What I Just Read

The primary insight in this book is to understand and respect the stress-recovery cycle in all life domains. Most of us find this a naturally intuitive concept in domains like weightlifting and fitness, but the authors illustrate similar cycles of stress-recovery in practically every other life domain as well: in our relationships, in our cognition, even in our spiritual life.  Thus the key to "full engagement" doesn't come from perfecting your time management skills or from forcing yourself to work harder. It comes from working with and managing the natural energy cycles of our bodies. You can't go 100% hard-driving all the time, but at the same time you also can't be lazy. Instead, work at an appropriately challenging level of intensity, then dial things back and recover, thinking of your metaphorical "muscles" in cognitive, emotional and relationship domains just like you'd think about your literal muscles when you're training. Challenge follo...

Amateur surfers will consider this inspiring book required reading. It gives an intriguing window into Hawai'i surf culture, specifically the surf culture of Kaua'i. Bethany Hamilton was a thirteen-year-old up-and-coming competitive shortboarder when she lost nearly her entire left arm in a sudden shark attack. This autobiography was first released a year or so after the attack, and then re-released with additional commentary some eight years later when a biopic came out about her story. It's easy to understand why Bethany might really agonize over the "what might have beens," given all the coincidences, good and bad, that hit her that day. The day of the accident she almost didn't even surf! The conditions were terrible, and she went from one break to another, disappointed, before finally deciding to paddle out at Tunnels, not even one of her favorite breaks. Chapter 5 describes the attack. Amazingly, she felt no pain when it happened: she saw her arm had bee...

There is a lot to learn from this 1969-era autobiography of a once-beautiful actress who Hollywood created, chewed up, and then spit out. Veronica Lake was manufactured into a star during 1940s-era Hollywood, to the point that books written 30 years later would still remember her, not for her acting, but for her world-famous "peek-a-boo" haircut . She went from a forgettable middle-class life in Brooklyn, to riches, and then to rags. She couldn't find work. She drank. And she aged, badly. [A quick  affiliate link to Amazon  for those readers who would like to support my work here: if you purchase your Amazon products via any affiliate link from this site, or from my sister site  Casual Kitchen , I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!] You'd think the author would harbor a lot of anger--toward herself, toward her ill fortune, or toward the movie industry star system that created her. But interestingly, she's sanguine about...