Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life

by Shauna Niequist

Niequist, a 30-year-old mother and first-time author, wants readers to look around their ordinary lives and celebrate all their manifold, quotidian blessings. To that end, she offers 40 short essays, each an exploration of something mundane and wonderful: getting pregnant, throwing parties, collecting champagne flutes. She recalls a breakup that deepened her relationship with God, and explains why moving into a fixer-upper helped her learn that God loves us as we are. A lovely, honest and wistful tone characterizes the title piece, an ode to living a life of gratitude and joy. Essays on a friend's health scare, the power of art and experiencing Christmas with a newborn are especially powerful. Yet Niequist's relentlessly first-person reflections would have been leavened by more fully developing some of the other characters, the relatives and friends who pop up. Sometimes her prose is annoyingly abstract (if we cultivate a true attention, a deep ability to see what has been there all along, we will find worlds within and between us), and there are clichéd observations. Still, with a bit of seasoning (and more vigorous editing), Niequist could be a writer to watch. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Memoir, Faith, Spirituality, Christianity, Religion

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Shauna Niequist is the author of Cold Tangerines, Bittersweet, and Bread & Wine. Shauna grew up in Barrington, Illinois, and then studied English and French Literature at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. She is married to Aaron Niequist, who is a pianist and songwriter. Aaron is a worship leader at Willow Creek Community Church and is recording a project called A New Liturgy. Aaron & Shauna live outside Chicago with their sons, Henry and Mac. Shauna writes about the beautiful and broken moments of everyday life--friendship, family, faith, food, marriage, love, babies, books, celebration, heartache, and all the other things that shape us, delight us, and reveal to us the heart of God.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I'm definitely in the minority here with my rating. I thought the idea of this book was a wonderful one--I love to celebrate everyday life, but there were a lot of times throughout the book I was like, 'what was the point of this, again?' For some of the essays this is not true and it is very apparent that they follow her theme, but really, for me, not enough of them. She has a sometimes beautiful and sometimes overdone poetic prose style of writing that sometimes captivated me and sometimes had my mind wandering. My biggest complaint about this book is that it all seems so superficial, by that I mean on the surface, not fake. She writes about some of the biggest moments in her life, but I couldn't connect with her, I felt in some way she was keeping me at arm's length and for what I was hoping to get out of this book, it just didn't work for me.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yet another case of blogger-turned-author, with both things not being equal. Sometimes people with popular blogs get asked to write books. This seems especially true within the Christian blogging community. At any rate, their books become just a series of short essays, which actually read like blog posts. Whimsical, observant blog posts and thoughtful essays are not the same thing.

This book was divided into four sections as a means of trying to categorize each "essay," but there was really no central theme or idea. It really wasn't about celebrating life and noticing the small things either because the two things I remember most about this book, which I read over several weeks, a couple of "essays" at a time, were Niequist's whining about how EXHAUSTING pregnancy is and how devastating it was to leave a job. Although some of the reviews rave about her transparency, she never clearly stated whether she left her job of her own will (that's the impression I got) or whether she was asked to leave, but either way...process it and move on. There were multiple essays about wallowing in that grief in a book that was supposed to offer "bright and varied glimpses of hope and redemption."

My other beef with this book was that she seems to portray herself being "too cool" for a faith that involves serious consideration of the Bible. She states in an interview at the end of the book "I have encountered some friction, but only from Christians who wish the book were more like a conventional devotional or a a Christian Living book." I wasn't expecting this book to be that. I was expecting thoughtful essays that brought me A-ha or "me too" moments about God. However, when she writes "Last winter, I did a study on Exodus. Not the kind of Bible study I'm used to, because I usually do the kind where a bunch of friends meet at someone's house or a coffee shop and occasionally we do the actual study but mostly we talk and tell stories and pray at the end. This was that other kind, the kind where you have a really big commentary book, and it's hard to get through the reading if you're working on it during the commercial breaks of The Bachelor in Paris the night before." Seriously? Is she 14 years old?

My other problem was the strong sense of privilege and entitlement. So much writing about eating out at restaurants, sailing, traveling frequently (esp. internationally), etc. There's no problem with that as long as one recognizes that this type of lifestyle doesn't resonate with and/or is not attainable (or desired) by many of her readers. However, my sense was that Niequist thinks this is the way the world works. For example, in the essay "How Sweet It Is": "One year we declared the best moment (of the summer) was when, after three cold and rainy days of Memorial Day weekend, with each boat full of shivering, wet, disappointed guests, we abandoned ship and opened the yacht club, the only dry place left, and climbed behind the bar to mix drinks, leaving a tab for the staff to bill us later. We spread our wet jackets and fleeces over the chandeliers to dry, and left soggy footprints all over the tile behind the bar." So they broke into a closed bar...at a yacht club...helped themselves to alcohol...and put their wet clothes all over the place and left a mess behind!?! How is that "cute"?...or okay?

