bookchickdi: Thomas Nelson

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Monday, April 5, 2021

No Pain, No Gaines by Chip Gaines

No Pain, No Gaines by Chip Gaines

Published by Thomas Nelson ISBN 9780785237914

Hardcover, $26.99, 190 pages

One the shows that put HGTV on the map is Fixer Upper starring the husband and wife team of Chip and Joanna Gaines, owners of Magnolia in Waco, Texas. Chip handles the demolition and remodeling of a house and Joanna does the creative and design of the home.

Chip is known as a goofy, funny, hardworking guy and he shares his philosophy of life and the things he has learned along the way in No Pain, No Gaines. Not the best student growing up, Chip found more value on hands-on, physical work.

He was a hard worker, a go-getter, even as a child, when he sold snacks at the local public tennis courts. In college, while others were having a good time, Chip had a lawn mowing business and earning nearly $30,000 annually. Sales always interested him, and he even had a stint selling books door to door.

When it became apparent that his career as a baseball player wasn't going to happen, Chip had to pivot. He was devastated at getting cut from the Baylor University baseball team, but meeting a guy who lost an eye in high school, and then had an aneurysm that led to brain surgery in college, woke Chip up.

Chip learned to "see the life in front of" him. He began to pay attention to life as it was happening around him, "ready to shift gears whenever necessary."

He also discovered the importance of having a network of people around him, people who will support and cheer you on. He gives his family- parents and sister, his in-laws- an opportunity to share their insights into and anecdotes about Chip that are so enlightening.

According to Chip, one of the most important things in understanding who you are involves making a list of Nonnegotiables, "a list of qualities that are an unwavering part of who you are", your core values. When your actions don't line up with your nonnegotionables, you become unmoored.

Gaines believes in taking chances, and listening to your gut. He says you also have to be willing to fail; as successful as he and Joanna are with their media empire (a TV network, retail store, restaurant, magazine, decor line at Target, etc.), they came close to declaring bankruptcy at one point.

I'm not someone who watched Fixer Upper, but I have to say that I found much to like in No Pain, No Gaines. I'm also not someone who reads a lot of self-help or business advice books, but much of Gaines' advice and experiences he shares are interesting, useful, and thought-provoking. It's written in an easy, conversational voice, and if you are a Chip and Joanna Gaines fan, you'll get even more out of this book.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Chip Gaines' tour. The rest of his stops are here:

Print review tour:

Monday, April 5th: Bookchickdi

Wednesday, April 7th: Mammanatty’s Raves and Reviews

Thursday, April 8th: Literary Quicksand

Friday, April 9th: Running Through the Storms

Monday, April 12th: @workreadsleeprepeat

Monday, April 12th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Wednesday, April 14th: Leighellen Landskov and @mommaleighellensbooknook

Thursday, April 15th: Living My Best Book Life and @livingmybestbooklife

Friday, April 16th: @books_faith_love

Monday, April 19th: Nurse Bookie and @nurse_bookie

Tuesday, April 20th: What is That Book About

Wednesday, April 21st: @stumblingintobooks

Thursday, April 22nd: A Bookish Way of Life

Friday, April 23rd: Pacific Northwest Bookworm and @pnwbookworm

Friday, April 2, 2021

Friday 5ive- April 2, 2021

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog featuring five things that caught my attention this week, and welcome to April where one day it can be 60 degrees and the next day it's 36.

1) While exiting the TJ Maxx store in my neighborhood, I noticed a small garden area behind the store with this beautiful mosiac. I've been to that store many times, and this is the first time I've noticed it.

2) I have this app called Citizen that notifies me when there is police or fire activity nearby. This notification popped up on Saturday. You'll be happy to know they caught the offender.

3) My mom sent me a set of postcards from my hometown of Auburn, NY for my birthday. Each postcard has a photo of some iconic sight, and they brought back so many memories. There are historical sights, like the statue of Harriet Tubman, and things that have personal memories- Falcon Park, where we watched many a baseball game, Springside Inn, where we had our son's wedding reception, and Angelo's Pizza, the place where everyone ended up after an evening dancing the night away. What a fun gift! You can find them at auburnpcproject.com.

