The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma

Very easy to read and inspirational, some might think it too simplistic.

The Fable offers a step-by-step approach for improving your life and living with courage, balance, and joy.
I enjoyed the book a lot and was inspired by the lessons on how to incorporate routines and habits that can transform your life. But it also felt a bit confusing and cumbersome at times.

Julian Mantle, an extremely successful lawyer is forced to confront his lifestyle after suffering a massive heart attack.


The Seven Virtues of Enlightened Learning
Master your mind
Follow your purpose
Practice kaizen
Live with discipline
Respect your time
Selflessly serve others
Embrace the present

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

The story is composed of six separate stories and if you've seen the movie you know that they are connected. It’s only through the reoccurring images and themes that you begin to see the connection, but you must pay close attention not to miss them. The novel is extremely well written and offers many amazing layers of storytelling.

I only read half the book and had to return it to the library, but I’m not interested in reading the rest.  I’m glad I saw the movie first because I don’t like the layout of the story. I found the transitions confusing and I prefer a story with a straightforward flow.

The synopsis from the Jacket: An American notary in the Chatham Island in the 1850s. A bisexual aspiring British composer in Belgium in the 1930s. A journalist investigating a nuclear power plant in California in the 1970s. A mildly corrupt book publisher in present-day London. A genetic slave in a wayward Korean empire in the near future…

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

Imaginative and Creative. There are no rules in your imagination, anything goes.

There are many lessons on the Egyptian Gods with inventive stories and lots of adventure.  I hate that the heroine was a bit annoying and not emotionally stronger. Maybe it’s the author’s way of showing her human side, but is it necessary for the women to always come apart during an emotional crisis and be stabilized by her male counterpart. I also felt like the fighting scenes with the Gods were drawn out and took forever but the younger audience probably really likes that. Ages 10 and up

Over all I really enjoyed the book, it is fun and entertaining and full of life lessons. Sadie and Carter Kane have their hands full with Apophis, the god of Chaos.

Ha-tep “Be at peace”          Hi-nehm “Join Together”

The Song of Achilles By Madeline Miller

I really enjoyed reading this book; I never wanted to put it down. It is the complicated and beautiful love story of Achilles and Patroclus. It is challenging loving someone completely and learning to accept all that they represent.

I couldn't stop thinking about Brad Pitt as I read the story ;-)

Patroclus has been exiled to Phthia to be raised by Achilles’ father. The boys become friends when Achilles chooses him as his companion.  Achilles is given a choice, a long insignificant life or a short glorious life. His decision will change their lives in ways they could never imagine.

The story is based on the Trojan War.

The Self-Hypnosis Diet by Steven Gurgevich

I enjoyed this book and felt like I learned something new. It has a lot of the usual eat fruits and veggies advice but it also has great and practical information on how self-hypnosis works. I liked the idea of day dreaming and being in a trance. Gurgevich focuses on working with the sub-conscious to teach yourself to naturally do what you need to do.

The book discuses the importance of what and how you think about food more than on what and how much you eat. It is a different take on dieting.

The Key to success – Want it, Believe it, Expect it. P.45

Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality. Earl Nightingale P.95

Hostage by Elie Wiesel

This is the kind of book that you read slowly because you do not want to miss one word. I knew I was going to like this book from the very first sentence: Someone is missing.

The tone of the story is quickly set. I am thoroughly engaged by the time I get to the second page and can’t wait to pick it up again once I've set it down.

The word that comes to mind is eloquent. The sentences are beautifully written and even though it is a sad story there is a comforting cadence and flow that makes you want to read more and more.

Wiesel addresses the power of the written word, the importance of having an heir and, of course, the Holocaust.

The story is about a Jewish man who is randomly kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists (an Arab and an Italian) in Brooklyn in 1975.

Shades of Memnon by Gregory L Walker

The book is full of adventure with mythological and historical tales. It is great to read a fantasy fiction with a strong African young man as the hero. I found it a bit difficult to understand many of the references. I needed more explanation and historical information.
There are references about the Kamitian legends, the Kushite nations and the different Gods like the great serpent Kam-Atef. I need more knowledge and history to fully appreciate the story. It is an exciting read and explores African history from a unique perspective.

This is an epic Adventure, circa 1200 BC, based on the legends of Memnon.

Quote:
You have fire without discipline. Strength without humility. Knowledge without wisdom. (p79)

The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle Laporte

This is a different kind of self help book. Danielle’s approach/style is very diverse and I think some of her suggestions are a bit radical.

The exercises are great. This is a workbook that should be read slowly because there is a lot of information to process. There are many questions which you may not be able to answer right away. This is not the kind of book you pick up and read straight through. I think to get the most out of the book you should spend at least one week on each session.

She’s witty, easy to read and engaging. The book tries to shake, challenge and motivate you. The exercises are not easy and are quite demanding. It brings to mind the saying “Baptism by Fire”

Two of my favorite lines from the book:
Day to day makes up a lifetime
When you feel disconnected, give

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

It is not an easy book to read; the material is difficult to accept but I think it is very important that everyone reads this book because it affects us all. The book has a lot of sobering facts and I found it to be very informative and insightful. How can one justify putting young men in jail for life for small possession of drugs, while murderers and rapists are given lesser sentences. The book does its best to educate the public of “Mass Incarceration” of African American Males. It is not a coincidence and it is not because young African Americans commit more heinous crimes then young Caucasians.

 http://www.newjimcrow.com/about.html

From Amazon - In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. Yet, as legal star Michelle Alexander reveals, today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against convicted criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination—employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service—are suddenly legal.

Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

Books I and II are poorly written but book III is absolutely painful to read.Twilight reads like literature compared to this. I had to ask myself “do I love my blog readers enough to finish this book”. The answer is yes and I take a deep breath and continue.

I want to start the “I hate Anastasia club”!

Ana is twenty-two; she "marvels" at going to bed with a man with two different personalities, she’s petty and stupid. Why did the author make Ana so stupid? Are twenty-two year olds really that stupid?  I'm so sick of Ana "oh I'm not good enough, oh it's so hard to get used to being so rich, oh no another $30,000 bracelet" oh please give me a break!

Grey reminds me of my friend’s two year old sun screaming mine, mine; no one can touch her, look at her or speak to her.

The relationship is very dysfunctional. Why would you want to marry someone you are afraid of and you are always saying "please don't be mad at me"?  

The sex scenes are great but they always F it up by talking and the timing is inappropriate and not realistic at all.  The improper timing of their sexual escapades makes it dirty and sadistic.  It takes the eroticism out of it.

 Overall I am glad to be done. I enjoyed reading the wedding vows in book III; they are beautifully written.