I could go on, but this is definitely a one star in my opinion. I had other books of hers on my TBR list, but I'll be removing them. My son, whose opinion I respect greatly, read Bread and Wine, and felt pretty much the same about that book as I did about this one. Not feeling the love.

[Lindsay L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!! I laughed and/or cried during every single chapter. Such an emotional and uplifting read. Shauna writes so honestly about such relatable topics in motherhood, friendships, marriage, etc. I highly recommend this book!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister called me and said I had to read this book. This is an amazing and unusual event. She is a busy person - six kids among other things and I am the librarian. I usually want to tell her what to read. The other odd part is we are not always in sync about religion. And this book is definitely about religion. So I figured out I could get this book on my Kindle and downloaded it immediately.

And my sister is right - I needed to read this book. Shauna is a wise soul for one so young. She reminded me to really look at the world. To see what an incredible miracle this world is - what wondrous things God has done.

This is not a book to sit down and devour. This is a book to read and reread over time and to really savor. If you are feeling jaded with the world and not sure how God fits into your life, Shauna will open your eyes.

[Jonathan Brooker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A realization came to me about midway through reading this book. I was enjoying the short anecdotal chapters with memoirs and creative thoughts from the author. It was certainly different than my usual reading that I gravitate towards, but that was part of my reason for picking it off the shelf to read. Anyhow, I'm about halfway through when, much like realizing you've somehow walked into the women's section of clothing at the department store and been staring at the clothes for a while even though you're a guy, I had been reading a book really geared more towards an audience of women than men.

I don't feel sexist in saying this because Niequist is just very open about her struggles, insecurities and life issues which will involve thoughts around body image, motherhood, and other feminine-specific things. In a sense this book helped me a bit to see the "other side" so to speak. But ultimately, and I believe this was the purpose, this book challenged me to see the beauty of life and to not allow the insignificant parts of life to crowd out the significant ones.

And now I'll walk out of the blouse section...

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, when I realized that this was a "faith-based" book, I was hesitant; where the author carries her faith in God, I'm more of a "universe" and karma-based kind of girl.
That said? Even our differing beliefs had no effect on how much I adored this book.

Although there were the strong undercurrents of a religion I don't subscribe to, it was easy enough for me to skip over certain passages or mentally adapt certain passages to suit my own beliefs.
Faith differences aside, I settled in happily to story after story of the beauty in everyday life—something I celebrate fiercely, and appreciated even moreso after devouring this collection of mini-essays by someone who finds the same joy I do in seizing the moment. I loved the way she looked at events, finding lessons & pulling out drops of inspiration from interactions with friends, the changing of seasons, and life transitions. It felt like settling into a comfy couch with an old, equally optimistic friend.

A beautiful, beautiful celebration of all the small things in life, and the kind of book you find yourself inspired by from the first page you read through the moment you close the back cover. LOVED it.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Why? I agree to the core of my being with the idea behind it... celebration of the beauty of every day. The places and even many of the people in its pages are familiar to me. Some of the writing is truly beautiful. The author doesn't - as so many others do - leave readers at an arm's length. The basic point of each mini-essay is valid, sometimes even profound. However, I really, really didn't like it. The constant references to the author's unhappiness with her weight and preoccupation with physical beauty were really uncomfortable. I appreciate the honesty, but two full essays devoted to body image and some offhanded reference to it on nearly every page were just too much. Beyond that, I felt like once the point of each essay was made, the author couldn't seem to "wrap it up," so that even the most profound thoughts came across, at best, unraveled.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't believe this book is meant to be gobbled up in one sitting but rather one bite at a time. No matter your faith, you cannot deny the vulnerable truths the author shares from her personal experiences. You may even find yourself in the pages.

[Steph Clayton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I’m in the minority when it comes to my rating for this book. While I managed to finish it, I frequently had to stop after a chapter and step away or else I feared my eyes would roll right out of my head.

