Joy at Work

Joy at Work by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein

Summary: Declutter your desk and brighten up your business with this transformative guide from an organizational psychologist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

The workplace is a magnet for clutter and mess. Who hasn't felt drained by wasteful meetings, disorganized papers, endless emails, and unnecessary tasks? These are the modern-day hazards of working, and they can slowly drain the joy from work, limit our chances of career progress, and undermine our well-being.

There is another way. In Joy at Work, bestselling author and Netflix star Marie Kondo and Rice University business professor Scott Sonenshein offer stories, studies, and strategies to help you eliminate clutter and make space for work that really matters.

Using the world-renowned KonMari Method and cutting-edge research, Joy at Work will help you overcome the challenges of workplace mess and enjoy the productivity, success, and happiness that come with a tidy desk and mind.

Angie’s comments: Another book from Marie Kondo! This is a focused look on tidying up at work. Besides physical clutter, it looks at mental and time clutter, such as job duties and meetings. 

Recommended for anyone interested in getting more from their work life.

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Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Insects

Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Insects by Gavin R. Broad and others

Summary: Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Insects presents striking photographic profiles of insects, each one specially selected from the 34 million specimens found in one of the oldest and most important entomology collection in the world, held by London's Natural History Museum. The book showcases more than one hundred significant bug species, including the ruby-tailed wasp, the garden tiger moth, the jewel beetle, the flying stick insect, the orchid bee, and many others.

Magnificent full-color photographs show the bugs in detail, so that readers can learn to distinguish, for example, the translucent abdomen of the great pied hoverfly from the yellow or orange markings on a giant scoliid wasp. Each detailed and dazzling photograph is accompanied by a caption describing the bug's lifestyle, distribution, size, and key characteristics. An insightful introduction also explores the different orders and families found in the insect classes and an explanation of how they have evolved. Based on the most up-to-date science and accessibly written, the book will appeal to scientists and amateur science readers alike.

Angie’s comments: This is a fun book with interesting photographs to look at. Each insect featured has a photograph and a paragraph of information about it. The photographs are wonderful, and the insects featured range from gorgeous to what-in-the-world to hope-I-don't-see-it-in-the-wild. The information is easy to digest and may lead to some searching online for more information. 

Recommended for readers interested in biology. 

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Don't Overthink It

Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel

Summary: We've all been there: stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, plagued by indecision, paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. Nobody wants to live a life of constant overthinking, but it doesn't feel like something we can choose to stop doing. It feels like something we're wired to do, something we just can't escape. But is it?

Anne Bogel's answer is no. Not only can you overcome negative thought patterns that are repetitive, unhealthy, and unhelpful, you can replace them with positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love into your life. In Don't Overthink It, you'll find actionable strategies that can make an immediate and lasting difference in how you deal with questions both small--Should I buy these flowers?--and large--What am I doing with my life? 

More than a book about making good decisions, Don't Overthink It offers you a framework for making choices you'll be comfortable with, using an appropriate amount of energy, freeing you to focus on all the other stuff that matters in life.

Angie’s comments: This is an encouraging and thought-provoking look at making decisions in your life. Bogel uses great, and relatable, examples to illustrate her points. The questions at the end of each chapter helps with seeing how the book can help you. Although the target audience appears to be women, the book and the examples can be used by anyone. The author does have a slight Christian focus at the end, but only in terms of how it relates to her life.

Recommended for anyone.

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First Comes Scandal

First Comes Scandal

Summary: She was given two choices...

Georgiana Bridgerton isn't against the idea of marriage. She'd just thought she'd have some say in the matter. But with her reputation hanging by a thread after she's abducted for her dowry, Georgie is given two options: live out her life as a spinster or marry the rogue who has ruined her life.

Enter Option #3

As the fourth son of an earl, Nicholas Rokesby is prepared to chart his own course. He has a life in Edinburgh, where he's close to completing his medical studies, and he has no time--or interest--to find a wife. But when he discovers that Georgie Bridgerton--his literal girl-next-door--is facing ruin, he knows what he must do.

A Marriage of Convenience

It might not have been the most romantic of proposals, but Nicholas never thought she'd say no. Georgie doesn't want to be anyone's sacrifice, and besides, they could never think of each other as anything more than childhood friends... or could they?

But as they embark upon their unorthodox courtship they discover a new twist to the age-old rhyme. First comes scandal, then comes marriage. But after that comes love...  

Angie’s comments: This is a prequel to Quinn's Bridgerton series, but you don't have to read those to enjoy this book. This is an engaging romance between friends, and includes a strong willed heroine who knows her own mind. 

Recommended for readers of historical romance.

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After Sundown

After Sundown by Linda Howard and Linda Jones

Summary: Danger brings together two guarded hearts in a battle for survival in this irresistible story from New York Times bestselling authors Linda Howard and Linda Jones.

Sela Gordon, the shy owner of a Tennessee general store, finds safety in solitude. But if anyone can pierce her protective shell it's the handsome, mysterious ex-military man living alone in the wilds of Cove Mountain. For two years, he's kept his distance--until the day he appears to warn her that a catastrophic solar storm capable of taking down the power grid is coming. Now, Sela must find the courage to become the leader Wears Valley needs.

