An Upside Down Summer: #UpsideDownBookclub, New Schedule & More!

Upside Down Book Club

Summer is here! And we have a special book club for ya! But before we share, we want to pop in and share the state of the podcast. We've switched to a lighter recording schedule for summer, but we can't fully stay away! We'll be releasing new episodes once a month for June - August, but we'll kick back with more regular episodes in the fall.

Get those earbuds ready: We'll release a fresh episode Tuesday, June 13! (And it's about social media! And we recorded it live! Make sure you subscribe to us on iTunes so you don't miss it!)

Until then: We've gathered 19 reads we haven't been able to put down lately, so go 'head and put them on your summer reading list, too! This mix of riveting novels, non-fiction faves, and spiritual page-turners will give you something to talk about. Let us know what you're reading with #upsidedownbookclub.

FICTION PICKS

• The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas: "This is the first book of fiction I have read in twenty years and I could die without reading another. Enough said." -Lindsy
• Little Broken Things, Nicole Baart: "I finished this page-turner in 24 hours -- it's absolutely captivating. Nicole's beautifully-crafted characters create space to break your heart and build it back. It's a tale of redemption spun in glimmering sea glass and broken dreams." -Kayla
• A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles: "I don't read much fiction, but as an enneagram 3 who sometimes has a hard time breaking away from efficiency for celebration, I decided reading more fiction might be a good practice. Something lighter, I told myself...like a 480 page novel about an "unrepentant aristocrat" sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal to a life of house arrest at the Metropol hotel. #nailedit (Seriously though, this is a fantastic book and it's quite lighthearted at times as well.)" -Kristi
• The House Girl, Tara Conklin: "Perfect combination of easy readability and serious social commentary. It forces the reader to examine the still-rippling effects of slavery on our society, and how little we've actually done as a nation to heal from it." -Shannon
• Gilead, Marilynne Robinson: "There are no words to describe Marilynne Robinson's Gilead. Just read it. The whole thing. Don't throw it down because the first chapter doesn't capture you. This book will forever stay with you. You're welcome." -Lori
• "Gilead was on my list, too! Slow, eloquent, compelling. Unlike anything else I've ever read -- I was sad to finish it and find myself reflecting on its themes often. The tension between the two grandfathers' perspectives and choices regarding war and peace is particularly compelling. And bonus: It takes place in small-town Iowa." -Kayla
• The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingslover: "If you grew up in church or have ever attempted missionary work in any capacity, I encourage you to pick up Barbara Kingslover's most renowned work. This book was eye-opening, soul stirring, and spot on. One of my most favorite reads of all time." -Lori

NON-FICTION PICKS

• Not All of Us Are Saints, David Hilfiker, M.D.: "Hilfiker tackles the themes of race, privilege, poverty, homelessness and hopelessness with refreshing, and at times uncomfortable, honesty. This book will wrap itself around your heart and not let go." -Lindsy
• Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits Of Our Everyday Lives, Gretchen Rubin: "I listened to this on Audible last year and still talk about it at least once a month. It's an easy read/listen with lots of helpful insight into how to work with ourselves instead of against ourselves. (Companion titles with a more faith-based bent: You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K.A. Smith, which I'm currently reading and loving, and Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren, which is next on my list.)" -Kristi
• The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander: "Because someone needed to put it on the list :) This is a must-read to understand the prison system in our nation and how systematic racism is still strongly at work. Understanding necessarily comes before justice ever can." -Shannon
• An Unquiet Mind, Dr. Kay Jamison: "The most well-known memoir of bipolar ever written. Dr. Kay Jamison captures the mind of bipolar in a way that is both breathtaking and heart wrenching. I could not put it down. A great read for anyone in the throes of working with the poor as the poor are our country's most likely to suffer from untreated mental illness." -Lori

PARENTING PICKS

• Never Say No: Raising Big Picture Kids, Mark & Jan Foreman: "This is THE book I always recommend about parenting. The only one. And the only one I return to as well. Mark and Jan (parents of Tim and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot) walk you through the importance of understanding and reflecting on your own childhood, and how that plays a role in gracefully parenting compassionate, creative, curious, Christ-centered children. They share practical advice for instilling wonder in a media-saturated culture, cultivating specific gifts, and balancing structure with individual choice." -Kayla
• Mother and Son: The Respect Effect, Emerson Eggerichs: "I was prompted by an interview with Dr. Eggerichs on the God Centered Mom Podcast to add this book to my summer reading list. Let me know if you end up reading it too!" -Lindsy
• The Magic of Motherhood: Ashlee Gadd and Coffee + Crumbs writers: "These reflective vignettes and essays get to the strong and beautiful, broken and bleeding heart of a mother. Full of remembrance and reflection, this book is a collaborative work with multiple mothering perspectives, making it an especially sweet read for women in the trenches of raising young children. The short essays make the book easy to come back to, and it looks beautiful on the coffee table, too." -Kayla

FAITH & SPIRITUALITY PICKS

• Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Foreward for Those Tired of Taking Sides by Scott Sauls and the aforementioned You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith. "Jesus Outside the Lines is a great primer for those who recognize that our false dichotomies are tying us in knots but aren't sure what to do with the spaghetti bowl of thoughts, emotions, and actions that comes with all of that. You Are What You Love reveals how our hearts are shaped not only by the liturgies we perform in our daily lives, but by the liturgies performed on us as well. I'm not finished with this one yet but it feels like a very, very important book for our times." -Kristi
• "Faith - An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture, Block, Brueggemann, and McKnight: "I love that this book takes Christian faith about three steps further than most of us are comfortable going: right into our lifestyle choices and consumerism. Very necessary and very challenging." -Shannon
• Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott: "I'm deviating from my normal, turn the world upside down book list and giving you guys reads that go great with a hammock, a pool, a picnic, or an afternoon on the porch! Each of these reads stuck with me long after the last page. I love every book written by Anne Lamott because she captures what it means to be fully human and fully beloved. Quirky essays that make you cry and laugh out loud." -Lori​
• The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile: "We gobbled this book up at our Upside Down Retreat. It's a great enneagram primer centered in Christian faith. It very simply breaks down each personality type and tendency, and while I craved something deeper to know myself better, I go back to it when I'm trying to understand (and have more grace for) others who don't think, operate, or feel like I do. Also, listen to the Road Back to You Podcast! It's fascinating!" -Kayla

BONUS PICKS

• Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson: "A book of poetry that chronicles Jacqueline's childhood growing up in the both the North and the South. Gorgeous prose. Thought provoking story telling. Written for young adults, but perfect for any age." -Lori
• Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience: "Okay, this is kind of cheating, because, ya know, it's the Bible. BUT. It's different than any other format: It features the text of the Bible (NLT) laid out in a single-column format with chapter numbers, verse numbers, footnotes, and section headings removed. YES, PLEASE. Doing this makes Scripture SO much easier to READ. The design highlights the natural literary structures of each book. No more taking Jeremiah 29 out of context!" -Kayla

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