by Rachel Toalson | On My Shelf
On my shelf this week:
100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write, by Sarah Ruhl
The Rum Diary, by Hunter S. Thompson
Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected, by Kelle Hampton
This week I’m reading a book of essays, a novel and one of the most beautiful memoirs I’ve ever read.
Best quotes so far:
“I found that life intruding on writing was, in fact, life. And that, tempting as it may be for a writer who is also a parent, one must not think of life as an intrusion. At the end of the day, writing has very little to do with writing, and much to do with life. And life, by definition, is not an intrusion.”
Sarah Ruhl
Read any of these? Tell us what you thought.
by Rachel Toalson | On My Shelf
On my shelf this week:
The New Health Rules: Simple Changes to Achieve Whole-Body Wellness, by Frank Lipman and Danielle Claro
How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style and Bad Habits, by Anne Berest and Audrey Diwan
One Plus One, by Jojo Moyes
This week I’m reading through one of the best health books I’ve read in a long time (and, thankfully, I already do most of what’s recommended, though I have learned a few things), a new book club read I’m squeezing in before the meeting Thursday and a new adult novel.
Best quotes so far:
“Get 15 minutes of sunshine every day.”
Frank Lipman and Danielle Claro
“Clutter is the junk food of the home.”
Frank Lipman and Danielle Claro
Read any of these? Tell us what you thought.
by Rachel Toalson | On My Shelf
On my shelf this week:
The Opposite of Worry: The Playful Parenting Approach to Childhood Anxieties and Fears, by Lawrence Cohen
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L’Engle
The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
This week I’m reading about childhood anxiety, because my 8-year-old struggles with anxiety (as do I), enjoying a new read in the Wrinkle in Time series with the 8-year-old and trying to find time for a pleasure read (this one will be on my shelf for a while!).
Best quotes so far:
“Children who relax regularly find that they don’t get highly distressed as often, and when they do, they can calm themselves faster.”
Lawrence Cohen
“Anxiety usually can’t be solved with more thinking and more talk. We have to deal with the physical body, because anxiety clouds the thinking brain. To alleviate some of the suffering of anxiety we need to provide affection and cuddling, increase playful physical contact, and help children practice breathing exercises and relaxation techniques.”
Lawrence Cohen
Read any of these? Tell us what you thought.
by Rachel Toalson | On My Shelf
On my shelf this week:
That would be a baby.
His name is Asher Ruben, and he was born Jan. 29. So, instead of books on my shelf this week, it is him. There is not much reading going on here, except children’s books, because he is just too cute to put down (and babies are just a little bit of work). Sometimes we just have to freeze time and live, without our nose buried in books, because these days won’t last forever. So I have put down my books this week. And I have picked up my son.
Best quotes so far:
“He’s just so cute!”
-Asa, my 5-year-old.
“Mama, remember when you took off his diaper, and he peed all over himself?”
-Jadon, my 8-year-old.
“I just love baby Asher.”
-Hosea, my 4-year-old.
“You holding baby Atcher, Mama?”
-Zadok, my 2-year-old.
“Baby Atcher sleeping?”
-Boaz, my other 2-year-old.
by Rachel Toalson | On My Shelf
On my shelf this week:
How to Blog a Book, by Nina Amir
My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Place, by Mary Roach
The Night Trilogy, by Elie Wiesel
Where She Went, by Gayle Forman
The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self, by Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson
This week is a Sabbath week for me (I’ll be learning some new things and doing “out of the ordinary” work, instead of the usual), so I’ll be doing more reading. I’d like to learn how to blog a book, which is why the first one is on my list this week. Others include Mary Roach (have you ever read her? She’s hilarious!), Elie Wiesel (the first in the trilogy is his memoir, Night, and the other two are novels, also about the Holocaust), Gayle Forman (it’s a sequel to a book I recently finished) and a spiritual book about uncovering your true self. Some great reads!
Best quotes so far:
“A married couple can best be defined as a unit of people whose sleep habits are carefully engineered to keep each other awake.”
Mary Roach
“It’s easier to create wholeness than to change your reality one fragment at a time.”
Deepak Chopra
“Once you see yourself as part of the whole, a new understanding arises. There is no need to label yourself or anyone else as part of the good-versus-evil, right-versus-wrong drama. You can exchange judgment for the real experience of compassion, love and forgiveness.”Z
Deepak Chopra
“The unknown is necessary for change. When you make peace with that fact, the world will transform itself from a place of constant risk to the playground of the unexpected.”
Deepak Chopra
“You cannot be rejected unless you reject yourself.”
Deepak Chopra
Read any of these? Tell us what you thought.
by Rachel Toalson | On My Shelf
On my shelf this week:
Dad is Fat, by Jim Gaffigan
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Mindset, by Carol S. Dweck
This week I’m reading an audio book with my husband (because comedians always have the best audio books), an old classic re-read and a psychology book that could potentially be life-changing. Super interesting.
Best quotes so far:
“The fixed mindset does not allow people the luxury of becoming. They have to already be.”
-Carol Dweck
“Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.”
-Carol Dweck
“When you’re given a positive label, you’re afraid of losing it, and when you’re hit with a negative label, you’re afraid of deserving it.”
-Carol Dweck
“Every word and action sends a message. It tells children—or students or athletes—how to think about themselves. It can be a fixed mindset message that says, ‘You have permanent traits and I’m judging them’ or it can be a growth-mindset message that says, ‘You are a developing person and I am interested in your development.'”
-Carol Dweck
(I wish I could give you some quotes from Jim Gaffigan’s audio book, but I’ve been too busy laughing to take notes.)
Read any of these? Tell us what you thought.
