Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Review: Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Glad to say I've read it because it's a classic (1.5million reviews on Goodreads at a 4.12 rating says something).

I'm proud of myself for getting through the entire book because it's gargantuan. I regret reading all the way through though. I did not enjoy this book! I mean... it was okay... I'd give it 1.5 stars. And I'm sorry lol I mean of course in the 1800's I probably would have loved this book but now... it's very dated, very slow, I just can't. I'd be able to bear the movie but for an 18+hr audiobook ded lol.

I enjoyed the beginning the most I think, when Jane was struggling as a child and moved around from place to place. The middle was the worst most boring part and the ending it picked up a bit but it wasn't as good as the beginning.

It's also too religious for my liking, but hey it was the 1800's, what do I expect.

As the classic fictions go this book is a bit worse than Little Women but better than Ann of Green Gables.

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Monday, December 30, 2019

Review: Lying

Lying Lying by Sam Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

More so food for thought instead of learning something.

This is more like an essay or small script about the philosophies of lying, it's not really a book.

Food for thought:
- Whatever our purpose in telling them, lies can be gross or subtle. Some entail elaborate ruses or forged documents. Others consist merely of euphemisms or tactical silences. But it is in believing one thing while intending to communicate another that every lie is born.
-Ethical transgressions are generally divided into two categories: the bad things we do (acts of commission) and the good things we fail to do (acts of omission). We tend to judge the former far more harshly.
- White lies for when we don't want to hurt other ppl
- False encouragement is a kind of theft: it steals time, energy, and motivation a person could put toward some other purpose.
- When we presume to lie for the benefit of others, we have decided that we are the best judges of how much they should understand about their own lives — about how they appear, their reputations, or their prospects in the world.
- What does it mean to have integrity? It means many things, of course, but one criterion is to avoid behavior that readily leads to shame or remorse.

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Review: Warcross

Warcross Warcross by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alright alright alright lol I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would!

It really reminded me of Ready Player One for the virtual net world, playing a tournament game in there, you can customize your avatar, and there's the dark web, etc.

It also reminds me of Wreck it Ralph lol because of how the little girl goes into the game and hacks certain aspects of the game so they can win.

You know what it also reminded me of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire lol because of the Triwizard Tournament! Felt very similar to WarCross because the players have to go through obstacles and beat the other team/players, and they don't know what to expect but this is like the mega tournament of a life time lol

I enjoyed the whole aspect of who can Emika really trust? Who is good, who is evil? What is evil???

The story was more lovey dovey than I anticipated and cared for. It felt like it went a little bit off track there but it's okay.

I enjoyed the whole hacking the system aspect, and how Emika's really good at it. She can see all the code and see the flaws so effortlessly. And the whole back story of how she became that way, how she got to thinking that way because of her dad.

There's some issues I had, but they're spoilers:
(view spoiler)

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Review: The Magic of Thinking Big

The Magic of Thinking Big The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's good but not life changing. At least to me, for others I could see it. It teaches basic principles like smile more, network more, speak loud and clear, stay positive, make eye contact...

The beginning was overcoming common excuses like 'oh I can't do it because of my health', or 'I'm not smart enough', 'I don't have enough time', etc."

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Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Review: Love★Com, Vol. 1

Love★Com, Vol. 1 Love★Com, Vol. 1 by Aya Nakahara
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Story is repetitive and kinda annoying. There's like no funny parts and the drawings are just standard.

Story is about a guy and a girl who constantly bicker with each other yet have all the same interests.
Problem is that she is "gumbo-sized" meaning way too tall (5'7") (my height is 5'8" lol) and he is really short hence why they're not in love. But they get along really well as friends.
They set themselves up on a double date and their double dates end up liking each other instead of them lol how ironic :P So now these two are playing cupid and not getting anything for themselves.
They go to an arcade that has a love machine that tells the other couple that they are 18% compatible while the tall/short couple is 100% compatible.
By the end they're starting to believe that they really are compatible, but still not meant to be together.

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Sunday, December 22, 2019

Review: Remote, Volume 1

Remote, Volume 1 Remote, Volume 1 by Seimaru Amagi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nothing really special I liked about this manga. The whole crime scene investigation story is not my thing and the drawings weren't anything special. Wasn't really funny, only a couple parts.

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Saturday, December 21, 2019

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm between a 4 and 5 star! I really really enjoyed this book!!! But ugh it could have been a bit better! If the story was a bit more dense I would have rated it 5/5 stars but it was a bit lacking.

LOVED the characters Kell, Lilah, Rye, Holland, etc. Kell is a very mysterious and interesting main character. And Lilah bring in the wild, open and honest, free thinking attitude that pairs really well with Kell's seriousness and lack of excitement.

The world building is very interesting and immersive. I find myself escaped to another world while reading. There's basically parallel universes that Kell can use his magic and go through. Learning about the worlds is interesting. Learning about magic and the Antari is super interesting. I'm still intrigued about Black London.

Dare I say this book kinda reminded my of my favorite author Patrick Rothfus's book The Name of The Wind. Kell being the main character; mysterious, interesting, smart and also has red hair like Kvothe. And Lilah being like Bast, Lilah is Kells companion, Bast is Kvothes companion; they're both free spirited, wild and rash.

(view spoiler)

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Review: Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Was decent, and sometimes funny, sometimes TMI lol I learned about what it's like being a female stand up comedian, and what it's like being asian lol I learned how Ali was brought up like her mom didn't really want to have white people talks all "how are you feeling." If Ali said she was sad then her mom didn't want to hear anything about it.

Ali Wong is funny but not intelligent lol. She's is funny, but more of a best friend chatty kathy kind of funny.

Ali is very whoa TMI lol she's very open, honest, and blunt. It took me aback more than once lol She goes straight into sexual stuff. She's so vulgar it oddly made me a little uncomfortable lol It took me a while to get use to her.

I think my fav part was when she talks about what makes great Vietnamese pho, and Chinese restaurants.

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Thursday, December 19, 2019

Review: Laya, the Witch of Red Pooh, Volume 1

Laya, the Witch of Red Pooh, Volume 1 Laya, the Witch of Red Pooh, Volume 1 by Yo Yo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My best friend gifted this to me in one of my teenager birthdays <3 because...
Laya ~ Leah
Red Pooh ~ wut? lol (Turns our Red Pooh is actually the village they live near :P)

This volume is basically a collection of a million stories of these characters, each story is like 5 pages long which makes it very short and jumpy. There's not really an overall story to it.

