Book Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey

As as testament to how much I enjoyed this book, I finished all 277 pages in 7 days. This is a record time for me. Tina Fey's book is equally as hilarious as David Spade's bio that I read earlier this year. It was another glimpse of behind the scenes at SNL which is very entertaining.

Here's a blurb from one of my favorite parts:

Tina describing what its like when you are shooting a magazine cover:

"The photographer will ask you what kind of music you want to play during the shoot. Remember that whatever you choose will be blasted through the loft and heard by an entire crew of people who are all so cool that the Board of Education officially closed school. Just murmur, " Hip-hop," or make up the name of a hipster sounding band and then act superior when they've never heard of it. " Do you guys have any Asphalt of Pinking?"[disappointed] Really? [shrug] Whatever you want, then?" Sometimes they ask if you want to hook up your Ipod for background music. Do not do this. It's a trap. They'll put it on shuffle , and no matter how much Beastie Boys or Velvet Underground you have on there, the following four tracks will play in a row: "We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover," from Annie, " Hold on" by Wilson Phillips, " That's What Friend Are For," Various Artists, and "We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover" from Annie."

I laughed out loud because this is exactly what would happen to me!!

Book Review: The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

  I've learned that I am fascinated by true-crime stories! This one definitely kept me intrigued. Reading about Ted Bundy's double life was so fascinating and then learning in detail about the murders was like a bad car wreck. You hate it but you can't look away. While reading about him, I couldn't understand how he fooled so many girls into getting into his car. The his lures sounded phony to  me, but after watching You-Tube interviews with him, I can understand because he was so incredibly charming. I now have much more stranger danger after this book and I realize that just because someone is good looking and charismatic, it doesn't mean they can be trusted. I always think the best of people, but I will keep the Ted Bundy story in the back of my mind from here on out.

Book Review: The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

I've had this book on my list for a few years. I happened to run across it at Goodwill so I decided to snag it. For as thick as it was, I went through it pretty quickly. I'm all about murder mystery's lately!  It had just enough romance in it to keep me interested because I sure had a hard time following all the different characters and who they were in relation to one another.   I've never been good at keeping track of characters when there are many to follow within one storyline. Somehow, I made it through and I think I understand the gist of what was happening. There were a few slow parts, as to be expected, but as a whole I would say it kept me engaged and was a page turner!

Book Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

My second book of the month! Yay! I read this one to my 6th graders and I cannot recommend it enough! There were parts that had us laughing, parts that had us sitting on the edge of our seat, shocking parts, and also parts that I had to try really hard not to cry through while reading it aloud. Its about a boy whose face is, for lack of a better word, deformed. Each section is written by a different character in the book so that we get a glimpse inside of everyone's world, everyone's perspective. Its a great way to lead into those tough class discussions about people who appear to be "different." It teaches us that we really are not that different at all.

Book Review: Jerusalem Gap by T. R. Pearson

This one was recommended by my Grama. She tends to know the kinds of books I enjoy. Jerusalem Gap was an easy read about a man and an abandoned dog that he unwillingly took in. The simplistic life of the main character was what I loved. In the story, he spoke to his animals as if they were fellow humans. No high pitched squeaky voices or silly doting. It reminded me that I am drawn to those who take pleasure in the day to day of life and march to the beat of their own drum.

Book Review: Rebels Like Us by Liz Reinhardt

This is the first book I haven't finished in one month, but I am very close! I'm on pg. 394 out of 490. I got it at a book signing because the author is a fellow teacher AT MY SCHOOL! I'm a little bit star stuck by her now. Every time we pass in the hall I find it necessary to tell her which page I'm on....as if she's keeping tabs. I really do love the book though! Being that its somewhat of a teen romance novel, I would never normally pick it up, but in this case, I'm so glad I did. Its been a nice escape. Also, Liz uses lots of big words that I am going to look up when I've finished the book. I'll come back and use this post as my own personal glossary and we can learn together....

antiquated- old fashioned or outdated

miscreants- One who behaves badly; often by breaking rules

mylar (balloons)- foil balloons

festoon- a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points

impasse- a predicament affording no obvious escape

bastion- a stronghold; a fortified area or position

bachata- a genre of popular song and dance of the Dominican Republic performed with guitars and percussion

faction- a party spirit especially when marked by dissension

curmudgeon- a crusty, ill-tempered and usually old man

vestiges- a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something; the smallest quantity or trace

Finally, there was a part when the two main characters were going to prom together & when they saw each other for the first time, the boy says to the girl:
"My grandaddy'd say you look prettier than a speckled pup." I think I would melt if someone said that to me! It just tugs at my heartstrings in the best way.