This book is presented as celebrating the little God-moments in every day life, but I don’t see much celebrating. I see someone who is processing their life and the “struggles” they face in a unaware, privileged, first-world-problems sort of way. The chapter on Africa alone had me cringing so hard. She essentially compares her heartbreak of seeing Africa for the first time to the heartbreak that the people who are living there face day after day. I’ve been to Africa and I’ve been to places worse off than Africa, and yes, the images never leave you, but you can’t compare your struggle of holding those pictures in your mind with people who actually live in it, and then go on a family vacation to the Caribbean...they’re not the same and it makes her sound ignorant and spoiled.

Again, I get it, she’s processing and I think the point was to be in process and show how God works in that process, but it was like reading someone’s diary. Reading about all the horrible negative thoughts you think about and then poof, she’d go on some trip and make some profound but not really all that profound discovery and then she had it all figured out.

Maybe it’s more that this book was just mis-marketed, because what she does isn’t “celebrating” to me. Between the self-deprecating cracks and her contrived overuse of metaphors that provide weak analogies to her stories, it just seemed like a lot of complaining about an upper middle class life that millions would kill to have.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was shopping for a Christmas present for my mom in Body Shop when I saw that they have new stocks of my favorite body butter scent, tangerine. That scent became my favorite by accident years ago, when I went there to claim my Love Your Body membership birthday gift, and they gave me a small bottle of their tangerine-scented lotion and body wash. I used it for the gym and loved it, and eventually bought more until I got broke and realized that my daily bath stuff are too expensive. So while I was there, buying a Christmas present for my mom, I decided to get a tub of the tangerine body butter, since it's on sale anyway. Plus, the scent just really cheers me up.

I'd like to believe that the moment I had with that body butter was something that Shauna Niequist was pointing at in her first book, Cold Tangerines. The subtitle alone is an indication of it: Celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life. Plus the fact that what I bought was a tangerine scented body butter, it kinda fits the entire thing, right?

Anyway. I loved the first Shauna Niequist book I read, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way , so when I saw that her two other books were on sale on Kindle on early December morning, I immediately bought it. I was a little afraid that her books might be those one-hit thing, meaning I won't really like the others I read because I won't be able to relate to it, but I shouldn't have feared anything with her first book because it was exactly what Bittersweet was for me when I first read it: it came at the right time in my life.

Cold Tangerines is exactly about what it says: celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life. Here, Shauna Niequist talks about the many little ways that God shows Himself in life, how the natural becomes spiritual, and how the physical things we see and we do are all connected to how we are nourished spiritually. There's food, friendship, writing, traveling. There's body issues, vacations, heartbreak, family. Shauna shared stories of her personal life, much like how she also did in Bittersweet, and then points the reader to God, and His faithfulness and His wonder in the ordinary life that she had.

Which means, we too, can see this, the extraordinary in our everyday life. I loved how easy it was to relate to her stories in this book, and whatever stage of life I was in, I would be able to find wisdom and advice in this book. Shauna's honesty shone in this book, and when I read the part about how hard it was for her to write in this book, I realized how much she must have struggled to put these words on paper. But that struggle was a blessing, at least for me, because I know that struggle, too. I feel that every time I write a post for my personal blog, wrestling with the words in hopes of them being used for something. And then there's the forgiveness chapter, one of my favorites, which really and truly came at the right time because I was struggling to forgive and ask for forgiveness from someone as well. Like Bittersweet, I think I highlighted almost half of the book -- there were just so many quotes to keep -- the ones I added below are just a glimpse of it, really.

I don't plan on using my tangerine-scented body butter everyday because I don't want to run out of it too fast. But I do take the time to smell it everyday, in a way to remind me that I can choose to see my life as sweet and happy, because it really is. And that is what Shauna Niequist's Cold Tangerines is -- a reminder that there is something super in our natural life. Cold Tangerines is the kind of book I would recommend someone to read especially for the New Year. It's fresh and honest and funny and inspiring, and I think it would help set the mood for the fresh start that everyone's looking for in the turn of the year. Or if it's not the New Year, read this, still. This book is a reminder that there is beauty and hope and redemption in this extraordinary everyday life.

* Also posted at I Like It Dog-Eared

[Amy Kannel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting over the fact that this book was not at all what I expected. Based on the title/subtitle and the back blurb, I was anticipating something vaguely One Thousand Gifts-ish. The introduction and the last essay (also titled “Cold Tangerines”) were pretty much exactly in line with what I expected, but everything in between went a totally different direction. It wasn’t bad; it was just a little jarring, since it didn’t feel like what the introduction set me up for. The book is essentially memoir, set apart from your typical memoir by its format as a collection of stand-alone essays. But the essays aren’t so much about ordinary things like “cold tangerines”; many of them are about monumental life experiences (the birth of a baby, weddings, funerals, job loss, moving out of state).

