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28th out of 203 books
—
254 voters
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
Full of beautiful, heart-wrenching, and hilarious stories, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years details one man's opportunity to edit his life as if he were a character in a movie.
Years after writing his best-selling memoir, Donald Miller went into a funk and spent months sleeping in and avoiding his publisher. One story had ended, and Don was unsure how to start another.
Bu
...moreHardcover, 255 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Thomas Nelson
(first published April 15th 2009)
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This is a Don Miller book. Hence,
-Charming anecdotes from his life
Don meets Steve, who wants to shoot a movie based off Blue Like Jazz, Don doesn't like them changing his life to appeal to moviegoers, Don realizes he is living a lame story, Don embarks to rectify, Don dates a girl, Don hikes a mountain, Don bikes across the country, Don matures.
-Self-depreciating wit
Don at no point brags and any acheivement mentioned is tempered by mention of a personal failing. He's unflaggingly artless in the...more
-Charming anecdotes from his life
Don meets Steve, who wants to shoot a movie based off Blue Like Jazz, Don doesn't like them changing his life to appeal to moviegoers, Don realizes he is living a lame story, Don embarks to rectify, Don dates a girl, Don hikes a mountain, Don bikes across the country, Don matures.
-Self-depreciating wit
Don at no point brags and any acheivement mentioned is tempered by mention of a personal failing. He's unflaggingly artless in the...more
I have a love/hate relationship with this book. At times, he had me frustrated with his writing about himself, and sometimes he hooked me with how he applied his stories to the point of the book. The 4 stars is an average: 5 stars for the point of the book (Life is a story, what kind of story are you living?). It really got me thinking and I have probably thought about this book everyday since I read it at some point or other. But, I gave it a 3 for the rambletastic ridiculousness of his stories...more
I loved this book.I listened to the author reading,audio version, which I highly recommend. He has a wonderful conversational style of writing. I liked his honesty. He shares stories from his life freely, sharing both his good and bad choices through both humorous as well as serious stories. Some of the stories caused me to belly laugh and others, like the death of his friend's wife made me sob. He shares about his father leaving when he was a child and about his finding his father later as an a...more
free preview copy from Thomas Nelson publishers. I was so excited when I heard Donald Miller had a new book out, and even more excited when I got the news I was getting a free copy. then I got the book and read it. Oh bummer.
The book isn't bad, persay. it's just not life altering for me. Maybe it's one of those subtle books, that I'll find I keep remembering and thinking about later. But it definitely didn't strike me as I was reading it. I felt more like, okay, I'm going to listen to more about...more
The book isn't bad, persay. it's just not life altering for me. Maybe it's one of those subtle books, that I'll find I keep remembering and thinking about later. But it definitely didn't strike me as I was reading it. I felt more like, okay, I'm going to listen to more about...more
After getting past the first 8 chapters, "A Million Miles" started getting very thought provoking and I was quite challenged by some of the ideas that Miller shares. The idea of creating a story, taking the skills and abilities that God has given you and doing something with them, rather than waiting for something to happen to you, has struck a chord.
As a caveat, that there are Rob Bell-esque tones in here, and I disagree with some of the theology that Miller spouts throughout the book. However...more
As a caveat, that there are Rob Bell-esque tones in here, and I disagree with some of the theology that Miller spouts throughout the book. However...more
Donald Miller is a one-of-a-kind writer. His talent is a rare gift. He is one of the few that can tell a story about himself and get out of his own way.
In "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years," he explores what makes a story great. The big question the book asks is, "Can my life be a great story?"
Miller writes, " the elements that made a story meaningful [are] the same that made a life meaningful."
A good story has a protagonist – the good guy. That's the person in the story you love or want to b...more
In "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years," he explores what makes a story great. The big question the book asks is, "Can my life be a great story?"
Miller writes, " the elements that made a story meaningful [are] the same that made a life meaningful."
