This was a fun read, easy and not a ton of substance, but good take-a-ways at the same time. We cannot let the past dictate who we are today and we have to try to go out for what we want. Living in the shadow of the past and letting others live your life is no way to live. It is not easy to break the mold, but sometimes it just needs to be broken.
Nora has not been happy with her life and she has ended up at the library. At first she is quite confused and not sure what to do with all of the information. She picks endings that she thinks she would like and is surprised at how it didn't end up the way she thought it would. The ending that she does pick is a good one and a good reminder to all of us.
Such an interesting concept. I remember reading books as a kid that you could pick different endings and I would try them all. It was fun and nice to know that there was no end all really. We are all the masters of our own story and the choices we make lead us down paths with unknown endings. It needs to be embraced and we need to be thankful for what we have and where we have been.
Lucie, the main character, is caught between what is appropriate and what she wants. The struggle with her roots and her inner self do lead her astray, but she does find her way and the ride is a good one.
Kwan has a great writing style and this was just as good as his first books. If you haven't had a chance to read those I highly recommend them too. If you want a nice easy read that will make you laugh and shake your head this summer this is a good choice.
The title may be a bit harsh but everything Bishop talks about is pretty right on. I have worked very hard over the years to take responsibility for myself. I try to not let the past dictate who I am or where I am going. I am not discounting anything that I was taught or learned as I was growing up, but I am not going to let the negative things hinder me.
Truly, we do need to get out of our own way sometimes. Our mind is very powerful and can stop us from achieving so much in life if we let it. I am always so proud of myself when I accomplish something that I did not think that I could do. I am also proud of myself when I just do what needs to be done. It is so easy to just push things off, think it will take too long, or just think that it is too hard. I get off of my butt and just do it. It is an amazing feeling.
We all have off days, especially during this past year, but we can't let them rule our lives. If you are willing to do the work for something you really want then do it. Make it work. Enjoy life for what you have done and accomplished, it will take you far.
These are tough questions and questions that we truthfully cannot answer. We are not experiencing what they experience. We do not live where they have lived and seen the horrors that they have seen. In a way I admire what they put themselves through to get here.
This book follows a few different families and what has led them to try and make a new home in the United States. They have lost their entire family to cartels or been raped and injured to the point that they have to leave. They leave everything they know behind in hopes of finding something better.
Some of the situations they go through seem almost too much to bear, much worse that what they were going through, but it isn't. To live a life in constant fear of gangs and cartels, to never know if every time your loved one leaves the house whether you may see them again.
This is a very difficult subject and one that is really in our faces right now. These immigrants feel it is worth the danger to leave. Why aren't the countries they come from doing anything? Why are these countries not protecting their citizens? So many questions and not enough answers. How many lives need to be lost before there is an acceptable answer?
I feel that Cummins presented this story in a way that we can start to see the struggle. We can see the hardships on both ends. I felt for the characters and I was tense and angry and worried and relieved. So many emotions that I just read off of a page that these people endure everyday. If you want a glimpse into what immigrants coming to this country through Mexico is like take the time to read this and really think about the whole situation.
I love it when I get a good nights sleep. A sleep in which I don't remember waking up for several hours. I am not talking all night long, but at least five to six hours. It is wonderful and it does not happen often enough.
This book talks about what happens when we go to bed, how our minds prevent us from falling asleep, how our world prevents us from sleeping well. There is so much that contributes to a being able to sleep, and maybe we need to reframe in our minds what a good nights sleep is.
I have not done the mediations yet but there are a few that look really interesting and am looking forward to trying them out. I have already worked on some things that seem to help me when it comes to falling asleep. I am off any electronic device an hour before bed, I journal right when I get into bed, and then I read. Most times a book, but sometimes a magazine. The last thing I do, when I finish reading, is breath. I concentrate on my breath so that is the only thing that is happening. There are many times that I do not even remember falling asleep. It is amazing. I have also found when I wake in the middle of the night and can't seem to fall back to sleep I go back to breathing and can sleep again.
Sleep is so vital to how we function, not only with other people and our jobs, but how our body functions. Our bodies need time to recover and recoup and heal overnight. Good sleep is just as important as exercise and eating a balanced diet. I think we sometimes forget that and then we stress about it and it all turns into a viscous circle.
Sleep. Don't fight it. Don't stress over it. Just let it happen and you will feel so much better.
Since March is Women's History month I thought I would read a book about a woman that loved nature and saw how humans and science were damaging the one thing that she loved most.
This was not an easy book to read. There was a lot of back story and history of what was happening in the world and in the world of science. I appreciate knowing these things as it helps to understand the drive of Carson, but it was a bit tedious.
She was a perfectionist. It took her a long time to write, she never made a deadline, but what she wrote awed people. I will be honest in that I have not read some of her key works (they are on my list for this year!). Her love of nature and how it all worked together. Her love that made her present an amazing case against indiscriminate use of pesticides and chemicals. She spent her life getting her thoughts and ideas out to everyone, in a way that everyone could understand.
She died at a very young age and cannot imagine what she could have done. In her short life though she accomplished much and left a huge stamp on how we can look at the world.
Souder is wordy and in the end it seemed to me that only 25% of the book or so was about Carson. Again, I can see the importance of knowing what was going on during the time that she was writing but it was a bit much at times and a slog to get through. If you have the patience to get through the nuts and bolts what was written about Carson was very informative and enlightening.
