Pocket Bear (Katherine Applegate)

 

I'm currently reading this book aloud to my class and I read it on my own for my Children's Lit Book Club. It is beautiful! It could be a great introduction to the hard topic of war. I'm finding it's a bit of a challenging read aloud for my class because the vocabulary is very rich. However, it makes for some great discussions.  We thought the vocabulary level might be better for around a grade 5 or 6 student - but felt like it would be unlikely they'd pick it up on their own because the cover makes it look like a book for younger students. It would be a great novel study though!

When we read that the girl and her mother are from Ukraine, that the father died and the family home was bombed....we had to pause and marvel. "Wow. Imagine. It's just the girl and her mom!"

A good follow up project might be to bring in our own loved toys, have a "spa day" to get them all cleaned up and then donate them. We could even write a letter to the new owner and explain what we'd like them to know about this boy. 

I think I will give each of my students a bear for Christmas. Maybe we can make scarves for them or something...and write their bear's biography.

Goodreads says:
Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his "becoming": the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm.

Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as “The Cat Burglar,” have seen it all, and then some.

An unforgettable tale of bravery, loyalty, and kindness, Pocket Bearreminds us all that love comes in many forms (sometimes filled with fluff), and that second chances are always possible.

The Only Woman In The Room (Marie Benedict)

 

I didn't know about Hedy Lamar before reading this book. I enjoyed reading about her. I have liked some of Marie Benedict's other books. I found this one a little forced though. The dialogue was weird....no one talks like that.

Goodreads says:

Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich's plans while at her husband's side and understood more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star.

But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis and revolutionize modern communication...if anyone would listen to her.

A novel based on the true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.

Dopamine Nation (Anna Lembke, MD)

 

I've been trying to understand why some people don't or seem to be unable to change. This has a lot of good answers to that question.

Notes:

Lessons of the Balance

1. The relentless pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, leads to pain.

2. Recovery begins with abstinence.

3. Abstinence resets the brain's reward pathway, and with it our capacity to take joy in simple pleasures.

4. Self-binding creates literal and metacognitive space between desire and consumption, a literal necessity in our dopamine overloaded world

5. Medications can restore homeostasis, but consider what we lose by medicating away our pain.

6. Pressing on the pain side re-sets our balance to the side of pleasure.

7. Beware of getting addicted to pain.

8. Radical honesty promotes awareness, enhances intimacy and enhances a plenty mindset.

9. Pro-social shame affirms that we belong to the human tribe.

10. Instead of running away from the world, we can find escape by immersing ourselves in it.

Goodreads says:

This book is about pleasure. It's also about pain. Most important, it's about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We're living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting... The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we've all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.

In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain...and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Smiley (MC Ross)

 

There are three sections to this book. The first one is centered around a boy wanting to adopt Smiley. He has to get approval because of the rules for their rental - but Smiley is super well trained, so despite people judging her, it all works out. I almost didn't make it past the first third though. There was a ton of dialogue and Spanish words and references dropped everywhere that I had no clue what they were. 

The middle section of the book has the main character making friends with a boy who attends a fancy school and is on the rowing team. He invites Carlito and of course, Carlito is a natural and makes the team.

In the third part there is drama on the team. Luckily, everything turns out (literally, that easily). 

I picked this for a grade 3 book club book mostly because it was available in Scholastic. No one ordered though. Boo. 

I didn't read it ahead of time either. If I had, I probably wouldn't have picked it. It has some great lessons - and just in case you miss them it totally lays them out...something a little too didactic for me.

Another weird thing about this book is that the dogs talk. They're very self aware dogs too:

p. 225 (Smiley and Boris are dogs that belong to the two main characters. Boris isn't well trained, even though he belongs to a fancy rich kid. Smiley belongs to the poor kid but is much better trained) "Why do you get to scared when someone comes between us?" Smiley asked at one point, after a whine had threatened to turn into a growl. "I'm right here! Nothing's going to happen to me, I promise."
"I know," Boris sighed. "I just...I guess it just reminds me of my pals back at the shelter. The closer I got to someone there, the more it hurt when they went away. That dog I told you about, who never judged me? I think he was so nice to me cuz he could see I'd been hurt - and he'd been hurt, too, so he knew what that was like. His face had gotten all tore up in some kinda street fight - he never wanted to talk about it. But I could relate, cuz my first family clipped my ears, and it hurt real bad, and it made me feel sad, too, just like him. And normally I don't like feeling sad. But around him, it was okay. He understood me."

(Spoiler...in the second last chapter it turns out this dog, named Nugly, just happens to be at the race they win in the biggest race of all....picture dogs running in slow motion to greet each other and they just can't believe it....oh brother....oh, and there's another book by this author named Nugly. I think I'll skip it)

If you don't quite get what the author is putting down, he lays it out explicitly:

p. 232 (they're sneaking Smiley on to their rowing boat in a big competition because she seems to bring them good luck...rowing crews, apparently, are very superstitious) In response, Smiley swing her tail back and forth exactly once, just enough to whap into the insides of both of Carlito's thighs. She didn't dare move much more. Even though it was a whole week later and thus a whole week colder than that fateful Saturday morning practice, Carlito had taken off his windbreaker and dumped it over Smiley. To anyone outside the boat, it would look like Carlito had gotten overheated during warmups and decided to drape his windbreaker over his regulation deadweight. Only Cooper could see the hooded pitbull smiling up at him like a cubical little granny in a nylon shawl. And only Carlito could see the very tip of the tail that now signaled Smiley's excitement.
"Great," Carlito said. "Sorry about the cover-up. I just figured it's better safe than sorry. I'll put my windbreaker back on after they've given us the countdown."
Smiley heard the unspoken words in that sentence:  "Hey, who let them have a dog on their boat?!"