A good story has a protagonist – the good guy. That's the person in the story you love or want to b...more
I've stumbled upon several blogs all having to do with improving quality of life by being unconventional. While reading the Blog of Impossible Things, I came across this book. With the magic of e-books, I had the book in my hands and read by the end of the evening. I laughed out loud at the first page and cried at the last. What an unique approach to living a meaningful life...from the book: "I wondered if life could be lived more like a good story in the first place. I wondered if a person coul...more
In the book, Miller discusses his experience editing his life to be made into a screenplay. Throughout the process, he learns more about what makes a meaningful story and realizes his life is comfortable and easy, but not the story he wants it to be. One of his primary realizations was that life involves character transformation — it’s not about achieving a certain goal or reaching certain socially agreed upon milestones like graduating, marrying, and reproducing. Instead, it’s about how the exp...more
Quotes from the book...
"People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain."
"fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; it’s also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life."
"It made me wonder if the reasons our lives seem so muddled is because we keep walking into scenes in which we, along with the people around us, have no clear idea what we want."
"God wants us to create beautiful stories, and whatever it i...more
"People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain."
"fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; it’s also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life."
"It made me wonder if the reasons our lives seem so muddled is because we keep walking into scenes in which we, along with the people around us, have no clear idea what we want."
"God wants us to create beautiful stories, and whatever it i...more
May 04, 2012
Emily
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
creative writers!
Recommended to Emily by:
Jenny Baker
In Donald Miller's own words, "...every creative person, and I think probably every other person, faces resistance when trying to create something good...resistance, a kind of feeling that comes against you when you point towards a distant horizon, is a sure sign that you are supposed to do the thing in the first place. The harder the resistance, the more important the task must be..."
This book demands to be reread. I love the premise throughout the story that as the author learns how to write a...more
This book demands to be reread. I love the premise throughout the story that as the author learns how to write a...more
This book is wonderful. I always seem to struggle finding the words to describe what exactly about this book that made me fall in love. Again, I think it's the honesty of the writer that draws me in so much. This book is about a writer who is approached by a couple of screenwriters, who want to make a movie over one of his books. He has the opertunity to edit his story/life to make it seem more interesting. I laughed and I cried and I found myself wanting to quote several sections of his book to...more
"If what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either" p. xiii
A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.
A character is what he does (p. 74)
[who is this person?] ... "The only way to know the truth is to witness him make choices under pressure, to take one action or another in the pursuit of his desire." (p. 74)
"The ambitions we have will become the stories we live. If you want to know what a person's story...more
A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.
A character is what he does (p. 74)
[who is this person?] ... "The only way to know the truth is to witness him make choices under pressure, to take one action or another in the pursuit of his desire." (p. 74)
"The ambitions we have will become the stories we live. If you want to know what a person's story...more
Donald Miller was in a funk. He had written a bestseller, and was now a much sought after speaker. He was accomplished. But for some reason, all of his success didn't bring the climatic ending that he was hoping for. He felt lost. Then he received a call from two men who wanted to turn his book, Blue Like Jazz, into a movie. Miller was unsure of how to turn his book, part memoir and part collection of essays, into a movie. So the two men came to visit him, and teach him about story.
From there M...more
From there M...more
So read the Narnia series in fourth grade and did not realize it was a Christian allegory until it was pointed out to me in college. I just thought it was a kick-ass fantasy story! Donald Miller IS a Christian writer, but I think it does his books a disservice and might put other readers off who could benefit from his hilarious insights by making him a square peg.
Miller writes in such a way that you are aware of his beliefs, but they don't exclude you, should you not share them. In fact, I want...more
Miller writes in such a way that you are aware of his beliefs, but they don't exclude you, should you not share them. In fact, I want...more
Book Review: A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Donald Miller has written several best selling Christian books but a A Million Miles may be his most effective yet as the author describes experiences that transformed his life into a better, more meaningful one. He discusses how we can consciously do the same.
The book's sub-title is "What I Learned While Editing My Life". Most people would already consider Miller's life meaningful due to his literary accomplishments and involvemen...more
Donald Miller has written several best selling Christian books but a A Million Miles may be his most effective yet as the author describes experiences that transformed his life into a better, more meaningful one. He discusses how we can consciously do the same.
The book's sub-title is "What I Learned While Editing My Life". Most people would already consider Miller's life meaningful due to his literary accomplishments and involvemen...more
I adore Donald Miller for his self-deprecating humor and poetic
insights. However, reading him a few years after my initial
infatuation (I seriously thought I had a chance with him when he posed
for a picture with me at a book signing), I find myself unsettled with his conclusions mostly because they are fluff.
