Reading Fanatic Reviews
Advice and How To NonfictionBrilliant Burnout by Nisha Jackson
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Brilliant Burnout*
Ways to Work Through Burnout
In this book, a long-practicing nurse practitioner, who has an interest in optimizing health as women age, takes a look at female burnout. In the first part of the book, she details the history of her own burnout as well as her professional interests in helping women. The first chapter is about classic burnout, and it starts with a list of questions to see where you fall on the burnout scale. At the end of this first chapter, she gives a few simple ideas that you can implement right away, and she suggests that you start with the rest of the book by picking the topic that seems most relevant to you and your symptoms of burnout. After that, she suggests going through a chapter a week, allowing for those with busy schedules to slowly taking what she has to offer. Further chapters explore hormonal components of burnout and keys to successfully overcome burnout.
In general, I thought this book was full of good information about burnout and what to do about it. Given the way that she suggests the reader approach the book, the structure of the book seemed counterintuitive. She suggests we choose a chapter about what is most bothersome about the burnout we currently face, yet the chapters are not arranged that way, and you have to poke around to figure out what chapter would best suit your needs. She does have appendices of supplement suggestions, and she does own a supplement company. One of the things that she espouses throughout the text is a low-carb, low-glycemic, high-protein diet, which from my own studies I do not necessarily believe is the best diet and certainly not the best for everyone.
If you suffer from burnout, you might find the discussion and suggestions in this book helpful. Like all recommendations for diet and supplements, you should do further research and perhaps discuss it with your healthcare provider.
2 Dangerous Things in a Year by Terry Williams
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2 Dangerous Things a Year*
Not Quite Cohesive Enough
The title of this book intrigued me. The subtitle suggests that the book is all about change and how to become better at rolling with the changes that work and life often bring. Unfortunately, I found this book to be somewhat scattered, and it did get off the target message more than once. While the author has done two dangerous things a year for some time, the book really isn’t about that. So, perhaps he should have had a title that had more to do with what the book was really about. A good part of the first section of the book describes people’s different reactions to change along with ideas that further explain or augment the concepts. That is an excellent start to a book on change. Following from that, the second part should have been about moving from being change resistant (no matter what your degree) to be more accepting and even a champion of change, but that was not how the second part unfolded. It felt too generic; it really wasn’t as much about change as it was about basic ideas like gathering resources and support or troubleshooting. The book seemed repetitious in parts. This seemed like a loosely cobbled together set of articles rather than a cohesive whole. I’ve enjoyed other works by this author, but this one fell short and did not deliver on its title or subtitle.
Make Your Own Rainbow by Leonard Ryzman
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Make Your Own Rainbow*
Positivity Pop Psych
The subtitle of this book suggests the key to creating the life you want is to take charge of your emotions. But in reading this book, I found that the emphasis was more on thought than emotion, even though the author did write a full chapter looking into the dynamic use of emotions (though I don’t quite agree that that was really covered in the chapter). The author states at the beginning of the book that it will help you get past obstacles that stand between you and the life that you want to lead. The book is full of examples of people who have overcome sometimes rather difficult hurdles in life. I felt like the author took some broad concepts of this book from other people who have written books on self-help and positivity but added more (or different) anecdotes to support the ideas. I thought that the chapter on adding years to your life didn’t quite fit the overall theme of the book as the rest of the book is mentally, not physically, oriented. I will admit that chapter 4, when I saw its title in the table of contents, gave me pause for inclusion in such a book. I had to look at it right away, and it literally made me laugh out loud. You will find little new here, but different ways of looking at the same concepts impact people in different ways—so you may find that this book resonates with the way that you approach these ideas.
