Book Review: Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal

Hello Dear Readers,

Below is my book review of Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal.

Title: Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Non-Fiction/Self-Help

Author: Ali Abdaal

Publisher: Celadon Books
Publication Date: December 26, 2023

Language: English

Hardcover: 304 pages
Meet the Author: Ali Abdaal
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

The secret to productivity isn’t discipline. It’s joy.

We think that productivity is all about hard work. That the road to success is lined with endless frustration and toil. But what if there’s another way?

Dr Ali Abdaal – the world's most-followed productivity expert – has uncovered an easier and happier path to success. Drawing on decades of psychological research, he has found that the secret to productivity and success isn't grind – it's feeling good. If you can make your work feel good, then productivity takes care of itself.

In this revolutionary book, Ali reveals how the science of feel-good productivity can transform your life. He introduces the three hidden 'energizers' that underpin enjoyable productivity, the three 'blockers' we must overcome to beat procrastination, and the three 'sustainers' that prevent burnout and help us achieve lasting fulfillment. He recounts the inspiring stories of founders, Olympians, and Nobel-winning scientists who embody the principles of Feel-Good Productivity. And he introduces the simple, actionable changes that you can use to achieve more and live better, starting today.

Armed with Ali’s insights, you won’t just accomplish more. You’ll feel happier and more fulfilled along the way.

My Thoughts

I used to watch Ali's videos on YouTube, and I really enjoyed them. Very informative for the most part. My favorites always were when he did book reviews. Have not watched lately so not sure what is going on on his channel but overall I think his content is good.

That being said, I have come to dislike a little all these YouTubers talking about productivity, how to be productive, how to better manage your time, find a life-work balance, etc. Granted Ali seems to be better formed professionally and academically to talk about the subject than other content creators but for me it has been a subject overtalked, almost becoming very repetitive. 

Not different from this book. I have read other books stating similar concepts, and similar advice. A good attempt. Well-written and structured but unfortunately for me it was not a game changer. I enjoyed reading it and can appreciate the time and work the author put into this book.

Thank you Celadon Books and Netgalley for the Advanced Free Copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: Columbine by Dave Cullen-Crime Biographies

 Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of Columbine by Dave Cullen.

Title: Columbine

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Crime Biographies

Author: Dave Cullen

Publisher: Twelve
Publication Date: March 03, 2010

Language: English

Paperback: 496 pages
Meet the Author: Dave Cullen
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Ten years in the works, a masterpiece of reportage, this is the definitive account of the Columbine massacre, its aftermath, and its significance, from the acclaimed journalist who followed the story from the outset.

"The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . ."

So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. In the wake of Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, the imperative to understand the crime that sparked this plague grows more urgent every year.

What really happened April 20, 1999? The horror left an indelible stamp on the American psyche, but most of what we "know" is wrong. It wasn't about jocks, Goths, or the Trench Coat Mafia. Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters on scene, and spent ten years on this book-widely recognized as the definitive account. With a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen, he draws on mountains of evidence, insight from the world's leading forensic psychologists, and the killers' own words and drawings-several reproduced in a new appendix. Cullen paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors.

Expanded with a New Epilogue.

My Thoughts

Wow, just wow. This is probably one of the best non-fiction book I have ever read.

The amount of research, the level of detail, the way Dave Cullen tells the story. From the killers story, to the victims, their parents, the survivors, the planning of the massacre, the killers parents, how the media's wrong interpretation of the facts became the truth, and how bad things were handling by the authorities. Dave Cullen does not leave anything out. A great piece of investigative journalism, on one of the most horrific school shootings in USA history.

Definitely a book I will never forget. 

Wendy

Book Review: The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz (Author), Julie Schwietert Collazo -Memoir/Immigration

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz (Author), Julie Schwietert Collazo.

Title: The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Memoir/Immigration

Author: Rosayra Pablo Cruz (Author), Julie Schwietert Collazo

Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: June 02, 2020

Language: English

Hardcover: 256 pages
Meet the Author: Rosayra Pablo Cruz
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

A searing tale of the human lives behind the immigration crisis, written by two remarkable mothers—a Central American woman whose children were taken from her and the American who helped reunite the family.

