A review of Do One Thing Every Day That Makes You Happy journal

As a book title, Do One Thing Every Day That Makes You Happy is a mouthful. As an outlook on life, it's a really good one. I have bipolar disorder, which mostly manifests as depressive episodes. I understand a lot about not feeling happy. I've had bipolar disorder for long enough to recognize that I have a good life - a great life, a blessed life - even when I can't feel it. And I have learned to feel grateful even through the depression for the blessings. And to enjoy moments of happiness wherever and whenever I can get them. Even though no one can have a great day every day, or even all day for one day for every second of that day, there can be happy moments even on the saddest days.

Do One Thing Every Day That Makes You Happy focuses on small moments of gifts of happiness, drawing our attention to those times and helping us see the good. I like this book right from it's cheerful yellow color. The format of the book is fairly simple; there are quotes about happiness, or things that bring people happiness, or even just pithy in general, and then there are writing prompts. This is a small book (I'm guessing 6" tall,1"ish deep - the picture is almost actual size), there's not a lot of room to write. The benefit of this is to make us sum up a happiness, and focus more deeply. It helps us be mindful and intentional. We have to deliberately think of happiness and recognize it in our lives.

An example page from the journal reads:


A joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful.

Bible, Psalm 147

What made me thankful today:

                                 (unpaginated)

Only in the book it's written in orange, and a more fun font, and it's clear that their graphic designers care about their work, it's beautifully done. My response was:


My mom helping me clean my house and take care of my kids and God getting the van sorted out.


There should be a comma in there, but it's a journal, so I'm not going to beat myself up. My point is: In one sentence, grammatically correct or not, I just summed up blessings so huge just seeing it in small print made me see their enormity.

I don't write in this book every day, or most days, but I've had moments that I was in a terrible mood, saw the book and picked it up and chose an entry. This book is kind of buffet style, you just pick and choose whichever entry you want - I've skipped all over the place.

I can't say that I'm a fan of the come-back-later entries. One page prompted me to make up my mind to be (fill in the blank), and provided a list of attitudes (e.g. glad, jubilant, gleeful, content) to choose from. I usually journal at night, so this one required forethought - not that planning ahead is a bad thing, but I don't usually feel up to the extra step. Lazy, but true.

I like this book, and I think it's important, because we need to do our part to be happy, and not expect life to do all the work for us.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

more info:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545009/do-one-thing-every-day-that-makes-you-happy-by-robie-rogge-and-dian-g-smith/

author bio:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/170809/robie-rogge/

A review of Mark Crilley's book, Manga Art

Manga Art, by Mark Crilley, is not what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be a how-to book on drawing manga, and since I've checked out one artist's take on that, I was interested in seeing how a different artist would approach it.

This is not a how to draw book. Although Mark Crilley is an art teacher, and has YouTube videos teaching drawing techniques, this book is a collection of artwork by him for him (and us), where he got to explore his art and style. I loved it! Reading this book was like going to see a special exhibit in a museum. And getting to stop and look at all the pictures, for as long as you want. And reading the little plaques next to the display. As a mother with young children, that's a pretty awesome experience. One of the rules of childhood seems to be: If you can't climb on it, it's not worthwhile. Which means I don't really do museums right now.

Except I feel like I did. I got to see this huge collection of art. Have a little "discussion" about what art means with Mr. Crilley. Take time just staring at something beautiful. It sounds neurotic, but it was totally a much needed mommy break - that and I really loved the artwork.

My favorite piece was called Glomp!


https://autodo.info/pages/c/chibi-glomp/

It looks a lot like this. Which is basically how I feel when I see my husband.

The book was divided into five different segments: Characters, Japan, Science Fiction, Conceptual Art, and Styleplay. Each picture has an explanation about why Crilley chose to do the particular piece, and how he did it, and maybe ways it challenged him as an artist. My favorite section was Styleplay, and it was fun seeing if I recognized which artist Mr. Crilley was emulating. Some were unmistakable, like an homage to the creator of Calvin and Hobbes entitled The Watterson Tree. Some were just styles in general, like "looser brushstrokes". I really enjoyed reading Manga Art and I would recommend it to people interested in that art form, even if you just checked it out from the library.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

To refugees coming to America

Dear Stranger,

Welcome to America! May you enjoy every freedom this country has to offer. May you be welcomed by those you come amongst, and may you find many helpful people to see you through your transition to a new homeland. I am so sorry you were forced from your homeland. I can't imagine the pain and terror you have experienced. I am so sorry you were forced to leave loved ones and possessions. I know from my limited ability to speak a foreign language that it can be so hard to express yourself, yet people will be judging you by those limited expressions. You are brave and you are strong.

