Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows by Rod McKuen

My grandmother had a box of books, none of which initially interested me, that have been sitting on the bottom of my bookshelf.  Shamefully, I'll admit that I was looking for the shortest book I could find, when I stumbled across Stanyan Street.  The inside of the dust jacket said that the author, Rod McKuen, was one of the best contemporary song writers of the current time.  A list of fifteen records were all outlined on the back flap of the book.  I then noticed my great grandmother's signature and date on the first page - Peg Phelps 1967.  Intrigued, I decided to start reading.

Before I give my opinion on his collection, I have to say that I'm not the biggest fan of poetry as a genre.  I probably appreciate it more than the average person, but I certainly do not go out of my way to read it.  I find that most poets feel the need to play up an aesthetic doused in melancholy, angst, and futile relationships.  Mr. McKuen followed that trend.  What may come across as sensitive and introspective to some just seems despondent and woe-is-me personally.  He starts out the book diving straight into his father-son abandonment issues.  Then seems to point out multiple times that he won't even give a romantic relationships a real chance because he knows they will eventually fail.  It reminds me a little of "The Catcher in the Rye."  Some people can read that book and feel empathetic and relate to Holden, while other readers just want him to get over his attitude and grow up.  In the same vein, I just wanted Rod McKuen to get over his depressive drama and realize there is more to life.  As a positive, I think his poetry stands the test of time.  I think that a lot of poetry lovers would still appreciate his work today.  I don't think there is anything wrong with his style of writing, the expressiveness, or his skill level.  I just think he needs to cheer up and get over himself a little!

My great grandmother had bookmarked a poem called "Spring Song", but that one was still a little too depressing for me.  The one that seemed to peak my interest was called "Camera."  I've copied it down below for you all to read.  I hope you enjoy!

I stand just so.

Your camera winks me into permanence

acne scars

               tired eyes

wrinkles on my forehead

more naked than I have ever been

               (especially to one

               I love so very much).

I used to be afraid to look completely real

the sun was just my friend sometimes

when brown from sea and sky made things all right --

always afraid to be anything but young

and envying beauty

               even on the face of strangers

Is this what growing up means

the reality of lighting over public mirrors?

Or is my confidence in love so great

that I worry not

to let you see me at my worst?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

When people describe the fall season, some quintessential moments may be the chill air, crisp leaves in an array of colors, football games, apple cider, cozy flannels, and maybe even some scarier Halloween related activities.  Evidently, "The Night Circus" is a part of that category as well in the book-reading community.  I had heard quite a few recommendations for the book, but never really felt inspired to pick it up.  It just so happens that the book captures a lot of those classic fall motifs and really draws you into the spirit of the season.  Since reading the book, I have seen multiple readers coming out of the woodwork saying they are preparing for their annual fall re-read of this book.  I'm grateful that I happened to read it at the opportune time.  I highly recommend reading this book during the fall/colder season versus spring or summer.

It is reported that the author starting writing the book for NaNoWriMo, which is short for the National Novel Writing Month.  This is more of an internet spread idea in which people attempt to write a novel (50,000 words) during the month of November.  Wikipedia states that she wrote the book over the span of three NaNoWriMo's.

This is a fantasy novel written about a circus that will appear in different cities without warning and perform for a short amount of time before packing up and moving to a different unannounced location.  Within the circus, there is a competition that has been in the works for years.  There is mystery surrounding the circus performers, the rivalry, and a peculiar charm that seems to envelope the reveurs (devoted fans) of the circus.  I don't want to spoil the mystery and allure of the story, so I won't delve into the plot any further.

The writing is glorious.  I feel like I've read a lot of books that have been character driven lately, where the plot and "world" that the author creates were a little lack-luster.  It was refreshing to dive into a book that seems to sweep you away from reality.  You really feel transported to the Night Circus and can imagine being there, even with all of the fantasy aspects.  There are some people who may not appeal to the fantasy genre, but I think the fact that it takes place in a circus helps with that.  People expect wonderment, intrigue, and mind games in a circus so adding some additional fantasy story lines to the normal slight of hand tricks isn't too far of stretch.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I definitely think it's well worth the read if it sounds like it follows your normal interests.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown

Brene Brown is one of my go-to authors for self-help and non fiction books.  Rather than covering the classic self-help topics like weight loss or anxiety, her research covers vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy.  Brene helps shine a light on common humanity, a concept that we are all experiencing and suffering with the same issues, to remind the reader that we are all working on bettering ourselves rather than suffering through embarrassment alone.

This book in particular was supposed to cover themes on fitting in and authenticity.  This is something that I've really been focusing on in my own life, so I was highly anticipating this read.  Unfortunately, I wasn't really that blown away by the book.  It was certainly well written, and it's okay as a stand alone book, but I feel like her other books are stronger.

