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18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman

Time management is kind of like dieting.  Everyone is always talking about doing it, thinking about doing it or trying to do it, but few people are satisfied with the results.  Peter Bregman approaches time management in a slightly different way than a lot of other consultants.

He views time as a commodity that once lost can't be retrieved.  Through short chapters he describes how to make sure that you're spending time doing what you want to do with your life.  The simple tips that he gives could have major significance in changing our dysfunctional patterns.

Like many other self-help authors he encourages individuals to embrace what is including their weaknesses.  Of course he also encourages people to pursue their passions.  The combination of embracing weaknesses, leveraging strengths, asserting your difference, and pursuing your passion combines to effectively push you in the direction you want to go.

Even though a lot of what he goes over I've heard before, he puts it together in a simple, straight forward, easy-to-follow format.  He's not about overachieving or working hard all the time, but emphasizes putting your energy where it really matters.  After all life is short and we don't want to spend a lot of time spinning our wheels.

Manthropology by Peter McAllister

Still basking in that after-Olympics glow and proud of the immense athletic skills of your fellow sportsmen? Don't gloat too much just yet: here's a book to knock you down to size! McAllister has looked at all of our greatest physical achievements and then shown how dismal they really are compared to our ancient ancestors. For instance, he compares amounts lifted by modern world champion weightlifters and finds none who could manage the 1,058 lb. boulder from the 6th century BC bearing the inscription "Eumastus, the son of Critobulus, lifted me from the ground"(!)

Comparing 20,000 year old footprints racing across the Australian outback, McAllister concludes the ancient runner would have beaten our fastest sprinter, Usain Bolt, as well!

"I discovered, to my horror," writes McAllister, that "there's nothing we can do that ancient men, and sometimes women, haven't already done better, faster, stronger, and usually smarter." 

And if you enjoyed this, you'd probably also appreciate another title with a made-up/

portmanteau word: Mathletics by John D. Barrow.

 Barrow is British so may dwell too much on strange activities like cricket, rugby and English premiere league soccer but he also covers more mainstream topics such as baseball and basketball. And he covers an even 100 of these topics, with only a page or two devoted to each one. Such as: 

* Why have world records in women's track remained static [unbroken] for decades?

* How did Michael Jordan hang in the air so long during his famous leaps to the basket?

* How a new rule in soccer led to the "most bizarre match ever played" where the teams started trying to kick the ball into their own goals!

* How drag-car racing is 'the most extreme sport of all'

*  How if you want to break a weight-lifting record then you should head for a high altitude spot near the equator! 

* A comparison of the four Olympic sports that use goals (soccer, water polo, field hockey & handball).

...& many more!

 Perhaps there's a bit too much arcane math but you can just skip those parts! (OR if you ARE a math buff, there's even more complicated formulas in the note section at the end!)

Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind by Emily Brightwell

Servants are frequently un-noticed as they go about their daily tasks in the wealthy homes of England.  Mrs. Jeffries, Inspector Witherspoon's housekeeper is aware of this and has gathered her staff to surreptitiously assist their employer with his murder investigations.  In Victorian England there are no DNA tests, fingerprint databases, etc.  Scotland Yard and the police just talk to and interview witnesses and suspects and then come to a conclusion.  Because of the servants "invisibility" Mrs. Jeffries musters her staff as they go about their normal business of maintaining the house to question their fellow servants, shopkeepers and the like.   Mrs. Jeffries carefully gives the information to the inspector with his before dinner sherry.  Inspector Witherspoon is an intelligent, kind but naïve man whose life as a policeman has not destroyed his basic belief in the goodness of others.  He has a colleague, an Inspector Nivens who is out to prove that Witherspoon just uses blind luck or has someone else solve his cases.   Mrs. Jeffries and her staff protect the Inspector, whom they admire because of his kindness and the way he treats his household staff and everyone else for that matter with respect.

Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind is one of many (29 as of today) Mrs. Jeffries Victorian mysteries.  In this one a totally disagreeable woman is murdered in her garden and there are many, many suspects who can give a good reason as to why she should be done in.  Inspector Witherspoon interviews the gentry and the servants of the household, while Mrs. Jeffries sends her staff to interview the hansom cab drivers, the neighbors' servants and the local shopkeepers. Each day the staff meets to discuss what they have found. Mrs. Jeffries adds what she has heard from the Inspector and they plan what to do next.  Each servant has his or her way of eliciting information from their unwitting help.  The cook plies her informants with food.  The footman has a young innocent look and he talks to the maids and the garden boys.  The maid has a pretty face and she is able to talk to shop assistants, while she is buying groceries for the household.  The coachman talks to other coachmen in the pubs as he buys them a pint or two.

Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind is a cozy mystery with likable characters (except for Inspector Nivens and the victim).  If you like historical fiction such as Downton Abbey and the like, you may very well enjoy following the servants throughout London and environs as they help their Inspector solve this mystery.

Underwater Dogs, by Seth Casteel

I love dogs.  I love all of them; big or little, sleek or scruffy, frantic or mellow.  So of course I had to check out this new book of dog photographs, and boy, it's a hoot!  The premise is simple: position yourself and your camera in a pool, chuck in a ball, and start snapping photos when the happy pup hits the water.  That's it; hilarious, adorable, beautiful, and eye opening.  It's well worth a look.

