"Meditations of John Muir: Nature's Temple" By Chris Highland

I liked about 50% of this book. I can think of people I know that would like it more than me. It's very poetic. Some of the entries made me think deep/reflective thoughts, others I found boring or I didn't relate. It was nice having Juhn Muir's words summed up with a quote from someone else. I found I enjoyed those quotes as much as or more than John Muir's words, but perhaps that is because they were simple, short, and easy to understand.

An excerpt:

"Bathed in such beauty, watching the expressions ever varying on the faces of the mountains, watching the stars, which here have a glory that the lowlander never dreams of, watching the circling seasons, listening to the songs of the waters and winds and birds, would be endless pleasure. And what glorious cloudlands I should see, storms and calms—a new heaven and a new earth every day, aye and new inhabitants. And how many visitors I should have." - John Muir

One of the quotes in the book from someone other than John Muir:

“[Our task is to widen] our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings and all of nature.” ~Albert Einstein 

"The Language of Flowers" By Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A very different read for me. I picked it for a book club read since it was recommended on a top books list. Everyone in the group that read it seemed to have a similar reaction. Many said it wasn't a book they would have picked up on their own, but they ended up liking it. I think it would be interesting to translate flowers that people give me, but I don't get flowers often and never from people that know the language of flowers. :) It would be fun to occasionally buy a bouquet because of its meaning.

I find it hard to know what quote to share from this book. I've chosen this one because it sort-of sums up the book in its own way:

"In that moment, we were the same, each of us destroyed by our limited understanding of reality." – Vanessa Diffenbaugh in "The Language of Flowers"

A few of the flower definition quotes...

"Misanthropy means hatred or mistrust of humankind." – Vanessa Diffenbaugh in "The Language of Flowers"

"a daffodil—new beginnings" – Vanessa Diffenbaugh in "The Language of Flowers"

"Inferno" By Dan Brown

This book was amazing. It was a page turner starting on page 1! I'm wondering why I haven't read all of Dan Brown's books... this was my second or third.

"The Christmas Chronicles" By Jeff Guinn

This book is a compilation of 3 books in 1. I only made it through the first 2... I plan to save the third one for next Christmas. The books are really interesting. Jeff has gone to the North Pole to write Santa's autobiography in the first book, "The Autobiography of Santa Claus". In the second book, he is invited back to the North Pole to write "How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas". The books are historically accurate, so you learn a lot while reading them. Overall good Christmas reads!

(I'll have to tell you more about the third book, "The Great Santa Search", next year if I remember to read it then. I'll get around to it eventually!)

"Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume" Edited By Jennifer O'Connell

I need to start out by telling you that I don't think I've ever read a single Judy Bloom book, but I still enjoyed this book. After reading this book, I decided I should have read them and maybe I will go back and read them now. They are written for a younger audience, but so many women have been influenced by her books – I feel like I'm missing out! It seems like if I had read some of the books as a teen, I would have worked through some of my young-person issues faster than I did on my own. I recommend this book to any mother with young daughters because if they read this, they'll see the importance of reading these (once) controversial books.

"The 1000 Journals Project" By Someguy

I went to hear "Someguy" speak at an AIGA event and after hearing about this amazing project, I had to check out the book. I feel like it is best if you have some background knowledge about the project because the book doesn't really give an explanation. It is really cool that he sent 1000 journals out into the world to be passed around and added too. There were some touching entries and some that I didn't personally enjoy, but it isn't about what you like. It is about what the person sharing wanted to share; it is about an experiment.

Some of the journals are still out there in the world. Check out this site to follow them: http://www.1000journals.com/ Also, the journals were such a hit that "Someguy" opened up another site where users can begin their own journals to pass around and some have themes. Follow them here: http://1001journals.com/

"The Corporate Creative" By Andy Epstein

This is a book that I'm glad I bought. I think I will need to read it again and mark it up with notes and bookmarks. I think the book is aimed more at a corporate department lead (management, VP, whatever), but I still found some insightful remarks. One of my favorite quotes from the book was:

"You're not going to find a graphic designer who also has extensive web experience and can write copy and manage your traffic team, too."

