Book Review: You’re Not Crazy – It’s Your Mother

I’m not saying for sure my mother is narcissistic, but dang if things aren’t toxic right now.  In looking for ways to help cope, understand, get my point across, I came across the book “You’re not Crazy, it’s your mother” and decided to check it out.  I was immediately drawn in just by the foreward of the book – “The information in this book will give you freedom in a way you can’t even imagine right now. The exact shape of this freedom will be down to you. This book does not impose any decisions. Rather, it gives you information, perspective and opinions to allow you to choose your own freedom.  Know this too: You are not broken and in need of fixing. You are, rather, wounded and in need of healing.”  It is also worth noting that this book doesn’t need to just be for the Mother/Daughter dynamic and can be helpful for any parent/child dynamic.

For anyone else that may be going through this – say it with me – You are not crazy. You are perfectly sane. Your perceptions are valid and right. You can trust your own reality. Some days this is much, much easier said than done, but I am hoping what I have learned in this book will help me confront, understand and heal from this toxic bullshit that has been going on since last year. (And perhaps my whole life, but it’s only magnified itself recently.)  This book also helped explain why I may have some of the anxiety issues that I have. Still working through getting those under control, but understanding where they may have stemmed from has been helpful.

The book ends with some tapping techniques I’ll certainly be trying out to see if they can help.  I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

A comprehensively revised and expanded new edition of Danu Morrigan’s #1 bestselling book, which has helped tens of thousands of daughters of narcissistic mothers around the world.

Do you find yourself emotionally bruised, upset and confused after being in touch with your mother? Do you somehow feel like you’re not a real person in her company? If so, you are far from alone. Millions of daughters experience the same hall-of-mirrors dizziness. Many of them have come to the conclusion that their mother has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and that explains all that they have suffered. This book explores this – maybe it will resonate for you the same way and make you feel understood and validated as never before.

This new edition includes a wealth of new insight and understanding learned by Danu over the last ten years, including: Clarity about escaping the toxic dynamic, through The Four Steps to Freedom; managing our fear of regretting our decisions; how Stories steer us without us realising; the NM’s performative kindness and performative love; overcoming the trap of The Silent Treatment; distinguishing narcissistic ‘niceness’ from genuine decency; how to recognise, get, and contribute to healthy relationships.

Danu Morrigan lives in Ireland and runs the phenomenally popular website daughtersofnarcissisticmothers.com. She has also written Dear Daughter of a Narcissistic Mother and To the Unloved Daughter.

Book Review: Home Sweet Road

I had first heard of Johnnyswim somewhere in passing at some point, I’m sure.  I first saw them perform at the Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis when I went to see Hanson and was absolutely blown away by their talent and harmony.  Really good harmony is usually for siblings, not a husband and wife duo so I found it kind of amusing when Amanda mentioned in the book that she thought Abner had looked like her brother.  Maybe there was some higher power pushing them together somewhere along the way.

The book tells the story of how they met and their backgrounds (I had not realized that Amanda’s mother is Donna Summer!) and I got a kick out of how they both went back over what was going through their heads and their plans to try and get each other’s attention (which ended up taking 4 years!) But Amanda’s plan had a few different ideas, “since being a normal human wasn’t an option.”  What is it about these guys that we are interested in that makes us forget how to be a normal human, anyway?

The book may also tell you the real reason behind the name Johnnyswim.  Or maybe it won’t.  Just know every story you may have heard previously is a lie – and they tend to not repeat the same stories twice. I guess use your best judgement if you believe what they actually included to be published!

Abner and Amanda are also all about community with their friends and so they decided to include some recipes from their friends as well and they told about how they used to have community dinners.  It was nice to feel like I was part of their world even if it was just for an afternoon.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

The hugely popular singer/songwriter duo Johnnyswim share their story like never before, showing readers how to find home wherever they are in this visually stunning debut.

