Review: 365 Thank Yous

This is a short and delightful book. The author is at a low point in his life. His small law firm is failing, his ex wife cant agree on a divorce among other things.He decides to start writing thank you notes.It is during this process that he realizes what all he has to be grateful for and his depression starts to dissipate. But first he had this insight:

“Then I heard a voice:Until you learn to be grateful for the things that you have, you wont receive the things that you want.”

From this he concocted the idea of the thank you notes.

While he was really in a predicament that would make most people feel despair and depression (living in a tiny apartment with almost no ac and cold during the winter, 40 pounds overweight etc.) he used this to go after his dreams.

Slowly over the course of the year his life gradually improves. It is by no means perfect but at the end of the project when some ask how is he, he can honestly list  good things that have been happening in his life.

This is one of those ideas that I had myself. When he was wrapped up in his despair it was impossible to see through the dark clouds at the happiness that lay beyond. By writing these thank you notes he was in a sense “forced” to see what he really had to be happy about.

This is a quick short and sweet read. Even though he was a lawyer and now a Judge his writing is written so it is easy to understand from anyone view. This will definitely be on my favorite books of 2011.

Review: Dead Until Dark

People who know me long enough will know that I still mourn the death of Anne Rice vampire seris. She was one of my most favorite if not my favorite writer of all time. Yet when she went back to God she stopped writing the vampire stories and we fans were left with getting our vampire fix another way.

I will just be honest, I hate Twilight, and Bella. It saddens me that people actually buy that cheap crap. It infuriates me that teenage girls everywhere say they can relate to Bella on her issues. If that’s what American role models have been reduced to, I fear for this great nation.

A friend had read Sookie Sackhouse books first, and knowing that I was craving something along the Anne Rice spectrum of vampire stories.  She bought me the first two book in the series just to show me how good they are. I was not disappointed. It is almost like having Anne Rice back again. Granted this author does not go into heavy mythology (well at least not in the first book) or religious issues but the rest is still wonderful.

And Charlaine Harris effortlessly combines mystery with the paranormal and even some romance thrown in. The characters development is such that you become attached to Sookie. This is where readers like me has a problem. Since I know that there are nine (soon to be 10) more books after this one so you KNOW Sookie is not going to be killed. Yet the writing is so good that just for a minute you are worried that perhaps in your book she might meet a different fate.

Sookie can hear peoples thoughts. She has spent her whole life trying to block out other people. It is this reason that she could not go to school and is in a low paying job. When a vampire rolls into town Sookie discovers that his mind is blessedly silent. They develop a relationship. Woman turn up dead and Sookie attempts to use her powers to solve the mystery.

One big difference between this book and other vampire books is that the vampires in the Sookie Stackhouse books are “out”. They are part of mainstream human society. This puts a different spin on events.

I loved this book and will be reading all the books in the series.

The Sunday Salon

 

It has been a while since I have wrote this. The sad fact is that I have been struck with the biggest book slump and writers block in my whole life. It was so bad I could barley type my own name. I did manage to read and review a book last week. Wasn’t my best review ever but it was something. Better than nothing right?

I feel My love of writing and reading slowly coming back so it is at an end. Maybe my friends sugestions to go on walks and get out more helped. Instead of sitting at the computer tearing my hair out I got out of the apt and did stuff I normally don’t do, like goe for walks in 20 degree waether and it seems that a change of pace is just what I needed. Maybe I will incorporate daily walks into my routine.

What have you done to ease a reading slump and writers block?