Book Club (with Myself) 2

Its been a while since I wrote book reviews and recommendations, and that's because I forgot that I like to read....again. No, I'm not kidding, I literally forget that I like to read, and then I won't do it for months and months. One of my New Year's Initiatives is to read 2 books a month, so hopefully, I won't have time to keep forgetting about this hobby.

Anyway, I finally finished 5 more books since my last Book Club post (4 were from 2016, and the last one was from last week) and here are my reviews and recommendations:


How to Make People like You in 90 seconds or less by Nicholas Boothman

Ok, let me clear the air before I give my review of this book. Over the past 5 or 6 years, I have really grown in my ability to talk to different types of people. Chalk it up to maturing if you want, but it was definitely sped up in the torture years of my life, working selling furniture.... But sometimes I still get conscious about talking to people because I can tell that we're obviously not connecting. This book is NOT about manipulating people, but rather learning to create connections with people almost instantly. The book talks about building rapport with people based on other's body language, listening, and sensory preferences AND how your own attitude impacts the way will be perceived. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who has a high potential to encounter first impressions in the near future (this would include going to a job interview, meeting a college roommate, making a sales pitch, etc.)....So pretty much anybody. One thing to note, if you're not interested in evaluating your own actions and your own encounters, then you should probably pass on this book.



Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye by Len Bailey

I have started this book several times, only to get midway through and lose interest. Its not that the book is uninteresting, its just that every chapter is essentially its own story, meaning its not a "can't put it down" kind of book. This story uses the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson characters to investigate 10 mysteries from the Bible. I found it interesting because it uses known historic information to elaborate on things that are mentioned in the Bible. That's not to say its adding to the Word of God, but rather, explaining certain customs that aren't specifically spelled out in the Bible. Its a good read, I'd say, and I'd recommend it for someone who likes history or who likes Sherlock Holmes or who likes investigating Biblical stories. I will say though, that some of the stories are not ones you would learn about at VBS, both in the fact they are not "well-known" references nor should you read this to your kids at bedtime.


And Then There were None by Agatha Christie

One of the things Nathan's mom passed down to him is her love for mystery novels. So, its not surprising that many books on our bookshelves are written by Agatha Christie. Finally, I broke down and started reading And Then There were None, while we were traveling in Boston. I must say, I can now understand the obsession! This book is about 10 houseguests who mysteriously get invited to a person's house (none whom they know). They each come into the house with their own individual secrets and have to figure out how to deal with their offenses. It is a very intriguing book due to the fact that there are 10 characters to try and figure out "who done it." I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone who can read. Due to the plot of the book, it speaks about murder, but it is not what I would consider graphic. Keep in mind that this was originally published in 1939, so there may be some references that younger generations may not understand. 


How to Think Like Steve Jobs by Daniel Smith

There is something intriguing about Steve Jobs and the empire he built with Apple (and Pixar), which is why I purchased this book for Nathan. This book is a mix between a biography and a self-help book. The author uses Steve Jobs' life chronologically, to point out themes that may have made him successful. Its got the stereotypical stuff like, "Don't be afraid to make enemies," and "Develop your own Style," but it also includes some more unique themes included. Overall, I enjoyed this book, as I hadn't read articles or watched many documentaries about the man. For someone who is very knowledgeable about Steve Jobs already, this may not be the book for you. In saying that though, the primary focus by the author is NOT the biography, but the "self-help" goal. Additionally, I just want to point out that Steve Jobs was a class A jerk, so I wouldn't necessarily model my entire life on him, or this book.... BUT there are some good points made, and I honestly did like the book. I'd recommend this book to adults who have a well-established personality and work ethic, but who may just want to see how another person may approach life. 

The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

When 2017 came, one of my resolutions was to read more. To go along with this, I downloaded Amazon Kindle on my work iPad for rainy days when its too messy outside to run during my lunch break. I was pleasantly surprised by one of my recommended books! When the Kindle app asked me the types of books I liked, I selected fantasy, fiction, and mystery, so when it randomly recommended "The Things We Wish were True," I didn't know what I was about to start reading. This book is about a group of people who live in the same neighborhood who know each other only from the community pool. One thing I really liked about this book was the author's choice on how to tell the story. Each chapter was told from the perspective of a different person (for example: Day 1-Person A, Day 2-Person B, Day 3-Person C as opposed to each person giving their perspective of day 1). This format keeps the reader on their toes! I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16, probably. There are a few curse words  (but only a few) and some adult themes. A very good book!

How to Let Go of Clothes

Lately, I've been on a kick of getting rid of stuff. I'm not sure if its the whole, "Out with the old, it's a new year," thing or what. Anyway, I decided to do a major closet purge. I did a little bit of research, but then I just made up my own rules about what would stay and what would go.

Rule #1 - If I haven't worn it in a year, it goes. Now this can be a problem for me, but probably not in the way that one might think. Most people have not worn a lot of their clothes, and then they forget about those clothes they haven't worn and so they don't wear them, and then they keep forgetting, and the cycle continues. My problem is almost the opposite.

