Calm: Calm the Mind, Change the World

I just finished reading my second book of 2017. This book is the Calm book.

Title: Calm

Author(s): Michael Action Smith

ISBN: 978-0-06-243917-8

Publisher: Harper Design

Year: 2015

Page Count: 224

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZb3TQ_URpU

Also read: "Night Walks" essay by Charles Dickens

Try it at: https://www.calm.com/

Calm is an introductory guide to mindfulness and meditation. Calm is a phone app for guided and non-guided mediations available on all the major platforms. The book is well crafted and very visual. It's a quick read and can be completed in an about 2 hours. One of the big points to the book was going over your day to find the good parts. It makes a strong point of keeping a daily journal to record these things. I like the idea because it can be completed in 5 minutes or less and these can be saved and looked back upon to give you a snapshot of that period.

The journal has three main points to fill in answers after each question. The journal is setup as follows:

1. What made you feel calm today?

2. What are you grateful for?

3. What were three highlights of today?

This will all fit onto a single page. I also think you should add the date onto the page somewhere.

There have been studies done that show just a little amount of writing each day can relieve stress. (See more at http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/writing-about-emotions-may-ease-stress-and-trauma)

Other points of the book that I liked and thought were worth mentioning:

Get a good amount of sleep each night 7 - 7 1/2 hours.

Turn devices off 1 hour before bed. If using an eBook device, try a blue filter app on it to relax your eyes.

Slow down and take in surroundings. Sights, smells, tastes, etc.

Try a different route to work. This engages the mind instead of taking the same way every day.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I've used the Calm app before (as well as Headspace) on my phones and would like to try to get in 10 minutes or so of daily meditation. There is so many things to take in now that slowing down for a fraction of the day would benefit everyone.

Verdict: 4/5 literary report points

As always, happy reading!

Everything That Remains: A Memoir By the Minimalists

I've finished reading my first book of 2017. The book is Everything That Remains: A Memoir By the Minimalists

Title: Everything That Remains A Memoir By the Minimalists

Author(s): Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus

ISBN: 978-1-938793-18-9

Publisher: Asymmetrical Press

Year: 2014

Page Count: 216

Listen to: 'Ohio' by Austin Hartley-Leonard

Watch this: https://www.netflix.com/title/80114460

Read more at: http://www.theminimalists.com/

Everything That Remains is a memoir by the Minimalists. Do you own too much stuff? Do you have the urge to buy more and more things? Do you want to live a simple life? If you answered yes, you may want to check this book out.

One of the key points is to value memories and not stuff. You can always go out and buy an item if you find yourself needing it. The idea isn't to own nothing though. If you own an item that adds value to your life, you should keep it! Another interesting part talked about not setting any goals to accomplish more things.

A sample passage that I enjoyed:

"That we subconsciously program ourselves. Without knowing is, our daily activities have a profound impact on our future selves. I used to reach for my phone every few minutes no matter where I was--even at the urinal. Even when the phone wasn't with me I would reach for it. I was programmed to do so. I call this the Twitch."

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I've tried to cut down on unused items in my life. I believe that 'stuff' can hold us back and does have an impact on our lives. If you feel like you want to explore this way of life, give the book a read or check out their blog. That will give you an indication of what they're all about and more information on how to get started with minimalism.

Verdict: 4/5 literary report points

Stay posted to see what I read next and happy reading!

Welcome to the Literary Report!

Hello and welcome to the Literary Report! The Literary Report will review books that I've read so far this year. I've decided to keep these on a separate blog away from my computer/tech blog. This allows the audience to focus on what posts they would like to see and also gives me a quick view into how much I've been reading lately. 

Have you made a resolution to read more in 2017? One goal of of mine in 2017 is to read more. I tend to start multiple books at once and I'm hoping this blog will give me the nudge I need to complete more before jumping around as fast. 

My goal for the Literary Review is provide a small snapshot into each book that I've completed with relevant details and an overall rating at the end. I believe I'll rank the books I read 0 out of 5, which is a common metric for such things. 

Keeping the reviews small will give me quick access to important details and allow me to see if I would like to read a book again, recommend it to a friend, or stay far away from it. I hope that the format will be fun for others as well and maybe they could even do a similar thing themselves. 

So without further ado, I would like to welcome you all and hope that you enjoy the literary works that 2017 brings our way!



~ Michael L. Kelley Jr.