Tuesday 20 October 2015

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.

Friday 9 October 2015

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 BrenĂ© 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.