Now What? : 90 Days to a New Life Direction

Summary by Publisher: In Now What? pioneering life coach Laura Berman Fortgang shares the process that she has used so successfully to help hundreds of clients make major changes in their lives. Whether it's moving on from a dead end job, discovering an entirely new creative outlet, or answering the age old question "What am I meant to do with my life?" this book provides a clear and infinitely practical 90-day program that can help you make major changes in your life.

For anyone who feels drawn toward a life-changing move but is not sure exactly what to do or how to move forward, Now What? provides a concrete process for finding and pursuing a new path in life. Full of inspiring and empowering exercises and tools, this book guides readers-day by day and step by step-through a 90-day process that will lead to true life satisfaction and fulfillment.

Review: Now What?: 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang is a guidebook for people stuck in a career they no longer love (or never did) and want to know where and how to begin again. Transitioning to a new career is often an anxiety ridden process. Berman Fortgang is living proof that one can leave behind one dream (singer/actress) and successfully embark on a new path (career coach).

Now What seeks to sweep away the “stuck in the headlights” angst with a ninety day action packed plan. According to Berman Fortgang “career and life satisfaction stem less from what we choose to do for a living, and more from who we get to be everyday while we are performing those tasks.” The first part of Now What involves finding your “Life Blueprint” (purpose/it). After uncovering your Life Blueprint the rest of the book details the mechanics of implementation.

Now What is filled with revealing insights that run counter to conventional wisdom. For instance, Berman Fortgang notes that just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you have to do it. Rather having a strong connection to the field/skill is the key factor. In addition, Now What deftly navigates the logistics of starting over such as how to afford a career change or what to do if your new path involves significant educational preparation.

In these turbulent economic times, with new corporate lay offs announced daily, Now What may be just what the doctor ordered.

Mailbox Monday -- August 10th

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up. This week I received the following books for review:

1) The Full Plate Diet by Stuart A. Seale, M.D. & Teresa Sherard, M.D. (freebie board)

2) The Promised World by Lisa Tucker

3) Daughter of Kura by Debra Austin

Thanks to Simon and Schuster!

4) How It Ends by Laura Wiess

Thanks to Pocket Books.

5) Getting it Through My Thick Skull by Mary Jo Buttafuoco

Thanks to the Publicist via Shelf Awareness.

6) Apples and Oranges by Marie Brenner

7) Buffalo Gal by Laura Pedersen

Thanks to the Book Report Network

Freebie Friday: The Lost Dog Giveaway (ends 8/21)

Summary by Publisher: Tom Loxley, an Indian-Australian professor, is less concerned with finishing his book on Henry James than with finding his dog, who is lost in the Australian bush.

Joining his daily hunt is Nelly Zhang, an artist whose husband disappeared mysteriously years before Tom met her. Although Nelly helps him search for his beloved pet, Tom isn't sure if he should trust this new friend.

Tom has preoccupations other than his book and Nelly and his missing dog, mainly concerning his mother, who is suffering from the various indignities of old age. He is constantly drawn from the cerebral to the primitive--by his mother's infirmities, as well as by Nelly's attractions. THE LOST DOG makes brilliant use of the conventions of suspense and atmosphere while leading us to see anew the ever-present conflicts between our bodies and our minds, the present and the past, the primal and the civilized.

Giveaway Rules: Thanks to Valerie at Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away FIVE copies of The Lost Dog!

To enter leave a comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
Only one entry per household.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

The contest ends on August 21, 2009.

Salute: To A Reader

I still remember getting my first public library card. I had just started reading and my parents signed me up for my very own card, so I could borrow books on my own. My card had a star stamped on it which meant that although I was a minor my parents gave me permission to borrow ANY book in the library (children and ADULT). And borrow I did – Beverly Clearly, Judy Blume, Madeline L’Engle, Louisa May Alcott and many, many, more books from terrific authors. I don’t know if my love affair with reading started on that day or not, but it certainly was a memorable day in my life.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Louise Brown, age 91, is about to borrow her 25,000th book. Brown started her reading adventure in 1946 and reads approximately 12 books a week! Wow!