Book Review: Food Freedom Forever by Melissa Hartwig

When I first started this book, I'll admit it, I was a little annoyed at Melissa Hartwig's valley girl tone coming though in her writing. I think its because I was just coming off my David Spade book and that's the very thing he made fun of all the time. She introduced her book by writing, "First I want to say, like, Thank you...." It rubbed me the wrong way. Sorry. But as I read, I put those trivial thoughts aside and learned a good bit from her advice. Below are the nuggets of wisdom I've taken away from the book:

Ask yourself, "Is it worth it?" Its going to feel like hard work at first. You may not even remember to switch gears until after the first bite. You will probably still find yourself automatically accepting the offer of rewarding foods out of sheer habit. This is okay. They key is not to panic, or think you've blown it and beat yourself up over it. And I certainly don't want you to think, "Oh, well" and eat your way through the rest of the pantry. You don't do that anymore. This is a new skill, and you're not going to be good at it right away.

-pg 84

"You are not good or bad based on your choices. They are simply choices. You do not cheat; you make a choice. You do not fail; you make a choice. Your choices do not define you as a person. There is no shame, guilt, or punishment, only consequences. "

- pg 96

Strategy to cope with tempting situations: Create temporal distance (Ex: I can have this in 15 min/one hour/one day)

-pg 100

"Develop routines: Choose a few situations where you feel your willpower getting shaky or times of day when a routine would help you feel self confident and in control. Then create a cue to drive you toward healthy behaviors. A common practice is coming home from work and immediately snacking, even if you are not hungry. In this case, the cue is arriving at home. So, design a new routine to follow that cue, to prevent you from ruining dinner with less-healthy foods. Your new routine could be changing into workout clothes, brew a cup of herbal tea, everyday when you get home- a soothing ritual that allows you to shift from "work mode" to "home mode"

- pg 107

"Researchers agree that your willpower "bank" (the amount of energy available in the brain to exercise self regulation and resist temptation) is a limited resource, like having $100 in your bank. Each time you exert willpower, you withdraw a dollar- or a few. 

-When the account is down to $0, well...you know the kind of decisions you make then. The problem is that in today's world, you are constantly bombarded with temptation and the promise of reward. If you start spending your will power dollars before you are out the door, what do you think your balance will be by the time you get home from a tough day at work. 

- Improving your will power for the day starts the night before. Take as many decisions out of tomorrow as possible- especially ones involving food. Lay out your clothes the night before, prep your coffee, breakfast, and lunch; pre-pack your work bag. Try to predict ahead of time whether you'll be feeling rested enough to hit the gym , or whether you will need an extra hour of sleep. This way, your brain won't be forced to make trivial decisions early in the morning, and you will have more willpower bucks to spend later in the day. Also, get your butt to bed earlier. Sleep makes ample deposits into your willpower bank, while fatigue creates stress,  which compromises willpower."

- pg 110

"Technology has a vampiresque impact on willpower, sucking the life out of our capacity to say no to temptation. Research shows that resisting the lure of technology- the PING of an e-mail notification, the text message alert on your phone, all those shows you have lined up on NetFlix- are especially taxing to your willpower reserve. Think about how many apps you have on your smartphone, all the various methods friends can use to connect with you, and how many times you've used technology to procrastinate. The smartest move is to reduce the sheer volume of temptations that come from your Internet connected devices"

- pg 112

"Turn off notifications on your smartphone and computer. The result: No more pop up when someone hearts your instagram, no more message indicator on your e-mail icon, no more posts when someone posts a new story on Snapchat. Remove these cues and you'll cut way down on the RIGHT THIS MINUTE WHAT IF I'M MISSING SOMETHING mentality. In addition, move your most frequent ed social media apps off your home screen, so every time you make a business call or consult your calendar, you're not reminded that you haven't checked Twitter in four whole minutes."

- pg 113

One thing I learned which has helped me on the willpower front is realizing that "the buzz of a new text, email, or social media notification actually is addictive is because of dopamine. The same neurotransmitter responsible for "wanting" and "seeking" rewarding food also really loves the promise of a new notification. Your brain associates that little ping with validation (someone liked my comment!), belonging (I'm part of this social connection!) , and seeking (discovering new music, articles, and dog photos).... Given how fast social rewards pile up thanks to technology, you can get stuck in an endless loop of wanting-> reward- >wanting more->  more reward. Plus there is that ever present cue: that little chirp or notification that precipitates you picking up your phone. No wonder its hard to ignore"

-pg 113

Smart supplementation may help support everyday stress reducing practices. Stress at the cellular level drives down magnesium levels, which make it hard to relax (especially at bedtime) and harder for your body to utilize glucose as energy. You can take a patented magnesium form called Magtein, which is designed to cross the blood brain barrier more effectively, or a supplement with a powdered magnesium citrate like Natural Calm. Split your dose up throughout the day, taking some midday and the rest just before bedtime. If sleep is your biggest issue, try an all-natural supplement like Dr. Kirk Parsley's Sleep Remedy (docparsley.com) which contains magnesium and other micro nutrients designed to promote deep, natural sleep. 

-pg122

"During your stressful time, prioritize three things that are the most important given your context (work, exercise, sleep, friends, family) and accept that the rest will be sacrificed for the greater good until you can catch your breath"

-pg 145