More Summer Reading

Sharing GREAT reads (and the not-so-great) is the name of the game to beat the summer heat.
Here's my view on a few recent reads:

My Name is Memory: Ann Brasheres (C+)
I loved the Time Traveler's Wife and thought this one, based on a similar concept (protagonist can recall his past lives), would make for a great love story. Mediocore. Sorry Ann. Loved The Last Summer of You and Me, but this one is sappy and leaves you with a large gaping wound in your chest when you read the final "letter."

Learning to Swim: Sara Henry (B+)
A great story with a female lead that is commendable, respectable and downright smart.
Love stories about females with real guts. This story involves a near drowning of a young boy and his heroic rescue under mysterious circumstances. The pace could have been a bit quicker, but otherwise a worthwhile read.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lachs: Rebecca Skloot (D)
Very disappointing. After several friends highly recommended this true story, and because it involved what is now the foundation (HeLa cells) of most modern-day medicines and medical research, I thought I'd have a read. If you want to know every boring detail about cancer research, death by cancer, medical testing, cell cultures and have example after example of the poor judgement and greediness of many medical personnel who since the 1950's have tested drugs (in this case injecting cancer cells)into non-suspecting minorities, then this is the book for you. I thought Henrietta's story and the story of her family were treated like an after-thought in this book. Their story of survival, of being misled, and lied to for over 60 years, is the true story that should have been told here. Shame it was hidden behind the medical drama of cell culture research...just like Henrietta.

Still Missing: Chevy Stevens (A)
A 30-something year-old realtor is kidnapped from an Open House. She's taken and kept in a remote cabin (an hour from her home) for over a hear by a sick, perverted creep. The protagonist's story is recounted in a series of sessions she has (one-sided conversations where we only hear her voice) with her therapist. I could not put this down until the end. There are plenty of tears, twists and a superb ending that DOES NOT disappoint. I enjoyed Chevy's writing style and format so much, I just bought her next novel Never Knowing. Enjoy this one.

Next up:
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: Tom Franklin
Save Me: Lisa Scottoline
Deep End of the Ocean: Jacquelyn Mitchard (this was Oprah's first book club book...and I've yet to read it...what's up with that?)

Summer Reading

Always love to share good books. It's the start of the summer. Is there a better time to dive in?
Here's a few of my recent favorites:

Cutting for Stone, by Abrahan Verghese. All I can say is WOW! Could not put this down. It's a coming of age story that transcends religion, culture and time. Marian Stone is a character you find yourself cheering and rooting for from the get-go. It was recently released as a paperback, so go get it at the lesser price.

Warrior Princess, a poignant book written by Princess Kasane Zulu, an HIV-positive inspirational speaker and AIDS advocate who I had the pleasure of hearing speak at a recent conference. Her book is a moving, testament to the power of faith, and the belief that as women it is our job to lead and get out there and fight the good fight.

Kristin Hannah's Night Road. Read this one on the airplane on my way home from Ireland. Like Winter Garden, I openly wept on the airplane to my husband's chagrin. There's nothing like a great KH book and a good old fashioned Oprah cry.

The If I Stay/Where She Went 2-book series. It's for young adult readers, but what the heck. How many of us loved the Twilight series and kept it hush, hush until our girlfriends confessed they too were reading it in their closets at 3:00 AM because they couldn't put it down. If I Stay is the first book (and it's a tough one)...lot's of tragedy and a promise kept. The second book does not disappoint. If you're a music lover or a lover of any kind...you'll cherish this 2 book set.

Currently reading:
The futuristic, page-turner: The Passage by Justin Cronin. Keeps me up at night, but what the heck, I'm reading any way.

My Name is Memory (the latest adult book by Ann Brashares)...anything involving the afterlife, learning from our mistatkes and time travel is a draw for me. By the way, if you haven't read Ann's other adult book: The Last Summer of You and Me...you're missing out on a great book.

Homage to the Work

The holidays were over-the-top this year. Too much family drama, too many cancelled plans, bad weather, illness and other nastiness. For the first time (or since I can recall), I was relieved to see the holidays go. I was relieved to "get back to the grindstone."
I stayed "in touch" over the holidays with clients, with work...something I make a point not to do the week between Christmas and the new year. In the past, I resented the obligation to "work" over the holiday. Not this season. This season, my work was a saving grace. Interestingly, I had no writers block; really good ideas and solutions flowed from me freely this season, and I took full advantage, applying my new found energy to my work. The result was a better organized office, a reasonable number of emails to return on January 3rd and a fresher perspective on the new year. Lesson learned: do what you need to do to get by, to survive and news flash-- it's OK if that includes work. I realized how lucky I am to have God in my life, to have a wonderful husband, super great kids, the best friends and the most fulfilling career/work I can imagine...and I paid homage to ALL of those things this holiday season...even the work.