I favor this quote because it seems like all the job descriptions being posted lately are asking for exactly that, plus social media skills and the ability to code. In general, I think Andy Epstein has a lot of good things to say and he has tackled an area of the field that can be so different depending on where you work. Good read.

I'll leave you with another quote that I liked:

"Be smart, be passionate, be disciplined and be bold, but most of all, be true to who you are."

"Quirkology" By Richard Wiseman, Ph.D.

I have been reading this book in small increments for some time now and I finally finished it today. This book is quite an interesting look into human nature. It is written by a British Psychiatrist that enjoys studying the "quirks" of the human race. It covers everything from Astronomy to Ghosts and Lying to Jokes with a few other topics sprinkled in there. A great book to generate discussion and also a good read for people that like to know random facts.

"The Robin Makes A Laughing Sound" By Sallie Wolf

I was in my local library today and ended up checking out this very cute birder's journal.

I loved the design and illustrations in this book. Definitely a good book to read to kids, especially if they love birds or have an interest in art. To learn more about the writer and artist, check out her website at: salliewolf.com

My favorite excerpt from the book...

"I often hear what I can't see – birds and squirrels scolding me. I scan the branches far and near, but I don't see what I can hear."

"Gone Wild" By David McLimans

While at the library today I checked out a children's book that caught my eye due to unusual typography. It was an Alphabet book with a focus on endangered animals and each letter is illustrated to go with an animal. I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations in this book and it would be great to read to a baby since it is all black, white and red (the first colors they see!)

"Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" By Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.

I bought this book on a recommendation. It is a great book for everyone really. The book covers a lot of information in 209 pages. While I'll admit that I won't follow all of the advice in the book, (listening to self-affirming messages everyday doesn't appeal to me) I will remember some key points and try to apply them to my life. Like: be more positive about myself and others, take a chance when making decisions (because I can handle the outcome whatever it is), power is not a bad thing, and stop feeling guilt for decisions I've made or I'm making.

"Strength Finder 2.0" By Tom Rath

I own this one. You have to buy it to get a code to take the test. (It takes less than a day to read the whole 174 page book and approx. 30 minutes to take the test.)

I recommend this book to everyone. Especially those people out there that are unemployed, feeling down, or they work in an environment that focuses on "opportunities" rather than "strengths". This book was so right – put so many of my thoughts down on paper – that when I read the results, I cried. It feels good to feel like you're understood and it feels even better to know what your innate traits are. Once you know, you can leverage them for the future!

Let me know your top 5 if you read this book and take the test! Mine are: Adaptability, Empathy, Includer, Input, Learner.

"Peony in Love" By Lisa See

This book was so good that I couldn't put it down. It kept me up late at night. It made me cry tears of joy & sorrow. I learn so much of old Chinese culture, it is very interesting. Lisa See is such an emotional & compassionate writer; I encourage you to read a book of hers.

"All women on earth – and men too, for that matter – hope for the kind of love that transforms us, raises us up out of the everyday, and gives us courage to survive our little deaths: the heartache of unfulfilled dreams, of career and personal disappointments, of broken love affairs."

"Making Movies" By Sidney Lumet

"We've reached the moment of truth. My calling "Action!" says it all. Internal action. External action. Perform. Do. Acting is active, it's doing. Acting is a verb."

And this is on page 117. There is a lot that goes into the art of making movies. If you enjoy movies, this is a good read. You learn what to look for when watching movies. It's not just about the actors, the writers, the directors, the sound guy, the music score composer, the special effects, or the costume designers. Or the hundreds of other people that work to make your 2 hour movie worth seeing. This book is about all of that and more.

When reading this book, I was interested in comparing the movie making experience with my own current field of work, retail. There are so many players in the retail world. From the designer of the product, to the people that buy it for the company, market it, display it, test it, and sell it. This made me appreciate all of the work that goes into everyday things that we take for granted. The only bad thing I have to say about the book is that, for me, it started to drag about 75% of the way through; this made it hard to finish. Otherwise, it is a very educational and easy read. A must read for people interested in the movie business!

