Book Review: Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck

Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck
(Three Rivers Press)

I will never be the same. I am on my way to my North Star. I have a clear path to get there and I am attuned to my "compass."   My mom has stacks and stacks of books in her room that she has received as gifts through the years, but never had the time to read.  One morning, my son and I camped out in her room to spend some quality time with her. I was drawn to a little blue book sitting atop a pile. Little did I know that my life would be changed forever. The first line, "Right in the middle of my life, I realized that I wasn't where I wanted to be."  I was stopped dead in my tracks. I tuned out the TV and the conversation my son and mother were having. I heard only my heart beat and those words resonating in my head. It felt as if I had written those words myself. I actually have, but in my journal...countless times. I read on:  It was like I'd wandered off the right path into a very, very bad neighborhood." Yep, this book is for me! I whizzed through the introduction, but had to put the book down because I realized that I was about to make some major changes that I needed some time alone to accomplish. I went on with my day and life got a little busy. But, the book kept "calling" me. I needed to get to work on my destiny and the nagging feeling that I was wasting time agitated me.

One evening, I swiped the book from my mom's nightstand and that's when it happened: I began moving toward my North Star. Less than a week later, I had a "catalytic event," I was at "square one," and I was in perfect position to actualize my "WIGs." You will definitely have to read the book to find out what the heck I'm talking about, but you will be blessed, changed, altered, and emotional when you read the book. If you want clear, easy-to-follow instructions and exercises to  get your life on course, this is the book for you. She gives clear examples to use as points of reference for your own situation. I actually felt my perspective shift during the course of the book; where when I looked back at some of my early answers, I had a different response. Puh-leez, get this book for yourself, a new graduate, a retiree, anyone who wants to "claim the life you were meant to live."

My coworker ordered it immediately and I know that after a week on the beach (she's not going in the water because she loves her limbs), she will come back with a new perspective!

Have any of you read this book? How has it changed your lives. Leave a comment below!

Follow-up: I started my own business... Scaled-uP Apparel http://www.scaled-up.com/
Thanks Martha Beck!!

Book Review: The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life by Lauren Myracle

The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life by Lauren Myracle 
(Penguin Group)

Smack dab in the middle of the worst years of her life: Middle School, Allison a 7th grader has to deal with figuring it ALL out. Between friendships, crushes, and the all consuming pursuit to be popular, she is deeply entrenched in a preteen's complicated world! With that said, while I was reading, I thought back to my days of teaching 7th grade and even further back to my days of actually experiencing that horrid era of existence. It is an excruciating time of self discovery and unwarranted input from peers. This book captures this pain and confusion very well and is entertaining to boot.

NOW FOR THE BAD PART: The book is inappropriate for a girl of middle school age. Some of the language, sexual innuendo, and subject matter will add fuel to the already hormone-induced curiosity fire raging in tweens. Furthermore, some of the language, while common with that age set, shouldn't be promoted as acceptable. The delicate balance is what was so awesome about Clueless. The language could have been way more vulgar to portray popular nineties parlance, but Amy Heckerling avoided vulgarity while capturing the vernacular authentically. Any time a book aimed toward ages 10 and up (the suggested age on the book) uses the term "ménage à troi," you know you've got to shelve the book until the reader is 14, if then.  Well written? Yes! Entertaining? Yes!  Too mature for the suggested reader? Definitely!

If she had just framed The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life as being recalled by a high schooler, summed up with a successful update at the end (e.g., Allison and Meagan are going to the same college in the fall or Rachel wasn't prom queen, Mika was), teenagers 14 and up would more readily go for the middle school plot. It's a fun read, but just too mature for the intended audience.

Moral of the story: Parents, you may just have to read/skim books before you allow your kids to read them. Just because it's at a book fair or in the library doesn't mean that it is acceptable for all children. 

My Dream Come True

Download it to your Kindle or Kindle Reader TODAY! Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices  

Almost a year ago, I sat down at my computer and got lost in story that flowed so easily from my mind to the blank pages. I was obsessed with each character and wondered what they were doing when I was away from writing. I would sit and plan out what my characters would do, but by the time I got to the computer to write, they had their own plan. I remember one time, I just knew Drew would ride home with her friend after a party, yet she took off walking down the street as if to let me know that I wasn't in control of her.

Finally, after months of trying to figure out how I could get my book to the masses, my ebook is available on Amazon!  Just in time for Christmas, the holiday season, and cozy nights at home, Enigmatic Encounters: The Beginning is a witty coming of age story set on a small southern college campus. The next book in the series will be out next year, so don't panic! You will find out what happens next with Leslie, Drew, and Bruce, but you have to get this book first to find out what happens in The Beginning.