Make Your Bed, Little Things That Can Change Your Live. . . And Maybe The World, Admiral William H. McRaven

I liked the title of this book and the idea of little things, like making your bed, can help to make your life better, so I picked up a copy.  It is a small, easy read with 125 small pages (with lots of white space) and 10 short chapters.  Each morning, I read a chapter a day to give me a positive thought to start the day with and something to think about. 

I did enjoy the book and mostly liked the ideas presented, I was a bit disappointed.  Firstly, the only "little thing" presented was the one on the title--make your bed.  The other chapters are your standard, self-help ideas--never give up, be kind, etc.  and while I also like and agree with these ideas, I was expecting more nontraditional ideas along the lines of bed making.  The second disappointment was that almost all the author examples were taken from his Seal training, something I can't relate to. 

It was a nice, positive way to start my day, just not quite what I was expecting. 

All I Really Want, Readings for a Modern Christmas by Quinn G. Caldwell

Every year at the beginning of Advent I start a new Advent devotional and every year I quit reading because I am getting nothing from the readings.  This year, I spent a lot of time searching for a book I would actually enjoy and that would deepen the meaning of the season for me.  I also liked this book because the readings go through Epiphany (January 6), which to me is just as much a part of the Christmas season as the time before Christmas.  At first, I was a bit put off because there were morning and evening readings.  I am a morning person and by evening, I am tired and not really in the mood to read, so despite what the book said, I read two readings in the morning.  I know that is not what the author intended, but it worked for me.

I really enjoyed the book.  The readings were fairly quick and went well with the bible verse.  The morning reading and the evening readings were both on the same theme, but had different bible verses attached to them.  The reading themselves had lots of good advice and interesting points.  They didn't come across as preachy or too involved.  Each week begins with a calendar of suggested activities to deepen your experience.  Often they are things to think about or quick things you can do.  While, I admit I didn't do many of them, thinking about the suggestions was helpful to me.

I finally found a devotional I enjoyed and that helped me deepen my faith at Christmas instead of just going through the motions.  I intend to reread it next year!

The Sleep Solution, Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It by W. Chris Winter, MD

    

 In my family, out of the four of us, only my daughter sleeps well. I knew the importance of good sleep for both physical and mental health and wanted to make some positive changes, so I picked this book up.  I was immediately impressed--it is funny and presents the scientific information in an easily readable, interesting way.  I was wary though, because a lot of nonfiction books start that way and quickly become wordy and boring, but not this book.

     If I was concerned about sleep before, I really am now.  The author really stresses how important sleep is to our health and in ways that I didn't know about.  I work in an elementary school and I see day after day, children coming to school with HUGE black and red tired eyes.  I've seen children sent home from school because they kept falling asleep in class.  Parents need to know the information presented in this book and structure their children's days so they can get the sleep they need.  This does also apply to adults, so many adults don't want to follow a routine be disciplined enough to do what needs to be done to get a good night sleep, but then they complain they are tired.  My advice--READ THE BOOK AND FOLLOW W. CHRIS WINTER'S ADVICE.  It will change your life.

     Before I read the book, I had a home sleep study and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea.  While I was reading the book, I started CPAP therapy.  I can not stress what a difference therapy made in my life.  I spent years in a tired fog, struggling to get through my days.  I feel so much clearer headed, I no longer wake up with headaches every morning (I thought it was allergies and went through years of, probably unnecessary, injections.) and have the energy I need to, not just get through my days, but to enjoy them!  Even though I was diagnosed before I read the book, I still was able to gain a lot of good and useful knowledge.

     A great, informative book that everyone should read!

Self-Help Read! You are a Badass--How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

I picked this book up at Target on a post-Christmas shopping trip.  (Yes, that does, in fact, mean that it took me 7 months to read.)  The New Year's timing and the catchy title both caught my interest and I fell prey and picked it up.  I was, of course, in that New Year's self-improvement mood and thought that I should try to make some positive changes in my life and the book would be a good place to start.  I took a while to read this book for several reasons, one is that I intended to take it slow.  I wanted to think about what she wrote and maybe have a chance to internalize the suggestions before I moved on.  

