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Wow. It looks like I read a lot of books this month, but a couple of them I actually started in January. A Year in Provence, for instance, I read really slowly so as to savor it.
The first two books I read were about expats in France. Remember my fun goal?
A Year in Provence – delicious, in several ways. A classic in this genre, it spawned a dozen copycats. (I found out very recently that the author, Peter Mayle, also wrote A Good Year which inspired one of my all time favorite movies of the same name. Marion Cotillard – need I say more?) If there was ever a book that would make you want to buy an ancient fixer-upper and move to the French countryside, this is it. Lovable, quirky characters, amazing food, le mistral… tres, tres, tres bon.
Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris – a fun memoir of a newlywed Australian expat’s experiences as she navigates the life shock of her French husband and her new Paris home.
Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World – this book reignited that sense of longing I have called “I don’t belong here”. Not sure how I feel about that. Some of the greatest stuff was in the appendix. More about this book here.
Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home. A big fan of minimalism generally, and Joshua Becker specifically, I snatched this one up when the price fell to $3. Great stuff here.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World – this book is de rigeur for any big corporate business trying to tell their story with the help of social media. For me as a writer/solopreneur however, I didn’t find a whole lot of take away bullet points. I love take away bullet points.
Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life – I’m in the process of writing a series on this book here.
The Child Whisperer: The Ultimate Handbook for Raising Happy, Successful, Cooperative Children– I’m very excited about this book, and will be writing lots about it later. Carol Tuttle, the author, is going to be interviewing me Friday for her parenting radio show. I’ll let you know when that airs. This is a book my kids love, which says a lot about a parenting book. To be continued…
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way – I chucked this book in my cart at the thrift store one day, thinking it might be a good quick read. It ended up blowing me away! I’ll do a complete review later. To sum up: what we traditionally think about goal setting and making changes in our life may not match up with brain research, and what does work to affect lasting positive change. Loved this book.
I’m going to look into the The Child Whisperer. Lately, I feel like I’m failing the kids. I get “no” from them a lot. Maybe I’m telling them “no” too much. Hmmm
The first four are majorly intriguing…it is a dream of mine to live in France with my family (as well as a number of places abroad) and the first two sounds wonderfully romantic. I have read a ton about Notes from a Blue Bike and have officially been swayed to place my order!
I think a lot of people must dream of moving to the French countryside!