Don't Call It A Cult

 Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman, 289 pages

In 2018, shocking headlines announced that a little-known professional development company called NXIVM hid an inner circle of advanced students, all of them female, who had vowed themselves as slaves and been branded with their master's initials.  That the slaves included millionaire heiresses and recognizable Hollywood actresses only made the news more sensational and seemingly inexplicable.  What really happened, and more importantly, how could it have happened?

Sarah Berman was not among those who were blindsided by the revelations.  She had already been investigating the group for years for VICE, one of a number of investigative journalists who had begun to explore the dark business going on behind the bright facade.  Her account of the group and its development, from its roots in a multi-level marketing company through its remarkable growth to the final breakdown, follows a journalistic model.  This is not a comprehensive history of NXIVM, but a series of perspectives anchored in the experience of those who were actually there.  This is both an advantage and a disadvantage, but in this case it is unfortunately weighted towards the latter.  One problem is that there are key perspectives missing - most obviously that of Raniere himself, a problem which Berman is aware of but which is beyond her power to correct.  Another, more subtle, issue arises from Berman's framing.  Early on she describes the different reactions NXIVM inspired from different parts of the political spectrum, the right citing it as an "example of moral breakdown among the monied elite," the left "textbook toxic masculinity blown up to epic criminal proportions."  That these are not contradictory she does not seem to have noticed, and in her eagerness to prove the latter she almost entirely neglects the former.  That Keith Raniere was a manipulative, abusive guru is well established, but how strong, successful women were duped by such a shallow conman into becoming not just his victims but also his enablers is scarcely addressed.

Lost in the Cosmos

Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy, 262 pages

Walker Percy begins with a question.  Why is it that you (assuming you are reasonably well-educated by 1983 standards) are likely to identify a picture of Saturn or the Horsehead Nebula with less hesitation than a photo of yourself?  Why is it that distant objects which will never - despite the fantastic imaginings of astrologers and space travel enthusiasts alike - in any meaningful way affect your life are in some way more familiar than your own face?  Why is it that in many ways you are more mysterious to yourself than are the cores of faraway stars?  His answer is that there is an essential difference between yourself and the rest of the cosmos - unlike everything else, you live in an internal world of signs and symbols, related to but not identical with your external environment.  In this internal world it is your self which alone eludes all lasting signification - so far as we know, the human consciousness is "unique in its ability to understand the world but not itself."

Having thus laid out the problem, Percy invites the reader to explore different strategies to resolve it through a series of multiple-choice questions, many of them based on imaginary scenarios.  It is here that Percy's brilliance as a novelist has free play, and his vignettes are both incisive and wickedly funny, directly involving the reader and demanding that he make concrete decisions.

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life by Joyce Meyer           Hardback Book: 192 pages                      

Really good book.    Joyce Meyer doesn’t pull her punches especially when she is telling about her own foibles, her temper, her impatience, her childhood when she was molested, living a busy life and coping with home, family, work, travel and trying to find that quiet niche in all the chaos that is life.    She is a good teacher and shares a lot of ideas on how to come out of screw-ups, tragedy, drama, disappointment, elation, pride, learning hard lessons, how to let people in on what is honestly going on in your own head, your own life be it emotional, financial, physical, or spiritual.  She tells a good story and there are 100 of them here.   You get the distinct impression these life lessons were hard won for her, and that she is honest in sharing that she still has to work at all of them, every day brings new joys and woes, there will never be a time of utter peace because something will happen to steal your joy, but, she offers counsel on how to deal with the bad and often turn it around for your good.   I truly enjoyed this book and I plan to read more of her writings she is a wise lady and sometimes a wise-guy lady, but, always enjoyable and entertaining.   She admits she is not perfect so we can all identify with that.   I highly recommend this book to one and all of every age.   It is a blessing and a balm to the soul where our genuine self lives.    Good on you, Joyce Meyer, thank you for writing this one.

