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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
This one is special to me because I’ll be reviewing Into the Magic Shop, which is the book said to inspire the BTS song “Magic Shop”, which is my ultimate go-to comfort song. Initially I had wanted to make another series of BTS-related books but I really wanted to share my thoughts on this one.
It’s a short, sweet, simple book that centers around manifesting what you want out of life. I really don’t like anything that talks about “manifesting” in such a serious manner, but what I liked about this book is that while it encourages you visualize what you want to be, it emphasizes that visualization must always be done so with compassion and kindness, towards ourselves and towards others. The way it goes on about “opening your heart” does get a little overly saccharine for my taste, and it does have the air of being a bit self-indulgent, but overall there are some really great insights here.
One thing I really liked about the writing is that when he’s detailing his experiences as a kid, learning the “secret tricks” in the magic shop, the narration really felt child-like, in that it’s charming and unpretentious. You know when he shifts from this child-like tone to the adult/neurosurgeon persona, and I feel like it made him more accessible as a narrator.
As an aside, at this point I’ve read 3 books written by neurosurgeons (When Breath Becomes Air, Some Days You Can’t Save Them All, and this), and this has to be my favorite by far, if only because he doesn’t talk about how noble being a neurosurgeon is and how it’s the hardest medical field every 5 pages. (I’m sorry, I just find most neurosurgeons insufferable!) There’s still ego there for sure, but this book isn’t really about him as a neurosurgeon but him as a human, first and foremost, so that was refreshing.
Overall, not a stellar read but something nice and feel-good. Ultimately the song “Magic Shop” seems to only be loosely based on this, as the gists of the book and the song are actually kind of different for me, but at the very least it’s a nice book to get me into the rhythm of reading again.
My rating: 3.75/5
It’s a short, sweet, simple book that centers around manifesting what you want out of life. I really don’t like anything that talks about “manifesting” in such a serious manner, but what I liked about this book is that while it encourages you visualize what you want to be, it emphasizes that visualization must always be done so with compassion and kindness, towards ourselves and towards others. The way it goes on about “opening your heart” does get a little overly saccharine for my taste, and it does have the air of being a bit self-indulgent, but overall there are some really great insights here.
One thing I really liked about the writing is that when he’s detailing his experiences as a kid, learning the “secret tricks” in the magic shop, the narration really felt child-like, in that it’s charming and unpretentious. You know when he shifts from this child-like tone to the adult/neurosurgeon persona, and I feel like it made him more accessible as a narrator.
As an aside, at this point I’ve read 3 books written by neurosurgeons (When Breath Becomes Air, Some Days You Can’t Save Them All, and this), and this has to be my favorite by far, if only because he doesn’t talk about how noble being a neurosurgeon is and how it’s the hardest medical field every 5 pages. (I’m sorry, I just find most neurosurgeons insufferable!) There’s still ego there for sure, but this book isn’t really about him as a neurosurgeon but him as a human, first and foremost, so that was refreshing.
Overall, not a stellar read but something nice and feel-good. Ultimately the song “Magic Shop” seems to only be loosely based on this, as the gists of the book and the song are actually kind of different for me, but at the very least it’s a nice book to get me into the rhythm of reading again.
My rating: 3.75/5
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
I don't have the energy to write a review today so wait it soon...
This book truly does empower you to open up your mind and heart. A lot of the time I’m anxious about how compassionate i can be towards others or how much emotion i show over things but now reading this book, it doesn’t bother me as much. It made me want to continue to just be the person who strives to have an open heart and mind, and now i feel that i can go further in that aspect. “It can hurt to go through life with your heart open but not as much as it does to go through life with your heart closed.” “There’s no shame in caring or feeling someone else’s pain. It is beautiful and, i think, why we are all here in this life together.” Be compassionate and understanding to the best of your abilities, it will make your life rough at times but in the end it will have all been worth it.
An insightful read that delves into the intricacies of the heart, it’s central role in our lives, and how the things we want in hindsight aren’t always what we needed to live a life that is truly open, free, and fulfilled. Dr. Doty also provides practical steps on how to begin the journey of not only wishing for things you want in life to come into fruition, but having them be. An honest and relatable author, looking forward to learning more about his work after this.
Hearing Doty speak to the host of On Being Krista Tippet, sparked my interest in his book. The podcast interview touched on his personal story of a dysfunctional family of origin and difficult childhood then outlined a bit of how the trajectory of his life changed. I wanted to know more.
I enjoyed Doty's memoir. Weaving together his childhood experience at the magic shop in Lancaster, California where he met an unexpected teacher, and his adult life as a neurosurgeon, Doty outlines the "magic tricks" of mindfulness — relaxing the body, clearing the mind, opening the heart, setting intentions. The medical research that now backs up what was once considered woo-woo, or easter mysticism was especially interesting.
"When our brain changes, we change. But an even greater truth is that when our heart changes, everything changes. And that change is not only in how we see the world but in how the world sees us. And in how the world responds to us." 151
I enjoyed Doty's memoir. Weaving together his childhood experience at the magic shop in Lancaster, California where he met an unexpected teacher, and his adult life as a neurosurgeon, Doty outlines the "magic tricks" of mindfulness — relaxing the body, clearing the mind, opening the heart, setting intentions. The medical research that now backs up what was once considered woo-woo, or easter mysticism was especially interesting.
"When our brain changes, we change. But an even greater truth is that when our heart changes, everything changes. And that change is not only in how we see the world but in how the world sees us. And in how the world responds to us." 151
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
I loved this so much. For a few years now people have been telling me to meditate, they told be it would help me. However no one around me meditated and I couldn't see the effects. Reading this book changed my perspective entirely, because read Doty's story showed me how simple things can help.
If there was one book I could make everyone read, it would be this book. 100% recommend.
If there was one book I could make everyone read, it would be this book. 100% recommend.