The drawings of stuff in the background and the setting was super detailed and there was so much to look at. I like all the witchy stuff, potions, brooms, pumpkins, decorations, etc

Laya's cat Puss is funny

The bad things:
- some things are lost in translation
- drawings of the human bodies and faces could have been better and sometimes was lazy drawing
- the drawings are too close to the book binding so it's sometimes hard to read

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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Review: Your and My Secret, Vol. 1

Your and My Secret, Vol. 1 Your and My Secret, Vol. 1 by Ai Morinaga
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good but not great. I enjoyed the drawings as well as the humor. The story is about Nanako Momoi, she is gorgeousssssss but her personality is very masculine; anger issues, rude and obnoxious. And Akira Uehara is a guy who has a crush on Nanako and he's kinda plane, cool calm and collected but shy and quiet. He runs in on Nanako and her grandpa while he's trying to minaturize her lol then they decide to minaturize Uehara instead but it goes wrong and Uehara and Momoi end up switching bodies/personalities. It's all humor and playing with that theme after that lol. It's funny and ironic how both their best friends end up falling for them lol.

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Saturday, December 14, 2019

Review: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 6

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 6 Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 6 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Awwwww it's overrrr haha Was a great series! Definitely one of my fav manga's!

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Review: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 5

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 5 Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 5 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aw poor cute lil' Night i stuck in mini form while trying to be Rikko's forever boyfriend. Night is getting all types of wonky bugs in him and really needs to be repaired. Things finally get wrapped up into who wins Rikko's heart

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Friday, December 13, 2019

Review: The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love minimalism. This book is allllll about it haha obvie...

I enjoyed the mindset and strategies to tackle clutter and gave me motivation to get rid of stuff! And also to give.

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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Review: Master-Key to Riches

Master-Key to Riches Master-Key to Riches by Napoleon Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Man what an old book haha but definitely a classic.

Master Key to Riches goes hand in hand with Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich with similar themes.

This book was annoyingly repetitive and not well written and organized. It's a short book that could have been halved in size and added into Think and Grow Rich.

Themes: Definiteness of Purpose, willpower, self-discipline, habits, applied faith, consciousness, imagination, going the extra mile, control your emotions, put away bad negative thoughts, control your ego and don't let it get inflated.

To be a good loving wife to your husband, at the dinner table propose ideas and consult him about his day with interest and the relationship and his success will grow. Pretty sexist but this book can get away with it because it's old lol

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Review: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well this book was enlightening! haha I really enjoyed it and it has now influenced my life forever <3 Everyone needs to read this book so we can all be as one :)

Learning the teachings of this book I took notes because I was living in the future and wanted to remember certain points. Mid way through the book I was so present, so in the "now" that I didn't even think to take notes XD.

This book is almost a mind fuck... I feel like it's on another level so much so that I don't 100% understand it - but I really want to. I think it will take a re-read or two to more understand it. It is repetitive in the teachings but it is because he understands that most people don't understand it so he has to give many examples from different angles and perspectives to try and fully grasp the concept.

The book is formatted in a question/answer format. As you develop questions yourself through reading it is usually in the next question that he answers it for you.

Notes I managed to take:
- "To complain is always non-acceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself into a victim."
- "It is not so much that you use your mind wrongly - you usually don't use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease. You believe that you are your mind. This is the delusion."

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Review: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 4

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 4 Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 4 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The main characters are so attractive XD I love the drawings haha they can be really comical at times, no pun intended :P In this installment Rikko meets her elementary school crush that she was always too shy to approach. Feeling come back and she's tempted to cheat on Night. Now not only does she have to decide between Night and Soshi... now there's this other dude too. But an interesting twist happens nearer to the end of the chapter.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Review: Little Women

Little Women Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is huge! It was originally published into two separate books but now they publish them together as one. The second part is just as good as the first part, if not better :) The second part the sisters are older so it's much more relatable to me. The first part was good but it reminded me a bit too much of Ann of Green Gables because of how young the dialogue and stories are.

I love the little stories and the morals in this book. It's full of real life situations and reactions. You learn to love all the characters for their uniqueness and love. The mother raised her girls really well. It's nice living in this book :) This is the life of living with women.

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Saturday, December 7, 2019

Review: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 3

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 3 Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 3 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Soshi or Night Soshi or Night Soshi or Night?! Gahhhhhh lol Hey even I don't know which one is better... At the end of the day though Night is a robot lol so I would pick Soshi. It's not like you can even have kids with Night :P Can't she just have both? XD

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Friday, December 6, 2019

Review: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good book but too long and repetitive and with not that much insight.

Some insights:
- They found that there is a 3rd type of drive called intrinsic reward and it trumps all other external motivations. Intrinsic motivation needs the right type of environment to survive. For example: when money is used as an external reward for some activity the subjects lose intrinsic interest for the activity
- If you're going to reward your team with a dinner party don't do it the next time too or else they'll be expecting it and once they expect a reward their intrinsic reward system goes away


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Review: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 2

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 2 Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 2 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well Mika is a beesh lol And oh hello Soshi! haha finally makin a move and stepping up to the plate I like it! Seems as though Night is going into the background now

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Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Review: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been wanting to read this book, and this series FOR EVERRRRRRR. So glad I'm getting to it now because I love it! Love the characters, love the world!

I was quite surprised at how much the movie embellishes and expands on things. Dare I say the movies are better than the book? XD Well it's a average sized book that went into 3 massive movies so I guess that's why.

The beginning was very similar to the movie, the middle was mostly similar and the ending was pretty different. By different I mean the same stuff happened in general but the movie had more characters, more plot points. Literally the last 15% of the book was the whole 3rd movie XD As much as I love this book, The Desolation of Smaug (the movie) did a better job than the book.

Also, we don't even meet Frodo or Sam in The Hobbit! Huge difference there.

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Monday, December 2, 2019

Review: How to Be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening

How to Be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening How to Be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening by Julian Treasure
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good book, some key takeaways but overall not hugey impactful for me.