Seth Casteel mainly photographs pets, although he does showcase wild animals, too.  His photos have been shown in National Geographic , the New York Times, and others, and he's appeared on TV in Good Morning America, Duck Dynasty, and more.  He also takes pictures of homeless pets to help them find families; a worthy cause if ever there was one. 

If you're like me, you may have aspired to plant an amazing vegetable garden in past years, only to find a meager harvest instead of the bountiful produce you envisioned.  Our radishes were spindly and misshapen, bugs got the spinach, broccoli went to flower, and the tomatoes never ripened.  So much for independence from the grocery aisles.

Before attempting another vegetable garden, it's best to be prepared for potential disaster.  In What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? I may have found the weapons I need to fight off pests and disease.  David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth, local gardening experts, have produced a visual guide to help identify common problems plaguing vegetable gardens. They offer 100% organic solutions to solve these problems and eliminate pests and diseases, from deer to fungi.  The solution is to create gardens that replicate the natural environment and take advantage of nature's resources to make our plantings healthy and vibrant.

Up-close photos of plant diseases (rot, wilting, mold, spots) and pests (cutworms, aphids, stink bugs, etc.) provide a handy guide to figuring out what's wrong, and what to do about each of these.  Temperature, soil, light, and water are the key ingedients that must be addressed in the overall success of your garden.  Safe, nontoxic solutions recommended include soil modification, pest barriers, plant rotation, mulch, beneficial insects, and many others. Also consider mixing flowers and vegetables together in a "polyculture garden" which discourages pests by making it more difficult for dieases to jump from plant to plant.

Keeping these tips and solutions in mind, it's that time of year again - time to dig in, plant, and nurture those seeds into that bountiful garden you know you can produce! 

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

A woman awakens on a bench in a London park on a very rainy day. She has no memory of her name, address, or indeed anything beyond the present moment. She looks around her and discovers that she is in the middle of a circle of bodies, either unconscious or dead. All of the bodies are wearing plastic gloves. Soaking wet, she frantically pats her pockets, looking for something - anything - that will tell her who she is or spark some recognition. Something crinkles in her pocket. She pulls out a letter that simply says "To You". She opens the letter.

"Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine..."

So begins the extraordinary story of one Myfanwy (rhymes with 'Tiffany') Thomas. A woman without memory who must not only figure out who she is and what she is capable of, but also race against time to figure out who would go to extreme lengths to exterminate her. This story is an amazing mixture of ghostbusters and British secret service that will satisfy lovers of urban fantasy and adventure.

How to Swear Around the World by Jason Sacher.

Oh, you lovers of words AND travel, have we got the book for you! You may have enjoyed past blog entries for logophiles and globetrotters but now here's a book to combine the two passions!

Sacher has collected curses & threats in at least a dozen a different languages, both foul and colorful -- including phonetic pronunciation so you can make sure you're saying it correctly!

It is hard to quote much from this book without getting too obscene, but simply listing some of the chapter titles gives some hint of what's in store:

* The Motherlode

* The World's Best Idiomatic Insults and Oaths

* Animals Around the World

* Curses and Maledictions

* Fighting Words

* Global Scatology 101 and Naughty Bits

So, for instance -- to choose from some of the less profane examples -- if you were in Portugal and you wanted someone to stop bothering you, instead of "Get lost!" you might say "Go comb a monkey's hair!"

And if you have a useless, impossible task in Russia, you might refer to it as "like throwing peas against the wall!" 

And if you think your Norwegian friend is acting crazy, you could say, "Have you been smoking your socks?!"

Or, one way to insult an Arabic speaker is by saying, "He deserves to be hit by 60 shoes!"

Fortunately, the book contains a final chapter, or Epilogue, with parting words: all the ways to say "I am sorry" in many different languages! 

Now, enough of this: go wash your mouth out with soap!

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.  General Editor Peter Boxall with over One Hundred International Critics.

Are there days when you are looking for a good book and just can't find anything?  Or are you looking for a fantastic book to suggest to your book group that illustrates how erudite you are?  Well, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a book you will want to peruse.  One really wouldn't sit down and read it straight through, I didn't.  I have enjoyed 1001 Books...by just letting the book fall open to a page and then read what's there.  I mentioned this title in an earlier blog when I was having trouble deciding what to choose and the book fell open to one of my favorite books A Town Like Alice; I considered it a sign.

1001 Books...is arranged by centuries, starting with pre-1700. The first was Aesop's Fables (first edition, 4 BCE) and the last book was published in 2005, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  The books were chosen because someone thought they were worth mentioning.  Each 300 word criticism is initialed by one of the 107 international critics (mainly British).  The editor states that the 300 word limit makes an intense entreaty as to why each title is a compelling read.  He also states that like the Arabic tales of A Thousand and One Nights, there is an urgency to get everything read before it is too late and at the same time a reader realizes that he/she will never have everything read.

The format is very attractive; there are many pictures of the authors, book covers and pictures from the movies.

As for myself I have only read 45 of the titles in this book! What I have I been reading?  Check my other entries in this Book Blog or come into the library and ask me.