Hi All,
It’s been a long while hasn’t it!
March was not a very successful reading month but April was a better month. Finished 2 book and listened to a 4 personal/communication development books.
The Friend Zone – Abby Jimenez
[★★☆☆☆]
Synopsis:
Kristen Petersen doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen—especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.
Review:
TL;DR
This was a very predictable plot except for one part, The ending was dragged on for so damn long. And over all I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped too.
Why I really didn’t like it:
I really didn’t like Kristen. For a girl who “doesn’t do drama” she was annoyingly dramatic. I hated how she was sending mix signals (but also not really), stringing Josh along, and making the relationship a lot more complicated than it needed to be. I will sympathize with her on the feeling of “unworthiness” and “fear of rejection” because of her medical issues and Not wanting to be the cause of someone else’s dream not being fulfilled. However, like she said, he is a grown ass man and can make is own damn decisions.
I didn’t like how many types of females were put down just to paint Kristen as a “cool, not your typical girl” when all I saw was – Kristen literally being THE cool typical basic white girl.
Josh was a strangely perfect (I need myself a josh) and I’m glad kirsten found someone to love her. But wish She woulda just stop being a lil Bish in denial (with all the relationship). Lol
The bitter ass part of me wished Josh woulda died and she can live in regret for the rest of her life treating him the way that she did. shit.
Spin the Dawn – Elizabeth Lim
[★★★☆☆]
Synopsis:
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Review:
Overall the book was enjoyable…
What I was most disappointed with for this book was how similar it was to Mulan and her own retelling of Mulan- Reflection (review found here). Everytime I came upon a part that was found in either story it frustrated me a lot. To me, It showed a lack of creativity. After reading Reflection, I had hope for this author.. and thought that the author was going to create her own unique story with this series, but it really felt like I was just reading another retelling of <ulan but with different characters and other additional details and plots.
Despite all that, I did enjoy the parts that weren’t super “inspired” by Mulan; the missions to get each item.. however, it was done and over with so quick I didn’t even get to feeeeeel anything…I also didn’t LOVE the characters, but I enjoyed the dynamic between our main characters (even though some things that happened annoyed me *ahem kinda insta love-ish*ahem risking their own life to save lover..(what’s the word for those people again? Something fool… ) not saying they were bad characters.. I just didn’t care for any of them very much. I did liked Eden, and think he has a deeper back story I’d like to learn more about.
There are some things that intrigued me in the book but I’m sure there will be more explanations for them in the books to come…I think this author has great potential but I also believe She still needs to find her own unique voice and story. Not sure if I will continue the story yet… we will see…
Do I recommend it? eh.. it wasn’t bad. I just couldn’t get over the Mulan and her retelling similarities. But if people like that then for sure.
AUDIO BOOKS:
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment – Steve Harvey
[★★☆☆☆]
Synopsis:
The #1 New York Times bestseller from the new guru of relationship advice, Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is an invaluable self-help book that can empower women everywhere to take control of their relationships. The host of a top-rated radio show listened to by millions daily—and of cable TV’s The Steve Harvey Project—Harvey knows what men really think about love, intimacy, and commitment. In Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, the author, media personality, and stand-up comedian gets serious, sharing his wealth of knowledge, insight, and no-nonsense advice for every good woman who wants to find a good man or make her current love last.
Review:
I listened to the audiobook. It was interesting. Many things we, as women, already knew but I still learned a lot /kind of confirmed a lot about how men think. I believe the concepts may be applicable to any men. However, I feel his audience is catered to Black/African American specificallt. I also think some of his views are a bit old and can definitely be triggering for many feminists, or modern day empowered females. So definitely go in with an open mind and remember that his opinions are just HIS opinions, and doesn’t mean it is applicable to all men or is the only way or the truth. I’m curious what men think. Would you say this an accurate portrayal?
It’s all In Your Head – Russ
[★★★☆☆]
Synopsis:
Twenty-seven-year-old rapper, songwriter, and producer Russ walks his own path, at his own pace. By doing so, he proved that he didn’t need a major label to surpass over a billion streams on Spotify/Apple Music, get on Forbes’ 2019 “30 Under 30,” make the Forbes‘ “30 Under 30 Cash Kings” at number 20 for most earned, sell out arenas across the U.S. and around the globe, and become one of the most popular and engaged rappers right now. His method was simple: love and believe in yourself absolutely and work hard no matter what. In this memoir, Russ inspires readers to walk to their individual rhythms and beat their biggest obstacles: themselves.
Review:
I don’t know who he is, and never listened to his music before. Maybe I’ll look him up later, but I enjoyed learning about his journey. I listened to the audiobook, and You can really feel his passion and optimism.Although it told me a lot of what I already know and the usual “follow your dream, work hard, don’t quite, believe in yourself” etc etc… it can be very inspiring as well especially for those wanting to have a music career. It called me out a couple times too. Lol
The Art of Nonviolent Communication – Micah Salaberrios
[★★☆☆☆]
Synopsis:
A handbook designed to help you communicate with more authenticity, clarity, and empathy while in the midst of a conflict by using the principles of NVC. It will show you the most common pitfalls I come across while teaching and how to help avoid them. This book can help you speak with 100% authenticity without judging, blaming, or condemning anyone. Using the tools and strategies outlined in this book you will soon be able to turn every conflict into a deeper, more profound connection.
Review:
Basic and useful information nothing new or over the top. It’s kind of formulaic.
* When you are frustrated at someone, state a fact about what they are doing, express a feeling or need which this triggers for you without blaming them, and then request they do something which will appease you both.
* If you ask something of someone, but there will be some form of punishment them if they don’t do it, then this is a demand not a request.
* If the above doesn’t work, then you say “are you feeling X? when y?” where X is your best guess. This is called “emergency empathy”.
I know some people probably do communicate like in the handbook but I think the information found here can be really helpful when mediating more so than when being the ones in the argument since we run on emotion a lot of the time and are usually not in the mental state to express ourselves calmly and clearly. It’s information that’s nice to keep in mind while reading it and for reflection but will definitely be hard to apply in real life if you don’t normally communicate that way. I don’t think it’s the most genuine way of communication, but it’ll definitely help in understanding the person.
4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication- Bento C. Leal III
[★★☆☆☆]
A How-To Guide for Practicing the Empathic Listening, Speaking, and
Dialogue Skills to Achieve Relationship Success with the Important People in Your Life — Including the “12-Day Communication Challenge!”
Review:
Short, concise, straight to the point. Again, nothing new or over the top but still helpful information to keep in mind when working towards a more effective way to communicate and will require a lot of effort in order to apply it in real life. Also a bit formulaic but it’s more so to help you be more aware and develop better communication habits via listening, speaking, and showing empathy.
SaltyReader 