30 Days To A New You by Steve Cioccolanti

I normally don't read self-improvement books, much less carry them out, but when Steve Cioccolanti emailed me, I was intrigued. He talked about how his book was written partly with the hikikomori in mind, and to be honest, it sounded tempting. After thirty days is one short month.

And after following the book (instead of reading it in one go like what I normally do), I must say, this is a lot more like a devotional than a self-help guide to me. (And I find the book cover a bit misleading, since it's really "self-help"ish). Because you see, in the very first day, he says:

"Don't pay attention to goals - pay attention to God! God will change who you are before He changes things you have."

So really, this is more like a devotional that uses a lot of verses to illuminate your life. The key focus is to continually meditate on God's Word, and in the process, make that a habit for the rest of your life. And the more you know about the Bible, and the closer you get to God, the more your life will change for the better (from the inside).

What I like about this book is that instead of a verse a day, the book does the verses by the week (although there is one exception). And you really are given many many verses. Depending on what the week is about (basically, freedom), different verses are collected. I found this to be really easy (and it's good as a reference now that I've finished with this plan), and by meditating on the same few verses for a period of time, I could really think about what the verses meant over and over again, getting more meaning from them.

Personally, I found that doing this study in the morning was most effective for me (especially as the start to the day), but it really depends on the sort of person you are.

The only niggle (that means complaint right?) I have with the book is the occasional grammar mistakes. Ordinarily, I would have probably passed by them, but because I was studying each chapter a few times in a short period of time, it because pretty obvious to me. But if it disturbs you, you can always correct the grammar. But above that, my copy is highlighted with the many sentences and verses that I found useful (it's amazing how God can give you something new from the material you use every day).

Definitely worth considering if you're looking for a new devotional.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy from the author in exchange for a free and honest review.