Opportunities Everywhere

It's the holiday season and I'm feeling grateful, positive and cautiously excited about the future. While businesses, big and small are flexing, changing and reorganizing every 15 minutes, it's easy to conclude that times are bad, that jobs/work are few and far between, but during these times opportunities abound. I'm hearing good news all around. Colleagues finding more work, news that the job market is opening up and that people are thinking clearer, more out of the box and considering new careers, and how to develop new skills and capabilities to leverage themselves for new opportunities.
I have to remind myself at this time every year when contracts are lapsing, things slow down around the holidays, budgets get tight, bills pile up and phones/emails quiet down that the new year is upon us...and I'm reminded that with the right attitude, faith and bit of luck thrown in for good measure, the opportunities are everywhere, waiting to be found and seized.

A full plate

This week I'm taking a lesson from my 12-year-old daughter.
"You have too much to do, Mom."
Lesson learned here is when your child says this to you...STOP and LISTEN.
I'd like to think I've taught my daughter (s) at least half (but let's face it, probably more than half) of everything she knows.
I often comment that my daughters are very smart and have good heads on their shoulders.
So, why then don't I listen to them more often?
I could blog here about my age, my life experiences, my general maturity, etc..that I just know so much more than they do because I've LIVED more.
Well, this week I'm telling you and them...that's just crap.
My daughter told me yesterday that she didn't want to try out for Soccer (a sport she just does not really enjoy) because she already has "a full plate" (her homework to do, a frequent babysitting commitment, a church youth group she wants to join and a newspaper club she'd like to work on at school). Not to mention that her first (sport) love is basketball. She's said: "Mom, I have enough to do."
Smart thinking, smart decision making, smart kid.
She's quickly and effectively evaluated her time, her likes/dislikes and her "priorities" and is not ashamed, stressed or afraid to tell her friends "this just isn't important to me."
I think you'd agree that we can learn A LOT from our children, when we take the time to listen and follow their lead.

Finding your Comfort Zone

How many times a year do you say: "I've just got to get away."
Personally, I utter "I need to get out of Dodge." at least 3x a week on average.
I think I feel that way for several reasons:
1) I'm a planner...and what's more fun than planning a vacation...mine, yours...doesn't matter. I'm not picky.
2) If the vacationing time is long enough in duration (over a week is best...but really hard to do...I'm an American...not a European), then I know by day 5 or 6 that I'm really "away" and what's back at the home and office is really just that...away, and what's right in front of me (my children, my husband, a beach, a mountain, a breath-taking view, exquisite art, fabulous food, a beautiful old church or just great friends) is the most important thing in my world.
3) Since the death of my mother in September 2006, I've looked at vacations like I look at shoes at DSW....so many choices, so little time. And for me, both are necessities, not niceties.

As a business owner with several different clients, who operate within very different worlds, have an array of needs, support, and requirements, I spend A LOT of time outside of my comfort zone. For me, planning a vacation and living it out is like a warm fleese blanket on a frigid night, a hot cup of spearmint tea and a good massage, all rolled into one. It's my comfort zone. A comfort zone means different things to all of us, but each of us needs to understand where it is inside, how to rely on it and to step into it to rejuvenate, re-energize and revive.
Can't wait for the next trip!

Sanity Checkers

Sanity checks are something we all need from time to time. I have so many balls in the air at any given time that I make a NYC street juggler look befuddled. What keeps me sane, you ask? My sanity checkers. These are people you often like...but could, quite possible despise. These are the people (colleagues, friends, strangers) who, when asked provide you with a "check", who tell you you're on track, you're following through, you're valuable, you're sane. There are also the people (colleagues, enemies, strangers) who tell you when you've lost your mind, you've dropped the ball, your idea/solution is ridiculous or needs more thought, research or collaboration. I "love" this latter group of people. Actually, I want to dislike them right from the start... after all I did not ASK for their sanity check, but once I've either booted down for the day (or is it night ?), and hung up the phone from the endless teleconferences, I realize they were right and I was...well "insane." The moral of this story is....don't kill the messenger. A sanity checker is very important to people like me....a busy business owner, wife, mom of two, friend, daughter, sister...yeah you get the point. Sanity checkers come in various shapes and sizes often with complex personalities and demeanors, but we need them all nonetheless.