I felt like the beggining was okay, it talked a lot about sound, noise, and music which is not what I was expecting. All of it also had to do with becoming a better listener and thus will make you better heard.

But the middle was the good part for me. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), voice tonality, pitch, volume, accenting certain words, posture, body language, lots.

The end was more about being a professional public speaker.

This book is pretty thorough! I don't know why people that reviewed the book say it's repetitive because it's not.

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Friday, November 29, 2019

Review: Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't think I'm the intended audience for this book but it was nice.

I think most people love it for the nostalgia of it, but unfortunately this was my first time reading it.

It's like a children's book with very similar vibes to Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren for the main characters innocence, purity, heart, and imagination! And plus they both have red hair lol :P But Pippi was a perfeft sizes book for the audience. Anne of Green Gables would have been better and more appropriate to children if it was shorter, but it's the length of a full grown adult book and boy does it drag on haha about nothingness really.

There's no overall story, no climax, no villain really. But this book was first published in 1908 after all and stories weren't really proper back then I guess. It's just simply a story of a girl living her life.

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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Review: Principles: Life and Work

Principles: Life and Work Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First of all to edify Ray Dalio and who he is - Ray started his company out of his 2 bedroom apartment and built it to: 5th most important private company (Fortune), 1 of the 100 richest people in the world (Forbes), and one of the 100 most influential (Time)

I learned some "principles" in this book but I didn't get as much as I was hoping for. There are some very good concrete principles but there is so much repetition I started losing my mind lol if he says "Idea Meritocracy" one more time!!! I'm gonna lose it lol

I like how Dalio was interested in psychology and neuroscience to enhance the morale and productivity of his employee's, he was always striving for excellence in every department.

I liked the chapter on Decision Making, I think that it's a good re-read chapter"

My big take away's:
- Run your company as an idea meritocracy.
- Be open minded.
- Work together.
- Hire the right people and when they're not right or just don't fit anymore move on.
- When you make a mistake write it down, create a better system for next time, learn from it.
- If you automate decision making and assure yourself of your values it free's up brain power for other things.
- If you can create computer algorithms to research and decide things for you, the past repeats itself.
- It’s very important to understand where people are coming from, and put yourself in their shoes, and understand that everyone needs to be treated differently because everyone is different.

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Monday, November 25, 2019

Review: The Crown

The Crown The Crown by Kiera Cass
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This series has finally come to a close! If anything it has taught me that it doesn't take much to create a successful teen series and is inspiring me that maybe I can actually write something because it would for sure be better than this.

You know that girl who's really annoying and talks to much and ins't very intelligent? That's what this whole series has felt like lol... I almost feel guilty for being mean >_<

This book was the worst of all, so empty, so pointless, so meaningless, so boring, so typical, so ugh. The only good things about it were some wisdom in relationships here and there and that's it. I'm not going to dive into all the reasons it didn't make a good book because it's just too much and I just want to move on with my life lol. The series overall would have been better without the last 2 books, but even then it still would have just been ok/good.

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Review: Blood Bound

Blood Bound Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wow did I actually finish reading this in less than 24hr? Huh.. lol I guess I enjoyed it! :P

This one was better than the first book! I was 50/50 on if I should continue this series because I only semi enjoyed the first one. But I'm pleased I continued on. It's still not the greatest series by no means.

I love the culture of werewolves, vampires, shape-shifters, walkers, witches, demons, and wizards lol I also enjoyed learning more about the vampires this book. It's kinda like how True Blood but a lot less sexualness which sucks :P This series needs more of that!

My main complaint about this book is the pace, the beginning - good, the middle - SOOO SLOW, the end - too quick... Also I expected more for the ending.

(view spoiler)

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Sunday, November 24, 2019

Review: Caged

Caged Caged by Ellison Cooper
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not my genre. I'm actually surprised I read it all the way through lol I'm the type of person who didn't even really enjoy the movie Se7en with Brad Pitt lol

This book was like this - oh we're pretty sure who the killer is now! chase chase chase, oh wait nooooo that's not the killer, oh wait wait over here! chase chase chase.. hmm.. noooooo... oh here here here! this is it! .... nope lol over and over again.

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Friday, November 22, 2019

Review: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There's no point to reading this book lol maybe that's what makes it funny.

This has got to be my least fav in the series, it doesn't have as much sly silly humor as the first ones had. Nearer to the end it gets funnier though I found myself chuckling.

There's a new character which makes things a bit more interesting. But the book is so jumpy, the parts I most enjoyed was when it wasn't jumping around frantically and just settled down for a second.


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Thursday, November 21, 2019

Review: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1 Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1 by Yuu Watase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Classssssicccccccc! Probably my 2nd fav manga of all time.

Absolute Boyfriend is about a 18 year old girl from Tokyo who orders a 3 day free trial boyfriend off the net (which turns out to be a living breathing sex doll). Turns out that the 3 day free trial is over and now she owe's $1,000,000 to pay for him lol Night is a really kind person and tries to offer to return him or to work part time for the money that's owed. When they can't pay for him the company suggests Night gather female data to better understand the female mind. So now they're in school together, should be interesting in the Vol 2.

I like all the little author notes in the far left column every once and a while, Yuu is an inspiration ;)

Before this I read the manga series Couple which was also cute and some sexualness, but Couple was more funny and more pervy lol, but Absolute Boyfriend has a better story!

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Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Review: Couple

Couple Couple by Jae Sung Park
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this manga. This volume was my least favorite though, it's mostly about their hooker friend that lives in the same building as them.

I don't have book 4 so I'll be stopping here. The author stopped after book 4 for some reason, maybe he lost the inspiration.

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Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved it as expected from Roald Rahl.

This book was the shortest book I've read by him and also the least imaginative. But very well written and funny rhymes that made it entertaining. It's a short read and the story never dulls.

The Fantastic fox lives on while the 3 idiots man their posts lol

"Boggis and Bunce and Bean
One fat, one short, one lean.
These horrible crooks
So different in looks
Were nonetheless equally mean."

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Monday, November 18, 2019

Review: Redwall

Redwall Redwall by Brian Jacques
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Ugh! I'm sorry I'm sorrryyyyyyy I just did not enjoy this book at all. I have no idea how a child or teenager would be able to focus and read all the way through. Each page and chapter was such a drag I really should have made it a DNF but I felt bad since Redwall is so well known and loved. But alas, I did not like it.

