Book Review--On Animals

On Animals

by Susan Orlean

read by the author

"Will brake for animals" is a bumper sticker I need on my car and on my backpack. Whether I'm driving, walking, jogging, or just hanging out in the great outdoors, I will stop in a heartbeat to look at any sort of animal that crosses my field of vision.  Bugs, dogs, birds, worms... I am indiscriminate in my curiosity and adoration.  I will confess to having a preference for mammals, dogs in particular.  But when I live with such beautiful specimens, how could I not be biased?!

Left to right: Pumpkin, myself, Hazel

Ms. Orlean is also a self-confessed animal lover and it shines through in this series of essay-style chapters in her newest book On Animals. She tells us about growing up and wearing her mother down to get a dog and then a mouse (word of caution: don't take your female mouse on playdates with a male mouse) and then detailing the menagerie she has amassed over the years to live a glorious, mildly chaotic life surrounded by animals.

While animal stories can frequently turn into maudlin sentimentality and start reading like Chicken-Free Soup for the Soul, Orlean dodges this trap completely.  She addresses animals as pets, as workers and Hollywood stars, and as spokesmen for the animal kingdom.  Some of the stories have a wistful tone, others are matter-of-fact, and still others will make you chuckle.

This is the perfect on-the-go book as the chapters are self-contained and easily read in small bits when life keeps interrupting.  But if you have an uninterrupted period of time, you can savor each chapter like courses in a fine restaurant and walk away satisfied at time well spent.

Once you have finished this book, I encourage you to switch gears and read The Library Book by Orlean, as well.  I am unashamedly biased in favor of this book because it gives an honest and frank look at libraries and librarianship through the history of the Los Angeles Public Library and the fire that ravaged it in 1986. Definitely worth reading!

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!

Book Review--Fitness Series: No Sweat

 No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness

by Michelle Segar

Read by: Lyndsay Vitale

What motivates you to exercise?

Wait...

What de-motivates you and keeps you from exercising?

This is a great book for those who have tried and failed to "get fit" or "get healthy" or "look better".

If you've tried everything and just cannot stick to a diet and/or exercise plan, Ms. Segar has a few questions for you and will help you explore why it continually fails.

Her stratagem is MAPS

MEANING

AWARENESS

PERMISSION

STRATEGY

First, take a look at what the words exercise, fitness, and health, mean to you. If they all bring to mind misery, starvation, and any other negative connotations, she wants you examine that.  Once you delve into the what those concepts mean to you, that's the first step in defining what doesn't work which will lead you to what DOES work.

This is a very logical and practical look at how society and our own experiences can work together to create, essentially, an unhealthy view of activity and diet.  Learn to find what works for YOU to enjoy an active lifestyle in whatever way works for you.

On a personal note, I have always been an active person (not sporty, mind you, but definitely on the move all the time).  But I have have known so many people who struggle with the mindset that "If I can't run, I won't get fit". Or "I'm not in shape because I hate to lift weights".  I feel that these principles can really reach someone who is in despair about ever being fit because it points out that fitness and the path to it are very personal and it's ok if your path is a different route than anyone else's.  This has been especially apparent since I've started working with athletes as a CrossFit Trainer and I found a lot to relate to my class members from this book.  There are many paths to health and fitness, let Ms. Segar help you find yours.

Book Review: Fitness Series--Good to Go

Book Review--Fitness Series 

Good to Go

What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery

Author: Christie Aschwanden

Audio version read by: Allyson Ryan

As an avid CrossFitter of two years now, I have learned new meanings of the words:

strength

flexibility (or lack thereof)

endurance

fatigue

soreness

Did I mention soreness?  Ohmygoodness!  I may be pushing back the boundaries of my weakness but it can come at a price.  Usually a lot of groans, extra stretching, foam rolling, and audible monologue about "why do I do this to myself?"  But I'm back at it the next day, working harder than ever!

But there are limits. 

Even the most conditioned athletes in the world have to take the time to let their body rest.  Christie Ashwanden takes both a personal and analytical look at the concept of recovery and how it benefits all of us.

How many of these recovery options have you tried? Ice, RICE, heat, Epsom salts, warm bath, naps, stretching, yoga, crying...  I have tried them all, even cryotherapy!

Cryotherapy was definitely invigorating!

Ms. Ashwanden delves into cryotherapy and icing along with a whole host of other common recovery techniques. From massage and meditation to ice baths and compression pants.  Foam rolling and percussion massagers to active recovery runs and beer, the range of options is as wide as the individuality in athletes.  What I appreciated most was that the author delved into the scientific authenticity of each recovery method while calling attention to the difficulty of quantifying what is essentially an individual response to stimuli.  I was intrigued enough to take the plunge in the cold tank so I could make my own decision about how it impacted my own recovery and it opened up questions and possibilities for me to try.

