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This book boldly claims to be ”a guide to developing life’s most important skill”. I guess that is what caught my eye in a bookstore in London last June. I bought the book, telling myself happiness is worth developing. And started reading. Now this is not a book to speed through, I spent ten months reading it. At least I just had to think through things that the book stated. There exercises in this book and most of them are quite useful.
One of the things I really like in this book is the ”scientific” attitude it has. There are a lot of references and notes to publications. It gives me the reassurance there is some research behind the things stated in the book. The only drawback I can pinpoint is that the Buddhist monk life is so distant to everything I have, it is sometimes really hard to relate.
Matthieu Ricard writes: ”In the whirlwind of daily life, we often feel so hurt and drained that we are too weak even to do the exercises that would give us strength.” Now this I can relate to all too well. But that will not keep me from cherishing my happiness as he some chapters later continues: ”anyone can set aside a few minutes a day, and occasionally a day or two, to sit and look clearly into his own mind and into his perception of the world around him. This is as essential as sleep to one who is exhausted or as fresh air to one who has long breathed the polluted air of the city.” That was exactly what I was doing in London: setting some time off to think, when I picked up this book in a bookstore.
One memorable thing about this book is that I read it on a cool summer day on the railway station in Oulu, and a by-passer stopped to wish me happiness in my life. (No, that is not a common thing to happen in Finland.) So, I guess you are going to ask now: well am I happier? The answer is yes. Some of it is surely credited to this book, but just reading a book will not make anyone happy. You have to work on it, develop the skill yourself.
I got this book basically because I am reading the author’s blog, Rands in Repose. In a way the book was a blog, too. The chapters were stories rather than forming a clear plot to everything. Now, in my NADD mind there is nothing wrong with individual chapter-stories. And I like this guy’s writing style and he has a lot of insight of being a manager and working for a manager. I feel I got a tidbit of useful information here and there and everywhere. All in all a good read and I recommend it to anyone who is even thinking about being a manager… or working for one.
(Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus)
Löysin tämän kirjan sattumalta kirjahyllyä järjestellessäni ja päätin lukea sen. Tunnistin itseni, ja puolisoni, useammasta kohtaa. Eniten arvoa ehkä tällä kirjalla minulle on siinä, että on jotenkin lohduttavaa huomata, että se oma ”uniikki” parisuhdehuoli onkin ihan yleismaailmallinen. Kirjaa on tuota kappaletta kymmenkunta vuotta sitten painettaessa myyty puolitoista miljoonaa kappaletta, ja rohkenen epäillä, että niillä muillakin lukijoilla on parisuhteessaan niitä kipupisteitä ihan yhtä lailla. Ei se muidenkaan elämä ole ruusuilla tanssimista, vaikka siltä saattaakin ulkopuolisesta näyttää.
(I came across this book while arranging our bookshelf and decided to read it. The bottom line for me was realizing that the issues I struggle with in my relationship are far from unique. It is sort of comforting to realize that not just me, but millions of others as well, have to adjust their thinking and attitudes to maintain a healthy relationship.)
When I read that Neil Gaiman is contributing to the World Book Day, I rushed to Amazon.co.uk and ordered a copy of Odd and the Frost Giants. If you want someone to guide you for a crash course in Norwegian mythology, all dressed up in a tale of a very special child, get this beautifully illustrated book and start reading. Neil Gaiman has never let me down, and there was no fear of it this time either. The only drawback this book has is that it was all over too soon and left me wanting more fantasy and magic to dive in. I recommended this to a teenager who is interested in fantasy books, despite the small challenges of reading in English.
Kirja, tai oikeastaan kokonainen kirjasarja, kertoo Ellasta, joka on aina vaan toisella luokalla. Tässä osassa Ella kavereineen seikkailee kaupungissa. Meitä aikuisia tämä lapsille tarkoitettu kirja nauratti aivan vatsat kippurassa, mutta kohderyhmän lukijan kirja veti aika vakavaksi: siinähän tehdään asioita joita ei saa eikä pidä tehdä! Kirjaa lukiessa erityisesti riemastutti kommellusten ja sutkautusten selittelemättä jättäminen: tapahtumat seuraavat toinen toistaan sulavana virtana, jossa lukija poukkoilee kuin lastu laineilla. Suosittelen tätä kaikille lapsenmielisille, ja niille lapsille joiden mukana on aikuinen joka sanoo että elämässä sattuu ja tapahtuu ja kyllä, kommelluksille saa nauraa vaikka ne tuntuisivatkin olevan ihan omaankin oikeaan elämään sopivia.
I saw a trailer for the movie made from this book and being a curious person I wanted to read the book, and later maybe see the movie. The book is targeted for young readers and it is praised for the imaginative setting of the world it describes.
I found the book enjoyable to read and I am glad I have the sequels waiting for me already, as I will surely be digging into the next one soon. The main character is a young girl, who is pictured quite believably, judged by a mom of two daughters.
February 2006
- Dan Brown: Angels and Demons (borrowed from Kimmo), quite a nice plot, but I guess I have read enough Mr. Brown’s books to guess who is the bad guy.
November 2005
- Terry Pratchett: The Wee Free Men (I have bought the Finnish translation to Katri, who loved ”A Hat Full of Sky”), a fun world and scenario with lots to think about for younger readers.
October 2005
- Larry Niven: Ringworld’s Children (I have read the previous ones, too), an enjoyable trip back. Too bad this time my reading was delayed quite a lot by other things to do.
July 2005
- JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (there is so much hype over this series I just had to get it and read it), this time I was somewhat disappointed: the book dwells on the teenager’s emotions and character building too much for my liking.
- Neil Gaiman: Stardust (ok, so I got hooked on Neil Gaiman’s blog and wanted to read something he wrote), a wonderful magic-filled journey with great characters. Loved it.
June 2005
- Dan Brown: Digital Fortress (my pick to try another one by Dan Brown), enjoyed this one quite as much as Da Vinci Code so I guess I will have to read Angels and Demons, too.
April 2005
- Terry Pratchett: The Dark Side of the Sun (I had misplaced the Colour of Magic on the wrong side of this book and grabbed it to continue the Discworld series and noticed my mistake on the first page, but started reading nevertheless), fun worlds with weird stuff happening from left and right.
March 2005
- Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code (just a bestseller I wanted to read since I have heard so much about it), fulfilled my expectations and was very hard to put down at times.
February 2005
- Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic (got hooked on Pratchett’s writing style), a great trip to a very imaginative place that I am surely going to visit again.
January 2005
- Nancy Mairs: Waist-High in the World (educating myself about MS and checking this book suits the intended recipient), stories from a life of a disabled woman who wants to let the ”normals” see that her life is not as terrible as they might think.
December 2004
- Terry Pratchett: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (recommended this to Katri for her English assignment and naturally had to read it myself, too), fun tale about changed rats and their adventure.
- Mary Hoffman: Stravaganza, Tähtien Kaupunki (Katri got this from a book fair and asked me to read it because she had liked it), I nevertheless found this boringly predictable.
November 2004
- Alan Dean Foster: Impossible Places (gift from Kimmo, picked from my Amazon wish list), ate my dessert first and enjoyed it, especially the surprise ingredients.
- Alan Dean Foster: Bloodhype (Flinx series), wonderful characters and worlds, a great reminder of how much fun reading can be.
October 2004
- Niels Ferguson, Bruce Schneier: Practical Cryptography (got it for a school course), although loaded with insight this book was more business than pleasure to me.
September 2004
- Orson Scott Card: Speaker for the Dead (sequel to Ender’s Game, I guess I got hooked instantly), wonderful book about a strange world and its inhabitants, definetely one of my favorites although (or because) this book is very emotion-provoking.
- Orson Scott Card: Ender’s Game (recommended by Artsi), intriguing game played by a young boy and conspiring adults.
August 2004
- Malcolm Gladwell: The Tipping Point (recommended by Artsi), wonderful eye opener to human behavior and epidemics.
- Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash (originally recommended by Artsi, but decided to grab it now because several references to it recently), just amazing plot on a somewhat scarily close-to-reality scene.
July 2004
- Alan Dean Foster: The Tar-Aiym Krang (enjoyed the first one enough to want more), more adventures of Flinx. A great journey into the minds of various charaters.
June 2004
- (Michael Moore: Stupid White Men (wanted to read this since Moore is all over the news nowadays), I dropped the attempt after the first chapter. He sounds like a bitter guy who dwells on one-sided views of things. Hated the attitude and lack of references.)
May 2004
- Simon Singh: The Code Book (recommended by Artsi), down to earth book about cryptography and code breakers. I really liked reading this although I have never been too enthusiastic about history.
- Robert A. Heinlein: To Sail Beyond the Sunset (recommended by Artsi), a book about alternate histories and futures. Not too much to my liking, though.
April 2004
- Barbara Ehrenreich: Nickel and Dimed (own purchase), a real eye-opener to life really struggling to make the ends meet.
March 2004
- Larry Niven: Ringworld Engineers (recommended by Artsi), an enjoyable return to the place discovered in previous book. I have to admit I prefer the original Ringworld novel.
February 2004
- Larry Niven: Ringworld (recommended by Artsi), wonderful description of a world so unlike anything in Known Space. I was a bit bummed about Teela Brown, though.
January 2004
- Bruce Schneier: Beyond Fear (Amazon recommendation), insightful journey into American mindset of security issues.
December 2003
- David Brin: The Transparent Society (Amazon recommendation), an intriguing book of the impact of technology in balancing between privacy and freedom.
November 2003
- Eric Schlosser: Fast Food Nation (recommended by Artsi), a fact laden journey into fast food industry. Something between intriguing and gross. I loved the insight nevertheless.
October 2003
- William Gibson: Neuromancer (recommended by Artsi), a book with well created multidimensional world. My reading experience nevertheless suffered from a long gap in reading. This is a must to re-read later!
July 2003
- Orson Scott Card: Treason (recommended by Artsi), lively book of a young hero traveling through a highly imaginative world discovering its secrets.
June 2003
- Alan Dean Foster: For Love of Mother-Not (recommended by Artsi), enjoyable read especially the nature and animals are great.
- J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (pre-screening for Katri before the translation is out), enjoyable as kids book.
- Neil Gaiman: American Gods (impulse buy after reading intro), loved the book and its insight of the American way of life.
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