[REVIEW] The Wellness Syndrome

The Wellness Syndrome by Carl Cederstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting point of view about this wave of wellness we see all around us, and how the people that do not fit in (unhappy people, fat people, non-entrepreneurs or non-leaders, etc etc) are seen as incapable, unproductive, lazy...
I am curious to know which syndrome comes next... and if we manage to be part of the herd or not!

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[REVIEW] Unshakeable

Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook by Anthony Robbins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this one!
Don’t buy it for poetic words on how to start planning for your financial freedom, he writes the same way as if he was in a coffee shop across the table from you.
But, if you are just starting to think about the money topic, start here!
Then, if you want to know more, there are plenty more books that deep dive in.
Last pages are really precious!

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[REVIEW] Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked it, the message opens up a few "windows" and lets you understand that mindset and drive are key for success.
But if the neoliberalism typical of some Americans irritates you, skip this one --> it's all me, me, me at all costs.
Also, not the best language ever, but the topic is not literary fiction or poetry, so don't expect more than a coffee table talk.

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[REVIEW] Good Talk

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was excellent! Super easy to read, engaging, original and addressing the hot topic of race. Really loved and recommend it to everyone!

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[REVIEW] Men explain things to me

Men Explain Things to Me: and Other Essays by Rebecca Solnit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved all Solnit´s essays in this book, from the men who like to explain things to her, to the Pandora box, or closets, which hopefully will never be closed again.
An essay that particularly struck me was about obliteration... how women are obliterated from family trees, and from family names, how you can follow a family lineage and go back even hundreds of years but you will ONLY find the men... however I happen to be reading Sapiens at the same time and the paradox is fascinating: how despite so much effort to obliterate women, nature is actually preserving us --> the only genetic code preserved through time is actually from mothers, inside our mitochondrias, so the origin or root science can actually follow is from the first mother, also known as "Mitochondrial Eve"...
I highly recommend this book, very fast read but very rewarding --> and I came to love Solnit´s writing style!

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[REVIEW] Digital Minimalism

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had already read somewhere that Social Media was not making people happier or smarter, but watching The Social Dilema on Netflix was still shocking...
That's what motivated me to read this book and the introduction of the book is very familiar to the Netflix documentary.
The big (and good) difference, is that this book gives us techniques to stay way from the ("evil") apps and also to replace the doom-scroll time by meaningful activities.
What amazed me the most was the benefits of solitude - I made fun of myself so many times for being "anti-social" and trying to avoid people, in particular when I needed to think. I always had a journal since I was a kid and never understood why in tough moments in life, I immediately turn to writing. Or crafting, painting mandalas, making paper flowers. All these actions calm me down but I never had read an explanation for this before, so it was very insightful!
The last part of the book describes several techniques to incorporate technology in life, while paying attention to the time spent using these technologies, and they all make sense.
We should control technology, not the other way around.
If you have social media apps installed in your phone, you should read this book.

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[REVIEW] Your money or your life

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the book and I understand now its huge success. It´s an exercise that you need to be willing to do (it´s a lot of work) but it gives you so much clarity and makes you feel accountable for your choices.
Life is not happening to you, you are in charge.
It gives a lot of alternatives and examples of people who managed to find and accept their "enough" --> how much is enough for you?
I also gives a glimpse that there is more to life than this and the "more" can be defined by us (if we are willing to do the work).
The writing is very simple, for a non-native it´s fine & understandable, but I can imagine natives cringing at some points.

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[REVIEW] The Lessons of History

The Lessons of History by Ariel Durant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was 10-16 y.o. I hated History as a subject --> positive side: it helped me realize I absolutely wanted to practice an exact science.
Now, getting closer to my 40s and watching (what the hell is wrong in) the world, I am more and more curious about this subject.
Sapiens came and I had to give in a little "ok, this is actually interesting..." so I decided to give this book a try, recommended to me by readers whose brain I respect... And the first chapter grabbed me: "History is a laboratory where hundreds of thousands of experiments were made". How come no one has ever told me this before?!
I really enjoyed reading it, but some parts I had to take with a pinch of salt: this book is old and Will Durant has very strong opinions about subjects that today I find sexist, racist, etc... but that didn´t stop me from reading and reflecting why I do not agree with him -- it was a great exercise and I will definitely re-read it!

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Finalmente, Obama!

A publicação do próximo livro de Barack Obama está macada para o dia 17 de Novembro!
FI...NAL...MEN...TE
Só estou à espera deste livro há 2 anos...

Hoje quase que tive um ataque quando finalmente vi uma data, um título!! Yay!

[REVIEW] Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I start getting interested in the definition of consciousness and the complexity of the brain, reading about octopuses is the starting point, right?
As a vegetarian, it´s been at least 20 years since the last time I hate octopus, which I don´t regret at all. I didn´t know they like/dislike people, I also didn't know they use tools and were so intelligent --> which means that my next reads need to include the book "Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?" by Frans de Waal...


