I'm going to start by being honest with you, I didn't finish reading this book. There are very few books that I haven't been able to push through and get to the end of, but "How Will You Measure Your Life?", by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon, is one of them. The idea of this book is to help the reader look at their life and make choices that will ultimately make them happier. I think my problem with this book is that I already have the life that I want, so there wasn't a lot for me to learn. However, I can see this book being very helpful for someone who is still trying to figure life out. (It does not matter if you are 19 or 49, we all go through a phase where we have some big questions to answer. So it's nothing to be embarrassed about). It does have some advice on how to find a meaningful career that will add to your personal life instead of detract from it. As well as some sound advice on how high up your list of priorities your family should be.
I would suggest this book for someone who is still trying to find their niche in the working world and could maybe use a little advice for their personal lives as well. The author is LDS, which means that his advice and teachings are in line with how the church teaches it's members to live even though he never actually brings the gospel up in his writing (at least it wasn't in the part of the book that I actually read). This wasn't the book for me, but it may be something you will want to check out. Let me know what you think!
I had the privilege of being able to read this book before it was released to the public. The author, Robin King, asked me to read it and write about it on here. How cool is that? I'm glad that she did because "Remembrandt" is a book that I probably would not have picked up and read on my own, but it's one that I will definitely be reading again.
It's an incredible story about a girl name Alexandra who has an eidetic memory (you'll find out what that is when you read the book) and becomes an agent for a secret organization while attending her first year of college. This is a book that I didn't know I was looking for until I found it. It's the life I always secretly wished I had. I mean, who wouldn't want to be crazy smart, good looking, a secret agent, and have an exceptionally romantic love life on the side. Plus, the way the story is written just sucks you in and makes you feel like you are right there living it. I found myself smiling, frowning, holding my breath (and then letting it out in a big gush of air), and talking out loud to myself while reading this. That's when I know I have found a book worth reading. Like I said, I will definitely be reading this again. It will only take a few days to get through and it's clean. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to readers of all ages. Let me know what you think!
My husband and I are both pretty conscientious about our money. We both had healthy savings accounts when we got married and we've been able to stay out of debt this far into our marriage. So it's not surprising that Brock was the one that got me into Dave Ramsey. I've read a few of his books so far, the most recent being "Complete Guide to Money".
I don't agree with everything that Dave Ramsey says you should do, but this book is by far the best out of all the one's I've read. This book doesn't tell you how to make more money, it simply tells you how to manage the money you are already making. He gives tips and suggestions on how to make your money go further every month. My favorite thing about this book is how realistic he is about his readers situations. This book is written for the "average Joe", people who have decent jobs and are looking for direction in how to handle their money.
Brock and I have followed some of his advice and so far it's worked for us. I would not say this is an easy recreational read, but if you are looking for a little guidance with your finances or need advice on how to get out of some debt then this book may have the answers for you. It will probably take a week or two to get through the whole thing, but it's time well spent.
A well known fact about me: I am ALWAYS up for a good romance. What girl isn't right? Especially when it's a romance by Nicholas Sparks (the author of The Notebook, Safe Haven, A Walk to Remember, Dear John, and much more). "The Best of Me" is no exception. This is a tale of destined love as high school sweethearts reunite after 20 years and discover that their feelings for each other never died. This book is packed with heart-wrenching romance and a surprising twist at the end that only adds to the story. Which is something that Nicholas Sparks does in most of his books. It's not all romance though. Dawson comes from a family of low-life thugs and the trouble they cause him adds some extra character to the story.
As much as I loved it though, I don't think I would recommend this book. Simply because when their love story continues as adults, it's predicated on Amanda cheating on her husband. Sure she's unhappy in her marriage, but that doesn't give her a reason to be unfaithful. If she was still so deeply in love with Dawson, then she should have never gotten married in the first place. It just tainted the whole story for me. However, if that doesn't bother you, then this may become one of your new favorite love stories. It's not a very big book, so it will only take a couple days or so to get through. Which means it won't take very long for you to decide is this book is for you or not. Oh and the book is way different from the movie, they are almost two completely different stories, so take the time to read the book even if you've seen the movie. Let me know what you think!
Okay, so I am not exactly a history buff...Whenever I think of World War 2 my mind immediately jumps to Germans. I don't know that I've ever really made the connection that we were fighting the Germans and the Japanese at the same time. I know I learned it all in my History classes, but I must have focused more on Germany than Japan I guess. Well the book "Unbroken", by Laura Hillenbrand, definitely reminded me of what our country went through during our war against Japan.
Hillenbrand tells the story of Louis Zamperini - a little hellion who eventually channels his excess energy into running as a young adult and later makes it to the Berlin Olympics before becoming an airman in the U.S. Army. Zamperini and his crew seem invincible; returning alive from missions running on fumes or with a plane riddled with bullet holes. Invincible, until the day they do go down and their crew is downsized to just three survivors floating in a raft with no food and minimal water. And yet somehow they manage to stay alive during their 47 day float before finding land. The part I cant really wrap my head around is the idea of having sharks swimming around you 24/7 just waiting for you to get in the water, rubbing their backs along the bottom of the raft just to let you know they are still there...that right there would be enough to send my sanity out the window. And that's only the beginning of the horrible trials that these boys had to go through!
The author does a wonderful job depicting this inspirational story. The way she writes is almost cinematic, like you are watching a movie of what you are reading in your head. It's very attention grabbing and will suck you in from the very first page to the last. It is a story that kids younger than high school age may not be prepared to read, but anyone that age or older will most likely enjoy this book. It's definitely the kind of inspiring story that you will remember for the rest of your life, and will remind you to be grateful for the life you have. Because no matter how bad your life may seem, it's no where near as bad as what the boys in this book had to go through. I give this book my seal of approval and recommend that you find the time to read it. It will probably take a week or two to get through (depending on how much time you have), but it is worth it. So enjoy, and don't forget to let me know what you think!
