Laurel
This book has exactly what The Confidence Code was missing. A great look into the catch 22 of being likable and successful that women find ourselves in. Also, it addressed the systemic and organizational biases that perpetuate the impossible standards we're supposed to adhere to. Just a well-written and researched book that encourages you to be authentic and to become the leader you need to be instead of worrying about looking like a leader.
I recommend it.
This book annoyed me. I probably shouldn't have finished it. I didn't get much out of it because of how annoyed I was - or maybe there was nothing to get.
The two authors are journalists, which means the writing is actually pretty good. The content, however, is strictly anecdotal and interview based. I don't think they have the knowledge to correctly correlate the data they gathered, if they do, it wasn't used. They missed or barely touched on two big things -
The first. Women face a systemic bias to being considered leaders and being promoted. Almost every way we act is not the correct way.
Second. NOT ALL QUIET, SHY, AND/OR INTROVERTED PEOPLE ARE NOT CONFIDENT AND MOST DON'T NEED TO BE “FIXED”. They are pushing the nonsensical idea that those are bad, weak, or non-leadership traits. And frankly, that's just ridiculous. I hope someone has taught them otherwise since they published this.
My last main issue is that they're trying to teach you how to be confident like everyone else is. True confidence means you will be who you are and it will show as much. It won't look like how someone else does it and shouldn't. And, frankly, I think successful and true leaders are the same.
Overall, I don't recommend this one.
Julie Zhuo has been at Facebook since its early days. She has risen in the ranks and had to quickly grow into management roles. She is definitely qualified to write about the management experience.
However, this book is.. meh. I didn't get much out of it except other books to read. Her stories were mostly pure anecdotes and not widely applicable.
In my notes, I wrote, “leadership light”. This book is a good starting point to set you in the right direction, but itself doesn't offer much. At least it didn't for me.
I am halfway through this series and am in love with it. Yang has somehow managed to take novellas and create a rich beautiful world that rivals other Fantasy worlds. Their form experimentation has made for an incredibly unique and wonderful read.
I can't even really describe it - but if you love Fantasy, read this series. Seriously.
Also, in honor of PRIDE month, this accidentally worked out well. Not only is the author queer and non-binary, they seamlessly melded the acceptance of varied genders, connections, sexualities, and relationship structures into this world. And I say seamlessly because while the relationships are important, they are also secondary to the inner world and growth of the character. The differences are also accepted without question. It's beautiful.
Set in Iceland during the height if the Spanish Flu and WW1, this novel tells the story of passion and beauty in the midst of the harsh darkness of life. It is written in vignette format and told in first person from Moonstone's point of view.
The book covers a life from a young teenager to adulthood, through snippets. Somehow, even with so little information and detail, Sjón creates a rich story and characters the reader can really connect to.
The prose is simply beautiful and carries you through the whole book before you even know it. Even though the story itself is heartbreaking often.
I definitely recommend it.
I don't have a lot to say about this book other than I liked it quite a bit. I needed a break from all of the dark and sad things I tend to read (don't know if you've noticed....)
This is a very cute romance novel. The main character gets a scholarship to Oxford through the suffragettes and through them meets a Duke. The Duke is, of course, on the opposite political side. And they have an instant connection (because, duh).
The characters are lovely, everyone is mostly likeable- or at least understandable. Overall just a good, happy read.
This book was hard to read. Not surprising, but still hard. It covers four sexual assault cases of University of Montana students. The book tells their story and how each case was handled by the university and by Missoula courts.
Mostly, it's horrific. Victims are re-traumatized repeatedly by the process and suffer abuse by the community as well. Especially when they're accusing star athletes.
Missoula is used for the book because of the media attention it garnered as the “Rape Capital”. However, Krakauer makes it clear that statistically, Missoula is actually lower than average statistics of sexual assault in similar communities.
This is a problem of a system designed to only protect the accused, and not the victim. It's a system built to victim shame. A society which is uncomfortable with accepting the realties of sexual assault. Its a system and society we need to change.
Hard to read, but everyone should.
Apparently this is a sequel... Which I did not know until I went to look up the book for this review. My inner reader nerd will correct this as soon as I can - but I didn't have a hard time following the plot, so I'm thinking there are just some references I'm missing.
In true Palahniuk style, this book is graphic in pretty much every way possible. I just couldn't quite grasp the message on it. It seemed to be covering a lot - too much for me to get a clear picture on what he was trying to say. I have no doubt there is a lot of social commentary contained within, I'm just not sure what the end message was.
