinterest of books that helped them when they were struggling with depression.  Both are collections of essays describing times of difficulty and transition in Ms. Niequist's life.  

The theme of Cold Tangerines is celebration. I think she was trying to describe how even in times of difficulty and transition we can celebrate God's activity in our lives.  Honestly, I didn't think the book felt celebratory.  I didn't come away with a more hopeful outlook.  The theme of Bittersweet is that even in difficulty and transition there is an element of sweetness (again, God's activity in our lives).  I think she did a better job in this book hitting that goal.  

She's a Christian writer, published by a Christian publisher, but I don't feel that her books magnify God's work in her life.  I feel that she magnifies her friendships with others more than she does God's activity (which was part of her stated goal in the beginning of the books).  I struggle to identify with her writing.  When I go through a rough time I don't jet off to Fiji with my family or spend a summer at a friend's lake house.  This isn't a criticism of her lifestyle, this is simply a statement that this isn't where I live.  I suppose if I were wealthier, I'd be able to identify with her more.

All of that to say, I probably won't be reading any more of her books.  There were things that she said that resonated with me, but they were too few to justify reading more of her work.  I apologize for starting the New Year with such a negative review, but I know that there are many books ahead of us that we'll enjoy together.

Until next time... 

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