Chosen by P.C. Cast

Chosen by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More interesting and involved than the two prior books but I’m starting to suspect nothing will ever be resolved.

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The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is good advice for people who aren't succeeding on their own. I know lots of people who are doing well on their own, and doubtlessly they would disagree with a lot of Dave Ramsey's advice. That's fine. If they're doing fine, then they're fine following their own wisdom. Unfortunately the vast majority of Americans are not doing well financially by following the standard "wisdom." A lot of people are doing worse than even they realize. For these people, (um me too), this book is great. I've already addressed a lot of financial issues I was dealing with. Things are not perfect, but they are much improved because I've followed the advice in this book.

I'm on a big self-help kick!

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Opening Skinner's Box by Lauren Slater

Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century by Lauren Slater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had heard if some of the experiments previously but some were new to me. While I found the science and history very interesting, I found the author's personal essay style grating. It detracted from the science itself, and made everything seem less reliable. Still I think it's worth the time for some familiarity with the experiments.

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The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't recommend the ebook!

You need to be able to use this book like a workbook and take a test and flag the activities you intend to do, so unfortunately it doesn't work well as an ebook.

Also, given how inspiring I found the konmari book, this book fails to inspire me to engage in the happiness activities even though I am extremely motivated otherwise.

That said, I think the methods would make a person happier.

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Using KonMari to Reduce Dad's Books 2015

As you may know from earlier posts, I had kept about 26 boxes of my dad's books after he passed away. After 4 years, I had still reduced or read very few of them. I had tried just looking through them, getting a friend to help (hi Ash!), and finally doing one author letter at a time. The last strategy was going a little better... but still really slow.

Enter Kondo. In three days, the books I chose to keep are in three bookshelves, and hundreds of books that I would not have ever read were donated. I was shocked how much clarity I had in the book selection after 4 years of being totally confused. When I look at the bookshelves they spark joy! I want to read the books, and the arrangement reminds me of being at home and visiting my dad.

Suddenly I have clarity on my dad's books! Donate! Donate!

 

Less than half the number I started with, but still, admittedly, a lot.

Okay, we still have a lot of books. We probably always will. But when I look at them they make me happy now in a way they did not before. They don't stress me or make me feel guilty. They make me look forward to pulling the next adventure off the shelf.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A middle school coming of age story about a girl struggling with religion, female puberty, and preteen/teen gossip. Well worth the read even as an adult. Extremely realistic depiction of middle school.

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Declutter your Home Now! by Sophia Grace

Declutter your Home Now 2nd Edition! The simple guide to tips and tricks for simplifying your home and maximizing your space by Sophia Grace
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I got all excited after I started to Konmari and I thought it would be interesting to find more tips, but this isn't very helpful. I would recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō instead.

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The Heart of Grief: Death and the Search for Lasting Love by Thomas Attig

The Heart of Grief: Death and the Search for Lasting Love by Thomas Attig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Actually it took me nearly five years to decide to stop reading it. It was pretty painful every time I read it. I'm not sure if it helped, but my ability to read some of it at a time was an interesting measure of the progress of my grief. Over five years, I mostly came to the same conclusions as the author, so I do agree with him.

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Shane by Jack Schaefer

Shane by Jack Schaefer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first Western. It was required reading in my Sophomore English class. I don't remember much besides that I enjoyed it and there's a young boy's heartbreak at the end.

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Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a collection of 5 essays Michael Lewis wrote after the financial meltdown in 2007-2008. Each essay is a comic look at the disaster of the financial crisis in each of 5 countries: Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Germany, and America (specifically at a state and local level in California).

It's very interesting as an examination of how many people in the financial marketplace had no idea what they were doing, and it's also pretty entertaining and humorous. On the other hand, it's unnecessarily racist against the peoples it examines, with the exception of Americans who somewhat get a pass because supposedly the American culture and abundance itself exceeds what the human mind is designed to cope with. That presentation of huge groups of people, their motivations, and their histories undermines Lewis's expertise of financial players and events.

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