Power of Minimalism by Will Mark
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
Power of Minimalism*
Overview of Minimalism
Nearly half of this book is a very high-level overview of the concepts about minimalism, an idea that has become popular lately. The first part is actually somewhat repetitious and goes into some of the philosophy of minimalism. After the halfway point, the book gives specific instructions about decluttering your physical space and your digital life. The author then also tries to apply the minimalism to ideas that it isn’t usually associated with, like diet, sleep, and relationships. The second half of the book is more practical than the first, but I didn’t think it successfully integrated with those latter concepts that I just mentioned. For instance, the diet section didn’t seem to me to be about minimalism; instead, it appeared to be about healthful eating. In general, I thought that many of the suggestions about how to be more minimalistic seemed impractical or just wrong; for instance, it is hard for me to imagine a monastically bare bedroom as he espouses. I question, too, if one truly did strip everything in all areas of life mentioned in this book as he states, what would life be like? What would one actually do? Those who are new to the concept of minimalism might like this short look at the philosophy of the idea as well as some ways to apply it. But those who already know some about this won’t find anything here that isn’t better stated elsewhere.
Live Work Love by Terry Williams
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Live Work Love*
Engaging Look at How to Age Well
In this intriguing work, the author explores in depth the concepts in the title within the framework of how to live not just longer lives but better lives. The author states at the beginning of the book that he has read 100 books and 100 research articles on how to age better so we don’t have to. As somewhat of a research nerd myself, I enjoyed both the author’s intent toward backing up his thoughts with data and others’ views as well as the ideas from the books and papers themselves.
The book is divided broadly into the three main categories of Live, Work, and Love. Before this, though, there are chapters about the concept of aging and what that means. The Live section is the longest, with sections on the physical, mental, and social and their 12 controls (like move, sleep, think, learn, care, and touch). The Work section is short but touches briefly on ideas like engaging in work, retirement, and alternate paths. The final part on Love starts with oneself, and subsequent sections spiral out from there to friends, partners, and family.
Despite the strong research element—which might suggest that this could be a heavy and dense read- I found the book to be well written and engaging. As I stated above, most of the ideas researched are quite fascinating, and the discussion presented offers ample food for thought. There’s certainly much to ponder here, and much that I believe would indeed improve the quality of life as one ages.
How to Write a Spiritual Dramatic Suspense by Krista Wagner
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How to Write a Spiritual Dramatic Suspense Novel*
A Look at a Very Specific Subgenre
I had never heard of this particular sub-subgenre of suspense! As a writer and editor myself, I am fascinated by the topic of writing. So when I saw this show up at one of my favorite book review sites, I was curious and had to choose it to find out more. Unfortunately, I found this book a little light on content, though it did have some interesting insights and exercises.
The book starts out with a very brief definition of this subgenre and then goes into other information about the overall arc and elements of a suspense story and what the author calls tropes. I found the writing of this part to be a little tedious because the author tends to state what she is going to explain at some length and then explains it more fully, even for relatively minor concepts. Just get to the explaining! If she felt a need for a transition between ideas, a simpler one could have been chosen. I also disagree with what the author calls tropes. I think she is mixing up the concepts of genre conventions and tropes in most cases.
The bulk of the book is actually the author’s book called Intent. Interspersed between paragraphs is the author’s commentary about what she was doing in a particular segment of a scene, discussing some elements that she had talked about in the general section previous. Each chapter ends with a writing exercise or two about an idea that the author believes was reflected in the preceding chapter. These are actually fairly decent writing prompts/exercises for any fiction writer, not just for one of this subgenre. She suggests exercises that look at minor characters, foreshadowing, tensions, and the like. There’s no real wrap-up section, which I think would have been helpful. It does end with a little discussion on theme.
I believe the author should have explicitly stated on the cover that the book is more about Christianity rather than general spirituality. In fact, Bible quotes precede each writing exercise. Perhaps she should have used the word “Christian” instead of “spiritual” as the title. After all, there are many types of spirituality which could form the basis of a suspense novel.
I felt like the beginning section, the part before her novel and analysis of it, was too short to be of much use to someone who actually is interested in writing this subgenre. The writing itself in that section, also, was sometimes confusing, and not just because she didn’t seem to understand the difference between conventions and tropes. I think nonfiction is best when it’s written in a conversational style, as if you were just telling the information to a good friend who is interested in the topic but doesn’t have the amount of knowledge that you do. Unfortunately, the author did not succeed in that very accessible nonfiction writing style.
