![\"Bookclub\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bookclub.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve listened to the podcast<\/a> you know that I\u2019m starting a book club!\u00a0 Every month, I\u2019m teaming up with my dear friend, Cara Meredith to discuss one book that we think has (or will) make us better Shalom Sistas.\u00a0 We\u2019re Voxer buddies and one week we started talking about our personal reading challenges- she\u2019s #readingforchange and I\u2019m trying to read more books written by African-American women and\/or have black protagonists. When we realized we were reading the same kind of books, I suggested she come on the show once a month as a Standing Shalom Sista to talk books with me.\u00a0 Which is kinda perfect because I need a book club and she just shut down hers so\u2026Shalom Sista\u2019s Book Club!!!<\/p>\n Wanna join us?<\/p>\n Yeah\u2026I knew you would. Ok, so first off check out our selections below.\u00a0 I\u2019m listing them all here for the whole year so you can prepare for all the awesomeness!\u00a0 There\u2019s a good mixture of fiction\/ non-fiction and we tried to include authors from diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also trying to line up a few episodes with the authors (YAY!).<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re not already subscribed to the podcast you can do so here:<\/p>\n https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/shalom-in-the-city\/id1088696262?mt=2<\/p>\n I hope you do! Every month, I\u2019ll have a post of my thoughts, if I loved the book, if I hated it, what Shalom steps I\u2019ve come up with after reading it, and the most important question: Would I buy it or send it back to the library.<\/p>\n Shalom and Books,<\/p>\n Osheta<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool<\/em>, but it is pink\u2014all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue<\/em>, and I\u2019m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Exploring the notion of God as clothing, Winner reflects on how we are \u201cclothed with Christ\u201d or how \u201cGod fits us like a garment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ellen McCarthy has explored the complete journey of our timeless quest for \u201cThe One,\u201d the Soul Mate, the Real Thing. This indispensable collection of insights\u2014on dating, commitment, breakups, weddings, and marriage\u2014gives us a window into enduring romance:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n *This post includes Affiliate links to our Shalom in the City bookstore.\u00a0 Buy from there and we\u2019ll get a few cents kicked over to us to keep the podcast going.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve listened to the podcast you know that I\u2019m starting a book club!\u00a0 Every month, I\u2019m teaming up with my dear friend, Cara Meredith to discuss one book that we think has (or will) make us better Shalom Sistas.\u00a0 We\u2019re Voxer buddies and one week we started talking about our personal reading challenges- she\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3037,"featured_media":4090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,768,4,447],"tags":[774,762,775],"class_list":["post-4068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-in-the-community","category-shalom-session","category-what-im-into","tag-readingforchange","tag-book-club","tag-shalom-in-the-city"],"yoast_head":"\nMarch: The Light of the World<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"lightoftheworld\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/lightoftheworld-193x300.png\")
In THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Elizabeth Alexander finds herself at an existential crossroads after the sudden death of her husband. Channeling her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid price, Alexander tells a love story that is, itself, a story of loss. As she reflects on the beauty of her married life, the trauma resulting from her husband\u2019s death, and the solace found in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss.<\/p>\n
\nApril: Bad Feminist<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"cover_bad_feminist\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cover_bad_feminist-199x300.jpg\")
A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay.<\/p>\n
\nMay: Esperanza Rising<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Esperanza\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Esperanza-206x300.jpg\")
Esperanza thought she\u2019d always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico\u2013she\u2019d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn\u2019t ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances\u2013Mama\u2019s life, and her own, depend on it.<\/p>\n
\nJune: Wearing God<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"wearinggod\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/wearinggod-200x300.jpg\")
There are hundreds of metaphors for God, but the church only uses a few familiar images: creator, judge, savior, father. In Wearing God<\/em>, Lauren Winner gathers a number of lesser-known tropes, reflecting on how they work biblically and culturally, and reveals how they can deepen our spiritual lives.<\/p>\n
\nJuly: The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life From a Wedding Reporter\u2019s Notebook<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"TheRealThing\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/TheRealThing-204x300.jpg\")
From a Washington Post <\/i>weddings reporter who\u2019s covered more than two hundred walks down the aisle comes a warm, witty, and wise book about relationships\u2014the mystery, the science, and the secrets of how we find love and make it last.<\/p>\n
\nAugust: Love Walked In<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"lovewalkedin\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/lovewalkedin-197x300.jpg\")
When Martin Grace enters the hip Philadelphia coffee shop Cornelia Brown manages, her life changes forever. But little does she know that her newfound love is only the harbinger of greater changes to come. Meanwhile, across town, Clare Hobbs\u2014eleven years old and abandoned by her erratic mother\u2014goes looking for her lost father. She crosses paths with Cornelia while meeting with him at the caf\u00e9, and the two women form an improbable friendship that carries them through the unpredictable currents of love and life.<\/p>\n
\nSeptember: Love Warrior<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"love-warrior-cover\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/love-warrior-cover-203x300.jpg\")
Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out\u2013three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times<\/i> bestseller list\u2013her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, rock bottom was a familiar place to Glennon. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life. Love Warrior <\/i>is the story of one marriage, but it is also the story of the healing that is possible for any of us when we refuse to settle for good enough and begin to face pain and love head-on.<\/p>\n
\nOctober: Roadmap to Reconciliation<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"roadmaptoreconcillation\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/roadmaptoreconcillation-201x300.jpg\")
Missio Alliance Essential Reading List of 2015 We can see the injustice and inequality in our lives and in the world. We are ready to rise up. But how, exactly, do we do this? How does one reconcile? What we need is a clear sense of direction. Based on her extensive consulting experience with churches, colleges and organizations, Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil has created a roadmap to show us the way. She guides us through the common topics of discussion and past the bumpy social terrain and political boundaries that will arise. In these pages she voices her call to all believers: \u201cIt\u2019s time for the followers of Jesus to embark on the prophetic journey that leads to reconciliation and transformation around the world. Many of us may already be aware of the need for reconciliation in our own backyards. . . . We cannot ignore the plight of the people around us and as globalization continues its relentless march onward, we cannot turn a blind eye to the world at large either. We have to face the realities here at home and we must also embrace the stories of people all around the world.\u201d Each chapter lays out the next step in the journey. With reflection questions and exercises at the end of each chapter, it\u2019s ideal to read together with your church or organization. If you are ready to take the next step into unity, wholeness and justice, then this is the book for you.<\/p>\n
\nNovember: Everything I Never Told You<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Everything-I-Never-Told-You\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Everything-I-Never-Told-You-199x300.jpg\")
\u201cLydia is dead. But they don\u2019t know this yet.\u201d So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia\u2019s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You <\/i>is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.<\/p>\n
\nDecember: Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"YearofYes\"](\"https:\/\/shalominthecity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/YearofYes-212x300.jpg\")
This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda\u2019s life before<\/i> her Year of Yes\u2014from her nerdy, book-loving childhood creating imaginary friends to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her (like Cristina Yang, whose ultimate goal wasn\u2019t marriage, and Cyrus Beene, who is a Republican and <\/i>gay). And it chronicles her life after <\/i>her Year of Yes had begun\u2014when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live<\/i>, and giving the Dartmouth Commencement speech; when she learned to say yes to her health, yes to play and she stepped out of the shadows and into the sun; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. Yes.<\/p>\n
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