Once I stopped thinking about all that, I did enjoy the book quite a bit. As a writer/reader, I found this book richly satisfying. Shauna Niequist is a gifted writer; the thing that stuck out to me most was her use of metaphors. She has this impressive ability to come up with vivid, fresh ways to describe events and experiences and emotions.

And yet...spiritually, I found the book less satisfying. The book was full of vague references to “faith” or “the divine” or “hope,” occasionally “God,” without any more specific discussion of *what* we hope in, or *who* brought “redemption” and *how*. I recognize it’s a memoir, not a systematic theology. But when a Christian’s memoir isn’t shot through with Jesus, barely even mentions Him, I notice, and I wonder why. I believe with all my heart that an assumed gospel leads quickly to an abandoned/rejected/forgotten gospel.

So, in the end, while the book was soaked with beauty and evocative prose, it also felt a bit lacking, a bit hollow. I didn’t want to have to fill in the blanks; I wanted the author to see *Jesus* and celebrate Him. This personal, intimately-involved God not only created this good world Niequist exults in, but He also condescended to enter it—-very pointedly, very specifically, for the clear and brilliant purpose of rescuing rebellious sinners and bringing glory to His name. And that Name above all names was conspicuously absent in an otherwise lovely book. [3.5 stars...4.5 for how I felt about the writing; 3 for what it lacked spiritually]

[stefiereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Update: 3 stars

This book is uplifting, easy to understand, encouraging and brings joy.
The reason I gave it 3.5 stars is because there are stories that I didn't feel the connection to.
But there are many stories that really are great :)
Cold Tangerine talk about God, but it does not have scriptures in it (which is fine of course). It's more like a reading someone's journal about her experience with God. It has 40 stories in it, and it divided into 4 sections.

This book will encourage us to be more grateful, to appreciate little things, and to not take everything for granted.

Also, shout out to Lauren for gifting this book to me. Thank you! :)

[Rachel | All the RAD Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is electric, alive, fresh, and free. It's all about "celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life" and it's such a refreshing read, much like a cold tangerine would be. I fell in love with Shauna after the first few paragraphs, and knew I would be reading anything she ever wrote in that moment. This book was a delight and a joy.

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads of the year. It took me exactly a month to read it, and I postponed reading new chapters as much as I could, because I wanted to savor it. Shauna has a beautiful gift. I will read it over and over again, I'm sure.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cold Tangerines" is a collection of little "gems" from Shauna Niequist's life; actually, it read more like a blog than a novel. I appreciate that she was able to focus each story around a very specific event from her past and provide the reader with take-away lessons. Likely because I had a very ordinary adolescence (feelings of awkwardness, doubting myself and whether or not anyone liked me, found fault with my body, etc.), it was easy to resonate with many of these stories.

Niequist's writing is very visual, full of voice, and I am hopeful that she'll continue writing - she has a lot of potential to be a great storyteller. I'm hoping that her future writing introduces new "characters" and perspectives aside from simply her own. Thank you, Cory, for sharing this one with me!

[Jenny's · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I would have missed if I hadn't been paying attention to my goodreads friends. I saw it on a couple of lists and thought I would enjoy it. Thanks Tammra and Cindi.
Cold Tangerines is a delightful romp through the mundane of our days and extraordinary of our everyday. Choosing to see the gifts that surround us. Choosing to see the goodness of God. Shauna Niequist has that gift for writing that all good writers of this type have, a willingness to be razor honest about themselves. They show us the good and bad, sad and wonderful their experiences and talent bless us by allowing us to see ourselves more clearly. To see the goodness of God is always a gift.

[Kristi 🐚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think she reads my mind. She must. She writes; I relate like no other. What a gift. Bright inspiration since Page 1. I'll read her upcoming book madly the week it comes out. And I might just start collecting pennies too.

[Kacey Gilpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful read. Niequist gives voice to so many of my thoughts and feelings. I've told my husband that he needs to read Cold Tangerines to understand me better:)

[Abby VanderMeeden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I read this book. Very Bob Goff esque. I love it the stories and how it challenges me. Worth the second read

[Kylie Witcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!! Felt like a breath of fresh air to read! Honest and funny, reminding me to live life to the fullest!