There are people who will view you as a threat to their safety, their jobs, their tax dollars, their way of life. These people can be quite vocal. Some of them will be very rude. Please don't judge all of us by those unkind individuals. We are happy to have you. We hope you will feel welcome in our homeland for as long as you care to stay. We pray for those you were forced to leave behind, that their lives will be protected, and that peace will return to their land. We are so grateful for the good that you will contribute to our society. We are grateful for the opportunity we have to learn from you. Welcome to America, and, we hope, welcome home.

A review of David Chelsea's book, Perspective in Action

How you feel about David Chelsea's book Perspective in Action, is a matter of...perspective. And my perspective is that of an amateur artist who's always had a little bit of difficulty with perspective and proportion. If you're coming from a similar perspective, this book is not for you. This book is highly technical.


(https://www.amazon.com/Perspective-Action-Exercises-Representation-Renaissance/dp/1607749467)

It went over my head. I should have been a little bit clued in by the tagline on the cover "Creative exercises depicting spatial representation from the Renaissance to the Digital Age.", but I wasn't. I figured by "exercises" it meant fifteen - forty-five minute drawing exercises meant to hone one's skills and help improve one's understanding of perspective. This is not the case. This book is for hardcore prospective perspective acolytes. This book is for people who's careers depend on their perspective ;)

Here's one of the suggestions I decided not to follow through on:

"If you would like the sharpest possible image, follow the equation below to determine the best diameter pinhole for the distance between pinhole and wall surface. Since my bathroom is 6 feet deep, the optimum pinhole width is approximately 1.5 mm."

...actually, I'm going to have to stop with that example, because I can't figure out how to blog the equation. Meh. Suffice it to say, it was higher math and I wasn't interested.

So in the end, I wasn't actually qualified to review this book. Overall impressions: Highly techinical, and if you actually took the time to do the exercises described you would be spending an enormous amount of time and effort on it, and I think maybe the real purpose is for the perspective buffs out there to follow along philosophically speaking, nodding their heads and murmuring, "I see..." The author occasionally made remarks I found humorous. On two occasions the artist used nude illustrations to demonstrate a point that seemed more naked than nude - there was no point to the illustration choice, any other image would have done, so I wasn't a fan of that.

Maybe this is a really great book, but I'm never going to know. I do have a lot of respect for the technical skill and knowledge that went into this.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

A review of Matthew Paul Turner's book, When God Made You, illustrated by David Catrow

People say not to judge books by their covers. This can be true. I bought one of my very favorite books used on Amazon once, and it came with a truly horrific cover. It's actually off-putting. The irony is, the reason that I checked the book out of the library when I first discovered it was because of its different, appealing and interesting cover. I find that I can usually tell if I'm going to like a book by its cover.

Matthew Paul Turner and David Catrow's book, When God Made You, is no exception. You can tell right when you look at it that when God made you it was a happy thing, and that you should be very glad to be you.




The pictures and words in this book really flow together, and Mr. Catrow does an amazing job expressing exuberance and joy and delight. It's almost abstract, but you understand the sentiment. As you can conceive from the front cover, there is a real sense of soaring in the book, even literally depicted. The words are descriptive, and convey the powerful truth that we are known and loved by God. It's a fun reinforcement for children that God made us on purpose, exactly how we are.

Really the only issue I have with this book is that the rhymes don't always flow in a way that feels natural to me. It can make for an occasional hiccup in the reading.

What child, or adult, doesn't need to remember that they are God's? To borrow Mr. Turner's words:

" 'Cause when God made you
and the world oohed and aahed,
in heaven they called you an image of God."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I know that I will be reading it to my children many times in the future.

Want more info?

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/537389/when-god-made-you-by-matthew-paul-turner-illustrated-by-david-catrow/

Want to know more about the author?

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/authors/82928/matthew-paul-turner/

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

A review of Karen Salmansohn's book, Open When...Letters to Lift Your Spirits

Everyone likes getting things in the mail. My father once remarked that he even enjoys getting bills, because it means he's alive...or something to that effect; it was a long time ago. Karen Salmansohn's book, Open when...letters to lift your spirits, is like getting twelve letters all at once. And owing to some clever paper folding, you literally get to open them. It's a fun format.

Image Source: http://notsalmon.com/shop/open-when/

Now it just so happened that when I got this book, I was having a "bad day" and "need[ed] to find [my] happy place," letters number one and number two. I read the letters and thought, "Oh bother. I don't feel like being told to perform mental exercises right now." But I kept reading through the other letters (What can I say? I'm impatient. My amended title to Open When is Open When You Feel Like It. Honestly, I feel like the book is worth a read straight through.); by the end of it I was smiling and wanted to show the book to my best friend. So, sometimes the letter you should be opening isn't the letter you think you should be opening (There's a metaphor for life here.).

I enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed the art. It's a watercolory, peaceful, fun sort of thing. My favorite letter is the last letter, "Open when...you want to smile," but I won't go into details, because that would spoil the fun. It's a good note to end on though.

