Cold Tangerines - A book review

I saw this book, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life, at Short Stop's blog and had been tempted to pick up a copy to read it. Boy was I in for a shock when she posted that she had 10 copies from the publisher to give away on her blog. And then, when the day came to announce the 10 winners, she had a bigger announcement: She had attained a copy for each person who commented - 30 copies! Thank you Short Stop and Thank you Zondervan!!

Not only did Short Stop want us to read this book, but she wanted to know what we thought of it. And our reviews could win us some prizes - how sweet is that? :-) Oh, and she'll be hosting the author, Shauna Niequest, for a Q & A session on Friday! Be sure to stop over for that!!

I was really excited when my copy came in the mail. Just pulling it out of the envelope made me smile with its pretty orange color and smooth texture. It is a compilation of short stories, I believe about 40, and it is nice to be able to pick up and read a little and then walk away. (You know, like when you're called away by the children and forget what you had last read? LOL)

As I was reading the introduction, I underlined this, "...we are changed and inspired and ennobled, able to see the handwriting of a holy God where another person just sees the same old tired streets and sidewalks." She was writing of the longing to be our best selves. This captured my attention, because I am someone who searches for God's fingerprints - in those parts of our lives when we don't understand why something is happening. To me, in searching for God's handwriting or fingerprints - we can draw closer to Him and become our best selves - the person whom He desires us to be.

I could totally identify with many of the struggles and feelings she expresses in the book. There were several mom-stories where I was laughing, crying and shaking my head in agreement. (A hot shower!! Car seats in the doorway!!) In other parts of the book, I found myself having a difficult time understanding her reactions to some of the things happening in her life; for example, her focus on her weight early in the book. During those parts, I found myself wanting to encourage her to wait on God and for His perfect timing; or to see herself as God views her.

To be completely honest, I believe I thought I would be reading a different type of book when I started. With this being written by a Christian women, I assumed the book would have more of a spiritual emphasis. I found myself longing for her to pull in the scripture verses that gave her strength in those moments. Verses that I could use to pull myself together when I am in a moment of similar feelings or thoughts.

But what I found was a book written by a woman who is real - real to show her brutal honesty and herself completely. She writes beautifully of her dear friends, her family and the love she has for life. And that love jumps off the pages of this book. However, Cold Tangerines did not change my perspective on my life as I was somehow expecting - and maybe that is because I am similar to Shauna in that, in my own way, I already try to 'celebrate the extraordinary nature of everyday life.' Or, perhaps my personal frustrations with weight kept me from seeing what she wanted me to see. This was not one of those books that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning, but I would recommend it to a friend as an enjoyable, well-written read.

Thanks again Short Stop for sharing this book with all of us! You are such a joy and a delight!