Non-Blonde Pride: Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today we’re stepping out of the Fiction box and into the realm of Self-Help and Personal Growth.  Though not my normal forte, this title came to my attention two fold.  First, I noticed it in store because it had one of the fabulous actresses from the show Glee on the cover, and as it turns out, she’s also the one who penned it.  Immediately, I made a mental note to check it out some time in the future.  The second attention grabber came the very next day.  I was checking my email like everyone else in the world and came upon an interesting one indeed.  You see, it happened to be from Gianna over at Crown Publishing and it was asking if I was interested in featuring THIS EXACT TITLE.  (Sweet!)  Of course, I responded with a yes and the rest as they say is history….or will be after today because today has to pass to become history and guess what the book of choice is? 

Brunette Ambition

By

Lea Michele

9780804139076

Crown Archetype

About the book…

The star of the hit show Glee shares her experiences and insider tips on beauty, fashion, inner strength, and more in an illustrated book that’s part memoir, part how-to, and part style guide.

Lea Michele is one of the hardest working performers in show business.  Whether she’s starring as Rachel Berry on Glee, rocking a glamorous look on the red carpet, recording her solo album, or acting as the spokesperson for L’Oreal, Lea is the ultimate multi-tasker.  She knows better than anyone that it is difficult to be your best self and keep things in perspective when your to-do list is overflowing and you are faced with challenges, so she’s developed a foolproof system for remaining healthy and centered.  In Brunette Ambition, she reveals the lessons and advice that have worked for her--from beauty and fashion secrets to fitness tips, and career insights.  Supplemented with never-before-seen photos and revealing anecdotes, it’s the book Lea wishes she’d had in her teens and early twenties: A practical and inspirational guide to harnessing tenacity and passion and living the fullest life, no matter what obstacles life puts in your way.

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All it said up there…totally true and then some.

This is a book that Mother’s will wish their daughters to read; a book girls may pick up in passing, only to share it with their friends and their friend’s friends later on.  You get to know Ms. Michele (sorry, almost called her Rachel!) on a deeper level; her motivations, her ambitions, what’s most important in her life and the ways she fights back when the going gets tough.  She wasn’t born into a life of want but she also didn’t have a silver spoon hanging from her mouth.  Her family helped keep her grounded while she kept reaching for the lights of Broadway and when broadcast media crossed her path, it was an unexpected gift wrapped in love and friendships that have and will last for years to come. 

 If you’re a follower of the theater, her work history may simply be a walk down memory lane, but for those of us only becoming acquainted with her through Glee, it’s presented in less of a resume and more of an experiences had, lessons gleaned.  It shows how whether or not you’re on the stage in your chosen (or forced…because let’s me honest, we’re not all where we want to be at the moment, kudos to you if you are) profession, the pearls of wisdom gained can be applied to the everyday ordinary.  I found her truest truth shared to be very Dr. Seuss-esque (and I mean that in the best way possible)….something along the lines of being yourself because you are an original and were made perfectly for the part.  Simple yet true. 

So, in conclusion, this is part her story, and part OUR story.  Through her shared experiences, readers are able to glean lessons learned while picking up tips and tricks for staying healthy and balanced overall.  I gotta say, I love the fact that although she is a celebrity, she’s a real advocate for doing things at home, the easy, simple (and more inexpensive!) way.  There’s definitely a soup recipe I’d like to try out and I wouldn’t be surprised to randomly find me attempting a full plank with side twist in the near future.  (^_^)  Recommended read for teens through adults.

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About the author…

LEA MICHELE is best known for her performance as Rachel Berry on the critically acclaimed, Golden Globe-, Grammy-, and SAG-award-winning Fox television series Glee. She has been nominated for an Emmy, a SAG Award, and multiple Golden Globes. She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.

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Review copy received courtesy of Gianna at Crown Publishing.  (THANKS!)  For more information on the title, author, or publisher, feel free to click through the links provided within the post.  This title is available now via Crown Archetype, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time…happy reading!

Life in Half a Second by Matthew Michalewicz

Hi guys!