The Art of the Good Life:

The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success by Rolf Dobelli          Audio Book:  6 hours    Hardback Book:  272 pages         

Really enjoyable book very entertaining and a treasure trove of good ideas for making life simpler, more effectual, and successful sans the stress.    The author has a witty way of chatting the reader up and you will feel as though you have been having a fun conversation albeit a 6 hour conversation with a like-minded friend who is giving you the benefit of what he has learned about life and how to make it better.   Dobelli has tips on everything from family to work to soaring into wealth.    After all the fun and it was a fun read all the way to the end, reader, you will come away re-thinking a lot of precepts you may have and finding new ways to look at your life.    I found this to be a really good book and I was very glad to gleen the knowledge found here.   I don’t want to give anything away, just enjoy the read from page one to the last page, it is like being a bear with a honeycomb, so much to think about and such sweet nectar to come away with.   I highly recommend this book.

The 8-Minute Organizer: Easy Solutions to Simplify Your Life in your Spare Time

The 8-Minute Organizer: Easy Solutions to Simplify Your Life in your Spare Time by Regina Leeds        Paperback Book:  240 pages                  Genre:  Adult Non-Fiction   Self-Help   Organizing

Great book, very reader friendly.   Written in an enjoyable clever way with bits of humor in just the right places to keep all the information popping.    I thoroughly enjoyed it.   Regina Leeds is a good writer, very down-to-earth like talking to a neighbor over your backyard fence.    She has a lot of simple and fun ideas to spur the reader on to actually WANT to get everything in your life organized.   Reading this book, I could hear the song, “Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background and it just made me want to hit the floor running to start tryng out some of her ideas.   Great stuff here and while 5 minutes is fun but just a toe in the water, 10 minutes is good, but, 8 minutes is perfect.    She walks you through how to do quickie fixes in 8 minute increments, sometimes the reader will have to break a big project down into 8 minute segments but it does keep you motivated because who can’t hang for 8 minutes even on a project you might not particularly want to do but for only 8 minutes – why sure you can do that then when you are done you are motivated to continue on for another 8 minutes on that project or picking up something else.    It is a wonder how much you can accomplish in 8 minutes.  I think the oddness of the number is inspiring, too.   Great stuff to be found on these pages.    I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a little motivation to take on those projects we all at times procrastinate on.   Good job, Regina Leeds!   I will be reding more of your works.

The Power of Moments

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip and Dan Heath                         Audio book: 6 hours, 24 minutes      Hardback Book:  320 pages         

Brothers Chip and Dan Heath show how meaningful brief encounters can be, when you are emotional and someone comes along and says that one perfect thing that calm s your fears or you are feeling a lot less than perfect and don’t even realize how down you are but a stranger comes along and smiles at you not asking anything of you, just a genuine smile meeting your eyes and all of a sudden your spiritis lift and you are soaring where before you may have been staring at the ground feeling just like a mushroom.  The book talks about how small things that happen in an instant came be just the right thing to heal yourself and others.    It cites a lot of stories and Kodak moments.   A very uplifting book that I highly recommend.   Little things in the spur of the moment can matter to someone for a lifetime and they will never forget you or what you did and how made them feel.    Very good book.   Lots and lots of stories and examples here.   I definetly recommend it.

Kind is the New Classy

Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure      Audio Book: 5 hours, 32 min    Hardback Book:  272 pages             

A treatise on how to be nice when your circumstances may not be.    How to re-think  your situation.   How to maintain a dignified manner within the chaos you may be dealing with.   Candace sites many examples from her own life and while it isn’t that she doesn’t get mad and feel like punching someone at times but she has learned that her strength comes from above.    God gives her enough calm to continue on in a Christian manner rather than going off on others.   She talks a lot about her life and discusses how she was not a Christian growing up but learned about God in her early adult life and became a Christian.   She cites examples when turning the other cheek was not her first reaction but how through her experiences and prayer she has learned that anger hurts you more than the other person and how even if you don’t feel it at first, kindness does allow the world to see a better you and when you look in the mirror, you do too.    A good book by a motivational speaker, commentator on the View, author, actress, wife and mother.   She has a lot of good things to say and a few truths that shocked me.   She seems like a fun person and her book shows it throughout.  I will be reading more of her books.

