Hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday is where readers can share what books they received in the mail, purchased, or borrowed last week.

Books I purchased:

• Get Lucky by Katherine Center
  I was excited to read this book after reading this review by Carrie at Books and Movies.




• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
  I first found out about this book after reading Angie’s review on her blog Angieville earlier this year.  I can’t wait to get started reading.




• The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  This book looked interesting, so I thought I’d give it a chance.




• The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
  I skimmed through this book, and I liked how the chapters were named after different books, probably books the book club in the novel were reading.  It looked interesting as well.




• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
  Don’t you love the name of this book? I just noticed the name of the author too—Leif. That’s cool. I remember finding this in a bookstore when I was living in Cherry Hill, NJ  for a few months. I remember wanting to read it then, but I had so many other things to read at the time.  I keep seeing reviews pop up about it, so I thought I’d finally pick up a copy.




• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
  I’ve heard a lot about this book, particularly that it’s really humorous and funny.  When it was suggested as one of the ideas for our book club read this month I thought I’d give it a try.

You can expect to see reviews of these titles in the upcoming weeks. Have you read or heard about any of these books? Did you pick up any fun reads this week?

I’ve been thinking a lot about finding balance in life lately. So I was excited when I found a video clip the other day where Professor Philip Zimbardo talks a little about how we spend our time.

Toward the end there is a part where the speaker discusses a study on how busy Americans say they are—very busy. In fact, they regularly give up time with friends, family, and lose sleep they are so busy.

The study participants were then asked what they would do if they had another day added to their week. Researchers found that participants would just fill that day up with more work and responsibilities—like any other day—and not take time out for family, friends, or get more sleep.

I guess I can totally see myself as one of the people in the study because I tend to hyper focus on a task until it is finished. This has benefits, but it also has consequences such as neglecting your relationships with your family and friends and not taking very good care of your health.





After watching this video, I also realized that it’s not so much about “finding” balance in life as “creating” balance. It’s a choice. Because, even if we add more time to the week, there will always be something else clamoring for our attention.

Here are a few things I’m working on to create more balance:

1. Shutting the laptop down at 9 p.m. each night

2. Going for a walk in the afternoons

3. Trying to be more present. Not worrying about the future, and not fretting over the past, but enjoying the moment for what it is

4. Scheduling time to spend with family each week

5. Making my bed everyday

It’s a small list, but I’ve noticed that I’m much happier when I stop what I’m doing and fit these simple things back into my life.

What do you think? How do you prioritize what’s important or add more balance into your life?  What’s the work/life balance where you live?

I came across this wonderful video via Misty at My Inspiration Lounge.

This truly is a must-see talk of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love at Oprah’s 10th Anniversary celebration, and I wanted to share it with my friends as well.

Have a great day. Enjoy!

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Talk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

About a week ago, my nephew turned seven years old. I don’t have any children of my own, so I was wondering what in the world a seven-year-old kid would want for his birthday.

A trip to DisneyLand of course!

That was a little out of my budget, so when I was surfing the Web for cool bookish stuff, I came across An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton.

I instantly fell in love with it, and I knew that this creative title was a perfect fit for my artistic and imaginative little nephew who loves to color and draw.

An Awesome Book began when Clayton wrote it for his son. He quickly started selling copies, and in his words, sales “snowballed” from there.

This is an inspiring story that every child—and adult—should read. The pictures are original, fresh, and creative.  I wish I could buy a copy for every person I know.

Check out Clayton’s video, and see what I mean.

Awesome Book Tour from Dallas Clayton on Vimeo.

Preview this title: An Awesome Book

You can’t find An Awesome Book on Amazon or in bookstores yet (that I know of), but you can get it from the store on Clayton’s Website VeryAwesomeWorld.com.

I am crossing my fingers that a publisher will pick up An Awesome Book and give it the attention it deserves.

Book: An Awesome Book
Author: Dallas Clayton
ISBN: 978-0-9792748-3-1
Publisher: Self-Published
Source: Purchased

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary:
The Canine Condition by Alex Vardamis is narrated by a dog named Dingus. Dingus can read and write, and he is trying to learn how to speak. He is in love with Sally, who is a silver saluki. However, Paula, a purebred pointer, also likes Dingus, and she tries to get him away from Sally by telling him that Sally is in love with another dog. Dingus believes Paula, and they take off looking for dog paradise, which is apparently Boulder, Colorado. This book follows their many adventures as they make their way across the West.

