Books for the Busy

Over the course of the year, running Books for the Busy has been a blast! Looking back, I see changes I could have made to make my blog better. I think if I did it again, I would chose a better template and not do so many add-ons. I think a different template would make my website a lot easier to use and prettier to look at. In terms of promoting my content, I stuck to twitter and occasionally promoted on Facebook. I think I could have better promoted my content by promoting on all social media platforms I’m involved with.

My favorite part of this project was deciding what book I wanted to recommend and then writing about it. It was fun to be in charge of the content I publish and give my opinions about something I love. I think this project will benefit me and how I work with CMS in the future. I have previously worked with WIX, but working with the most commonly used CMS will certainly make me well-rounded in the digital world.

February 2019 was my best month in terms of views and visitors. I think this is around the time that I promoted my content for the first time. My About the Author page received 37 views. My home page/archives received 17 views, and my highest post was my first post, with 6 views.

Here is some information regarding my site stats:

I think I ran a successful blog this year. There are plenty of things I could have done to make my views higher, but I am satisfied with how many people I reached in a short time. I am looking forward to making more blogs with a bigger social media presence. Thanks to all my viewers for supporting my blog!

By Stephen King

A sequel to the mother of all horror fiction

For my last book review, I would like to recommend my favorite book I have ever read. It might not fit the “books for the busy” category, but if you ever get around to it, I think you’ll like it too.

Doctor Sleep is the lesser-known sequel to the widely famous Stephen King novel, The Shining. You could read and love Doctor Sleep without reading The Shining, but I do think reading it will enrich your experience of the plot. This novel is set apart from King’s common writing. Of course it still gory and scary, but it includes science fiction elements. The plot is extremely well-written, and keeps you turning all of the 635 pages.

The story focuses on Danny Torrance, Jack Torrance’s son. He is now older and followed his father’s footsteps into alcoholism. Not only does he self-medicate to quiet the terrors that still haunt him, he is far from the best person he can be. Something I love about this novel is the protagonist, Abra. She is a strong, teenage-female character who works with Danny to fight evil forces. Both Danny and Abra possess the power to “shine,” Danny acting as Abra’s mentor through the process of discovering her strength.

The journey of the novel was extremely well written, as was the ending. In many King books that I have read, the ending sometimes comes across as cliche or lazy, but this one grabs ahold of you and keeps you until the very last line. The story of Jack Torrance’s son separating himself from the evils of his childhood will give you the best conclusion to The Shining you could ever imagine.

Purchase Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, here.

Happy Reading!

For today’s post, I want to provide you guys with my top five classic-book recommendations! These are a few of the classics that have always stood out to me, and I think everyone should try to give them a read.

I know that for a lot of people it can be hard to stay interested in classic novel due to obscure language or outdated scenarios, so I am introducing some of my favorite page-turners. These texts have coherent and rich plots that will not bore you. From the East Egg of New York to the Mississippi River, these books are layered with memorable messages and beautiful language.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Even if you’ve seen the Leonardo Dicaprio movie, it does not compare to the original 1925 text. It charms you with some of the most elegant English prose ever published, making it difficult to discuss the novel without the urge to stammer awestruck about its beauty. If you haven’t already read the tale of a mysterious man, a love triangle, and the biggest 1922 parties, then you need to get your copy here, Old Sport.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Hemingway said American fiction begins and ends with Huck Finn, and he’s right. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn dives into issues such as racism, friendship, identity, religion, and freedom. There are several moments in this coming-of-age story that are hilarious, but when I finished the book, I knew I had read something profound. This is a book that everyone should read. Purchase Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, here.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Front to back, this is one of the more mournful novels I’ve read. It’s about Henry, an ambulance driver in World War I. He is wounded and falls in love with Catherine, a nurse. Henry is captured by military police and in danger of being executed, but he manages to escape. Things are idyllic for awhile. But then, of course, life intervenes. The tragic novel is heartbreaking, but nothing short of Brilliant. Purchase A Farewell to Arms, here.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is an excellent book, as it is gripping, terrifying, utterly heart-wrenching, and completely beautiful all at the same time. The Road stands out from McCarthy’s other works. I think it is the best in terms of prose, plot, and brilliant storytelling of a father and his young son struggling in a post-apocalyptic world. McCarthy nails the dialog in this book, making the reader feel as though they are walking down the never-ending road as well. Purchase The Road by Cormac McCarthy, here.

