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Book Review & Summary of
High Performance Habits (by: Brendon Burchard) The Habits of High Performance:
“High performance is not achieved by a specific kind of person, but rather by a specific set of practices.” -à How would I like to live? “Adaptive service: exploring what needs fixing & growing into the person who can fix it.” “High performers cultivate JOY by how they think, what they focus on, & how they engage in & reflect on their days. It’s a choice. They bend their will & behaviors to generate joy. This enlivens them but also serves others.” (p. 113) “High performers cultivate JOY by how they think, what they focus on, & how they engage in & reflect on their days. It’s a choice. They bend their will & behaviors to generate joy. This enlivens them but also serves others.” (p. 113) “{High performers} sense of duty or obligation to a higher vision, mission or calling propels them through the hardships of achievement.” General Notes:
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Title: Strong Mothers & Strong Sons
by: Meg Meeker Summary: Our sons need to have a consistent, dependable relationship with their moms. This relationship starts from the first moment that little body is laid on a mama's bare skin, in the hospital. A son will learn that his mom is safe, & that she is someone he can always rely on for love. A first look at God & religion will most likely come from a mother figure too, & Mom will teach her son all of the valuable traits in creating & maintaining relationships with others. Discussion Questions: *How do we foster a good relationship with our son? One devoid of babying or emasculating him? *What are the steps to getting our sons involved in activities? Quotes: "Boys feel the range & depth of emotions that girls do; they just don't express them. So we mothers need to watch our sons more carefully to pick up on cues that alert us when something is wrong with them." "For men to feel that their lives have significance, first they must believe that they are worthy of contributing something to another's life. Second, they must have a sense that they are worthy of receiving something (primarily love) from another human. Third, they must believe that they have a future over which they have some choice." "When sons wage war against their mothers, much of it stems from a need to exert some independence. While we want our boys to be independent, we can only trust them to make decision they're ready to handle. Our job is to figure out how much latitude to give them & how much to hold back." "Being a strong mother means having a backbone of steel & resolving to always do what is best for your kids. And there is never anything easy about that, because many folks around you, including friends & family, will you you're crazy. Being good soil for our sons sometimes means having to make the hard choices, not just for ourselves, but for our boys." Title: The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet
by: Jamie Ford Summary: This story flashes back to the 1940s, (from the current year, 1986) when World War II was underway & after Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese people were considered enemies of the American people. So interment & refugee camps were built within the U.S. to coop up a people who had formerly been free to work & interact with other Americans. The story is told from the perspective of Henry, a Chinese boy who was discouraged from befriending or interacting with Japanese people, including Keiko (his new friend at Rainier school) & her family. His father was very controlling, in fact, & disowned Henry when Henry continued to befriend & even sought to court Keiko after she was taken away. Henry's entire life becomes full of bittersweet circumstances, including how he meets his wife Ethel (the teen who works at the post office & always takes his letters for Keiko for over a year.) Discussion/Thought Questions: *Why do Henry's parents push him to speak only English once he starts middle school? Do you think it creates a rift between them? *How do Henry & Keiko meet? Why is he wary of her at first? * What is Camp Harmony? Why does Henry decide to go along with Mrs. Beatty to the camp? *How does Henry stand up to his father? How does Henry stand up to Chaz & the other bullies? And why does Henry's father stop speaking to him entirely? *Do you know what the conditions of Japanese Internment camps were? *How did you feel when you realized Henry's dad had been controlling the correspondences between Henry & Keiko? *What were the circumstances of Henry meeting Ethel? Did he end up having a happy marriage to her? *What other historical fiction novels are written in split-narrative (past & present) that you enjoy? Favorite Quotes: "Precious things just seemed to go away, never to be had again." "After all, my dad says they're just dumb kids that would pick on weak boys & little girls no matter what part of town they're from. That being Japanese or Chinese just makes the heckling that much easier-- we're easy targets." "For the first time Henry realized where he was standing on one side of an unseen line between himself & his father, & everything else he'd known. He couldn't recall when he'd crossed it & couldn't see an easy way back." My Rating: **** (4 stars)
Book Title & Author:
Heartless, by: Marissa Meyer Summary: This fractured fairy tale takes place in the land of Hearts, but instead of Alice being the main character of this story (as she is in the Looking Glass) we have the daughter of the Marquess, Catherine, who is expected to make a marriage alliance with the king. But she doesn't want to. She wants to open a bakery with her best friend Mary Anne, and date the mysterious Jest....who is on a quest to steal her heart (both figuratively & so that he can resolve issues in the land of Chess, where he is a Rook.) Cath finds untapped courage as she defies her parents & goes on to defeat the awful Jabberwock monster. Discussion questions: *Why doesn't Cath (Lady Pinkerton) get to make choices for herself? Why is her mother so dead-set on an alliance with the king? *What are Catherine's feelings towards Jest? Can she control how she feels about him? *Is Cath ambitious? Courageous? (Think of her plans to start a bakery with her friend & maid, Mary Anne.) *How does Cath stand up to the Jabberwock at the theater? What does this reveal about her? *How can Cath become Queen of Hearts, without marrying the King? Does Jest have her best interests at heart? *Does Cath ultimately Favorite quotes: "It is a dangerous thing to unbelieve something only because it frightens you." "If I am not to have happiness, let me at least have a purpose. Let me give you the heart of a queen." My Rating: 4 stars **** 
Discussion Questions:
*Why is one of Sam's reactions to fear or discomfort to run? What's her back story? *Why do you think Sam's benefactor, (a.k.a. Mr. Knightley) has chosen this alias to communicate with her? *What kind of relationship do Sam & Hannah have? *Why is Sam always quoting books (especially to Hannah) when she doesn’t know what to say? *What happened to cause Sam to move in with the Conley family? And how does Mr. Knightley continue to spoil her? *Ashley says: "You've got this wall around you...figuratively speaking." Is she right about Sam? What kind of walls do you put up? *What is one of Sam's earliest tragic memories of her father? (When she was about 6 years old. p. 136) How did her mom react? And how did that event create a domino effect for the rest of Sam's childhood? *Sam said that Kyle would need "more courage to learn to surrender" than he'd needed to survive his abusive childhood or write about it. What does surrender mean here? *Alex told Sam that he doesn't like to disappoint people. Is that a failing or a virtue? *How hard is it for Sam (and for us) to recognize a Wickham or Henry Crawford in our lives? In this book it's Josh; why do we let these real-life characters impose on us or injure us? Josh leads Sam on for awhile, & she is falsely led to believe things are just fine in their relationship. *What does Sam learn from the Muirs? (Especially once she becomes their adopted daughter.) *Would you have been mad at Alex for the secret he withheld from Sam for over a year? Are you glad she finally forgives him? Would you have forgiven him & loved him anyway? Favorite quotes or passages: "I gravitate toward Fanny Price, morally spot-on, but commonly thought dull. Or Anne Elliott, demure & kind, not one to stand out in a crowd. Those dear friends I understand." "First it was a question, then he seemed to find an answer & he deepened it. I've heard all sorts of things about a kiss (melting, fireworks, music) but no one ever told me it's a conversation: asking, accepting, deciding, inviting, giving...Questions posed & answered." My Rating: ***** (5 stars!!!!)  Deep Work
by: Cal Newport Questions & Challenges: *What are the components of deep practice/work? *What are the 2 components of deliberate practice? *Why is it worthwhile to learn how to enter a deep work state? *Is there a difference between the states of "flow" & "deep work?" *Can you work harder & better if you are regularly scheduling or blocking out time for leisure? *Do you make time for productive meditation in your schedule? *Do you have a "shutdown ritual" each day? (p. 151) What does that look like & are you able to get enough work done if you stick to that ritual? *Have you felt like some of the communication you have in your life is enriching? Or impoverishing?" (Packer's thoughts on p. 193) Favorite quotes: "Deep work is necessary to wring every last drop of value out of your current intellectual capacity...the state of mental strain that accompanies deep work is also necessary to improve your abilities." "Men of genius themselves were great only by bringing all their power to bear on the point on which they had decided to show their full measure." -Sertillanges "Network tools...fragment our time & reduce our ability to concentrate." "The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult & worthwhile." "A deep work habit requires you to treat your time with respect. A good first step toward this respectful handling is the advice outlined here: Decide in advance what you're going to do with every minute of your workday. It's natural, at first, to resist this idea, as it's undoubtedly easier to continue to allow the twin forces of internal whim & external requests to drive your schedule." My Book Rating: 4/5 (mostly because some of the business contexts & stories were too obscure or complex for me to muddle through. But I loved his tips overall for working more efficiently!)  Below you will find pictures & links to all of our books for 2021; I'm excited to start reading along with all of you! Please read along, comment & vote on Instagram or share insights about book club here. I did try to find the cheapest version (excepting on Audible or Hoopla) for all 12 books; so see the links below. And my book club is FREE, so the only cost incurred would be if you decide to buy one of the books we read this year. Thank you for being part of the Love of Lit. Book Club! ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// JANUARY: (NEW YEAR!!!) Deep Work by: Cal Newport www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692/ref=sr_1_2?crid=16AM4FIVN1I28&dchild=1&keywords=deep+work+cal+newport&qid=1609608460&sprefix=deep+work%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-2 FEBRUARY: (Valentines Day!) Dear Mr. Knightley by: Katherine Reay www.amazon.com/Dear-Mr-Knightley-Katherine-Reay/dp/140168968X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SYIXHYR3A76M&dchild=1&keywords=dear+mr.