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Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - I am reading this for my book group. It is an assignment. But I am enjoying the exploration of old and new, immigrant and natural citizen and east meets west aspects of the story. It is a book of oppositions with a crusty curmudgeon at the center of it all. I get a little impatient with the pacing, but otherwise am enjoying it.
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin - Second book in The Mistress of the Art of Death series. I am reading it because I enjoyed the first book.
The Chemistry of Calm by Henry Emmons - A book full of interesting ways to calm your mind and your body chemistry. I am interested in the way it tackles each of the problems a person might have with sleeping. For example: Unable to sleep because of racing thoughts. Or: Unable to sleep because of frequent awakening. It offers a more tailored approach to each aspect of the non-calm mind. The author also has a book called The Chemistry of Joy.
Menopause Reset by by Dr. Mickey Harpez - I am not menopausal, but I did want to see what I might do about the lingering weight problems I have. This book is hanging on chiefly because it has some very simple daily menu ideas. I want to copy a few of them down for daily reference. It takes a three step approach to stabilizing your hormones and blood sugar, something fibromyalgia patients and menopausal women have trouble doing. I thought it might help me more, but it is very ordinary advice. Still the menu ideas are nutritionally sound, I think.
The Life You Want by Bob Greene - More of the same, recipes and tips to handle sleep disturbances and insulin resistance. But this book also does address the topic of compulsive eating...or emotional eating...and I thought I would look at Dr. Greene's ideas. He is a pretty sensible person when it comes to eating properly and working exercise into your life.
Damn! Why didn't I write that? by Marc McCutheon - I was hoping it would tell me. No, seriously, this is a book about writing articles to supplement your income. Lord, knows I could use some income supplementation.
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell A. Barkley - While I do not have ADHD as far as I know. I do have many of the same problems associated with it. Because of my sleep-deprived and pain-addled brain, I can barely focus on anything for more than a few minutes. Organizing my thoughts to write is now a colossal chore. This is a book I can highly recommend. It is a treasure trove of cheats for those of us who cannot focus or organize our thoughts properly. We must live life on the ragged edge of the next moment and we are perpetually confused.
First, it helps you discover exactly what part of the brain's focus or memory process is giving you trouble. I can't concentrate, but this book tells me what part of the concentration process I can't accomplish. Once you understand where your mind breaks down, the book offers tips to overcome those particular shortfalls in attention span. In my case, I have lots of trouble visualizing and formulating a plan. This means I will never stick to the plan, because it leaves my mind almost immediately. The author suggests ways to make my goals visible and auditory and to break them down in less organic ways. I'm not sure if the practical suggestions for me will work, but the author is taking a very interesting approach to the problem of a very tired or very biochemically deprived brain.
The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, et al Another fantastic resource. This book breaks down the process of researching a paper or article into easy to understand and hopefully accomplish steps. If you have trouble narrowing your focus, or focusing at all, this book will walk you carefully through the confusion of finding a topic you can write about and then researching in the right place.
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin - Second book in The Mistress of the Art of Death series. I am reading it because I enjoyed the first book.
The Chemistry of Calm by Henry Emmons - A book full of interesting ways to calm your mind and your body chemistry. I am interested in the way it tackles each of the problems a person might have with sleeping. For example: Unable to sleep because of racing thoughts. Or: Unable to sleep because of frequent awakening. It offers a more tailored approach to each aspect of the non-calm mind. The author also has a book called The Chemistry of Joy.
Menopause Reset by by Dr. Mickey Harpez - I am not menopausal, but I did want to see what I might do about the lingering weight problems I have. This book is hanging on chiefly because it has some very simple daily menu ideas. I want to copy a few of them down for daily reference. It takes a three step approach to stabilizing your hormones and blood sugar, something fibromyalgia patients and menopausal women have trouble doing. I thought it might help me more, but it is very ordinary advice. Still the menu ideas are nutritionally sound, I think.
The Life You Want by Bob Greene - More of the same, recipes and tips to handle sleep disturbances and insulin resistance. But this book also does address the topic of compulsive eating...or emotional eating...and I thought I would look at Dr. Greene's ideas. He is a pretty sensible person when it comes to eating properly and working exercise into your life.
Damn! Why didn't I write that? by Marc McCutheon - I was hoping it would tell me. No, seriously, this is a book about writing articles to supplement your income. Lord, knows I could use some income supplementation.
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell A. Barkley - While I do not have ADHD as far as I know. I do have many of the same problems associated with it. Because of my sleep-deprived and pain-addled brain, I can barely focus on anything for more than a few minutes. Organizing my thoughts to write is now a colossal chore. This is a book I can highly recommend. It is a treasure trove of cheats for those of us who cannot focus or organize our thoughts properly. We must live life on the ragged edge of the next moment and we are perpetually confused.
First, it helps you discover exactly what part of the brain's focus or memory process is giving you trouble. I can't concentrate, but this book tells me what part of the concentration process I can't accomplish. Once you understand where your mind breaks down, the book offers tips to overcome those particular shortfalls in attention span. In my case, I have lots of trouble visualizing and formulating a plan. This means I will never stick to the plan, because it leaves my mind almost immediately. The author suggests ways to make my goals visible and auditory and to break them down in less organic ways. I'm not sure if the practical suggestions for me will work, but the author is taking a very interesting approach to the problem of a very tired or very biochemically deprived brain.
The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, et al Another fantastic resource. This book breaks down the process of researching a paper or article into easy to understand and hopefully accomplish steps. If you have trouble narrowing your focus, or focusing at all, this book will walk you carefully through the confusion of finding a topic you can write about and then researching in the right place.