Book Review - How Mediation Can Transform You & The Wolrd

When I first heard of this book I thought it was going to be so much more than it was. It was a great book, once I figured out the best way to read it. I found there were too many insights, and they were in the middle of the authors thoughts. I read the authors’ writing, and then went back and read all the excerpts. I was then able to get through the book.

The other downside was a really bad typo on Page 51.

Once I read it, I am inspired to try at least a little each day to get my own “quiet” time. There were many moments in the book, I found myself agreeing or even thinking “I can do that”. So it did do something good to me after all. Here is one of the highlights of the book for me, a poem on Page 106. Yes I’m not going to share, I’d prefer you to read the book. Since I won’t share the poem, I will tell you the coolest thing I learned. The word “intimacy” and it’s meaning.

intimacy – into-me-you-see

Say it out loud for the full effect. I thought this was the most profound part of the book. This one word will ring through me forever. I had mild intimacy issues before reading this book, now I am making a positive effort to let myself go.

All in all, this was a book that we all can stand to learn from. I’m sure you will agree when you finish it. On my recommendation list.
- by Freda Mans

Saturday Night Peter by Peter Kay- It’s nice to know even when not on stage Peter Kay still never fails to be hilarious. Throughout, Kay provides us with funny tales, anything from a joke about an elderly relative to an answer machine message; his humour is accessible and open for everyone to enjoy. Kay re-tells his fond childhood memories with charm and delight, he even makes Bolton sound beautiful. But, what is made evident in the book is that nothing makes Kay happier than seeing people laugh, so it looks like hes going to be smiling as this book is guaranteed to get you going.

Being Jordan by Katie Price. Although there are two parts of Jordan we all know very well, she claims there is more to her than her chest so I gave her autobiography a chance, and surprisingly did not regret it. Katie Price and her alter ego ‘Jordan’ give us the low down on a life, prior to learning about I would have believed to have been led by hedonism alone. Instead I was embarrassed of my ignorance at not realising that beyond the plastic, there was a girl subjected to a life of heartache, characterized by struggle, she describes her battle against both domestic violence and cancer, amongst caring for her disabled son as a single mother. But, what is most fascinating is her personal fight between egos; page 3 girl or mother is a question which seems to haunt her throughout the book. And after reading her somewhat predictable renditions of her sexual experiences with various footballers it seems she is in no rush to shake off the former role. Which camp would you be in? This autobiography will definitely leave you with an answer.

LET ME IN! by Mario Testino Got a favourite movie star? See them naked in Testino’s revealing ‘LET ME IN’- and it literally does just that. Testino’s photography gives us the key we’ve all been looking for; to the locked door of the celebrity, snatching moments unseen by the naked eye you are taken on a journey through aspects of their lives previously left behind closed doors, he even managed to get into the bedroom. Guaranteed visual thrills, who doesn’t want to see Demi Moore feeding Ashton Kutcher Glacé cherries?

FREAKONOMICS by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner- Refreshingly, Levitt and Dubner make economics fun by applying economic theory to everyday occurrences, such as sumo wrestling, and, whilst for many economics has been a subject of fear and under all costs avoided, FREAKONOMICS gives the subject a new lease of life. By using basic economic analysis, they put a new spin on certain logics; an exciting prospect. Controversially, the authors allow us to doubt conventional wisdom without guilt, and even better, make us laugh whilst doing it. An essential read for anyone wanting a humorous, and new perspective on things, and a great way to get to know economics, without getting weighed down with the heavy stuff.

How To Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong – The book is not only brilliant for a pleasant read, but also has real potential to help people with certain medical problems. And, in line with the dreaded credit crunch, it’s got some great beauty alternatives that you don’t have to pay through the roof for. Even if you’re not in search of a cure or a new lipstick, this one’s definitely worth a read.

The South Beach Diet: The delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss by Arthur Agatston- Easily the best diet book I’ve personally read, so much that I proceeded to use his suggested advice! The diet he proposes is so appealing because somehow you feel full throughout the program, yet still manage to shed the pounds; ideal. To further this, the first half of the book is highly informative describing the science behind the diet, an understanding of which really helps you to stick with it and reach your goal weight.

The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom by Phil McGraw- A different and new approach to weight loss. This book goes deeper than the usual chronic starvation suggested and instead asks the reader to actually question their mental approach to eating, and why they have failed in the past. On top of giving us dietary advice, he also attempts to guide us psychologically through the diet, a great help for many, and an interesting read.

Close Up by Martin Schoeller. A collection of portraits of both the famous and the unknown; no frills; no spin; no crap; just, the human face. This book is an essential for everyone; not only those fascinated by art. These portraits act as a reminder of the beauty of humanity, and that irrelevant of fame and fortune, every face tells us something; although superficially this is a book only of photographs, their sub text is bottomless, with each portrait holding a story longing to be unveiled. Bur most rewardingly, this book never gets boring, on each return visit every face offers a new emotion, whether reflected in the slight closing of an eye or the curling of a lip, Schoellers portraits take us on a visual path of endless discovery.

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer – A ground breaking book, Pelzer’s story of his battle for survival is not one for the light hearted, but equally I feel it should be read by all. Pelzer restores people’s faith in themselves to escape even the most terrible situations, he confirms the although clichéd phrase ‘whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’. And, our knowledge that he did eventually escape this life of torture gives us the strength to read on. However, most importantly he acknowledges the problem of child abuse that society has a habit of sweeping under the carpet. He runs us through the pains his mother ceaselessly inflicted upon him, from forcing him to eat his own vomit sitting him on a hot stove, Pelzer was reported to be the 3^rd worst Child abuse case in Californian history.
His book teaches us an invaluable lesson, that we are incredibly lucky if our complaints of today concern the weather.

The Google Story by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed- This book gives us an insight into a social phenomena; Google. But unlike what you might think, it abstains from being an academic overload, and instead makes an easy and genuinely fascinating read. Wee see the birth of a billion dollar business stemming from a friendship between Sergey Brin and Larry Page, and the book guides us through the trials and tribulations the company went through to become the ultimate rejuvenation of dot com systems.

Give non-fiction books a chance, find all these books anywhere online.