Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy gives simple and easily acted-upon suggestions for stream lining and maximizing your productivity. The title itself, Eat That Frog!, refers to completing the biggest, ugliest task you may have on your plate on any given day. If you do whatever that is first (the frog), in the morning when you’re at your most energetic and before anything else distracts you, then at least you can say you got something done today. Most everything else will seem almost easy by comparison… at least, that’s the theory.

At first, I thought all of the ideas in this book sounded almost too simple. But as the short audiobook continued, it became more clear just why Tracy is considered one of the leaders in his field of expertise.

Taken altogether, this book gives someone the tools to turn their life around (if they’re in a bad place) or take them to the next level, if they’re already on their way. It’s not just about learning tools to boost your efficiency, it’s also about discovering what you do best and then prioritizing doing THAT to the best of your ability.

The most intriguing idea in here, to me, was “practice creative procrastination”. As we couldn’t possibly get everything done that we ever have to do in one day, by doing the things that MUST get done, you can procrastinate on the things that won’t sink the ship if they’re left undone. You’re doing things, yet not doing things and feeding the inner procrastinator. It’s like having your cake and eating it too.

I’m not a big procrastinator. What I am is a collector of ideas and methods. I’m always open to improving myself or the way that I do things. In fact, I can be too gung-ho when it comes to implementing some of the ideas I read in self-help books. For example, a couple years ago I changed my life through “the magic of tidying up” and was so successful at removing the knick-knacks littering the house that my husband thought I was moving out.

But seriously, I can take things to the extreme. So, I’m encouraged that this book mainly consists of writing lists, scheduling and prioritizing tasks. That shouldn’t freak out the hubby.

And I do find myself doing other, less important things when a big, fat frog of a chore is staring me in the face. At least now, I’m aware of what I’m doing and knowledge is the first step on the road to change.

Recommended for readers looking for a few simple tips to maximize their productivity.

Thanks for reading!

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka of Namib is from a small tribe on Earth. They have the ability to use mathematics to create instruments called astrolabes that can read and interact with the energy of the universe. These astrolabes can be used for purposes ranging from a simple “phone call” to interpreting a person’s future.

Even among her people, Binti is extremely talented in this art. She is a mathematical genius who contemplates complex equations to enter a flow state. She is also the first from her tribe to be accepted at Oomza University.

I was the only Himba on the ship, out of nearly five hundred passengers. My tribe is obsessed with innovation and technology, but it is small and private, and, as I said, we don’t like to leave Earth. We prefer to explore the universe by traveling inward, as opposed to outward. pg 21

Can she leave everything and everyone she’s ever known or loved to go to the university?

Binti is a science fiction novella with an extraordinarily unique premise and world. But I felt it was complex enough that it would have been more enjoyable as a full length novel. I wanted to know more: about the Meduse, the astrolabes, the meditative “treeing” or mathematical contemplation.

“My people are the creators and builders of astrolabes,” I said. “We use math to create the currents within them. The best of us have the gift to bring harmony so delicious that we can make atoms caress each other like lovers.” pg 62

Perhaps that’s not fair of me, to expect more out of a novella rather than appreciate it for what it is. I mean, Binti is a Hugo and Nebula award winner. There is something almost magical about it. I could see this becoming an extraordinary science fiction series of books or even a television show.

Highly recommended for readers who appreciate science fiction short stories, which (apparently) isn’t my thing.

Thanks for reading!

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is an enjoyable coming-of-age tale about a young gentleman who loves his best friend and how the two of them, with his annoyingly competent sister, manage to have an extraordinary adventure on their Grand Tour.

Henry “Monty” Montague is easy to love and flashes his dimples at men and women, indiscriminately. He is also fond of heavy drinking and gambling, neither of which makes his father proud of him.

We must have drunk an extraordinary amount last night if it’s hanging this heavily over me. And here I was starting to feel rather smug about my ability to get foxed out of my mind most nights and then be a functioning human by the next afternoon, provided that the afternoon in question is a late one. pg 13, ebook.

But, secretly, Monty has loved Percy Newton, his closest friend, for years. That’s troublesome because Monty’s father expects him to knuckle down, get married (to a woman) and run the estate after his Grand Tour. Plus, Monty’s not at all certain that Percy reciprocates the feeling.

“When you and I next see each other,” he continues, “I expect you to be sober and stable and… discreet, at the very least.” pg 26, ebook.

