My beloved pastor, J, had recommended Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly as a book worth reading. She mentioned that vulnerability, confidence, and wholeheartedness were all things to strive for and Brown covers them all. I was interested—and more than one person recommended Daring Greatly to me, which is enough to put it on the reading list. Plus, in my teaching philosophy last year, I talked about professional vulnerability and thought that an expert’s words might help me articulate my thoughts better. Brown focuses on what makes […]
I really need for this book to work
A while back, I read a fascinating interview, where Jamie Lee Curtis interviewed fellow actress Sigourney Weaver. In between all the other very interesting things they talk about, they mention this book. I was curious, looked it up on Amazon, and because being tidy is not something I think I’ve ever managed to be in my entire life, the description and purpose of the book appealed to me. Marie Kondô has clearly turned the art of discarding all your pointless possessions and finding the right […]
Sell me your idea for a pen so I can sell you this pen.
I like to think of myself as an effective employee, but I don’t know how I would be as an entrepreneur or salesman. Books like Quiet have confirmed that introverts can be successful in business, but certainly it can be more difficult for someone like me than Wolf of Wall Street’s Jordan Belfort. Still, I have some books and services that I would like to get into the world and I know I won’t get anywhere if I don’t try. Danny Iny’s The Audience Revolution […]
How to Alienate Your Reader
I honestly can’t remember how I ended up reading The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (2012) by Charles Duhigg. I must have seen it somewhere, and I like books that can teach me something. Depending on the day and my motivation, I can have significant problems with procrastination and efficiency. I am so idealistic and optimistic when it comes to planning everything I want to get done, and then reality sets in. I think picking up this […]
can tidying up really be this much fun?
I heard an interview of Kondo a few days before Christmas, and a day later saw this little book in my favorite bookstore. As I leafed through it, a headline popped out at me: “Storage experts are hoarders.” I liked this book immediately. Kondo describes her obsession as a child to clean up at home. (I was not this type of child) She was always trying to throw things away, including her family’s belongings which did not go over well. She found herself always beginning […]
No Sh*t, Sherlock
My sister and her boyfriend lent me this book saying they’d had to read it for a college class, and that it had opened their eyes. Since neither my sister nor her boyfriend are big readers, I was intrigued. “Who Moved My Cheese” is broken up into 4 parts: a long and rambling introduction that sounds much more like a 3 AM infomercial than a prologue, a “situation” in which the author sets up his metaphor, the metaphor itself, and then a return to the […]