Laura Lohr

Not Just an Alliteration

Touch and Go Book Review #BHBC

by Leave a Comment

I read a lot of non-fiction books. I prefer them mostly, as I am always looking for ways to improve myself and find myself perusing the self-help, nutrition, health and fitness sections. Occasionally, I will choose a fiction book that friends recommend, however, for the most part, I read non-fiction. I like to push myself out of my comfort zone sometimes and when I had the opportunity to read Touch and Go, New York Times best selling author of suspense, Lisa Gardner, I was excited to see what she had in store for me. I had not read any of Lisa Gardner’s previous books and was not familiar with her writing style. I wasn’t disappointed.

The story opens with details about the Denbe family—a beautiful, picture perfect family that, by all appearances had it all. Within the first few pages, nevertheless, Libby Denbe narrates the story and I quickly learned that nothing is what it seems. Libby and Justin Denbe arrive home after a date night to be surprised in the foyer by kidnappers and nothing would be the same again.

I enjoyed reading the book. I love Lisa Gardner’s writing style, her plot and character development and her surprise ending. I have to admit, I began having my suspicions of the “surprise ending” chapters before the story wrapped, although Gardner did have some other surprises in store for me. Gardner has an ability to paint vivid pictures and I found myself having a lot of difficulty putting the book down. There were a few nights when I could not sleep because I wanted to find out what would happen next. Before I knew it, I would get out of bed and come down stairs for a cup of hot tea and to take a massage on my chair with my book. If you are interested in massage chairs then go to https://reviewsfield.com/best-massage-chairs.

I have already been browsing Amazon books for Lisa Gardner’s previous novels. I have to admit that I think I might be hooked. There is good reason for Gardner’s frequent appearances on New York Times Best Seller List.

Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own. I was compensated for my review, and received a copy of Touch and Go HOWEVER, I only recommend products and/or services I personally believe in.

Here I Go Again #BHBC BlogHer Book Review

by Leave a Comment

Here I Go Again Jen Lancaster

I finished the book Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster the other day and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. This New York Times bestselling author is witty, smart, sarcastic and fabulous! The story drew me in instantaneously and I couldn’t put it down from the start. I can’t wait to read more from Jen Lancaster!

The book is about the mean girl/prom queen Lissy Ryder that grew into an equally mean and nasty adult. Just prior to her 20th class reunion, self-centered, unlikable Lissy loses her job and her marriage is hanging by a thread. The prom queen gets a taste of her own medicine at the reunion and has to re-evaluate the actions of her past. When Lissy runs into a classmate of her past, her life is forever changed.

I loved this book—-I mean REALLY, REALLY loved this book! In the beginning, Lissy is such an evil, despicable human being. She is the sort of character in a story everyone loves to hate. Lissy Ryder is so unlikable that I actually found myself hoping for her demise. Jen Lancaster, however, crafts the story in such a way that by the time I reached the middle of the book, I was cheering for Lissy and understanding who she was deep down—or who she could become.

I love the writing style of Jen Lancaster. She uses references to music of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to tell Lissy’s story and it brought me back to so many memories (both good and bad) of my high school years. I even found myself having dreams (or nightmares) about some of the monster mean girls from my high school days and it sparked my curiosity on Facebook. Ruh oh.

This is a great book for a woman in her mid to late 30’s (or early 40’s). There are so many relatable situations in the book that took me back in time. Seriously, you have to read this book!

Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own. I was compensated for my review, and received a copy of Here I Go Again HOWEVER, I only recommend products and/or services I personally believe in.

The Willpower Instinct #BHBC #Review

by Leave a Comment

willpowerinstinctuscover

I was recently provided the opportunity to read The Willpower Instinct by Dr. Kelly McGonigal. I have to say it was perfect timing, with the new year and various resolutions creeping up on me (PLUS, being sick for the past couple weeks and having some free time to lay around). I was super excited to get some guidance with some of those nagging resolutions for 2013, many that I carried with me through 2012. This year is my lucky year!

The author, Kelly McGonigal, PhD. is a professor at prestigious Stanford University and teaches a class entitled, “The Science of Willpower.” What I loved about this book is that Dr. McGonigal outlined this book as a professor would outline a course syllabus—in a logical, methodological way. The book does a fantastic job explaining the chemistry of the brain, scientific evidence and what exactly keeps us from reaching our all-elusive goals, year after year, no matter how badly we want to achieve them. She explains that much of our beliefs about willpower actually work to sabotage us from accomplishing what we set out to do.