I both liked and disliked the book.  I liked the love your self theme and think positive thoughts advice that are the main stay of each chapter.  I disliked the new age Source Energy prosperity doctrine.  A lot of the Source Energy advice reminded me of what Christians are advised to do by preachers every Sunday in church, just substituting Source Energy for God and Jesus.  I don't believe we all are willed by God to be rich or that everyone can be rich or that everyone needs to be rich to be happy.

In addition, a lot of the advice seemed like the same old advice handed out since Normal Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking in 1952, just presented in fun, hipster, quirky way.

In the end, not a total waste of time, but not quite what I hoped it would be either.

June Reads! The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well 
by Meik Wiking 

I stumbled across the concept of Hygge after the New Year, determined to make changes to be happier. This book seemed perfect! I have recently been reevaluating my life and are making changes to be happier and healthier. So I order a copy and, first of all, I love the look of the book. The white cover, orange end paper, and adorable drawings in blue and orange make the book visually cute, warm, and comforting.

I loved the book! It was just the thing I needed. I have always believed in finding happiness in everyday life and in the small things--changes in season, good food, family, etc. and this book just kind-of solidified that view for me and put a name to it--Hygge! The book spells out how the Danes find happiness and while not everything will work for me, living in the United States, there is a lot I can take away from it. I plan to get my hygge on tonight by grilling out hamburgers and enjoying family time around a fire.

May Books

This is a recent Oprah's Book Club selection.  I saw it on the list and thought it looked interesting for two reasons: 1, The description talks about a married women with kids and a family reevaluating her life and since I have recently turned 50, I have been thinking about what I want to do with the remaining time I have left in my life.  Granted, my marriage isn't in trouble, but who couldn't use a bit of attitude readjustment now and again.  Plus, it seems like there are so few books about a woman who is a mother AND also a real person (or maybe I just don't know about them.) And 2, I read that the author uses yoga in her self discovery and that also rang true to me since I have recently started practicing yoga and are currently obsessed with it.  

After I started reading, I almost immediately felt a bit like I had gotten the bait and switch.  A good third of the book was about the author's childhood/young adult hood and her struggles and while interesting and well written, it was not what I was interested in reading about.  (I had just finished Wild after all and this seemed a lot like that.)  Once we got to the story of her marriage, it got better and I truly enjoyed reading about the author's struggles and how she overcame them. I did, at times, wish the author had gone into more detail about their lives, I found myself wondering and wanting to know more--how often did she practice yoga? What did the husband do for work that allowed him so much time at home?  How were they able to afford for the author to stay at home all the while taking expensive yoga classes, attending expensive therapy sessions, etc.?  Money is a real issue in a lot of people's lives and often lack of money accounts for people not getting the help they need.   

Once I finished the book, I was left with more questions, so I went on the internet and **WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!*** was again left feeling like I was on the wrong end of a book bait and switch.  The author ended up divorced from her husband and recently remarried a woman.  Wait, what?!  I'm not sure I would have wanted to read a book about a marriage that, in the end, failed anyway. 

Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose

This year for vacation, my husband wanted to drive to Yellowstone.  I was at first unwilling to spend so much time trapped in the car driving, but my husband was persistent and wore me down like he usually does.  He has an old friend that moved from the Midwest to Montana and he has been dying to see the Montana/Yellowstone area ever since.  I try to read a book about the area we are going to see and this year I select the classic, Undaunted Courage by the unequaled Stephen E. Ambrose.  I had planned to read it aloud to the family during the LONG car drive thinking that I would have plenty of time.  Well, when the book came, I realized the folly of that kind of thinking.  The book is



484 pages (with lots of small words of each page).  Undaunted myself, I decided to forge ahead and read as much as I could.  My husband and the raging princess actually looked forward to and enjoyed the readings.  By the end of the trip, I had read 132 pages, the first 10 chapters.  We all are enjoying the book so far and plan to bring it along to read whenever we have a car trip.  We will probably be reading it for the next several years, but it is a great book and worth the effort!

be different, Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian



This book marks the 42nd book I have read this year, of those, this is the 1st non-fiction book.  Of the other 41, only 3 were not vampire books, although they were still of the paranormal genre.

As the title of the book indicates, this is about embracing who you are, using the gifts you have, and dealing with things that you can't do or have trouble doing.