Madison is the main character. She is a ghost who is trying to stop Satan's master plan of getting as many people into hell as possible - using her parents.
The book is written in blog form, most posts from Madison with a smattering of other characters throughout.
Though the book is well-written, has its funny moments, and an enjoyable read, it does lack the seamless crafting I've come to expect from Palahniuk's work. But maybe I'll change my mind once I read the first one.
Palahniuk is a very specific taste so, fellow readers, you know who you are and if you want to read this.
TRIGGER WARNING: Contains suicide.
This is just ... not great. A Steampunk novel set in Victorian England. An about to be Debutante's family loses everything and she is faced with helping her family stay afloat and fend for herself. An interest in science and attending university, she sets on the path to a career in that field. However, she is waylaid by an angry mob and ends up joining forces/teaching a young group of street urchins.
My main issue with this book is I don't like the main character. She is conceited, selfish, and condescending. She doesn't really grow out of that. She “embraces” the children she takes into her care, but mostly only to serve her own purposes and remains so distant from them she won't even tell them her name.
Other than that, for such a short book, there are about three separate plotlines introduced. It's too much so nothing gets the detail it deserves.
I was looking forward to this book, but was gravely disappointed. I don't recommend you read it.
TRIGGER WARNING: Cancer
This book is beautiful and heart-wrenching. A memoir by Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon who develops lung cancer which eventually takes his life. This is his journey of life after a terminal diagnosis.
It is a also a reminder of what is actually important - living, how we live, and who we spend our time with. It's a reminder about what's important.
Read with tissues, because goodness this one will make you cry.
Alex is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. This is her first book. In it, she tells her story of learning about and exploring what it is to be a modern-day witch. She explores the history of how the occult and paganism took hold in the US and the differing sects she comes into contact with. Mar explores her own beliefs and her journey within two of the paths.
Outside of this, it's mostly a book about self-exploration and how to learn to live an honest version of yourself, how to find it, and how to acknowledge your own missteps.
I enjoyed it.
A wonderful book on shame, vulnerability, and how to live wholeheartedly through Daring Greatly.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants to step out of the hold shame has on them to live their most authentic life. I wish I had read it when my counselor had suggested it- but I am also not sure I was ready to hear a lot of this.
You will see this book on almost every personal or professional growth list and there's a reason. The methods here will help you in every piece of your life.
Helpful to get a start on Tantric breathing and theory. However, this is very male and penetrative-focused. I appreciate this as the author states he can't speak to experiences he has not had, so goes only into the theory of tantra from the feminine. But in the end, that wasn't helpful to me.
Great book for men or male-identifying tantra beginners.
READ THIS BOOK. Everyone, but especially every woman should read this. It is true insight into all the things we were never taught and that society tells us makes us broken. Biggest takeaway? YOU'RE NORMAL. YOUR BODY IS NORMAL. YOUR SEX DRIVE OR LACK THEREOF IS NORMAL. Also, we really need to stop assuming that men and women work the same medically, we don't. And finally, science is supporting our story too.
Anyway, read this book. It's important.
First in a triology, this is a fantasy novel. It is set in a world where no one reads or writes. The main character, Sefia, has a book, which contains some sort of magic. She is also able to see the past of objects and people with a power she calls her Vision.
It is a fun, if a little predictable, story. Full of adventure, action, a touch of romance, mystery, and even some pirates. I will read at least the second book.
If you need an easy, unique escape, please buy local.
Read. This. Book. Everyone should read this book. This a voice of the oft unheard.
Riva Lehrer is an artist, writer, teacher. She also disabled, queer, and Jewish. She's an inspiration and gives insight on the true meaning of what it is to be human.
I can't encapsulate this book. But in a time when we seem to be slipping backwards and need to step up and fight for those whose voices don't get heard, this is one book you need to read.
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
First published in 1939, just as the US geared up for WWII, this book tells the story of a surviving WWI soldier. It became a famous anti-war novel, used by activists for the Vietnam war. It has truly had an impact on generations and gives a stark outlook on modern warfare. I'm surprised that for these reasons, it is not a required part of school curriculums.
Told in the first person, a recovering soldier tells his life story, switching narratives between his past and his present. What makes this story powerful is that it gives a reality not of the violence of war, as many other anti-war novels focus, but what is left of the life and the man who survived such violence.
A must read for everyone. This is very impactful. Thank you to those who recommended it. I'm glad I read it.
As always, shop local whenever possible: https://bookshop.org/a/17316/9780553274325