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Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Thirty-seven days after being diagnosed with cancer, author Patti Digh’s stepfather died. It is this moment that inspired the book Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally. The book provides ways to think and ways to act that will help give meaning and intention to life because, as cliché as it may be, we really don’t know how much time we have left.

The book includes a number of writing exercises and journal entries that can help you come to terms with things from your past, as well as current roadblocks that are preventing you from living with purpose. We live our lives with certain patterns in place, and while certain patterns and habits can be helpful, negative thoughts and behaviors may have become unconscious. Digh’s book will help force awareness of the negativity and helps counter it.

Spread throughout the text are collages and images created by the author that add to the creative flavor of the book. Digh uses personal examples along with her own pictures to support her points. She is a woman who knows that life can be hard, and wants women to improve themselves, not for a man or to fit any societal image of how we "should" act, but a personal journey to enrich our own lives.

Chapters focus on a variety of topics that seem like common sense, but that can be hard to put into practice: giving back (to others as well yourself), trusting your intuition, loving yourself and others, and saying 'yes'. Working on being mindful and living intentionally can be challenging. Changing ingrained habits takes work, awareness, and time. It is easy to get lost, but Digh provides a road map.

For those without the money to buy the book (thank you recession!), check out Digh’s blog. She updates regularly and it’s full of inspiration and the acknowledgment of life’s challenges. The blog was an impetus for her first book, and she is currently working on a follow-up, specifically for the artists entitled Creative is a Verb: 37 Days to Unleash Your Inner Artist.

Written by: Kristin Conard, October 15th 2009

Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor: More Rebellion and Fire or Your Healing Journey

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

By Kris Carr

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Kris Carr was diagnosed with chronic cancer and instead of sitting around and waiting to die, she began to really live. She reshaped her life from the inside physically and mentally. Her first book was Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips and this follow up book gives the reader more support and inspiration.

I do not have cancer, but I found incredible strength and numerous fabulous ideas in this book. Many of the lessons and advice from Carr can be taken by anyone. There are a number of exercises and tasks to do, and blank pages are left to answer the prompts given. I particularly liked the following: “How do you find stability in the midst of unsafety?” and “What does the woman or man you desire to become look like?”

Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor is peppered with plenty of attitude and humor from Carr, and quotes from famous writers and philosophers are throughout. Carr seems like a trusted friend and adviser, but one who doesn’t take herself too seriously. She looks to her support system—doctors, friends, and her mother—to write brief essays on diet, meditation, and beauty tips.

Many of the ideas seem like common sense, yet it is easy to get bogged down into repetitive and destructive ways of thinking. Writing this as a woman who hasn’t been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, I can only imagine that challenge is multiplied for cancer patients. Carr reminds us to break out of these patterns, get off our butts, and make things better for ourselves. No one else is going to do it for us, and as she says, we are the CEOs of our own lives.

Carr's website has more support and tips. There are continual updates on physical, emotional, and mental well being, but if you don’t just want to read about how to change your lifestyle, the website gives you the tools to change your physical self as well. Carr recommends juicers, water test kits, raw foods, vitamins, yoga mats, body wash, essential oils, lubricant, and even saunas! Also posted online are Carr's upcoming workshops and events; her passion for life in her book is inspiring, so in person, I’m guessing she’s pretty incredible!

Written by: Kristin Conard, October 7th 2009

Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Efforts Toward Upward Mobility

admin — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:20:00 +0000

By Hollis Gillespie

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Hollis Gillespie is a mother, writer, friend, sister, girlfriend, daughter and more. Her third book, Trailer Trashed, is comprised of touching and hilarious essays that shed light on all the different aspects of her life. Personal memoirs and essays are very much “in style” as far as writing styles go, but Gillespie’s book is the most up-front, unapologetic, laugh-out-loud, emotional one I’ve read recently.

Gillespie's father sold trailers and drank heavily and her mother made missiles for the government. Her sister moved to South America and runs a bar. She collects trailers (yes, this inevitably stems back to her upbringing and her father’s job!) and worked as a flight attendant while being terrified of flying. The collection of people in her life is beautiful in it’s variety and eccentricity.

Gillespie's writing seems to flow without fear and without rancor for situations that could cripple others: her father drank, she’s a single mother, her family moved a lot, she gave up drinking, etc. The collection is honest and forthright with messages of life and love woven throughout. The general message—though never written so banally as this—seems to be to carry on, persevere, and get things done no matter what obstacles or challenges you might face. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you.

If you are in the Atlanta area, take advantage of the many classes and workshops that Hollis Gillespie offers. She teaches everything from new media and blogging to get your book published. The workshops run every couple of weeks. One of the little gems I gathered from simply looking around her website is that if you’re writing about yourself, particularly about trauma or stress you’ve gone through, make sure that you don’t write with pity or with bitterness. It’s a tidbit I’ve begun reminding myself of as I write.

Written by: Kristin Conard, September 27th 2009

The Cult of Celebrity: What Our Fascination with the Stars Reveals About Us

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:56:00 +0000

By Cooper Lawrence

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I must admit that I have a minor addiction to so-called celebrity news. I’ll read People magazine at the gym and admit to having a fascination with hearing more about my favorite stars. This addiction is explained in The Cult of Celebrity.

The book breaks down our addiction by first equating it to worship. Celebrities are, to some extent, deified. They are put on a pedestal, separate and special from the rest of us. They can get away with all sorts of things that us ordinary mortals cannot. Part of the draw, as Lawrence explains, is the charisma that most celebrities have in spades.

We are inundated with celebrity culture in today’s world, and as Lawrence says, “The number of people we know in the ‘artificial world’—actors, singers, sportspeople, TV hosts—is much larger than the number of people we know in the real world.” We’re drawn to know more about celebrities because of a kind of personal connection we may feel with them; the relationship we have with a celebrity (all one-sided) is easier than many of our real life relationships. Yet, our connection to a celebrity can bring us closer to those around us. When in doubt, you can often gossip about the latest celebrity info with an acquaintance and find common ground.

Not only do we love celebrities, but many of the teens and twenty-year-olds today want to be celebrities. Our culture has emphasized the importance of fame, and many people are desperate for it. We think it is a quick fix to our lives, and that when we’re discovered, all our dreams will come true. Why else would shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent be so popular?

Thankfully, Lawrence addresses the issue of young girls and celebrity. Films, TV shows, music, magazines, advertisements, and books are everywhere that cater to the young consumers desire to be famous and beautiful. Much of this emphasizes the purely superficial as the most important. The book has tips and hints for parents to provide positive parenting for children, including how to become the role model for your children.

The complicated cult of celebrity examined by Lawrence also encompasses celebrity endorsements and celebrities doing good. More people know about the crisis in Darfur thanks to celebrities like George Clooney; whether this is a good or bad thing is another issue. Not simply revealing her opinions on celebrity, Lawrence uses psychologists, philosophers, academics and researchers to support the points she makes.

Written by: Kristin Conard, August 30th 2009

Bitchin' Kitchen Cookbook: Rock Your Kitchen-And Let the Boys Clean Up the Mess

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:45:00 +0000

By Nadia Giosia

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The cliché don’t judge a book by its cover doesn’t hold true in regards to the Bitchin' Kitchen Cookbook, which depicts a glistening topless guy next to a meat cleaver wielding tattooed woman wearing a beehive hairdo and a leather apron. This is not your grandmother’s cookbook, though it does have some amazing recipes that would make your grandmother proud!

The cookbook emphasizes organic; the ingredients not only taste better, but they are cleaner (no pesticides, etc.) and , therefore, healthier for you. The book begins with a section on single cooking, which I thought was really fantastic. So often as a single woman, I find myself succumbing to heating up food in a microwave as compared to taking the time to cook for myself. But it really is worth it and with this cookbook, it’s much easier to find some creative recipes.

The book is filled with tips and interesting anecdotes about the author and the food. I enjoyed learning that spaghetti alla puttanesca was traditionally made by Italian prostitutes in the 1950s. The prostitutes were only allowed to shop for food once a week, and this dish could be made with preserved ingredients instead of fresh ones.

There is also a section on food for a breakup. So right before you get rid of the guy, you can just remind him of how much he’ll miss you! The author also brings up the good point that you’re then the classy one taking the time to break up with the significant other in person (no email, text, etc.) and you’re nice enough to not do it in public!

The bitchin’ kitchen continues online. Every few days at BitchinLifestyle.tv, you can find a new recipe for food and drinks. Not only that, but the site features crafts, fashion, and blog entries by the creators. The site feels like the book—bursting with good ideas, deliciousness, and more than a splash of naughty.

Written by: Kristin Conard, August 25th 2009