I'm Reading a Terrific Book Right Now...

...but you might not want to read it if you're easily offended by the use of the f-word.  Just giving you fair warning.  This book is fabulous, but it is not for those who can't get past that particular curse word because it is liberally sprinkled throughout the entire book.  (There!  That is my disclaimer, but I truly hope you won't let the word put you off because the book is terrific.)

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k - A Counterintuitive Approach to Living the Good Life by Mark Manson is a brand new self-help book which doesn't really fit into the mold of traditional self-help books.  The author's premise is that the pursuit of anything really just makes you focus on the lack or inadequacy of that thing in your life and because we don't understand that fundamental idea, we're not carefully choosing on what we expend our energy and emotions.  The first chapter is called titled "Don't Try".  (Not very rainbows and unicorns, is it?)


"The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience.  And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one's negative experience is itself a positive experience" - Mark Manson


He writes:  "...Our crisis is no longer material; it's existential, it's spiritual.  We have so much f**king stuff and so many opportunities that we don't even know what to give a f**k about anymore."  [I warned you about his love of the f-word.]


He sites British philosopher Alan Watts "backwards law" -" the idea that the more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become, as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place" regardless of how much of that something you might already have. "... The more you desperately want to be happy and loved, the lonelier and more afraid you become, regardless of those who surround you.  The more you want to be spiritually enlightened, the more self-centered and shallow you become trying to get there."


Anyway, all of the above is in the first chapter...the author also uses Buddha, Megadeath and Metallica, and the Beatles to make his points.  He makes so much sense both about how we got here and how to get out of here...especially for those of us who are looking around and wondering what the heck is going on with people...his language might be crude, but his clarity is refreshing.  Be brave and just substitute a word of your own choosing for "f**k" and read the book.  Seriously, if you're the least bit interested and can get past the liberal use of the f-word, this a fabulous book and I highly recommend it. (Oh, and Superman says the guy who reads the audiobook version does a fabulous job, if that's your chosen medium.)


Oh, and if you do read the book and love it, or if you're not sure you can stomach his writing style, he writes a successful blog at Mark Manson.net where you can read more.

Another Book to Warm Your Spirit as Winter Winds Down

After reading The Little Book, I was fortunate enough to find another gem of a book.  I actually read about this book in the Costco newsletter.  It was their Buyer Pick and  I must confess I am glad to I took their recommendation.  The book I'm talking about is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.  In her debut novel, this Alaskan bookseller give us a lovely modern retelling of a fairy tale that might be familiar to many of you, but it is so much more than that.

The author paints a poignant picture of long winter days in early 20th century Alaska...the struggles of homesteading, the challenges of farming in such harsh conditions, and the unspoiled beauty of the land.

If you're looking for a book to cuddle up with as the winter winds down, I highly recommend The Snow Child.  I think you'll be enchanted.

The Cure for the Winter Blues

I have had a bad case of the winter blues, the doldrums, cabin fever, or whatever you want to call it.  Truly...between grey days and the drama of three kids with various and sundry broken bones and other orthopedic ailments for the past four months, I've really started to feel overwhelmed and underenthused.  "Yippee...another trip to the orthopedist!  I'm so excited!"  "Woohoo!  Another cloudy day...how cheerful!"  Throw in a fender bender and the normal demands of life and I've been in a funk.  I felt like I have been running from morning to night and with never a moment to myself...ever.  I just bounce from one commitment to another until I fall into bed at night, exhausted.  Did I mention I've been in a funk?  Really funky.  (Hey, I'm not proud of it, I'm just keeping it real for you all.)

Obviously, my dearest friend could see my normally cheerful facade fraying at the edges and needed to have my spirit refreshed.  She used one of her precious Paperback Swap credits to surprise me with the most amazing book.  Truly.  I haven't read a book like this book in ages.  In fact, I'm not sure I've read a book like this ever.  Here's the thing, though...I hadn't ever heard of it before my friend mentioned it to me.  Now I can't imagine having missed this novel...it is that good.

The Little Book by Selden Edwards was a rare treat...a book that drew me in, avoided the many opportunities for cliches, and kept giving right up until the oh-so-satisfying conclusion.  It was described as a love story, but it was really a life story...filled with philosophy, history, wisdom, and, of course, love.  It was woven together so sweetly, I don't have the words to describe how beautiful this book was. 

It took me a few days to finish this book because my life doesn't allow for hours curled up on a couch, but that was okay by me.  I found myself looking forward to sneaking 15 minutes here and 20 minutes there.  I shoved it in my purse for waiting room time.  I brought it in the car when I headed off to pick up my daughter from youth group.  It is that good.

I urge you to read this book...it was truly a work of art.  It sounds cliche (which the author avoids), but this book is truly amazing.  Oh, and it is a fabulous cure for the Winter Blues.

PS.  A - I know you want me to send it on to Superman for him to read, but I'm just not sure I can give it up.  I am so grateful you thought to gift me with it.  You are an amazing friend.

Paperback Swap is wonderful!

I love to read. Really, I love, love, love to read. If I have spare time, you will find me curled up with a book somewhere. I've been that way for as long as I can remember and, if given the opportunity, I could read a book a day. I don't like to spend a lot of money on books, though. I like used book bins at our library. In fact, I love our local library system...it is fantastic, but there are times I can't find what I'm looking for at the library and buying books at the bookstore is very expensive. That is where Paperback Swap (www.paperbackswap.com) comes in. Paperback Swap is an online resource that allows you to "trade" books with people all over the country. It is amazing.




This is how it works: You have ten books on your bookshelf that you're not reading and don't need to keep. They can be any genre and they don't have to be paperbacks. You list your books on your virtual "bookshelf" and immediately get two "credits" so you can get books yourself. (Listing your books is easy, too...they just ask you to type in the ISBN number which is above the UPC code and it recognizes your book.) Each book trades for a credit, so before even sending out a book, you have the opportunity to request two books be shipped to you. Every time a book of yours is requested, you print out a shipping label on your normal paper, use that label to wrap your book, tape it, put postage on it, and ship it out. You pay for the postage (media mail) to ship your books when they're requested, but you never pay to receive a book. Each time you ship a book, you get another credit to use for a book you wanted (remember, it is clearing out your bookshelf). It is that simple. When you receive books you've ordered, you acknowledge that it has been received and the sender gets their credit for shipping out a book to you. There is no fee for membership...the only thing you pay is postage on outgoing books, which gets you credits to request books. (If you're wondering, postage averages $2.23 for media mail...that means each credit costs me $2.23...far less than even the bargain table at the bookstore.). There are literally millions of books to choose from (3,370,751 when I last checked!).

When I first joined up, I got rid of cookbooks, romance novels, science fiction novels, whodunit novels, self-help novels, the works. Now I just repost books I've gotten from other swappers...it is great to have a revolving bookshelf. (When Charming signed up, he got rid of anime books...I think all of his were snapped up in 3 days!) You can even do books on tape. Also, they have a sister site for DVD swapping, too: Swap A DVD.

So, clear out some space in your house by getting rid of books you aren't reading by joining Paperback Swap. Oh, if you want any of my books, you can find me via a member search: 'thenagle5'!