Brendon Burchard's "The Charge"

A few years ago, I would have taken one look at "The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive" and kept right on walking. Self-help books just weren't my thing. I guess that's the funny thing about being an adult. All of a sudden, you find yourself thinking, "Hmmm... I think I need help. I would like to activate my drive to feel alive. I shall check this out."

For me, it wasn't exactly like that. The book was a recommendation from a man named Ed Dale, whos work I have a great deal of respect for, so I picked it up on his recommendation. The book also happens to be written by a man who is a tremendously successful life coach, Brendon Burchard. (He also wrote "The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice" and "Life's Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel".

While Brendon's writing style isn't totally my cup of tea - he can be a bit touchy-feely and overly wordy at times - he has a wealth of great information. What he lacks in delivery, he more than makes up for in useful tips. 

The book is comprised of 10 "drives" that makes us feel fulfilled and happy. These are control, competence, congruence, caring, connection, change, challenge, creative expression, contribution, and consciousness. (Do you see what I mean about it being a bit wordy? I think he uses the words congruent and incongruent a half million times.)

Each chapter is dedicated to a drive, and he opens with a personal story to give an illustration of someone struggling with that drive. He proceeds to throughly explain the drive, how it affects your happiness or sense of fulfillment, offers tips to help "activate" that drive in your daily life, and concludes the chapter with three specific exercises to complete. 

He recommends keeping a journal to complete the exercises and as a way to focus on his teachings and incorporate them into your daily life. Staying focused is the key. I did not keep the journal as I was reading, but I'm determined to go back and do so. While I've apparently already activated several of my drives, there are definitely some that could use some work. I particularly like his suggestion during the chapter on "challenge" that tells you to come up with twelve 30-day challenges (one for each month of the year) to complete. I always have tons of things that I WANT to do, but I rarely get around to doing them. By breaking them down into one-month challenges, I think I'm not only more likely to do them, but I'll feel more engaged in doing so. 

I also highlighted his chapter on "caring" for a certain guy-who's-married-to-me to read. It has a particularly interesting section on training yourself to become a more active listener in order to forge closer bonds with people. I think most guys in general could benefit from giving that chapter a read. 

Aside from all of the practical advice, Mr. Burchard is filled to the brim with love thyself enthusiasm and so is his book. His overall theme is be yourself, embrace it, and if something is broken - here's how to fix it. I can't think of anyone who can't do with a little fixing. We all go through our ruts, so hopefully employing his advice with help minimize them.

Kim Gray is a mom, blogger, nutrition fanatic and founder of the Voracious Readers Society and ePaleoCookbooks.net. If you would like to join the society and submit your own book reviews, you can contact her at voraciousreaders@yahoo.com or on twitter @artex1024.

Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy"

Before you roll your eyes at this and ignore it, because, hey - I'll be the first to admit it - the name is horrible, hear me out. I think that Twilight kind of soured everyone to the whole vampire genre (not so much Twilight as a story, but the weird fanaticism in its fans that make it awkward to enjoy, and embarassing to admit that you actually liked it *I know I'm not the only one. Just admit it. It wasn't a horrible story.* 


Anyway, Vampire Academy is NOT Twilight. It doesn't seek to be, and while it may vaguely share a few similar elements, it's quite unique as far as vampire stories goes. Not just unique, but downright good - and entertaining.

The main character, Rose Hathaway is a strong, sexy and confident dhampir, a 1/2 vampire 1/2 human hybrid, a race that's bred (in these novels anyway) to serve as bodyguards for the weaker, peace-loving living vampires - the Moroi. I say "living" because the villains in this series are the non-living vampires, the Strigoi, who prey not only on humans, but on the moroi.

Unlike most vampire stories, humans rarely enter into these stories. Instead, the books take place primarily at a private academy for young members of the moroi society (hence the name), and focus primarily on a group of young moroi royals and their dhampir body guards - more specifically on Rose and her charge and life-long best friend, Vasilissa Dragomir, who is the last of her royal bloodline, and who is hunted relentlessly by strigoi and moroi power-seekers alike. Needless to say, Rose does a lot of ass-kicking.

Of course, being a young adult novel, and a vampire story to boot, there has to be a love story or two, especially for a foxy heroine like Rose. But, Rose is no damsel in distress and the objects of her affections are strong, capable and intelligent guys, never afraid to take her on and knock her down a notch.

As a matter of fact, in a fight between Vampire Academy's dhampir hero, Dimitri Belekov and Twilight's Edward Cullen, my money would be on Dimitri.

The series takes you through 6 books: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice. Each book on it's own is an action-packed page-turner (with the possible exception of the third, which I felt was more about character and plot development) and numerous plot twists. I basically flew through all six books.

If you like vampire stories, even in secret, then these are worth a read. They're not all blood, gore and romance, like Vampire Diaries or Anne Rice novels, but more butt-kicking action with compelling love stories (think Buffy or Underworld).