1984 by George Orwell

1984 describes a Utopia. Imagine living in a country whose leaders apply a totalitarian system of the most extreme. Any hint of obedience or dislike can be detected by Thought Police, telescreen, or even your children, who will not hesitate to betray you. Even language is modified in such ways that you cannot express yourself, since individualism is a crime. 1984 is a revolutionary novel that will have you turning pages and questioning where our society stands. Buy 1984, here.

By Dr. Meg Jay

Why your twenties matter— and how to make the most of them now

Dr. Meg Jay has. PhD in clinical psychology and teaches at UC Berkeley. She reflects on her many years of private practice and research with adults in their 20s to compose a book filled with helpful advice. I chose this book to recommend for Books for the Busy because as college students, there is no better time to use this advice.

Dr. Jay provides insight on four major sections of life: work, love, and the brain and body. Dr. Jay takes from her work as a psychologist to provide real life examples. She challenges the “thirty-is-the-new-twenty” culture and argues that your years in your 20s are the most important ones yet. You are no longer an emerging adult or an extended adolescent.

Dr. Jay does not say that young people in their twenties who don’t have a steady job are doing it wrong, or that thinking about a career or love later in life is a bad thing. She merely emphasizes that all our actions have consequences, and if you want a career and children in your thirties –You should start preparing now. In order to get to where you want yourself to be in ten years, you have to start now, there’s no way around it. You don’t turn thirty and become an experienced professional by magic. 

She also offers solid concrete advice on dating, marriage, finding a job, health, hobbies, and the rest. I found her straightforward approach not off-putting, but motivating. Overall an extremely useful book for adults entering their twenties and are about to form decisions that will impact their lives for the future.

Purchase The Defining Decade, here.

Happy Reading!

By Stephen King

Four short stories in one book

“Full Dark, No Stars” by Stephen King is a collection of four short stories compiled into one large book. Although it looks intimidating, the short stories are only about 100 pages each. The short stories included in “Full Dark, No Stars” are 1922, Big Driver, Fair Extensions and A Good Marriage.

1922 is a dark, eerie and unsettling tale about greed, murder, guilt and comeuppance. It is a story about crime and punishment. A typical Stephen King story that you surely will not want to read before bed.

Before reading Big Driver, I wanted to emphasize that this particular short story may be sensitive for some readers. Big Driver by is a bit of a cross between a horror and thriller as the events involved are certainly very real. It is a brutal revenge story of a woman who was raped. King holds nothing back in this story.

Fair Extentions is about a cancer stricken man who comes across a business to extend your life, but it comes with a cost. This short story is loaded with dark humor, the delivery is seamless, and the outcome appears effortless. King takes the reader into one of his rabbit-hole storylines, where the impossible can happen at the drop of a hat.

Lastly, A Good Marriage. This short story is my favorite out of the collection. Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage while her husband is away. Instead, she makes a horrifying discovery. This story is rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends a good marriage. This one will surely keep you on the edge of your chair.

Purchase Full Dark, No Stars, here.

Happy Reading!

By Ally Bolender

Hello Readers!

I would like to recommend another blog that I think my Books for the Busy audience will find resourceful. I recently stumbled over Book Addiction, a WordPress based blog by a writer named Heather.

I am recommending this blog to my audience because the blog itself contains relatively short reviews. The author gets right to the point with her summary and recommendation. Heather writes to her audience in a very casual tone while being direct. She lets you know why you would like or not like the book without dancing around. In addition, It is refreshing to read an honest and distinct voice on a website not bombarded with paid advertising. Heather reviews books of all genres, from classics to self-help. And you can find archives of her recommendation dating back to 2008, so there are plenty of books to go through.

In addition, she reviews books that are new as well (located in the 2018 section or her home page), so you can keep up with the latest book trends and current popular reads. Because Heather’s blog has been building for such a long time, her audience is large, and they will often comments on posts to give their own opinions and debate among other readers. You can find yourself interested in books you may have not thought to give a try before.

But if you’re looking for something particular, you can choose to show results based off one of her categories: science fiction, women fiction, thriller, mystery, memoirs, young adult, and many more. I recommend giving Book Addiction a view if you want to find your next book quickly through trustful reviews from both an avid-reader, and everyday commenters.

Happy reading!