The Wabi-Sabi House

The Wabi-Sabi House by Robin Griggs-Lawrence       Hardback Book:  192 pages                  Genre:  Adult Non-Fiction, Accepting Your Circumstances and Improving on Them  Decorating,  Making art

In Japanese the word Wabi Sabi means humble beauty.    The author discusses finding the beauty in things that may not be new, may be rusty or the paint faded may be second, third or seventh-hand but can still be eclectic and beautiful.    Unlike Chinese Feng Shui which balances the elements of wind and water, Wabi Sabi does not look for perfection it looks for comfortable, and like that favorite pair of worn jeans that feels so good you always wear them or the rusty wagon wheel you found in a gulch in the southwest and brought home to stand in your yard glowing with unappreciated character until you found it and gave it purpose and saw its inner beauty.    It is found joy.    A wabi sabi house is full of love and feels well lived in.   The furniture is loved by its owners for how it makes them feel when they see it.   Wabi Sabi houses don’t have to be perfect, a well lived in home with people, pets and artistic pursuits is a wabi sabi home.   Humble beauty abounds not like those HOME BEAUTIFUL magazine photos, but, with a sense of love and commaraderie that Is strongly felt and seen by the artful use of what is there, what is repurposed what is loved and accepted for the beauty it reflects like bright shining eyes crinkling in a sea of wrinkles on a well-lived person’s face a joy still there a sparkle emanating from the soul within that is wabi sabi not airbrushed fake perfection.   Wabi Sabi art in a home might be driftwood gathered on a family vacation that holds beauty and meaning in its coarseness so much that you have to have it near you where you can see it often.  A very good book sharing a Japanese concept of acknowledging the less than perfect and seeing its charm not in spite of its weathered persona but because of it.    Wabi Sabi doesn’t strive for the sterile pristine modern look it includes every thing beautiful and meaningful to the person so that your home is a reflection of your heart and thoughts.   People want to come to a wabi sabi house and it may be hard to get them to leave because they feed on the effervescent vibe of acceptance there.   Wabi sabi people would be street people with stories to tell and songs to sing who brighten your life by sharing theirs with you.  Humble beauty what a wonderful concept.   I would definetly recommend this book.

Minimalism For Families

Minimalism For Families:  Practical Minimalist Living Strategies to Simplify Your Home and Life by Zoe Kim        Paperback Book:  152 pages           

Excellent book on becoming a minimalist family.   Great tips on basing your needs up against your haves and your wants.    If you are spending way too much time cleaning, stepping over, stressing over and/or being overwhelmed by all the time you have to spend sorting your family stuff, if your rooms are way too full of furniture, sporting equipment, magazines, newspapers, books, toys, etc. it is time to consider minimalism so that you can spend more time enjoying your family, pets, friends and being able to leave the house without freaking out over all the chores that are going to be waiting for you when you re-enter the door.   If you have less stuff, you have less decisions to make.    If you stop saying yes to every invitation you will allow yourself to say yes to a relaxing evening or taking a vacation to treat yourself and anyone you take along.    If you feel like life is not fun and when you leave work at 5:00p.m. you feel as though you are starting your second shift when you get home because there are piles of laundry to do, dishes in the sink that need washing, furniture that needs to be dusted and carpet that needs vacuuming.   Zoe Kim suggests limiting your wardrobe, cull the items in your home, if you haven’t used something in 6 months, decide if you really need it or if it is used so seldom that selling it or donating it would serve your life better by making a space in your home, office, garage, attic, basement you name it.    Zoe has minimalized down to a core wardrobe including only the jewelry she actually wears and only keeping accessories as truly required.     She has taught these principles to her husband and four children as well.    Before going to bed they all as a family do a sweep of the house and their personal space to pick up things that do not belong, return things to where they live – books back to the shelf, paperwork and toys to their designated home, trash and recycling put in their proper recepticles.    She has downsized her dishes and utensils so there isn’t that much to wash anymore, she has used her creativity to think outside the box on repurposing items to find a new life purpose and continue to serve rather than going to a landfill.   She quotes a professional organizer that states most American homes contain 300,000 things from forks to bubble bath to sofa cushions every thing in a home which 80% of is not serving the inhabitants in any useful way.   After learning that statistic she was determined to keep an eye on just how much waste goes on in her own home and is teaching her family to be mindful citizens and try not to add to the waste in the world.    Really good read here.  If you are looking for ways to live better with less, Zoe Kim is your girl.   She also preaches no matter how good the deal or the sale you really don’t need to stock up on 5 years worth of shampoo.  She makes really good points and this book is so inspirational and so full of wisdom don’t be surprised if you find yourself creating your own Zen-like environment within your home and garden that nourishes your soul foregoing the life sapping clutter and overload many are in the throes of as we speak.   YAY Zoe Kim, you rock.   

