vivianleemit's reviews
4 reviews

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

The premise of the book is surprisingly simple, and I’ll summarize it here in the author’s own words from the epilogue: “The average human lifespan is absurdly, terrifyingly, insultingly short. But that isn’t a reason for unremitting despair, or for living in an anxiety-fueled panic about making the most of your limited time. It’s a cause for relief. You get to give up on something that was always impossible—the quest to become the optimized, infinitely capable, emotionally invincible, fully independent person you’re officially supposed to be. Then you get to roll up your sleeves and start work on what’s gloriously possible instead.” -Oliver Burkeman

This is a tough book to read, not because it is despairing or dark, but because it requires you to suspend disbelief and accept the fact that we are but tiny little flickers of moment in the vast, incomprehensible darkness of the physical universe and infinite time and timelines. Just an insignificant spark in the grand scheme of things. But acknowledging this fact is the red pill that takes you out of your rat race, assembly line life and allows you to really, truly appreciate the limited time you do have. As someone who has always considered herself Type A, high achieving, and neurotically productive, this book had all the emotional impact of a deep tissue massage - painful and challenging to get through, but a calmness and relief once you let the ideas truly sink in. 

On a side note, I find this book to align very well with Buddhist principles, if you are so inclined. 

Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

This book was absolutely riveting, in the “oh my god this is so gruesome I don’t want to continue but I can’t help watching it unfold in morbid curiosity” kind of way. I read it in the course of a day, and every chapter was one gut punch after another. Yes, this is a memoir of Munchausen’s by proxy, but it is also 500+ pages of child abuse by two fully grown adults who perpetuated generation trauma, who had no business having children, and who egged each other on to let out anger on their offspring. At least 10 times throughout the book I was aghast that no other professional knew what was going on, but then I remember this was the 80s and mental health issues were not as openly spoken about, and the landscape for CPS reporting, school intervention, and even the biopsychosocial model of healthcare looked very different. I’m glad the author is advocating for her story to be heard now; it is definitely a very raw memoir and can be difficult to follow due to the winding metaphors she uses, but I find that it accurately embodies the state her mind was in. Highly recommend this as a read. 

The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris

challenging informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

I, like many others in the reviews section, borrowed this e-book expecting a history of surgery, or at the very least a broad history of Victorian medicine. It is undoubtedly more of a Lister biography (although several contemporaries also feature prominently, like James Syme). If you can put aside the fact that this is a very focused delve into a singular person's life, and not a broad review of the medical landscape in that era, you'll find a well-researched and interesting read.

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey

inspiring medium-paced

4.0

An oldie but a goodie. I reread TMM (as fans like to call it) at least once a year. The information detailed inside is simple - probably too simple for someone who has had any experience with personal finance. A lot of Dave's suggestions don't make mathematical sense for the advanced investor, but he did not write this for the advanced investor. He wrote this for the behaviorally struggling person in relative poverty who cannot overcome their bad habits. As such, I wouldn't even categorize this as a personal finance book, more as an inspirational lecture. This was the book that got me kick-started on my "get out of debt" journey, and I always return to it when I need a quick dose of inspiration.