Easter and The Book Thief

For Easter, we went to my parents house, had a delicious dinner, and did an Easter egg hunt.  Jori and I hid the eggs this year and we prided ourselves on coming up with some pretty good hiding places.  I even thought one was lost forever when I pushed it back to far into the swingset.  Problem solver Jared worked out a way to get at it though.  He sprayed the hose through the pipe and eventually the water pushed the egg out.  Wouldn't you know that Annie was waiting nearby to snatch it up quicker than quick.  She didn't think it through very well though because Jared had a running hose in his hand and she quickly ended up very wet!

Finding eggs with Daddy

Searching high and low

Chilling with Grandma

We also held our first Larsen Book Talk.  Taylor had the idea to do a little book club within our family.  Each month a different family member is supposed to choose a book for everyone to read. Then, at the end of the month we get together (physically, or through Face Time) and talk about the book.  For the month of March, Jared selected The Book Thief.  This turned out to be a very powerful book with lots to talk about.  For those who may be interested, this book follows the story of a young girl in Nazi Germany as seen from Death's perspective.  Three adjectives I would use to describe this book are emotional, thought-provoking, and intense.  I really enjoyed the story and would certainly recommend it.  Good choice Jared!  Now on to the new Mary Higgins Clark book for April...

Book Review: Drive

Title: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Author: Daniel H. Pink

Length: 242 pages

Adjectives: Insightful, thought-provoking, motivational

Summary: "When it comes to motivation, there's a gap between what science knows and what most of society does.  Our current societal operating system--which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators--doesn't work and often does harm.  We need an upgrade.  And the science shows the way.  This new approach has three essential elements: (1) Autonomy--the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery--the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose--the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves."


My thoughts: My educational background is in elementary education and helping motivate kids was always a prime topic of conversation.  Questions such as why some kids are more motivated than others, what types of rewards work and how often rewards should be provided were frequently discussed in team and faculty meetings.  And yet I never felt as though anyone had a solid answer.

The ideas discussed in this book have helped to fill in some of that void.  I am no longer teaching, but I am expecting my first child and wish to incorporate more of "Motivation 3.0" into my life, for the sake of my daughter.  


In Drive, Pink discusses the concept of 20% time--spending 20% of your time working on any project you choose.  Currently, I have little control over what tasks I work on at work.  I have more freedom than some of the employees, but am still highly regulated by processes and procedures.  And, for now, I am okay with this.  I love my job and (usually) don't have any trouble finding ways to motivate myself to get tasks done.

But what about outside of work?  How do I choose to spend my so-called "free" time?  Unfortunately, I am not proud of the honest answer.  I spend far too much of my time vegging in front of the TV or mindlessly surfing the web.  I don't actually do very much.  Sure, every now and then I will get caught up in a project or idea, but these instances are rare and fade quickly.

I'm not saying that relaxation and downtime are evil.  In fact, I believe they are necessities.  But too much can create a sense of unbalance.  And all of the TV shows I watch aren't going to benefit me in any way other than entertainment.

Therefore, my goal is to spend at least 20% of my free time consciously working on and being engaged with a specific project.  The projects may vary in size and scope, and I will most likely be working on multiple projects at once.


Opinion Poll: What drives you?

Book Review: Dewey

Title: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touchedthe World

Author: Vicki Myron

Length: 277 pages

Adjectives: Heart-Warming, Endearing, Emotional

Summary: On the coldest night of the year in early 1988, a ginger kitten was shoved into the after-hours book-return slot at the public library in Spencer, Iowa.  This is his story, told from the perspective of the library's director, Vicki Myron.  Myron tells of the impact the cat came to have on the library and its patrons, and on Myron herself.  Myron shares the story of how an orange fur ball became "Dewey Readmore Books," an irresistible library mascot capable of bringing international attention to a small midwestern town and melting the heart of even the most curmudgeonly visitor.  On top of cat anecdotes, Myron uses her relationship with Dewey to recount the economic and social history of Spencer as well as her own success story.

Dewey's story will melt your heart, tug at your hearts strings, and keep you coming back to the book for more.  For those with young kids, there is a picture book version of Dewey's story (see Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library).

Book Review: The Titan's Curse

Title: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Length: 322 pages

Adjectives: Engaging, Creative, Exciting

Summary: In book 3, both Annabeth and the goddess Artemis go missing and it is up to Percy and a small group of friends to save them as well as Olympus.  Their search takes them all across the United States including the monuments and museums of Washington DC and the deserts of the Southwest.  And of course a Percy Jackson story wouldn't be complete without a healthy dose of encounters with mythological monsters.

Riordan adds more depth to the characters and story in this book while still keeping the nonstop laughs and action.  A good, page-turner for anyone.

Book Review:The Sea of Monsters

I may have been slacking in the blogging arena, but I have still been reading!