Let me explain with a short story about myself. When I was in the 9th or 10th grade, I had an old computer in my room. It didn't have the internet, but I could type and play solitaire. Around this time I decided to see how long I could go without wearing the same shirt (at this point, I wore t-shirts everyday). I would literally us an excel spreadsheet to record what I wore every single day, to see my progress. Yes, I know this is crazy and unnecessary, but its the truth, just ask my best friend, Maegan... 

All that to ensure that all of my shirts got equal attention.

Nowadays, I don't quite record it the same way, but I do have a specific clothes system. I organize my clothes based on type of clothing (i.e. sweaters, button up shirts, cardigans, etc.). Once I have cleaned a load of laundry, I put each item on the right side of their respective sections. In this way, I can literally see which pieces I have been neglecting. So, in short, I always make sure and wear all my clothes. 

Anyway, even with my system, I was able to discard some pieces of clothing, but only about 5! BUT, this rule did help me get rid of many of my scarves.

Rule #2 - If its damaged or ripped, it goes. Several weeks ago, I spent some time repairing about 3 shirts, so the obvious ones that would have been discarded avoided their fate. But I did find several shirts and a pair of pants which had stains that I just couldn't get out. I also had a few with small holes, which were probably from getting snagged throughout the years.

Even though sometimes I still wear clothing with a small stain, I decided to discard these to avoid feeling self-conscious when I want to wear them. I also included shirts that had uncontrollable pilling going on. All-in-all, I gathered about 10 shirts, and 1 pair of pants with holes, rips, stains, or pilling.

Rule #3 - If it's not modest, it goes. When I was younger I didn't care about how lock-cut my shirts were, or how short my dresses were. But now I do. So essentially I discarded any normal clothing that I would be embarrassed to wear to church. This got rid of about 5 party shirts and 5 dresses. I kept some of my party shirts for the beach or a date night. 

Rule #4 - If its so uncomfortable that I dread wearing it, it goes. I have this one shirt that looks great on me, it fits my personality, and it has all of the colors that look great on me. Even through all the good qualities, I avoid wearing it because it has this weird elastic thing in the sleeve that annoys me all day! I was keeping the shirt because it looks so great. But its not comfortable and I hate wearing it. 

In this rule, I included clothes that were to tight, shirts that were itchy, and button up work shirts that don't stay tucked in because they're too short. This helped me get rid of maybe 15 or 20 shirts and maybe 2 pairs of pants.

Rule #5 - If the only reason to keep something is for sentimental value, it goes. "Oh, I bought this for high school homecoming court." and "Wow! I bought this shirt for my trip to Greece" and "Gosh, this is what I bought to wear our wedding shower!" are all bad excuses to keep something. If these are your only reason to keep a piece of clothing, get rid of it! There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as a wedding dress.

Rule #6 - If something is not your style anymore, it goes. I remember in college, my wardrobe was essentially thermal shirts. Although thermals are great, its not really my style anymore. Its one thing if I was going to class every day, but these days I don't need 15 thermals! It just doesn't fit my lifestyle anymore. I need professional clothing, dresses for church, cute clothes for date night, and PJs! 

As rule #1 states, if you haven't worn it in year, it goes, but because I'm obsessive, I was wearing everything. Rule #6 really helped me with getting rid of stuff that should have been gone from rule #1. Basically, if its something I should have not worn in the past year, it goes. hahahaha

I got rid of 3 huge bags of clothes and am still left with plenty of things to wear! I have been working to sell my stuff because most of it is still in great condition! So far I have made $52.22! Not bad! I also decided to reorganize my closet to try and kick the obsessiveness noted in rule #1. I'm not sure if I like it or not though.

Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work

On one hand, I think New Year's Resolutions are dumb. What is stopping people from starting new things at any point, regardless of the month or time of year? For example, we made some resolutions in November, but you can't really call them New Year's Resolutions....So instead we started calling them initiatives, which just cracks me up because it always reminds me of the Dharma Initiative from LOST.

On the other hand, I always make New Year's Resolutions, even if I don't voice them out loud. So that's the situation. 

Anyway, instead of telling you my New Year's Resolutions, I'm going to tell you My Initiatives, which I made at the start of the beginning of 2017. Trust me, resolutions and initiatives are not the same thing.

My Initiatives

Initiative #1: Read the Bible from cover to cover. Several years ago, my parents gave me a chronological Bible. I've attempted doing this before, but sadly, unsuccessful. I think 2017 is the year to start doing this every year. I'm pretty resolute on achieving this, and continuing it every year.

Initiative #2: Stay on top of the laundry. I hate laundry. Its not that I hate washing, drying, or folding. It's that I hate the actual putting up of the clothes. I don't know what it is about this specific chore, but I will put it off for weeks until there is nowhere for us to sit in the living room. It's terrible.