The story is VERY basic... Redwall Mathias mice vs. Cluny's rats, back and forth and back and forth through this tug of war... with Martin's sword and Martin's tapestry as a trophy during the war.

This book is so basic I would recommend to children but then it's so frikkin long it has to be at least teenagers who read it. Also it's quite gruesome and there's lots of death and murder which I definitely wouldn't want my child to read.

This book felt similar to Watership Down by Richard Adams, because it's a basic story that's meh but it's way too long and drawn out that it sucks. I don't think I'm a fan of reading about animals anymore lol it's just too juvenile.

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Review: Living Your Best Year Ever

Living Your Best Year Ever Living Your Best Year Ever by Darren Hardy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well this wasn't what I was expecting haha Well I'm not sure what to have expected because Goodreads doesn't even have an English version on here. This book is more like a guided journal/exercise book. I suppose it's to make you actually take action and write out all your goals and your action plan, but I don't need that. Loved all the random quotes though lol

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”
~ Yogi Berra

“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.”
~ Jim Rohn

“You will become as great as your dominant aspiration.”
~ James Allen

“Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.”
~ Napoleon Hill

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

“The same thinking that has led you to where you are is not going to lead you to where you want to go.”
~ Albert Einstein

“Reduce your plan to writing... The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.”
~ Napoleon Hill

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it.”
~ Michelangelo

“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” ~ Jim Rohn

“Do the thing and you will have the power.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“The price of success must be paid in full, in advance.” ~ Brian Tracy

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Review: The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a sweet and innocent little children's book :)

I remember reading it as a child... I think this is why I was never able to throw away any of my stuffed animals lol! I have too much sympathy for them!

Stuffed animals become "Real" when the child not only want to play with them but they love them. And when you are real, even when your buttons fall off and the velvet isn't as soft and your pink little nose starts rubbing off, you will still be loved, because you are real. Even when you're thrown out, you shed a tear, and a fairy appears and makes you actually real, real to live with the real bunnies in the forest.

I'm not really sure of the moral of the story though... make sure you are loved/"real" so that you can live and not die when you are thrown out lol

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Review: Couple Book 2

Couple Book 2 Couple Book 2 by Jae Sung Park
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one wasn't as good as the first but still funny and pervy lol it's more about the girl yu mi is tutoring than the couple.

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Sunday, November 17, 2019

Review: Couple Book 1

Couple Book 1 Couple Book 1 by Jae Sung Park
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a funny manga :P
And the guy is pretty hot *_*
I love the drawings <3
It' about a guy who's just trying to help a fellow college out but he gets all these pervy sexual thoughts about her lol it's pretty funny.

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Thursday, November 14, 2019

Review: The BFG

The BFG The BFG by Roald Dahl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! <3

This is the funniest Roald Dahl I've read so far :P It's witty, ironic, and most of all silly!

Spielberg made this book into a movie! Def gonna watch it

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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Review: A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Man we know a whole lot about the fact that we don't know a whole lot :P

But seriously it's more like I don't know a whole lot lol This book humbled me, I really need to pull out my old physics and astronomy textbooks and brush up on even the basics.

This book goes into depth on the history of discovery of space and time and the people who contributed to it and the science behind it all.

Definitely a re-read :P So much information XD

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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Review: Lock Every Door

Lock Every Door Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I feel cleared up from all the mystery and confusion this book had and I still feel very disturbed lol hopefully that's not too much of a spoiler...

Marking it under one of my favorite Mystery/Thriller/Psychological books

I gobbled this book up in like 24hrs, I couldn't put it down. So much intrigue and mystery... it did drag a bit through the middle but it picked up even more afterwards.

The ending surprised and shocked me

(view spoiler)

I liked this one:
"One time is an anomaly. Two times is a coincidence. Three times is proof."

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Friday, November 8, 2019

Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wow, well then... I had high hopes for this book based on friends reviews and I was really disappointed.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the beginning, up until about 35% of the way through...
It had so much promise... and the writing was very well magically written...
But then I just didn't care anymore, and it got really really boring.

Then my library hold expired and I had to wait months to get it on hold again. Once I got it back I finished it as fast as I could to make the pain stop lol I was even reluctant to wait for the library book back, I almost left it as a DNF but I felt bad because it's not a terrible book...

Some things are kinda enjoyable... and I liked the spirit of the book haha I don't know how else to describe it. I liked the childish imagination and how it was magic but not reallu "magic."

I really disliked all the time changing chapters and different years and places and people and it was just too much effort to read with such little interest =/

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Thursday, November 7, 2019

Review: The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life

The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My my my this book really moved me. It influenced me greatly to wake up at 5am daily and to be not only the most productive I've ever been but to also have fun! Work hard play hard as they say.

The only thing that I didn't really like was how the book was written. It could have been much more simplified and cut down to half it's size. There's narrative and storytelling in it that I don't see the purpose in but the take-away's are still so valuable I still have to give it 5/5 stars.

Notes:
- "Adults are deteriorated children... When you were much younger, you understood how to live. Staring at stars filled you with delight. Running in a park made you feel alive. And chasing butterflies filled you with joy... Then, as you grew up, you forgot to be human. You forgot how to be bold and enthusiastic and loving and wildly alive. Your precious reservoirs of hope faded. Being ordinary became acceptable. "
- "Education is the kindling of a flame." - Socrates
- "Self-Education is, I believe, the only kind of education there is." - Isaac Asimov
- "Heavily resist all piracy of your mastery from this world tempting you into distractibility and causing digital dementia. Force your attention back to the Everest's of potential aching for fuller expression and, today, release all reasons that need any stagnation of your strengths. Start being an imaginationalist - one of those rare individuals who leads from the nobility of your future versus via the prison bars of your past. "
- "(at halfway point in our lives) We begin to realize that we're not going to live forever and that our days are numbered. And so, we connect with our mortality. Big point here. We realize we are going to die. What's truley important comes into much sharper focus. We become more contemplative. We start to wonder if we'e been true to our talent, loyal to our values and successful on the terms that feel right to us... The last 50 years ten become less about me and more about we. Less about selfishness and more about service.

