As The Page Turns: December Edition

Hello all! It is the last book review of the year 🙂 Let’s dive in, shall we?

The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins

I was listening to The Minimalists podcast, and they had Mel Robbins on as a guest. I had never heard of her, but she is a really popular motivational speaker and although I do not normally go in for that kind of thing, I found her and her story to be interesting, so I checked out her book from the library.

Not all of us do but for those of us that sometimes waffle on making a decision due to “decision paralysis”, this rule can be a game changer: when we have to make a decision, we need to just do it because studies have shown that it takes our brains about 5 seconds to start overthinking and what-ifing, and the should I or shouldn’t I’s start kicking in. So, what she is saying is to just make the decision, just do the gosh darn thing. Because in 5 seconds your brain is going to start trying to “keep you safe” proverbially and talk you out of why you shouldn’t do the thing you are contemplating.

I found the concept interesting from a psychological point of view and I realize Mel and her message are not for everyone. But if you are feeling stuck in your decision-making or feel like procrastination is a term that you’d like to leave here in 2021, then maybe check this book out.

A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz

This is I think, the third book in this series featuring Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne. I am sure you are aware of my penchant for British mysteries and this one did not disappoint. I would absolutely recommend this whole series and also suggest starting with the first book in this sequence: The Word is Murder.

The Whispering Statue and The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene

More Nancy Drew books to add to the list. When you need a break from real life, read something that doesn’t require a whole lot of effort 🙂

Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

I checked this book out from the library based on the recommendation of a fellow mom on Instagram. It is a children’s book but it is a great book for adults as well.

I am not going to delve too much into a history lesson here, but I am sure most folks know that for quite a few decades of the 20th century, black people couldn’t use the same motels, gas stations, etc… as white people, mostly in the South but other places as well. So, a black man named Victor Green wrote a sort of handbook to help black travelers. It was basically a listing of all the hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and other businesses that would serve black people. It was called the Green Book. This book was a lifesaver and it helped black people be able to travel freely and know where they could go and couldn’t go.

I liked this book for several reasons, but one big reason is because of my own heritage. My black grandparents traveled back and forth from the South to here in California in the 1940’s and they had friends who had this book and told them where to go and where to stay. Times were definitely different back then.

That’s it from me! What have you been reading this past month?