Carlito is a poor kid who gets into a rich kid's school because he makes it on the rowing team. He becomes this super wise and seemingly super experienced coxswain...it's so happy and Harlequin movie-esque, I could hardly stand it:

p. 249 "You are not going to stop rowing!" Carlito bellowed, his words coming up with hypnotic pacing and certainty. "You are going to follow my rhythm! You are going to trust me! And you are going to trust Boris! Because Boris has been putting in the work! Old dogs absolutely can learn new tricks! And you can't take on everybody's worries all the time! Sometimes the best thing you can do is just focus on doing what you need to do and putting in your work! And right now, you need to work to turn this boat so we can finish this race and you can go get your dog!"

The main lesson in the book is not to judge. People judge Smiley because he's a pitbull. Thayer judges Carlito because he's poor. People judge Boris because he's poorly trained. Smiley also has an encounter with a porcupine who, despite being a porcupine, was "had cared more deeply than he wanted to admit about those who society treated as different" (p. 254). Everything gets wrapped up perfectly with a bow with the porcupine reference visited again.

The author's website says he's sold a million books worldwide. I don't believe it. There are very few reviews on Goodreads and most of them are gushingly positive. Meh. I'd give it one star, but dogs don't deserve that.

Goodreads says:

Meet Smiley, a young Pit bull with the world's most infectious smile, in this companion novel to M. C. Ross's beloved Nugly!

If there's one thing Smiley, a young Pit bull, knows how to do, it's, well ... smile! She's had her infectious smile since she can remember, and it brings everyone around her -- including herself! -- joy.

So when she's adopted by a lovely family in Boston, Smiley doesn't expect anyone to dislike her. But she quickly learns that, sadly, Pit bulls have a reputation for being mean, and even Smiley's characteristic smile won't be enough to make everyone love her, and her smile begins to fade ...

As Smiley learns to navigate a world where she's judged by her appearance, she'll find a way to change the hearts and minds of those around her. And maybe --just maybe -- she'll find a reason to smile once more.

The Elephant's Girl (Celesta Rimington)

 

I loved this book. It was a grade 3 book club pick. I chose it for October because it has ghosts and paranormal activity in it. It wasn't scary though. It was a beautiful story.

The voice in this book trailer is not the voice I imagine Lexington to have at all. It's way too young.

The theme of figuring out who you are and finding ways to accept yourself are great for young readers. Throughout the book, Lexington communicates with the wind and with an elephant and through it, learns to accept herself and find the strength in her own uniqueness. She also learns to allow her friends to be themselves and be unique as well. I loved how she stood up for herself and worked hard to discover what was lost (literally and figuratively). 

Goodreads says:
An elephant never forgets...but Lexington Willow can't remember her past. When she was a toddler, a tornado swept her away from everyone and everything she knew and landed her near an enclosure in a Nebraska zoo, where an elephant named Nyah protected her from the storm. With no trace of her family, Lex grew up at the zoo with her foster father, Roger; her best friend, Fisher; and the wind whispering in her ear.

style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" />Now that she's twelve, Lex is finally old enough to help with the elephants. But during their first training session, Nyah sends her a telepathic image of the woods outside the zoo. Despite the wind's protests, Lex decides to investigate Nyah's message and gets wrapped up in an adventure involving ghosts, lost treasure, and a puzzle that might be the key to finding her family. Can Lex summon the courage to hunt for who she really is--and why the tornado brought her here all those years ago?

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce)

 

This book was oddly simple but yet very profound. Harold's walking brings about a lot of time to think about his seemingly unhappy life. However, the process brings him around to figuring himself out and realizing he does want what he has. He walks to try to make amends for mistakes he has made in life and to find forgiveness for others and for himself. He realizes relationships, as full of challenges and as messy as they are, are what matters most. Along the way, sometimes our life gets crowded with all sorts of noise and people - but in the end, it's our partner and children that matter most and bring meaning.

I will go find the other books she has written that explains the story from Queenie's and Maureen's point of view.

Goodreads says:

Recently retired, sweet, emotionally numb Harold Fry is jolted out of his passivity by a letter from Queenie Hennessy, an old friend, who he hasn't heard from in twenty years. She has written to say she is in hospice and wanted to say goodbye. Leaving his tense, bitter wife Maureen to her chores, Harold intends a quick walk to the corner mailbox to post his reply but instead, inspired by a chance encounter, he becomes convinced he must deliver his message in person to Queenie--who is 600 miles away--because as long as he keeps walking, Harold believes that Queenie will not die. So without hiking boots, rain gear, map or cell phone, one of the most endearing characters in current fiction begins his unlikely pilgrimage across the English countryside. Along the way, strangers stir up memories--flashbacks, often painful, from when his marriage was filled with promise and then not, of his inadequacy as a father, and of his shortcomings as a husband. Ironically, his wife Maureen, shocked by her husband's sudden absence, begins to long for his presence. Is it possible for Harold and Maureen to bridge the distance between them? And will Queenie be alive to see Harold arrive at her door?

I Am Every Good Thing (Derrick Barnes)

 

Good beginning of year book? Lots of good message in here! 

Goodreads says:

I am

a nonstop ball of energy.
Powerful and full of light.
I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader.

The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through--as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

I Am A Thundercloud (Leah Moser)

 

Great for teaching kids how to move from one zone to another.

Goodreads says:

Big feelings are hard to manage, especially when you’re a small person trying to understand yourself and the world.  For those confusing stormy days, I Am a Thundercloud helps readers relate to their feelings through the sounds, sensations and colors of nature, making them feel comfortable and lighter.

Having emotions, even angry ones, is a part of being human. In Leah Moser’s I Am a Thundercloud a young child is having a bad day—they BOOM, ROAR, CRASH, and CRACKLE like an angry thundercloud. Tense body language, an inability to say the “right” words, the instinct to hide are like a brewing storm within the child. But like the sun breaking through, our protagonist processes big emotions by relaxing, asking for help, opening up, and pausing to permit themselves to breathe. This powerful picture book reminds us that having the ability to recognize how we are feeling not only increases our emotional intelligence and helps us process our own emotions, but it also allows us to recognize and empathize with others who are struggling with their emotions.

The Brain at Rest (Dr. Joseph Jebelli)

 

I seem to be on a deep dive into rest and the importance of taking it easy. This book was a great addition to that quest.

Chapter 1: How Overwork Is Literally Killing Us

• Spend at least twenty minutes a day staring blankly into space. Try not to think about anything in particular; simply let your mind rest and wander, breathing slowly and deeply through your nose as your do. This is arguably the hardest way to rest because our society has indoctrinated us into believing it's a waste of time, but it's one of the best ways to activate your default network.
• Try to step away from your normal routines and thoughts for at least a few minutes every day. Your mind needs intermittent breaks to refresh and stimulate default network activity. Don't worry about justifying it - you never need to justify your health. I snatch these precious moments just before getting on my bike in the morning, pausing to look at trees lining my street. 
• In Poincare fashion, go for long walks and spend time sitting on public transport, staring out of the window. Sometimes, when I need inspiration, I take a bus to nowhere in particular.
• If you have a bathtub, have more baths than showers. Besides being better for sore muscles and lowering your blood sugar levels, a bath lets your best thinking happen because it allows your mind ample space to roam. A bath before bed also improves your sleep, another period of high default network activity. Try including some soothing bath salts; I find they give me the best mental relief.

Chapter 2: The Neuroscience of Work

• Take regular, scheduled breaks throughout the day. Follow, for example, the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break), which lowers your risk of burnout, allowing the brain to recover and restore its executive functions, thus maintaining a higher level of performance.
• Try the time-blocking technique, where you simply divide your day into blocks of time, which prevents task-switching and multitasking (known productivity killers) and ensures focused effort on one thing at a time. This method harnesses your executive network's preference for structured tasks. By focusing on a single activity, you reduce cognitive overload and help your prefrontal cortex optimize task management.
• Implement email rules - that is, set specific times for checking and responding to emails. This prevents consistent interruption and helps preserve focus on more important tasks. Ceaselessly checking your email fatigues the prefrontal cortex and depletes your executive network's resources for focused thinking and decision-making. It's like trying to walk a tightrope while someone keeps tugging on your rope from below, throwing you off-balance with each pull.
• Establish criteria for accepting work meetings. Ask yourself, Is this meeting relevant? How long is it? Do I really need to be there? Then propose alternatives like email updates or condensed sessions to preserve time. Streamlining meetings helps your executive network enormously. When meetings are short and relevant, they make better use of our attention and working-memory capacities.

Part 2 Rest

Chapter 3: Mind Wandering

Practical tips to help your mind wander:

• Try a technique called positive constructive daydreaming (PCD) which involves tempting yourself into a controlled fantasy, helping your mind wander and thus engage your default network. For example, imagine it is one year from now and you're living the life you want, or imagine yourself in an earthly paradise. This intention kind of mind wandering, as opposed to the unintentional kind we often slip into, may provide even more protection from stress and anxiety, according to a recent study by the American Psychological Association - and this is especially true if we find what we're thinking about particularly interesting. So the next time you feel guilty for wandering off from work to muse about the fact that whale song can be used to map the ocean floor, or that there are 4 quadrillion quadrillion bacteria on the Earth, or that there are fossilized plants in Greenland under 1.4 kilometers of ice - don't.
• Try something new at least once a week. Every time you put your brain in a novel situation, it quickly learns how to process the new circumstances using the inferior prefrontal cortex, a hotbed of creativity-enhancing default network neurons. If it's hard to try something new, try something you usually do in an unusual way; take a different route to work, write paper notes instead of typing, pause while in your neighborhood and soak in all the multisensory impressions
• Listen to sad music. Not only does it improve your mood when you're feeling down (yes, really), but it's also associated with stronger mind wandering and greater default network activity.
• For employers, do yourself and your company a huge favor by removing teh stigma associated with mind-wandering. Discuss its benefits with your employees and allow them time to explore its creative powers.

Chapter 4: The Science of Tree-Hugging (Why Nature is So Good For Your Brain)

Some tips to activate your default network with forest bathing.

• Walk slowly through the forest. This isn't a hike or jog; it's a leisurely stroll.  The goal isn't to get to the finishing line. Move at a pace that allows you to observe and connect with your surroundings.
• Hugs a tree whenever you can. As well as reducing cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate, it releases oxytocin and activates your brain's default network.
• If at all possible ,go camping a few times a year. This will raise your natural killer cell count nicely. If you can go more frequently, even better.
• As well as in the forest, spend time on the beach or near the sea. People who live near the coast tend to have better physical and mental health than those who don't. Believe it or not, a big reason for this is that the color blue actually changes our brain waves and induces a sense of calm and peace. The sea air is also remarkably good for our mood.

Chapter 5: Mindful Solitude

1. Start small (10 min/day) Just sit and breathe.

2. Schedule solitude. Plan a specific time each day to be alone.

3. Disconnect to reconnect. No digital devices during your solitude time.

4. Engage in solo activities (walking, journaling, yoga)

5. Reflect and reassess. 

• Just go. Sometimes the simplest advice is best, especially when it comes to rejuvenating your brain's health. Planning a solo trip or retreat can seem daunting at first, with concerns about loneliness or boredom creeping in. But the act of stepping away from your daily routine and immersing yourself in a new environment can be incredibly liberating. It forces you out of your comfort zone, stimulates your senses in unexpected ways, and provides the perfect backdrop for introspection and creativity
• If you can't plan a big trip and are tied down by work and family commitments, just go to a quiet room alone; even a brief respite in a tranquil space can be a powerful form of solitude. By making the effort to find peace in the midst of a busy life, you're taking a vital step toward maintaining mental well-being and enhancing your brain's health.
• Understand that doing nothing, even when it involves not being social, is no bad thing. The social circuits within your brain's default network need time to rest and replenish. In fact, studies show that too much socializing may even cause harm, including high stress and greater mortality risk. Though isolation and loneliness are not good for our health, we still need solitude, so set boundaries and leave space for alone time.
• Ensure that when you do socialize, it's meaningful, good quality socializing. Many of us spend time with people we shouldn't - bad friends, frenemies, a toxic family member - but we do it because we feel obliged to. This raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol int he brain, which damages our social circuitry and harms the good-quality relationships we should be enjoying.

Chapter 6: Sleep On It Your Brain's Master Healer

- Broadly speaking, sleep has two functions: it's cognitive enhancer and a restorative powerhouse. The cognitive side of sleep nurtures our capacity for learning and memory. (p. 123) Note to self: Re-read pages 123-127

Napping: it lowers stress by reducing cortisol levels in the brain; it encourages the regeneration of damaged brain cells; and it triggers a new kind of thinking "that we have yet to understand." That final point presents an intriguing mystery. We know that napping improves memory, creativity, and cognitive function, yet there could be other, less understood aspects of brain function and benefit from napping. (p. 129)

• Every night before you go to bed, spend ten to twenty minutes staring blankly into space. This will activate your default network at the critical hypnagogic phase, the period between wakefulness and sleep. After doing nothing during your hypnagogic phase, write down your thoughts in a journal. It's a key moment for your best insights and ability to solve problems.
• When you wake up the following day, don't immediately roll out of bed and begin your day as usual; instead, spend another ten to twenty minutes doing absolutely nothing. Just stare into space. At this point, the period between sleep and full alertness, your brain's hypnopompic phase is active, which is another golden opportunity to active your default network.
• Try to nap for thirty minutes daily. This short rest during the day will make your brain bigger, reduce stress, and regenerate damaged brain cells.
• Sleep  for as long as you feel like sleeping. Your brain doesn't care about arbitrary work hours or overbearing bosses. Your brain needs as much asleep as it tells you it needs. Listen to it. And know that the usual amount of six to eight hours' sleep is often not enough. To ensure your default network is thriving, aim for eight to ten hours.

Chapter 7: Playology

Re: Video games: My partner has noticed an improvement in my mood ever since I started gaming a little each day, a hobby I hadn't indulged in since my early twenties. Like many, I feared it could negatively affect my well-being, especially given the moral panic that video games can harm our brains or incite violence - theories now thoroughly disproved. In fact, video games can positively impact mental health and well-being, providing a sense of achievement and a safe escape from everyday pressures. (p. 148)

Play personalities (p. 149) (or ways to engage in play...keeping this list for when I feel at a loss for something fun to fill time with:

The Collector - finds joy in the hunt, whether it be for books, plants, antiques or rare Pokémon cards;

The Competitor - thrives on sports and winning, and loves a five-a-side football match and the teamwork of a basketball game

The creator - finds deep satisfaction in the hours spent filing, painting, composing music or tending to a garden

The Director - has natural aptitude for leadership and wants to change the world by organizing and inspiring others

The Explorer - driven by an insatiable curiosity, always on the lookout for new experiences, be it a new forest or a spontaneous hike in he mountains

The Jokes - loves to laugh, using wit hand humor among friends and injecting levity into life's darker moments

The Kinesthete -loves to move - to dance, to swing, and to reap all the brain benefits of active rest

The Storyteller - the ultimate raconteur and who loves to transport their audience to other worlds; using mediums like writing, acting or teaching

• Find micro-moments of play throughout your day. Whether it's dancing to your favorite song while cooking dinner or singing out loud on your cycle home, these small acts of joy will lighten your mood and significantly improve your brain health. Embrace these snippets of spontaneity to weave a tapestry to playfulness into the fabric of everyday life.
• Advocate for a shorter workweek. Explore the feasibility and benefits of a four-day workweek in your workplace or community, inspired by the successful trials in Iceland, to create more time for rest and play. Now, more than ever, is the moment for workers around the globe to unite and reclaim their time for leisure, wellness, and personal growth.
• Make downtime and play sacrosanct. In our rush toward short-term productivity we completely overlook the value that comes from moments of leisure and play, not just for children but for adults as well. This sacred time, carved out from the demands of our daily lives, is vital for the resting brain. Value it like sleep, a cornerstone of life itself.
• Resist the urge to share your playful activities on social media. True play is for your enrichment, not for external validation. This approach helps maintain the purity and personal significance of the experience, ensuring that it remains a genuine source of joy and rest.

Chapter 8: Active Rest

• If you can, introduce some high-intensity exercise - anything aerobic - into your week. This will strengthen connections in your default network
• Aim for thirty minutes of exercise a day, five days a week. If you're struggling to fit this in, remember, your brain doesn't need quite as much to see benefits: just twenty-five minutes of exercise per week, a mere four minutes a day, can enhance your brain size and health. Even gentle physical exercises like walking and yoga can increase your brain size.
• Harness the brain benefits of sex if you can. Whether it's once every few weeks or several times a week, incorporating this form of active rest benefits adults of all ages, stimulating the brain's default network and improving memory, thinking ability, decision-making, and emotional processing.
• Ultimately, the crucial thing to remember is that active rest lowers your risk of developing a devastating neurological disorder. Just as stopping smoking lowers your risk of cancer, embracing active rest lowers your risk of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, PTSD, and depression, to name a few. So create a sense of urgency about active rest - because it is urgent.

Chapter 9: Just Do Nothing

• Carve out time every day to just be. I find the best way to do this is to simply sit in a chair and stare out the window. In doing so, your brain is no longer focusing on the details of an action; it has entered the perfect zone for default network activity. A great resource for helping people just be is www.donothingfor2minutes.org. Try it
• When you feel that you've had enough niksing, try combining it with an easy, semiautomatic activity such as knitting, This will keep your mind occupied without deactivating your default network. If knitting's not your thing, explore other semiautomatic activities: draw, do a jigsaw puzzle, sort things by color, create a family tree, look for stones and shells on the beach, stargaze, fold and refold paper, peel the labels from bottles, pop bubble wrap. There is no one-size-fits-all. Try whatever form of rest fits you best.
• Try what's called the Black marker test; jot down all the things you plan to do this week, then take a black marker and cross out all the tasks that can be postponed or, better still, canceled. You'll be amazed at how cluttered your free time really is.
• Push through the initial discomfort of doing nothing and work up to longer stretches of doing nothing. Reach a stage where you have a few days a week without any obligations or appointments. Dare to be idle. It is a quiet kind of revolution, but your brain will thank you in the end.

He had some great quotes in the book too. I just had to note them:

Burnout is not the price we have to pay for success. (Arianna Huffington)

How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. (Virginia Wolf)

How we spend our days is, of course, how se spend our lives. (Annie Dillard)

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. (Emily Dickinson)

Everybody should be quiet near a little stream and listen. (Ruth Krauss)

Without great solitude, no serious work is possible. (Pablo Picasso)

The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, 

Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,

Chief nourisher in life's feast.

 (Macbeth 2.2.36-38)

Leisure is the mother of philosophy (Thomas Hobbes)

I have always believed that exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind. (Nelson Mandela)

Just act normal, that's already crazy enough (Dutch proverb)

How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. (Virginia Woolf)

Goodreads says:

From Joseph Jebelli, PhD, neuroscientist and author of In Pursuit of Memory, a narrative exploration of the science of doing nothing and its benefits for the brain and body.

We are constantly told to make the most of our time. Work harder, with more focus. Stop procrastinating. Optimize. To be happy, creative, and successful requires discipline. The most important thing is to be efficient with every precious hour. 


But what if all that advice was wrong, and letting the brain rest, and the mind wander, could improve our lives? Dr. Joseph Jebelli proves this surprising and fascinating point in The Brain at Rest, blending science and personal stories with practical tips about using the brain’s “default network,” which turns itself on when we turn off the constant need to always do and achieve. By activating our default network through long walks, baths, and spending time in nature, we can all be more content, less stressed, and actually more productive.


Perfect for anyone interested in science and creativity, or anyone feeling overwhelmed in their day-to-day lives, The Brain at Rest is a deeply researched and entertaining antidote to overwork and burnout, showing readers the way to happier, healthier, and more balanced lives.

[Un]Intentional (Doug Smith)

 

This was an audio book I decided to listen to while delivering flyers for the food bank drive (hours and hours of walking!) It was really good. He has a Biblical approach to the problems with screens. The people creating social media are very intentional at capturing our attention and as a result, we have started to live our lives in unintentional ways. I was quite persuaded by his argument that we have to take back the control and be in charge of our own lives and one of the key ways to do that is to break the screen addiction. I was quite persuaded by the author's approach to this topic. I know I'm much happier and contended when I spend time reading and listening to good podcasts and audio books. The pull of social media is really strong and easy to get sucked into as a time waster.

Goodreads says:

Most of us are unintentional with screens, but tech industry architects intentionally make their content distracting, manipulative, and addictive.

[Un]Intentional shows how our obsession with screens often takes us—unintentionally—to places we regret. It reveals the way many apps, games, and videos are designed to entice us to make decisions and form harmful habits that profit the creators at our expense.

[Un]Intentional helps you break free by guiding you through proven biblical practices to reclaim your thought life, make good decisions, and fulfill your God-given mission.

Billy and the Giant Adventure (Jamie Oliver)

 

January 2025: I might be the only person on the planet who didn't know who Jamie Oliver was before I read this book. He's a chef. He has trouble with words and is apparently dyslexic. He wrote a book. 

I read lots of raving reviews about it....but I'm not on board. I didn't think it was really well written. I also thought it was way to long for J fiction. He could have made each adventure one book if he really wants kids to read it. Close to 400 pages is too much. Although, the pictures were great. They were big and interesting and really well done. 

I always tell my students, when we are learning narrative writing, that they can't a story with "I got up and had breakfast" and they can't end it with "I went home, had dinner and went to bed". Jamie Oliver does that with EVERY single chapter. I know he's a food guy....but it was too much. 

The recipes were interesting. Not sure why he also added his favorite movies from the 80s. Maybe they inspired his story? I don't know. 

It's part Narnia (they escape into a magical forest....David Robertson did a Narnia remake way better in The Barren Grounds), part environmental education (something is wrong with the "Rhythm"....which is always capitalized in the book....I'd encourage kids to read Willowdeen instead of they want that topic) and part adventure (Magic Tree House anyone?).

Oh. And it's called the GIANT adventure because there's a giant....but you don't find that out until the last few chapters. Weird.

There's controversy with book 2. He has been criticized for stereotyping First Nations people in Australia. I blame that one on the editors. Seriously? No one clued in?? I think they just ran with something they thought could really sell because he's already famous. 

Because we picked this for our Grade 3 book club book, I did finish it. I wouldn't have otherwise.

I don't usually have this much to say about books I don't like.

Update: My students LOVED this book. Maybe I should stop being such a grumpy old teacher. LOL We sat in a circle and talked about our favorite parts. Ten students had read it and their responses were so delightful. We had lots of laughs remembering the funny parts of the book.

Reread August 2025. I'm still not a fan. This is a terribly written book. It could have been 200 pages if all the food stuff that kids aren't interested in was left out. With this read I wrote out chapter summaries to help keep myself focused. It was the only thing that kept me going, to be honest. I'll never pick this book again for a book club read! It's just been too painful.

Chapter summaries:

Chapter 1 The Day It All Began We meet all the kids (Billy, Anna, Andy and Jimmy), a bully named Bruce Brace and Basil. Basil is a sprite that lives in Waterfall Woods. He warns them about the boonas - a rag tag group of creatures that like to bother the sprites

Chapter 2 Boonas vs Billy Billy goes into Waterfall Woods alone because he got a message on his necklace that Basil needed help. He has a confrontation with the boonas....all solved with some dramatic fighting which Billy wins dramatically. The worst of the boonas was Mama Boona but Billy conquers her by throwing food his mother had packed for him in a picnic basket (I guess this fit in his backpack?) Billy goes home and shares with his friends that the sprites have told him about a problem in Waterfall Woods - an imbalance.

Chapter 3 Basil to the Rescue Billy's experience with the Boonas gives him courage to take on Bruno the bully at school. Bruno dumps Billy's lunch on his head, steals his donut when he leaves the bakery shop. They have an altercation and finally Billy zips off on his skateboard, only to crash into a lady whose groceries go flying. While trying to help her, of course, Bruno catches up. But Basil freezes everyone. He spends the weekend at his grandfather's house and finds out he knows about the rhythm and about a strange mystery of two brothers who went into Waterfall Woods and one disappeared.

Chapter 4 Battle of the Treehouse The Boonas come to attack Billy. They managed to get a piece of his clothing in the wrestle in the previous chapter. All the kids are in the treehouse. Luckily, Andy eats a lot of beans and has gas and so they're able to create fire while farting on a flame. The Boonas have never seen anything like this and run in fear. Andy is named Andy the Fart Blaster.

Chapter 5 The Lost City

Basil gets lost. They find him and it turns out as they do so they're led to a lost city. There's talk of Balthazar. Who is Balthazar?  Problems with the water and The Rhythm are introduced. Andy's Uncle Kev has a new electronic prison tag? Random weird information (p. 148)

Chapter 6 Who's Wrecking the Rhythm

I can barely stand this anymore. These chapters meander so much. 

Gem of a quote: ....when you've fought off Boonas and discovered hidden cities, the school bully doesn't seem such a big deal anymore (p. 177) Lesson: Imaginative play and ignoring bullies pays!! 

