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coffee_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This book was waiting for me in the local bookstore's bargain bin (because it had some damaged pages). After it sat patiently on my shelf for a number of years I finally picked it up one day and couldn't put it down. For me, a life-changer. I have already incorporated some of the meditations and exercises into my life and I will recommend it highly to friends who are open to transformation.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
1.0
I have loved every other Martha Beck book I've read but this one just felt like it was trying too hard. I got very tired of the wizard/dungeon jargon. I actually stopped halfway through because I was starting to dislike her and I think she can be a very inspiring and practical guide.
peytiebear's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
I absolutely loved this book. Martha Beck is a very lighthearted, down-to-earth "self-help" (I hate that term, but whatever) author, so those who usually don't like that kind of thing might enjoy this. She's also just a really great writer, so not only is the book full of great exercises that really do help and are simple and practical, the book is also fun to read and really engaging.
mgmsharpe's review against another edition
I just wasn’t feeling I was getting value for the time so was spending reading it.
rwaringcrane's review against another edition
4.0
Martha's voice snagged me as I skimmed through an Oprah magazine in a waiting room several months ago. Her humor, intellect and sensible approach to life permeate her writing. I was hooked.
I borrowed this title from my library system and worked through the journaling with a large dollop of skepticism. But again and again her matter of fact, simple (not easy) methods for moving toward my "north star" made sense. Her passing observation about the "empty elevator" rang so true it brought me up short. I laughed out loud as she described her dog's reaction to a garden statue. Before reading to the end I ordered a copy of my own (hurrah for Better World Books!). I want to read it all again and mark up the good bits.
Added in 2022
Ten years later and the reread was as satisfying as the first time through. This time I marked up the good bits and more of the wisdom sunk in. I also realize that much of how I navigate my life now was inspired by Martha a decade ago.
The chapter "Leading Your Life" really resonated on this round. I've met people (am related to one or two) who just are not "amenable to ordinary relationships." I was unable to process this chapter ten years ago; probably because I was hadn't come face to face with practitioners of "dark arts". Or, more to the point, I was too invested in the approval of one or two relations. A few months ago I lamented to my therapist that on occasion I wished I were more able to be okay with the difficult behaviors of certain folks in my life, just be more zen. She basically said the same thing as Martha: "Let go of your hope for normalcy" with some folks (who Martha describes so well it made my skin bristle).
I borrowed this title from my library system and worked through the journaling with a large dollop of skepticism. But again and again her matter of fact, simple (not easy) methods for moving toward my "north star" made sense. Her passing observation about the "empty elevator" rang so true it brought me up short. I laughed out loud as she described her dog's reaction to a garden statue. Before reading to the end I ordered a copy of my own (hurrah for Better World Books!). I want to read it all again and mark up the good bits.
Added in 2022
Ten years later and the reread was as satisfying as the first time through. This time I marked up the good bits and more of the wisdom sunk in. I also realize that much of how I navigate my life now was inspired by Martha a decade ago.
The chapter "Leading Your Life" really resonated on this round. I've met people (am related to one or two) who just are not "amenable to ordinary relationships." I was unable to process this chapter ten years ago; probably because I was hadn't come face to face with practitioners of "dark arts". Or, more to the point, I was too invested in the approval of one or two relations. A few months ago I lamented to my therapist that on occasion I wished I were more able to be okay with the difficult behaviors of certain folks in my life, just be more zen. She basically said the same thing as Martha: "Let go of your hope for normalcy" with some folks (who Martha describes so well it made my skin bristle).
morrow's review against another edition
4.0
Like Martha Beck's other books, this is a very wise and funny book. Taken with a few grains of salt, very satisfying.
bookfairy99's review
4.0
Martha Beck, as usual, blends her unique combination of practical advice and woo-woo theories bordering on the stark raving mad. Some of her books are more mystical in nature than others, and this one certainly requires a healthy dose of suspending your disbelief. Beck even warns readers about this in the book's introduction (she calls it 'putting your brackets up'), so it's not as though the magical utterings come as a surprise.
What I always appreciate about Beck is that she allows herself to be her quirky, authentic self on the page: funny, irreverent, academic, and wholly convicted in her beliefs. My only slight complaint with the book is that I would have liked more practical advice for actually tapping into all that Stargazer potential I'm supposed to have inside me. But then again, I guess if accessing it was as simple as filling out a worksheet, it wouldn't exactly be much of a magical process, now, would it?
Ultimately, Beck proves once again that she knows her audience well: spiritual seekers willing to follow her on an in-depth exploration of their hidden places, in the hopes they may discover the starlight has been there all along.
What I always appreciate about Beck is that she allows herself to be her quirky, authentic self on the page: funny, irreverent, academic, and wholly convicted in her beliefs. My only slight complaint with the book is that I would have liked more practical advice for actually tapping into all that Stargazer potential I'm supposed to have inside me. But then again, I guess if accessing it was as simple as filling out a worksheet, it wouldn't exactly be much of a magical process, now, would it?
Ultimately, Beck proves once again that she knows her audience well: spiritual seekers willing to follow her on an in-depth exploration of their hidden places, in the hopes they may discover the starlight has been there all along.