Welcome back to the site that aims to please the reader in you one post at a time, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we’re taking a step out of the Fiction arena and straight on to the path of YOUR LIFE.  Sound scary?  Well, it CAN be, but most things that are worth having require a bit of uncertainty along the way.  In this case, we’re talking about goals.  You know…those things that for some are set every other moment (yet how often are they obtained?) while others can’t formulate one to save their lives…and sometimes, it may actually DO just that.  Personally, I fall into the camp of both to some degree.  I have an idea of where I’d like to be, but the path to getting there seems over full with obstacles…lack of time, money, choice, etc; the usual pitfalls.  So, why if feeling overwhelmed would I tackle a book such as this?  For that very reason indeed.

Life in Half a Second:

How to achieve success before it’s too late

Matthew Michalewicz

9781925000207

Hybrid Publishers

About the book…

Life is short, too short.  In the grand scheme of the universe, you only have half a second to pursue your dreams, live fully, and succeed.  You don’t have a moment to lose.

Truthful and hard hitting….the first “fact-based” formula for achieving success in life and business.  Proven through thousands of studies and decades of research, it presents the five doors you must walk through to achieve success in your career, business, or personal life.

Gimmicks, mind tricks, fairy tales, and wishful thinking NOT INCLUDED.

Just facts.

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Clarity

Desire

Belief

Knowledge

Action

These are the doors which one needs only walk through to reach those lofty dreams held within our hearts.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, yes and no.  It’s as simple as we make it and yet still a mountain to conquer.  The simplicity comes in when we truly understand each step that needs taking, each mile that needs covering, each rung on the ladder of whatever to wherever that needs climbing.  You see not every person has the same goals.  Oh sure, we all want to be financially stable, have a good balance between work and play, view ourselves as successful.  The thing is….everyone’s image of that word is different.

The author makes a very good point from the start with this distinction.  My idea of success, even if we are both bookishly inclined, is not going to be a carbon copy of yours, or yours, or even yours.  There’s differences, variances, layers that are unique to our own dream….even the importance of each item will shift like LA on a bad day from person to person AND year to year.  Let’s face it, what we wanted at 6 years old is probably not what we have our sights set on at 30.  If it is, well then perhaps you were a very grown up child or you might be in need of a goal renovation.  *smirk*  The point is we each have goals whether stated or documented, it’s the follow through that gets muddled up in the process.  According to Mr. Michalewicz, the problem lies in our plan. 

Each door mentioned is a stage that we and our goal must make it through in order for it to become reality.  Through CLARITY of the goal, our DESIRE to achieve it, our BELIEF that it will be reached, having the KNOWLEDGE base to back it all up, and then finally taking that first step on our course of ACTION….all our dreams are within reach.   To believe or not to believe, that is indeed the proposed question…or perhaps better stated would be do WE believe enough in ourselves, in our dreams to do more than put pen to paper but make them happen?  Something worth the ponder indeed.

So whether you’re ready to take the first step on a journey that is sure to change your life, know someone who could use that sort of direction in theirs, or are looking for another way to view those challenges we set before us in life, I’d certainly recommend this book as a great stepping stone.  Will I be following it’s well laid course anytime soon?  Perhaps…and if I decide in the affirmative, you’ll be among the first to know (thank you door of Clarity!).

Review copy received courtesy of Jody, a blog reader and promoter of the author's work..  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as what the author is up to next, stop by his official site.

Until next time…happy reading!

The Tao of Mia and Leo by Jeffra A. Nicholson

Hello, everyone!  Welcome back to another day, another post here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers! 

Wow, so the other night when at a local store, there was an occurrence, a situation if you will.  A particular person was buying a rather large order (read that as a few thousand dollars) and proceeded to ask for assistance in bringing their purchase to the vehicle.  The young lady politely passed said duties to her male coworker seeing as the bags were large in size and quantity.  A short while later, the gentleman consumer sans car proceeded to ask the employee to bring the bags to the car....which remained parked halfway out in the parking lot.  Did I mention it was night?  Dum....dum...dum...

Now I'm not one to think badly of a person....and this individual although well learned and highly talkative, was certainly no cause for alarm within the store boundaries....but outside?  Bringing bags to their car?  Alone?  At night?  Let's just say that the male coworker was uncomfortable doing so (but provided a viable story as to why he could not), so could you imagine the young female worker?  Hmm....a movie comes to mind when thinking of the potential for this situation to go wrong.  Can we say, Silence of the Lambs?  (For those of you that haven't seen it, it's good...scary, creepy, but good.)  Yeah....let's give a great big thank you to horror movies for the precautionary warning bells that sound in our minds.