Foreword by Chip and Joanna Gaines

Work and life partners Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Abner Ramirez are known for translating the memories and milestones of their journey, as well as the honest realities of marriage, into their spirited and soulful songs. With this beautifully designed, visually stunning book, the duo shares never-before-told stories, beautiful photos, recipes, poetry, and more from their life in a deeply engaging experience as they travel on tour around the country with their three young kids, capturing the family’s raw, intimate, and behind-the-scenes life on the road and embracing home no matter where they are.

Book Review: Cheated

When I started this book I was not expecting to be so conflicted about the cheating going on in Major League Baseball.  I was also not expecting so many Mets and former Mets to somehow be involved in this story.  It seems easy – if you are relaying signs to the players on your team using trash cans or buzzers – you’re in the wrong and should be punished.  But then I realized just how much sign stealing is really going on in the game – and if you as a player crack the code – where is the line? Do you share with your teammates? Use it only for yourself? Keep it to yourself completely? A lot of that is unraveled in this book with how it started for some of the players involved and how it expanded to the big controversy with the Astros in more recent years.  In addition to mentioning the recent cheating – it goes back historically – and it has pretty much been going on since the dawn of time.  This was definitely an eye opening book and I think that doing it in the way the Astros did was above and beyond for the love of the game – but I haven’t been able to figure out where exactly I draw the line.  Maybe after reading it will be a bit clearer for you, or maybe not!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

The definitive inside story of the cheating scandal that rocked Major League Baseball

By the fall of 2019, most teams around Major League Baseball suspected that the Houston Astros had been stealing signs for several years. The Astros had won the 2017 World Series and made the playoffs the next two seasons. All the while, opponents felt that Houston’s hitters knew what pitches were coming.

In Cheated, award-winning sports reporter and analyst Andy Martino takes readers behind the scenes and into the heart of the events that shocked the baseball world. With inside access to the people directly involved, Martino not only breaks down exactly what happened and when but reveals the fascinating explanations of why it all came about. The nuance and detail ofthe scandal reads like a true sports whodunnit. How did otherwise good people like Astros’ manager A. J. Hinch, bench coach Alex Cora, and veteran leader Carlos Beltrán find themselves on the wrong side of clear ethical lines? And did they even know when those lines had been crossed?

Martino also explores the colorful history of cheating in baseball, from notorious episodes like the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal all the way to the modern steroid era. But the Astros scandal became one of the most significant that the game has ever seen—its fallout ensnaring many other teams, either as victims, alleged cheaters, or both. The Los Angeles Dodgers felt robbed of a World Series title and fended off accusations about their organization. Same for the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox were soon under investigation themselves. The New York Mets lost a promising manager before he had ever managed a game.

With skillful reporting, Andy Martino, who has broken numerous stories about the Astros and sign-stealing in baseball, fills in all the pieces in a riveting investigative narrative. Cheated is an explosive, electrifying read.

Book Review: Man Enough

I was first introduced to Justin Baldoni when he was on Jane the Virgin. When I saw that he had a book out, I had to check it out. I was actually very surprised by how open he was in this book, called “Man Enough” which is an exploration of masculinity. You always hear about how growing up as a young girl is difficult due to all the media pressure on the perfect body, perfect makeup looks, etc and I never really thought that young boys also had similar things to face when they were growing up as well. I think Justin did a great job explaining difficulties that he and other men will face growing up, sometimes coming out of his comfort zone and being quite vulnerable and telling stories from his youth that may be considered embarrassing. But I think that it is important to share these stories – so if a young boy going through similar situations picks up this book he will know he is not alone. I think reading it as a female also opened my eyes a bit as well because I definitely thought guys had it so much easier and after finishing the book I am not sure that is so true anymore! He touches on a lot of great subject and even if you don’t know him from an actor, I think it would be a beneficial read!

