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Fostering the love of reading, here are several reviews from myself.
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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Star Rating: ★★
#fhtogglels/Read Review →/Close Review ✕/ib
I know this book is popular. And perhaps it is because many need to read it. But, if you are a straight-shooting realist, who understands that it is better to be appreciative of what you have vs. always chasing something else and you're the type of person who will call things like they see them (example: your friend's boyfriend is awful and you're the first to spot it and call it out), this book is simply an echo chamber for you.
If you are more soft-spoken, passive and need a very sharp tongue lashing about how the real world works...read this book.
The reviews say this book is data-rich and I disagree. I found many areas lacking of quality analytical analysis to prove one's point.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Star Rating: ★★★★
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"The problem with is that we don't claim shame; it claims us."
- Brene Brown
The Gifts of Imperfection is 130 pages, so a quicker read than some of her other books. She advises starting with this book. I really enjoyed it but I'll still to audiobooks with Brene Brown. I find it easier to retain the information with her talking to me vs. me reading it.
I really enjoyed this part. If it resonates, read the book ASAP.
"Choosing to live and love with our whole hearts is an act of defiance. You're going to confuse, piss off, and terrify lots of people - including yourself. One minute you'll pray that the transformation stops, and the next minute you'll pray that it never stops. You'll also wonder how you can feel so brave and so afraid at the same time. At least that's how I feel most of the time...brave, afraid, and very, very alive."
- Brene Brown
Braving The Wilderness by Brene Brown
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Braving the Wilderness is probably the hardest book I have read in my life. It showed me all the ugly parts of my own life, which is never easy to see.
Listening to this book reminded me of how I grew up in the wilderness when I just desperately wanted to blend in. And fitting in is not pretty and this book reminded me of that. Now, as an adult, I spent 2018 and 2019 really breaking down walls I had built up and, as it turns out, braving the wilderness. I just didn't have the coined phrase on hand. I read this while still going through that process, which was incredibly helpful but also hard.
What you may not see about Braving the Wilderness is that the wilderness is a lonely place. Not always of course, as you can branch out and find people and places you belong. But, in the age of FOMO and social media? Sure. Braving the wilderness means not fitting in. Which means not being invited and involved in every social event. So, this book, while it provided some much needed clarity, it also meant coming to terms with some emotions from old work colleagues and old friends. Because fitting in and standing out can't be one in the same. I am in the wilderness, I probably never left it (but instead forced myself to "fit in"), and I am practicing every day becoming okay with that notion.
The more you try and become an "expert fitter-inner", the more of a stranger you become to yourself.
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I read this in 2019 and it is still the book I tell everyone is a "must-read".
After seeing many dramatic changes in students on college campuses, the writers conducted a comprehensive analysis to answer "How did we get here?" What was uncovered are three Great Untruths that modern parenting since the 1980s has led to, which has ultimately come to a head as iGen arrived on college campuses.
This book is not a parenting book. It is for anyone who interacts with this latest generation as it is one that our society has never seen. It is a generation of Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings, Callout Culture, and Vindictive Protectiveness. The book's title immediately drew me in. I'll share that, as a people manager, at times I felt like the word "coddling" was appropriate.
This book finally gave me data behind everything I have observed and experienced in the last 20 years in the workplace as younger people entered the office behind me. I have peace of mine with so many experiences now and have a perspective for why this youngest generation is how it is as well as how to parent in support of better ways to grow adults.
Wild Things by Stephen James and David Thomas
Star Rating: ★★★★
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This is an older book that I discovered while reading the REI Blog.
It took me awhile to accept the idea of reading a book "just" about boys. I didn't understand the idea of a boys book vs. a parenting book. I read this initially when Buddy was 5 and I am SO glad I read it before puberty. WOW--I didn't know what I didn't know and I am glad to have insight to what is coming down the pike. There is so much good tween and teen stuff in here!
The end of the book has a chapter for mother and son and another chapter for father and son. I debated reading only the applicable chapter. But, I am happy that I read the father/son chapter. It gave me a little insight into the relationship they may have as well as insight into men in general. :)
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Star Rating: ★★★★
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It is not often that the physical book and the Libby audiobook become available at the same time. But, the stars aligned for this one right as I headed to Hilton Head, SC. Reading this while in the lowcountry was amazing. The book describes the scenery perfectly. The narrator wasn't my favorite but I did enjoy reading "along" with her in the book. I also felt that, while the story was overall amazing, the author could do a better job with specifics as she jumps to different points in time.
Quiet by Susan Cain
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I read this book twice, back to back. It's outlined to take the reader through the parts of history and reflection on the subjects of introverts before leading you into a self-reflection ending. There is so much data packed into this book that grounds everything in the last section of the book. So, upon finishing, I immediately wanted to re-read it. Like you sometimes watch a movie again after knowing the ending so you can see the parts in the beginning and how they play into the ending.
I initially picked this book up to read as an effort to understand one of my children, who I think is an introvert. In reading Quiet, I came to identify that I myself am actually incredibly introverted, but with a tremendous toolkit for coping at work and in social settings. Chapter 9 in particular solidified it for me. If you think you might be introverted or "introvert extrovert", I implore you to read through for the first 9 chapters and see if you also have a lightbulb moment.