I felt like Brene continued to revert back to politics when trying to describe things.  As an example, she talks about how fitting in can feel difficult when you are surrounded by people with different political ideals than you.  It's true.  We can be a very divided country in this day and age.  But.... politics, in general, can be a very touchy subject.  I can tell that she feels very passionate about the political vibe of our country, but I just didn't appreciate how she continued to tie it into all of her subject matter.  I also saw a different review on Goodreads from someone outside of America who said she couldn't follow all of the political references.

To be entirely honest, I think this would have made a better master class or TED talk than a brand new book.  I don't think she had enough new content for a $28 book.

A lot of the concepts or ideas she brings to the table are valid and thought provoking.  Truly, she is a fabulous researcher.  It just wasn't enough new data, her views were a little biased, and it wasn't always in the right context to constitute the book.  It was a strike for me.  I would highly recommend her other works like "Daring Greatly" or "Rising Strong" if you're going to pick up one of her books.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

My mom was catching up with an old friend, who is now a middle school English teacher.  She was talking about the books on her class syllabus this year being The Giver, The Hobbit, and Wonder.  My mom asked if the teacher had an extra copy she could borrow, which thankfully she lent us.  The Giver and The Hobbit are both stellar books, and the teacher raved about how wonderful Wonder was as well.  For it to be in the same category as the other two, I figured it would be worth reading.

We are introduced to August or "Auggie" Pullman, who is going into fifth grade.  To make that situation even more daunting, this is Auggie's first year in a public school setting.  He has previously been home schooled due to all of his vast medical issues.  Auggie was born with a condition called mandibulofacial dysostosis, which can result in facial abnormalities.  Throughout the book, he has to battle with the normal struggles of fitting in, making friends, and school work, all while his classmates whisper behind his back and are afraid to touch him because of how he looks.

Not only do we see Auggie's point of view during the school year, but we are given insight into a few different characters as well.  We see some view points of Auggie's friends, Auggie's sister (Via or Olivia), and a few other outer characters as well.  This allows the reader to see an outsider's perspective on Auggie's teasing and how his friend's and family react to his trials.  Auggie knows the difficulty he faces on a day to day basis, but I don't know if he realizes the difficulties his friend's and family face to be there for him the way they choose to be.

I think this is a fabulous book for a middle school English class.  It seems like it would be a wonderful way to drive home an anti-bullying policy instead of trying to lecture from the front of the classroom.  You feel invested with the characters and truly want to see the best for all of them.  I would love to see a future book about Auggie going to high school to see a follow-up timeline.  I do know that the book is being made into a movie starring Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, and Jacob Tremblay, but I'm not sure when it's coming to theaters.  In the end, Wonder shows us the power of kindness, the strength of friendship, and that you can always overcome your adversities.  It's a lovely, heartwarming story that is well worth the read.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I recently went to Barnes & Noble to buy some books for my birthday.  I found a table that had a buy 2 get 1 free deal, but you had to pick books on the table.  Immediately I knew two books I wanted.  I had no idea what I wanted for the third book.  So I meandered around, picked up a few different books, read a few different pages, and stumbled across this book.  I had never heard of it before, never heard of the author, and had no idea what it was about.  But I've always been interested in cognitive science (science of the brain) and a "why we do the things we do" study of psychology.  It peaked my interest enough where I picked it up and brought it home.  As soon as I started reading it, I realized I would need a highlighter for all of the morsels of knowledge Duhigg provides along the way.

The book covers three different sections.  The first section explains how habits form as part of every day life.  It breaks down the science behind the formation of habits and how we can change them.  The second part of the book shows how to focus on successful habits to grow an organization or company.  The third part looks at large society groups, like churches or the civil rights movement, and how they respond to habits.  Throughout each section, it continually reminds you how the habits are formed.

As I'm finishing the book, my group of friends has decided to go on a diet starting August 1st.  Here I am reading a book about understanding your habits (both good and bad), learning how to change bad habits and create new habits, and finding the insight to recognize why I may have failed before.  What wonderful insight it has provided for me!  I still have to put in the hard work, but at least I feel like I know what to look for now.  I can follow some of the advice and plans in the book to set myself up for a better chance at success.  I really am intrigued to know if my diet will be more successful now that I've read this book.