4) As a huge fan of Tina Turner's (her Private Dancer album is one of my all-time favorites)I was so pleased with the new HBO documentary on her life. The archival footage they had of her early performances with Ike Turner was truly incredible, and the documentary was broken into five parts, covering her entire life. How she reinvented herself in the 1980s as a rock'n'roll queen through sheer will, hard work, talent, and finding the right manager was so impressive. I found it very telling that she does not want to be known for surviving the abuse she took at the hands of her husband Ike. She was done with that part of her life, and constantly speaking about it brings up painful memories, I wish people would let her move on from that. I'm really glad I got to see the Broadway show Tina Turner the Musical before everything shut down last year. I'm happy she finally found love with her husband of thirty years, Erwin Bach. This is must-see TV for music fans.

5) Two books were on my reading list this week. I read the second book in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation spy series, titled The Masque of the Black Tulip. The books are set in the early 1800's, with England worrying that Napoleon will try to invade. There are a series of spies, including the Pink Carnation, embedded in Paris society, sending information back to England. Young Henrietta Selwick is taking after her brother Richard, known as the Purple Gentian, acting as a courier for the Pink Carnation's information. She has a crush on her brother's best friend Miles, who will not act on his growing feelings for Henrietta out of respect for his friend. Henrietta and Miles end up working together to discover the identity of the dastardly French spy, the Black Tulip, and mayhem ensues. It's a fun, action-filled romantic romp that is a perfect read for those who enjoyed Bridgerton on Netflix. Lauren Willig is hosting a year-long readalong of the Pink Carnation books, and each month she and a different romance author host a Zoom chat about one of the books. This month, Tasha Alexander, author of the historical fiction Lady Emily series, led the discussion. It was a fun and informative evening, check out Lauren Willig's Facebook page for more information.

I'm in the middle of Chip Gaines new book, No Pain, No Gaines. He talks about the importance of networks, the people in your life who can help you achieve your goals. He's a real people person, very curious about what makes people tick, and if you are a fan of he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, HGTV show, Fixer Upper, this is a book you will enjoy. I like it so far, and I'm not particularly a fan of their show. He has an easy conversational style, and I particularly liked that he allowed his family and Joanna's family each to share their thoughts. My full review publishes here on Monday.

Stay safe, socially distant, wear a mask, wash your hands, and get the vaccine when it's your turn. Good times are ahead!

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

It's Never Too Late by Kathie Lee Gifford

It's Never Too Late by Kathie Lee Gifford

Published by Thomas Nelson ISBN 9780785236641

Hardcover, $26.99, 208 pages

Kathie Lee Gifford has been a part of popular culture for many decades. Most of us know her from her fifteen years cohosting with Regis Philbin on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee, a daily talk show that revolutionalized daytime television, and then her eleven years cohosting the fourth hour of the Today Show with Hoda Kotb.

But she has done so much more in her life. In her new book, It's Never Too Late- Make the Next Act of Your Life The Best Act of Your Life, Kathie Lee Gifford takes us through each stage of her life and the lessons she learned that brought her to a happy place, and can do the same for you.

After a Foreword written by Dolly Parton, who wrote of the importance of having dreams for your life and working hard to achieve your dreams and goals, Kathie Lee writes 35 short chapters each titled with It's Never Too Late to... and then things like Never Give Up, where she decribed leaving college before graduation and moving to Los Angeles to become an actress. She struggled, going on many auditions (and usually losing out to Nancy Morgan, John Ritter's future wife), but finally she got her first big break on Name That Tune, where she got to use her beautiful singing voice.

She recounted a tough year in 1995, which began with her thrilling appearance singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, moved on to her being accused of using sweatshop labor for her women's fashion line at WalMart, and then her husband was caught cheating on her in a highly publicized tabloid scandal.

In Change the Ending, Then Change It Again, she shares her tale of landing in Scotland ready to film the movie she wrote for Craig Ferguson and herself, Then Came You. Ferguson tells Kathie Lee that she has to change the ending of the movie- just as they were to begin filming. When director Adriana Trigiani shares Ferguson's opinion, Kathie Lee reluctantly agrees to change it. Then in the middle of the shoot, Gifford writes a song with her writing partner that convinces her to change the ending yet again. (Oh, poor Adriana Trigiani!) If you have seen the wonderful movie, you know the ending works perfectly.

Kathie Lee shares funny stories- like the time Al Pacino came to her home for lunch and they tried to top each other with crazy celebrity true encounters (Kathie Lee won), frightening stories (her sister Michie nearly dying), and disappointments (the Broadway show she wrote closing after three weeks), and through it all her faith in God sustains her.

