Guest Review by Kaitlin Vaughan

Enjoy this review from guest Kaitlin Vaughan!

Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You was voted #1 in fiction in Goodreads People’s Choice Awards, which is why I chose to read it as my first book of 2022.

I honestly regret the decision.

The story follows 4 characters as they navigate relationships and their place in life, as well as contemplating the collapse of civilization. This discussion felt out of place for me as the ideas and actions of the characters didn’t seem this mature and thought-out; they continuously make decisions and remarks I feel a person in their teens early twenties would make and not those in their thirties. The disconnect could be as someone that married young and is satisfied with my place in life, I don’t understand the depressing yet content outlook the characters have or rather that they are so focused on the world around them they themselves can’t become well rounded and continue to make the same small-minded decisions.

“And in that way even the bad days were good, because I felt them and remembered feeling them” Pg 170.

I felt this quote best described my time with this book because even though I found it unenjoyable it made me feel things for the characters. Mostly anger and frustration, but feelings nonetheless that caused me to finish the book because it had wormed its way into my thoughts. Simply for that I give Rooney a 3/5.

Book Review: Fitness Series-The Champion's Mind

 The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive

written by Jim Afremow

read by Eric Michael Summerer

I look at high-level competitive athletes with awe, respect, and disbelief at their physical accomplishments.  Olympic events leave me amazed at the capabilities exhibited under so much pressure.  The CrossFit Games leave me breathless as I watch the grueling workouts and think about how exhausted I am after a fraction of the work these amazing people do in a single day. Not to mention all of the fantastical physical feats achieved daily by powerlifters, skateboarders, parkour enthusiasts, climbers, surfers, and all the TikTok-ers that leave me cringing with trepidation at their antics.

By this definition, I am not an athlete.  I am not known for taking chances or stepping out of my comfort zone (I like it there, it's familiar!).  I am also not a competitive person.  I never expect to win a race or finish first in a WOD.  My competition has always been myself; I am only interested in making a better me every day (and, trust me, there's always room for improvement!).

All that being said, there are mindsets that elite athletes have that can be helpful even to regular folks like me.  That is what Dr. Afremow addresses in his book The Champion's Mind.  While focus, dedication, and hard work are some of the things required to make it to the top of a sporting event, these qualities are shared by many others who are not interested in hoisting a trophy over their shoulders but do want to improve their own lives and health.  Afremow gathers stories, tidbits, vignettes, and advice from world renowned athletes and distills them into a handy guide to give insight into what makes the best competitors in the world tick.  The interesting thing is, there is no one single thing that leads to their success.  The ways of looking at the work ethic, practice, and thought process are just as varied as there are people in the world.  Which means you will find something that strikes a chord within you as you read.

I won't ever be a CrossFit games athlete but I can improve my own performance by using some of the aphorisms in The Champion's Mind.  I was pleased to hear it referenced in another book I read (book review forthcoming) Dottir by Katrin Davidsdottir.  I am on the right track to better my own results and be a better me (oblique nod to Ms. Davidsdottir and her motto) if I am training my brain to be just as strong and focused on what success looks like for me as I am on the strength and agility I am trying to augment.

Reading about how so many elite athletes think and work can help you find the champion in yourself!