[Adriane Devries · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of what is fun in life is finding out you are not weird alone. I experienced this recently when I wore fake zombie teeth to chat with my dear librarian, thinking to scandalize her and maybe ruin my own reputation in the process, only to find out that she shares my enjoyment of the Undead genre and could exuberantly recommend many of her own favorites for me to try. Who knew? So often, when we take the time to dig into each other’s lives, we can say with great relief,“You, too? I thought I was the only one,” as Shauna Niequist asserts in Cold Tangerines. Her collection of musings and memories of major events in her young adult life help others, weird like her, navigate through what they may feel like a mess, but is really a blessing in-the-making if we can see with fresh eyes. This is where art comes in. Whether it’s an author pouring out her heart into words on the page, in all her disheveled yoga-pants glory, or whether it is in a Bach or a Smashing Pumpkins or a Monet; art has a way of breaking through the defenses we have built to suffocate ourselves, and thank God for that. Though we see the evidence clearly every day, we somehow manage to forget that we are truly rotten gods of our own lives, and Shauna shouts to the rooftop that only He has any business being in that role. He is gentle. He is loving. And He can give us rest for our souls in a way neither the world nor our inner dictator ever will. Let Shauna’s journey inspire you to be real, to allow our Creator to work something lovely in your life, and to revel in all the small miracles all the days you are given.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those jump up and down books for me -- Yes! I have thought that way... Yes! I have been there... Yes! She gets it... I could not get enough of these short, poignant vignettes. I adore her frank, fresh writing style. I appreciate her authenticity, and I respond to her heartbreak. She isn't afraid of tough questions, or of honest self-reflection. She embraces religion with a unique moxy that is equal parts reverance, familiarity and relevance - all in perfect balance. I found myself jotting down so many "nuggets" I was gleaning from her pages to share with different people, that I finally just purchased 10 extra copies (and 5 of her sophmore, follow-up "Bittersweet") to share. There are chapters that I've read and re-read dozens of times.

[huntsmanic · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have a whopping 3 friends with new books out, of which shauna is one. the essays here are all short, 1st-person narratives with fantastic bits of juiciness w/r/t love and loss and life. she has a great hand for evoking the meta- from the details of ordinary events. i have a policy of trying to read 3-6 books at once, so i can always have a book to fit my mood; cold tangerines is the perfect negotiator for this model--whether at the bus stop or at lunch or out for a pre-bedtime smoke, in the space of a few pages she generally succeeds at letting me feel more connected, and more attentive to life.

[Pita-eater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Shauna Niequist speak and read from her book at the Festival of Faith and Writing this spring. Cold Tangerines is a collection of essays about celebrating and living life to the fullest. The writing style is colloquial and sounds just like the way Shauna speaks. But, she is a friendly and joyful sort of person, so I enjoyed her stories very much. I appreciated her honesty about the tough seasons in her life, and I think I will go back and reread the essays about writing and creativity.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I read Shauna Niequist's Bittersweet, I've meant to read Cold Tangerines. I finally tracked down a copy and realized I read both books at the perfect seasons of my life. Her books feel like a good conversation with a friend. Honest, authentic, real. She asks good questions and provides soul-stirring responses. Because of how intimately I react to her books, if you want to know more, you'll have to ply me with my drink of choice first.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book and good ideas that I should definitely take. But she was pretty dramatic and to the point that I don't think a lot of people are like that. She also has some weird views that I don't agree with, but I loved reading about when she was pregnant with her son and her relationship with her husband seems really good. But overall I thought it was a good book, but just tiring by the end.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved a lot of things about this book but it annoyed me a little bit too...it reads almost like the author's journal....personal and introspective....like it was written for her and not for anyone else. And it was a little dramatic at times....jealousy, anger, inability to forgive, big issues with a job change....I'm not someone who lets that stuff bother me so it all seemed very dramatic and over-the-top. I just couldn't relate.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like sitting down with my best friend. There is something here for everyone, no matter what stage of life you are in. It made me laugh, cry, think. It made me warmer in my soul and I'm a different person having read it. Or perhaps not a different person - but more aware and thankful for who God created me to be.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The few things that bother me about this book are ultimately not important when it comes to the message Niequist is trying to send. She is personable, honest, and funny, and her stories and reflections push you to see the little moments in a more positive light.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

reads like a conversation with a best friend. powerful and poignant stories to encourage and draw you into a life worth living.