My daughters enjoyed the book too. My two year old even carried it around with her for a few days, because it was her book. So there's an art review from a toddler for you.

The book can get a little bit preachy-advicey at times, but I think that's mostly when you read it in a bad mood - ironically. Don't read it when you're Really Mad...just sort of mad, then you can practice before you try any of the mental exercises. And don't worry that it is going to be a long read, the picture above gives you a really good idea of how the pages go. Overall I enjoyed this book, and it's one I plan on keeping...or at least, one my daughter plans on keeping.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

A review of Adam Weber's book, Talking With God

I decided to read Talking With God, by Adam Weber, because I felt like I needed to focus more on prayer, and I wanted to have a fresh perspective on it. The fact that it was written by someone not of my faith, but still a fellow Christian, made me hopeful that I could gain some new insights that would help me build my testimony of prayer.

Reading this book definitely made me remember the many blessings God has given me, and the solace I have found in prayer, and the times when my prayers have been answered more abundantly than I could have hoped. It also reminded me of how much being able to talk to my Heavenly Father has made it possible for me to trust God to see me through hard times and situations - even when they're caused by my own foolishness.

This book could be a little rambling at times, but the layout was simple and easy to follow. Much of the book was anecdotal, but there were a lot of scriptures to back up the author's points. The footnotes threw me off for a little bit, because they were really just side notes, and really not critical to the book (other than scripture references), like foot note 1 in Chapter 2. Easter Bunny: 1. Another year, I got a Salt-N-Pepa CD. Awesome. (p. 189). I do have to admit though, that is the first time I've read every foot note in a book. It can read a bit like a memoir at times, but the author has a light touch of humor, and his experiences he shares are always used to illustrate his point.

I was never bored while I was reading the book. It didn't drag. It was a well-paced sermon on prayer. The book challenged the reader to do a couple of different things, and while I usually skip over challenges, I did a few of these. At one point, Reverend Weber suggested praying for someone, then letting that person know that you were praying for them, and what you had prayed for them. It was a little out of my comfort zone - although I've definitely told people having a hard time that I would pray for them - but, I decided to go for it (I forget which page this challenge is on, by the way). I don't think I'm going to adopt this as a new practice, but I did have a good experience. I was able to communicate to a friend that I care, and that I have a testimony that God cares.

I felt like this book lacked a little bit of the reverence I have for my Heavenly Father. I understand, as Reverend Weber was demonstrating his point throughout that Jesus and Heavenly Father are our friends, but I would have loved to have seen a touch more deference.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book. Not only did it give me the opportunity to think over my relationship with Heavenly Father, but it reminded me that God answers the prayers of all of His children, and that He is happy anytime one of His children comes to Him in prayer.

I recommend this book to those who are looking for a beginning or review perspective on prayer.

Want to know more about Adam Weber?

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/authors/2136344/adam-weber/

Want more info about the book?

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/539236/talking-with-god-by-adam-weber/

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book. 

To people who are feeling burned out.

Dear Fatigued Stranger,

I'm feeling it too. Like a wind-up toy losing power. Like a gerbil in a wheel. Like a playlist on repeat. You get the point. We're tired of the daily grind, and we feel like we can't keep going, but we have to: for work, for our kids, for our family, friends, spouses, random acquaintances or strangers asking us to support a cause. There are so many demands.

If you're feeling like a fire going out, it's time to bank the fire. Keep it low but alive. A man who has my deepest respect used an airplane analogy (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/of-things-that-matter-most?lang=eng): when we fly through turbulence, we sometimes think we should proceed full speed ahead and get it over with, but we really lessen the turbulence by slowing down. So just keep it simple. Don't do anything extra.

A friend needed my help last week. And I said no. This might have made me a terrible friend. Jesus gave us a phenomenal example of service and sacrifice. Shouldn't I have said yes to my friend? And I say "No." You cannot give what you do not have. If you ask me for a golden elephant the size of my head, I can wish and wish and wish I could give it to you, but I don't have one.

Say no to people. There may come a genuine emergency, and you cannot say no, but these are exceedingly rare. Say no to being busy and running around frantically. Realize that there are some essential things in life that cannot be ignored, but these also are not as numerous as we think.

So just wait. The time will come to say yes. The time will come to do more. I have lived long enough to know that somehow we'll get more firewood from somewhere - even if that takes awhile.

But for now, be still. Know that God is God.

A review of John Donvan and Caren Zucker's book, In a Different Key: The Story of Autism

When I decided to read In a Different Key, it was on a whim. I selected it sight unseen, and expected a quick, but thoroughly educational, read. In a Different Key is a tome. At 552 pages before the timeline, notes, bibliography, acknowledgements, and authors' note, it is a literally heavy read.

