Author: Kelli Rocha

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.

MOVIE: Firebrand

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.

MOVIE: Lee

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.

MOVIE: The Miracle Club

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.

MOVIE: Poor Things on Hulu

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

1. Discover – Read a lot. Observe the world. Notice.
2. Collect – Immediately record anything that strikes you.
3. Generate – Build on your notes to brainstorm lots of ideas.
4. Combine – Connect previously unconnected ideas.
5. 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

BOOK: Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
A friend once asked his daughter to read this book. Unfortunately, he passed before they could discuss it. I was curious to know his intent, and after reading it, I can see that he was hopeful that this girl would live an authentic life, however that looked. What a wonderful aspiration for our children. But we should also want it for ourselves. This book shows you how knowing (and living) who you are makes all the difference.

TV: The Pacific War in Color – Smithsonian Channel

I love WWII history, but I’ve admitted in the past that I am far too ignorant regarding the Pacific theater of the war. Over the last two years, I’ve been intentional about learning more, and this on-demand series was a great source of information. The footage is amazing, but the organized timeline that shows the individual battles of the “island hopping” campaign was informative.

TV: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix

I watched a “made for TV” movie about this case several years ago, but it was not nearly as disturbing last this limited series. I had forgotten much of the story, but the drama (and the questions) came flooding back to me. The alleged sexual abuse (on the boys by their father) was minimized in years past and probably in the case when it was tried. I don’t know if I believe their story, but I do think they deserve to be re-tried now that we know more about sexual abuse and the harm it does to the victims. (And it seems the LA District Attorney and Kim Kardashian agree with me.)

TV: Nobody Wants This on Netflix

I needed some rest in October, and this romantic comedy was just what the doctor ordered. The limited series is based on a true story about a Jewish Rabbi falling in love with an atheist. As a survivor of an “interfaith marriage,” the topic grabbed my attention. Although I find some of the story a little far-fetched (no serious rabbi would even consider dating a non-Jew), I loved the story and binged it over two days. It ended on a cliffhanger, and I’ll watch Season Two when it comes out.

BOOK: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

I was delighted when I realized the Book Club selection I chose for November was set in 1939 Berlin, Germany. Yep! Another Nazi book. But this one is different than any other I’ve read. It tells multiple parallel stories and even includes fantasy and Jewish folklore (which we learned about on our trip to Europe in April.) I loved it.

Commonplace

“Inspiration comes on the twenty-fifth attempt, not the first. If you want to make something excellent, don’t wait for a brilliant idea to strike. Create twenty-five of what you need and one will be great. Inspiration reveals itself after you get the average ideas out of the way, not before you take the first step.” – James Clear

“You can’t change your past, but you can reframe it. Find the lesson in it. Find the opportunity in it. Pull the teachable moment out of it and share with others. You can’t choose your history, but you can choose the story you tell about it.” – James Clear

“Two years, not two months. The visible progress you’re hoping for usually comes slower than you’d like. Even with consistent effort it can take a long time before progress feels significant. It might be a year of writing and editing before the book really starts to come together. You may need two years of recovery from a major injury before you notice just how far you’ve come. It may take two years of yoga before you realize how flexible you have become. Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine.” – James Clear

“As long as there is love, there will be grief. The grief of time passing, of life moving on half-finished, of empty spaces that were once bursting with the laughter and energy of people we loved. As long as there is love there will be grief because grief is love’s natural continuation. It shows up in the aisles of stores we once frequented, in the half-finished bottle of wine we pour out, in the whiff of cologne we get two years after they’ve been gone. Grief is a giant neon sign, protruding through everything, pointing everywhere, broadcasting loudly, “Love was here.” In the finer print, quietly, “Love still is.” – Heidi Priebe, Writer

“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.” – Chinese Writer and Literary Critic, Lu Sun

“Don’t just imagine doing things someday. Do them now. Get out of your head and take action.” – James Clear

“Less is more and more is more. It’s the middle that’s not a good place.” – Graphic designer and painter Paula Scher

“To the ancient sages, happiness depended upon virtue, wisdom, and an interior life in communion with and contemplation of the divine, moral and spiritual states that, once achieved, the happy man possessed inalienably.” — Harley Price, University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies

“Focus on your likes, not your wants. You may not want to exercise, but you like how it makes you feel. You may not want to write, but you like the feeling of accomplishment. You may not want to wake up early, but you like the calm beauty of morning. Wanting is the desire you feel before doing something. Liking is the satisfaction you feel after doing something. Let your likes guide you.” — James Clear

“Read, but don’t just read. Read the best book you can find. Write, but don’t just write. Write the best idea you can conceive.” — James Clear

“Even if you’re not a teacher, be a teacher. Share your ideas. Don’t take for granted your education. Rejoice in what you learn and spray it.” — Tim Minchin, Musician and Comedian

“People pay to see others believe in themselves.” — Kim Gordon, Singer and Songwriter

“Let us not grow tired of prayer: confidence works miracles.” — St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“Obedience proceeds understanding.” — Fr. Mike Schmitz