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

A GRIPPING, FEARLESS EXPLORATION OF MASCULINITY

The effects of traditionally defined masculinity have become one of the most prevalent social issues of our time. In this engaging and provocative new book, beloved actor, director, and social activist Justin Baldoni reflects on his own struggles with masculinity. With insight and honesty, he explores a range of difficult, sometimes uncomfortable topics including strength and vulnerability, relationships and marriage, body image, sex and sexuality, racial justice, gender equality, and fatherhood.

Writing from experience, Justin invites us to move beyond the scripts we’ve learned since childhood and the roles we are expected to play. He challenges men to be brave enough to be vulnerable, to be strong enough to be sensitive, to be confident enough to listen. Encouraging men to dig deep within themselves, Justin helps us reimagine what it means to be man enough and in the process what it means to be human.

My Remarkable Journey

I absolutely love reading about Katherine Johnson and her work with NASA so I was thrilled when I saw that she had written a memoir that I had the chance to review!  If you’re not aware of Katherina Johnson – she was a black woman who is most well known for her role at NASA as a “human computer” and doing the math equations to help with their launches.  Since she was black, no one really knew about her and her work until the film Hidden Figures came out which tells the story about her and a few of her colleagues. (I especially liked in the book where Katherine talked about who were composite characters and what was added to the movie for dramatic purposes and what really happened.)  But beyond being a human computer, Katherine led a fascinating life and just recently passed away (February 2020 at the age of 101!)

Katherine was always very smart, especially with Math, and skipped some grades.  She was growing up in a time where blacks didn’t have as many opportunities as whites with schooling, but her parents found schooling to be very important and would move the family around when needed to make sure that the children could be enrolled in school. She also lived through a lot of changes in racial rights and one could only have wished that things weren’t better after her 101 years.

This was an absolutely amazing read and definitely recommended by me.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

The remarkable woman at heart of the smash New York Times bestseller and Oscar-winning film Hidden Figures tells the full story of her life, including what it took to work at NASA, help land the first man on the moon, and live through a century of turmoil and change.

In 2015, at the age of 97, Katherine Johnson became a global celebrity. President Barack Obama awarded her the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—for her pioneering work as a mathematician on NASA’s first flights into space. Her contributions to America’s space program were celebrated in a blockbuster and Academy-award nominated movie.

In this memoir, Katherine shares her personal journey from child prodigy in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia to NASA human computer. In her life after retirement, she served  as a beacon of light for her family and community alike.  Her story is centered around the basic tenets of her life—no one is better than you, education is paramount, and asking questions can break barriers. The memoir captures the many facets of this unique woman: the curious “daddy’s girl,” pioneering professional, and sage elder.

This multidimensional portrait is also the record of a century of racial history that reveals the influential role educators at segregated schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities played in nurturing the dreams of trailblazers like Katherine. The author pays homage to her mentor—the African American professor who inspired her to become a research mathematician despite having his own dream crushed by racism.

Infused with the uplifting wisdom of a woman who handled great fame with genuine humility and great tragedy with enduring hope, My Remarkable Journey ultimately brings into focus a determined woman who navigated tough racial terrain with soft-spoken grace—and the unrelenting grit required to make history and inspire future generations.

Book Review: The Cougar Candidate

I was hopeful about this book, a satirical story about a female running for president after there being a scandal with the other candidate and blackface.  But I just couldn’t make it through.  I forced myself to read half of it, but it seems like it all went over my head.  It seems to have great reviews on GoodReads but for me it was a DNF.

I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

New satire lampoons American politicians

In a world roiled by political scandals, Patty wants the presidency—and young Jack too.

A satirical portrayal of American political decadence, The Cougar Candidate depicts a bumbling politician struggling to hide her darkest secret as she strives for the world’s most powerful job.

Five years after her shocking re-election defeat, ex-governor Patty Pitypander is still sulking in her California mansion, bingeing on romance novels, and ogling her pool boy, when she is urgently drafted to run for president.