Rule #1
An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production. Empire makers and history creators take one hour for themselves before dawn, in the serenity that lies beyond the clutches of complexity, to prepare themselves for a world-class day.

Rule #2
Excuses breed no genius. Just because you haven't installed the early-rising habit before doesn't mean you can't do it now. Release your rationalizations and remember that small daily improvements, when done consistently over time, lead to stunning results.

Rule #3
All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end. Everything you need to now find easy you first found difficult. With consistent practice, getting up with the sun will become your new normal. And automatic.

Rule #4
To have the results The Top 5% of producers have, you must start doing what 95% of people are unwilling to do. As you start to live like this, the majority will call you crazy. Remember that being labelled a freak is the price of greatness.

Rule #5
When you feel like surrendering, continue. Triumph loves the relentless.

- "Real riches come from living by the noble virtues of productivity, self-discipline, courage, honestly, empathy, and integrity as well as being able to lead your days on your own terms versus blindly following the sheep.
- "Elite production without quiet vacation causes lasting depletion. Rest and recovery isn't a luxury for anyone committed to mastery - it's a necessity... I've also learned that inspiration gets fed by isolation, away from the ceaseless digital diversion and mindless overcommunication that dominates the hours of the majority of these days... Your natural genius presents itself when you're most joyful. We get our ideas that change the world when we're rested, relaxed and filled with delight.

The 5 Scientific Truths Behind Excellent Habits:
Truth #1
World-class willpower isn't an inborn strength, but a skill developed through relentless practice. Getting up at dawn is the perfect self-controlling training.

Truth #2
Personal discipline is a muscle. The more you stretch it, the stronger it grows. Therefore, the samurais of self-regulation actively create conditions of hardship to build their natural power.

Truth #3
Like other muscles, willpower weakens when tired. Recovery is, therefore, absolutely necessary for the expression of mastery. And to manage decision fatigue.

Truth #4
Installing any great habit successfully follows a distinct 4-part pattern for automation of the routine. Follow it explicitly for lasting results.

Truth #5
Increasing self-control in one area of your life elevates self-control in all areas of your life. This is why joining The 5am Club is the same game-changing habit that will lift everything else that you do.

The 3 Values of Heroic Habit-Makers
Value #1
Victory demands consistency and persistency.

Value #2
Following through on what is started determines the size of the personal respect that will be generated.

Value #3
The way you practice in private i precisely the way you'll perform once you're in public

- Successful people - "lies in fact that they formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do... Top producers make it a habit to do the high-value activities that average ones don't feel like doing - even when they, too, don't feel like doing them... And by practicing the desired behavior over and over, their self-mastery and personal discipline grows. And the new routine becomes automated."
-"...will power weakens once it gets tired. Scientists call the condition "ego depletion." You wake up with a full battery of self-control. That's why I want you to do the activities that are most important to the rise of your inner empires at the time when your capacity is strongest - 5am. As you go through your day... your ability to self-regulate decreases - and so does your capability to handle temptations and manage weak impulses. The fact that human discipline muscles get tired from all the decision fatigue explains why so many massively successful people end up doing something foolish that destroys their careers.
- "The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil."

The 10 Tactics of Lifelong Genius
Tactic #1 The Tight Bubble of Total Focus (TBTF)
An addiction to distraction is the death of your creative production. Your attraction to digital interruption is costing you your fortune - financially, cognitively, energetically, physically, and spiritually. TBTF is a metaphor that you build around your assets of genius so they are not only strong they increase. The 5 primary assets that all superproducers defend are mental focus, physical energy, personal willpower, original talent, and daily time. The real key here is solitude for a scheduled period every day, in a positive environment that floods you with creativity, energy, happiness and the feeling the work you're doing is for the upliftment of humanity.

Tactic #2 The 90/90/1 Rule
Doing real work, instead of artificial work, daily and with absolute consistency, will give you a gargantuan competitive advantage born of mastery. Legendary achievers concentrate all their attention and effort on one core project at a time so they harness the fullness of their cognitive capacity and their precious energy on releasing glorious products that turn their industry on their head. The 90min period must be completed free of any noise and interruptions.

Tactic #3 The 60/10 Method
The way elite creatives do what they do is by understanding the power of oscillation. They structure their work cycles so they alternate bursts of deep focus and ferocious intensity of performance with periods of rest and full recovery. Even 10min of regeneration - go for a walk, meditate, read a book, so that your brain shifts from the worrying of behaviors of the left hemisphere into the creativity and flow of the right section.

Tactic #4 The Daily 5 Concept
Studies show that the most effective business leaders are at their peak when they'v actively engaged their mindset on the progress they've made. Make consistent 1% wins and micro-achievements throughout each hour of your workday.

Tactic #5 The 2nd Wind Workout (2WW)
Schedule a second workout at the end of each work day, you'll re-energize your willpower batteries so you improve your evening choices and even find your craving for sugar in the night time significantly lower. Go for a 1hr nature walk.

Tactic #6 The 2 Massage Protocol (2MP)
Studies have shown that massage therapy is a modality that generates significant improvements to brain performance, mood, your ability to fight stress, and general wellness. 31% reduction in cortisol (fear hormone), 31% increase in dopamine (motivation), 28% elevation of seratonin (regulates anxiety and rising happiness), reduced muscle tension improved pain relief, and more mitochondria growth. So get 2 90min massages per week

Tactic #7 Traffic University
While your on your commute listen to audiobooks

Tactic #8 The Dream Team Technique
Superproducers outsource and then automate all activities except those within the realm of their mastery, allowing for purity of focus and freeing up huge amounts of time.

Tactic #9 The Weekly Design System (WDS)
Every Sunday take 30min to carve out your next week. Start by reflecting on the past week, the highlights, lessons learned, optimizations for the following week

Tactic #10 The 60 Minute Student
Legendary leaders all have boundless curiosity and a limitless appetite to grow into their greatest selves. Peak producers are lifetime learners. For 60min/day study.

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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Review: The Wicked King

The Wicked King The Wicked King by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay I see why this book was rated so high now! This series is such a manipulative political coup!

The hype yes yes, the hype made me disappointed me the first half of the book.
Midway through I was thinking of giving this book a strong 3/5 stars. It was good, very nice poetic writing with all its magical fairytale medievalness glory.
But the second half and especially the last quarter was actually really really good!

