On the Bright Side

Stories About Friendship, Love, and Being True to Yourself

By: Melanie Shankle, Jen Hatmaker - foreword

Narrated by: Melanie Shankle

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Big Mama blog founder and New York Times best-selling author Melanie Shankle helps us sort through our questions about being true to ourselves in a world gone crazy and what matters the most in the end.

These days, so many voices tell us what to do, what to think, and what kind of parent or friend or spouse to be that it's easy to feel overwhelmed and defeated. Somewhere in the midst of online arguments and crazy politics and the ups and downs of life, we've lost sight of the gifts that are all around us: kindness, love, mercy, and joy.

In On the Bright Side, Melanie Shankle reminds us of the unchanging principles we can count on in a changing world. These are lessons that Melanie has learned along the way about how to find all the joy that life has to offer - and why encouragement is never something to keep to ourselves. Melanie invites us to lead with love in all areas of our lives, exploring topics such as:

• Finding your people
• Giving up on comparing and competing
• Aging (kind of) gracefully
• Believing in ever after
• Staying mostly sane while raising kids
• Thinking before speaking
• Making decisions
• And more!

This delightful memoir highlights the joys of life told in Melanie's down-to-earth, relatable, and totally enjoyable style. On the Bright Side is a how-to guide to knowing - and living - what matters most. 

©2020 Melanie Shankle (P)2020 Zondervan

all about life and being able to laugh

I absolutely loved this book. she knows exactly how to tell it like it is. I laughed so hard many times while listening to her. wish I could share this book with my mom in Heaven.

My favorite author

I am always sad when I finish listening to her books. She is so funny and full of wisdom. It’s like your best friend wrote a book and described what it was like to grow up in the 80s. She writes about navigating this thing called life with all the challenges that come with it in such a funny yet serious kind of way. I just can’t get enough of Melanie and can’t wait for her next book.

great book and author

this is a great book read by the wonderful author. i absolutely give her 5 stars. she is relatable, uplifting, and real. the book has many funny moments and stories that all link back to a basic "this is life and this is how we should look at it " point.... and sometimes we all forget that. Melanie's book a great reminder.

Melanie is humble and poignant

And absolutely spot on. So many times listening I thought … did she hack my Facebook and steal my stories?! And not just because we share a daughter the same age and both are children of the ‘80s. Well done!!!

Awesome

This is a quick read and loved every word of it! Very relatable to everything going on in this world and life in general!
P.S. Gig’em!

a friend recommended it

My friend recommended this to me. I think she enjoyed it more than I did. Probably would make a good TV show though.

Loved it

I really enjoyed listening to this! I’ve always loved Melanie’s quick wit and her voice draws me in! I walked to this, and it was just entertaining and uplifting! She’s a down to earth woman figuring out this crazy world!

Light Hearted, funny and lots of wisdom

The author reads the book herself. She is hilarious, yet possesses a deep wisdom for women. I would say people with school-age children would love this book, but I am 59 and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Don't waste your time or money

I thought it was funny at the beginning but it became boring and I struggled to complete it.

Book of the Year 🎉

This book is what 2020 needed and didn’t know it. Every Mama heart out there needs all these stories. Several times I found this book feeling like a warm hug from an old friend. Thank you for the stories!