It all leads to some of the cutest relationship moments I’ve ever read in a young adult book. I kept saying “awwwww” as I read, which was rather out of character for me to the point where my husband became amused and was teasing me about it. But seriously. I bet if you read it, you’ll have the same reaction.

Please do keep in mind that this is a young adult historical fiction, meant for that audience. I get that the plot is ridiculous and meandering, but I loved it anyway. I think the character of Monty, the narrator, is what made this book so appealing. He’s a hot mess, who knows he’s a hot mess, and I was cheering for him to get his act together the whole book.

“Aren’t you tired of this— aren’t you tired of being this person? You look like a drunken ass all the time, all the bloody time, and it’s getting…” “It’s getting what, Percy?” He’s not going to say it, so I offer the word up for him. “Embarrassing? Are you embarrassed of me?” pg 87, ebook.

He’s funny, borderline alcoholic and hopeless at sharing his feelings. Plus, he has some great internal monologue.

I understand less than half the words in that sentence, but God bless the book people for their boundless knowledge absorbed from having words instead of friends. pg 219, ebook.

That’s right, God bless the book people. And may we all have the courage to tell the people we love that we love them. No matter their gender or our abysmal timing or our level of inebriation.

Recommended for young adult readers and fans of meandering historical fiction.

If you’re looking for more young adult fiction with LGBTQ characters or themes, you may want to pick up Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire

Thanks for reading!

Small Favor (The Dresden Files, #10) by Jim Butcher

When Mab, the Winter Queen, comes to cash in on one of the favors Harry owes her, things go from bad to worse. And snow won’t stop falling on Chicago. Could the two possibly be related?

Instinct told me that reason had disappointed me more than once, and that it wasn’t thinking in the long term anyway. Over the years, my instincts and I have gotten cozy. pg 57, ebook.

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

Memorable characters from the previous entries in The Dresden Files make a reappearance in this, the tenth book in the series. We get to enjoy the company of Toot-Toot (the pizza-loving pixie), “gentleman” Johnny Marcone and Mab, among others.

Our instincts were a long time in the making, though, and the threats that can come after us now have outpaced them. You can’t outrun a bullet, and you don’t go hand-to-hand with a gunman unless you’re certain you are about to die anyway. pg 79, ebook.

There’s also a major villain from Harry’s past, but I won’t go into details and spoil it for you.

At one time in my life, a shapeshifted, demonically possessed maniac crashing through a window and trying to rip my face off would have come as an enormous and nasty surprise. But that time was pretty much in the past. pg 143, ebook.

I have read a few reviews in which some readers believe The Dresden Files is ridiculous because Jim Butcher puts Harry into situations that he couldn’t possibly survive. But I beg to differ. As the stakes and bad guys increase, so do Harry’s friends and allies. Yes, perhaps the wizard from book one would have been crushed by the baddie in book ten, but they’re both at different places now.

Dare I say it… Harry has “learned” things? Through his nearly constant trials and tribulations, he’s become a stronger magic user, more adept and emphatic? But no, that may be going a bit too far.

The prime rule of combat wizardry is simple too: Be prepared. pg 143, ebook.

At least he’s nailed down his wardrobe game…

Going forth to do battle with the forces of darkness is one thing. Doing it in a pair of borrowed sweatpants and an ill-fitting T-shirt is something else entirely. pg 427, ebook.

One final thought, in the other books in this series, I felt like things were getting worse and worse for our intrepid hero. But, as readers discover in this entry, there may be a silver lining on all those clouds after all.

And all I have to say about that is: it’s about time!

I’ve been adding reviews as I’ve worked my way through this series. You can view the others here:

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) by Jim Butcher

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) by Jim Butcher

Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3) by Jim Butcher

Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4) by Jim Butcher

Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5) by Jim Butcher

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) by Jim Butcher

Dead Beat (The Dresden Files #7) by Jim Butcher

Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8) by Jim Butcher

White Night (The Dresden Files, #9) by Jim Butcher

And thanks for reading!

The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History by Stephan Talty

A non-fiction read about an extraordinary man who became the first Italian-American detective in the New York Police Department and his battle against The Black Hand.

Petrosino was “the greatest Italian detective in the world,” declared the New York Times, the “Italian Sherlock Holmes,” according to popular legend back in the old country. introduction, xiv.

Joseph Petrosino was a scrappy boy who grew into a determined man. He dropped out of school after sixth grade and began to work as a shoe shiner on the streets. Then he worked his way up to street cleaner, where he was noticed by a member of the NYPD and recruited to be a member of the police.

