Reviews with TLC

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan tantalizes all the senses as it immerses one into a world both one wants to inhabit and one wants to run away from. Tan creates characters that are at once likable and unlikable. The Valley of Amazement explores the intricate complexity that makes up human beings. Tan had me cheering for a character one minute and wishing ill on the character the next and then back to cheering even while sometimes feeling guilty about my own reactions. I read The Valley of Amazement slowly, a little bit at a time, taking in what I could and sometimes avoiding what I knew instinctively was coming even while hoping it wasn't. Tan kept me engrossed in the story even at times when I didn't like where it was going. or when one character or the other made decisions that made no sense, at least to me. Every night when I picked up The Valley of Amazement I felt transported to a time, place, and experience that would never be my own yet I felt a connection in the

The Little Book of Mindfulness: 10 Minutes a Day to Less Stress, More Peace by Dr. Patrizia Collard took me a long time to finish even though I bought it to be a "quick and easy" book to finish. I knew I wanted to do the activities in the book instead of just reading it. If I'd just read it, I probably would've finished it in a hour. Collard offers detailed but inviting instructions on the myriad mindfulness exercises she recommends throughout The Little Book of Mindfulness . The exercises are quite easy to do and several are a bit eye-opening. When I got to the ones that involved movement, I procrastinated them, one in particular I procrastinated for several weeks. I discovered that for meditation I prefer stillness, but The Little Book of Mindfulness also reminded me of the importance of being mindful in all my activities.  The Little Book of Mindfulness is a mindfully written book filled with inspiration, encouragement, and joy.

Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dog, and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway by Peter Zheutlin is a touching, heartbreaking, hopeful book that shines a light on the plight of the many unwanted dogs in the southern United States. Zheutlin details the process of moving these dogs from the South to their forever homes in the North while also demonstrating the plight of the dogs. Rescue Road celebrates not only Greg Mahle, who drives the dogs to their new families, but also those who rescue the dogs, care for them in shelters, in their homes, and even in the streets. Zheutlin also examines how the dog's new furever families bring the dogs into their homes and their lives. Rescue Road illuminates the role dogs play in people's lives and the way each dog has its own personality. Rescue Road melds facts, figures, and emotions with a deftness that lends credibility to his reporting and creates a story that comes alive from beginning to end. \

I was excited to read The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown because I enjoy her work research quite a bit and because I've long struggled with perfectionism. I thought this book was going to expand on I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) , but instead it read more like it was refresher course. There were a few points that I had real contention with. For example, I was so bothered by her assertion regarding spirituality being necessary for wholehearted living that I went to her website and emailed her team. She seemed to assert, or at least imply, that atheists, agnostics, and other nonspiritual/nonreligious people can't live wholehearted lives. I want to know if her research included these groups because if not it demonstrates a flaw in her research. Her team has yet to respond. This part of the book caused me to question other parts of the book because I know from my own experience that ath