It's not often that I'm wrong about an ending and this was one of those moments!

I'm glad this book is nominated for the Goodreads 2019 Choice Awards ;)

Can't wait to read the next one.

(view spoiler)

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Saturday, November 2, 2019

Review: Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a very short book and I didn't get much out of it.

What I did get out of it was that loneliness should not be a shamefull emotion, it should be accepted and treated as any other emotion. Lonliness seriously kills and it's one of the biggest contributors to happiness or depression.

It's so important that we connect with others. That sense of belongness is embedded into our DNA.

With all these distractions like tv, social media, video games we are less and less social and it's a scary thing.

I got more out of Browns book "Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice," this book was very very similar but not as good.

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Friday, November 1, 2019

Review: The Heir

The Heir The Heir by Kiera Cass
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I cannot believe this series is still going on lol the story itself if so simple and short yet spans 5 books... sheesh. It's such an easy read too I can literally speed right through it.

Felt soooooooooo much like the bachelorette tv show it was agonizing. I mean it was sorta like the bachelor in the first books but it was different, the prince wanted more of a suitable princess that was smart, witty, understood politics, princess tasks etc but this book... I mean yea there was a pop quiz lol but that was it. This book was much more focused on who Eadlyn could fall in love with.
(view spoiler)

This book felt so different than the first books =/ not in a good way... It lacks what I enjoyed in the first few books; friendship, family, honor, betrayal, even the politics, everything lol
Not to mention Eadlyn's annoyingly stuck up bratty nature... She is a royal princess though, maybe it makes for a more realistic character? I've never read a book with an unfavorable main character before though. I think she's like this only because Kiera Cass didn't want the public liking her, and have to have a redemption.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Review: Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up

Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved how this book was written. Tom Phillips writes with such confidence and tells his points very bluntly - while being very entertaining and funny. I also like how the beginning of the book starts with creation and Lucy, and as the book goes on it discusses later things in history.

I marked it as a re-read because Tom Philips refers to things in history that I totally don't remember haha and he basically just discusses the things in history that we went wrong but I want the whole story.

You will think after this book that humans are really stupid but in fact Tom Phillips gas gathered all the really ridiculously stupid moments into one book. It's like calling humans totally stupid from reading the The Darwin Awards for all the stupid ways humans have died.
Are some of us very dumb? Yes.
Do the smart ones also have their moments of stupidity? Yes.
We're definitely not perfect.
But this book takes all those stupid moments and compiles it together.
So just remember that we're not THAT stupid and hopefully through history and through Tom Phillips writing about all the mistakes we can go forward and not makes the same mistakes again lol but... history repeats itself so *shrugs*

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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Review: The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Got through 80% and decided to stop lol... Couldn't take it any longer. This book is extremely dry and boring. Although there are some valuable things to learn from it.

But I thought this book was going to have more to do with psychology but it has more to do with statistics and probabilities - mathematics... And do you know what my least favorite subject was in all of my Business degree? ... Statistics... Maybe it's because I'm not interested in it, maybe because I just don't understand it, but I hated and still hate it lol I think if were to want to learn about it I'd rather it in a textbook form and not a book.

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Monday, October 28, 2019

Review: The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work

The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was good but not ground breaking to me.

Shawn Achor mostly takes studies he's found among some of his own studies he's personally done personally and at Harvard. He also often takes excerpts from Malcolm Gladwell and other authors and just skims the surface. It's almost strange to quote another author while that other author is references other studies. It's like a reference to a reference lol

This book is amazing if you're new to psychology and just getting into it because it summarizes many interesting topics. But if you're like me and like to dive into the details behind it all this book isn't for you.

Notes:
- "So how do the scientists define happiness? Essentially, as the experience of positive emotions—pleasure combined with deeper feelings of meaning and purpose. Happiness implies a positive mood in the present and a positive outlook for the future. Martin Seligman, the pioneer in positive psychology, has broken it down into three, measurable components: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. His studies have confirmed (though most of us know this intuitively) that people who pursue only pleasure experience only part of the benefits happiness can bring, while those who pursue all three routes lead the fullest lives
- Barbara Fredrickson, a researcher at the University of North Carolina and perhaps the world’s leading expert on the subject, describes the ten most common positive emotions: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love.
- Barbara Fredrickson has termed the “Broaden and Build Theory.” Instead of narrowing our actions down to fight or flight as negative emotions do, positive ones broaden the amount of possibilities we process, making us more thoughtful, creative, and open to new ideas.
- A recent University of Toronto study found that our mood can actually change how our visual cortex—the part of the brain responsible for sight—processes information
- People who put their heads down and wait for work to bring eventual happiness put themselves at a huge disadvantage, while those who capitalize on positivity every chance they get come out ahead.
research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress, even improve immune function
- Anticipating future rewards can actually light up the pleasure centers in your brain much as the actual reward will.
- A long line of empirical research, including one study of over 2,000 people, has shown that acts of altruism—giving to friends and strangers alike—decrease stress and strongly contribute to enhanced mental health
- Contrary to the popular saying, money can buy happiness, but only if used to do things as opposed to simply have things. In his book Luxury Fever, Robert Frank explains that while the positive feelings we get from material objects are frustratingly fleeting, spending money on experiences, especially ones with other people, produces positive emotions that are both more meaningful and more lasting. Spending money on other people, called “prosocial spending,” also boosts happiness.
- Each time we use a skill, whatever it is, we experience a burst of positivity. If you find yourself in need of a happiness booster, revisit a talent you haven’t used in a while.
- Countless other studies have shown that consistently grateful people are more energetic, emotionally intelligent, forgiving, and less likely to be depressed, anxious, or lonely. And it’s not that people are only grateful because they are happier, either; gratitude has proven to be a significant cause of positive outcomes.
- But armed with positivity, the brain stays open to possibility. Psychologists call this “predictive encoding”: Priming yourself to expect a favorable outcome actually encodes your brain to recognize the outcome when it does in fact arise
- Turns out, there was one—and only one —characteristic that distinguished the happiest 10 percent from everybody else: the strength of their social relationships."

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Review: The Witches

The Witches The Witches by Roald Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I read this as a kid it would have gotten 5/5 stars. I still really enjoyed it!

