The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

 

Shirley J.                                  Adult Non-Fiction                     Fun is critical to a human's well-being    

The Power of Fun:How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price    352 pages

Catherine Price says that fun is essential to all people.  Her daughter describes it as "sunshine," which is accurate.   Fun is essential because without it how sad and boring would life be?   Fun is laughter and commarderie.  It is experiencing new things in new ways.   It is adventure and making memories.  It is the thing or things in all of our lives that make us happy.  One person's joy may not be the same for the next guy/gal but it is the thing that bring joy and makes the heart palputate a little faster, brings a smile to the lips and sparkle to the eye.   It can be seen most notably in children but adults are just as good at experiencing fun when they open themselves to it.   Price discusses the meaning and explores ways to have fun and incorporate fun into all aspects of life.  Fun is not immature, it is not selfish nor self-indulgent it is living the dream of how beautiful and happy life can be.  She explores the psychology of fun, her idea that fake fun is watching television, or reading and how she doesn't feel introverts are really getting the concept of fun by doing solo activities.  In her interpretation, fun is sharing experiences with others.  Posting things to social media she says is not "fun".     It is trying to fill an emptiness within but not her definition of fun.   True fun is playfulness, connection and flow that which fulfills us.  Gives us energy, community and purpose.  Fun makes us flourish.   And in the end you will enjoy the process.   

The Civil War: An Illustrated History

 Shirley J.            Adult Non-Fiction              The Civil War explained in detail, the battles, the generals,       the times, the strategies, the sentiment, the north, the south, slavery, correspondence, life during war at home.

The Civil War: An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward, with Ric Burns and Ken Burns   425 pages         

What a truly wonderful work.  So many eye-opening things you will learn here from the first hand accounts of those who were in the midst.  From Lincoln to Jefferson Davis, politicians, abolitionists, generals, soldiers, slaves this book brings to life a time long passed as if it were taking place right in front of you.   It will make you laugh at times but it will also make you cry.   The photos are all of actual people and places significant during the war.   I kept thinking of the years and the ages of my parents and great-grandparents to place where they might be on the timeline and what they might have been experiencing in the areas of the United States they were in.   I found the answer to some questions I had when doing genealogy I came across terms I did not understand but was enlightened on while reading.   WOW!   This book really made the Civil War a reality to me not just something you read about in history class.   I highly recommend this book and the accompanying 9 episode documentary film (PBS) that goes with it.   It is beyond words.  It literally takes you right there.   It is spellbinding.  I recommend this to anyone with an interest in the 1860s in America and the Civil War in particular.  So moving, you will never think about the Civil War without associating certain faces and acts with it.