isabelchang5's reviews
106 reviews

Unseen: The Gift of Being Hidden in a World That Loves to Be Noticed by Sara Hagerty

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.0

 I really enjoyed the writing in this book, very delightful and comforting. The exploration of the topic of not being visible or apparently successful from a Christian perspective has been a recurring thinking topic in my head since I finished reading this book. Definitely will be reading more of Sara Hagerty in the near future. 

Lean in for Graduates by Sheryl Sandberg

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Sheryl Sandberg gives very useful advice, however, I must say that such advice is somehow narrow. What I mean by saying that is, the advice is applicable to your life if you are on a very specific career path as a woman and if you are in a certain socioeconomic level, meaning a corporate career and being at least middle class. I am sure women who are on career paths that are not corporate, such as an artistic career or freelancing can benefit from this book, just not as much as a woman with ambitions in the corporate world. 

Hyperfocus: Cómo centrar tu atención en un mundo de distracciones by Chris Bailey, Genís Monrabà Bueno

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Este libro contiene un sinfín de referencias útiles sobre cómo nuestra atención trabaja en diversos escenarios y cómo utilizar las dinámicas naturales de esta a nuestro favor. Encuentro bastante útil la diferenciación de los tipos de enfoque y las diferentes maneras en como se pueden aplicar a la vida real. 

The Art of Slow Travel: See the World and Savor the Journey On a Budget by Bhavana Gesota

adventurous challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thank you Bhavana for writing this book! I absolutely enjoyed it and saved all the useful travel tips as well as the packing lists. Although I am in a stage of my life where fast traveling is what fulfills and suits me better, I do want to experience slow travel in the future - especially after reading this book. In addition, it is always a pleasure when the name of my home country gets mentioned in books I am reading, a great bonus on this book was not only reading her anecdotes in Guatemala but getting to know that the author spent some time in my hometown, Quetzaltenango, was a nice surprise and it warmed my heart. 

I, Spy: How to Be Your Own Private Investigator by Dina Santorelli, Daniel Ribacoff

adventurous informative medium-paced

2.0

 Although this book contains good practical advice (I guess) for aspiring private investigators, there are things in this book that I personally found quite offputting. The constant self-referencing in an almost there-is-no-better-expert-than-me tone is one of them. There are also some shocking statements such as getting one´s son/daughter to confess to something they did wrong by making them think you just want to help them, after they open up the author suggests to ´´ground them for life´´Terrible parenting advice. I am not going to list similar things said in the book, but hopefully, that example will be giving a picture of what I mean. 

Small Habits + Keystone Habits = Big Results! 10 Power Habits That Take 5 Minutes Per Day & Guarantee Rapid Results by Akash Karia

informative fast-paced

2.0

 If you have read at least two books on a similar topic, I would not advise you to read this book, you will not learn anything new. If you are a beginner, however, go ahead and read it. 

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

 This book does a good job explaining attachment theory in a simple way and does give lots of practical advice. However, I find the advice is more tailored to the anxious attachment style but it was my impression that it lacked the same type of advice for people with other attachment styles. 

9 Hábitos Japoneses: Que cambiarán tu vida by Andrea Rodríguez

informative fast-paced

3.0

 Este libro esta escrito en lenguaje sencillo, fácil de entender. Explica clara y brevemente nueve principios de la cultura japonesa y cómo se pueden poneer en práctica en la vida diaria. Puede llegar a ser útil para personas que tienen limitado conocimiento sobre la cultura japonesa, para lectores que pretenden profundizar su conocimiento en el tema, creería que este libto no seria de gran ayuda. 

Fatherless Women: How We Change After We Lose Our Dads by Clea Simon

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

 

Interesting book, not exactly what I was looking for since it did not address the kind of father-daughter relationship that I initially thought would be addressed, and I seriously think the author could have been more concise and less anecdotal. Nonetheless, I really think it could be a good guide for women who have lost their fathers through death.

 

Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide For Separation, Liberation & Inspiration by Katherine Woodward Thomas, Karen C.L. Anderson

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

2.0

 

I have mixed feelings about this book. It portrays many problematic situations that are very much real and valid, but gives very few satisfactory solutions. On dealing with anger, it instructs one to journal about the anger, giving such prompts as: "What color is it (anger)?". "Is it hard or soft?" Some people may find this healing, but I just found it very frustrating.

Another issue I have a problem with, but might not bother anyone else, is the profanity. I just don't find this helpful or professional, and was quite surprised at the frequency of such words. I don't have a problem with the author not being an "expert," meaning educated in the field of which she is writing, but I do have a problem with trashing professional therapy as means to validate coaching.

And lastly, the typos! Admittedly, if the rest of the book had been to my liking, the typos wouldn't have bothered me so much, but the book is riddled with them.

In summary, although there is some good advice throughout the book, I felt I got almost zero informational value from it.