The kids discover more dead fish. They're concerned and set off to figure out why this is happening. They find a pipe that is "gushing green-tinged gunk pouring into the river," which also causes their eyes to sting. They spy on the location and find someone dressed up as a "scary astronaut" (lame description). Seems that they have a turkey farm and all the poop is pumped out on a conveyor belt (why was it green??) They want to keep investigating but they have a field trip coming up so they decide to forge some letters from their parents to give the schools to get out of going to school...elaborate plans and concerns over handwriting, spelling problems, etc are discussed ad nauseum. The kids decide to contact a local reporter because he has always wanted a big break story.

Chapter 7 Billy's Masterplan

Lots of detail about how they write the letters....they eventually discover a typewriter and decide to type their letters excusing their absence. Jimmy is encouraged to "think James Bond". Do kids even know who James Bond is? Couldn't the author find something that would be a better connection?

Finally, they're back on their adventure, only something weird has happened....the compass seems to be totally reversed. They discover some huge beautiful garden and a giant.

Chapter 8 A Giant Mystery

Turns out the giant is friendly and he used to be their size but he ate vegetables a lot and grew like crazy. The giant likes to sing (totally corny song) and has an "enchanting voice". That really doesn't go anywhere though and is instead, an extra superfluous, unnecessary detail. There's some lame dialogue (The giant says, "What's that? Who's that? Where are you....where are you? Let me see you - give me a sign!" They introduce themselves and find out his name is Bilfred. He tells his story: he was sad to be trapped in this garden but he started to realize how beautiful this little piece of paradise was and started to change his attitude. 236) He teaches them that his garden taught him that  nature and life are all about harmony (p. There's weird kid humor moments (Andy yelped and let our a panicked fart, which propelled him just a little bit further...p. 233) The giant also sometimes uses big words: "There are many tales about the symbiotic relationship between Sprites and Giants..." (p. 251) which is kind of weird next to the fart jokes. He gives them some stones in a variety of colors that appear to be magical.

Then there's this weird "meanwhile, back in the bedroom where dad is telling the kids a bedtime story" narrative. I'd almost forgot this book is dad telling kids a story. The kids beg for the story to continue. As the mom, I'd say, just go to sleep! But anyway...

Chapter 9: Operation Overnight

All through the book they use walkie talkies...and have codes like "operation overnight" which means they're all lying to their parents that they're staying at another person's house over night...but in reality they're off on another adventure (sometimes there are great lessons in this book and other times they're plain old lying to their parents and forging letters) Amidst the intricate details of breakfast, Billy finds out from this parents that the reporter friend is on the trail of the story they leaked to him. Billy side steps reporters, circling helicopters, etc to get on with his adventure. They've realized they're able to open the secret door to this land of adventure by being tree-huggers. They're solved the problem of the disturbance of the Rhythm so now their mission is to rescue Bilfred, the giant. They do.

Chapter 10: Bilfred's Tale

Turns out Bilfred had gone into the woods with his brother. They got scared and got separated. Big tears plop down as Bilfred tells the story. The kids realize Bilfred's brother is Wilfred...the cranky old man who always tells them to not go into the woods. Turns out he's only cranky because he misses his brother so very much (insert eye roll). Now the dilemma is how can they reunite a man and his brother when the man is actually a giant and their homes are swarming with journalists. They get Bilfred to tell them a story (code word kind of thing) that only Wilfred would recognize.

Chapter 11 A Midnight Adventure

The break into Wilfred's house and discover a room full of maps all over the walls and newspaper clippings about a boy being lost in the woods. The secret code worked (a tin that Bilfred had given Wilfred and of course, Wilfred still cherishes it)

Chapter 12 Together Again

The hug a tree thing works and Bilfred and Wilfred are reunited. A map is discovered that shows there is even more in the Waterfall Woods than they realized...but that's an adventure for another day.

Epilogue

Kids can't believe this story is over and beg for a resolution to what else happens in Waterfall Woods. Dad promises he'll keep telling stories.

And I'm so glad to be finished this corny book finally. I think it's time to put the book in the recycling, to be honest.

Goodreads says:
One pinch of adventure, a dash of friendship, a sprinkle of mystery and a HUGE spoonful of magic . . . Jamie Oliver, bestselling author and internationally renowned chef, delivers the perfect recipe for a page-turning children's fiction debut!

Billy and his friends know that Waterfall Woods is out of bounds; strange things are rumoured to have happened there and no one in their village has ventured past its walls for decades...But when they discover a secret way in, Billy and his best friends, Anna, Jimmy and Andy, can't resist the temptation to explore! Only to quickly discover that the woods are brimming with magic and inhabited by all sorts of unusual creatures, including a whole community of sprites who need the children's help!

With magical battles, a long-lost mythical city, fantastical flying machines, epic feasts and one GIANT rescue, get ready for an adventure you'll never forget!

The Maid (Nita Prose)

 

This was kind of like Amelia Bedelia grows up and becomes a maid and becomes part of a murder. 

Her obsession with things being super clean totally spoke to my heart. I get it! 

I'll totally read more in this series. It was just what I needed: a light weekend read after a tiring week of being back to school.

Nita Prose has to be a pseudonym, right??

Goodreads says:

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Penguin Huddle (Ross Montgomery)

 We loved this! It totally captured our imagination. And who couldn't love these penguins?! 

Goodreads says:

A charming and playful picture book told with humour and heart from the brilliant team behind Ten Delicious Teachers.