When Rosayra Pablo Cruz made the wrenching decision to seek asylum in the United States with two of her children, five-year-old Fernando and fifteen-year-old Yordy, she knew the journey would be incredibly difficult, dangerous, and potentially deadly. But violence had made life in Guatemala untenable; Rosy knew her family’s only chance to survive was to go north.

After a perilous journey that left them dehydrated, starved, and exhausted, Rosy, Fernando, and Yordy crossed into Arizona. Almost immediately, they were forcibly separated by government officials under the Department of Homeland Security’s “zero tolerance” policy.

In The Book of Rosy, Rosy and Julie Schwietert Collazo, founder of Immigrant Families Together, the grassroots organization founded to reunite mothers with their children, tell Rosy’s story. They expose the cruel conditions of the detention facilities, the unbearable anxiety of having her children ripped away, and the faith and love that helped her through the darkest time. 

A gripping, unflinching depiction of the human cost of inhumane policies and the unbreakable bonds of family, faith, and community.

My Thoughts

I devoured this book. I could not stop reading it. I have never gone through or been in the position the author was, however, I strongly believe this is in indeed an accurate representation of what people at the border experience. I know it could be seem as cliche or easy to say for me, but I admire when people like Rosy share their experiences, when they are brave enough or feel compelled to do something about it. Somehow, help the others that are living the same pain and suffering to have hope.

For us readers, it is a way to better understand and not easily judge or think all the people trying to cross the border are bad people, like they want us to believe. I can only imagine how hard and heartbreaking was for Rosy, and all the other moms there, to be separated from their children and for them as well, being without their moms, for such longs periods of times. Granted they are taking care of but is it not the same. 

This certainly won't be the last book I will be reading on the subject of immigration, border stories, border separation. I want to know of other people's stories and better educated myself. I think we as a society have the responsibility to understand that behind the pain, the suffering, the difficulties, are real people and we have an obligation not to judge but understand and be more compassionate.

Wendy

Book Review: The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff-Nonfiction

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff.

Title: The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Nonfiction

Author: Garrett M. Graff

Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Language: English

Hardcover: 512 pages
Meet the Author: Garrett M. Graff
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“This is history at its most immediate and moving…A marvelous and memorable book.” —Jon Meacham

“Remarkable…A priceless civic gift…On page after page, a reader will encounter words that startle, or make him angry, or heartbroken.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Visceral...I repeatedly cried…This book captures the emotions and unspooling horror of the day.” —NPR

“Had me turning each page with my heart in my throat…There’s been a lot written about 9/11, but nothing like this. I urge you to read it.” —Katie Couric

The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001—a panoramic narrative woven from the voices of Americans on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma.

Over the past eighteen years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower, which traced the rise of al-Qaeda, to The 9/11 Commission Report, the government’s definitive factual retrospective of the attacks. But one perspective has been missing up to this point—a 360-degree account of the day told through the voices of the people who experienced it.

Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, award-winning journalist and bestselling historian Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived—in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, Graff paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.

Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York City, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker underneath the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard the small number of unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United Flight 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid.

More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son working in the North Tower, caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger’s last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from rushing into the burning building to try to rescue their colleagues.

At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives.

My Thoughts

The best book I read this year, period. Very different perspective from all the other things I read or watched about 9/11 before. 

Hearing from actual survivors (I listened to the Audiobook) was so heartbreaking, but that was what made this book so real and unique for me.

That is the word I use to describe this book and my experience reading it, real. I cannot think of sometime else. All the feelings, all the sadness, all the heartbreak I felt was real, and I think the people on this book was very brave to share that painful experience they went through this way with the world, with us the readers.

The Only Plane in the Sky is one of these books that you don’t forget, that you cannot forget, a must read, a book I will never get tired of recommend. 


Wendy

Book Review: WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach-Nonfiction

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach.

Title: WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Nonfiction

Author: Abby Wambach

Publisher: Celadon Books

Publication Date: April 9, 2019

Language: English

Hardcover: 112 pages
Meet the Author: Abby Wambach
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Based on her inspiring, viral 2018 commencement speech to Barnard College graduates in New York City, New York Times bestselling author, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA World Cup champion Abby Wambach delivers her empowering rally cry for women to unleash their individual power, unite with their pack, and emerge victorious together.

