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Half Year Goals Progress Update

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Half Year Goals Progress Update

I felt it was time to let you have a goals progress update!  Now that we are at the half-way point of the year, it feels like a good time to step back, reflect and maybe put in some plans for the rest of the year.

I often find that when I’m faced with doing a progress review that I feel some resistance to the task because it often feels like I haven’t made enough progress. And I guess that might be true (we’ll find out more below), but, if I don’t take the time to figure out where I’ve reached so far, I’m in danger of not achieving any of my goals by the end of the year!

So here we go, whether good or not so good, let’s find out what’s been going on. [Read more…] about Half Year Goals Progress Update

29 Books Read This Year!

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29 Books Read This Year!

Here’s a complete list of the books I read (or attempted to read) this year.  These are mostly non-fiction books, with a few fiction books and one by a comedian thrown in for good measure.

This is the first time I’ve put my whole annual list together in one place and I was shocked and pleased to see that I’ve read 29 books this year!  Also, seeing them listed in this way has acted as a great reminder and there are definitely a few that I want to go back to re-read or reference for the great material they contain.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I have a subscription to Audible, so some of these books have been listened to, others were physical books and there were a number that I downloaded to my kindle.

These lists aren’t in any particular order, although I’ve highlighted a few of my favourites 🙂 . [Read more…] about 29 Books Read This Year!

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: Book Review

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the miracle morning

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The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Non Fiction

What is the Book About?

The Miracle Morning is a non fiction / self-help book that explores the idea that having a specific morning routine not only sets you up for the day to be more productive, but can also have a longer term positive outcome on your personal success. [Read more…] about The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: Book Review

The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey: Book Review

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the productivity project chris bailey

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The Productivity Project: Proven Ways to Become More Awesome by Chris Bailey

Non Fiction

What is the Book About?

The Productivity Project is a non fiction / self-help book that explores Chris’ year of productivity projects.  Chris, a self-proclaimed productivity geek, tries many different experiments to determine which ones improve his productivity and which ones are not really worth the effort.  He also comes clean on the experiments that seemed like a good idea at the time but in the end he just couldn’t maintain. [Read more…] about The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey: Book Review

Still Alice by Lisa Genova: Book Review

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Still Alice by Lisa Genova

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Fiction

What is the Book About?

‘Still Alice’ tells the story of Alice who discovers that at just 50 years of age she has Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (EOAD). The story, told from Alice’s perspective, follows the progress of the disease and how it affects her life, how she copes (or not) and how it affects those around her.

What I particularly liked about the book

There was a natural flow to the book so that you are easily taken along for the journey with Alice, although it must be said that the journey whilst easy to read is challenging and sad. In particular, the first half of the book absorbed me to the extent that as I went about my day-to-day routines I kept wondering how Alice would deal with this or that. Or put another way, how these day to day activities would be affected if I suffered with this devastating progressive disease.

On at least two occasions I was brought to tears with the poignancy of the scenes. At other times I was confused by what I was reading, but then realised that I was seeing the world through Alice’s confused perspective. Whilst this was indeed confusing, it only added to my understanding of the difficulties Alice was attempting to negotiate.

Was there anything I disliked about the book?

It took me a little while to understand the pace of the book and at times I felt that Alice’s condition had jumped ahead and that I’d missed something. However, my understanding of Alzheimer’s is minimal so it’s difficult for me to say whether this was a realistic timescale for the progression of the disease or not.

Round Up

Overall I found this book compelling and read it over just two days, which is something I haven’t done in a long time! Alice and I share some similarities which might suggest why I found the book so enjoyable. For example, we are a similar age, we have children of broadly the same age and we have a similar career philosophy (although I’m not a professor!). Also, and importantly, I have a fear of succumbing to a degenerative disease of this nature, so maybe I was drawn to the content?

As you can see from the book cover, the book has also been made into a film ‘Still Alice‘ starring Julianne Moore. My next stop is therefore to watch the video!

Rating: 5 stars 🙂

600 Hours of Edward

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600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster – Book Review


It’s been quite some time since I’ve read any fiction, and so as part of my reading goals, I’m planning to put this right. 600 Hours of Edwardwas my first toe-dip back into the fiction world.

Synopsis

The story is a about the daily life of a man who has Asperger’s syndrome and how over a period of 600 hours his life changes.

I find myself quite fascinated by personality types and how people negotiate the things that happen in their lives. Reading about someone with Asperger’s, from their own perspective, gave me an interesting insight into how difficult and confusing it can be to ‘comply’ with societal and cultural expectations. This probably indicates that the book is quite ‘heavy’, but it isn’t. The story flows well and I enjoyed getting to know Edward.

To be honest, I have no real experience of what it’s like to have Asperger’s having never knowingly met someone with this condition and so I have to say that I can’t comment on whether the personification of Edward is realistic or not. However, as a story it works very well.

The other major characters in the book are also well-developed, from Edward’s over-controlling father, to his new friend Donna who is facing her own challenges.

How Edward deals with these and other characters and circumstances forms the basis of a sometimes funny, sometimes challenging story.

There was just one thing that I wasn’t sure about and that was how Edward changed as the story progressed. I wondered whether this was a realistic personal development for someone with Asperger’s or whether there was a certain amount of poetic licence. But, as I said earlier, I have no real reference point, so it’s difficult for me to comment. Despite this though, I still really enjoyed the book and I’m happy it made it to my reading list for 2015!