Books Read in 2013, I (January & February)

I haven't really got used to the fact that we are in 2013, and it is March already. Time flies! Guess it is time to write another book report. I finished 7 books in the past two months, not bad.

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Totally enjoyed this classic and all the adventures that Tom Sawyer had! He witnessed a murder, had a crush on a girl, became a pirate, attended his own funeral, got lost in a cave, bumped into a big treasure... Such an interesting life for a boy! A timeless and witty book that will entertain both children and adults for generations to come.

2. The Navigator by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos

This is the seventh book to chronicle the adventures of the NUMA Special Assignments Team, and the first book I read from Cussler. It is about an ancient Phoenician statue called the Navigator that was stolen from the Iraqi national museum. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala were pulled into the mystery by accident and rescued a beautiful woman working for UNESCO. Together they discovered a link to Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis & Clark expedition. A quite interesting story.

3. The Emotional Calendar by John Sharp

The author is a psychiatrist and professor. In this book he explored how seasonal factors and personal anniversaries could affect our psychological well being. He also mentioned seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The concept of 'emotional calendar' is interesting, but once it was introduced, the rest of the book went little beyond common sense. Also there were too many stories of his patients which I felt no connections whatsoever.

4. Great Words of Our Time by Dee Danner Barwick

This little book is a collection of "memorable thoughts of famous men and women of the 20th century". Lots of inspiring great quotes. This one I really like: "When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before." by Clifton Fadiman. Well said.

5. The Yosemite by John Muir

John Muir was a naturalist and the founder of the Sierra Club. His love of nature and the Yosemite Valley was so obvious in his writings. In this book he told us about the winter storms and spring floods, trees and flowers and birds, glaciers and excursions. I am very inspired and will definitely visit the Yosemite National Park soon.

6. 3 Seconds: The Power of Thinking Twice by Les Parrott

3 seconds is the time it takes to make a decision - whether to go with the first impulse of settling for 'whatever', or determine to do 'whatever it takes'. The author discussed the six impulses that could sabotage our lives: 1) give up before trying; 2) shun a challenge; 3) settle for the status quo; 4) shirk responsibility; 5) do the mere minimum; and 6) avoid taking action. It takes 3 seconds to pause and reflect, to overcome these first impulses and think/live differently towards a more successful life.

7. All in the Mind by Alastair Campbell

The author was the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman and this book was his first novel. Successful psychiatrist Martin Sturrock had a very bad day on Friday. His aunt died, and he saw a few patients none of whom made much progress. As his patients (an alcoholic politician, a rape victim, a man with long-time deep depression, a woman with terrible facial scars) follow his advice and fight their own battles over the weekend, Martin' mental world threatened to collapse. A very compassionate and powerful book with a shocking ending that made me cry and smile at the same time.

Keep reading... stay tuned for the next report in two months...