He was an excellent recruit, being one of only a handful who could speak multiple dialects of Italian. This was particularly useful in the heavily Irish police force. Petrosino also had a photographic memory and he would arrest suspects off the streets based on a remembered mug shot.

It’s telling that the most famous Italian American in the country in the late 1800s was the one deputized by the powerful to track down and imprison his fellow countrymen. … It was Petrosino, the “hunter of men,” who fascinated the old American stock of Knickerbockers and WASPs, and they embraced him like no other Italian American of his time. pg 19

There was an influx of Italian immigrants into the United States in the late 1800s and they were treated poorly. As a result, they didn’t trust American authorities and didn’t report crimes being committed against them. The Black Hand, a group of unorganized criminals, extorted unknown numbers of Italian immigrants through threats of violence, kidnapping and bombings. That was where Petrosino came into the picture.

He was determined to stop them. Petrosino obtained permission to create the Italian Squad, a special task force designed to stop the Black Hand.

“When murder and blackmail are in the air,” declared the Times, “and the menfolk are white-faced and the womenfolk are saying litanies to the Blessed Mother… all Little Italy looks to the Italian detective to protect it and guard it.” pgs 40-41

I read The Black Hand to discuss with my book club and found it gripping. I was enthralled by Petrosino and the dangers he faced. However, other members of the club thought the book became repetitive. “Another bombing?” one of them said. It was as if they were inured to the horrors of the situation because so many bad things were happening again and again. I thought that just added to the tension of the narrative.

Photo by William Fortunato on Pexels.com

A few years ago, we read Stephan Talty’s Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day for book club and I found it equally brilliant. But, again, others found it slow and bogged down with too many details. I guess it just depends on what sort of non-fiction you enjoy.

Highly recommended for non-fiction readers or anybody interested in New York City or U.S. history.

This book is slated to become a film starring Leonardo Dicaprio, but the project doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere since 2017. I wonder if it will ever be made.

Thanks for reading!

Here’s The History Guy episode I wrote about Petrosino and the Black Hand:

The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill by Napoleon Hill

The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill examines some of Hill’s lesser known newspaper essays. He writes about his life and the workings of the “unseen hand” of the universe within it. He dissects how a series of failures ultimately caused him to succeed.

And he writes about his studies of some of the most successful people of his time, what they have in common and what you can do to become one of them.

Photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery on Pexels.com

Some of these essays share powerful advice for inner transformation.

I particularly enjoyed Hill’s detailed description of the ’round table method’ that he used to change his personality. I think it is a fascinating mental exercise that can be customized for anyone.

But, at other points in this audiobook, his essays felt a bit heavy-handed in his declarations of his faith and belief in an organizing intelligence. But Hill’s faith seems to have been partially what he credited for his mammoth success… though not at first.

He freely admits that, early on in his career, he was obsessed with the accumulation of money to the cost of all else. It wasn’t until later on, that he realized money was nice, but there are other important goals that should be considered in one’s professional life. He talks about the golden rule and morality.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

And Hill talks about how you should treat someone who treats you poorly. He wasn’t alone in some of his most spectacular failures, but the people who used those low moments to get ahead in business did not do well afterwards. Again, Hill credited a higher power for that balance. Some would call it karma, but he did not.

If you liked Think and Grow Rich, you will probably enjoy this audio program.

Thanks for reading!

Animosity, Vol. 1: The Wake by Marguerite Bennett

One day, animals obtained self awareness and the ability to speak. The world will never be the same.

They started thinking. They started talking. They started taking revenge.

There’s something profoundly disturbing when reading about animals embodying the worst of the human emotions. They’re angry, afraid, vengeful. Part of what draws humanity to the animals is that they’re not like that. They live in the moment. They operate from instinct. And the love they give is uncomplicated… the hate too.

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

In Animosity, this paradigm is flipped on its head. Now animals can plan. They’re organized. They can make assumptions and mistakes.

When the animals changed, some pressing issues arose beyond the obvious problem of everybody hurting each other in the first panic and fear-filled moments following the change. How will the world feed itself? How will reproduction be controlled? Humanity had trouble providing for all even when not dealing with the quintillions of other lives on the planet.

And the love one dog has for his human can perhaps have some darkness in it that she doesn’t expect. There’s still loyalty. He’ll fight to protect her. But there’s some question to how much he’ll protect the rest of her family…

Animosity is a surprisingly deep graphic novel that makes the reader question the role of animals in our lives and how the world could be a very different place if everyone, literally all life, acted like humanity. And how that might be an awful development.

