More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity - Book Review

Book: More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity
Author: Jeff Shinabarger
Genre: Christian, Religion & Spirituality
Publisher/Publish Date: David C. Cook / March 1, 2013
Source: ARC ebook review copy from Publisher
Pages: 224
Rating: 5/5
Other books from author: Author's first book. He is the creative director at Catalyst and founder of GiftCardGiver.com and Plywood People.
Website: moreorlessbook.com
GoodReads  •  Amazon

In More or Less, Jeff Shinabarger calls readers to create their own social experiments to answer the question, “What is enough?” 

It all started with one idea: What would happen if we created a culture in which we gave away whatever was more than enough for us? How would our habits change if we shed the excess of money, clutter, and food in our lives? In More or Less, readers will learn how to draw a line of “enough” in their consumer choices, how to see generosity as a chance to experience freedom in a greedy world, and how to make small changes now that will help others forever. As Shinabarger reminds them, defining “enough” is more than a responsibility—it is an opportunity to give hope.

Book description via GoodReads

Do you have more than enough? Want to make a different in your life and others, and don't know where to start?

Jeff Shinabarger is a man full of ideas. And gratefully he has some pretty great ideas on how to be more generous in our daily lives. He inspires generosity by looking at our lives, and finding excess. By giving up that excess to help someone with less.

"Excess is the think I can give away today and it wouldn't change a single aspect of our tomorrow."

This book sort of reads like a how-to book. Each chapter focus on a specific topic: presents, clothes, time, etc. With stories throughout the book of ways his friends and neighbors have made a difference in their community. They looked for what they had more than enough of and then found a way to use it to help others.

The book forces you to reconsider what you have. What can you share with other? How can you rearrange your life to help those in your neighborhood who have less? How do you form stronger community ties? What can you give up that will help you better understand those that make do with less?

The book ends by challenging the reader to do the same. A plan of action. A guide to live a life of generosity.

It was easy to read, conversational in tone, and I really enjoyed reading his personal stories. They helped me relate to him, and feel this is something I can do with him. He never hit me over the head with his message.

While the book is written from a Christian perspective, it's not central to the book, and I think can be enjoyed and appreciated by anyone. I highly really recommend this to anyone and everyone to read.

"I am me. And because no other person can be me, I am good enough."

Book Review: Just Passin' Thru

I do love reading books about outdoor adventures! And since so many people hike the Appalachian Trail, there are many great books available to read.

This is a unique one, not written by a hiker, but a man who owns and runs an outdoor gear store. Which, uniquely, the trail literally goes through. It's only 30 miles from the southern starting point, being a perfect place to help hikers who come through unprepared. He's there ready with advice on packing lighter and better equipment. In exchange for the much needed help, he gets to witness an amazing assortment of characters.

It's amazing how adventures like the Appalachian Trail bring out crazy and unique people. Running a store like this seems like so much fun, never a dull day and a continuos assortment of people to meet and hear stories from (while the get the chance to shower and use a real toilet).

After reading this book I was reading a blog by a AT hiker and he mentioned this store, so it was fun to have a little history of what he was referring to. While I would love to hike part of the trail someday, not the whole thing, it's nice to experience through other people's stories for now.

Ratings: 3.75 out of 5

Wild: From Lost to Found on the PCT: Book Review

This may be the first book I have read that is on the Oprah Book Club list. While that's not why I read it, it definitely deserves the attention. I've read other books by females who have hikes either the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) or the Appalachian Trail alone and there is just something fascinating about the journey to knowing yourself by hiking eleven-hundred plus miles. Competing with nature (including lack of water, animals, rain and snow), as well as your own thoughts and dealing with the people you meet along the trail, makes it impressive how people thrive on the trail.

Cheryl Strayed's story goes back to her youth, as well as her mother's death while in her early 20's, showing how these challenges brought her to hiking the trail. I enjoyed the stories of the fellow hikes she spends some of the time with, the beauty she experiences and funny (only after the fact) stories, such as losing a shoe down a mountain.