+knightley&qid=1609608985&sprefix=dear+mr.+knight%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1 MARCH: Heartless by: Marissa Meyer www.amazon.com/Heartless-Marissa-Meyer/dp/1250148189/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=heartless&qid=1609629615&sr=8-1 APRIL: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by: Jamie Ford www.thriftbooks.com/w/hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet_jamie-ford/249409/#edition=5195353&idiq=3252336 MAY: (Mothers Day!) Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by: Meg Meeker www.thriftbooks.com/w/strong-mothers-strong-sons-lessons-mothers-need-to-raise-extraordinary-men_meg-meeker/8851113/#edition=9007398&idiq=10498221 JUNE: The Hidden Life of Addie LaRue by: V.E. Schwab www.amazon.com/Invisible-Life-Addie-LaRue-ebook/dp/B084357H23/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1609630247&sr=8-1 JULY: (INDEPENDENCE DAY!) The American Covenant by: Timothy Ballard www.amazon.com/American-Covenant-Nation-Under-Founding-ebook/dp/B00CJJD1EC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+american+covenant&qid=1609635634&s=digital-text&sr=1-1 AUGUST: (Friendship Month) I'll Push You: a Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, & One Wheelchair by: Patrick Gray www.amazon.com/Ill-Push-You-Journey-Wheelchair/dp/1496421701/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=I%27LL+PUSH+YOU&qid=1609651127&sr=8-1 SEPTEMBER: High Performance Habits by: Brendon Burchard www.thriftbooks.com/w/high-performance-habits_brendon-burchard/11912311/#edition=11514528&idiq=26071406 OCTOBER: (Halloween) The Clocks: a Hercule Poirot Mystery by: Agatha Christie www.amazon.com/Clocks-Hercule-Poirot-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B000FC2IYY/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+clocks&qid=1609635856&s=digital-text&sr=1-1 NOVEMBER: The Book of Lost Names by: Kristen Harmel www.amazon.com/Book-Lost-Names-Kristin-Harmel/dp/198213190X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1609650241&sr=1-1 DECEMBER: (Merry Christmas!) Little Women by: Louisa May Alcott Bonus Read-- An Alcott Christmas Collection www.thriftbooks.com/w/little-women-by-louisa-may-alcott/285700/#edition=24762945&idiq=36950320 www.amazon.com/Complete-Little-Women-Good-Wives-ebook-dp-B083V329SP/dp/B083V329SP/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1609630447 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NS9J18N/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1  White Christmas Inn
by: Colleen Wright www.amazon.com/White-Christmas-Inn-Novel/dp/1501180606/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=white+christmas+inn&qid=1606793764&s=books&sr=1-2 Discussion Questions: *Who is Molly & why is she staying at the Evergreen Inn for the Christmas holiday? *Why are Hannah & her family all headed to the Evergreen Inn? *Who’s your favorite couple in this story? *Why did Jeanne & Tim get a ton of reservations for the inn pouring in at the end of the story? Favorite quotes or insights: My Rating: 4.5 Fly Girls, by: Keith O'Brien
www.amazon.com/Fly-Girls-Daring-Aviation-History/dp/1328592790/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=fly+girls&sr=8-1 Questions: *Who were the 5 women who made aviation history in this book? Who was your favorite? *What was the result of the womens' air race to Cleveland? Who was the winner? *Why did Thaden stop flying (for a time) in 1930? *What really went on between Amelia Earhart & G.P. Putnam? (His wife filed for a divorce in ch. 12; Earhart was unmarried. {p. 123} ) *What did you think of Ruth Nichols, especially after she'd get injured so badly & then turn around to try & fly again? *Why did the women get discriminated against so much in aviation? How did the Ninety-Nines gain suffrage in the air eventually? *Who was your favorite "fly girl?" Or who did you most closely identify with? (I was a toss-up between Ruth Nichols, stubborn as could be, & Louise Thaden, aviation queen & torn between the sky & being a stay-at-home mom.) Quotes/Passages: "Thaden had collected $4,600 in winnings-- more than 4 times what the average American woman earned in 1929." "The Lord is my pilot. I shall not crash. He maketh me fly in clear skies. He leadeth me down to smooth landings. He keepth my charts. Yea, though I fly through the storms & tempests of life, I shall dread no danger." -Blanche Noyes Questions to Ponder:
*How would you like to see YOURSELF in the future? (end of chapter 1) *What sorts of things do you tend to overthink? Do you catch yourself? *Do you or someone you know suffer from analysis paralysis? *Can practicing gratitude help you avoid overthinking everything? Favorite Quotes/Passages: "The too-familiar spin cycle of overthinking, unable to focus on anything else. I know the signs: lots of mental action, none of it constructive, all the while knowing I have better things to do." "Beginning now, I don't want you to describe yourself as a chronic overthinker. Overthinking is no longer part of your identity, though it may be a behavior you're engaging in right now." "Many things don't feel so daunting once they are written down, because the act of writing forces us to clarify what's actually happening & what we need to do about it." |
AuthorHi, I'm Katie! I'm 33 years old, have 2 little babes, live in sunny Arizona & have begun dabbling in a bit of writing of children's books. Archives
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