Welcome to Litsy!

As a person who has grown up in a church & been on church committees, I knew I would relate to this book. A little weird because it‘s basically a memoir told as a novel. A pastor search committee is formed, taking the reader through the whole process, with some humor & all the arguments, frustrations, etc. I did audio for this book. The only prob I had was the MC was a bit unlikeable at the end, & I would have liked more self-awareness of that.

This is a tale about a church committee in southern California looking for a new pastor. As often happens in real life, when the loudest voices win, everyone loses. 🙃

This book is making me way too hungry.

Up next! This is our book club pick this month and the choosiest one in the bunch gave it four stars, so I‘m excited. There‘s also recipes in it, which I love!

#bookspinbingo
#unreadbookshelf

Dana is chosen to be on her church‘s committee to find a new senior minister for their congregation. I wasn‘t sure I would connect with the book as I‘m not a church going person but a friend recommended and it had a great endorsement from some of my favorite Littens and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed each character‘s arc, some more likable than others, and also some of my personal beliefs reflected back to me. Great read 4.5 🌟

#14bks14wks

Rainy Saturday reading! #catsoflitsy

First book haul of 2023. Last night between dinner and a concert with my daughter we had a little time to kill. Lucky for me we are both happy to spend that time in a bookstore. Two of these are blame it on Litsy, the tagged book and Ocean State. Honor is my next fiction #AuldLangSpine read from @Amiable and the Williams for my NYRB shelf.

After spending the last year hiring in various capacities and on assorted committees this book was so relatable.

Listening to this audiobook on a very wet and cold walk today. I was grateful to past me for investing in good walking clothes over the last few years.

Search was witty & wonderful and 💯 universal to anyone who has ever belonged to an organization or committee. The internal politics and clashing personalities were spot on & completely recognizable. This book was delightful, but felt a tad too long. Narration by Cassandra Campbell was fantastic & the included recipes added to this charming book.
#ToB23 hope this book moves on!!

This is utterly delightful and 💯 universal 🌐 I‘m loving the narration 🎧♥️#ToB23 long list

The #ToBlonglist is already bringing the 🔥 to my winter reading! I don‘t always enjoy novels where it‘s the fictional MC is writing a memoir, but it worked here. 5⭐️🙌🏻

Dana is a food critic and longtime member of a SoCal Unitarian Universalist church. When the minister announces his retirement, Dana joins a committee with 7 others to find his replacement. And it is wild! Immediately a young member begins to hijack it and chaos ensues. ⬇️

Probably not everyone‘s cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book centered around a ministerial search at a UU church. As a UU and in a congregation that‘s currently going through a search, there was a lot here that really spoke to my soul. It also made me very happy that I‘m not on the search committee! I completely identified with the MC and her angst; I could hear myself making her arguments. When an author can get in your head 👇

This wasn‘t what I had planned to read next, but it‘s the current book for our church book group. Although I don‘t participate-long story-this book includes a bunch of recipes that I‘ve been asked to include in the next challenge for the church‘s virtual dining group, which I head up. I have wasn‘t really looking forward to this, but so far I‘m enjoying it quite a bit.

If you want a book that will raise your blood pressure & get you to care about the characters, this is it! During my childhood my church had to search for a new pastor to take over when our current pastor was retiring, this book encapsulated the process perfectly! The drama, the personalities, the endless potlucks! It‘s not a book I‘d recommend to everyone, but anyone in the church or dealing with committees will find humor & heart in this read.

Perfection. This character driven novel is exactly how I like my books: quiet, understated, layered, interesting, introspective, and thoughtful. (That‘s how I like my people, too 😉). Huneven masterfully writes about a progressive church‘s search for a new minister. I don‘t do church, but I‘m fascinated by them and this deep dive was quite interesting. Throw in some food writing and recipes and you can‘t go wrong. I love this book! 🏆🤓💯

Yes, Lord, if I have to do church, for the love of God leave me alone 🙏. “When I first attended, some months went by before anybody talked to me—but I‘d liked that, mostly. I liked drifting unknown at the edge of things and entering church life at my own speed. I appreciated that nobody forced a name tag on me or demanded my contact information or knocked on my door unannounced at dinnertime…” Introverts unite! ✊🤓😁

Spending this Saturday reading and relaxing. 🤓📚📖🐩

A soft pick. A fictionalized memoir about a food writer participating in her church's search for a new minister. I decided to read it based on an endorsement from John Warner of Bibracle. I did find the group dynamics and decision-making process pretty interesting, and ultimately found myself caring who the final pick would be. But it was too long and definitely dull for stretches.

📖 6-9-22 || I admit I was drawn to this book primarily because of the cover! Cleverly written in memoir format, the story follows the search for a pastoral candidate from the point of view of a committee member who is also a food-writer. A bit too long in my opinion, but the concept and setting (SoCal) were intriguing enough for me to finish it!
Ooh! Just saw that todays #BookMoods prompt is #Recipes and this includes recipes in the back..

I feel like this one may not be for everyone. BUT, if you're interested in following an eclectic group of people getting to know each other better while thinking about what their progressive church means to them, with lots of food talk and levity and some plot sprinkled in, this indeed might be for you, as it was for me! I thought it was fun and thought-provoking and a bit suspenseful, even. My first Huneven but not my last!

Super fun book to read, and great for discussion, especially the culmination of who the committee ends up selecting. I had so much fun with this story. Bonus, Cassandra Campbell is the narrator for the audiobook and she was just perfect, if you want to try that medium