Initiative #3: Become less attached to my phone. This has bothered me for quite some time, but I didn't have the willpower to make it happen yet. Now, though, I have decided to follow through. Step one is not having the first thing I do in the mornings and the last thing I do at night be looking at social media. Its crazy how dependent people are on their phones and they don't even realize it! 

Initiative #4: Read more. I made a personal goal to read two books per month. Reading is a strange thing for me.... I truly like to read, but honestly, I FORGET that I like to read. So then, I don't read. I guess there are just too many distractions to remember that I like to do this (see Initiative #3).

Initiative #5: Watch less Netflix. I always pride myself that we don't have cable and that the only show that I religiously watch is Survivor. But who am I kidding, I binge watch on Netflix and sometimes it gets way out of hand. In 2016 alone, I watched the complete series of Parks & Recreation, Friends, LOST, and Gilmore Girls. Add in multiple seasons of Survivor, House of Cards, Fuller House (don't judge me), The Walking Dead, Grey's Anatomy, and Veronica Mars. So, my initiative is to only watch one episode at a time, unless Nathan and I are watching it together.

So, the problem with New Year's Resolutions, at least for me, is that a plan isn't made. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the definitions.

Resolution: a firm decision to do or not do something

Initiative: an act of strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation, a fresh approach to something.

A resolution is a decision. An initiative is a strategy. So what are my strategies?

My Strategies

Strategy #1: Get an actual alarm clock. I'm terrible (and I mean terrible) at waking up when my alarm goes off. I blame this, in part, because my phone alarm clock is not annoying enough and too easily accessible. So, I moved my phone charger on the other side of the bedroom and found an old alarm clock to put on my bedside table. I still use my phone alarm clock, but I use the more annoying normal alarm clock as sort of a "pre-alarm," as if to say, "ok, your phone alarm is about to go off in 2 minutes so get ready to get out of the bed." 

Not only is this great for actually waking up fast instead of pushing snooze 7 times (sorry Nathan), but it also helps with many of my initiatives. Waking up early (2 hours before I wake up), gives me plenty of time to spend time in the word (initiative #1) and do some chores (initiative #2). It also gives me plenty of time to walk Justice before work, make lunches for us, and eat breakfast. Additionally this helps with getting less reliant on my phone (initiative #3). As a side note, I have a rule with myself to not check my phone until right before I head out the door (and only for the purpose of checking texts or reminders). That gives me 2 hours of phone-free time!

Strategy #2: Read instead of watch Netflix. This is pretty cut and dry. When I have the urge to reach for the remote, instead I have made an effort to reach for a novel instead. This helps me achieve reading 24 books throughout the year (initiative #4) AND watching less Netflix (initiative #5). Additionally, this helps out with being less attached to my phone (initiative #3). When you're watching TV or a movie, its so easy to text or be on social media at the same time. But it is impossible to be looking at your phone and reading a book simultaneously.

Strategy #3: Leave my phone facedown. This is sort of a generic way of me saying forget about my phone and focus on what I am actually DOING. So if i'm at work, there is no reason for me to check my phone every 15 minutes. I'm not that popular to be getting texts all the time. I've also started leaving my phone when I am planning to have social interactions. Whether its having dinner with Nathan, or attending a meeting at work, it is not unacceptable to let myself have my phone out and on the table. For one, it's rude, and for two (again) I'm not that popular.

Note: I would just turn my phone completely off during the day, but if you'll recall, I AM a safety person, so it is hard-wired for me to be prepared both at work and at home, in the case of an emergency, or if my sister is going into labor.

My Progress

So far, the waking up early strategy has been extremely helpful. Waking up and having plenty of time to do exactly what I need to do is great. Normally, I'm against getting places super early (unless its the airport) because, I mean, why? Why get to a college class to just sit there and wait for 15 minutes when you could have had 15 minutes more of sleeping. Why get to a doctor's appointment early just to wait until you're actual appointment time? There's a reason business schedule people for specific times; and its because they are busy during the other times. So my philosophy has been (and still is) "get where you're going a few minutes early, just so that you're not late." BUT, I will say waking up early has helped me be productive, not only in the 2 hours before I leave for work, but also throughout my day. When I'm productive in the morning, I'm more productive at work, and when I get home. It's a cycle of productiveness. 

As of today, I have completed 2 books and am 2/3 finished with a 3rd. The trick for me at this point is to read 3 completely different books simultaneously. So, I've got one fiction, one fantasy, and one inspirational. Additionally, I'm still on track in my Bible.

I have only watched a few things on Netflix. Doing good so far.

The phone issue is a work in progress. I feel that not sleeping with it beside me is a HUGE help. But I'm also trying to teach myself to just be aware of the times when it creeps back in front of my face. It's a struggle, but I'm working on it. 

Hopefully, at the end of 2017, I will have a good report to write about. Hopefully I'll have different resolutions/initiatives for 2018 because I've already conquered my 2017 ones. We'll see. At least I know I have a strategy.