Abby Wambach became a champion because of her incredible talent as a soccer player. She became an icon because of her remarkable wisdom as a leader. As the co-captain of the 2015 Women’s World Cup Champion Team, she created a culture not just of excellence, but of honor, commitment, resilience, and sisterhood. She helped transform a group of individual women into one of the most successful, powerful and united Wolfpacks of all time.

In her retirement, Abby’s ready to do the same for her new team: All Women Everywhere.

In Wolfpack, Abby’s message to women is:

We have never been Little Red Riding Hood. We Are the Wolves.

We must wander off the path and blaze a new one: together.

She insists that women must let go of old rules of leadership that neither include or serve them. She’s created a new set of Wolfpack rules to help women unleash their individual power, unite with their Wolfpack, and change the landscape of their lives and world: from the family room to the boardroom to the White House.

· Make failure your fuel: Transform failure to wisdom and power. 

· Lead from the bench: Lead from wherever you are. 

· Champion each other: Claim each woman’s victory as your own. 

· Demand the effing ball: Don’t ask permission: take what you’ve earned.

In Abby’s vision, we are not Little Red Riding Hoods, staying on the path because we’re told to. We are the wolves, fighting for a better tomorrow for ourselves, our pack, and all the future wolves who will come after us.

My Thoughts

Wow, wow, wow. Even though this is a very short and fast-paced book but what a powerful and uplifting one it is. One of these books that leaves you wanting more. Abby Wambach is such an inspiration. A woman encouraging other women. 

By sharing her own experiences, Abby shows us that our voice is important, that women, we are unique but together we can be the difference, that we together can make the difference. 

I loved this book, from page one to the end. A wonderful source of inspiration, knowledge, encouragement, love and unity.

ONE: YOU WERE ALWAYS THE WOLF
Old Rule: Stay on the path
New Rule: Create your own path

TWO: BE GRATEFUL AND AMBITIOUS
Old Rule: Be grateful for what you have
New Rule: Be grateful for what you have AND demand what you deserve

THREE: LEAD FROM THE BENCH
Old Rule: Wait for permission to lead
New Rule: Lead now- from wherever you are

FOUR: MAKE FAILURE YOUR FUEL
Old Rule: Failure means you’re out of the game
New Rule: Failure means you’re finally IN the game

FIVE: CHAMPION EACH OTHER
Old Rule: Be against each other
New Rule: Be FOR each other

SIX: DEMAND THE BALL
Old Rule: Be polite. Pass the ball
New Rule: Be confident. Demand the ball

SEVEN: BRING IT ALL
Old Rule: Lead with Dominance to Amass Followers
New Rule: Lead with Full Humanity to Cultivate Leaders

EIGHTH: FIND YOUR PACK
Old Rule: You’re on your own
New Rule: You’re at not alone. You’ve got your Pack

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai-Nonfiction/Autobiography

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai.

Title: We Are Displaced

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Nonfiction/Autobiography

Author: Malala Yousafzai

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 8, 2019

Language: English

Hardcover: 224 pages
Meet the Author: Malala Yousafzai
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

In her powerful new book, Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Malala Yousafzai introduces some of the people behind the statistics and news stories about the millions of people displaced worldwide. 

Malala's experiences visiting refugee camps caused her to reconsider her own displacement - first as an Internally Displaced Person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world except to the home she loved. In We Are Displaced, which is part memoir, part communal storytelling, Malala not only explores her own story, but she also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her journeys - girls who have lost their community, relatives, and often the only world they've ever known. 

In a time of immigration crisis, war, and border conflicts, We Are Displaced is an important reminder from one of the world's most prominent young activists that every single one of the 68.5 million currently displaced is a person - often a young person - with hopes and dreams.

My Thoughts

We always hear stories about the Refugees. What you see on social media or the News. 

However, when you read it from the very people that has suffered and continue suffering from having to leave their homes in such painful and cruel circumstances, it does not get any more real than that. That is what makes this book so powerful, because we have the opportunity to hear the story, the real story of why and how, not what can be, could be or may or may not, but what it is, what happened and what is happening. 

