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|  | Author: Donald Miller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.49
as of 3/21/2010 09:07 CDT details
You Save: $8.50 (43%)
New (40) Used (11) from $11.49
Seller: lionandlambohio
Rating:  297 reviews
Sales Rank: 758
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0785213066
Dewey Decimal Number: 277.3083092
EAN: 9780785213062
ASIN: 0785213066
Publication Date: September 29, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEAR PERFECT. ORDERS TO US BY 3:30 EST WE SHIP THE SAME DAY
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 297
 A wonderful read March 10, 2010
A. Barber (San Diego, CA)
This book is so good. It engages you from the first page. Miller's style is back in such a great form...humor as Miller does so well with a dash of maturity. But you can still see him, sitting across from you in a coffee house, chatting away. If you have liked Blue Like Jazz you will like this book.
 ok read March 1, 2010
Alla S.
In his new book, Donald Miller chronicles what happens when he gets an offer from two producers to make his life into a movie. Lots has been written about his book, but overall I thought the writing was interesting, but ocassionally slow. While writing the screenplay, Miller learned how it's important to think of your life as a story and go about making it a good one. So, he re-thinks his choices and chooses to change something about his life. He meets his father, whom he's hardly known ever since his childhood. He goes on a cross-country bike ride and climbs a mountain. He attends a screenwriting seminar in L.A. In other words, Miller tries to make his life a better story not only in the screenplay, but in real life. The idea of this book was great, but I guess I would have liked it more if I didn't expect so much. For those looking for some insight into the movie business, you better look elsewhere. But for Donald Miller's fans who simply like reading about his life, it might be a worthwhile read.
Realize you're an author. Start writing a better story. February 26, 2010
W. Gay (Mobile,AL)
We often forget that we are living a story. We forget that we authors, daily penning the story of our lives. If others were to read our lives as a book, would they finish it and actually enjoy it? Or would they put it down less than halfway through? This is how A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was born.
This reality hit Donald Miller like a ton of bricks. After the release and success of a collection of memoirs, he was approached by 2 filmmakers from Nashville. They began brainstorming the script for the film. The bulk of the story was to come from Miller's memoir. As they began to work, they realized that Miller's life needed some help.
The more the script evolved, the more Miller realized how boring his life looked from the outside. He was content, but he wasn't living a great story. During the process of creating the screenplay, Miller began searching for a better story. He began seeking to understand what makes a good story and how to live it. In an attempt to live a better story, he rode his bicycle across the country for a charity, hiked one of the most difficult trails in the Andes mountains, and reconnected with his dad after not seeing him for more than 30 years.
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's the third Donald Miller book I've read. I know not everyone agrees with his theological positions, but he is one of the most gifted writers out right now. He presents a unique perspective on living intentionally, that is, realizing that you are writing a story with your life. You have the opportunity to decide what you do with the blank pages of your days.
One of my favorite stories in the book occurs when Miller has dinner with a friend. The friend shares that his marriage is struggling, and on top of that his 13 year-old daughter is dating a 17 year-old loser. They are afraid the loser has gotten his daughter to experiment with drugs. Miller, having just attended a conference on the elements of a good story, comments to his friend that maybe he as a husband and father isn't living a very compelling story. Maybe that's why his daughter is looking elsewhere to live something of meaning.
Miller really didn't know what he was saying, but his friend took the advice. A couple months later they met again for dinner. The friend began sharing how he decided his family should start living a more exciting story. He decided without telling his wife(terrible move) that the family would sponsor a Mexican orphanage. At first the wife and daughter were frustrated, upset, and confused. Eventually they both got excited about it. The daughter broke up with the loser, and began to develop ways to raise money so that she could take a trip to visit Mexico.
All in all, this is probably one of my favorite books I've read in a very long time. It's funny, refreshing, enlightening, challenging, and easy to read. I encourage to put this on your reading list in the near future. You won't regret it.
Living a Better Story February 22, 2010
Miranda J. Gehrke (Wisconsin)
I don't know what it is about the way Donald Miller writes, but I really enjoy it. It feels like a one-on-one conversation that is had in comfy chairs over a cup of coffee. I just finished his latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and I enjoyed it just as much as Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What.
Again, Donald takes us on a journey through his life, what he's dealing with as he is presented with the opportunity to turn one of his books into a movie. Writing the screenplay turns out to be a bit different than he expected and he learns that what makes a good story might help him make a good life.
One of the things that struck me the most was his comparison of God as an author and us as characters. As an author, Donald talks about how despite the fact that he creates the characters, they still do what they want. The same happens with the way we live our lives. We choose to go our own way and do things the Writer wouldn't want for us. Donald admits: "It would always have been better to obey the Writer, the one who knows the better story." I loved that analogy. It gave me a whole new perspective on my life and how I relate to God. I want to live a better story.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Winning the Lottery February 22, 2010
Douglas Flanders
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A friend of mine saw me at the coffee shop editing a thriller I'd just finished writing and he said, "Hey, you should check out Don Miller's latest book. It's about writing." I'd just read Stephen King's book about writing and figured this would be the Christian version of that book. Little did I know it would be so much more! I'm convinced it is the best book I've ever read, or a least the one I most needed to read right now. I was trying to describe it to another friend and was reminded of a little game I often play to help me clarify what is most important in my life at any given moment. I simply ask myself what I would do if I won the lottery and never had to work again. Then I try to figure out how to do those things without actually winning the lottery. That is how I ended up building a giant treehouse with my kids, and writing the thriller I mentioned above, and a myriad other little things. With the success of his first book, Don Miller basically won the lottery. What he has done since then as described in this book is no less than amazing and an inspiration to us all. Keep up the good work and don't stop writing!
- Doug Flanders, MD and Editor Love Your Husband/ Love Yourself: Embracing God's Purpose for Passion in Marriage
Showing reviews 6-10 of 297
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