Football Season

It is football season, therefore it is time for me to read a lot while my boyfriend watches his teams. Two books I read recently were "The Guy Not Taken" by Jennifer Weiner & "Girls' Night Out" by 26 Different Authors. While neither book is horrible, I have decided that I am not a big fan of short stories. I read too fast through them & they leave me wanting to know more. At any rate, there were stories I liked, and there were those that I didn't. If you only want a short read now & then, I recommend these.

Another book that I read was more about improving communication at work. I'll admit that I didn't read it front to back; it was more of a skim, but it was an interesting perspective into gender differences in the workplace.
"How to Get What You Want at Work" (Formerly titled "Mars & Venus in the Workplace") By John Gray, Ph.D. I'd be interested in the more popular book by this author, "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus".

"Snow Flower And The Secret Fan" By Lisa See

A beautiful story that takes place in nineteenth-century China. Two women embark on a friendship. Together, they bind their feet, learn daily duties and face tragedies of motherhood. This book will help you to understand a little bit of China's cultural past, while reminding you just how special a friendship is.

"A phoenix soars above a common rooster. She feels the wind around her. Nothing will tether her to the ground."

"Cover Girl Confidential"

This is the first book I have ever read by Beverly Barlett. Her writing style is similar to Emily Giffin & Sophie Kisella.

If you are someone that keeps up on celebrity gossip, this is the book for you!
(Note: I don't keep up with the celebs, but I still easily understood the book.)

The main character, Ada, is a budding actress and she goes through similar scenarios to the ones you could read about in People Magazine. The biggest issue she encounters, is that she may be deported to a country she hardly knows; she grew up in America.

The author infuses this would-be fluff book with a piece of controversial pie. This book gives people something to think about when they are discussing the rights of illegal immigrants in this country.

A quote (of course!):

"The next question was about whether I ever comforted myself with 'soothing thoughts of the Internet.' I giggled a little. Well that's just silly, I thought. [...] The Internet isn't soothing.

But then I remembered that rough day just last week [...] At any rate, I remember [...] thinking: I cannot wait to go home, kick these shoes off, and mess around on the Internet."

"Eats, Shoots and Leaves"

After reading this book, I hope that I have better punctuation skills. (We shall see!) While this book is about punctuation, (blah) it is not a boring book; it is actually, quite humorous! "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" was recommended to me at least a dozen times. I do not know why I never read it until now, but I do HIGHLY recommend it. (Especially to those of you that like to correct the grammar or punctuation of others.)

Here's an excerpt from the back cover:

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.

“Why?” asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

“Well, I'm a panda,” he says at the door. “Look it up.”

The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

"Find The Bathrooms First" and "Love 'Em Or Lose 'Em"

I just started at a new company after 4.5 years at my last job. These are 2 of the recommended readings that my new job provided me. I actually listened to "Love 'Em Or Lose 'Em" on my drives to and from work. The other one I read. I will admit that when reading books where I should learn something, I read a little slower. ;)

Anyways, both books are pretty good books for there individual purposes. "Find The Bathrooms First" is especially good if you are new to a job. It even talks about the mix of emotions you may have leaving your old job. (Even if you are laid off.) It sites several good ideas on how to assess your new role and your feelings for the new job.

The other book (mine on audio) is also very good. This book is more aimed at managers, directors or supervisors. Even though my new job does not put me in a position of power, it was still a good book to listen to. I think that it would be better to have the paper form so that you can participate a little better. (Also, by the last (4th) CD I was bored of the guy's voice.)Anyways, what this book can do for you if you are not in a higher level at the office:

• Helps you to assess what you like about a job and why you should stay.
• Creates a sense of accomplishment if you follow the examples sited to get your career on track.
• Gives you ideas of what types of things you and your direct supervisor should be discussing on a regular basis.
• Suggests ways to free yourself of that "bored at work" and "checked out" feeling.

"I'm going to have to create new relationships and figure out how to work with my boss: how we can best communicate and what his work patterns are. I'm starting from square one again."
-From "Find The Bathrooms First"