Choosing Real: An Invitation to Celebrate When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned

In her debut, speaker, writer, and founder of the Upcycled Jane blog, Pogue advises women to embrace the messy, the painful, and the ho-hum of everyday life. She recounts how she was a type A, overachieving, to-do-list-worshipping woman until her father died and she found her faith. She reminds readers that a relationship with God isn’t like hosting a party—it’s simply RSVPing yes: you don’t need to plan, prep, and obsess, you just need to show up and enjoy what’s being offered. She urges women to see God in every experience, time of transition, and hardship, and to experience genuine connection with God in even the smallest details and daily activities. “Often I live for mountaintop experiences when practically He invites in the simplest of moments, transforming my mind to view schedules, work, and responsibilities as a way to dance in the storm.” Pogue’s writing is exuberant, sanguine, and personal, often including stories rooted in her own experiences as a young mother, wife, daughter, and friend. While at times it seems to lack a clear structure and direction, this book should appeal to fans of writers such as Jen Hatmaker and Lysa TerKeurst, who also write for a female Christian readership. (Dec.)