My Review:
I love being a book blogger and sharing the wonderful, yet often under-appreciated books that cross my path during the year. When I saw this book, I was very excited to review it. I love dogs, and I have two of my own that are spoiled enough to be my kids. But, my love for dogs didn’t seem to improve or sway my opinion on this book very much.

The Canine Condition has many references to famous writers, their lives, and their works. You can also learn a few things about Hemingway, and there are a few good quotes on writing, which I enjoyed.

This book seems geared toward children in the fact that it has talking animals, and it brought back many recollections of the movie Homeward Bound. However, it’s written on a more intellectual level, so it’s really not for children. I also felt little to no investment in the main characters, which made it difficult to stay interested or really care what happened when they encountered problems on their journey.

Overall, I was bored, and I lost interest quickly. There were more than a few references to bestiality, which were not necessary, and after a while these references came across as childish and irritating—and GROSS.

I’m giving this book two stars because I appreciated the literature references and a few quotes; however, it just didn’t keep my attention.

I can’t guarantee what you will think, but this book was not for me.

Have you heard about or read this book? I'd love to hear what you think!

Book: The Canine Condition
Author: Alex Vardamis
ISBN: 978-1933002279
Publisher: PublishingWorks
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Kathryn Stockett Speaking at The King's English SLC, UT

Thursday night, Lyn from Barding Well and I went to see and hear Kathryn Stockett talk about her book The Help.

The event was held at The King’s English in Salt Lake City, UT.

I’d been planning on attending this for weeks. I had the emails. I’d been checking The King’s English site. I shared the invite with all of my Facebook friends. I had even talked Lyn into coming with me.

As I was double checking the time, I saw something new: tickets were required.  I don’t know if I had just missed the ticket requirement, or if it was imposed at the last minute.

Anyway, when I called the bookstore, I was told I could show up after Kathryn had spoken and try to get my book signed after everyone else, but I wouldn’t be able to hear her speak because I didn’t have a ticket. I was so disappointed!  On top of that, I felt bad because I had already talked Lyn into attending the event with me a few weeks earlier.

After discussing the situation, Lyn and I decided to continue on with our plans, and if anything, we might get our books signed by a fantastic author, and if that fell through, then at least we could scrap it, get some dinner and discuss the book ourselves. What else is a pair of bookaholic blogger-friends supposed to do? Then, the day of the signing, I started tweeting with Suey at It’s All About Books, and I shared my frustration with her. Turns out, she was going to have the same problem.

Suey was attending the event with Melissa from One Librarian’s Book Reviews, and they didn’t know that they would need tickets either. Anyhow, they came to the same conclusion as Lyn and I had—at least it would be an adventure, right?

Top: Sharla, Suey, Lyn; Bottom: Melissa, Kathryn Stockett

So, we crashed the reading and book signing not knowing what was going to happen. We were able to get blue tickets, which meant standing room only, and you had to be at the back of the line.

Lyn and I found a spot to sit on the stairs, so we didn’t have to stand the entire time, but some people couldn’t stand that long, and were leaving.  It was difficult at times to see from the angle we were sitting at, but what do you do? We felt lucky to even be there.

Anyhow, for the most part it was fantastic. When Kathryn spoke, she seemed sweet, funny, and just over-all wonderful.

I also got to meet Suey, whom I’ve only previously known through her blog and Twitter.  And I met Melissa as well.

Left to Right: Sharla, Lyn, Suey, Melissa

The four of us ended up at the back of the line at the signing, but that may have helped us get a good picture together. I’ve never seen a signing line go so fast!

Anyway, after that, we had an impromptu book-blogger party where Lyn, Suey, Melissa, and I all went to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was so fun. Lots of food, fun, and bookish conversation.

It truly turned out to be an adventure.

I’m so glad we decided to crash the party and show up anyway!

P.S. If you’re still reading, then you’ll probably be interested in this reading of The Help at Warwicks that I found online.

Enjoy!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary:
How to Thrive in Changing Times by Sandra Ingerman is a book about positive thinking. Using stories, meditations, and guided activities the author strives to help you find peace in your daily life when things change or become overwhelming. A big focus of the book is on finding things to be thankful for and developing a grateful approach to life.

Ingerman’s premise is that by changing how you think about a problem, your perception of the problem changes as well. Once your perception has changed, this then affects your future actions and behaviors, and thus your future reality.

My Review:
Those of you who know me well, know these last few months have been fraught with change, which can be difficult to deal with.  This is a book review that has taken me a while to write, and I’ve wondered why. Because for a small book with only 169 pages, I should have been able to read it very quickly.