I want to commend his resurrection of the concept of our lives as stories. I think many youth today need to hear that. But the bulk of what he writes is Oprah-esque admonitions to serve othe...more
insights. However, reading him a few years after my initial
infatuation (I seriously thought I had a chance with him when he posed
for a picture with me at a book signing), I find myself unsettled with his conclusions mostly because they are fluff.
I want to commend his resurrection of the concept of our lives as stories. I think many youth today need to hear that. But the bulk of what he writes is Oprah-esque admonitions to serve othe...more
Couldn't put this book down. Being present, really present to your life, is an amazing way to navigate relationships and the story of your own life. For example Miller says, "I was watching the movie Star Wars recently and wondered what made the movie so good. Of course, there are a thousand reasons. But I also noticed that if I paused the DVD on any frame, I could point toward any major character and say exactly what that person wanted. No character had a vague ambition. It made me wonder if th...more
Jun 13, 2011
Jaren Zech
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Jaren by:
Matt Anderson
I happened to read this book during a particularly difficult time in my life, before reading this book, I literally was thinking if my life or my story was the right one. Then I picked up this book and read it in a day and a half. Needless to say, the book didn't help, it probably complicated things more for me because now I really wasn't sure I was living a good story, it certainly motivated me to want to live an epic story, but caused some serious introspection in my life. After getting throug...more
The main way A Million Miles in Thousand Years struck me was the way Donald Miller danced around this idea that many of us are waiting to act the lead role of our own stories. Literally, sitting at home, smoking a cigarette, hoping our agent will call. We want God to write some heroic scenes where we get to rescue the girl, make a million, kiss the girl, save the bus full of kids from the upcoming cliff while we’re on the phone making a few more million, and then relax on a tropical island (whic...more
As usual, Mr. Miller delivers an easy read that is highly entertaining. Unlike some of his past works, Million Miles delivers an actual message that you can put your finger on: you can make your life more meaningful simply by doing meaningful things. While not a new idea, Mr. Miller's parallel use of fictional stories to illustrate how our own lives are stories, combined in a way that seemed fresh and innovative.
A major downside to this book, and one that almost dropped it to 3 stars, was the us...more
A major downside to this book, and one that almost dropped it to 3 stars, was the us...more
Before I say anything about this book, I confess that I never read Blue Like Jazz. I skimmed through most of it, read paragraphs here and there, but couldn't find anything in it to make me want to read it cover to cover. By some random chance I recently ended up on Don Miller's site and found a blurb about this book describing how Miller realized his life was "boring and meaningless" and found a way to change it. What I read of Blue Like Jazz was to me boring and meaningless, so I decided that i...more
Many good points, and a very quick read. Pretty scenery and enjoyable vignettes. However, it's sort of like a self-help book for people who think they're writers. Donald Miller is trying to validate two conflicting issues. 1. He wants to write a good story. 2. He wants to make his life better. So he wrote a book about it. Very disappointed by the last few chapters, where he starts speaking about "all" writers. He assumes that all writers hate to write. Not true. People who are obsessed with them...more
"Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo."
That single insight, from the first page of the book, effectively distills the wisdom of 288 pages down into one sentence.
In A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller writes of how collaborating on a screenplay based on his life transformed his perspective on life, and then transformed the living of his life. As he thought on the fictional story of his life, he began to see his real life as a story, and that, as the sa...more
That single insight, from the first page of the book, effectively distills the wisdom of 288 pages down into one sentence.
In A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller writes of how collaborating on a screenplay based on his life transformed his perspective on life, and then transformed the living of his life. As he thought on the fictional story of his life, he began to see his real life as a story, and that, as the sa...more
I’m not a Donald Miller fan-boy. Let’s just make that clear and get it out of the way.
Despite being a not-entirely-un-trendy Christian man in his twenties, I never read Blue Like Jazz. In fact, the only Donald Miller book I had encountered was Searching For God Knows What, which I quit halfway through (which I almost never do). I guess I saw why some people were drawn to his writing, but I just didn’t connect. At all.
Then, I read his new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.
You should see t...more
Despite being a not-entirely-un-trendy Christian man in his twenties, I never read Blue Like Jazz. In fact, the only Donald Miller book I had encountered was Searching For God Knows What, which I quit halfway through (which I almost never do). I guess I saw why some people were drawn to his writing, but I just didn’t connect. At all.
Then, I read his new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.
You should see t...more
I went into this not knowing what to expect. I haven't read any of Miller's other books; several of my friends think of him very highly, and I was really introduced to him (theoretically, not actually) because one of my friends works closely with him professionally. So, when I heard he had a new memoir, I figured I would give it a try, and was generously gifted a copy of this book by said friend.
I came away from it with mixed feelings. It's a good quick read, although I can see reading it slowly...more
I came away from it with mixed feelings. It's a good quick read, although I can see reading it slowly...more
This review first appeared on my blog, Jacob's Café: http://jacobscafe.blogspot.com/2011/0...
Narrative therapy is a technique that emphasizes and focuses on people's stories. The therapist finds the ways the client has "written" a dysfunctional narrative and helps the client find new ways to tell his or her story. Words are powerful and really do make a difference in how we understand our world and respond to it, even our memories of it.
Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, recently released...more
Narrative therapy is a technique that emphasizes and focuses on people's stories. The therapist finds the ways the client has "written" a dysfunctional narrative and helps the client find new ways to tell his or her story. Words are powerful and really do make a difference in how we understand our world and respond to it, even our memories of it.
Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, recently released...more
I liked this book more than I thought I would (hello Christian sub-culture writing!) but not quite as well as I could have I think. Miller's writing is good...it has occasional moments of genius but it often feels like he's trying on writerly devices to me and it sometimes feels gimicky and forced.
I found the premise fascinating. The idea of looking at your life as your ultimate writing piece and composing your actions as though you were going for ultimate story and character is fun and even a k...more
I found the premise fascinating. The idea of looking at your life as your ultimate writing piece and composing your actions as though you were going for ultimate story and character is fun and even a k...more
Upon shutting Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years after reading the last page, you’ll probably think to yourself something along the lines of, “Well that was a good book.” And while much of the book’s content will soon be forgotten as you move on to a page-turning thriller or a hyperbolic romance, parts of this book will stick with you.
It’s sort of hard to categorize A Million Miles. It’s a book about stories—how they work on paper and also in our lives. Miller basically chronicl...more
It’s sort of hard to categorize A Million Miles. It’s a book about stories—how they work on paper and also in our lives. Miller basically chronicl...more
I listened to this book while driving support for Jeff in LOTOJA - on 9/11/10. The book had a double whammy for me as I drove by countless bikers facing their goal of riding 206 miles along with the early morning news recreating the events of 9/11 that ended so many lives. I'm not a big fan of memoirs (even though I've read many) but this one hit the spot! Always a good idea to do some editing for a better story:) I pasted a brief description below.
Full of beautiful, heart-wrenching, and hilar...more
Full of beautiful, heart-wrenching, and hilar...more
Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned From Editing My Life is a book that may have permanently changed me. I’d passed it in Barnes and Noble half-a-dozen times before finally picking it up to rifle through its pages. And, boy, am I glad I did.
Miller’s plight, described briefly on the back jacket of the book, spoke to me: “After writing a successful memoir, Donald Miller’s life stalled. During what should have been the height of his success, he found himself unwilli...more
Miller’s plight, described briefly on the back jacket of the book, spoke to me: “After writing a successful memoir, Donald Miller’s life stalled. During what should have been the height of his success, he found himself unwilli...more
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Donald Miller grew up in Houston, Texas. Leaving home at the age of twenty-one, he traveled across the country until he ran out of money in Portland, Oregon, where he lives today.
Harvest House Publishers released his first book, Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance, in 2000. Two years later, after havin...more
More about Donald Miller...
Donald Miller grew up in Houston, Texas. Leaving home at the age of twenty-one, he traveled across the country until he ran out of money in Portland, Oregon, where he lives today.
Harvest House Publishers released his first book, Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance, in 2000. Two years later, after havin...more
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.”
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2,057 people liked it
“Fear is a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.”
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198 people liked it
More quotes…
Michele
Oct 05, 2011 07:02am