Setting her hurt feelings aside to save America, Patty takes on her rival’s smear tactics, a global plot to entrap her worthless billionaire husband, and the most dangerous foe of all: her special fondness for young men.

When a naïve rookie reporter pursues rumors of a scandal in Patty’s past, he quite unintentionally arouses her desire. The closer he gets to uncovering her sordid misdeeds, the more madly infatuated she becomes, even as she schemes to thwart his search.

The crafty heroine of Patty’s novels appears in a vision, claiming to be an expert on young men. Prodded into action, the befuddled pol risks her lifelong dream of winning the White House, waging two hopelessly entangled campaigns—one for power, the other for passion.

Beyond Baseball’s Color Barrier

As a baseball fan, I am well aware of the effect that Jackie Robinson had by becoming the first African American Baseball Player (in the modern era), I was not aware of every one else who was involved with this that you don’t hear much about so I liked reading Rocco Constantino’s in depth look at Beyond Baseball’s Color Barrier.  He goes back to the beginning touching on guys who played only bit parts, but all of them combined were needed in order to break the color barrier and allow African Americans their rightful place on baseball teams.  It talks about what team was last to segregate and all the conflict around it.  The book also covers the present and future of baseball and was very eye opening for me.  If you are a baseball fan, this is a must read.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

In Beyond Baseball’s Color Barrier: The Story of African Americans in Major League Baseball, Past, Present, and Future, Rocco Constantino chronicles the history of generations of ballplayers, showing how African Americans have influenced baseball from the 1800s to the present. He details how the color line was drawn, efforts made to erode it, and the progress towards Jackie Robinson’s debut—including a pre-integration survey in which players unanimously promoted integration years before it actually happened. Personal accounts and colorful stories trace the exponential growth of diversity in the sport since integration, from a boom in participation in the 1970s to peak participation in the early 1990s, but also reveal the current downward trend in the number of African American players to percentages not seen since the 1960s.

Beyond Baseball’s Color Barrier not only explores the stories of icons like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige but also considers contributions made by players like Vida Blue, Mudcat Grant and Dwight Gooden. Exclusive interviews with former players and individuals involved in the game, including the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, add first-hand expert insight into the history of the topic and what the future holds.

Rocco Constantino is the director of athletics at Santa Barbara City College and a sports historian who has written for many national online media outlets, including Bleacher Report, Baseball Hot Corner, America Online, and multiple collegiate athletics official websites. Constantino’s first book, 50 Moments That Defined Major League Baseball, was published by Rowman & Littlefield and was named among Sports Collectors Digest’s best baseball books of 2016. Constantino resides in Santa Barbara, California

Book Review: Python for MBAs

Python is a programming language I know a little about and was able to hold my own when it came up in my Cybersecurity courses but is one that is on top of my list to learn some more about.  While I am not an MBA student nor do I anticipate being one, I figured this book was as good as any to teach me a bit more about Python.  And teach me it did – I did not realize that it was named after Monty Python and not the snake! (A snake is its icon on computers.)  The first part of the book was a lot of the basic commands, most of this I knew, but it never hurts to give yourself a refresher to make sure that your syntax is correct so you’re not constantly editing what you’re writing after it errors out.   I found it amusing it also mentioned stackoverflow – a website I am on a lot and that my software engineer coworkers recommend for coding help in pretty much all languages!  Each of the parts of this book are broken down into easy to digest sections and even though I was familiar with the beginning – parts in the end that were all new to me never seemed to overwhelming to tackle.  The second part o the book worked more with data and Jupyter Notebook which I was not really familiar with.  Again, I am not an MBA student so none of the code in this book would 100% apply to me – but the functions and techniques used could certainly be applied to other things to use python for as well.  I thought this book could be stuffy, overwhelming and boring – but it was nothing of the sort! Definitely recommended if you are an MBA student or if you’re like me and just trying to learn everything you can about Python.