I consumed this book from cover to cover, intrigued by what Dr. McGonigal had to say on the subject of willpower. I learned a lot about myself and why sometimes my strongest desires to meet goals are foiled by overwhelming desires to do what I wanted in the moment, instead of doing what would support my success. We really can take control of our lives, if we truly understand our biological functions, mental traps, and social factors that influence our self-control.

One of the things I found most fascinating, was Dr. McGonigal’s explanation of why we put our goals off until tomorrow. We, according to research, have an inherent belief that our future self will be more virtuous than our present self. She explains that we are hard-wired to prefer immediate gratification in many instances:

When we contemplate the future, our imaginations fail us in predictable ways. Far-off rewards seem less compelling, so we choose immediate gratification. We fail to predict how we will be tempted or distracted, so we fail to protect ourselves from abandoning goals. To make wiser decisions, we need to better understand and support our future selves.

I loved this book. The author speaks in easy to understand terms. She is witty and smart. I enjoyed it through and through. I found myself identifying with many of the scenarios she described in the book. I do believe that this book will be my handbook for success in the year 2013!

Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own. I was compensated for my review, and received a copy of The Willpower Instinct, HOWEVER, I only recommend products and/or services I personally believe in.

Diary of a Submissive—-BlogHer Book Club Review #BHBC

by Leave a Comment

Look out Anastasia Steele, here comes Sophie Morgan!

It seems that everyone I know is reading the 50 Shades of Grey series, including my some of the women in my life I would have least suspected would read. The genre of erotic romance has become more mainstream than ever before, it seems.

I read the book Diary of a Submissive this week and I have to admit that I did not expect it to be a love story. It chronicles the real life adventures of a 30-something woman and her quest for love, excitement, sweetness, strength and finding it all in one man. Sophie Morgan is a journalist. She is smart, she is young, she is exploring the world as young people do, but Sophie has a wild side.

I have to admit that I blushed a lot throughout the book. In fact, as I sit here typing this review, I feel the flush in my face as my cheeks redden. The story may not be for all readers, however it is very well written. The writing style has a flow and Sophie is a likable character. Aside from the erotic romance one is sure to discover between the covers of this book, there is a journey of a relatable young woman who comes into her own as she determines what she needs to be happy.

This book is not the genre I would typically read, nonetheless it was good to venture out of my comfort zone of what I would typically read. I may have done a lot of blushing and my eyebrows may have spent the better part of reading raised, in spite of that, I enjoyed the book.

Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own. I was compensated for my review, and received a copy of Diary of a Submissive HOWEVER, I only recommend products and/or services I personally believe in.

Daring Greatly—Blogher Book Club Review #BHBC

by Leave a Comment

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

—Theodore Roosevelt

When I got the opportunity to read Dr. Brené Brown’s latest book, Daring Greatly, I was thrilled. Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of hearing her speak on two separate occasions. I knew this book was going to be a great read because I have heard what she has to say and she is one of the most genuine speakers I have ever heard. Her work on shame, shame resilience, fear, vulnerability and daring greatly resonated with me in an authentic way, I could not put the book down.

The above quote by Theodore Roosevelt is an excerpt from a speech given at the Sorbonne in Paris, France in 1910. The quote encompasses the theme of the book that through being vulnerable requires that we take risk, in spite of our fears, we give ourselves the opportunities to make real connections with others, bringing purpose and meaning to our lives. Vulnerability is not weakness, she argues. In fact, it is one of the greatest acts of courage. We need to put ourselves out there, even if we might fail and be vulnerable. We need to be vulnerable in our relationships and in every facet of our lives if we want to be connected with others. She examines our innate human need to be loved and to have a sense of belonging. Having a sense of worthiness gives us the ability to be vulnerable and take the risk of getting hurt, but in the end that result can give us that connectedness that allows us to feel loved and a sense that we belong. According to Dr. Brown:

Vulnerability is about sharing our feelings and our experiences with people who have earned the right to hear them. Being vulnerable and open is mutual and an integral part of the trust-building process.

The book struck such a chord with me on so many levels. I am in sort of a cross-roads right now and I want to be courageous through this phase of life. It is a scary prospect. We all have those critics that tell us we aren’t enough, but our biggest critic sometimes lives within ourselves. We need to take the risk, EVEN IF we may fail. That is courage. I found myself nodding my head in agreement, taking notes, dog earmarking pages, and feeling inspired to truly live my life daring greatly.

The book was excellent! I am an even bigger fan of Dr. Brown than I was before.

Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own. I was compensated for my review, and received a copy of Daring Greatly HOWEVER, I only recommend products and/or services I personally believe in.

See More of Laura Lohr on Instagram

As Seen on T.V.