Instead, I kept it on my nightstand and read from it on nights when things were not going well. It calmed me and soothed my nerves. I didn’t realize it, but I think I was trying to stretch out the time it took me to finish it. When I’ve completed this review, it will likely be going back onto my nightstand.

I don’t like to compare books in a review very often, but this book runs along a similar line as The Secret. If you liked The Secret, you will probably really enjoy this book. I know, I know, a lot of people think the idea of The Secret is hokey and pseudoscience. I am probably a bit of a critic myself, but I do think there is something to be said for positive thinking.

I don’t believe that if I think positively about a new car in my mind, one will magically appear. But, I do think that if I am able to adjust how I think about a challenging situation, it can then motivate me to do better, and it can lead to positive changes—instead of say…jumping off a cliff.

This book focuses on having a good attitude and doing what you can with what you have. That’s something I, and I think most people, can believe in and appreciate—whatever your particular beliefs or scientific persuasions.

I particularly appreciated the chapter on “Transforming Disappointment and Grief,” especially this quote:

“But in reality what more can I do? The fact is, I cannot force change in the outer world, but I can change my response. That’s the only place I can work—to find the light within me and keep shining that light out into the world. And when I feel nothing is going right—it is during these times that I must focus on something that is working.”

If you are looking for a book that helps you reframe difficulties and find quiet moments of gratitude and mindfulness, then you should check out this book.

Have you heard about or read this book? I'd love to hear what you think!

I think I have a pretty good vocabulary, but I’m always coming across words in my reading that I don’t know.

On Wednesdays, I look them up, and then I share them with you. This week’s words are taken from The Canine Condition by Alex Vardamis.

Do you know any of these words?

Canophobe: I can’t find a real definition for this, but I think it is being used as a description of cynophobia or a fear of dogs. If you know for sure, let me know.

Sentence: “He is, I suspect, a lifelong canophobe” (14).

Prescient: to know things before they happen

Sentence: “You’re Prescient, Paula” (36).

Proboscis: the nose or snout of a dog, bear, or other animal

Sentence: “He swings his massive head from side to side, ears erect and proboscis snuffling the breeze” (59).

Do you know any of these words? Have you stumbled across any new words in your reading this week?

What's on my Reading List This Week:

The Canine Condition
by Alex Vardamis

The Highest Stakes
by Emery Lee

What I Read Last Week:

Little Bee
by Chris Cleave

What I'm Reading Next Week:

Let the Great World Spin
by Colum McCann

Tears to Triumph
by Dawn Marie Daniels, Candace Sandy,
and Dr. Jarralynne Agee

What are you reading? Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars


Short Summary:
Dreams of Trespass is Fatima Mernissi’s account of her life growing up in a harem in Morocco in the 1940s.

Throughout the book, Fatima tries to figure out exactly what a harem is and what it is not. It is a coming of age story and also an exploration of the frontiers or boundaries in our lives set by our culture, our religion, our families, and even ourselves.

My Review:
I had always thought of a harem as a large collection of women who were basically sex slaves to a king. However, after reading this book, I realized that my notion of a harem was actually quite archaic compared to the harem that Fatima grew up in.

Fatima’s harem was more like living quarters for the females in the family with definite restrictions about leaving unless accompanied by a male companion.

Although, her grandmother’s harem seemed similar to a polygamous marriage made up of multiple wives, so the word “harem” can have multiple interpretations.

One of most remarkable and lovable things about Dreams of Trespass is how some of the women of the harem pushed back and rebelled in small but important ways.

From using the men’s radio to climbing up onto forbidden terraces to creating nontraditional embroideries of birds flying away, the women found their own unique ways to push back. It was these small rebellions that kept them sane and feeling as if they had some power over their lives.

Some of my favorite quotes came from Fatima’s mother:

“Covering your head and hiding will not help. Hiding does not solve a woman’s problems. It just identifies her as an easy victim.”

“A woman who chews gum is in fact making a revolutionary gesture. Not because she chews gum per se, but because gum chewing is not prescribed by the code.”

This is a lovely book filled with insight about life and the seemingly endless struggle for power between men and women. I already want to reread it, so I can pick up on all of the little things I may have missed the first time.

The most important thing I have taken from this book is that harems can be found anywhere where women are made powerless, and women can push back and have a say, even if it is only in the simplest and smallest of ways.

Book: Dreams of Trespass
Author: Fatima Mernissi
ISBN: 978-0201489378
Publisher: Basic Books
Source: Purchased