You know, I really believe God does not get it wrong when it comes to timing. I finished reading I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and found myself thinking about how strange it is that I had known her name for years without ever really knowing her story. I remember hearing about Malala on the news and knowing that she had been shot and had later become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, but I never made the effort to understand the person behind the headlines. Looking ba

I did not want to read The Let Them Theory. The book was everywhere, and that was precisely the problem. I tend to resist anything surrounded by excessive hype, especially when social media is filled with the same quotes, summaries, and claims that a book has transformed everyone’s life. I also judge books by their covers, and this one never immediately drew me in. I had heard the central idea explained so many times that I assumed I already understood it without needing to r

There are books you read, and then there are books that seem to read you back. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins was that kind of book for me. I did not read it gently; I am not sure this book knows what gentle means. It arrived with discipline, pain, profanity, impossible physical challenges, and a man who seemed personally offended by the existence of excuses. At times, I felt as though I were being shouted at by a personal trainer I had nev

There are books you finish and think, “That was nice.” You underline a few things, maybe tell someone about it, and then life continues. Then there are books that make you close the book, stare into space for a while, and quietly ask yourself, “Okay, but why did you have to expose me like this?” The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest was that kind of book for me. I thought I knew what I was getting into. Another personal development book. Another reminder to believe in myself,

Reading Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend made me sit with a version of myself I do not always like to acknowledge. The woman who sometimes says yes when she really wants to say no. The woman who can feel responsible for how everyone else feels. The woman who has confused being loving with being endlessly available and kindness with constantly making room for other people at her own expense. There were moments while reading this book when I thought, I really