50 things you can do today to manage stress by Wendy Green

50 things you can do today to manage stress by Wendy Green is one of those books you usually look at in a book shop, browse a bit, but in the end you do not buy. Inside you just find advice that you already knew. I am not saying that it is a bad book, but I am also saying that it is not very special either. A Google search would get you the same results as buying this one. On the other hand, if you'd rather skip the research and just find all the useful information in one place, Wendy Green's book offers you exactly that.

What I liked about this book is that it gives you comprehensive explanations on the ways to manage stress. It even gives you the good and the side effects of certain popular supplements you can take to manage anxiety. Recommending other books, seemed a bit like a marketing gimmick, even though the author's intentions were honorable.   The advice on managing stress at work, I do not find valid. I had tried it in the past and it didn't work: taking a break is not always viable to do, certain teas do help but not always, decluttering my desk didn't help because by the end of the day it was just like it was when I got to work, to-do lists don't work either because I am always under fire from my boss and she comes up with new and unexpected changes. I guess the book is not for someone who works in an uber-stressful workplace.

On the other hand, assertiveness, anger management and overcoming fear ideas were appealing to try. I mean it takes practice, but on the other hand I found them like fighting fire with fire. Overcoming fear by facing your fears, seems a bit more stressful than just avoiding the fear factors in the first place. I also do not deny the use of Asian medicine and meditation: T'ai Chi, Yoga and meditation might work, but are you really in the mood for that when you're already stressed and pumped up with adrenaline, or exhausted after a crazy day at work? I think not. She does make some valid points but, let's face it, who has time to write a journal about every day stressors?!

All in all this is a competent book to read as a start-up guide on how to clean your life from bullshit that drives you nuts. I am a bit conflicted whether or not to recommend it instead of a bit of internet research. But then again you do get a list of natural supplements and their side side effects, that it takes a bit of googling to find out. This time is your call. I am not going to stress about it.

Cop Out by KC Burn

Cop Out by KC Burn  is one of those gay mystery / romantic novels and truth be told, I quite enjoyed it. The cover almost made me not to start the book, but in the end I figured I should give it a try; given the fact that I needed an easy read. It's not like I had enough of intelligent literature, but since I am single again, I needed a bit of fantasy. Oh man, this book had lost some points due to its cover. But, as the saying goes: don't judge a book by it's cover. This time the saying is spot on.

The book starts when two cops do a drug bust that turns bad. One dies and his partner survives. The surviving cop, a decent guy, is trying to connect with his former partner's family, during this process he finds out that his partner was not the man he thought it was. Actually, he finds out things about himself that he never expected. This is as much as you get from me about the storyline. I assure you that is pretty entertaining. At least it was for me, in my actual state of mind. 

The character development is decent by today's standards. It's not as complex as any of the Crazy Russian Authors', but it is a whole lot better than other books. The dialogues are fast paced and seem genuine, not forced or written in haste. The inner workings of the main character are accurate and the sex scenes are hot. They were a lot hotter and more detailed than... 50 shades of Grey; and I am not saying that just because of the gay sex. 

For an erotic novel, I found it lacking that much eroticism. There are a few scenes here and there, but the story as a whole was much more interesting than the sex bits. I'd say it's more of a romance, than an erotic novel. So, if you're gay or bi, it is a good read. If you're straight, and a man, then the cover is a clear indicator that it's not for you. If you're a fag-hag, then MAYBE you'd enjoy it.

The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts

The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts is a bit hard to digest, especially if you have a certain view of yourself, your life, the universe and religion. Being a philosophical concept, it took me several reads of certain paragraphs in order to fully comprehend the ideas proposed here. If you are religious, this book might not be for you because it tends to destroy your already programmed vision of a deity, thus it might offend you or shift your beliefs. 

As hard as it may be, the author suggest that you're IT. Let's go with the generic term of GOD. So he says that you're GOD and you have absolute power of the universe by pure existence. The concept is simple, yet hard to swallow: you are part of this whole, thus you are not an individual. Your reality is based on your actions and observations and they change the world around you through your own perception. I liked the analogy with the rainbow: in a certain position, where air humidity is optimal and light pends at an optimal angle you see a rainbow, but others might not if they are not in that same place or not looking in that direction.

Through this book the author tries to say that we have been educated to live within a box a tiny box of consciousness that was imposed by society in order for us to become obedient by giving us double standards: you should be independent, but you cannot do this or that. We see ourselves as individuals through our material form, even though we are better defined through our actions and thoughts. He goes beyond this by trying to say that we define the universe with our existence, even though we are just mayflies in a larger scale. This theory is somewhat full of contradictions, but so fun to play with it and see it evolve.

I would say this is one of the most interesting books I have come across lately. As long as you manage to read it while leaving your beliefs at the door, you would probably enjoy it a lot. I was expecting a self-improvement book with dos and don'ts  but this came as a big surprise and a good workout for my intellect. Read it at your own risk.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely is a book that was recommended to me by a guy from a human resources firm after an interview. Even though I am still waiting for his answer about the job, I did manage to find an interesting book that gives me a glimpse on how behavioral economics and respectively marketing works. So whether or not I get the job, I did learn something new, hence I did get something good out of that.

This book sheds some light on how we are making day to day decisions based on our cultural and individual background. Depending on our situation we tend to conform to the majority or go against it, when purchasing goods. Depends on how we want to be perceived in society, even though what we had bought might or might not be what we had wanted. Do you want to conform or do you want to appear as an individual? Simple as that. The book is based mostly on behavioral experiments put together by the author in different locations and with different target groups. Most of these experiments were done on students from different high profile universities from the United States since the author is in fact a professor of social sciences.

Another thing I had learned is that everybody cheats, lies and steals even though the core values are good. As long as actual money is involved people tend to make more pragmatic decisions regarding theft than when goods are involved. For example you'd be more tempted to take a pen from work than to actually get some money from the communal jar of change in order to buy a pen. As long as there is something between your need or desire and the actual money, your perspective on being honest gets a little blurry. Another example that applies to me is when you buy something and you base your decision on extensive research especially if you have to choose between two similar things. All that wasted time on research in order to decide on a cellphone over the other can be translated onto missed opportunities of actually enjoying a cellphone (just an example).

This is a very interesting book on how our mind works, what makes us tick and how companies can take advantage on predicting our irrational behavior. I would say this is a must read for everyone, because our society is influenced by brands, labels, big companies and the overall majority. Why not take back this power and use it to our own advantage? One last thought: nothing is truly free, even free stuff comes with a price.