My first note is, that this is an obviously thoroughly researched book. The material comes from a wide range of sources, and covers a wide range of information.

Second, I learned a lot. In an age where a lot has been done to break down previous misconceptions and stigmas about disabilities, it can be easy to forget that truths we hold to be "self-evident" actually had to be fought for.

Third, it is repeatedly demonstrated that the passion and compassion of dedicated parents, and those who support them, have been the key motivating factors in improving the lives of those with disabilities - in this case, particularly those who have autism.

I didn't enjoy this book. It was a heavy read. Metaphorically as well. It's not pleasant reading about the conditions and experiences families and individuals were subjected to. I get that. But to me there was also a sense of scandal-mongering. Over and over again, I felt like it was "and here's our Hero...with one dirty little secret." With two outright, "Dun-duh-dun! He's really the Villain in Disguise!" moments thrown in there as well. A blurb by Washington Post on the cover touts the book as "chock full of suspense." I'm not so much looking for suspense from this book, as I'm looking for a clearer understanding of what autism is and more about the people who have the condition. Some of whom I know. Also, I did not enjoy the not infrequent use of offensive language - even in verbatim quotes I felt could have been paraphrased. This was ironic to me, as the authors were so conscientious and careful about trying not to offend others by their historic use of terms currently politically incorrect, such as "imbecile" and "moron." Another off-putting thing, for me, was the way the authors would start a topic, leave, and then come back a chapter later. One chapter talked about the vaccine-autism correlation study done by Andrew Wakefield, the next about a national organization of autism advocacy formed, followed by Villain Wakefield being exposed. It all ties in, in the end, but I found it wearisome.

And about learning a lot: I unquestionably did. But I feel like what I learned about, was more about the perceptions of autism than autism itself. Understandable, since a key point of the book was that autism has always been hard to define and diagnose, and that a lot of the time people are using the word to mean different things, while the masses assume they are talking about a unified whole.

I recommend this book to sociologists and historians. To the casual, even though interested, reader, I think it's a bit much.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.

A Review of Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones First Ever MUSICAL Edition (audio book)

I remember seeing friends and classmates reading books in the Junie B. Jones series in elementary school, and I meant to read them, but for whatever reason, I never got around to it. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but my sister told me that it was a really good portrayal of life through the eyes of a little girl, and she was right. The Junie B. Jones First Ever MUSICAL Edition is a reading of Junie B. Jones First Grader (at Last) and a studio recording of the songs from the musical, and it proved to be a really good introduction into the world of Junie B. Jones.

We decided to listen to the audio book during a long car trip we took over the weekend and that turned out to be a really good idea, since we got stuck in traffic immediately after we left. The reader, Lana Quintal, was lively and engaging, and she got the voice dead on. I think these stories must be meant to be read aloud, because that was the perfect medium. This was a good fit for a younger audience, too. My six-year-old was disappointed that it wasn't a print book, because she had wanted to be able to look at the pictures (Do the books have pictures? That would be fun.), but she really enjoyed listening to it.

We joined Junie B. on her first day of first grade, and got to hear what she thought about best friends, school bus seatmates, and trying something new, and maybe a little bit scary. The story was fun and captured a child's viewpoint  admirably. My husband and I kept exchanging glances throughout the story, like we were sharing memories of life in grade school, and remembering "that girl" or "that guy" from our own classes. I don't see parents who are reading or listening to this book with their children being bored by it at all. It's easy to relate to, and I think a lot of us might still have a little bit of Junie B. still inside of us as we encounter the world. I half-wished the story were more grammatically correct, but it would have lost some of its voice and charm. The story was pretty short, but it was the perfect length for those just learning to listen to or read chapter books.

Over the summer our family went to see Pinkalicious the Musical, and we loved it, which is one reason I was interested in hearing the music from the Junie B. Jones musical. Overall, my reaction was favorable, but I think my enjoyment would have been far greater if I had any familiarity with other books in the Junie B. Jones series, as the musical was based on several of them. It also would have been nice to be able to see the musical before hearing it, because there were moments in some of the songs that clearly would have been more fun as a stage performance. If I have a criticism of the music, it is an occasional tendency on the part of the music to start sounding all the same.

This is a highly enjoyable book, and it made me interested in other books in the series. My kids, who slept through part of it as a result of moving 2 mph in a warm car, asked to listen to it again on the drive home, and laughed together later about parts the thought were funny. If you have young school-aged children, and are looking for a book or audio book to enjoy together, this is a great option.

Want to learn more about the late Barbara Park? http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/23194/barbara-park/

Want to learn more about the audio book? http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/532844/junie-b-jones-first-ever-musical-edition-by-barbara-park-with-songs-by-marcy-heisler-lyrics-and-zina-goldrich-music/

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion about the book.