I have read John Elder Robinson's other book, Look Me in the Eye and I was really affected by what he said.  This new book is just as memorable.  As the mother of a boy who could have Aspergers and possessing many Aspergian qualities myself, Mr. Robison's words really hit home.  He doesn't bog his books down with boring how to advice, he tell his life story and what he has learned.  He is an inspiration.  I recommend this book to anyone who has Aspergers, knows anyone who has Aspergers, or anyone who maybe just has never quite fit in.  It is informative, funny at times, and an inspiration.

This is the book I am now reading.  I have to share the excerpt.  It is the BEST description of the challenges of raising a child with ADHD I have ever read!


"Creating a good life and crafting a promising future for a child with ADHD is incredibly complicated.  Lest you've gotten so down on yourself for "failing" that you've forgotten what you're trying to accomplish, let me remind you how high the bar has been set for you:  You have to convince an underfunded school system that may be understaffed with undertrained educators to learn and use new classroom and homework systems to ensure that your child has the same chance to learn as the dozens of other children under its tutelage.  You have to work with a doctor pressured by managed care to treat patients faster and more cheaply in finding medication that will calm your child down and help him concentrate, without keeping him up at night or causing other intolerable side effects.  You may very well have to negotiate with your insurance company with the skill of an experienced arbitrator to get coverage for therapy, medications, and even visits to the prescribing physician.  You and your child's other parent have to set aside philosophical differences and marital conflicts to form a united front to help your son or daughter with ADHD.  And you have to take on these time-consuming, exhausting tasks without neglecting your other kids, harming your own health, or going broke." 

Stealing Lincoln's Body

by Thomas J. Craughwall

This is an interesting little book, full of Illinois history.  The author starts with counterfeiting and ends up explaining a bizarre attempt to seal Lincoln's body.  I learned a lot of local history that I did not know. 

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

This book was recommended to me by several of my book club members.  It's not the usual kind of book I'd pick, but one of the reasons why I joined the book club in the first place was to expand my reading horizons. 



In this book, the author, due to serious illness, becomes bed bound.  A friend brings her some violets from the forest and puts a snail from the forest in the pot.  The author grows fascinated with the snail.  The slow pace makes the snail perfect pet.  In some ways, the book is interesting and beautiful, in others it is depressing and scary.  I'm a busy, active mom, the thought of an illness coming on suddenly that could cause me to be bed bound for the next several years is completely frightening.  There are a lot of snail facts here, but the author's obvious love for her subject makes the facts mostly, readable and interesting.  A sweet, little book.

Secretariat by William Nack

First published in 1975, this is the book that inspired the recent movie, Secretariat.

I love horses, live a short drive from one of the nation's finest tracks--Arlington, loved the movie, and love reading about people (or in this case a horse) who achieve greatness, so what's not to love about the book Secretariat!  It does get a bit tedious with all the in depth horse breeding history and race timing breakdowns, but they are minimal annoyances.  I learned so much about horse racing.  I would have liked to learn a bit more about Penny Tweedy, owner; Lucien Laurin, trainer; Ron Turcotte, jockey; and Ed Sweat, groom.  Secretariat was a truly great horse and this was worth while book.  I'm now all set to head to Arlington as soon as I figure out what's happened in horse racing since the 1970's.  (No, really it's just fun to sit and soak it all in.)  Maybe Mother's Day.

The Heart of Christianity by Marcus J. Borg

Rediscovering a Life of Faith.  How We Can Be Passionate Believers Today.



This book is for all those who long to be a Christian, but can't believe Christianity is the one true religion, can't believe the bible is the literal truth.  There is an emerging Christian tradition--a way of seeing the bible and Christian life that means we don't have to suspend our beliefs to fit in.  We can be passionate believers, living the Christian life and Marcus J. Borg shows us the way.  An easily readable book, with well-organized chapters and thoughtful reasoning.  This book put joy in my heart.  I'm not alone; there are others out there who believe as I do.  Consertive Christianity is not the only Christian path.

