The Artist’s Way Book Review

Creativity is like a ball of energy. Without a vessel/tool to harness it or shape it, it just hangs there.

The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, was originally published in 1992. The 25th-anniversary edition was published in 2016. In the book, Cameron takes a unique approach to be creative. Using a variety of techniques (such as The Morning Pages and Artist Dates) she encourages her readers to dig deep and discover what is holding them back. She also includes exercises, activities, and prompts in each chapter, giving the reader further opportunities to pull out what is metaphorically inside of them.

I was shocked that I had never heard of this book until a friend told me about it recently. Learning about Cameron’s methods was almost akin to picking up a mental health-related self-help book. It’s not just about facing what is blocking us as artists, it is what is holding us back in life as well.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

The Artist’s Way is available wherever books are sold.

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Why We Argue and How to Stop: A Therapist’s Guide to Navigating Disagreements, Managing Emotions, and Creating Healthier Relationships Book Review

Relationships, whether they are romantic, parent/child, friendships, etc, are not always sunshine and roses. Arguments are bound to happen. What matters is the ability to come out of the disagreement with the connection intact.

Jerry Manney is a therapist with more than thirty years of experience. His new book, Why We Argue and How to Stop: A Therapist’s Guide to Navigating Disagreements, Managing Emotions, and Creating Healthier Relationships, was published this year. The author starts the book by explaining why disagreements occur. He then goes into how we can either put a stop to them or at the very least, turn down the temperature in the room. The chapters end with open-ended exercises, allowing the reader to digest and personalize the content.

There are a number of ways to approach this subject. The easy way to write a self-help book of this nature is to write in either therapy speak or clinical terms that the average person will not understand or relate to. The author writes in a way that the audience does not feel like they are being talked down to. It was as if he was my counselor and I was meeting with him for our usual appointment.

What I related to was the mental health aspect of the subject. When something is left unsaid, it can fester and open the door to words and/or actions that we may come to regret. Opening the lines of communication allows us to not just heal, but to make difficult conversations easier to have.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Why We Argue and How to Stop: A Therapist’s Guide to Navigating Disagreements, Managing Emotions, and Creating Healthier Relationships is available to purchase via the publisher and wherever books are sold.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Kicking Ass in a Corset: Jane Austen’s 6 Principles for Living and Leading from the Inside Out Book Review

By nature, the corset is a garment meant to constrict the body of the person who is wearing it. It can also be a metaphor for the lack of opportunity and the second-class treatment that has been the norm for women for generations.

Andrea Kayne‘s 2021 book, Kicking Ass in a Corset: Jane Austen’s 6 Principles for Living and Leading from the Inside Out, is half self-help book and half wisdom via Jane Austen. Using six of Austen’s beloved leading ladies (Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, Anne Elliot, Elinor Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Catherine Moreland) as an example, Kayne explains how readers and women readers, in particular, can learn from these beloved characters. Combining real-world advice with exercises and examples from the novels, she inspires us to go for what we want while learning from the women whose stories we adore.

I loved this book. Kayne brings both worlds together in a way that increases my love of Austen while lighting the proverbial fire under the behind. It makes me want to re-read all six books and be open to the lessons that can be gleaned from the genius that is Jane Austen.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Rainbow Vision Journal YELLOW. How to take control of your personal well-being and happiness Book Review

If you were to enter the term “self-help book” into the search bar of any major online bookseller, the list of titles to choose from is nearly endless. It is head-spinning to consider the possibilities and perspectives that can help us overcome what is holding us back.

Sharon Dawn’s new book, Rainbow Vision Journal YELLOW: How to Take Control of Your Personal Well-Being and Happiness is the latest self-help book to hit the shelves. It would have been easy for the author to just preach to the reader about what they should or should not be doing. Instead, she asks questions and presents a variety of situations. It is then up to the individual to fill in the blanks and work through the emotional and psychological exercises. It feels like a therapy session that instead of being conducted in person or via telehealth, is a personal conversation the reader has with their inner selves. Allowing that person to work through their issues, it comes off as a natural and cathartic way to relieving ourselves of our burdens.

As someone who has been keeping a journal for twenty-ish years and has been in therapy on and off for nearly thirty years, I appreciate the insight that Ms. Dawn has. Therapy is great, but sometimes the therapist has an unwanted point of view that they inject into the session. A good therapist is an objective witness to our troubles. They listen to the patient and once in a while, provide examples from their own lives to help. But mostly, they are there is let the patient vent and provide guidance to help them achieve their goals.

I really enjoyed this book. Given the millions of people around the world who live with the various forms of mental illness, it is incumbent that we prove assistance in whatever way we can. By presenting Rainbow Vision Journal YELLOW: How to Take Control of Your Personal Well-Being and Happiness to the reading public, it becomes another tool in our collective arsenal to relieve those burdens.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The original review published on Discovery can be read here.

Rude: Stop Being Nice and Start Being Bold Book Review

From an early age, one of the first lessons we are taught are manners. Though some of the rules that fall within manners are cut and dry, others are not quite as clear.

Rude: Stop Being Nice and Start Being Bold, by Rebecca Reid, was published last month. The spark that was the impetus for this book came from personal experience. Reid, a journalist and a comedian from the UK, was a guest on a TV show. After being talked over several times by a male comedian, she spoke up. Instantly labelled “Rebecca Rude” by social media, she could have easily given into the criticism. Instead, she saw it as an opportunity to harness the concept of “rudeness” into a positive thing.

Using examples within the world of popular culture and several prominent women wo were given the label of “being rude”, Reid points out how it is not entirely a bad thing. In speaking up for their individual needs, these women stood up for what they wanted and needed. She also points out that while men are allowed and applauded for being aggressive and speaking their minds, women are given all sorts of nasty labels for acting in a similar manner.

Part feminist mantra and part self help book, this is the perfect way to overcome our personal and cultural prejudice against women who are act and speak as men do. Reid also encourages her readers to fight for their dreams and not be afraid to stand up for what they need to see their dreams become a reality.

I absolutely recommend it.

Unworthy Book Review

On the surface, many of us may seem to have it all. A thriving career, loving family, healthy children, supportive spouse or romantic partner, etc.  But underneath all of that, many of us have a secret darkness. This darkness call us names. Tell us that we are stupid, ugly, unworthy, unloved, etc. It keeps us from living our lives to the fullest and fulfilling our dreams.

Anneli Rufus’s non fiction book, Unworthy: How to Stop Hating Yourself is not the average self help book on low self esteem. Unlike many self help books on the subject that from from psychiatrists and doctors that come off as snooty and know it all, this book comes from one of us. Ms. Rufus writes in great detail the reasons for her lack of self esteem. She interviews a variety of people and borrows snippets of press interviews from some well known celebrities who suffered in secret from internal self hatred.

I enjoyed this book. Ms. Rufus writes from a place of understanding. She is one of us, looking in the mirror and see what is wrong with her instead of what is right with her. What I enjoyed about the book was the honest telling of her own fight with low self esteem. She encourages her readers to fight the negative thoughts and anxiety that are so pervasive and persuasive in our lives.

This fight is not easy, but it is worth it.

I recommend this book.