Self-Inflicted Wounds

I don't often read humor books by comedians. Although, I probably should because they are usually a breath of fresh air from heavier reading. I read Aisha Tyler's first book Swerve many years ago when I was probably in my early 20s (??) and I don't remember much about it. This book, however, will probably stick in my memory because I'm older now and the life lessons she discusses are more relevant to me. I didn't know much about life's struggles when I was just starting out in the world, but now I can relate. Initially, based on the book jacket description, I was just expecting a funny book about crazy things that happened to her, but I was surprised to find some inspiration as well.

The breakdown of the book is essentially 32 mini-chapters about instances where Tyler humiliated herself or something crazy happened because of her own actions. At the end of most of the stories, though, she discusses what she learned. I really admire her for always striving ahead in life with no fear. I think if you are struggling with moving forward with your dreams, you will enjoy this book. It's a light, easy way for you to kind of get that kick in the rear that might motivate you to also strive without fear.  You get a few good laughs to boot! It's not laugh out loud funny all the way through, but it has its moments. I truly appreciated her candor and motivational analogies for life. This would be a good quick summer read for anyone interested in getting a little jolt of optimism through vicarious embarrassment.

Finding Your Element

I am constantly trying to figure out what I'm really supposed to be doing on this Earth.  I really enjoy my current career in the health field, but I think there is something more I'm supposed to be doing. What is that 'more'?  Well I picked up Ken Robinson's book to see how I could go about finding out the answer to that question.  I first saw Ken Robinson during this TED talk.  I really enjoyed the talk and felt he had a lot of valid points.  So, naturally, I was interested to see what he recommends in this book about finding out what gives you life.

As far as self-help books go, this one was pretty inspirational and helpful.  It doesn't give you too much psychological mumbo-jumbo.  What it does provide in the way of psychology and research is mostly already known and established so it's not overwhelming.  There are some step-by-step measures and recommendations given.  There are even some exercises to complete if you're interested.  I think the best thing the book does is ask the questions you need to answer in order to move forward on your quest to find your passion.  Taking personal time to just sit down with yourself and ask some of these questions might be the only jump-start you need.  I found that just reflecting on the questions and jotting down a few notes for some of the exercises got my mind flowing.

The individual stories that are interspersed throughout are good and will leave you thinking: "If they could do it, why shouldn't I be able to as well?"

If you decide to pick it up, I wish you luck on your journey.

Inside-Out Simplicity

Yes, I'm on a bit of a "peace and love" reading frenzy.  It comes in peaks and valleys.  It's a process to simplify your life.  I've been working at it for about three years now and still have far to go. This book touches on almost every aspect of life and how you can make small changes to start simplifying. There are a lot of common sense ideas, but also some unique ideas that may be useful.

As with any book that promotes change, this is a book you have to be ready to read. If you are not in a place in your life where you are ready to implement some kind of change, you probably won't enjoy it.  However, if you are thinking about simplifying your life or you've looked around you lately and thought to yourself "I'm tired of this clutter and turmoil" then you might glean some tips from this book.  The author divides the book into sections dealing with our relationships to our world. There are segments regarding our relationship with ourselves, others, possessions, money, and so on.  He discusses how, by simplifying our lives, our lives become more meaningful.

It's only about $3 for the e-book.  I think that's a good deal.  Even if you end up hating it or certain sections don't apply to you (i.e. the section about your relationship with kids or spouses isn't applicable to all), you will be happy you didn't have to break the bank for it.

The Four Agreements

This book has been recommended to me multiple times.  I finally read it and I'm glad I did. I am a big believer in the power of the mind.  I think you can influence your life either positively or negatively by what you believe. This book lists and discusses four agreements you should make with yourself in order to live a life of happy freedom from the status quo.  The four agreements are:

1) Be impeccable with your word
2) Don't make assumptions
3) Don't take things personally
4) Always do your best

The author explains how, by implementing these agreements into your life, you can open your heart and mind to more compassion and love. I love reading positive writing like this.  I know it's not for everyone, but if you gravitate towards writing about inner peace or Zen-like topics, this is a good selection. It's also a quick read, but be sure to have a highlighter handy.  There are some good points made that you won't want to forget.

It Worked for Me

This is a pretty quick read because a lot of points are repetitive.  I've always been a bit ambivalent about Colin Powell.  Military men work on a different spectrum than most of us, for better or for worse, so I don't judge what I don't completely understand.  This particular book is not so much about policy as it is about common sense ideas that you should implement in your life if you want to be successful.  Ideas such as working hard, don't complain about a problem but come up with solutions instead, be honest, be open, be upfront about challenges, take personal responsibility, and so on.  The first half of the book was actually pretty good.  As the book went on, though, some of the advice was recycled from the beginning but worded differently. Therefore, I thought it could have been pared down. 

Near the end of the book Powell discusses his infamous "WMD" UN speech in 2003 and how it will eternally be a "blot" on his record. He openly contemplates where things went wrong and he turns a number of rhetorical questions over to the reader.  However, in an earlier part of the book he says that you must know when you've had a good run and when it's time to get off the train.  So I found myself thinking that it's ironic he wrote that little piece of advice, yet failed to take it.  It seems to me that he had a good run with Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr. If he got off the train then and stayed off perhaps he wouldn't have been in this predicament with Bush Jr.  Powell doesn't allude to that.  It is merely an observation of mine after reading this.  Maybe this advice of his was 20/20 hindsight.

Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World

This book was a random choice at the library one day when I was browsing the shelves.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but when I saw the title I scooped it up.  I was not disappointed.  This book is probably preaching to the choir.  I'm sure most women who read this book will already consider themselves pretty savvy and well-read.  However, the points that the author makes are so salient and at times staggering that all women should read this.  Topics such as our celebrity driven media, our suffering educational system and our decline in literacy are all discussed.  This book has inspired me to become, not only a better woman, but also a better global citizen.  What I really appreciate about the book is that there are footnotes that lead you do more research on your own and THINK for yourself. I highly, highly recommend this book for all women.

Enjoy Every Sandwich

Well, I probably would have enjoyed the book more if there were some sandwich recipes listed in the back or at the end of each chapter. At first I thought the book was going to be similar to The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch but it is not even worthy of being placed in the same category.  It is about a man who receives a terminal diagnosis and decides to live each day to the fullest.  However, that is where any similarities end. The Last Lecture is beautiful, moving and focused. You can tell it was written by a man on an honest mission.  Enjoy Every Sandwich, however, is all over the place and it's hard to pinpoint what message the author is trying to convey.  He talks about God, yoga, science, health, nutrition, love, family, medicine, and past lives.  Yes, he devotes many paragraphs to his description of visions he had depicting his multiple past lives.  I found myself, at that point, thinking I picked up the wrong book.  I have to say, if you want to read a book about life's lessons and living in the moment avoid this one at all costs and read The Last Lecture instead.

The 4-Hour Workweek

This book is just "eh".  I skimmed it over the course of two days because that's all you really need.  It is a skimmable book. Find what you need to apply to your life, and then take the book back to the library.  I say the library because you will be wasting your money if you actually pay for it.  I got a few good pointers, took my few notes, and put it right back in my work bag so I can drop it off at the library during my commute.  The author tries to seem hip, cool, and nonchalant about everything he's done.  He seems to say, "Look! If I did it this easily, you can too!!"  However, I am leery of anyone who tells you to charge more debt to your credit card in order to achieve your dreams.  I'm just of the school of thought that if you were trying to have freedom from the constraints of a job, why would you shackle yourself to a creditor and owe them money?  I don't need that kind of "freedom".  I was actually almost hesitant to even list this book on my blog because I had so much displeasure with it initially.  Since I did get a limited amount of good ideas from it, though, I am reluctantly posting it.  This should be read with a grain of salt.

