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Yates is a favorite of mine, he has such an incredible way with words, each sentence is the deliberate brushstroke of a painter. I enjoyed Disturbing the Peace for treading on literary ground I don't see a lot of, namely its dealing with mental health and its sometimes sad, inelegant conclusion.
I loved this book. I really like the offbeat style of Kevin Wilson's writing; with his unique voice every story seems like something new and unexplored. I eagerly await the day that he puts out another volume of short stories. In particular I enjoyed "Mortal Kombat", "A Guide to Dead Sisters", and "Grand Stand-In". Could not recommend this book more highly.
I always intended to read this book after my first experience of the death of a loved one, but it has been six years since then that I finally sat down and read it.
First off, I'm agnostic, so I expected a bit of disconnect with some of his points. But on an emotional, visceral level, I understood. Lines that especially got to me were ones in the first chapter of the book, where he was more in the thick of his grief as opposed to approaching it from a philosophical standpoint.
Either way, I found it cathartic to read after all these years. It's hard to find something as intangible and yet so heavy as grief that is explained at all, let alone compellingly. The first chapter left me quite sad; the rest was interesting and probably requires a second reading at least.
In general, I found it at times heart-wrenching, at others merely politely thought-provoking, but in any case I found it meaningful. For such a slim volume, it's a very multi-layered read.
I picked up this book expecting less than what I took away from it, namely a constructive resolution model that is actually workable. One thing I loved about this book was how Alasko didn't pull any punches, he was clear and concise about what emotional bs is and isn't, and why it's so damaging.
Because it's a psychology-based self-help book it's inevitable that Alasko reiterates his points but once you internalize those it's easier to see how much truth is in his simple tenets. I think most anyone could benefit from having a little less emotional bs in their lives and this book is great at identifying what to watch out for.
Inside Scientology is an eye-opening, comprehensive read, detailing from LRH's childhood into the current days of the church, and I found it as compelling a read as any fast-paced suspense novel. Reitman sheds light on a religion that is secretive by nature, providing insight with former church members testimonials, exhaustive personal research on church documentation, and with its current members.
Regardless of your feelings on the controversial religion, you can't do much better than Reitman's detailed account, eye-opening and engaging long after the last page is turned.
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Kayla Perry has commented on (5) products.
Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates
Kayla Perry, November 8, 2011
Yates is a favorite of mine, he has such an incredible way with words, each sentence is the deliberate brushstroke of a painter. I enjoyed Disturbing the Peace for treading on literary ground I don't see a lot of, namely its dealing with mental health and its sometimes sad, inelegant conclusion.Tunneling to the Center of the Earth: Stories (P.S.) by Kevin Wilson
Kayla Perry, October 28, 2011
I loved this book. I really like the offbeat style of Kevin Wilson's writing; with his unique voice every story seems like something new and unexplored. I eagerly await the day that he puts out another volume of short stories. In particular I enjoyed "Mortal Kombat", "A Guide to Dead Sisters", and "Grand Stand-In". Could not recommend this book more highly.A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
Kayla Perry, September 19, 2011
I always intended to read this book after my first experience of the death of a loved one, but it has been six years since then that I finally sat down and read it.First off, I'm agnostic, so I expected a bit of disconnect with some of his points. But on an emotional, visceral level, I understood. Lines that especially got to me were ones in the first chapter of the book, where he was more in the thick of his grief as opposed to approaching it from a philosophical standpoint.
Either way, I found it cathartic to read after all these years. It's hard to find something as intangible and yet so heavy as grief that is explained at all, let alone compellingly. The first chapter left me quite sad; the rest was interesting and probably requires a second reading at least.
In general, I found it at times heart-wrenching, at others merely politely thought-provoking, but in any case I found it meaningful. For such a slim volume, it's a very multi-layered read.
Emotional Bullshit: The Hidden Plague That Is Threatening to Destroy Your Relationships-And How to Stop It by Paul Alasko
Kayla Perry, September 8, 2011
I picked up this book expecting less than what I took away from it, namely a constructive resolution model that is actually workable. One thing I loved about this book was how Alasko didn't pull any punches, he was clear and concise about what emotional bs is and isn't, and why it's so damaging.Because it's a psychology-based self-help book it's inevitable that Alasko reiterates his points but once you internalize those it's easier to see how much truth is in his simple tenets. I think most anyone could benefit from having a little less emotional bs in their lives and this book is great at identifying what to watch out for.
Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion by Janet Reitman
Kayla Perry, September 2, 2011
Inside Scientology is an eye-opening, comprehensive read, detailing from LRH's childhood into the current days of the church, and I found it as compelling a read as any fast-paced suspense novel. Reitman sheds light on a religion that is secretive by nature, providing insight with former church members testimonials, exhaustive personal research on church documentation, and with its current members.Regardless of your feelings on the controversial religion, you can't do much better than Reitman's detailed account, eye-opening and engaging long after the last page is turned.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)