First book I've ever read that the main character does not have a name!

Roald Dahl has such a talent... such an open imaginative unconventional mind.

The ending snagged at my heart a bit <3 The Heart of a Mouse

My biggest issue with the book was that I like to think witches are cool, sexy, powerful, and mysterious but the witches in this story are retched, vile, evil, bald, ugly beings lol. They're sole joy in life is to find ways to make children disappear.

My only other issue was that the beginning dragged sometimes, like when Grandmama was telling the boy about what witches were like. And dragged a bit too much when the boy was listening in on the witches meeting. Also - why does "the boy" not have a name??? lol

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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Review: The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

LOVED it! The writting, the characters, the murder mystery plot, the psychological thinking, everything.
This book surprised me because I usually don't read this genre but it was amazing. I'm going to have to make a whole new shelf "Read-Fav-Psychological-Thriller" and have only this book in it lmao
This book would make a great movie. Turns out Alex Michaelides is a screen play writer so go figure :P

I don't remember a time when I was THIS hooked on a book haha Possibly Hunger Games when I engulfed it in a day. This book is longer though so it took me two days XD I got through half the first day and I liked the book it was interesting and had an intriguing "who dunnit" plot. The next day I just engulfed the book... from 50% to 100% I didn't even have a status update! 0 to 100 real quick... I didn't have time for anything else, dinner was hot and ready on the table and I just had to finish the last bit of this book. It's been a while since a book did that to me, to that extent lol

Loved all the characters they were all very different and unique. Like any murder mystery each character had something off and odd about them to make you second guess if they were the killer lol I enjoyed how the more and more you read the book the more and more you learned about Alicia and her past, as well as the main character Theo. I found his way of thinking to be very relatable. I'm a psych minor and I love psychological thinking.

Loved the greek story of Alcestis and all the greek references.

The oooooooooooonly thing I really disliked in this book was in Alicia's diary. Her diary was told as if it was a narrative into present time, with real live dialogue. It was written like a screen play as if we'e seeing her in the past on screen but it's not a screen it's a book. This is Alex Michaelides screen play comfort in play probably. But there's literally full out quoted dialogue he said she said and noooooo one writes in their diary like that lol

(view spoiler)

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Monday, October 21, 2019

Review: The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age

The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age by Steven R. Gundry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't rate this book higher :P One of my favs of this year for sure! This book has made a huge impact on my life. It's not a huge book but it took foooooreeeeever to read because I was continually writing down notes! It's literally like a science textbook that you just want to learn everything there is on the topic.

Key take aways:
- everything to do with your health basically stems from your gut health
- Even if you’re vegan you still consume antibiotics
- simple sugars and artificial sweeteners are terrible for your gut health
- ibuprofen and Advil blow gaping holes in the intestinal barrier
- cell autophagy is very important to allow the body to detoxify itself, it happens on a calorie deficit diet, intermittent fasting, or fasting - it's good for you because it's bad for you
- through ketosis you can promote growth and activation of stem cells which can transform into any type of cell needed and repair the body. "Stem cell therapy" is reinjecting stem cells into the body.
- Pu’erh and green tea are great
- Eat polyphenols- plant compounds that nourish gut buddies and stimulate autophagy - best most powerful resveratrol found in grapes, wine and berries and the reason why red wine is protective against heart diseases
- Eating meat is linked to Alzheimer’s
- A myth is that a high metabolic rate keeps you young. Meat makes you spend a lot of energy digesting that’s why carnivores like lions are always sleeping.
- with improved gut health it is possible to cure Arthritis
- Remove foods with WGA in your diet, in all whole wheat, whole grains including pasta, bread and crackers, barley and brown rice
- Stray far away from foods with “Natural flavours” it's MSG in disguise, and avoid aspartame because it converts to MSG in your gut
- try not to eat 4hr before you sleep
- Olive oil is great for your gut health
- Take Omega 3, Vit D, Vit C, B vitamins, prebiotics, probiotics
- Do meditative yoga
- Eat tree nuts, peanuts are actually shit for you and cashews are not even nuts they're seeds

There's some things I am iffy on though... if your tall you have a higher chance of cancer lol as well as only eat fruit in the summer so your body can recoup in the winter.