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[REVIEW] The Five

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook while assembling my new bookshelves, so it was a very introspective process.
It was important for me to learn about these women´s lives to understand how life was difficult for women back in Victorian times. The book sounds very well researched and the author is cautious to use words like "likely" and "probably" when making assumptions about their decisions.
The author is absolutely right when she suggests us - as a society - to stop idolizing the murderer and remember the victims... I think this kind of maturity has still a long way to go in today´s mentalities.

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[REVIEW] On Immunity

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imagine you are a scientist (like me) and you read a book about vaccination written by a poet (like Eula Biss)... Now imagine you would stop several times along the book reading to think "How come I cannot write science like this?"
Can you imagine how I am feeling right now?

Well, I have to be honest, the book is not about science only, it explores a lot of scientific concepts, but it´s essentially an exploration of the vaccination subject: the origin of the word, the concept of strange bodies entering our body, conscientious objectors, individualism, public health, pollution & contamination...
I did not feel influenced by the writing or by the author´s opinion, but I have to be honest, my opinion on this subject is too strong to be influenced by anyone... so you might feel differently while you are reading it.
Nevertheless, the language is so rich, and the book travels so far and visits so many new places, you should give it a chance!

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[REVIEW] A little history of philosophy

A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a scientist and never really managed to like philosophy until very recently (when my interest for neurology touched philosophy). And this was exactly what I needed. It gave me a short summary of all "famous" philosophers and managed to connect them along the way. Super accessible!

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Black Lives Matter

[REVIEW] "The moment of lift"

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to confess, I was a bit worried that Melinda was going to advise me to sit at the table, not be afraid to negotiate my salary and all that crap that rich people advise others to do...
But this was surprisingly interesting! I found out we share the idea that education is the key for basically everything, overcoming poverty, family planning, freedom from absurd traditions...
I had tears in my eyes a few times, in particular the genital cutting part (21st century and we are still doing it...) so I was happy to listen to it and learn from it.

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[REVIEW] One of Us

One of Us: The Story of a Massacre in Norway - and Its Aftermath by Åsne Seierstad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this (audio)book very well researched, the recreations are based on reports, interviews, testimonies, so despite being a work of non-fiction it reads (unfortunately) like a thriller.
It’s devastating... you know the ending, so you see it build up, Breivik becoming more and more self-centered, fanatic... and the shooting part, it’s like you’re there, trying to escape... knowing it really happened to those kids makes it 100x harder to listen to...
I highly recommend it!

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[REVIEW] Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whatever you think about these type of books (which is very likely the same as I did before reading this one -- easy crap for weak minds), I have to confess I am a changed woman!! No, really, I am not joking --> this book REALLY helped me in a very unstable period of my career when I lost my reporting line.
It also made me aware of my development areas (aka weaknesses) and gave me practical examples, articles, books to invest in myself! I would definitely recommend this book BUT… in order for you to enjoy it and see progress, you need to be ready to admit that you ACTUALLY make these stupid mistakes. It´s worthless to approach this book with your guard up and self-defense techniques ready to be used. Just… open up and embrace the change!

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The Cost of Sugar

Uma das muitas vantagens de participar num bookclub numa terra que não é a nossa, é a oportunidade de ler clássicos que nem sequer sabíamos que existiam...
:-)
The cost of sugar é um clássico do colonialismo holandês e conta a história da escravidão nas plantações de cana de açúcar no Suriname. O livro começa por se focar na história de uma família proprietária de uma plantação que vê as suas filhas casarem com donos de outras plantações (numa altura em que o casamento era tudo a que uma mulher podia aspirar), formar família, ver o negócio florescer...
Mas nas entrelinhas há uma outra história que se conta: a história dos escravos, das suas próprias famílias, dos castigos e do desejo de liberdade, dos ataques às plantações pelos rebeldes e a vingança sobre os brancos...
O facto de o livro citar algumas referências bibliográficas torna o livro mais credível e significativo.
A escravidão é uma parte inegável da história portuguesa e estes livros revelam-se muito mais perturbadores sabendo eu que nós fizemos coisas semelhantes...

Nobel da Literatura, 2017

O Outuno é a melhor estação do ano, já todos sabemos, não só pelas cores das folhas nas árvores, mas também pelas mantas e canecas de chá ao domingo e, claro está, os prémios Nobel.
Parabéns ao Sr. Ishiguro que celebra 35 anos de carreira com este extraordinário prémio!

Perguntem a Sarah Gross

Confesso que não tinha muitas expectativas para o livro, não sabia muito bem do que se tratava, mas isso não era importante, eu já estava com saudades de ler um livro em português cujas criticas fossem boas!...

Como conclusão tenho de dizer que já há muito tempo que um livro não me trazia as lágrimas aos olhos e aconteceu com este... os horrores que os judeus viveram estão muito bem descritos aqui e senti-me muitas vezes chocada e enjoada, porque para além de ser horrivel, ainda há o poderoso detalhe de que não é ficcão...

So não lhe atribuo 5 estrelas porque há outros enredos paralelos que não passam de uma boa promessa e depois não levam a lado nenhum. O potencial é tanto que este pequeno desconsolo me deixou-me desapontada. Mas só um bocadinho, como se me faltasse o quadradinho de chocolate preto logo a seguir ao café :-)

Gostei muito e recomendo!