On the other hand, this also made me wonder....when did our trust in society, in persons blatant goodness, or at the very least potential goodness, turn into a warning sign?  I mean, the old adage of things that appear to good to be true....there was a time (grant it not in my lifetime, but I've read about them....in history books at the very least) that someone could be or was more often than not trusted at and by their word alone.  What happened?  Had the two characters from the book we feature today been there to witness said events, they might have had a differing interpretation or some words of wisdom that could alleviate the negative vibes being felt.  Allow me to introduce the pair that can carry such goodwill or clarity of thought to stressful situations.  Today's book of choice is....

The Tao of Mia and Leo

by

Jeffra A. Nicolson

We start out with a life in the midst of constant change.  Change in location, change in vocation, change in every form imaginable.  Now, enter guru kitty number 1....Samantha.  From fluffy kitten to glorious adult feline-ess, Samantha teaches Ms. Nicholson how to roll with the punches, and accept things as they are for releasing the struggle is the only way to allow oneself to find inner peace.  (Pretty thoughtful coming from a cat, huh?)  Time moves forward as does our human friend, but at one point, the paths of these two kindred souls is split, with Ms. Nicholson unable to follow her companion on her next journey.  Such is life (and I won't dwell on that too long, because I'll start to tear up at my own fuzzy friends...) and as it continued its relentless march forward hand in hand with time, her heart closed to the possibility of finding a love and friendship so pure.

Years later, after several attempts at rediscovering her own path to happiness, our author and narrator happened upon another chance to indulge in her love of a kitty companion while helping out a friend that had a lonely kitten left from her cat's litter.  But what's this?  When the time comes to accept the fuzzy baby, there is not one, but TWO beautiful kittens!  It seems that there was another left behind and so the new guru pair is born.  Mia and Leo are quite the team.  While the one loves to explore and investigate (Mia), the other prefers time alone in the quiet solitude of the night.....but don't worry, they lead each other into many an adventure and in doing so, teach Ms. Nicholson more about love, friendship, and the art of living than any person may glean on their own.

Pets have always had a way of affecting of emotionally.  We are drawn to them for many reasons, not the least of which is the love and connection we feel for them.  Is it any wonder that they can teach us things as well?  I mean, take a look at your fuzzy best buddy and tell me what you see.  Do you merely see a <insert your pet's type here>....or do you see a friend, companion, secret keeper, play mate, dinner buddy, exercise partner, lap warmer extraordinaire?

Personally, I do not have a cat...but I do have dogs.  Cats to me have often been more self-reliant than dogs and so I have always gravitated to the slightly needier Fido friends (which I love and adore and spoil to the hilt)....but that's not to say I don't like cats or that I feel they have nothing to say, for they do and often times more than we know (as illustrated in this book).  Watch the way a cat looks at the world, and you'll see a mind filled with limitless curiosity.  Witness the stealth with which they stalk the next victim of a pounce, and you'll see a shadow of their distant relatives from the tundra.  Hear the purr that is elicited as they sleep or are being stroked, and you'll see an image of pure contentment.  There is no feeling that they can not convey, nor emotion that they can not provoke from their human owners; all without words.  There is a lesson there if I ever saw one…

So, if you can’t tell from by overall wordiness, I enjoyed this book overall.  The lessons were well taught, the positive motivational statements were there but not over-baring, and if you don’t already have a fuzzy buddy, this book gives you all the more reason to get one of your own.  I say overall I liked it, because it does start out a little slow, delving deep into how the author arrived at the emotional state she was in when receiving her first kitten, Samantha…but then again, it is needed to set the right mood.  Perhaps a little shorter in this department would have suited my taste a little better.  The only other less than stellar point for me…the book size.  It’s actually square in design, allowing the type to be spread across the page more, which in theory sounds good, but it takes away from the one-handed-ness ease of a read…not to mention toting it in a bag….rectangular just works a little better (in my opinion). 

In the end, it was an enjoyable read that I am certainly glad I took a chance on.  Perhaps it will make it into your reading rotation, or at the very least you have entertained the thought of a kitty guru helping you reach a state of less-stress-enlightenment.

Review copy received courtesy of Paula at Author Marketing Experts, Inc.  For more information on them as well as their current titles, stop by their BookBlogs.NING page, or follow along on Twitter!

Until next time….happy reading!