The Nine Lessons

     August Witte never wanted to have children.  When, after seven years of marriage, his wife becomes pregnant, August reacts badly.  He tells his wife to give it up for adoption, and when she slaps him, he storms off to his father's house and accuses him of being a horrible father.  August's dad offers to trade his journal entries about his wife's death and August's childhood for a monthly golf lesson with August for the nine months of pregnancy.  August hates golf and resents its importance in his dad's life, but agrees to find out more about his mom.  Each month's golf lesson teaches August a new aspect of life and golf.
      I liked the beginning of the book and the idea of writing journal entries on the back of golf score cards.  I also liked the journal entries about little August facing his mom's death.  Some of the golf "lessons" were a bit forced, but the idea was interesting.  The only part I didn't like was the end.  The end became so unbelievably coincidental, it was almost hilarious.  It was meant to have a feel good ending, but took away from the rest of the book.

 

The Journal of Best Practices

     David Finch's marriage is in trouble until he is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.   Since social cues are so hard for him to notice, he begins journaling notes to remind him how to become a better husband.  Each chapter is a specific area, like, "Laundry: Better to fold and put away than to take only what you want from the dryer."  The result is The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to be a Better Husband.
     David tells his story with humor, honesty, and a bit of swearing.  I would have enjoyed it better if it hadn't hit so close to home.

Every Day a Friday

     I am not the same religion as Joel Osteen, but I love his smile and his positive attitude.  There are some things I disagree with him on religiously, but watching him on TV soothes me.  This is his first book I have read.
     I like this book a lot because of the positive affirmations.  One of my favorites is that God wasn't having a bad day when he created you.  This is a positive and uplifting book no matter what religion you follow.

11-22-63 by Stephen King

     Jake Epping travels into the past to stop President Kennedy's assassination, but arrives five years too early.  While waiting for time to catch up, Jake changes people's lives and realizes the past harmonizes with the future.  When tragedy strikes, Jake must decide if one person's happiness is worth the happiness of millions of others whose lives hang in the balance of his decision.
     I had a love-hate relationship with this book.  There were parts where I could see why my brother said it might be his favorite Stephen King book, rivaling Lisey's Story.  Then there were the long sections of life in the sixties with oppression and all of the "isms" of the times.  It was suffocating to read and felt much too long at 864 pages.  However, the love story between Jake and Sadie is one of the most realistic love stories I have read.
     I liked the big ideas in the book.  What would you be willing to change if you know how life already turns out?  What are you willing to change if you don't already know the outcome?  What are you willing to sacrifice for the world? What is not worth sacrificing at any cost?    

Outliers

     Everyone kept talking about the ideas in Outliers.  I loved Blink, so I was excited to try another Malcolm Gladwell book, but I didn't really like Outliers very much.
     The ideas are interesting, but are difficult to do anything about them.  For example, without living in China and appreciating the Rice Paddy lifestyle, it is hard to change the format of schools in America - unless you are able to start your own charter school.  If your child is born in the summer, the only option you have to put your child ahead in school is to delay them for a year.  This isn't very helpful advice for parents who have no choice but start their kids in kindergarten at 5; it just gives them guilt about the harm they have inflicted on their child.
     I did like the sections on 10,000 hours of practice being the magic number of hours required to be truly great at something.  In our modern culture, we like to think that we can find shortcuts and easy access to wealth and fame.  This section shows how important the hours of practice behind the scenes really are.
     I also liked the point Malcolm Gladwell made about how individuals do not self create, they have an array of help and support behind the scenes that allowed them to become great.  It reinforces the idea that we are all rely on one another.  By helping one another, all of us can achieve success.
     

The Time Keeper

     Time has always been my enemy.
     As a child time seemed to take forever...holidays to come back around...being old enough to do everything I ever wanted...
     As an adult, there never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything that remains undone each day.  Now the years speed by and I can't believe how quickly time slips by.  As the people I love leave for the last unknown, I cry for one more moment with them.  When they were here, the time was lost running on ice, trying to finish everything that needed to be done.  
     This book changed me.
   

50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Fibromyalgia

If you suffer from Fibromyalgia, or know someone who does, this book offers 50 things that may bring you relief.  This book is especially helpful if you are newly diagnosed.  If you have been living with this disease for a while, like I have, it serves as a good reminder of things that help.  

     The book starts with a chapter about Fibromyalgia.  The remaining chapters focus on different aspects of the illness and how to help manage these areas of your life.  It looks at pacing yourself, stress reduction, sleep, diet, and exercise.  It also goes over medications that help and homeopathic treatments that have helped some people.

     This is a quick book that can be read as an overview and then as a reference book when you have a specific question or face a flare-up.