James Weldon Johnson

“Paris practices its sins as lightly as it does its religion, while London practices both very seriously.”

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is a fiction novel originally published in 1912. I know for some, older books are hard to read due to the language and writing style, but this one was beautifully and clearly written.

This novel tells the tale of a man who lived with the option of being a white man or a black man due to his light colored skin. The narrator, who is not named, experiences life from the eyes of a white and black man at different points in his life. He contemplates whether to represent his oppressed culture or to take the easy way out and live as a well-respected white man.

The novel describes the narrator’s pilgrimage through America’s color lines at the turn of the century — from a black college in Jacksonville to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast.

This is a powerful, unsentimental examination of race in America, a hymn to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color.

This novel played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance and the emergence of an African American culture. The central theme of double-consciousness was derived from Web Dubois himself. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man novel shines a light on African American culture that not taught in your everyday history class. For example, the concept of “passing” for white that the narrator takes advantage of. In addition, the book details the culture of African Americans and how their creative works has spread across the globe, such as ragtime music and the cake walk.

I recommend this novel as a book for the busy because it is relatively short (my copy is only 98 pages) and every episode is crucial to the plot. Weldon doesn’t ramble, in fact, he often cuts scenes short to prevent himself from boring the reader. This extremely influential novel should be on anyone’s must-read list.

Purchase The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, here.

Read more reviews, here.

Happy Reading!

By Ron Stallworth

A glimpse into a dark part of our history and one man who fought to change it.

In 1978, the community of Colorado Springs experienced a growth of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) membership. One brave man dared to challenge their effort: African American police detective, Ron Stallworth. 

Stallworth launched an undercover investigation into the Klan through two personas. He acted as the chapter’s leader over the phone, and as a cop and bodyguard of the Duke in person. In the process of the investigation, Stallworth battled internal departmental politics and dangerous close calls to successfully pull off this “sting”. Hero Ron Stallworth tells his ironic and true story of being an African American KKK member.

It can’t be denied that the KKK is still fully functioning, which is a scary reality. But the Black Klansman is very timely novel, all while providing a strong image of our history. 

As the story continues, it becomes less about racism and more about morality, or lack thereof, and why such hatred thrives in supposedly one of the most tolerant and free countries. Stallworth’s dedication to understanding and tolerance is extremely admirable as he communicates and works with the most intolerant people. It’s hard to imagine how Stallworth kept his cover through so many blood-boiling, on the edge-of-your-seat scenarios.

I am recommending Black Klansman as a book for the busy because of its short length and easy writing style. The chapters are relatively short, and the writing is consistent, clear, and concise. With that being said, I do think the author could’ve been a bit livelier with his writing. It’s an eccentric story and I think it deserves an eccentric voice to tell it. 

Regardless, the Black Klansman tells the remarkable story of a heroic man who took monumental risks to fight racism by infiltrating the Klan, and it will surely inspire and surprise you.

Purchase the Back Klansman, here.

Read more Black Klansman reviews, here.

Happy reading!

By Mark Manson

Even if you’re not one for self-help books, you’ll want to read this.

Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck provides insight that contradicts the common advice in self-help books.

Manson frequently refers to stereotypical “self-help”: standing in front of a mirror telling yourself you’re beautiful because you feel as though you’re not beautiful, or visualization exercises about being more successful because you feel as though you are not successful enough already. He argues that these self-help techniques fixate on the positive, only reminding us of what we lack.

When a person truly feels beautiful or successful, they don’t feel like they need to prove it. What common self-help techniques only teach us, over and over, is to reinforce the idea that we are not that. 

Instead, Manson tells you how it is: you may never amount to anything ground-breaking, or you may never achieve your dreams, so stop giving a f*ck and just do what you care about.

Manson offers a counterintuitive approach to living the good life. He gives insight on topics often neglected in typical self-helps: death, social media, depression, victimization, poor values, and many more.

I recommend this book to anyone, even if you feel as though you’re happy enough, because the unique approach to courage, progress, and self-improvement is told from a new perspective. I especially recommend this book to college students, it’s a rather quick and easy read, but once you start you won’t want to put it down. The humor is appealing to college-aged students, and it touches on topics that students are going to be experiencing soon: career paths, relationships, family aging, etc. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck revolves around an interesting philosophy dressed up for today’s society in a humorous and unapologetic tone.

Buy Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck here, and read more reviews here.