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Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. Book & Audiobook Review

April 29, 2020 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

Here’s a book that I started reading two years ago but I didn’t think of finishing it until recently. In fact, I didn’t even know if I was ever going to finish it because of several reasons. For example, even though the cover is really intriguing and nice, the first half of the book was quite difficult for me to follow because the writing seems a little too convoluted and the story’s pacing is a little too detached. Also, some choice of words by the author seems quite complicated for what the book really is. So, I naturally have lost interest in reading it. However, recently, I spotted the book again in my bookshelf and I decided to give it another go. This time, I listened to the Audible version of it and I was glad I did because my impression of the book has now completely changed.

As you can see judging by the pictures of the book, both front and back covers, you can deduce that the book is a thriller. In fact, a psychological thriller, to be specific. The story is about Margot Lewis, an English teacher in Cambridge who runs her advice column called “Dear Amy“. One day, she receives a letter from a missing girl named Bethan Avery, asking for help because she’s been kidnapped, doesn’t know where she is, and at the danger of being killed soon. Problem is, Bethan’s been missing for twenty years and is already presumed dead. How can a missing girl be writing letters now and had a chance to send it by mail? Is it a hoax? Could it be true? Hmmm.. intriguing, right? Bethan is not the only girl who has been missing. Ever since her disappearance, there were already a couple of young girls who’d been missing around the area. Margot had a student named Katie who had also disappeared recently. Something is seriously wrong and she’s determined to find out, no matter what.

I love the interesting psychological concepts that the book was alluding to, like Dissociative Fugue, possibly MPD, and even hypnosis. As the plot unfolds and the story progresses towards the middle and ’till the end, you will find that the book is a heart-pounding experience with its own twists and turns. It completely changed my point of view especially upon listening to it via Audible because the narrator did a really good job of portraying the characters with her different accents and voice tones. Reading this book will probably still be a snoozefest, at least for me, but listening to the audiobook is a whole different story. So, I definitely recommend that you use Audible for this one.

I would love to tell you more about the story, but I would rather give you a clue: The first rule of fight club is – you do not talk about fight club. Got it?

Check out some of the psychologically thrilling books I’ve read or listened to below

Books to Read While Social Distancing. Part 1

April 13, 2020 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

As we try to make sense with our new normal, it’s very important that we keep our day to day activities as consistent as it used to be as possible. Establishing some sort of normalcy in our lives during these times is really challenging but it’s good for our sanity. Also, taking advantage of the extra time most of us now have will help to make us feel productive.

While I do like to binge-watch shows on TV (yes, I did watch Tiger King and Crash Landing On You :-)) and run to the tune of Dua Lipa’s “Let’s Get Physical” (how ironic is this song given our current situation?), I’m also a big fan of reading. Although it’s hard to read a book nowadays because a lot of us are worried, reading can actually provide a momentary distraction and a sense of focus. It’s going to be hard at first especially when thoughts are racing inside your head, but it’ll get easier as soon as you get into the habit.

So, without further ado, check out this first part of the books I recommend to read while social distancing.

You Are A Badass Everyday by Jen Sincero – If you’re a fan of Jen Sincero and her original badass book, you will most probably like this one. I actually liked this book a lot and even more so than the first book. This was a quick read and Jen had put some very interesting self-affirmative advice that a lot of you will mostly like.

Paris, New York, and London in Bloom by Georgianna Lane – If you don’t feel like reading, you can just sit and browse through the beautiful pages of Georgianna Lane’s coffee table books. I absolutely adore these “in Bloom” books and these are perfect for Spring. Also, Georgianna is an amazing photographer with such Pinteresting work.

All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols – Such a great powerful book of poems by Morgan Harper Nichols whom I discovered through Instagram. This handy hardcover with a beautiful floral illustration is full of poetic healing words that are transformational and inspirational. Morgan’s words will touch your heart and this is the kind of book we need nowadays.

Pillow Thoughts I & II by Courtney Peppernell – I don’t think I’ve ever read a poetry book as interesting as Courtney Peppernell’s. Ever since the release of her first Pillow Thoughts book, I’ve become a fan and I really like how her words rhymed and the overall emotion conveyed on every page of her books. If you haven’t read one of her poetry books yet, well, her books have sections for whatever your heart is going through or whatever it desires.

Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder by Claudia Kalb – Here’s a Psychology book that reads like a very entertaining novel. What do Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe have in common? How did Charles Darwin manage to finish his “On the Origin of Species” despite having a psychosomatic disorder? And why was Andy Warhol a hoarder? This is a book about the minds of some of the greatest personalities in our history and why they became the way they were. Interesting right?

Have you read any of these books before?

Stay tuned for the second batch of books I’m going to recommend soon.

Take care everyone.

SHOP THESE BOOKS BELOW

You Are a Badass Book/Audiobook Review

April 26, 2019 / OTHER STUFF / 0 comments

“If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done before” – Jen Sincero, success coach, author of You Are a Badass.

I don’t remember exactly where I heard about this book. It must have been recommended to me, or that I must have read somewhere that a lot of bloggers have read it, raved about it, or got inspired by it. I also seem to remember seeing a pile of it at Urban Outfitters looking like it’s the must-read of the moment. Regardless of how I’ve come to know about the book sassily entitled as You Are a Badass, I knew it got me curious and I had to read it at some point in time. Since I love listening to audiobooks while doing my daily activities, I decided to listen to this book via Audible. If you’ve read my previous book reviews, you’d know that I’m not a big fan of self-help books, not because I don’t need help, lol, it’s just that I’m quite picky about them. I gave this book a chance because it seems to be just everywhere, and it looks really interesting.

The Audible version of this book is read by the author herself, Ms. Jen Sincero. I liked the way she narrated the book. It was fast-paced and her tone of voice was very engaging. The book or audiobook itself is really all about improving oneself or life and on how to be awesome. As blissful and at times shallow that word may be, the author emphasizes for us to recognize that it’s very important to feel good about ourselves. Immediately you could tell that this book is all about self-positivity and self-affirmation, though I must admit that learning to be awesome can be quite a lot especially in today’s day and age.

This book tells no-nonsense advice about achieving your best potential and living the life you’ve always wanted. Which means, being the “you” you’ve always wanted to be. It gives a lot of words of encouragement on following your dreams by getting things done and not sabotaging yourself. It’s like motivating yourself to act and hit the ground running while also loving and believing in who you are. In other words, this is a book not just for the go-getters but also for those who tend to procrastinate and want some push with practical advice and positive affirmation. Think Sophia Amoruso of Nasty Gal with her Girlboss vibe, and you can already imagine what listening to this book must be like.

While I find this book to be encouraging and motivating at the same time, especially when the author talked about following your dreams and understanding your limitations, as well as accepting the things that cannot be changed, or in how you can react to the things/situations that you can’t control, I feel like there are some parts of the book that I couldn’t understand. The author talked about source energy and the universe, and that just seemed a little too farfetched for me, but it didn’t bother me much. I’d like to think that I am more pragmatic in that sense, but perhaps I just didn’t listen to her explanation enough about these things because I was doing some chores while listening to the book. 🙂

Since this book has a very modern voice/approach, expect to hear or read some swear words from the author, which honestly is not really a big deal for me. As for the condescending/arrogant tone that the author gives off with some of her advice, (mentioned by some readers) well, there is definitely a feisty tone to them, and at times they kinda sounded tough, but there is some humor to them as well. So, I just took the positive vibes/advice that I could get out of this book and decided not to judge on the questionable ones. I definitely think that the author should have delved more on some pointers on how to be awesome, and not just on encouraging and motivating the readers to get up and get going.

Bottom line, I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it because of its tell-it-like-it-is approach to motivation, but I also wish that it should have been more open-minded to every individual’s specific situations and daily struggles. But anyhow, the next time you’re feeling low, or you’re feeling like you’re under the weather and needs an extra push or a shot of motivation, you may want to consider adding this book to your list of pick-me-up items to buy.

This book is currently available in Amazon

The Audible version is available HERE

Lip Gloss is from Cle de Peau
Fragrance is from Viktor & Rolf’s Magic Collection – Sparkling Secret, available HERE and reviewed HERE

Have you read this book before? Did you like it?