I'm in awe of what she accomplished, and while probably not wanting to ever hike the whole trail, on my own, enjoy living vicariously through her. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to hike some of the trail, and feel a little of the "trail magic."

Good for people who like travel/hiking novels as well as those who like feel-good, female novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Book Review: Disco Bloodbath (aka: Party Monster)

**spoilers ahead**

A few months ago a rabbit hole of internet searching lead me to look into the movie Party Monster, which lead me to this book, that the movie was based on. Not sure exactly what I was getting myself into, but I enjoy true crime stories so I thought I'd give it a try.

The author, James St. James, a NYC celebutante in the mid 80's, was a cofounder of the Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers, with his friend Michael Alig, and is still in the news sometimes and was on a few seasons of America's Next Top Model. Though I gave a spoiler alert, the main plot point is spilled in the first few pages of the book. One day, Michael tells James that, under the influence of drugs, he, along with his friend, Freeze, murdered Angel Melendez. It supposedly happened during an arguments over a long-standing drug debt.

The story, told often in stream of consciousness, then goes back in time to tell of the arrival of Michael to the NYC party scene. James gives us a window into the inner workings of the club scene, how to get yourself known, and how to best work room. He introduces us to the who's who of NYC in the late 80's to mid 90's and presents the key players of the crime that unfolds.

What's really fascinating is what happens between the time of the murder and when Michael and Freeze actually get arrested. Slowly gossip columns and news articles start leaking the story of a missing drug dealer and hinting at who may be involved. Angel's brother comes to town looking for him, and eventually, eight months later, the body is found. The police, who have been accused of not caring about the death of a drug dealer, eventually arrest Michael Alig and Freeze, leading to their convictions.

One great thing about true stories is that you can actually watch the shows they reference in the book, so if you are interested in learning more, you can watch the Club Kids on the Donahue Show. Also, there is a Documentary, Party Monster: The Shockumentary, and the feature film Party Monster, based on this book.

While not a deep novel, it was facinating, and easy to read.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Review: 3 out of 5

the perfect coffee mug

What better to drink coffee or tea out of while reading on a cold day.

via: The Gifted Penguin

Book Review: The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City

Lesson learned, don't do internet research in the middle of reading a book. Maybe at the beginning, or at the end, but not so good in the middle.

The reason I say this? I was enjoying this book about the homeless living in the tunnels under the city, even though I knew it was written in 1993 and a bit outdated, and then I read this note on wikipedia: "The book has met with criticism, primarily for the inaccuracy of geographical information, compounded by numerous factual errors and an apparent reliance on largely unverifiable claims. The strongest criticism came from Joseph Brennan, a New York subway enthusiast who declared that 'Every fact in this book that I can verify independently is wrong.'"

Hum ... not sure what to think about this. And once I started reading it again, it was hard to see it as anything more than a narrative, based on stories Toth heard as she spent time with homeless people she meet on the street. She tells of a gentleman taking her into the tunnels, which have barely any light, and looking at the photo of her on the book jacket, young, female, really young (as in, she could pass for 14), you wonder how she safely made it down there and back alive, and why.

Most of the story is non-proven repeating of stories she either experiences herself in the tunnels or those told to her by some people who she blatantly says often lie or inflate their stories. There are some facts thrown in, but they don't always hold their weight, and aren't always explained in a way that really makes sense.

So, I stopped reading at page 199. Yes, the stories were interesting, but now that there was a doubt in my mind as to their legitimacy, they didn't hold the weight they did before. And since things change over the years, who knows the status of the "Mole People" today. While I believe there could and very well might be people living under the subways in NYC, I am very uncertain that this is an accurate picture of their lives.

Review: 1 out of 5

Favorite Cover Design: Conceptual

1. A collection of recipes from chef Jacob Kenedy paired with black-and-white illustrations by Caz Hildebrand. [link]  2 & 3. These two covers are from the same series. Iove the high contrast, and dramatic scenes they create. [link]  4. A fun collection of creative math problems, puzzles and brainteasers. [link]