The Fire Starter Sessions

I am on a kick now where I'm really trying to instill positive vibes into every aspect of my life. This book helped me do that in an amazing way.  What made the book stand out to me is that the author is straight forward and tells you the truth. It's like when your best friend sits you down and says "What the hell is wrong with you?  Get your sh*t together". You can accept her saying that to you because you know in your heart of hearts that you needed a good kick in the rear.  Well I needed a good kick in the rear and a healthy dose of inspiration.....and I got it.  If you have the desire to take on a new endeavor, evolve into greatness, or do what you've always dreamed of doing, this book will slap you across the face and motivate you.  I read this book on my NOOK and so far it is the most heavily highlighted book on my device (and that is saying a lot because the highlight function on the NOOK is unbearable!).  I know I will be referencing this book in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Every Day a Friday

I started reading this book about two weeks ago and under normal conditions I probably would have finished it in a few days.  However, this was a "post-it note" book.  As in, I was putting post-it notes on pages and taking notes as I went along.  The main reason I enjoyed this book is because I enjoy Joel Osteen and his motivational message.  He never gets so submerged in the dogma of religion that it's unintelligible.  It's practical and enjoyable. Yes there are references to scriptures and to biblical parables, but the message is universal.  I think everyone can benefit from learning to be a little more positive in general.  If you're unfamiliar with Joel Osteen, this may be good way to ease into his work.  Here, he focuses mainly on happiness as a conscious choice.  This choice, combined with the understanding that God is continually blessing us, can help us be happy no matter the day of the week. It's a matter of changing perspective and being open to working on changing that perspective daily.  I would say that anyone could give this book a try.  You will know within the first few chapters if it speaks to your soul or not. 

Miss Minimalist

As you may or may not know, I am trying to scale back on my clutter and the amount of random "things" I own.  It's been a really good process so far and this book offers further motivation to continue to cut back on consumerism.  It is a short, quick read (as it should be if it is about minimalism right??) and offers a lot of GREAT ideas that can be implemented in anyone's daily life.  Don't feel like you need to do a lot to simplify your life.  You can choose just one idea and start from there and see where the journey takes you.  (FYI:  this book was only $1 on Amazon for the Kindle version)

Focus

Very short ebook (approx 120pages) available on Kindle (maybe Nook too, but I'm not sure).  I really need to apply some of the tips to my life....I'll let you know how that goes. Seriously, if you want to lessen the distractions of constantly being bombarded with information in day to day life, this may be worth a glance. I think everyone can apply something from here to their life.

Bossypants

I literally did laugh out loud while reading this.  I am already a fan of hers anyway.  Perfect light summer reading.  She actually makes some really good points about life in between the laughs and among the laughs.  If you can laugh *and* learn a little something at the same time, it's a win-win.  I really enjoyed this.

The Strawberry Letter

If you listen to Steve Harvey in the AM, you are well acquainted with the crazy "Strawberry Letter" portion of the show.  Well here Shirley addresses some of the main reasons we (as women) can be our own worst enemy.  If you listen to the show you will recognize most of what she's saying.  (Same thing with Steve Harvey's book).  However, there are some gems in here that may hit home for some women.  I think if you are the parent of a teenage girl, there are some gems for her as well.....so seek them out and start a conversation with your daughter about how to get some standards in life.

Mindset

Really interesting.  A physician who taught one of our lectures on resilience recommended this.  If you are interested in the psychology of how people think (and possibly why) it's a good read.

Bad Mother

At times hysterically funny, and then at times sad and brutally honest.  I really enjoyed this book because I feel like it gave a more realistic look at parenting in these times, warts and all. Sometimes knowing what parents are dealing with can help you work with them.

Put on Your Crown

Eh, just so-so....I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was still in my late teens-early twenties.  A good book for women in that age group, though.  I just think I already subscribe to most of the little nuggets of wisdom she shared so it was a bit like preaching to the choir.