bookshelves: currently-reading
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bookshelves: currently-reading
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bookshelves: non-fiction, true-crime
Although a fascinating topic, the author presented the material in a very disjointed and scattered manner with a tremendous amount of repetition. In some instancs I found myself going back a page or two thinking I was rereading pages only to find material being repeated that very closely resembled what I had just read.
This author wrote a very important article in Barron's regarding the Madoff case. I can only say that each chapter in the book feels like a totally separate article written as a complete and total story - with much detail repeated from prior chapters.
Many non-fiction books today read like fiction with a beginning a middle and an end. Not this one. The author was introducing new characters on page 247, at a detail level that really was unnecessary and very uninteresting.
I would strongly have suggested the author introduce all the players at the beginning, then define hedge funds, the role of the SEC, etc., next discuss who played what roles, discussed how the investors were recruited, then identified how Madoff almost got caught so many times and then confessed - in this order. Instead, this type of information was pretty much repeated in each chapter with different players being introduced each time. I would have finished off the book with a bit more about the victims.
If you are interested in the fine points of the Madoff case, feel free to read this book, but I would suggest doing a lot of skimming to bypass the repeated data and the information that doesn't matter. ]]>
Barbara
read and liked
Laura's
review of Your Legacy of Love: Realize the Gift in Goodbye:
"This was an excellent book and I found it very resourceful. After losing my Father 13 years ago, I wish this book was around then. I plan to share it with all of my family. This is not your typical Psychobabble grief book, the author puts everything ...more "
"This was an excellent book and I found it very resourceful. After losing my Father 13 years ago, I wish this book was around then. I plan to share it with all of my family. This is not your typical Psychobabble grief book, the author puts everything ...more "
Barbara
read and liked
Christopher Sanchez's
review of Your Legacy of Love: Realize the Gift in Goodbye:
"This beautifully-written book presents the comforting idea that we as human beings have much more to pass on to our loved ones than mere wealth and possessions. Aside from a great read, this book is actually a vehicle for a profound paradigm shift f...more "
"This beautifully-written book presents the comforting idea that we as human beings have much more to pass on to our loved ones than mere wealth and possessions. Aside from a great read, this book is actually a vehicle for a profound paradigm shift f...more "
bookshelves: non-fiction, reference-books-i-own
Disclaimer: I received this as a Giveaway from Good Reads.
100% of us die and a good portion of us experience the loss of a loved one in our lifetime. For centuries, death was a part of life, experienced by all family members as natural and expected. Only in the last century did our western society attempt to clean it up, push it aside, and even deny its very existence. Instead of living in the family home, many of us may not even live within driving distance of family and friends who matter most to us. And, as Gemini Adams points out in "Your Legacy of Love", for the last few decades, when we have lost someone we love, we have quickly been encouraged to "get over it" and "move on" by well meaning friends, family, and even experts in grief counseling.
This has resulted in a very warped handling of death and in disfunctional survivors of loss. Luckily attitudes are changing, and this is reflected in Adams recommendations that each of us think about the tremendous opportunity we have to leave behind a gift that expresses our love to our survivors and assists them in continuing their lives without us. We each have the ability to make it easier for those we love as they transition to a life without us as a parent, spouse, sibling, or friend, etc. by leaving them instructions, information, memories, etc. to remind them of our love and care.
Although I believe the first half of the book excessively makes the case for the second half, the second half of the book is where the book fully earns its stars. Here there are step by step ideas and solutions for leaving behind a gift of yourself for those you love. These may range from very practical how-to's for the remaining parent of a young child, to recorded messages to be played on a child's wedding day, to simple letters to dear friends recalling shared memories. These gifts left behind by a deceased loved one can become cherished possessions way beyond the value of inherited money and goods, although Adams does point out the importance of making these financial arrangements as well.
Just as funerals today have become "celebrations of a life" with pictures and stories, I believe Gemini Adams is at the forefront of a change in what will be expected when people go through a deceased person's belongings. We will soon be looking for these forms of gifts and cherishing them for a lietime. In addition, I can imagine those counseling the terminally ill will be encouraging this form of soul healing action on a regular basis. I am sure this will be only the first of many books to assist us all in preparing our final gifts to those we love. But this is an excellent jumping off point.
I plan to give a copy of this to a friend who has lung cancer. ]]>
bookshelves: mystery, ya-read
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Barbara
read and liked
karen's
review of The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1):
"allow me to be relevant for a moment: oh my god, this book is outstanding!! it is all good things; battle royale, blood of heroes (one of the best movies ever made - dont argue with me), and all the best elements of this survivalist gary paulsen jag ...more "
"allow me to be relevant for a moment: oh my god, this book is outstanding!! it is all good things; battle royale, blood of heroes (one of the best movies ever made - dont argue with me), and all the best elements of this survivalist gary paulsen jag ...more "