Allimuffin Stuff

Remember The Secret? Oprah made a big thing about it a few years ago, and it become an international bestseller. This book came out in the 1920’s, but makes the same claims. Both are about how your thoughts and words will manifest themselves in your life. If you constantly worry about being hit by a bus, you will manifest yourself into getting hit by a bus. These books claim that the opposite is also true, and can therefore imagine your way to wealth, true love, and happiness.

I started reading The Secret back when it was on Oprah and I found it so absurd that I barely made it through ten pages. All it seemed to focus on was material goods, and wealth. People would ask for a pale blue Mustang GT, and because their faith was strong and pure, a pale blue Mustang GT would magically appear in their lives.  It felt like a joke, or worse, and infomercial for a cult.

The Game of Life is less simplistic, and relies more on the Christian faith to explain why manifestation works (Scovel-Shinn references a lot of Biblical passages). I was actually able to finish it, though I’m not entirely sold on the idea of manifestation. I don’t think you can prevent bad things from happening to you just by having faith, and I don’t think you can have a Mustang GT, in your color of choice, just because you asked for one. Scovel-Shinn never suggests that a bad event can be for the greater good, which is worrisome. No one can live an easy life, no matter how much they pray for one.

One good thing that comes from thinking in the way these books suggest is that it probably makes you a happier person. Believing that you will be successful is a lot healthier than believing you’ll be a failure. And sometimes sanity is it’s own reward.

There’s a popular saying that says ‘God only gives us what we can handle’. Regardless of whether you believe in God, that point of view makes people stronger and less fearful of troubled waters. So, I’m taking this book with a grain of salt—and choosing to think a lot of happy thoughts.

The terms ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ are thrown around often to describe people’s personalities. But introverts aren’t always shy, and the term ‘introvert’ is too often thought of as a negative trait in our extroverted culture. In this book, Susan Cain explores the biological differences between the two, as well as the psychological traits that define them. Famous introverts such as Ghandi, Rosa Parks, Isaac Newton, and Steven Spielberg prove that being the life of the party isn’t the only route to accomplishment. 

After reading this book, I wanted to walk around with a sticker that said “Hello, I am an Introvert.” It helped me understand myself better. Even if you’re an extrovert (or an ‘ambivert’, which is a thing), this book is a great way to learn more about the other half. 

Recommended for all my tumblr peeps, ‘cause I bet most of us are a little more on the introverted end of the spectrum!

Steve Jobs was an amazing man—though he had plenty of demons, his stubborn drive and vision changed the world. Reading this book inspired me on a number of levels. It even prompted me to purchase my first Apple computer. My hats off to him, warts and all.

The Graveyard Book is probably the best Neil Gaiman book I’ve read so far. Kind of an odd read for December, but full of spooky fun.

David Lynch wrote a book on transcendental meditation, because, well, of course he did. One of the most beautiful things about him is that he has a career that allows for any leap of the imagination. Is there anything he could do that would be shocking? 

The underlying source of his creativity, he explains, is his meditation practice, which he began 30+ years ago. He meditates in the morning and afternoon, without fail. In this book he talks about his life before and after transcendental meditation, and what led him to film making. Later on he talks about specific projects, and the things he discovered while working on them. It’s a quick read and a must for Lynchians.

Picked this up on a whim at the library and am very happy I read it. Emma Forrest is professional writer with a resume that includes novels, celebrity interviews, essays, and screenplays. She is also bipolar. Over a period of eight years she worked with a psychiatrist to manage her illness, a kind and optimistic man she calls “Dr.R”. One day, she learns he has died. The memoir focuses on their time together in treatment, and how his patience and clear-headed advice changed the course of her life.

At times the book is disjointed, but there were enough beautiful, and even witty passages to keep me reading. I’m interested to read some of her other work, or see it on a big screen.

I loved Jeffrey Eugenides’ last book, Middlesex (the Pulitzer Prize committee and Oprah were also big fans). Coming into The Marriage Plot with my adoration of his previous book, I was a little disappointed. Madeline, the novel’s heroine, was a little unlikable—too fussy and insecure. And aside from some of the early parts of the book taking place in a literary theory class, I didn’t understand why it was titled The Marriage Plot.

BUT. Get to the end and and it will come together. 

The best novels are the ones that make us feel less alone. This novel did that for me. It’s a book of big ideas, humor, and honesty. Though I never fell in love with Madeline, I did feel for her. She is at the center of a love triangle between Leonard (arguably a DFW stand-in), and Mitchell, a serious Religious Studies student. All three are struggling to find their way into adult life, which should ring true to anyone that graduated from college and thought “now what?” In case you’re wondering, it’s not a romance novel. Eugenides aims higher than Cupid.