January Read

Title: Silkworm

Author: Galbraith, Robert (J.K. Rowling)

Call Number: F/Mystery

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days-as he has done before-and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives-meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. 

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before... A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, THE SILKWORM is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott.

My Read:

            This is the second book of the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith, aka, J.K. Rowling. After reading the chapter one and the very last chapter I got a weird feeling that I was reading something combined with characters of Inspector Columbo and Perry Mason. It’s a strong connection I made from just reading the two chapters plus the first book. Why Columbo? It’s the way the suspects presented in the book: the sequences of interviews and interactions between the questionable personnel and the shrewd private detective. Why Perry Mason? It’s the untold and intangible relationship between the private detective and his sidekick assistant. To me, the most beautiful element between two beings is usually the silent and covert flow. This quiet element is buried in the words. I can’t wait to have another taste of the Cormoran Strike’s masterpiece at work.

December Read/3

Title: Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success

Author: Feldman, David; Kravet, lee Daniel

Call Number: 155.24 F312S 2014

Subject(s):

Number of Pages: 243

ISBN: 9780062267856

Book Description from amazon.com:

            Starting where resiliency studies leave off, two psychologists explore the science of remarkable accomplishment in the wake of trauma, revealing the surprising principles that allow people to transform their lives and achieve extraordinary things.
Over four billion people worldwide will survive a trauma during their lives. Some will experience severe post-traumatic stress. Most will eventually recover and return to life as normal. But sometimes, survivors do more than bounce back. Sometimes they bounce forward.
These are the Supersurvivors—individuals who not only rebuild their lives, but also thrive and grow in ways never previously imagined. Beginning where resilience ends, David B. Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz look beyond the tenets of traditional psychology for a deeper understanding of the strength of the human spirit. What they have found flies in the face of conventional wisdom—that positive thinking may hinder more than help; that perceived support can be just as good as the real thing; and that realistic expectations may be a key to great success.
They introduce the humble but powerful notion of grounded hope as the foundation for overcoming trauma. The authors interviewed dozens of men and women whose stories serve as the counterpoint to the latest scientific research. Feldman and Kravetz then brilliantly weave these extraordinary narratives with new science, creating an emotionally compelling and thought-provoking look at what is possible in the face of human tragedy. Supersurvivors will reset our thinking about how we deal with challenges, no matter how big or small.

My Read:

            “Before I die, I want to _______________.” What will you fill in the blank to complete this simple phrase? It’s a question stenciled on a wall by a lady named Candy Chang who moved to New Orleans in 2010 after the strike of Hurricane Katrina. It’s one of the survivors’ stories told in this book. It’s the second time I read Ms. Chang’s story and the question she posted. Though there are many possible answers for me to fill in the blank I am still pondering upon the question.

            The following are notes I took while reading this book:

“Giving up is sometimes the only way to move forward.”-page 28 This phrase came from the chapter “The Paradox of Positive Thinking.” To give up false hope might help a person to reassess the facts and make a better decision.

“These successful people are all delusional!” This is not to be misinterpreted as a bad thing. In fact, being delusional helps us become more effective. By definition, these delusions don’t have to be accurate. If they were totally accurate, your goals would be too low.”-page 41 The author further states “Successful people fail a lot, but they try a lot, too. When things don’t work, they move on until an idea does work.” –page 41

“People who believe they can succeed see opportunities where others see threats.”-page 42

“Hopeful thinkers tend to use more problem-focused coping.”-page 43

“Pain will change you. It does change you. But so does knowledge.”-page 203

“We have only a limited amount of time before we die, and there’s nothing to do but make the most meaningful choices possible.” –page 116 This saying reminds me of why I like the place in which I am making a living. The workplace helps me recognize my own identity, identify meaning and purpose of a life, and understand that I am simply another human being, like everyone else. It’s a blessing to know that being alive is just a breathing after another; everyone is the same. We used to hear people said “life is short.” But did you ever wonder how short life could be? It’s just a breath away.

            I found this phrase worth of pondering and reflecting. It says: “Without forgiveness there is no hope.”-page 161

            Throughout the whole book, readers would frequently come across this question “What now?”  To let go of the past is hard. To spend too much on worrying about the future is not too wise. So it’s left to the question: What now?

December Read/2

Title: Snap: Seizing Your Aha! Moments

Author: Ramsland, Katherine

Call Number: 153.3 R183S 2012

Subject(s): Inspiration; Creative Thinking

Number of Pages: 283

ISBN: 9781616144647

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            Sudden flashes of inspiration have triggered many discoveries and inventions throughout history. Are such aha! moments merely random, or is there a way to train the brain to harness these seemingly unpredictable creative insights? This fascinating overview of the latest neuroscience findings on spontaneous thought processes, or "snaps," describes how everyone—not just geniuses—can learn to improve the likelihood of their own "eureka" moments by adopting certain rewarding attitudes and habits.
As the author explains, snaps are much more than new ideas. Snaps are insights plus momentum—they instantly compel or snap us toward action. They often occur after ordinary problem solving hits an impasse. We may feel stuck, but while we’re in a quandary, the brain is rebooting. Then, when we least expect it, the solution pops into our heads. She describes the results of numerous scientific experiments studying this phenomenon. She also recounts intriguing stories of people in diverse disciplines who have had a snap experience. Both the research and the stories illustrate that it’s possible to enhance our facility for snap moments by training ourselves to scan, sift, and solve.
In the emerging economy, businesses and individuals need new strategies, and it’s clear that just thinking harder no longer works. People who can snap are often a step ahead: they have a vigilance advantage from exercising brain cells that build mental agility. While snapping is rewarding, fun, and good for improving our mental skills, it’s also much more: people who snap life-changing ideas that affect many others will redirect our future.
Written in an accessible, jargon-free narrative that weaves together the latest research with illuminating stories of innovative people, this book teaches us how to cultivate our own inner epiphanies to gain an edge in our imaginations, our careers, our goals—indeed, in every aspect of our lives.

My Read:

            The following from page30 describes how brain snaps:

“Sudden insight involves a complex series of brain states that require more neural resources than methodical thinking does. The formula is simple: one must have specific knowledge and experience, a challenge within one’s field of expertise, an efforts to meet the challenge, and a period of mental surrender. Both the left and right hemispheres of the brain must be activated to work together. While many people believe that such insight is completely random, those who apply themselves know better. Snaps can’t be forced, but they can be prompted-even in desperate life-threatening situations.”-page 30

            Page 44 has a statement addressed from Aristotle: The potential is within us, so anything of which we are capable is our potential. Page 45, a quote from the late folklorist Joseph Campbell, states: “Our bliss is our sense of purpose.” Then the author states at the same page that “each of us has skills and talents that collectively move us toward authentic self-expression.”

            Page 119 states: “The habit of focus keeps us awake and alert.” “We are all capable of achieving peak performance in the pursuit of quality and creativity. Those who make it a priority are more apt to develop the frame of mind, neurologically speaking, that snaps.” Page 140 says: “So, cognitive maps that influence body memories are representations of our relationship to the world around us.” Page 141 says: “People who snap are often confident of their knowledge, clear about their goals, and engaged with their work in a way that has little cognizance of time or office hours.”

            Page 176 states: “The best conditions for a snap involve work that feels like play.” This reminds me of the saying from the ancient Chinese sage, Confucius. He said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The workplace could be the playground you found enabling you to enjoy what you do, who you are, and a place you have sense of purpose and meaning.

            Personally, I found a quote from Michael Jackson at page 176 that touched my heart. Michael said: “I want to use my gifts to help others figure out what their gifts are.” According to the author, Michael Jackson was innovative who was a pathfinder, the light on the path, and the one at the rear who kept other moving.

            The Aha moment felt wonderful for I had such moment years ago. In that winter afternoon at the Borders Bookstore I came to a phrase from a book written by Robert Parker which got me realized that English, a learned language I have had struggle with, have become an art to me, not just a foreign language. The road to fully comprehension of the language stays far-fetched. The mindset, on the other hand, has changed.