Notes:
- Our gut microbiome is the most determining factor for how long we live and the quality of life. Your gut bacteria is effected more so from your environment and who you live with and spend the most time with. This influences what you eat and your physical activity the most. Surprisingly this is more influential than your actual genetics. Your gut is more similar to the person you live with compared to your own mother!
- Mitochondria are in every cell in your body and are the cellular digestives system (they break down nutrients to produce energy). Their DNA is passed down from the mothers egg. A child also gets passed down the mothers bacteria from the vagina in birth, and breast milk for food.
- Mitochondria are responsible for cell signalling, cellular differentiation, what a cell should become, cell death and cell growth. Thus Mitochondria play an important part in the aging process.
The Mitochondria's sister is in the gut and they message each other using hormones and chemical signals.
- Iron actually ages you lol and a high metabolic rate actually ages you too
- Bad for the guy microniome is lectins which are a sticky protein that defends plants from insects, it’s hurts bugs but we’re stronger with our mucous, and have no immediate effect but it still adds up in the gut and makes them upset
- Rodents have hundred of times more of an enzyme called protesayze in their gut which breaks down Le tins and other grain proteins
- Mole rats eat roots
- When you take an antibiotic it negatively effects your gut biome for up to 2 years
- Studies show that every time you take a course of antibiotics you increase the chance of getting chromes disease, diabetes, obesity, or asthma later in life
- Meat and diary have antibiotics in them from preventing sickness to the animal and fattening them up and then you consume those antibiotics buy eating the meat and dairy
- Even if you’re vegan you still consume antibiotics from glyphosine the main ingredient in the herbicide round up now owned by bayer are sprayed onto crops
- Another problem with Glyphosate - reduces the livers ability to convert vitamin D to its active form so it can absorb calcium
- Bad bacteria in your gut love sugar. Specifically simple sugars, you body actually needs complex sugars “poly saccharides”. Even artificial sugars are bad like Sucralose, saccharine, aspartame.
- A duke university study showed that a single Splenda packet destroys 50% of normal intestinal flora.
- Even fructose the sugar in fruit is poison to mitochondria
- Common causes anti inflammatory: ibuprofen and Advil blow gaping holes in the intestinal barrier
- Calorie restrictive diet - dramatically decrease bacteria growth and distribution. It also stimulates cell autophagy in the gut (where cells eat the bad cells) thinning the gut bacteria to only the strongest fittest ones that will work the hardest to maintain gut wall integrity
- Pu’er tea - promotes bacteria that makes you form more mucous to strengthen the gut bacteria
- When you can get stem cells from your body from fat and bone marrow, and reinjecting them it promotes less aging. They can become any type of cell. Regenerate aging tissues. Stem cell therapy.
As we age stem cells start to lose the ability to regenerate unless you activate them. Temporarily stress yourself out can activate it. “Keto diet” ketosis.
- University of Southern California study - participants that underwent a 5-day vegan calorie deficit once a month or a few days of water only fasting had increased levels of stem cells. Fasting also triggers auotphagy in immune cells. Fasting makes the bag guys tear away at gut lining so your body sends stem cell reinforcements. So fasting is good for you because it is bad for you. But if you’re lacking in Vit D3 then the stem cells reinforcements don’t get activated - malnutrition
polyamines - at least 10% increase in life expectancy, it promotes cell autophagy. Examples: shellfish like squid oyster crab scallops, fermented foods, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, mushrooms, matcha green tea, nuts and seeds hazelnuts walnuts pastachio, chicken liver, aged cheeses, lentils
- Eat polyphenols- plant compounds that nourish gut buddies and stimulate autophagy - best most powerful resveratrol found in grapes, wine and berries and the reason why red wine is protective against heart diseases
- 7 deadly myths of aging: Mediterranean diet promotes - grains. Resistant starches increase your gut buddy population, enhance digestion and nutrient absorption and foster growth of gut buddies that nurture the all important mucus layer in the gut. Do not eat large amounts of animal protein it gives inflammation myth #2 animal protein is essential for long term strength and longevity.
- Eating meat is linked to Alzheimer’s
- Another myth is high metabolic rate keeps you young. Meat makes you spend a lot of energy digesting that’s why carnivores like lions are always sleeping.
- Myth it’s important to get plenty enough iron as you age. People who donated blood often loved significantly longer than people who donated less often. Lots of iron in meat. Women live longer and the time of the month releases some iron
- Myth Saturated fats should not be demonized.
- Myth: milk does the body good. If you have milk then don’t pick cow, pick goat and sheep milk
- Cancer thrives off sugar
- Anti cancer foods are tree nuts. Two servings per week cuts your chance of getting cancer in half
- Heart disease and arthritis - make your guy buddies happy and it could cure arthritis. Arthritis isn’t caused by wear and tear it’s the gut buddies.
- Remove foods with WGA in your diet, in all whole wheat, whole grains including pasta, bread and crackers, barley and brown rice
- monosodium glutamate (MSG) - “Natural flavours”, aspartame converts to MSG in your gut
- Try and leave a full 4hr before bedtime to not eat so if you go to bed at 11, stop eating at 7. This gives the chance for your gut to digest most of everything so your brain can sleep soundly at night
- Big on olive oil - anti inflammatory properties because of the polyphenols. Spikes cell atophagy. Helps neurons repair themselves from inflammation. Supports growth of new neurons
- Omega 3 and eating baked fish promotes longevity. Daily sardines, herring, small fish.
- Regular Daily Leafy greens too
- Meditative yoga makes gut buddies happy, lowers stress
- Stray away BPA so avoid canned foods, buy frozen food if you have to. Use glassware instead of plastic for food storage. Never hear up food in plastic container, even receipts have BPA
- Taking vitamin c prevents sun damage. It’s also a beauty vitamin but the issue of that it is water soluble is you let it out in your urine. If you have too much vitamin c you’ll get diarrhea. Truce a day 1,000mg time release is good
- Arsenic is a well known poison is also antibiotic and hormone disrupter. Stop eating conventional chicken, avoid grains like rice
- Avoid blue light especially at night
- Stop using anti-bacterial cleaners on skin you’re killing the bad and the good
- Cranberry oil is good for your skin too, lots of polyphenols
- Take prebiotics. Probiotics are the gut buddies themselves, prebiotics are the fibrous long sugars they eat
- Yams, rootabega, sweet potato, mushrooms, artichokes, endives are good sources of prebiotics
- More acromencia bacteria is good you’ll look younger
- Ground flaxseed, it’s has prebiotics fiber and significant type of polyphenols and b vitamins, omega fatty acids, intoanflammatory too. Once it’s grounded though it goes bad fast so keep it in the fridge or grind it when you eat it
- Artichokes - lots of prebiotic fiber. Vitamins a, b, c and e as well as calcium and magnesium. High antioxidant and polyphenol which helps your liver. Just buy frozen artichoke hearts
- Leeks - loaded with polyphenols and alison a compound that increases blood vessels flexibility and reduces cholesterol. Cut them in half long way and wash them thoroughly
- Okra - prebiotic fiber. Vitamin c and a, iron and phosphorus and zinc. Sautay over very high heat or roast it until crispy. Can get them frozen too just make sure to thaw and pat dry to cut down on slimy factor
- Cruciferous veggies - broccoli cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
- Cashews are seeds and full of lectins
- Real nuts - walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios
- Mushrooms -heat does not affect them,
- Low sugar fruits - avocado, green bananas, raspberries and blackberries, figs and coconuts,
- Healthy fats - fish oil shell fish egg yolk,
- 70% and above dark chocolate
- Green tea
- Bad bugs - simple sugars and starches, glucose sucrose fructose, incl fruit. Avoid grapes they’re high in sugar. Mangoes tons of sugar. Bananas. Lychees. Apples. Pineapple. Pears but Anjou is fine. Sugar substitutes. Conventional dairy products because of caseine. Bad fats like saturated fats. Peanut oil full of lectins. Grape seed oil, canola oil.
- Even if you take calorie deficit for 5 days out of the month its as much as a whole month calorie restrictive
- Omega 1000mg DHA, nature’s bounty at Costco is fine, or cod liver oil


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Review: Reminders of Him

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews