BOOK: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Reading this book took me a while, but I loved every minute and learned a lot along the way. I didn’t realize that this author had previously written another favorite, The Coddling of the American Mind, which relates nicely to this subject. I highly recommend it to parents, educators and anyone who works with or loves children.
TV: A Gentleman in Moscow – Showtime
We read this book for Book Club a few months ago, and I loved it, so I expected to love this limited series on Showtime, and I did. Of course, the TV version was abbreviated, but it was so well cast that I fell right back into the story. I loved it and look forward to reading more from the author.
MOVIE: Lucy on Amazon Prime Video
Joan and I enjoyed some time on the coast recently, and we caught up on some movies we’ve been wanting to watch; as a favorite of Joan’s for years, this was on the top of the list. This sci-fi thriller caught my attention, and I enjoyed it immensely. This genre is not one of my favorites, but watching the movie opened up an interesting conversation on the power of the mind.
MOVIE: Dolittle – Amazon Prime Video
This movie is another one of Joan’s favorites. This version of the story stars Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Dolittle and a whole gang of big movie stars as the voices of the animals around him. (I enjoyed trying to guess who they were.) This movie would be a great family watch as it would entertain children and adults.
I’ve been waiting for this movie for a very long time. I love all things “Henry VIII” and Jude Law. He commissioned a perfumer to create a scent that smelled like puss, blood, fecal matter, and sweat to recreate the environment around Henry VIII in the last months of his life. (Due to a massive infection in his leg.) The results were worth the effort. The effect on the actors is obvious as they pretend to care for the king while still jockeying for position in the court. I loved the movie and hope to see Alicia Vikander (Catherine Parr) as an Oscar nominee.
This is another movie I’ve been anxious to see, and I was thrilled to see it go to streaming so quickly. (Although that’s not a good sign for box office success.) Lee tells the true story of a female Vogue photographer who covered the World War and gained access to the frontlines. The movie demonstrates what it took to accomplish this and its toll on her emotional state. I loved it and truly admired Kate Winslet as an actress.
I love Maggie Smith and every character she’s played. Although this movie has been out for a while, I only learned of it a few months ago and immediately added it to my must-see list. It tells the story of a group of women in Ireland who travel to the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in France, hoping for a miracle. The movie is funny and uplifting.
This was my least favorite of all the movies I watched this month. It was a must-see after the Academy Awards, but I could have done without it. It’s just weird. And it made me wonder why an actor would choose that role. But it was a good choice if it gave you an Oscar nomination. I don’t need to see it again.
AUDIO: Bad Mormon – A Memoir by Heather Gay
After my delve into reality TV and “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” I became a fan of Heather Gay. I appreciated her honesty and relatability as she expressed her struggles pulling away from the Mormon Church. In this book, she describes what it was like growing up as a “BIC” (born in the covenant) in the Mormon Church. Some of it was familiar, and some wasn’t, but I don’t doubt her story for a moment. She has another book coming out in December, and I’ll also add that to the list.
“Self-talk strategies: If you need confidence, talk to yourself the way you would talk to a friend. If you need persistence, talk to yourself the way you would talk to a student. If you need patience, talk to yourself the way you would talk to a child.” – James Clear
“No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.” – Author Terry Pratchett on the ripples we leave behind
“Think about someone who has the results you want or a lifestyle you admire. It’s easy to want the results. What are the costs and tradeoffs of their lifestyle that you may be overlooking?” — James Clear
“Beware the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.” — Poet and novelist Ben Okri
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’” —Lao Tzu
“Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.” – James Clear
The creative process by James Clear
- Discover – Read a lot. Observe the world. Notice.
- Collect – Immediately record anything that strikes you.
- Generate – Build on your notes to brainstorm lots of ideas.
- Combine – Connect previously unconnected ideas.
- Refine – Edit, edit, edit. Select the best.
“If, of three friends (A, B, and C), A should die, then B loses not only A but “A’s part in C,” while C loses not only A but “A’s part in B.” In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets.” — C.S. Lewis