Books, Professional Development

Book 969: The Art of Communicating – Thích Nhất Hạnh

Book cover of "The Art of Communicating" with Amazon Affiliate linkI had to read this for a course I’m talking about the art of brave communication. We only had to read the first couple of chapters, but I found it to be an approachable and relatively easy read so kept going.

Where Hanh excelled was in his simple writing. For the most part, there were no overwrought metaphors or awkward analogies. There was one at the end that I’ll get to, but I think it’s a religious thing and it just fell flat for me.

Continue reading “Book 969: The Art of Communicating – Thích Nhất Hạnh”

Books

Book 866: Under the Whispering Door – T.J. Klune

Book cover of "Under the Whispering Door" with Amazon Affiliate linkAfter loving everything I’ve read by Klune so far it was obvious I was going to read this. And then, when it appeared on NetGalley AND I was approved, I had to sit on it for SO. MANY. MONTHS.* It was 100% worth the wait.

Having not read any of Klune’s “adult” books, this one feels more mature than his superhero books (The Extraordinaries and Flash Fire) or The House in the Cerulean Sea. Most of this is directly because there are no young adult characters and this deals so much with the topics of death and grief. And it brings up so many philosophical ideas about life and death that I’m sure I still missed plenty.

Continue reading “Book 866: Under the Whispering Door – T.J. Klune”

Books

Book 865: The Secret to Superhuman Strength – Alison Bechdel

Book cover of "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" with Amazon Affiliate linkI wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one, I just knew I would absolutely read it as I’ve read everything else by Bechdel.

I knew it was nonfiction and that it more than likely was going to chronicle her life. I mean, that’s her on the cover AND she’s a serial chronicler of her life and what she’s experienced. With Fun Home being about her dad and their relationship, and Are You My Mother? about her mom and their relationship, I honestly wasn’t sure where she’d go next.

Continue reading “Book 865: The Secret to Superhuman Strength – Alison Bechdel”

Books, Professional Development

Book 830: 10% Happier – Dan Harris

Book cover of "10% Happier" with Amazon Affiliate linkI honestly had zero expectations going into this book. During the pandemic my employer provided us free access to the 10% Happier app which I took advantage of and have used sporadically (really need to get better at that). I enjoyed both Harris and Joseph Goldstein’s insights on mediation in the various getting started sessions and was curios if there was more out there.

I vaguely knew Harris had written a book, but it was never an OMG I have to read this type book, but when it randomly came across my screen one day I requested it from the library and saved it for a vacation read.

Continue reading “Book 830: 10% Happier – Dan Harris”

Books

Book 788: Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1) – Hilary Mantel

Book cover of "Wolf Hall" with Amazon Affiliate linkI clearly was not in a hurry to read this one. It has been on my Kindle since I purchased it in December of 2011 and that was TWO years after it won the Booker Prize! I avoided it for some time because I was waiting for the remaining two books: Bring Up the Bodies (2012) and The Mirror and the Light (2020), but I also avoided it because it’s a freakin’ tome. It comes it at just under 560 pages.* Thankfully the next one is shorter (436), but the last is 200 pages more coming in at 764 pages! OOF that is going to be a commitment when I get around to it.

I also actively avoided it because that was around the time that I came to realize that in general I find myself enjoying the runners up to the Booker Prize more often than the actual winner. There’s like a mental hurdle I don’t think I can quite make the leap over to fully appreciate and see the beauty in most of the winners. I knew this was long and I knew that it had A LOT of description and the formatting was weird (minimal quotation marks, the point of view), so I knew it would be a big challenge for me.

Continue reading “Book 788: Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1) – Hilary Mantel”