Good Enough by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

If you’re like me, you’re feeling a little unsettled these days.  For some, this third year of the pandemic has many people throwing away their masks and moving on to the life they were leading before the pandemic.  My family is in the high-risk category so things are that easy for us. As we see others moving on with their lives, it can feel like we are missing out and being held back from living the lives we thought we would experience in our retirement.  More than ever I needed something to ground me and help me to live my best life under trying circumstances. When I learned of Good Enough:40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection I thought this might be just what I needed.  Let me introduce you to Good Enough which publishes today.

From The Publisher:

In Kate Bowler’s bestselling memoir Everything Happens for a Reason, readers witnessed the ways she, as a divinity-school professor and young mother, reckoned with a Stage IV cancer diagnosis; in her follow-up memoir, No Cure for Being Human, she unflinchingly and winsomely unpacked the ways that life becomes both hard and beautiful when we abandon certainty and the illusion of control in our lives. Now, in their first-ever devotional book, Kate Bowler and co-author Jessica Richie offer 40ish short spiritual reflections on how we can make sense of life not as a pursuit of endless progress but as a chronic condition. This book is a companion for when you want to stop feeling guilty that you’re not living your best life now.
Written gently and with humour, Good Enough is permission for all those who need to hear that there are some things you can fix–and some things you can’t. And it’s okay that life isn’t always better…

Book Review:

As indicated, the book is divided into 40ish spiritual reflections each a few pages long.  The book is intended to be read as one of these reflections daily which will take 5-10 minutes for most.  I found it best to read one of these days and to think about it the rest of the day.

Each reflection includes a narrative, a blessing and “A Good Enough Step”.  The narrative includes personal anecdotes and is gently infused with humour. The book feels both honest and intimate.  As expected, some of the topics spoke to me more than others did.  One of my favourites was “Building a Good Day”.

As someone who did not grow up attending church, I have always felt spiritual.  I am looking at this book through this lens. The Good Enough steps provided ideas and suggestions for me to ponder, but maybe more beneficial to those with a faith grounded in the church.  I’d suggest a church book club would find this book to be one that would generate a lot of discussion and meaning.

Did I get what I expected from this book?  While I think it was helpful, it wasn’t quite what I had been hoping for. Perhaps only time will bring back a lifestyle I once had.  I do, however, intend on keeping this book to reflect on at points in my life.

What I Liked:

• The way the book is presented with a narrative, a blessing and “A Good Enough Step”.
• The honesty and intimacy of the writing
• The ease of reading each reflection

I Recommend This Book To:

Those readers who enjoy Christian books.

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Add Good Enough to your Goodreads shelf

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Convergent Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Other Non-Fiction Books I’d Recommend:

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

Beautiful Country: A Memoir by Qian Julie Wang

Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!  Do you enjoy Non-Fiction books?  Let me know your favourite in the comments.  As always, I hope that you have a wonderful day.