Country Living Simple Country Wisdom

Country Living Simple Country Wisdom: 501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify Your Life by Susan Waggoner          Paperback Book:  224 pages          

I LOVED THIS BOOK!    Susan Waggoner offers so many excellent tips here you will love it, too.   She offers ideas, time, money and planet savers in such fun, readable and beautifully illustrated ways that don’t inundate you with a barrage of more “helps,” she brings the reader time tested by our grandparents ways that take us all back to basics when people made wonderful tasting recipes from scratch and when they cleaned by combining and preparing ingredients they had on hand, vinegar, salt, oil, etc. items easier on the planet and our health simple country knowledge for a less frantic simpler life.   She tells you how to and what to plant to attract birds and butterflies to your sanctuary (home).   She presents all of her time-saving less stressful gems in such easy to understand language that you never get left behind or feel like you are reading an astro physics text.    Like sitting in the kitchen chatting with an old friend or relative, you can feel the love in what she is sharing.   She lovingly brings you info that will serve you for life.   Swig a glass of sweet tea, maybe have yourself a slice of chocolate cake to go along with it.   This book will leave you with that satisfied feeling of a truly pleasant experience.   All of us should be issued a copy of this book at birth so we will have it memorized by the time we are adults and making out own home the place we want it to be and a blessed place that offers comfort like a hug to all who enter.   I read the library’s copy but I am going to have to buy myself a copy.   This is definetly a go-to book so often that if you have a copy, you’ll likely wear it out from referring to it so often.   The chapter that tells about food will be a life saver for when guests drop in unannounced and you want to show them some hospitality, but, what have you got in the fridge or cabinet that you can combine to whip up something good and quick to serve – viola!  Susan Waggoner has the most excellent suggestions on that.  Trust me, read this book, you will love it as much as I do.   Like an angel on your shoulder turning yikes moments into ahhhhh relief moments.   Gotta smile thinking of all the great stuff here.  Find out for yourself, you will be glad you did.   I have learned so much.   And if you have been following my blogs – you know I love to learn new things.   Mwa, mwa, mwa, mwa – blowing kisses to Susan Waggoner, Author and Homemaker Extraordinaire!  

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work & Life

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work & Life by David Allen          Audio Book:  3 hours 18 mins     Paperback Book:  192 pages        

Great Book!   I have listened to this book 2 times already and I plan to listen to it at least 2 more.    There is so much knowledge here that this another book I would like to do a Vulcan Mind Lock on every page on such topics as learning to focus more whether at work or home on getting stuff done and how to do it better and easier than you would ever believe you could.   I also particularly like the quotes he includes – quotable quotes and words to live by.   This guy must be a direct descendant of King Solomon because everything in this book is a true pearl of wisdom.   I would like to memorize every page this book is that good.    He defines for the reader that organization and productivity does not cause you to lose your creativity, in fact he says your creativity will spur you on to be even more productive and organized.   This book is a treasure offering tips, shortcuts and clear thinking ideas that will make you slap your forward and say what perfect sense that makes.   He is the best motivational speaker I think I have ever heard.  He even broaches spirituality in his focus, organize, simplify talks.   He explains how to start from organizing your emails into more effective ways that will serve you instead of having to slog through them, he is very clear and concise on the points he makes and every tasty mental morsel he brings will leave the reader wanting more.   You will end this book feeling like David Allen is your mentor.   Excellent well presented reasoning on getting one’s life so in control in every area in such easy steps you will find yourself nodding in agreement and raring to go!  I recommend this book to everyone.

The Love Dare

The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick, 235 pages

“Unconditional love is eagerly promised at weddings, but rarely practiced in real life. As a result, romantic hopes are often replaced with disappointment in the home. But it doesn't have to stay that way. The Love Dare , the New York Times No. 1 best seller that has sold five million copies and was major plot device in the popular movie Fireproof , is a 40-day challenge for husbands and wives to understand and practice unconditional love. Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, The Love Dare is a journey you need to take. It's time to learn the keys to finding true intimacy and developing a dynamic marriage. This second edition also features a special link to a free online marriage evaluation, a new preface by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, minor text updates, and select testimonials from The Love Dare readers. Take the dare!” This book is definitely not for anyone who isn’t Christian, however, this has a lot of good advice for anyone who is having any problems in their relationship.  It gives specific tasks, so anyone who isn’t sure what to do to fix the problems has very specific things to focus on. 

Girl, Wash Your Face

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis                   Audio Book: 7 hours, 5 mins        Hardback Book:  240 pages                     


Rachel Hollis is honest if nothing else.   Whew!   Fan yourself with her book because it is so full of truths – she will be going along talking about something then Bam drop a bomb telling about something that she did or experienced or will make you say, “Whhhhhaaaaaaaattttt?”    She grew up in Weedpatch, California, the daughter of a preacher-said preacher prone to rages with the family members so bad that her mother would take to her bed for weeks sometimes after one of his rages.   The kids in her family did their best to stay out of his way, though, she says there were times when they had fun during the holidays and being together.   Her older brother committed suicide when she was 12 and she was the one who found him.   She was terrified to stay with his body until help came and after the funeral when helpful family members came over to paint over the wall where he had splattered his brain, they used the only paint that was on hand and to this day, Rachel says the sight of silver spray paint makes her sick to her stomach.    She is still in therapy and dealing with that 5 minutes each day (per her therapist’s recommendation think about it then your mind will know it can let it go the rest of the day/night) and she is a grown woman with 4 kids (3 biological and 1 adopted).    She talks about meeting her husband when he was 27 and she was 19 and had been surviving on 99 cent store food to make ends meet to be able afford an apartment.    Being young, naïve and a virgin she fell madly in love with her now husband who pretty much saw her not as his girlfriend or even that they were “dating” – to him she was a booty call.   When he finally told her it was over but then deigned to call her later to see if she was o.k.?,  she realized exactly what was what and told him never to call her again in that controlled unemotional voice.    It wasn’t long till he was back knocking on her door and they have been together ever since and yes, he married her.    She talks about all the lies she and other woman believe and put up with in life and how women neglect their own well-being to take care of others.    Many of her chapters start off discussing a different LIE.   She talks about her self-medicating with food when her father screamed at her finding comfort in a pack of OREOs and how she had ballooned up 40lbs before she got out of her parent’s house.    She moved from Weedpatch, CA about 10 miles outside of Bakersfield to L.A.   When she got to L.A. she saw her size 10 had to go it was not the right size for the L.A. crowd so she and her roommate started taking diet pills until one day she saw 2 Iguanas sunning themselves in a window across the way.   One of the iguanas turned to look at her and she stared back at it for hours afraid if she didn’t hold the iguana’s stare that something bad would happen.   When her roommate found her they decided maybe they had done enough diet pills.    She talks about when her kids were born she began to medicate with wine then later vodka to curb the stress and relieve the sorrow at having twin baby girls she and her husband fostered prior to adoption only to have them jerked away from them by the adoption agency when the father decided he wanted them even though they had begun adoption proceedings.   Through it all her belief in God got her through her to lift herself up out of the bad times and she discusses every aspect good or bad of why things happened, how she dealt with the circumstances and how God brought her out of the bondage she let herself give in to.     She tells her stories in such endearing truth that it must be fun to be her friend because she shares herself so transparently and despite her troubles, she can still make you laugh maybe that is to help make herself laugh, too.    She has been an in-demand Hollywood party planner, she runs her own podcast and blog and she has written this book and a prior one that she self-published.    A really interesting read.    Once this gal gets going she doesn’t stop!   Like a freight-train through a tunnel but the good news is there is light on the otherside.    She is funny and bright, and her life reads like a Sophie Kinsella novel.     I really liked her book, now I must find her self-published one, a fictional account of her real life party planning days titled, “Party Girl.”    Loved title – it’s a take on Wash your face (from your tears making your mascara run into a hideous mask down your face) and get out there and live your life.   Really good book.    I liked it very much.   She will blow your mind with her honesty!