Not only did the book make me think about my upcoming diet plans with my friends, but it opened up the thought process for a number of different habits I've formed.  To quote from the first chapter, "more than 40 percent of the actions people performed each day" aren't actual decisions, but habits.  If we can become more observant and retrospective as to why we have created habits for ourselves, it is remarkable to think of the outcome we may be able to have.  Of course, there are positive habits.  Not all of them are negative.  I guess the point is to sit and understand why the habit exists, if it is a positive or negative habit, and if there is a way to change it for the better.  I may not want to change every habit I have ever formed, but I'm hoping that this book has at least given me the option to change some of my habits for the better.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon is the current "it girl" of young adult literature.  Both of her books are New York Times Bestsellers, and her previous book was recently released as a film.  The cover art of this particular book is STUNNING.  Seriously beautiful.  I'm sure you've all heard the adage to "never judge a book by its cover" before, but I'm positive that people have picked up this book purely because of the beautiful cover art.  I wouldn't be surprised if this book is a movie in a year or two based on how well it has been doing.

"The Sun is Also A Star" is a story about Natasha and Daniel.  Daniel is scheduled to have a recommendation interview so he can attend Yale in a few years.  Natasha's family is going to be deported at the end of the day, and she is desperate to find a way to stay.  The book follows all of the details and happenstance moments of the one day they have together in New York City.  Natasha is a realist, cynic, and data driven pessimist.  Daniel is a hopeless romantic, a poet, and waits for the wind to blow him in the right direction.  Opposites truly attract in their situation.  Daniel falls head over heals for Natasha within moments of meeting her.  He then tries to convince Natasha that he can make her fall in love with him.  Throughout the day, we also catch glimpses into the backstory of why Natasha's family is being deported, Daniel's resistance to attending Yale, and other people they meet along the journey.

Similar to my "Catcher in the Rye" review, I think you will appreciate the book more if you truly enjoy the young adult genre and/or you are a young adult.  It had the tear-jerking, heavy make-out scenes, and easy-read style of a young adult book, but it doesn't have the same romantic capacity of a Nicholas Sparks book.  I thought it was really sweet and endearing to peak into the character's lives for a day instead of spending years following a relationship.  It makes it a much more casual read, but you still feel invested in the outcome.  I can understand why the young adult generation is raving about the book so wildly.

I think a lot of people are drawn to the book for her diversity in character development as well.  The typical blonde-hair, blue-eyed, popular girl is such romance novel trope character.  Seeing teenage characters that are actually outside that realm is refreshing and different.  The plot lines around deportation and family loyalty were such a lovely dynamic.  Granted, I haven't read a wide selection of other romance novels recently, so they may all revolve around similar themes nowadays.  Maybe I need to read other romance books to truly compare.  Perhaps that will be a future review for a different month!

You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero

I started out my book review blog with "You are a Badass" by Jen Sincero, and here I am 6 months later reading another book of hers.  I may not be covering the most broad spectrum of books, but I'm telling you, there is something about these books that lights a fire under my ass.  I'm hoping they will for you too.

While reading the first book, she briefly talks about money struggles and fear surrounding money.  While reading over those sections I realized how much baggage I carry in that department.  I am not afraid to say that I am a frugal person.  I hate to spend money if I don't have to; I cringe while buying necessary items; and I cause myself a ridiculous amount of stress over silly pieces of green paper.  I don't think I am suffering in the money department (thank goodness), but I am one of those people who just wishes I had some more wiggle room every once in awhile.  My mom and I both have these irrational money woes, and we discuss them often with each other.  We were walking through Target grumbling about money - the same Target where the first book popped out at me - and we happen to see this brand new book from Jen Sincero that is ENTIRELY about creating your own solutions when it comes to money worries.  Clearly, we both saw it as a sign, and we both picked up our own copies.  I flew through my copy in a few days.

It feels like the author's intentions are to allow you to dream about your future.  After you dreamed up the most fantastical, wonderful story about your picture-perfect life, she starts to lay out steps on how you can actually move towards that goal.  Then she covers all of the internal mind games you start to say to yourself.  Like why you don't deserve to follow your dreams and be successful at them because your boring, stable, ho-hum job gets you through the day.  It's amazing how you subconsciously (and sometimes consciously too) tell yourself that you don't deserve to be wealthy.  Why shouldn't you be rich?

Most of her thought process seems to follow the Law of Attraction.  If you believe that you can create money making opportunities for yourself, then you will have the willpower to make it happen.  I'm personally a believer in the Law of Attraction.  If I strive to have a positive outlook every day, then I will be more likely to see positive things around me.  If I'm you're negative and hopeless all day, then you look like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh with a sad, little rain cloud over your head.  Jen Sincero expands the options for the Laws of Attraction into the realm of money and tries to take some of the taboo out of it.  

I started putting Jen's ideas to practice after finishing the book.  In an interesting twist to this review, I actually had a remarkable opportunity come my way that affirmed her process.  I found out that I was getting a parking spot through my work, and I would be saving $120 per month.  HUGE!  I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've caught myself saying, "If I just had an extra hundred or two hundred every month..."  And like a sign from heaven I receive the parking pass.  Dream big!  Who knows what joys will come my way if I continue believing I'm a badass at making money.