Kim Gray is a mom, blogger, nutrition fanatic and founder of the Voracious Readers Society and ePaleoCookbooks.net. If you would like to join the society and submit your own book reviews, you can contact her at voraciousreaders@yahoo.com or on twitter @artex1024.

Anne Bishop's "Daughter of the Blood" - Book 1 of The Black Jewels Trilogy

Anne Bishop's The Black Jewels series is without a doubt, one of my favorite book series EVER. It's not recent, and I'm usually hard-pressed to find anyone who's familiar with it, which makes my heart hurt. It's a must-read if you like dark fantasy, and a should-read even if you don't.

The series starts off with a book called "Daughter of the Blood" about a young girl, Jaenelle Angelline, who, even from birth is destined to be the greatest witch and ruler that their world has ever seen. Sounds like your typical fantasy novel, right?

What sets Anne's series apart are the characters. To start, the world in which they live, while it contains both those people with magic - the Blood - lead those without, it is set amid severe role reversal. The female witches rule, and the men follow, either willingly or not-so-willingly. As with most dark fantasy series, this one is pretty sensual. Sex is portrayed as both an act of love and a weapon to be used by the corrupt. Jaenelle's tender age in the first book makes her a target for deprivation from those seeking to control her, yet her power makes her a force to be reckoned with.

"Daughter of the Blood" introduces you not only to Jaenelle, but to two of the best characters in fiction, the High Lord of Hell (yes, Hell is a kingdom in the series) Saetan SaDiablo and his son, Daemon Sadi. I picture Saetan to look a lot like John Travolta, back when he was cool and attractive and Daemon to look like another fictional Damon - Damon Salvator from the Vampire Diaries (Ian Somerhalder if you want to google that hotness). Needless to say, these are smokin' sexy characters. They're also the two most powerful people in the realm, short of Jaenelle, and feared by everyone - with good reason. A good majority of the violence in the series is a product of one or both of them. You also meet Surreal SaDiablo, a female assassin who could give Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill) a run for her money.

Anne does an excellent job with character development for all of her characters and plot twists leave you laughing, crying and on edge. As if all of that didn't appeal to a wide audience, you also have the Kindred, talking animal members of the Blood's society. They're kind of the cute fuzzy ewoks of the Black Jewels series.

So, do yourself a favor - read it! If you aren't hooked by the time you finish "Daughter of the Blood", I'll be shocked (and probably judge you a bit). As a matter of fact, you should probably just get The Black Jewels Trilogy to start. You'll end up getting the rest anyway.



Kim Gray is a mom, blogger, nutrition fanatic and founder of the Voracious Readers Society and ePaleoCookbooks.net. If you would like to join the society and submit your own book reviews, you can contact her at voraciousreaders@yahoo.com or on twitter @artex1024.

Timothy Ferriss' "The 4-Hour Workweek"

The 4-Hour Workweek

  I don't typically enjoy self-help books, but people always seem to refer them or send them to me. They usually just languish on the shelf until I run out of other things to read and I'm too cheap to buy something new at the time, or I'm too unmotivated to delve into one of my American classics.

Timothy Ferriss' "The 4-hour Workweek" was referred to me by two different friends, and while I normally would have probably blown it off (and I did put it off for a while; it took my friend Tommy recommending it three times and even threatening violence if I didn't read it) I eventually decided to give it a shot. Afterall, the guys referring it are smart and successful dudes. They aren't prone to frivolent recommendations.

I LOVED the book. As I was reading, I kept thinking, "oh my God! So-and-so needs this book! Oh, so does this person!" My only slight disappointment was that it took me longer than 4 hours to read it.

While I think that Tim Ferriss is a little weird and very cocky, I have to give him credit for being a genius. The man has made a lifestyle out of getting as much done as possible with as little effort as possible. He turns slackerdom from something to be frowned upon to something to be admired. For example, he talks about his time at Princeton, and said he rarely got bad grades because if any professor gave him less than and 'A', he would create a list of 3 hours worth of questions to ask them, and do so in their office until they eventually broke and kicked him out. He said that after that, they never gave him a low grade unless they really needed to, because they didn't want to deal with him. Genius, right?

His whole philosophy is "Why spend 40 hours a week doing what you can do in four?" And he takes you step-by-step, suggestion by suggestion through how to do it. No matter the job or industry, he has tips that can help ANYONE lead a less stressful, more efficient life. From outsourcing daily tasks to easy-outs for lengthy phone calls, the book is full of tips for eliminating pointless time-sucks.

Of course in order to implement everything that Tim suggests, you have to be a little ruthless. You have to acknowledge the principal of "give an inch and they take a mile" and trim the fat of those people in your life who do this. But in the end, you'll end up with more productivity, hopefully more money and a helluva lot more free-time. And really, what's the point of working if you never have time to enjoy it?