The Road to Riches

The  Road to Riches by Napoleon Hill              Audiobook: 3 hours, 22 minutes       I could not find the equivalent in pages.                Note from Jen - no idea how many pages -- let's say 200.

In this book, Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone’s motivational tips are premised on 13 principles all dealing with how to stop procrastinating, keep positive and move on in your life to achieve every dream you set for yourself.   Andrew Carnegie was the spark behind Napoleon Hill learning the principles from the most successful people to share with the world on what it takes to be like them, what drives the most successful people and asks the reader to set your dream goal then write down what you are willing to give up to achieve it.      Many of the current most successful people expand upon the principles that Napoleon Hill and W.  Clement Stone introduce.     Very informative, very inspirational.   If we all listened to or read these inspirational words daily, a portion of them, at least, I believe it would spur us on to achieve more and feel better while doing it.    I listened to this audiobook twice, it is that good and chock full of wisdom.     This would be another book I would highly recommend everyone keep a copy of to refer back to.    His instruction is so insightful and simple yet profound words to live by.    He may not be Solomon, but, he is a heck of a knowledgeable guy.    Another book with 10 thumbs up!   I wish I could imprint every word from Napoleon Hill permanently into my mind.   Each idea, concept, recommendation are golden and if I could etch them into my memory, I surely would.

Great book, treat yourself and check it out and also all of his other books.   Pure gold.

Steal Like An Artist:

Steal Like An Artist:  10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon           Paperback Book:  160 pages                     

Great book!   I highly recommend this book for everyone to read.   It is that good.   It is motivating, it is inspirational and it has so many terrific tips that not only should everyone read it they should carry it with them to refer back to constantly throughout the day.    Based on the premise that everything we know today is the work of people who came before us who took ideas of the people before them and expanded on them just as we continue down the line expanding, reworking and making our own ideas out of the information gleaned from the past.    Austin Kleon recommends not just taking the ideas of just anyone but if you are going to steal an idea – steal from the best, then put your spin on it.   And don’t just steal from one person’s idea, art, writings, musiscal composition, etc.  steal from many of the best ideas and inspiration you find then extrapolate, come up with something from before that you mold into your own artistic offering by adding your own creative leanings.    The 10 things nobody told you about being creative are excellent bits of wisdom that will guide the reader absolutely brilliantly.  They are:  1.)  Steal like an artist.  2.)  Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.  3.)  Write the book you want to read.   4.)  Use Your Hands   5.)  Side Projects and Hobbies are Important.   6.)  The Secret:  Do Good Work and Share It with People   7.)  Geography is no longer our master  8.)  Be Nice (the world is a small town)  9.)  Be boring (it’s the only way to get work done).    10.)  Creativity is subtraction.    If that doesn’t whet your appetite to read the entire book at one setting it should.   A savory mix of so many doable, simple yet so precise messages of help in whatever passion artistically pursues you.      10 thumbs up for this one.    This is a must read.   Short, sweet and artistically and creatively delicious.   Let the inspiration begin!