The penguin pack play all day long. And when the sun goes down, and the night grows cold and dark…“PENGUIN HUDDLE!” The penguins squeeze and squish together to stay warm and cosy. But one night, there is a freezing gale. And the next morning … the penguins are stuck! They are frozen together like a giant penguin ice pop. What a penguin MUDDLE! Nobody in the Antarctic can figure out how to unstick them. But Pipsqueak, the smallest penguin of them all, has a brilliant idea... They must adventure out of their snowy home to a vibrant city across the great, gleaming ocean to solve their penguin puzzle.

This light-hearted tale of jolly penguins big and small is a celebration of friendship, community spirit and helping those in trouble.

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden (Christy Mandin)

 

This is a super cute story with a great message. Be yourself!! 

It would be fun to plant some strange garden plants after reading this.

Goodreads says:
Wednesday Addams meets The Curious Garden in this delightfully peculiar story about finding joy in being wonderfully weird.

Garden Glen is a very bland place. Every house and every garden looks exactly like the other. That is… until Millie Fleur La Fae comes to town.

Up on a scruffy hill, beside a ramschackle house, Millie Fleur plants her marvelously strange garden, filled with Sneezing Stickyweed, Fanged Fairymoss, and Grumpy Gilliflower. Millie Fleur finds it enchanting, but the townspeople of Garden Glen call it poison!

But Millie Fleur is proud of her beloved little garden. So if some townspeople want to be sticks in the mud, she'll take matters into her own hands and find the kindred spirits who appreciate everything the garden has to offer.

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden is a reminder to embrace everything that makes us wonderfully weird. Perfect for readers of The Creepy Carrots and fans of the Addams Family movies.

Don't Trust Fish (Neil Sharpson)

 

I'll read any Dan Santat book....even if he's the illustrator and there's a different author. This book is so great. It starts by simply stating facts. When it gets to fish it talks about all the ways fish are absurd...and it's hilarious. 

This would be great book to talk about genre. Everywhere I look it says it's fiction, but I'd be willing to teach that it's informational non-fiction!

Also, when stating the facts, every sentence is a subject opener. It would be fun to re-write this book using different types of openers. 

Goodreads says:

An absurdly laugh-out-loud funny picture book about the villainy of fish, illustrated by National Book Award-winning creator Dan Santat

Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?

1) They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.
2) Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.
3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."
4) They are likely plotting our doom.

This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.

Do Nothing (Celeste Headlee)

 

I had no idea who Celeste Headlee was before reading this book. I like her! She's done a lot and written a lot. 

Bertrand Russell (in 1932!): It will be said that, while a little leisure is pleasant, men would not know how to fill their days if they had only four hours of work out of the twenty-four. In so far s this is true in the modern world, it is a condemnation of our civilization; it would not have been true at any earlier period. There was formerly a capacity for light-heartedness and play which has been to some extent inhibited by the cult of efficiency. The modern man thinks that everything out to be done for the sake of something else, and never for it's own sake. (In Praise of Idleness)

The beginning of the book could be summed up with the idea that working hard actually does not get you ahead - so cut it out. Also, "what are you working so hard for?! Your Puritan upbringing that taught you that idleness is sinful." 

I have a hard time giving up the concept of working hard. The second half of the book was more about how to analyze how you're really spending your time - which leads to the idea that you do have time to relax if you just quit scrolling or doing other time-wasters - which I can buy into.

Goodreads says:

Despite our constant search for new ways to 'hack' our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. We strive for the absolute best in every aspect of our lives, ignoring what we do well naturally. Why do we measure our time in terms of efficiency instead of meaning? Why can't we just take a break?

In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path ahead, seeking to institute a global shift in our thinking so we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside and start living instead of doing.

The key lies in embracing what makes us human: our creativity, our social connections (Instagram doesn't count), our ability for reflective thought, and our capacity for joy. Celeste's strategies will allow you to regain control over your life and break your addiction to false efficiency, including:

-Increase your time perception and determine how your hours are being spent.
-Stop comparing yourself to others.
-Invest in quality idle time. Take a hot bath and listen to music.
-Spend face-to-face time with friends and family

It's time to recover our leisure time and reverse the trend that's making us all sadder, sicker, and less productive.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books (Kirsten Miller)

 

This book was equally enraging and endearing all at the same time. I loved it. It was one of those books that you just can't stop reading. 

One challenge for me is there were a LOT of characters. If I read it again, I'll make a list so I can be more efficient with my reading.

Goodreads says:
The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of The Change, brings us a bracing, wildly entertaining satire about a small Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything.

Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on mission to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To replace the “pornographic” books she’s challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need.

But Beverly’s daughter Lindsay sneaks in by night and secretly fills Lula Dean’s little free library with banned books wrapped in “wholesome” dust jackets. The Girl’s Guide to the Revolution is wrapped in the cover of The Southern Belle’s Guide to Etiquette. A jacket that belongs to Our Confederate Heroes ends up on Beloved. One by one, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean’s library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean’s enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town’s disgraced mayor.

That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. It’s a diverse and surprising bunch—including the local postman, the prom queen, housewives, a farmer, and the former DA—all of whom have been changed by what they’ve read. When Lindsay is forced to own up to what she’s done, the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town...and change it forever.