Best of the Bunch: May 2015

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in May.

This was a super-light reading month for me. Of the 6 books I read this month, none earned a 5-star review from me, so the one book that earned 4.5 stars was my best of the bunch:

Self-help type books aren't everyone's thing, but I like the good ones. This book is divided more or less in two parts, with the first part aimed at helping you identify your life's passion/destiny/etc. and the mental obstacles holding you back from reaching it, and the second part taking you through the stages of the predictable "change cycle" that will be triggered by your moving toward your life goal (which is also triggered by any major life change, positive or negative, expected or unexpected). What I appreciated about this book was that it was 1) grounded in a multitude of real-life examples from Beck's clients and 2) she provides specific exercises to walk you through every single step of her process for "finding your own North Star." I could have done without the constant stream of bad jokes, and I wish she'd updated it in the last decade to account for the effects of new technology (the Internet barely gets a mention), but it's still a solid starting point for building a joyful, purposeful life.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

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What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

I can't believe how few books I finished in the past month! I've been trying to do too many other things, plus I've been doing two jobs for the past month and a half, so I've been crashing at night instead of doing my usual wind-down reading time. We've also been busy entertaining family and friends so I haven't had much solitary bottle-feeding time with Gregory to listen to our audiobooks. Next week I'll be back to one job, our guests will have departed, and we can finish up the last of the KonMari categories, so I hope to make time for a lot more reading!

Here's what I have gotten through in the past month:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: This was a fast-paced, action-packed story that's worth a read. It's like a video game and an action/adventure movie in one, and it will probably be even more enjoyable for video gamers and fans of '80s pop culture than it was for me. Despite the larger themes it grasps at, our book club didn't find much to talk about — it's more just a fun read.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell: This was an enjoyable enough read/listen, though it kind of hits you over the head with THIS IS A BOY BOOK: Besides the obvious plot elements of dragons and Vikings, there are characters named things like Snotface Snotlout and Gobber the Belch, and plot points involving yelling and snot. It's a pretty standard hero plot arc of the wimpy, picked-on kid (and dragon) saving the day. I've heard it's nothing like the movie, which I haven't seen.

Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming The Life You Were Meant To Live by Dr. Martha N. Beck: I'd been meaning to read this for years, and it was worth keeping on my to-read list for that long. What I appreciated about this book was that it was grounded in a multitude of real-life examples from Beck's clients, and she provides specific exercises to walk you through every single step of her process for "finding your own North Star." I'm glad I read it through to get an overview of her ideas, but then I got myself a hard copy so I can actually go through the exercises when I have time to focus.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: A solid read that will resonate emotionally with some but not all, showing how two people can affect each other's lives for the better, even in the bleakest of circumstances.

What have you been reading this month? Share over at Modern Mrs. Darcy!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting A Cocoon of Books!