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkingdale

I saw this book for sale at Target and thought it sounded interesting.  This book is truly funny!  The author has a high flying magazine editor job in New York, but wanted out.  Her husband found a 500 acre cattle farm his brother bought and needed a manager for 2 years.  So, the family moved from New Jersey to the middle-of-no-where.  The book is in short essay/chapter form.  Yes, there are lots of where-am-I-going-to-buy-my-designer-shoes-now, type of jokes, but my favorites are when she discusses her kids.  As a mother myself, I can totally relate to what she says about the crazy stuff her kids do.  There were numerous times when I was reading that I laughed so hard my eyes started tearing up.  The perfect book to laugh away the grey end of winter days.

Moon Handbooks

Preparing for Vacation by Reading!

This is the time of year when my thoughts turn toward summer vacation.  When I start planning a vacation, I always reach for Moon Handbooks.  They are by far my favorite.  I like the way the information is presented, the quality of the information, but most importantly...The Resource Section. 

The Resource Section contains a list of recommended books and sometimes movies relating to the area.  I love this!  What better way to prepare for a vacation?  I recommend selecting one or two movies and at least one fiction and one non-fiction book.  See if any of the recommended books are available on CD so the whole family can listen to it one the way.  Get the kids involved too.  There are a plethora of children's books about states, study the map, see if there are any child friendly selections on the list. 

Last year, we went to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  We watched two movies from the Resource section before hand.  I didn't have time for much reading, but I did a quick review of a couple books.  While in Marquette, I picked-up Anatomy of a murder by Robert Traver from the Resource list.  (The movie based on the book staring Jimmy Stewart is one of the two we watched.)  I am finishing this book now and my thoughts on the book will be coming next.

Life Changing Reads

The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

This is a compilation book of monthly newsletters written in the 90's by Amy Dacyczyn.  I heard of it from a co-worker back when I was working full-time, but is wasn't until several years later that I began seriously reading it.  At that time, I quit my full-time state job so my husband could pursue an opportunity to further his career.  Needless to say, money was tight.  Reading The Tightwad Gazette completely changed the way I think about spending, saving, and consuming.

We live in a consumer, throw-a-way culture, but we, as individuals, do not need to follow along with this corporate driven model.  The author is pretty extreme about her cost saving measures, doing things I would never do like rinsing out and reusing sandwich bags and aluminum foil, but the book opened me up to a completely new way of thinking about spending.

It is not always easy and I sometimes find myself straying and spending unnecessarily.  That is when I need to reread and strengthen my resolve.

My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

I knew about the writer, Pat Conroy, because he is a best selling author, but I was most familiar with him because of the movie, The Great Santini,  based on his book.  Over  the summer my book club read his book, South of Broad and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  So when I saw My Reading Life on the Library shelves, I had to check it out.

Mr. Conroy is such an eloquent writer, I found the book very readable and fascinating.  I, of course, adore books, but to read how a famous author describes his love of reading was a revelation.  The chapters about his writing process were interesting.  The book inspired me to branch out, to try reading books I have not considered before or dismissed.  It also inspired me to read War and Peace.  I read Anna Karenina when I was pregnant with my first Child and I have always aspired to read the great War and Peace.  I think it will be my summer selection for 2011!  (Summers are when I do my heavy reading.)

Finally, as a mother, it inspired me to work harder to introduce my children to classic literature.

Note:  The Great Santini is one of my Dad's favorite movies and I have seen it several times, but I have never read the book.  A situation I plan on rectifying as soon as the book comes in on hold at the Library.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This was one of my book club's picks; I never would have decided to read this on my own.  I couldn't relate to the entire first half of the books, so it was extremely annoying.  I have always wanted to be nothing more than a wife and mother (An old time view in this day and age).  I have always viewed my jobs as a means to an end, not the end itself.  I consider my life's work to be raising my children.  So it is with this life view that I was reading about a woman who didn't want children and wanted to spend a year traveling.  Did I mention that after four days of vacation I start longing for home?  Her description of her divorce was a lot of reading like poor, pity me, poor, pity me, etc.  I kept thinking that it was so nice for her that even after an expensive divorce that she still had the money to travel around the world for a year.  Italy was interesting.  India was hard to get through (I do not sit still well unless I have a book and don't have much interest in meditation), but I'm glad I kept reading, because the final third of the book was wonderful.  Elizabeth Gilbert is about the opposite of me in probably every way, but her discussion of seeking happiness for your self, being in charge of your own happiness, and growing closer to god WAS interesting and worthwhile.