Review: Reading People
Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything
My personality traits don’t determine my destiny, they inform it.
If you listen to Anne Bogel’s podcast What Should I Read Next or read her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, you’re probably aware that she’s more than a little into personality. (And if you don’t know who Anne Bogel is, for shame! Just kidding. But seriously, go check out her blog and podcast. They are very well done!) Before Anne, I wasn’t really aware of all the personality typing books and programs out there, aside from whatever quiz we were made to take in high school that supposedly told us what job we would be good at. Now? I’m fascinated.
Anne’s book, Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything
As I read the book, I kept thinking, “yes, yes, yes, this is me, and this explains a lot.” (And in case you’re wondering, I’m an INFJ, enneagram 2.) Anne is a talented writer, and she explains that different personalities, and how we often mis-type ourselves, so well. For example, I’ve been told for most of my life that because I was involved with theatre and choir and wasn’t shy onstage that I was an outgoing extrovert. So I always wondered if something was wrong with me because I really prefer staying home with my family to going out, often have to talk myself into going out with friends (not because I don’t want to see them, but because I would just rather be at home), and have anxiety over making phone calls to strangers. Turns out, I’m not crazy, weird, or an extrovert. I’m an introvert who happens to be comfortable on a stage. (You really can’t see the audience when those blinding lights are on.) If I had realized this earlier, I think it would have helped me make some different decisions, or at least make more informed decisions. I identified with almost zero extroverted traits, and almost all the introverted ones, and that was eye-opening.
In addition to realizing some important things about my own personality, I was able to learn how to better communicate with people who have different personality types than my own. Knowing where I’m coming from, personality wise, and understanding where another person may be coming from, has already helped me become less frustrated. (And I’m sure helped my family become less frustrated with talking to me!)
For me, Reading People
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
EXTRA!
Another thing I love about Reading People is that you don’t have to read straight through. You can pick and choose the chapters that are interesting to you, only read about your specific type, and then go back and read some more if you want more information. It is truly a great resource.
Review: Emma in the Night
Thank you so much to Texas Reader Girl for loaning me her ARC of this book!
The moment I had not been prepared for—the one thing I had not ever imagined in all those years—was that my mother would not recognize me.
I’m not going to lie. The initial thing that drew me into this book was the cover. It is haunting, and I wanted to know more. Happily, the inside of the book surpassed the outside. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker is a psychological thriller perfect for fall (but really any season, to be honest), and I found myself reading as fast as I could, anywhere I could, to find out what exactly was going on with Emma.
The Tanner sisters, Cass and Emma, disappeared three years ago. Early one morning, Cass shows up on her mother’s doorstep demanding that they need to go back to “the island” for Emma. A detective and a forensic psychologist interview Cass multiple times, piecing together a strange story of kidnapping, a mysterious island off the coast of Maine, and a baby. In addition, the psychologist is convinced that something isn’t quite right with Cass and Emma’s family life, and it may have something to do with why they were kidnapped.
I loved this book. It’s not only a thriller, it’s a study in narcissistic personality disorder and just how far someone with that diagnosis will go to put themselves first. The level of manipulation (I won’t tell you which characters-I have to leave some spoilers out here!) in this story is wild. I found myself wishing I could give advice or hugs to some of the characters in the book, and I might have actually talked to the book . . . out loud . . . because a certain character (ahem, Cass and Emma’s mom) was so frustrating.
I don’t want to say much else, because there are a lot of twists and turns in Emma in the Night
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
[Top]
What My Kids Are Reading: October 13, 2017
Happy Friday! The format is a little different this week. Instead of featuring three books my kids are loving, I’m going to review one, because I loved it so much and because I think it remains an extremely important book for kids of all ages today. (And to be honest, I think some adults could learn a lesson or two from it.)
The Story of Ferdinand
I bought this book because I wanted to read it to my kids before the Blue Sky movie version is out in December. Book before the movie, kids, always remember that. I was expecting a simple book about a happy bull that didn’t want to fight. And it is that, but it is also so much more. I was so taken with the message of this book that I did a little research about it. Ferdinand was first published in 1936, and was immediately labeled a pacifist story. Hitler ordered that all copies of this book be burned in Nazi Germany, but Stalin allowed it as the only non-communist children’s book allowed in Poland. It has been called everything from fascist to communist to pacifist to a story about gender nonconformity. And of course, it’s been banned in many countries.
Sounds a little more interesting than a simple story about a bull.
The story is set in Spain. Ferdinand lives on a farm with other bulls. All the other bulls want to socialize and run around and show how tough they are. Ferdinand is perfectly happy sitting under a tree by himself and looking at the flowers. When a bee stings him one day, he runs around in pain, snorting and stamping the ground. He is immediately recruited for bull fighting, and thrust into the ring. Instead of getting angry or scared, he simply sits down and enjoys the flowers all the ladies in the audience are wearing on their heads. He is poked and prodded many times, but he never gives the audience what they want. Ferdinand stays true to his nature.
What immediately struck me was how fantastic this is for kids who are happy being by themselves. Not lonely, and not by themselves against their will, but kids who prefer to sit quietly rather than be in a crowd. Kids are so often told or forced to go play with other kids, to go be social, to play sports. And those things are important. But some kids really, truly aren’t comfortable with any of that, and that’s ok. Ferdinand the bull shows them that even a big, tough bull needs quiet time as well.
It is also a wonderful example of how it’s ok to be different, even though everyone around you acts the same way and expects you to act like them. Ferdinand didn’t let anyone, not even bull fighters with spears who poked at him, change who he was or how he wanted to live. I think that’s a lesson we can all appreciate.
If you’re like me and are new to Ferdinand
EXTRA!
This is a great article on Huffpost about how to talk to kids about the deeper meanings in Ferdinand.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-day/the-story-of-ferdinand-ta_b_5504402.html
[Top]Review: The Rules of Magic
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a digital galley of this book – all opinions are my own!
The summer had started them thinking: If they were not like everyone else, who, then, were they?
Y’all, my love for Alice Hoffman runs deep. I’ve been reading her books since high school, and she writes magical realism like no one else. I recently re-read Practical Magic
In Practical Magic, Gillian and Sally live with their aunts, Franny and Jet, after their parents die. They spend much of the book denying their ancestry and both being fascinated by and trying to ignore the strange things the aunts do to help the women in their small town. The Rules of Magic is about Franny and Jet, their childhood, and how they came to be the women of Practical Magic. Franny, Jet, and their brother, Vincent, live in New York City, where their mother sets strict rules for them. But once a year, they visit their aunt Isabelle in a small Massachusetts town where their family has lived for centuries, the house on Magnolia Street. They, too, are trying to escape the Owens’ family curse, where magic rules and love leads to misfortune. But as Franny and Jet grow up, and Vincent makes his own way, they discover that you can’t outrun your destiny.
This is more blatantly magical than the first book, where magic is talked about and hinted at, and I have to say that I loved that. I loved seeing exactly what the Owens siblings were capable of, and how they dealt with that from youth into adulthood. I don’t want to say that I liked this better than Practical Magic . . . but I think I did. The characters are so well-written I felt like I knew them, and I wanted to hug all three siblings and help them somehow. I also really appreciated the added suspense in this novel. Hoffman is a beautiful writer, and I will read anything she writes, but The Rules of Magic contains an element of suspense that she doesn’t usually include, and it worked really well. The beginning story is interesting and will keep your attention because of the characters, but the end of the book will have you reading as fast as possible to find out what happens.
Like in her other books, Hoffman sticks with some tried and true themes: family is family, being an outsider is hard, and being true to yourself is important. She uses these in a lot of her books, but never feel tired because she introduces new ideas in every story, and this one felt fresh too. I think she takes a lot of things from her own life and weaves them into her stories. Hoffman used to be notoriously private, preferring people to just read her books and ignore her, leaving her alone at home. If you read The Rules of Magic closely, that theme of the importance of home is loud and clear. No matter where the characters go, or what they go through, they always go back home. The house on Magnolia Street draws everyone back in, and remaining close to home becomes very important to all of the Owens women.
The Rules of Magic is one of Hoffman’s best works yet and, selfishly, I hope she writes more about the Owens family, because I cannot get enough. This is great all year, but especially perfect for your nightstand in October!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
[Top]What My Kids Are Reading: Fall Books 2017!
Since Wednesday’s post was about seasonal reading for adults, I thought I would include a kid-centered post as well! Fall is also a great time for kids to read seasonally, and there are plenty to pick from! In addition to all the classic kids’ picture books, there are some great books that are perfect for fall. Whether your kids want to read on their own or you read these to them, here are a few choices we’ve been enjoying, and will continue to read, in the next month!
Where the Wild Things Are
This is such a classic children’s book, and with beautiful illustrations of monsters and Max’s wild rumpus of a story, it’s so perfect for fall. (It’s even more fun if your kids are wearing monster costumes while you read it!)
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
This one is definitely for older kids, at least age 8 and up. With the Disneyfication of most fairy tales, it’s easy to forget their more gory origins. Violence, deception, and plenty of good vs. evil is a perfect fit for some Halloween reading. Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney! But if you’re looking for some scary stories, the Grimm brothers can’t be beat.
The Magic Tree House Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
If you have elementary-aged kids, I’m sure you’re familiar with the Magic Tree House books. They are fantastic for kids who are ready for chapter books, as well as for kids interested in history. (It’s simple historical fiction for younger kids.) These two (one about a haunted castle in Camelot, the other about ghosts in New Orleans and Louis Armstrong) would be great to pull out this month to get a little cozy, not too scary, reading in.
The Witches
This is another one for slightly older readers, age 8 and up depending on their level of comfort with witches. Witches who hate children. The Witches is about a little boy who lives with his grandma. She tells him scary stories about real witches who hate children, and who hide among regular people. When they go on vacation in Norway, the end up staying at the same place as a witch convention, and the Grand High Witch discovers the little boy spying on them. If you love Roald Dahl, this is a must, but be aware that the book does deal with death and the potential death of a beloved grandma. But it’s one of my favorites, and witches and Halloween go hand in hand.
The Monstore
This is a fun picture book that both of my kids love to read every year. (They love it so much that it never stays with our seasonal Halloween books for long, and always ends up next to their bookcases.) Zach visits the Monstore for all of his monsterly needs, but when his little sister discovers it too, his plans go awry. This is a cute, fun book that’s not scary, and the illustrations are great!
The Graveyard Book
For older kids! Age 10 and up, for sure. I haven’t read this, but I would like to very soon. Neil Gaiman is the king of fantasy, a great genre for fall, and this one covers all the creepy Halloween bases as well. Bod lives in a graveyard. He is the only living resident there, and was raised by werewolves, ghosts, and other fantastical creatures. He has to balance the world of the graveyard with the world of the living, and the dangers that lie in each. If you have a child who likes fantasy and suspense, this would be perfect for them.
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
This was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to read it. It will definitely be required fall reading for them very soon. It’s such a simple story: a dog and a cat living in the Monroe house must figure out if the new pet, a bunny with fangs, is a vampire or not. This book. This book! I really hope kids today still read it. It’s funny, not too scary, and it’s about a vampire bunny who sucks the color out of vegetables! What more could you want?
The Magnus Chase series
This is my recommendation for a fall fantasy series. Rick Riordan does this so well, and the Magnus Chase series, about a boy who must save the world and Viking myths, is fantastic for fall. (Or anytime!) This is for older kids, and kids who are fans of Percy Jackson and the Avengers series will love this one. (The third book in the series, The Ship of the Dead
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Illustrated Edition
Fall is my favorite time to re-read the Harry Potter series, and this book will make a wonderful edition to any Harry Potter collection, and will be fun for any Harry Potter fan. I know the illustrations will be beautiful, and kids (and who am I kidding, adults too) will have a good time cozying up under a blanket and looking at all the magical beasts J.K. Rowling has written about. (Out November 7, 2017)
The Eerie Elementary series
This is a new series for me, and I’m going to be checking them out for my kids. These are chapter books for new chapter book readers, and for older readers who want a quick book to read. (And obviously, with a name like Eerie Elementary, excellent for Halloween!) Eerie Elementary is a scary school, and Sam Graves has to protect himself and his friends from all the weird things that happen at the school. There are 6 books in the series, and the 7th one (Classes Are Canceled!