I'm a fan of Jedidah Jenkins ' work and Like Dreams to the Ocean was all I hoped it would be. The perfect book for right now, the perfect companion for the times

Various thoughts about life and his personal experiences on eight topics: ego, family, home, friendship, love, work, death, and the soul.

There were some interesting thoughts but I was a bit disconnected from the book having no previous knowledge of the author and his story.

I hadn't read Jedediah Jenkns before. Perhaps people who are already fans of his will enjoy this book. It reads like a string of individual diary entries - loosely connected observations about life. The observations occasionally contradict each other.
Not my cup of tea.

I couldn't finish this book. I read about a quarter of it & it felt very fragmented. The stories were too brief and pithy, without any real wisdom. It felt like reading one platitude after another.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was so all over the place!
The author has lots of thought provoking ideas...and he shares all of them, in giant word piles that leave you wondering "where is he going with this?". I felt like how he says in his introduction that people wanted him to compile his random musings in one place and he did. And it didn't work for him. I also didn't really like his voice, if that makes sense, I couldn't get a good feel for his writing and that turned me off. I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't connect with it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

First off I have to say, if you are able to get your hands on a physical copy of this book I highly recommend doing so. Like Streams to the Ocean is a collection of essays, passing thoughts, and short stories. I think this is a great book to carry around with you to make notes in as you go. It’s a book that feels like a friend is having a deep conversation with you and if you are able to jot down your thoughts it is as if you are talking back. Like Streams to the Ocean is also a great book to read however you wish. You can go from one of the eight sections; Ego, Family, Home, Friendship, Love, Work, Death, and The Soul, read a few excerpts then jump to another one based on how you are feeling. Like Streams to the Ocean is a book you can experience anyway you want.

While I am not someone who reads really any nonfiction, I was very drawn to Jedidiah Jenkins’ first book, To Shake the Sleeping Self. When I read To Shake the Sleeping Self I fell in love with Jedidiah’s beautiful and heartwarming storytelling and I am beyond glad to see that same writing in Like Streams to the Ocean. Until you have read one of his books, it is hard to explain how comfortable and open Jedidiah’s writing feels. Based on what I have read, I feel that Jedidiah and myself are quite similar because we share many of the same ideals on life and ourselves so I may be biased, but I have heard from many others who read his first book that they love his writing and storytelling as well.

If you are ever feeling down or questioning the world around you or simply just want a cozy nonfiction read I cannot recommend this book enough.

Unfortunately, I had a difficult time trying to read this memoir. Jenkins certainly writes beautiful prose, but I had a very hard time following his train of thought. After reading about 20% I decided I could not hang in there to finish it up. The theme was very interesting, but after a little over 2 chapters, I was not hooked enough to see it through. Because I did not finish it, I won't post this review anywhere but here. This may be the perfect read for someone else and I don't want to deter them from giving it a try.

This was a frustrating read. The author has lots of thought provoking ideas...and he shares all of them, in giant word piles that never lead anywhere or build anything. Like Streams to The Ocean reads like a rushed follow-up to the success of the author's first book rather than a carefully thought-out project that has a life and substance strong enough to stand on its own. I hope that he'll be given the time and space to wrestle out his life experiences and then, down the road, write something more substantive from a place of earned wisdom.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where to even begin. This book was beautiful, raw, honest, and amazing. It was full of poetic prose and so many beautiful quotes and tidbits of wisdom. I wrote down so many quotes and will be buying a hard copy when available so that I can highlight and mark it up and keep it as a reference for myself. I devoured this in less than 24 hours, as I found myself wanting to know what he would say next, or which topic was next.

Jedidiah explores significant themes we all encounter on the journey of life; ego, family, home, friendship, love, work, death, the soul. His thoughts and reflections are relevant and many resonated with me to my core. This book examined the difficult situations and feelings we may encounter within these themes and how to draw from them to live our most authentic lives—being true to ourselves. It is a book I will not soon forget. In fact, I just finished and have the inclination to sit down and read it again to see what I didn’t catch the first time. It’s jam packed with goodness.

I’d like to thank NetGalley for the ARC. This one spoke to the soul, and I am better for it.

Refreshing and raw. Loved Jed’s first book - so this was like sitting down for a chat about life in more depth with him. He has a gift for powerful storytelling that bring the words to life!