So today Louise I am saluting you: This book is for you!

The Motion of the Ocean

Summary: Choosing a mate is like picking house paint from one of those tiny color squares: You never know how it will look across a large expanse, or how it will change in different light.

Meet Janna and Graeme. After a decade-long tango (together, apart, together, apart), they're back in love -- but the stress of nine-to-five is seriously hampering their happiness. So they quit their jobs, tie the knot, and untie the lines on a beat-up old sailboat for a most unusual honeymoon: a two-year voyage across the Pacific. But passage from first date to first mate is anything but smooth sailing. From the rugged Pacific Northwest coast to the blue lagoons of Polynesia to bustling Asian ports, Janna and Graeme find themselves at the mercy of poachers, under the spell of crossdressers, and under the gun of a less-than-sober tattooist. And they encounter do-or-die moments that threaten their safety, their sanity, and their marriage.

Join Janna and Graeme's 17,000-mile journey and their quest to resolve the uncertainties so many couples face: How do you know if you've really found the One? How do you balance duty to others while preserving space for yourself? And, when the waters get rough, do you jump ship, or do you learn to navigate the world...together?

Review: Hopping off the hamster wheel daily grind to sail away to Margaritaville is a common dream. For most this nautical desire never goes beyond the fleeting thought stage. For Graeme and Janna Cawrse Esarey it was reality for two and half years. Stuck in a relational and career rut, Graeme and Janna decide to embark on a B-HAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): to sail away to the South Pacific.

The Motion of the Ocean is more than just a travel-adventure drama, however, rather it is a real life love story set on the Pacific Ocean. And just like the unpredictable course of the ocean waves, so too are the currents of couplehood. Esarey’s writing is at turns confessional and deeply moving. She admits that “sometimes the space between people feels totally innavigable . . . . Right now I’m having a hard time just navigating the islands of me and Graeme – the person I love, the person I thought I knew best in the world.” Later, she discovers that “even though the honeymoon ends, so too, do the storms. We just have to stick around long enough.”

In other parts, the memoir reads more like a comedy. When describing their Labrador retriever Scout’s refusal to be “sailbroken” Esarey channels Dr. Seuss: “She will not pee on a mat. She will not pee on a hat. She will not pee on a boat. She will not pee on a coat. She does not like our green mat plan. She does not like it, Janna and Graeme.”

After the trip’s termination, Esarey reflects upon the accomplishment of many personal goals: escaping her workaholic lifestyle; fulfilling her youthful dream of sailing to the Southern Cross; and finding her personal purpose (becoming a writer). While Esarey takes pride in these achievements, she professes that, “It’s not so important what Graeme and I did . . . its more important how we did it . . . By giving to each other, by relying on each other, by seeking support when each other wasn’t enough.” In short, “life’s biggest, hairiest, most audacious goal . . . [may be] Figuring out how to make love last.”

The Motion of the Ocean is the perfect Staycation read!

Mailbox Monday -- August 3rd

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up. This week I received the following books for review:

1) Don't Know Much About Anything Else by Kenneth C. Davis

2) Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon--and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller

3) The Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky

Thanks Book Report Network!

4) NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

Thanks Hachette Book Group!

Spotlight: Become an Industry Insider (or Fake It)

As a journeyman book blogger I am constantly seeking sources that will improve my blogging. One component of successful blogging, I believe, is providing readers with valuable and interesting content. Recently, I discovered a great site with news from the publishing world: Shelf Awareness.

Shelf Awareness is a great resource for book bloggers. Each day, the daily newsletter, available for free, delivers industry news such as: book award recipients; forthcoming books; author publicity tours; reviews; and other insider information. In addition, it is a source for obtaining ARCs for review. The ads in the newsletter often list books that are available for reviewers.

If you have a few moments check out Shelf Awareness – you will be glad you did!