Title: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)

Author: Rick Riordan

Length: 288 pages

Adjectives: Adventurous, Playful, Creative

Summary: In this book, Percy and Annabeth set off on another quest--this time to save their friend Grover who has been captured by a cyclops as well as find something that will keep Camp Halfblood from being overrun by monsters.  Along their way they encounter gods, monsters, and fellow classmates; some of whom help them along and some who hinder their progress.

The clever mix of classical mythology, contemporary characters and settings, and action-packed adventure makes this book a great addition to the series.  I will warn though that I didn't like this book quite as much as I liked the first, but it was still very entertaining!

Book Review: The Last Lecture

Title: The Last Lecture

Author: Randy Pausch

Length: 206 pages

Adjectives: Uplifting, Thought-provoking, Humorous

Summary: While this book stems from a depressing motive, it is anything but depressing.  Shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Randy Pausch was asked to give a "last lecture" at the university that was so integral in his life.  Realizing that this would truly be his last lecture, he contemplated on just what it was he wanted to share with the audience and, more importantly, his young family.  This book takes the meat of that lecture and adds a few more details.  It is about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment.  The examples he gives are poignant and to the point.

This was a very quick and easy read that rose a lot of questions in my mind.  It made me stop and think for a while about what is really important in my life.  I highly recommend this book to anyone, but perhaps especially to anyone who is in the midst of a trying point in their life.

Book Review: The Essential 55

Title: The Essential 55

Author: Ron Clark

Length: 196 pages

Adjectives: Concise, Effective, Instructional

Summary: In this book, Ron Clark (an award-winning educator) reveals the 55 essential rules that he enforces with his students.  The rules vary from manners to industriousness to accountability and so much more.  Many aspects of becoming a contributing member to society in general and not just at school are covered.  He claims that these 55 rules will help to discover the successful student in every child.  He keeps the rules simple and to the point.  He chooses only the very best examples from his own teaching history to validate each rule.  Any kid would be blessed to have a teacher with half the dedication of this man.

Obviously, being an elementary education major, this book had a certain appeal to me that won't apply to most people.  And the book is certainly aimed for the school-teacher audience.  However, since many of these rules are things which should be instilled in all children, I believe this book could be helpful for anyone who interacts with kids: parents, church leaders, community members, etc.

Book Review: The Tipping Point

Disclaimer: I know I just did a review yesterday and feel it necessary to point out that I was halfway through both of the last two books when I decided to start doing these reviews.  I'm a fast reader, but I do have somewhat of a life.

Title: The Tipping Point

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

Length: 280 pages

Adjectives: Compelling, Illustrative, Informative

Summary: "The Tipping Point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire."  This book explores reasons for this phenomenon including: the Law of the Few, the Stickness Factor, and the Power of Context.   Each of these rules are applied to a variety of widespread current situations and epidemics.  The examples provided make each rule easy to understand and then apply.

While I enjoyed The Tipping Point (the psychology of trends), the strong emphasis on business somewhat deterred my enthusiasm for the book.  I much preferred 2 of Gladwell's other books: Blink (the psychology of making decisions) and Outliers (the psychology behind success).

Book Review: Why Mars & Venus Collide

Title: Why Mars & Venus Collide

Author: John Gray

Length: 249

Adjectives: Informative, Opinionated, Simplistic

Summary:  In this book, Dr. Gray explores possible reasons men and women clash by focusing on how men and women cope differently with stress.  Since men and women naturally react differently to stress, he theorizes that this in turn causes more stress in their relationships.  For example, when a man, after a stressful day, wants to veg out in front of the TV, he is not rejecting his wife. Rather, he is replenishing his depleted testosterone. And when a woman wants to talk about her day, she is not being a nag. It's just her way of replenishing her cuddle hormone, oxytocin.  Gray's hope is that in understanding these differences, individuals can use these differences to strengthen a relationship a reduce stress instead of allowing even more stress to build.

While I did not agree with all of Gray's conclusions, it was still an interesting read and provided some good insights into both the male and female psyche.  Also includes lists of 100 things women can do for themselves to reduce stress and 100 ways a man can reduce a woman's stress.

Book Review: The Walk

Another one of my summer goals is to do some serious reading and thought I would do a quick review on the books I read here.

Title: The Walk

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Length: 289 pages

Adjectives: Heart-wrenching, Humbling, Inspiring

Summary: This book is the first in a planned series which follows the story of Alan Christoffersen--a young, successful advertising executive who loses everything.  From the depths of despair, he decides to take a walk: from Seattle, Washington all the way to Key West, Florida.  During this first stage in his journey, Alan experiences a range of emotions, changes some of his own perspectives, and meets a variety of people who help him out in different ways.

If you like emotion-packed page turners, you'll love The Walk.