Blink, by Malchom Gladwell
So while I was required to read this for a class I took over the summer, I did quite enjoy it. It's about making accurate quick decisions and trusting your gut instinct. This book didn't tell me how to make decisions in my life (which was what I was partially looking for) but it did demonstrate the power of our minds. It was well worth the read and extremely interesting, and I plan on picking up the other three books of Gladwell's off of the shelf... just as soon as I'm done with the other million books I need to finish.:)The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is probably one of the best books I've ever taken the time to read. It was suggested to me by a fabulous aunt, and I am forever in her debt. This book makes you think quite a bit, but it's not a particularly difficult read. It has the quality of classical literature without the length or the bore. It is one of those books I'll have to read again (which I won't be mad about) but this time around the main thing I got from it is having the courage to follow the dreams and goals we have. Honestly I could go on for days about this book, but I'll keep this short. It's wonderful and basically life changing.How to be Lovely, by Melissa Hellstern
This book is a book filled with quotes and stories from Audrey Hepburn and those who knew her well. In a word, it's perfect. With ten chapters of different aspects of life, it goes over how this fantastic human lived. It's literally a quote book, but it's not cheesy and weird like the average quote book. It makes sense, it's interesting, and it feels good to read. The quotes have somewhat of a story line without the book becoming a biography, and it just gives lovely advice.:)So there you have it, three more books I have finished. I honestly might have a read-athon this weekend (the last weekend before school starts up again) and there is a very good chance of three more books I will have finished by next week.
Anyway, good luck to anyone headed for school, including myself, because we will need any and all the luck we can get. I hope we all pull through without any fatalities. Let us all put our game faces on, and tackle the next four months with war paint and ice cream.
The Element by Ken Robinson is absolutely wonderful, and I'd recommend to anyone. Such an interesting read. This got recommended to me in 9th grade by a physical trainer I worked with over a summer, and then I found it on my father's book shelf... and took it off the book shelf... and got 190 pages in... and then school started... and it all went down hill from there. (PS, dad you're getting this back) This book covers human talent, how people discovered their talent, and how finding what you love to do can change your life. By giving examples of a variety of people in a variety of situations, talking about their lives, and how they discovered what they loved he illustrates how pursuing your dream isn't easy but it's always going to be more fulfilling. He also discusses the education system and how aspects of it are pushing out the creativity in kids. However instead of just ranting about all of the education system's flaws, he goes over different ways schools have tried to fix this. I feel that if you are a human, and you like to do things, you should read this book. Ah. I literally loved it. I'd also suggest you go and find another book review about this because that didn't do it justice. Or, you can just hear the man speak on his Ted talk he gave. Out of five stars, I'd give this five stars.. obviously.. I don't just read bad books... Or maybe I just love books... one of those two.:)