Unleash Your Creativity by Michael R. Hogan
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Unleash Your Creativity*
Long on Story, Short on Substance
As I have been working through ideas about my own needs for creativity, I was attracted to the concept of this book. The setup of it, unfortunately, didn’t help me with any insights or guidance as I hoped it might. A full half of the book is in story format describing how family and society can squelch creativity and dreams. This didn’t leave much room for the actual discussion of creativity or exercises to help you find your spark and passion. It talked more about the philosophy of creativity than creativity itself.
How to Analyze People by Steven Hopkins
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
How to Analyze People*
Introduction to Nonverbal Communication
In this short book about nonverbal communication, the author lays out a simple plan to improve your ability to read and understand the nonverbal clues about the thoughts, plans, and emotions that people can’t help but communicate. The author’s experience comes from his own life as a trainer and personal coach, and he also has a master’s degree in behavioral psychology. After he explains the basic concepts of nonverbal communication, he lays out chapters that go essentially from head to toe: facial expressions, voice, posture, body language of the upper body, and body language of the legs and feet. The main section of the book ends with two specialized chapters, how to spot a lie and how to spot romantic interest. There was a bonus chapter on well about nonverbal communication in the workplace.
The book is basic in what it explains about each of these topics, but it does get you thinking about others and your own nonverbal communication. If this is a topic that interests you, you might find this short read a very interesting introduction.
I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years by Ilchi Lee
Available at Amazon, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Scribd, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
I've Decided to Live 120 Years*
A Gift and Blessing to Those Middle-Aged and Beyond
What a delightful book that will get you thinking differently about aging. The title is shocking, which is what made me choose the book at a book review site that I use. In the introduction, the author states that while he doesn’t know when his end will be, he has in fact decided his life span will 120 years. For him, this has caused a paradigm shift in his thinking about what to do with what he views as the second half of his life. This book discusses a lot of his philosophy and what it can mean, but it is also practical, giving direct suggestions and activities that will help you if you decide to live 120 years. Topics he discusses include our physical power, sources of joy, letting go of attachment, solitude, mental power, continuous cultivation of self, sharing and giving, and the importance of nature. He does also discuss death in various chapters, and the final chapter discusses the many ways that one could leave a legacy, whether through mentorship directly or by leaving a small, but compassionate footprint on the Earth.
As one who has just passed the half-century mark, I found this book to be inspiring and invigorating, making me desire to live as much of a life as I can for as long as I can despite my age. The author has given a gift to people who see themselves as middle-aged or senior citizens. It opens up the possibilities of all that we can be.
Dear Time, Are You on My Side? by Ky-Lee Hanson
Available at Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters).
Dear Time, Are You on My Side?*
Gets You Thinking Differently about Time
This amazing book will have you examining the concept of time from a variety of perspectives that will help give you clarity on your own relationship with time, how you can make it more fluid, and how the passage of time is immaterial to your wants and needs as you grow and mature within your own self, in your relationships, in what you choose to do, and in your purpose in life. The book creator has brought together 19 women with unique relationships and insights into time based on their own life experience. The book is divided into five sections: What is Time?, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, Fear is a Time Robber, Heartbeat to Heartbeat, and Change the Course of Time. The end of each section has a place for you to reflect on all the concepts of the part as well as free journal; at the end of the book, you’re given space to rewrite your life from a new perspective on time.
Each of the authors shares a part of their own story, reflecting on time and what it has meant, means, and will mean to them. They talk about shifts in perspective and knowledge gained. Some of these are dense reads, while others are very straightforward to get through. I found all to be valuable, and each got me thinking. The exercises at the end of each section help anchor the concepts that have been discussed and give clarity on what they can mean to help you live your best life.
Here are some topics in the book: Living Timelessly–Ego and Time are Not our Enemies; Managing the Me in Time; But When is the Timing in Life Ever Right?; Life, Not According to Plan; The Wait is Over… Your Time is Now; and A Premature Lesson in the Value of Time.
If you find yourself grappling with issues of time, from time management to greater concepts like feeling like you’re running out of time because of your age, this book will give you a more in-depth perspective and a way to reframe the concept of time is so that we end the struggle with it and instead work with as we evolve on our road to becoming the best person we can be.
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