I love the title of this book. Does the panda eat, then shoots and then leaves or does the panda eat the shoots and the leaves? Well my eight year old decided that someone eats, shoots and them leaves – the technically correct version luckily!
Continue reading “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”
I’m not sure how joyful I found reading The Joy of Tax, especially as I started it over three years ago. Finally, though, I have now finished it and will give my opinions on it below. Continue reading “The Joy of Tax by Richard Murphy”
I started reading Buddhism for Mothers while on holiday. On holiday its really easy to take on board all the exercises outlined and even to try out some of the meditating exercise. Since coming back, even though I’ve tried being mindful but its not that easy. However, the best thing about Buddhism is not to berate yourself about it but peacefully move along and carry on when you can again. Continue reading “Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Naptoli”
This post summarises my top 5 business books reviews. 
Over the years I have read and reviewed lots of books. Some are business type books, some are related to parenting and education type and although I like reading lots of fiction, I have only reviewed a few fiction books on my blog. The following books that I have read and reviewed are my favourite ones that have a more business focus.
The amazon links below are all affiliated to my account which means that I earn a small commission if you were to buy a book using my link. It is at no extra cost to you.
Continue reading “My top 5 Business book reviews”
City of Sinners is the third book in Harry Virdee series by A.A. Dhand. Considering I’ve read all three of his books this year, I think I’m getting slightly obsessed with him. Continue reading “City of Sinners by A.A. Dhand”
Refuse to Choose by Barbara SherI came across this book, Refuse to Choose, while I was looking at different VA services website and one of them had recommended this book. I am so glad I found this book. It’s a lovely book about how to follow all the things that interest you and you are passionate about. The author calls these people ‘Scanners’ and it makes being indecisive and wanting to do everything acceptable.
The things that she suggests you do are not really new concepts but they way she writes about it makes it all feel ok. As with nearly every single book or course I read now, they all start with buying a brand-new journal in which to write in. For this book, your notebook or journal needs to be new and special for you to write, draw and doodle all your fantastic ideas. Something like Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks. I dutifully complied.
Even though I did start my new notebook, I haven’t actually kept up to date with it. It’s currently sitting pretty in my bookshelf along with my notebooks on accounting, tax, blogging, writing and the 3 page a day(!) diary.
The book is split up into two parts and 19 chapters. The first part describes what is a scanner and the second part describes what kind of scanner are you? These are the chapters in the book:
Part one
1. All about Scanners
2. What’s Wrong with me?
3. Scanner Panic
4. Commitment Phobia
5. Too busy to do What I Love
6. I won’t do anything if I can’t do everything
7. I can’t get started
8. I never finish anything
Part two
9. About Cyclical Scanners
10. Are you a Double Agent?
11. Are you a Sybil?
12. Are you a Plate Spinner?
13. About Sequential Scanners
14. Are you a Serial Specialist?
15. Are you a Serial Master
16. Are you a Jack of all Trades?
17. Are you a Wanderer?
18. Are you a Sampler?
19. Are you a High-Speed Indecisive?
In Part two, at the beginning of each chapter is a list of questions about that particular type of scanner and if you can answer yes to a lot of these questions then that is the type of scanner that you are. You can be more than one type of scanner. When I went through this, I got Jack of all trades and Double Agent. It then gives a few examples of people in that group and what they do and then lists out potential careers of types of careers and finally what type of tools a scanner needs. There is a list of tools for a scanner in the appendix which is useful as most of these things I’ve not really ever heard of. Some of favourites are the portable dream deck where you can keep several different projects going at the same time, the scanners day book, A ring binder for all your different projects and a catalogue of ideas with potential. Actually, I think I would probably like them all.
Another big theme I found in the book is to find a good enough job if you can’t find the perfect job and then you can spend the rest of your time pursuing the things that you enjoy. There are several chapters that I want to go back and read again but it really does make you feel better that its ok not to have a niche figured out and pursuing. You don’t need to be a specialist and focus all your energies on the one thing, if you enjoy doing several things at the same time.
If, like me you are wanting to everything that you find interesting without giving up anything, this book is for you. I can see why the VA feels like this book is a must for all other VA’s out there because you can offer lots of different services that you are good at as a VA.
The author, Barbara Sher, also has a website and mailing list which can be found here: http://barbarasclub.com/
Go and enjoy this book as I try and figure out how to organise my life so I can do everything I want to pursue!
Buy the book from amazon here:
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The Price of Privilege is another parenting book highlighting the plight of parenting in this day and age. The author is a psychologist who treats a lot of wealthy family kids – especially teenagers. The case studies themselves are enough to make you feel unbelievably sad and unhappy. It gets you thinking about your childhood and that of your kids. You hope and pray that you are doing everything right and the doing your best is enough. But there are so many little incidents that ring true that make you think, is that me? Will that happen to my girls? Continue reading “The Price of Privilege – Madeline Levine, Ph.D.”
‘Blogging your way to riches’ is an information packed book by two successful bloggers who have monetised their blogs – Emma Bradley and Lynn James. Their blogs are Emma & 3, Emma’s Savvy £ Savings by Emma and Mrs MummyPenny by Lynn. Continue reading “Blogging your way to riches by Emma Bradley and Lynn James”
The Little Book of Talent – 52 Tips for Improving Skills by Daniel Coyle
This is a follow on from the last book, the Talent Code, my review for which can be found here. The 52 tips are split up into three sections as follows:
Tip 1-12
Tip 13-42
Tip 43-52
In the last book, he looked at talent from the point of view of a student and a coach. In this book he mainly focuses on honing your talent from the point of view of a student and what a student needs to do to become great. There are 52 tips, however, I have listed out the 17 most important steps that I found useful in a previous blog here.
You can also download this by following this link: Cultivating your talent in 17 steps.
This book too, I found very useful and as my children are at and starting school, this is something I want them to try and practice in all the areas of their studies. Some of the things that he mentions I can see in my older daughter happens almost instinctively without much input from me, especially with her reading and spelling new words. However, I also want it to happen in her maths and her dance and other after school activities apart from watching spongebob squarepants on loop.
The Talent Code is a very interesting book for anyone learning and trying to become talented in their chosen activity. It is also good for people wanting to coach these people as it also looks at it from the coaches point of view. The book mainly goes through case studies of different coaches and talented individual from different talent ‘hotbeds’. These talent hotbeds are different places from around the world which all tend to have some similar ideas on how to practice your specific skill. Continue reading “The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle”
An accountant and a Mum 