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris and Jeff Warren with Carlyle Adler             Audio Book: 8 hours, 34 minutes     Hardback Book:  304 pages          

On June 7, 2004, Dan Harris, a news anchor for ABC news experienced a panic attack while live on Good Morning America.   He felt it coming as he was giving a report on cancer and if you watch the Youtube video you can see he is beginning to sweat, he is getting a slight eye tick and he is fumbling over his words.   He quickly wrapped the report and does a quick, “now back to you…”   He had to get himself together.   His doctor told him to lay off the recreational drugs he was using to calm his hyper workaholic self.   He had spent several years prior in war torn parts of the globe reporting on every war,  9/11,  street crimes etc.    His adrenalin had him so constantly pumped up, he couldn’t relax and became depressed.     He knew he had to do something different to address his problem with the depression the extreme anxiety he was experiencing.    He began researching ways to cope and decided on Mindful Meditation.     At first he thought meditation was a lot of hocus pocus hippie stuff and really had to work at settling down and keeping his mind clear from distractions but after finally getting the hang of it, now he swears by it and recommends it to everyone he can.   He doesn’t promise you will be 100% happier for meditating but he does promise you will be at least 10% happier for meditating.    He proselytizes vehemently for it.    He is a strong believer and wants to share with the world how it took his anxiety away, calmed him down and relieved the depression all with 3 simple steps:  1.) Sit with your back straight and your eyes closed.   2.)  Notice the feeling of your breath coming in and going out.    3.   Notice when your mind becomes distracted and start over.       He still has times when he has to clear his mind from worrying about stuff when he goes to meditate which is why he calls the book Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics because he was one until he found out all the benefits meditation brings a raging mind.    He has found that grounding yourself is refreshing.   It leaves you feeling peaceful and serene, seriously, not a metaphysical way but in a slowing life down and letting you catch your breath kind of way.   Each exhale is an opportunity to relax the lines in your face, relax your neck and shoulders and your body.    Not so you will bliss yourself out hyperventilating, but, giving you a feeling of enjoyment a hair above normalcy.    While humans tend to focus on the negativity in life, meditation brings in positivity leaving your mind and your body feeling rested from all the assaults to your brain in any given day.   Meditation is like social growth.   It helps with your eating habits, you are calmer so you aren’t running to food for comfort, you are de-stressing yourself instead of distressing yourself.   Your sleep will be more enriching and fulfilling, too.    Meditation will calm the mind, body and soul so you don’t toss and turn all night with worries haunting you.     He swears meditation will make your world saner.   He says it took him 8 years to learn to relax and meditate without becoming distracted.   But now he feels great, he can deal with things as they come up now instead of going from zero to FREAK-OUT!    He meditates all the time not just once a day.   Whenever he is in a place he can close his eyes for a few minutes he does so.   It is a process of collecting oneself and opening your mind to clearer thinking not the irrational fears of feeling incompetent or suffering bouts of low self-esteem with the I’m not good enough thoughts plaguing him.    He has now interviewed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Ru Paul about how they meditate and the good it brings to their lives.     He also has a website:  www.10percenthappier.com/access/

  that offers behind the scenes videos and guided meditations, etc.     He and meditation teacher, Jeff Warren went on a cross country quest to spread the word of all the benefits meditation offers and they debunk the myths and misconceptions that keep people from trying it.    You don’t have to go to an ashram, you don’t have to get into a pretzel pose while tinkling bells nor hire a Yogi.    All you have to do is sit still, listen to your breath coming in and going out and let your mind clear and rest.   Dan also says it is o.k. to fall asleep if you get that calm.   He has done so many times and it is a very relaxing sleep.   Fun book on a very necessary topic.   In today’s fast paced life from cradle to grave, it is nice to slow down and close your eyes and picture that happy place where life is good, the sun is shining making you feel warm and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang         Audio Book:  6 hours, 57 mins.     Paperback:  336 pages                

