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armedwithabook's review
2.0
I love books about life lessons and learning from other's life stories and that is why I was quite happy about the timing of this year. What a good time to read a book about life lessons but towards the end of the year and start of a new decade?
However, I was disappointed with the book. The lessons were ok but there was no flow between the stories. It felt like every time I was thrown into a new situation, no idea about the timeline, who the people in the situation were... unfortunately, I could not build a connection with the book as a whole at all.
I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of the book. I wish I could have said more positive things.
However, I was disappointed with the book. The lessons were ok but there was no flow between the stories. It felt like every time I was thrown into a new situation, no idea about the timeline, who the people in the situation were... unfortunately, I could not build a connection with the book as a whole at all.
I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of the book. I wish I could have said more positive things.
connie575's review
5.0
I won this book here on Goodreads. Thank you.
This is a book of short easy reading essays. Perfect when waiting you turn.
The author gave us examples of the 40 life experiences using his history. He manage to make it mostly fun and interesting rather than preachy.
I lost it a few minutes while reading the chapter concerning Zorro. Been there.
I find being reminded that whatever I am going through, I am not alone. Others have and are experiencing the same issues. I choose to believe that David Levy are not the only ones with these experiences.
Great writing.
This is a book of short easy reading essays. Perfect when waiting you turn.
The author gave us examples of the 40 life experiences using his history. He manage to make it mostly fun and interesting rather than preachy.
I lost it a few minutes while reading the chapter concerning Zorro. Been there.
I find being reminded that whatever I am going through, I am not alone. Others have and are experiencing the same issues. I choose to believe that David Levy are not the only ones with these experiences.
Great writing.
readalotwritealot's review
4.0
When I signed up for a book tour to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion, I could have never anticipated where the world would be right now. And, as such, this story of anecdotes and life lessons took on a new meaning. It gave me a positive focus and realistic outlook when I really needed one.
This small book packs a powerful punch. With its short chapters, it could have been a quick read, but I found myself going through it slowly and thinking about each lesson. A few of my favorites were “Beware the Illusion of Choice”, “Every Decision Involves Trade-offs”, and “Perfectionism is Flawed”. Both Levy’s anecdotes and lessons resonated with me on these chapters.
I highly recommend this book filled with insights from a psychologist. I think it would benefit everyone, especially now. I know I will be revisiting it.
This small book packs a powerful punch. With its short chapters, it could have been a quick read, but I found myself going through it slowly and thinking about each lesson. A few of my favorites were “Beware the Illusion of Choice”, “Every Decision Involves Trade-offs”, and “Perfectionism is Flawed”. Both Levy’s anecdotes and lessons resonated with me on these chapters.
I highly recommend this book filled with insights from a psychologist. I think it would benefit everyone, especially now. I know I will be revisiting it.
ironi's review
3.0
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
So this short book is essentially 40 situations from the author's life with short one sentence lessons that presumably connect to the aforementioned situation.
On one hand, the author writes clearly with a fair amount of humor (properly representing us Jews). It's a pleasant and brief read, I read the bulk of it during the drive to Manchester.
On the other hand, the vast majority of the lessons are fairly vague and not particularly revelatory. That is, "Try hard but not too hard" or "Love something enough to let it go", for example, did not give me a "whoah, I see life differently now".
This is truly a pity because the author has lived an interesting life. I would love to hear about how was it to study in Russia. What was it like to switch from theaters to psychology? How did the divorce impact his connection with the kids? There is so much to learn from this man but I don't feel like it comes from these lessons.
Being a wise ass, I can't help but go, "well no, that's not the lesson from that situation at all" constantly. Come on, knowing why you want to commit suicide is deeply important in order to solve it, the coach is saying those things because the players need to hear support, not technical advice in those moments, women really are different, and so on. This might be a me problem but yeah, I was bothered by that build.
This book is sweet and well written. I'm not quite sure who's the target audience (and yeah, for the future, reading a book of advice for young adults by this guy would be great) but I think if you're up for something light that will remind you of the basics, this book might be a good fit.
What I'm Taking With Me
- Dogs are always great, RIP Zorro.
- I really like Manchester and must return there.
- Am I a little wiser now?
So this short book is essentially 40 situations from the author's life with short one sentence lessons that presumably connect to the aforementioned situation.
On one hand, the author writes clearly with a fair amount of humor (properly representing us Jews). It's a pleasant and brief read, I read the bulk of it during the drive to Manchester.
On the other hand, the vast majority of the lessons are fairly vague and not particularly revelatory. That is, "Try hard but not too hard" or "Love something enough to let it go", for example, did not give me a "whoah, I see life differently now".
This is truly a pity because the author has lived an interesting life. I would love to hear about how was it to study in Russia. What was it like to switch from theaters to psychology? How did the divorce impact his connection with the kids? There is so much to learn from this man but I don't feel like it comes from these lessons.
Being a wise ass, I can't help but go, "well no, that's not the lesson from that situation at all" constantly. Come on, knowing why you want to commit suicide is deeply important in order to solve it, the coach is saying those things because the players need to hear support, not technical advice in those moments, women really are different, and so on. This might be a me problem but yeah, I was bothered by that build.
This book is sweet and well written. I'm not quite sure who's the target audience (and yeah, for the future, reading a book of advice for young adults by this guy would be great) but I think if you're up for something light that will remind you of the basics, this book might be a good fit.
What I'm Taking With Me
- Dogs are always great, RIP Zorro.
- I really like Manchester and must return there.
- Am I a little wiser now?
wendysimon's review
4.0
This is a collection of short essays/stories from the author's life that illustrates some important life lessons. Some were funny, some were serious, but they all had good meaning. Definitely a good book of life lessons to read!
pvn's review
4.0
This is similar to the Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books -- a short essay with a lesson at the end. I didn't like it as much as the first Small Stuff book but this is still very good. It will definitely resonate with a lot readers.
I really appreciate the NetGalley advanced copy for review!!
I really appreciate the NetGalley advanced copy for review!!
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