Kathie Lee Gifford reminds of Joan Rivers- they both worked hard, followed their dreams through good times and bad, picked themselves up, and never let anyone stop them from achieving their goals. People have strong opinions about both of these women, and I respect each of them for being true to themselves and never giving up.

It's Never Too Late is a must-read for Kathie Lee Gifford fans, and people who have strong faith in God will get an extra level of appreciation from this book. It's inspirational and enjoyable, and it's good to be reminded especially during these troubled times that you can change your life for the better, no matter where you are in life.

My review of Kathie Lee's movie, Then Came You, is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Kathie Lee Gifford's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Review tour:

Monday, March 1st: Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Tuesday, March 2nd: Bookchickdi

Thursday, March 4th: From the TBR Pile – excerpt

Friday, March 5th: A Bookish Way of Life

Saturday, March 6th: Leighellen Landskov and @mommaleighellensbooknook

Tuesday, March 9th: The Sketchy Reader

Wednesday, March 10th: @queeninbetween and The Queen in Between

Thursday, March 11th: Seaside Book Nook

Friday, March 12th: Well Read Traveler and @wellreadtraveler

Monday, March 15th: Christian Chick’s Thoughts

Tuesday, March 16th: Living My Best Book Life and @livingmybestbooklife

Thursday, March 18th: What is That Book About

Friday, March 19th: Tabi Thoughts

Saturday, March 20th: @fashionablyfifty

Monday, March 22nd: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom – review and excerpt

Wednesday, March 24th: Running Through the Storms

Friday, March 26th: View from the Birdhouse

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Byler Younts

The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Byler Younts
Published by Thomas Nelson ISBN9780718075668
Trade paperback, $15.99, 351 pages

Elizabeth Byler Younts' novel, The Solace of Water, opens with Delilah at the grave of her son, suffering an unbearable grief. Her preacher husband Malachi softly approaches her as she is filling her empty purse with dirt from his grave, which she will bring with her to their new home in Sinking Creek in Pennsylvania Amish country.

Delilah blames her fourteen-year-old daughter Sparrow for her son's death, and although we know don't the exact circumstances, we know that Sparrow blames herself as well. Delilah has turned her back on Sparrow, and refuses to offer comfort to her daughter.

Emma is an Amish woman, married to John, a respected deacon in their church. Emma is sad as well. She lost a baby girl to a miscarriage years ago, and her grief is still fresh. Her husband John is an alcoholic, a secret that Emma keeps from the congregation for fear that they will be shunned by their closeknit community.

Emma also has a secret of her own that she is carrying, one that troubles her daily.

While walking in the woods near her home, Emma finds young George, the twin brother to the son Delilah lost. Sparrow turns to Emma for the kindness that her mother can't seem to give her, and she becomes involved with Emma's son Johnny.

Delilah's family left the overt racism of Montgomery, Alabama in 1957 for the more covert racism of the North. While the children notice that there aren't any 'Whites Only' signs anywhere, they still need to learn where they are welcome and where they are not.

Malachi gets a job working in the only white grocery store where blacks are allowed to shop, although they have a separate produce section and shopping carts.

The Amish community does not discriminate against the black members of the community, but they stick to themselves, preferring not to socialize with anyone who isn't Amish. Emma breaks that tradition because she likes Sparrow, and teaches her how to do laundry and sew.

When Sparrow finds Emma in a bad state, she runs to her mother for help, and Delilah discovers that Sparrow has been spending time with Emma. She helps Emma and they become friends, finding that they have a shared sense of grief that no one else understands.

The title of the book comes from this line: "It was like lamenting over thirst while the solace of water was close at hand". Emma says that "no one wanted to talk about why we drew invisible lines around our hearts and expected everyone to stay away."

There is one incredibly tense scene that could have been from "The Real Housewives of Sinking Creek" where Delilah confronts Emma about the secrets she has been keeping, unaware that her own daughter has secrets of her own that could endanger her life.

The Solace of Water tackles so many themes- racism, grief, friendship, forgiveness, secrets, religion- that it would make a wonderful book club pick. There is a lot to discuss here.

Younts is a wonderful writer, she has several turns of phrase that made me stop and reflect. She tells the story through the words of Delilah, Emma and Sparrow and each woman speaks with a distinct voice. She also gives the reader a look into the Amish culture, something I was not overly familiar with. I recommend The Solace of Water for those who like a serious story.