Bitter experience has taught Ben Jernigan it's best to look out for number one. For two years the former soldier has lived in a self-imposed exile, using a top-notch security system to keep people away. But he had to let Sela know about the impending threat--and now the quiet and undeniably sexy woman is making it too easy for him to lower his guard.

As panic spreads, Sela and Ben discover that in the dark, cut off from the outside world, there's no more playing it safe--in life or in love.  

Angie’s comments: This is an adult dystopia novel that combines disaster, romance, community, and danger. This had its moments of suspense, and the slow-growing romance between Sela and Ben fits their personalities. 

Recommended for readers interested in disaster and romance tales.

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Snow

Snow: A Scientific and Cultural Exploration by Giles Whittell

Summary: Brimming with interesting facts and surprising anecdotes, this scientific and cultural history opens our eyes to the wonders of one of nature's most delicate, delightful, and deadly phenomena: SNOW! Perfect for fans of The Hidden Life of Trees and Rain.

Go on an extraordinary journey across centuries and continents to experience the wonders of snow; from the prehistoric humans that trekked and even skied across it tens of thousands of years ago to the multi-billion-dollar industry behind our moving, making, and playing with snow. Blending accessible writing with fascinating science, Giles Whittell explores how snow dictates where we live, provides us with drinking water, and has influenced countless works of art and more.

Whittell also uncovers compelling mysteries of this miraculous substance, such as why avalanches happen, how snow saved a British prime minister's life, where the legend of the yeti comes from, and the terrifying truth behind the opening ceremony of the 1960 winter Olympics.

Filled with in-depth research and whip-smart prose, Snow is an eye-opening and charming book that illuminates one of the most magnificent wonders of nature. 

Angie’s comments: Combining both the science and the ways humans make use of snow, this is an interesting look at snow. There was a lot I didn't know!

Recommended for readers interested in winter sports or snow. 

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Transcendence

Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time by Gaia Vince

Summary: In the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Sapiens, a winner of the Royal Society Prize for Science Books shows how four tools enabled has us humans to control the destiny of our species

"A wondrous, visionary work." --Tim Flannery, scientist and author of the bestselling The Weather Makers

What enabled us to go from simple stone tools to smartphones? How did bands of hunter-gatherers evolve into multinational empires? Readers of Sapiens will say a cognitive revolution -- a dramatic evolutionary change that altered our brains, turning primitive humans into modern ones -- caused a cultural explosion. In Transcendence, Gaia Vince argues instead that modern humans are the product of a nuanced coevolution of our genes, environment, and culture that goes back into deep time. She explains how, through four key elements -- fire, language, beauty, and time -- our species diverged from the evolutionary path of all other animals, unleashing a compounding process that launched us into the Space Age and beyond. Provocative and poetic, Transcendence shows how a primate took dominion over nature and turned itself into something marvelous.

Angie’s comments: A sweeping look at human evolution and history. Full of interesting stories and ideas, without getting bogged down in minute details.

Recommended for readers interested in human evolution or culture.

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American Sherlock

American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson

Summary: Known as the 'American Sherlock Holmes,' Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's greatest forensic scientists, with a skill level that seemed almost supernatural. Heinrich spearheaded the invention of new forensic tools that police still use today, including blood spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence. His work, though not without its serious - some would say fatal - flaws, changed the course of American criminal investigation. Based on years of research, American Sherlock captures Heinrich's life, work, and legacy.

Angie’s comments: Partly a biography of Heinrich, the book really shines when concentrating on Heinrich's cases. I learned more about some famous cases of the 1920s and 1930s, including Fatty Arbuckle's case. 

Recommended for readers interested in true crime.

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The Vanishing

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz comes a gripping new romantic suspense trilogy fraught with danger and enigma. 

Decades ago in the small town of Fogg Lake, The Incident occurred: an explosion in the cave system that released unknown gases. The residents slept for two days. When they woke up they discovered that things had changed--they had changed. Some started having visions. Others heard ominous voices. And then, scientists from a mysterious government agency arrived. Determined not to become research subjects of strange experiments, the residents of Fogg Lake blamed their "hallucinations" on food poisoning, and the story worked. But now it has become apparent that the eerie effects of The Incident are showing up in the descendants of Fogg Lake....

Catalina Lark and Olivia LeClair, best friends and co-owners of an investigation firm in Seattle, use what they call their "other sight" to help solve cases. When Olivia suddenly vanishes one night, Cat frantically begins the search for her friend. No one takes the disappearance seriously except Slater Arganbright, an agent from a shadowy organization known only as the Foundation, who shows up at her firm with a cryptic warning.

A ruthless killer is hunting the only witnesses to a murder that occurred in the Fogg Lake caves fifteen years ago--Catalina and Olivia. And someone intends to make both women vanish.

Angie’s comments: Another good book from Jayne Ann Krentz, filled with paranormal, romance, and strong characters.  I found this to be a quick read that was entertaining.

Recommended for fans of Jayne Ann Krentz and those who like some paranormal and romance in their stories.  

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