Here’s my review of another book that is set in the dystopian world of Animosity: Animosity: Evolution, Vol. 1: Lex Animata by Marguerite Bennett

And thanks for reading!

The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn

Nearly every house valued over $200,000 has a library in it. Now why do you think that is?

Jim Rohn, motivational speaker and business genius, was a kinder, gentler Tony Robbins. Originally from Iowa, he uses common sense and a storytelling style in an effort to encourage listeners to improve their lives. This audiobook presentation is a mix of live presentations and studio-recorded bits. Personally, I think he was better in front of a live audience, but there was plenty to take away from in both sections.

Here’s some of what he shares in this audiobook:

Read, learn, journal. Write down what works and what doesn’t. Write down your goals and then take a minute to look at the passing days, weeks and months and see what you’ve accomplished.

Eat healthy and take that walk around the block. If you don’t, you may seriously regret it, maybe not today or tomorrow but in the years to come, you’ll wish you took a minute to invest in yourself.

Work hard at your job and you’ll make a living. Work hard on yourself and you’ll make a fortune!

Rohn insists that anyone can be exceptional. He says success in business (and life) comes from small positive steps taken consistently over time. That type of approach really works for most any goal or dream you may have.

Read contracts all the way through, every time. It seems like a simple thing, but it can take you down some dark roads if you don’t read the fine print. He learned that the hard way.

Don’t stop reading and be a lifetime learner. Stay curious. Stay involved.

And take pictures. Part of your legacy to the next generation can be the pictures and documentation you’ve made of your life.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this audiobook. It’s one of my go-to programs when life has me down. Jim Rohn believed you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to do. He makes listeners believe that too. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn “the art of exceptional living.”

Thanks for reading!

The Ax Murders of Saxtown by Nicholas Pistor

Full title: The Ax Murders of Saxtown: The Unsolved Crime That Terrorized a Town and Shocked the Nation

Imagine you’re a farmer in 1874. You live out in the middle of nowhere. There are no cars, electric lights… each night brings a blanket of silence to the world. Then, one fateful night, there’s a knock on the door. You answer it… and it’s an axe-swinging maniac!

Sound like a cheesy horror film? For one farming family in Southern Illinois, that nightmarish scenario actually happened. A family of five, including two children, one a baby in her mother’s arms, were slaughtered in their home. It was called the most shocking crime since the murder of Abraham Lincoln and garnered national attention.

Nicholas Pistor examines original sources to share the story of the ax murders of Saxtown.

The grounds of the Stelzriede farm glowed with the orange light of oil lamps and handheld torches. A few hours had passed since the Stelzriede bodies had been discovered. The tough Saxtown farmers arrived one by one, and then in groups. … Many showed up on the property with their families. They were too afraid to leave them home alone. pg 44, ebook.

I would have been the same way. There had been extensive rains around the time of the murders and the roads in and out of town were nearly impassable. The residents of Saxtown believed the killer could still be among them. Eek.

Saxtown was a farming community where people primarily spoke German. Everybody knew everybody else and their business. The closest city, sheriff and bank were located in Belleville, almost nine miles north of Saxtown. At the time, they believed the motive for the killings was money. The Stelzriedes were known to loan out cash and it was thought that they kept a stash in their home.

They also left a fairly large inheritance behind.

Pistor goes into how authorities conducted investigations during the late 1800’s. It made me wonder that they ever managed to solve anything. There were no forensics or sophisticated evidence gathering protocols.

Public awareness was important in solving crimes. An eyewitness could crack the case open before it began. Detective work relied heavily on what other people saw, a distinct challenge in the remote and lonely woods of Saxtown, where farms were spaced by miles and miles. pg 44, ebook

The saddest part of this non-fiction tale is, in my mind, how terribly this crime affected Saxtown. For decades, residents accused each other of the murders. There were lawsuits and whispers of restless ghosts on the Stelzriede property…

If you’re looking for a true crime read, this is an interesting pick, plus you get to learn about a few other shocking crimes that took place in Southern Illinois and history.

And if someone knocks on my door tonight, I don’t think I’m going to answer it.

Thanks for reading!

Here’s an episode I wrote for The History Guy about the murders:

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: book blog

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Small Favor (The Dresden Files, #10) by Jim Butcher

The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History by Stephan Talty

The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill by Napoleon Hill

Animosity, Vol. 1: The Wake by Marguerite Bennett

The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn

The Ax Murders of Saxtown by Nicholas Pistor

Menu

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Menu