Adore this book - highly recommend it! Our daily habits change the trajectory of our lives for better or worse, and the goal of this book is to help you change the system and make small choices that will lead to your desired results. I have finally ordered the physical version, and I look forward to studying it and applying more of the suggested strategies moving forward!
This was an excellent reminder to be humble and to trust God when it comes to matters of vengeance and justice. Not to let our ego get us riled up and stressed out and angry over what other people are doing, but to choose love and faith... and to be very serious about letting go of anger on a day-by-day basis (not letting it fester and create bitterness and resentment).
3. Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
I'm a fan of Stanley as an actor, and he's witty and disarming as a writer, as well! I loved his stories of growing up in a big, colorful Italian family. He would write about a particular food or recipe, and write about his life memories surrounding that food - it was creative and fun! He wrote about filming Julie and Julia and working with Meryl on that and The Devil Wears Prada. There were occasional liberal political remarks, but even that was mostly entertaining. It was mostly light and fluffy until the final chapter, where he wrote about his recent experience with oral cancer and the radiation treatments that drastically affected his ability to swallow properly or taste food for several months. That part was rough, but interesting, and much of what he said made me think about Grandad in his final days. (And of course, he is extra grateful for the ability to cook and taste and enjoy great food after having missed out on it for a while.)
Jen's heart for God is evident in her writing, and it is contagious. As I said HERE, my favorite chapter was about God's Immutability (that He is not capable of or susceptible to change). This book was a well-timed reminder of my own very clear limitations and of God's limitless power!
I actually bought the physical copy of this one, as well, in case there were a few photos I missed with the audiobook... there are hundreds of pictures, and it makes me very happy! =) I assumed this book would be a light and fun read with behind-the-scenes Office details, and mostly it was. But it was also a lovely tribute to the power of female friendship. They talked at length about how their friendship formed and how having a fiercely loyal, consistently-present best friend has strengthened and empowered them in all of life's twists and turns. So that made me feel a strong myriad of emotions I wasn't exactly expecting with this book, but it was well written, and I enjoyed their stories. Anyway, if you're a fan of The Office, I recommend it!
Well, of course I listened to this one! lol Sooo many thoughts, but here's the summary: In some ways, William is the responsible, thoughtful, sometime pompous older sibling and Harry is the typical younger sibling (fun, likeable, rebellious, stubborn, a bit shallow and entitled, tends to play the victim over messes he helped create). And in other ways, they are both courageous, protective, devoted husbands and fathers who are genuinely trying to learn from past mistakes. As a woman who grew up in a financially prosperous home, I can passionately attest that money does not buy happiness, nor does it have the ability to protect anyone from death, gut-wrenching grief, loss, destructive lies, relational toxicity, subtle and not-so-subtle racism, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and/or unmerited hatred. It's a lovely gift to have money, but I so wish it were obvious to everyone that having money and fame does not negate or erase anyone's HUMANITY. They are real people with real lives and real feelings that matter. Harry's mom adored him and died just before he turned 13 - he had to immediately go out and shake hands and thank strangers for coming to support their family - that is rough. In his young confusion and grief, he tried to convince himself that Diana had just gone into hiding from the press, and she would come back someday. His dad made several poor choices that hurt him. The favoritism and toxic sibling comparisons were baked right in as the family regularly referred to William as "the heir" and Harry as "the spare." And it seems undeniable that there are massive problems between the royal system and the British press, chief among them the refusal to address/confront racism. He's admittedly done some stupid things while growing up, but I have zero trouble feeling genuine empathy for Harry and Meghan now, right down to them oversharing lately to try to clarify their side of the story because they've been repeatedly mistreated and vilified, and they feel so deeply misunderstood. Especially for two people who were individually popular before they became a couple and the popular target of the British press, they want to rehumanize themselves and allow people to get close enough to really see them and appreciate their story. Which is not against William and Kate or the monarchy. So I am "Team Fab Four" - Harry and Meghan and William and Kate - there is no logical reason we can only root for one brother or the other, and I hope they repair things and become close again in the future! I enjoyed the book and hearing things from Harry's perspective. I see their flaws, yes, but I also see their humanity and the massive flaws in the system that should have supported them, and I sincerely wish Harry and Megan and their kids all the best! =)
"I’ll forever support my Queen, my Commander in Chief, my Granny. Even after she’s gone. My problem has never been with the monarchy, nor the concept of monarchy. It’s been with the press and the sick relationship that’s evolved between it and the Palace. I love my Mother Country, and I love my family, and I always will. I just wish, at the second-darkest moment of my life, they’d both been there for me. And I believe they’ll look back one day and wish they had too.” ~Prince Harry, Spare
I'm currently halfway through this one and really enjoying it... Tunde is an inspiring Peloton instructor whose backstory includes moving through the grief and loss of three immediate family members, losing 80 pounds and getting healthy, and becoming a successful fitness coach and author! She writes about the shame she felt being overweight, realizing she had to take responsibility in order to get healthy, her earlier career as a makeup artist, how red lipstick can be empowering, learning to create connection and bring out the best in others, the realities of grief, the process of being hired and her relationships with other instructors at Peloton (yay Cody and Robin!), the process of finding her voice and her confidence, and the importance of speaking up for the truth!
So there you have it - my brief book reviews for the month of January! Yay, reading! lol ...I may do a monthly post like this just to help me remember a bit more from the books I read in 2023!! ❤
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