This is worth a read to offer you insights into pop culture cures, general physiological explanations, the dangers of trusting studies without looking into the statistical validity of them, and the overall importance recovery has, no matter how it looks for you.

Book Review--Preteniousness

Preteniousness: Why it Matters by Dan Fox

Anticipating and reading this book was a case of "expectation versus reality".

At the risk of looking foolish (not a big risk since I glory in the foolish), let me tell you the thoughts I spun at reading the title and subtitle of this book.

Pretentiousness: Why it Matters.  Ooh, that sounds interesting.  Depending on who I'm with, sometimes people think I'm pretentious because of some of the things I like. Often people are accused of being pretentious because they like things like the theater, art or other things not everyone understands or even enjoys.  But those things are important!  Without art, we wouldn't have beautiful things that many people enjoy, like sculptures, a lovely landscape in a lobby, or a glimpse into another culture.  Without live theater, nobody would learn how to be or think like someone else and learn empathy. I mean, without doing something that someone finds pretentious, nothing would ever be changed!  Of course it matters, I can't wait to read this book.

So.  Now we come to the actual reading of the book.

It starts off with the equation that acting = pretension and goes with that premise; not necessarily taking an in-depth look.  Moves into some other points.  Totally lambastes the fashion industry and then finally starts making sense when getting into art criticism, his field.  (Interesting to note that he never mentions the possible narcissistic aspect of fashion, just it's ephemeral quality).  The odd thing is, the end notes are so long it's confusing why they weren't incorporated into the text.  Since the focus is on how the author came into his career and his background it has a LOT to do with why he's writing about pretentiousness he could have disposed with the mock dissertation style and made it more personal and accessible with the same amount of scholarly knowledge and authority.

Overall, I came away with some interesting thoughts about this view but disappointed in the presentation.

Book Review--Cormoran Strike series

I have been aware for quite awhile of J.K. Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith but am late arrived to the party.  It was worth the wait!

The good thing about waiting until several books in a series are out is that you don't have 'sequel despair' the impatience that comes from having to wait until the next book is published.  The difficult thing about Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series is that it is consuming enough that I need to take a break after each one and read something else before I delve back into the intense world inhabited by PI Cormoran Strike and his secretary/partner Robin Ellacot.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and was not disappointed by Rowling's plot, character development, and pacing.  But you cannot find two more different series in intensity and subject matter.  I am in awe of the creativity and skill it takes to write for such different audiences with different intent.  I do also appreciate the progression of depravity from one book to another. In this aspect, I am reminded of Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine series (reviewed here) which took small steps toward horror genre without invoking a terror response. I find that these are excellent examples of series books that do not degenerate in quality as they progress.

As I listened to this book on audio through RBDigital (accessed through my local library--shameless plug that libraries are awesome places to get FREE access to books and more), I must mention the narrator Robert Glenister who did a fabulous job of giving life and depth to each of the characters.  His varied voices, accents, and pacing were amazing and matched the style of writing and penetrating events.

I am thoroughly invested in this series and can't wait for the next to come out--although it will be awhile since Lethal White was just released.  It's always good to have something to look forward to!

New Book Review--Cannibalism

Why does the idea of cannibalism intrigue us? It manifests itself in cinema and television (Zombieland and The Walking Dead), literature (Robinson Crusoe, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), and even everyday language and jokes ("She's a man-eater";Two cannibals were eating a clown.  One says to the other, "Do you think this tastes funny?")

Daphnia

Bill Schutt addresses this fascination with his book Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History. His engaging writing style takes a look at the variety of cannibalistic instances in the animal world and widens to include humans, even if we often consider ourselves above common animal predilections.  Schutt starts the discussion with an overview of some of the simpler organisms in the animal kingdom and their penchant for eating one another. From Daphnia (a type of water flea), to fish and salamanders to polar bears and other mammals, he lays out observations of the phenomena and what researchers report are the probable indicators for such behavior.



After somewhat 'normalizing' the behavior in the animal kingdom, Schutt shifts focus to people. The breadth of information is amazing and his research is well-rounded and he discusses a topic that can engender harsh judgments from readers with dignity and objectivity while managing to introduce some lighthearted comments.

While I agreed the epilogue segued into the sensationalism he avoided throughout the rest of the book, which he acknowledges as he does it, it didn't detract from the extent of the research or the treatment of the subject.  This is well worth a read to become familiar with a fascinating subject that has such culturally diverse meanings.