Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

The Mermaid Chair The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd


My review


rating: 3 of 5 stars
Though it was well-written with Kidd's Southern charm shining through, this novel lacked the magicality that "The Secret Life of Bees" held for me. Not un-worthwhile. A good beach read, I'd imagine. I still find it hard to believe that a woman would leave her seemingly wonderful husband to go roll around in the mud with a hot monk (and that a hot monk was just, you know, willing and available).


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Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Another non biz book here. This one is a sweet summer read. More to come.

Garden Spells"Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen, 2007, Bantam Dell, 290 pp.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
This New York Times bestseller is magical, enchanting and a little dark, a la one of my favorite storytellers, Alice Hoffman. Easily and delightedly read in the space of a weekend. A tale of two sisters who are opposite and each possess different gifts. They come to find, in adulthood, that they need each other and thrive in each other's company. I will say that the moment of ugliness the book leads up to is a little too contrived and is solved much too neatly. I liked the small-town eccentrics and eccentricities and the little human mysteries and meanings for flowers scattered throughout. Hard to believe it's a first novel.

Thanks for the recommendation, Brandie!

Friday, June 13, 2008

‘Life lessons’ may not solve the mysteries of the universe, but could give you a chuckle


Reviewed: “Do You Know How to Shut Up? And 51 Other Life Lessons That Will Make You Uncomfortable,” by Michael Staver, Mac Daddy Publishing, 2008, $14.95, 119 pages.


Knowing when to shut up, according to author Michael Staver, is a lost art.

I would have to agree. Especially in my office (no offense, coworkers).

Journalists, you see, not only love to write, they loooooove to share their opinions. Mostly about politics. Ick.

“Have you ever been in a conversation with a person who has already made his point but just won’t let it go?” Staver asks in his book “Do You Know How to Shut Up? And 51 Other Life Lessons That Will Make You Uncomfortable.” (Yes! The answer is yes!)

He continues, “Worse yet are you that person? Some people love the sound of their own voices, while others may simply chatter on out of nervousness or because they are uncomfortable with silence. Regardless, it’s annoying and counterproductive.”

The key, according to Staver, is to simply become more comfortable with speaking less, and more effectively. This will come with practice, he says.
This is less of a tip, than a way to get an eye-catching title for a book of business-related tips (about one every other page).
Marketed as a business/self-help book, “Do You Know How to Shut Up?” is a compilation of short bursts of advice Staver has passed along to his clients over the years. He’s CEO of The Staver Group, a national team of strategic business advisors and coaches.
Other gems Staver shared from lessons learned over the course of his 25-year career include: Can You Be Still? How Clear Are Your Boundaries? What Does It Take to Communicate with the Opposite Sex? Do You Know How to Handle Challenging People? Who Should You Blame? And Do You Stand Out (In a Good Way)?
Come to think of it, these are all kinda funny and perhaps are all good questions for anyone in business.
Consider Staver’s Life Lesson No. 8: Can You Be Still?I’m as guilty as anyone of trying to do too many things at once, and of “not seeing the forest through the trees,” as my mom likes to tell me.
Staver seems to think meditation is the answer.
“The most effective way to get more of what you want, and less of what you don’t want, is to commit to stillness on a regular basis,” he writes. “Stillness does not necessarily involve sitting quietly at the feet of some monk in a mountain hideaway. It is about a mindset and a willingness to approach stillness physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.”
To achieve this elusive stillness, Staver offers some homework suggestions including setting aside time to do nothing each week — even penciling it in on your calendar — and turning off all computers and cell phones while you’re at it.
“Be patient,” he advises. “It will take about one month before you really experience results.”
Life Lesson No. 27: Do You Know How to Handle Challenging People? — is a surprising mere three short paragraphs long. The gist is, difficult people aren’t worth your time.
What’s helpful are Staver’s strategies for dealing with said difficult people. These include, “Determine how much mental and emotional energy you are willing to invest in a particular person.”
The trouble is, you’re usually far more invested than you’d like to be when you realize that person’s such a pain.
Well, this book might not be the key to the mysteries of the universe, but it’s a cute little book. Probably better for a laugh than for actually helping you out of challenging office situations. But, then, we could all use a little more laughter. Or stillness.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Unaccustomed Earth

Unaccustomed Earth Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri



My review


Because there's more to life than business books, and because I read more fiction than books of the business variety, today I'm trying something new and posting a review of my latest read fiction, a book of stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (2008 by Knopf Canada, 224 pages).

Also, I'll plug my online book club here, which contains my reviews of both regular old books and business books. It's a great way to find new books to read.
Check out my reading list on Goodreads - where you can see what your friends are reading:
http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDcwNTQzNDA6MjU3%0A

Like Lahiri's first collection of stories, The Interpreter of Maladies, each intricately-woven tale is like a gorgeous jewel that you feel you're the first to discover. The theme of "unaccustomed earth" - of families displaced and children who grow up torn between two cultures - pervades each of the stories, none of them very short. I liked that the last three stories are linked and are told from the viewpoint of a girl and boy who meet in childhood then later as adults. It's comforting, compelling to travel with them through the sometimes painful parts of their lives, to meet up with them again, years older, in the next tale. Even if, and especially if, there is no happy ending.

Lahiri's writing is unexpected, rich and stunning. I can't wait 'til her next book.


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