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

From the ads that track us to the maps that guide us, the twenty-first century runs on code. The business world is no different. Programming has become one of the fastest-growing topics at business schools around the world. An increasing number of MBAs are choosing to pursue careers in tech. For them and other professionals, having some basic coding knowledge is a must.

This book is an introduction to programming with Python for MBA students and others in business positions who need a crash course. One of the most popular programming languages, Python is used for tasks such as building and running websites, data analysis, machine learning, and natural-language processing. Drawing on years of experience providing instruction in this material at Columbia Business School as well as extensive backgrounds in technology, entrepreneurship, and consulting, Mattan Griffel and Daniel Guetta teach the basics of programming from scratch. Beginning with fundamentals such as variables, strings, lists, and functions, they build up to data analytics and practical ways to derive value from large and complex datasets. They focus on business use cases throughout, using the real-world example of a major restaurant chain to offer a concrete look at what Python can do. Written for business students with no previous coding experience and those in business roles that include coding or working with coding teams, Python for MBAs is an indispensable introduction to a versatile and powerful programming language.

Book Review: How Y’all Doing?

I had recognized Leslie Jordan from his bit parts in various TV shows I had watched, but didn’t really think much of him until he seemed to go viral over the last year or so keeping everyone entertained during lockdown.  Based on what I’ve read in his book, How Y’all Doing, this seems to be when most people found out about him and his Instagram followers absolutely skyrocketed.  Leslie’s book was a quick read, entertaining and interesting in finding out how he was raised and his journey through Hollywood.  Certainly entertaining and I ended up down a rabbit hole when I was done looking through all his Instagram posts!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Viral sensation and Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan regales fans with entertaining stories about the odd, funny, and unforgettable events in his life in this unmissable essay collection that echoes his droll, irreverent voice.

When actor Leslie Jordan learned he had “gone viral,” he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. On Instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions and have made him a global celebrity. Now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays.

Bursting with color and life, dripping with his puckish Southern charm, How Y’all Doing? is Leslie doing what Leslie does best: telling stories that make us laugh and lift our spirits even in the darkest days. Whether he’s writing about his brush with a group of ruffians in a West Hollywood Starbucks, or an unexpected phone call from legendary Hollywood start Debbie Reynolds, Leslie infuses each story with his fresh and saucy humor and pure heart.

How Y’all Doing? is an authentic, warm, and joyful portrait of an American Sweetheart— a Southern Baptist celebutante, first-rate raconteur, and keen observer of the odd side of life whose quirky wit rivals the likes of Amy Sedaris, Jenny Lawson, David Rakoff, and Sarah Vowell.

Book Review: The Intimacy Experiment

Naomi Grant used to be a porn star. She has now started a sex-positive website called “Shameless” and is looking to do in person classes.  She goes to a meeting to try and network and ends up meeting Ethan Cohen. He is a rabbi looking to get more people to his synagogue and wants to hire Naomi to teach classes to try and get more people interested.  At first Naomi says no, but her friend ends up convincing her to give it a try. They both have feelings for each other they are afraid to admit due to their new working relationship, but after Ethan asks Naomi for help finding a girlfriend for him, things take off a bit.  As does their course.

This book got off to a bit of a slow start to me, but in the end I thought it was pretty cute.  Not your typical love story.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review for NetGalley. I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

Naomi and Ethan will test the boundaries of love in this provocative romance from the author of the ground-breaking debut, The Roommate.

Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won’t hire her.

Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag nominated him as one of the city’s hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Low on both funds and congregants, the executive board of Ethan’s new shul hired him with the hopes that his nontraditional background will attract more millennials to the faith. They’ve given him three months to turn things around or else they’ll close the doors of his synagogue for good.

Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems–until they discover a new one–their growing attraction to each other. They’ve built the syllabus for love’s latest experiment, but neither of them expected they’d be the ones putting it to the test.

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com