Hello friends! Hillary here-

First of all, let me say that LDS Storymakers Conference was fabulous! I learned so much, and met some wonderful people! If you couldn’t be there this year, please seriously consider coming! Okay, enough exclaimation points! You get the idea!

For the first time in a while, I am reviewing a non-fiction. This week, it’ll be Amanda Dickson’s newest book, “Change it up”

I’ll start with my favorite quote from the book:

“Change is inevitable. Except from vending machines.” (c’mon, you can’t help but laugh)

Amanda talks of change and how it is inevitable. She started by talking about physical change and how a simple change to your hair and makeup and clothes can make a very large difference in your life. To me it’s amazing how just buying a cute new shirt, or a well-fitting pair of jeans can do for you. Well, ANY time we can find a well-fitting pair of jeans it’s a miracle. Along those same lines, she talks about beauty, but from a totally different perspective. She says that “Beauty, real beauty, truly is in the eyes of the beholder, and not the beheld. The beholder feels beautiful herself because she loves what she beholds” Kind of makes you think.

Sometimes we think that we can’t do anything to change the world. Amanda again brings out a good point: “Be the change you want to see”. That thought reminds me of a book I read about changing your husband. Really to see the change you want, you have to change yourself (Isn’t there a James Taylor song about that?). She goes on to talk about happiness needs change to breathe. Happiness that depends on anything staying the same is not really happiness. It’s just some counterfeit contentment that will blow up the second somebody spills the milk.

The only issue I had with the book is that meaning that the writing takes a gender neutral stand, which is actually the same problem I had with her first book. It feels like it should be addressed to women, but in fact stays neutral. I get the purpose of doing that, it’s just not my favorite style. I was also semi expecting it to be a bit religious, however there wasn’t any mention of religion. It was published by Shadow Mountain (publishes nationally), so I shouldn’t be terribly surprised there either. This book is an interesting, quick read, and clearly I liked her style enough to read a second book, so I would say give it a try ! It brought out points about change that I just hadn’t thought about, and ideas about simple things I can do any time to embrace change. Overall, I would say give it a read!

Ftc-fyi- publisher supplied copy.