Excellent book.   Americans are known for overworking and not taking vacation days, breaks even lunch which many eat at their desks.    The book discusses how studies around the world have proven that humans perform better and actually accomplish more when they work lest and rest more.    Working oneself to a frazzle leaves you frazzled and hyper.   If you are pushing yourself harder and longer you are basically working off the fumes of stress on your body that and likely caffeine.   Maybe that is why Starbucks has done so well.    Science has proven that working, then leaving for a break then coming back is actually much more productive than forcing yourself to keep working.    Getting away clears your mind and unlocks your creative mind to find better and other ways to do things like the project you are working on for instance.   Like a cool breeze on a hot day, taking leaisure time actually re-charges us, taking a break from the mind numbing tedium of hour after hour being focused on one pursuit.  It is like pressing a de-stress button in your head.     And even just a few minutes away can give you the energy you need to return with an invigorated mind set to complete your task.    Allowing ourselves time to rest and recouperate takes the edcge off makes us feel better like that feeling of relief you get when you are out of something you have been worrying about for a long time.      Allowing ourselves the much needed down timewe crave but too often deny ourselves is giving ourselves the opportunity  to come up with better ideas, gives us more energy rather than agonizing and working ourselves to death (literally).    When we push ourselves beyond our limits our muscles get tight, strange ailments start popping up, blood pressure rises, headaches occur, too much acid floods our systems and for what?   There are times when yeah, we are in a deadline crunch but we don’t have to work everyday like we are.    Rest allows the mind to wander into the creativity zone.    Allowing our bodies to relax keeps us from stress injuries to our necks and backs.   If we feel better, ie. rested,  we are better able to think clearly and produce better quality achievements rather than just more – it really is a quality over quantity thing.   Great book.   Lots of good common sense information here that way too many of us neglect.   Good book.

The Knight in Rusty Armor

The Knight in Rusty Armor  by Robert Fisher   74 pages

Robert Fisher’s book has been compared to the 1970 smash hit, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which held the Number One spot on the New York Times bestseller list for two consecutive years. That’s one of the reasons I purchased this little book.

I remember reading JLS, like everyone else. However, at age 14, I didn’t get it. To me, it was about a gull that was more interested in flight than food. It didn’t turn my life upside down nor change my path. I might think differently about it if I tried to read it now, as I am on the downhill side of middle age.

In this lighthearted tale, a knight is in search of his true self. But he’s not sure how to go about it.

He is known throughout the kingdom for his armor. It shone so brilliantly that the entire village knew where the knight was at all times. The knight loved to wear his armor. He hated to take it off and, as time progressed, he slowly quit removing it. His wife, Juliet, and their son, Christopher, began to feel shut off and missed the knight.

Before long, the knight was unable to remove his armor. Even the village blacksmith couldn’t help him. There was only person who could help him, Merlin the Magician. He couldn’t wait for Merlin to show up, so the knight saddled his trusty steed and headed to Merlin’s Woods.

Eventually the knight found the magician and poured out his soul. Merlin knew there was only one way to get the armor off, so he set him down the Path of Truth. Along the path, the knight had to overcome three obstacles.

This is a simple tale that is quick and easy to read and is to the point. It wasn't clouded in obscurities as I remember JLS was, although I could be recalling a point of view of a teenager.

The back cover says The Knight in Rusty Armor falls into the “psychology/self-help” genre. I looked on Amazon and it’s rated as a kid’s book, ages 8-12. Personally I feel it is still too deep for a child of that age, so I give The Knight in Rusty Armor 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person

Year of Yes:How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes, 311 pages

“In this poignant, hilarious, and deeply intimate call to arms, Hollywood's most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder reveals how saying YES changed her life--and how it can change yours too. This wildly candid and compulsively readable book reveals how the mega talented Shonda Rhimes, an unexpected introvert, achieved badassery worthy of a Shondaland character. And how you can, too.”  I read this book to see if I could get some insight into this person because I don’t always like the way she handles her shows.  In fact, I had decided that I wasn’t getting caught up in any more shows she has a hand in.  I liked the book, I think she’s pretty interesting and I admire what she’s accomplished.  But I’m still not watching anymore of her shows.