I have always admired Malala, since I first heard and read her story and now with this book I continue believing what she is doing for girls, for women around the world is very important, those stories we have the chance to know about on this book are powerful, stories people need to read, to understand.

There were times while reading the book, well, pretty much the whole book, when I couldn't help but think most of us on this planet, like me, we are very lucky we have not gone through what the girls on this book went through. I understand it is really easy to say that but after you read this book it really makes you realize that yes, we are lucky. 

I cried, yes, because most of the time we are so caught up in our own world, and problems, which is not bad, we need to take care and worry for ourselves but we don't stop to think that other people are going through more painful things. I can't imagine what I would do if one day I would have to leave my home, my family, all that I know because if I dont I could die. 

I feel such respect and admiration for all the girls and women on this book. They were able to escape the horrors, they had hope and they believed they could have a better life and more important, they are helping other people going through the same situation. Even though some of them suffered real bad and lost their families but still they have the strength and the desire to help others and continue to fight for a better life even if that means they had to leave everything they knew not by choice but because there was no option.

This book also helped to better understand what Refugees go through by reading the stories on it, and that is it very important to educate ourselves. How we can help and be involved. I did not know for example that people can be displaced, can be refugees in their own countries.

This is a very emotional, powerfull, eye-opening book. The message intended is very clear. More books like this need to be written and known to everybody out there. 

Wendy

Book Review: I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends by Kelsey Miller-Entertainment/Nonfiction

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends by Kelsey Miller.

Title: I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Entertainment/Nonfiction
Author: Kelsey Miller

Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: October 23, 2018

Language: English

Hardcover: 304 pages
Meet the Author: Kelsey Miller
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

A Bustle Book to Know in October

An InStyle 10 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down This October

SIX FRIENDS THAT BECAME A FAMILY.

A TELEVISION SHOW THAT BECAME A PHENOMENON.
Today, Friends is remembered as an icon of ’90s comedy and the Must See TV years. But when the series debuted in 1994, no one anticipated the sensation it would become. From the first wave of Friendsmania to the backlash and renaissance that followed, the show maintained an uncanny connection to its audience, who saw it both as a reflection of their own lives and an aspirational escape from reality. In the years since, Friends has evolved from prime-time megahit to nostalgic novelty, and finally, to certified classic. Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe have entered the pantheon of great television characters, and yet their stories remain relevant still.

I’ll Be There for You is a deep dive into Friends history and lore, exploring all aspects of the show, from its unlikely origins to the societal conditions that amplified its success. Journalist and pop culture expert Kelsey Miller relives the show’s most powerful moments, sheds light on its sometimes dated and problematic elements, and examines the worldwide trends that Friends catalyzed, from contemporary coffee culture to the wildly popular ’90s haircut The Rachel. Taking readers behind the scenes, Miller traces the cast’s rise to fame and untangles the complex relationship between the actors and their characters. Weaving in revelatory interviews and personal stories, she investigates the role of celebrity media, world-changing events and the dawning of the digital age—all of which influenced both the series and its viewers.

I’ll Be There for You is the definitive retrospective of Friends, not only for fans of the series, but for anyone who’s ever wondered what it is about this show—and television comedy—that resonates so powerfully. 

My Thoughts

Thanks to the Instagram book community for posting about this book. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. Friends is my all time favorite TV Show. I can watch it over and over and over again and never get tired of it. 

I love and will always love the show but the feeling I got while reading this book was this is a raw eye opener on the show in general, the characters and all things surrounded it during the ten seasons on air. I don't mean this in a bad way but I don't think I will ever be able to watch the show again without inevitably thinking or remembering all the details described in here. Things that I personally would have not noticed, care about or think of otherwise. 

What I loved how the beginnings of the show are told, about how each actor/actress got to be one of the Friends, how strong their friendship really was off camera. How it is mentioned which episodes are the most powerful because it makes you think about it and also it is good to see how other people share the same feelings about the show, how it was/still is a sort of comfort, escape or just a way to go back to that period of time, the 90's, which for lots of us will always be the best time ever. What I did not like, I did not want the book to end, but oh well, again, will it ever be enough when it come to Friends? Don't think so. 

Thanks you Netgalley and the Publisher for the free Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy