The Mermaid's Sister

Book 58 of 2015 is The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble.

These are the kinds of fantasy books that make me remember why I used to dislike fantasy.

Instead of there being an exciting adventure with magical creatures and fantastical characters, this book gave me a pathetic little girl in love with her sister's boyfriend and all the childish rubbish that goes with this.

Having discovered after reading this that this is a children's book, I'm still unimpressed. Can we teach young women to respect strong female characters and not just love boys?

3 pearl tears out of 5.

Should I read this? No.
What did I learn? Mermaids tears turn in to pearls.

Daring Greatly

Book 57 of 2015 is Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown.

I can't say enough positive things about book. It could be because it validates the opinions I have on vulnerability or because Brown articulates those opinions better than I am able to.

This sums it up for me:

1. Cultivating Authenticity: Letting Go of What People Think
2. Cultivating Self‐Compassion: Letting Go of Perfectionism
3. Cultivating a Resilient Spirit: Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness
4. Cultivating Gratitude and Joy: Letting Go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark
5. Cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith: Letting Go of the Need for Certainty
6. Cultivating Creativity: Letting Go of Comparison
7. Cultivating Play and Rest: Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self‐Worth
8. Cultivating Calm and Stillness: Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle
9. Cultivating Meaningful Work: Letting Go of Self‐Doubt and “Supposed To”
10. Cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance: Letting Go of Being Cool and “Always in Control”

5 bouts of shame resilience out of 5.

Should I read this? If you respect vulnerability in others and are working on your own authenticity then yes..
What did I learn? I'm on the right path. Now I have more tools.