Customer Reviews

Due to Rising Energy Costs, the Light at the End of the Tunnel Has Been Turned Off: How to Have a Happy, Fabulous Life Even When Your Circumstances Look Dim

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I read this book at a time when laughter was rare and it seemed that the light at the end of the tunnel was turned off. Karen Linamen certainly has a sense of humor that was much needed. She tackled some serious issues such as the inner conflict that we face on a daily basis. Overall, I found her writing to be very witty but nothing new in regards to living that fabulous life. Yet her spin on it makes the read a quick and happy one.

In her book "Due to Rising Energy Costs, the Light at the End of Tunnel Has Been Turned Off", Karen Scalf Linamen manages to address some very serious issues in a fun, lighthearted manner. Being a huge Linamen fan, I had been wanting to read this book but had not yet purchased it when my mom gave me her copy to read. At the time she gave me the book, I had no idea how much I was going to need it in the very near future. But as with every Linamen book I've read, I laughed my way through the tears that fell as I related to the circumstances detailed within.

To summarize this book, I'll quote a short excerpt from the last chapter. "I don't know about you, but I want to live above--not under--the rocks in my life. I want to stop letting painful stuff in my life smash me down or hold me under, and start letting it take me forward. After all, the same slab of granite can be a millstone, tombstone, or a stepping-stone. It can crush, signal the end, or create a path. I'm voting for the path."

The subject matter is deep enough that one chapter gives the reader plenty to meditate on. However, the catchy (and hilarious) chapter titles make it nearly impossible to put the book down. Her witty chapter discussing the positive traits of MacGyver had me nodding my head and saying, "Yes, I remember that episode" and "Wow! I never thought about it like that."

By the end of the book, I was refreshed, re-energized and ready to face the gloomy circumstances that surrounded me. While Linamen didn't extol on any new means of finding joy and peace I hadn't known before, her words served as a reminder that Jesus is the source of my song. My circumstances do not dictate my attitude. It's up to me how I use the slabs of granite in my life, and I choose to create stepping stones.

Linamen addresses a great subject matter (not letting our emotions control our attitudes) and does it quite well. You can't miss the heavyness of the journey she has made to come to this point in her life. But if your expecting Linamen's standard sense of humor which provides a steady stream of laughter, perhaps the next book.