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GET YOUR JOY ON

Name: GET YOUR JOY ON
Author: Liv Hadden
ISBN: 978-0-578-46685-9

UNLEASH JOY IN YOUR LIFE, ONE SMALL ACTION AT A TIME

by Liv Hadden ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2019

A clear, detailed plan to seize joy in life that offers some familiar tips.

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A numerology-based guide realigns personal habits in order to increase happiness.

Hadden’s (In the Mind of Revenge, 2017) manual emphasizes that people tend to block their own joy. “I want you to remember that you are Joy,” she writes. “I want you to distinguish between who you are (Joy, whole, divine, eternally loved) and how you feel (depressed, angry, confused, excited, anxious).” “If you can do that,” she continues, “it won’t matter when you have a bad day or hit a bump in the road.” The bulk of her book consists of 21 “Joy Builder” activities, each designed to last 21 days under “the popular idea that it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a habit.” The author explains that although the real window of time is much longer, “21 still feels right” because it’s three weeks, doable, and not overwhelming. These Joy Builder exercises sometimes revolve around deceptively simple changes—swap “should” for “could” in daily talk (in order to emphasize personal effectiveness instead of guilt or obligation), for instance, or remove “but” from the daily vocabulary. Others consist of basic reminders, such as “Be steadfast in your boundaries and flexible with your empathy” and “Being friends on Facebook is not being friends in real life. Being friends in real life does not mean you have to be ‘friends’ on Facebook.” Many people do things they dislike every week, Hadden observes, and her useful exercises are distinctly designed to counteract this and put the emphasis back on positivity. “Every time you feel grateful for the next 21 days,” she advises at one point, “say so, and be specific.” Most of the author’s advice is recognizable and simple to the point of being self-evident—telling readers that staying affirmative is important and that taking time off is a necessary basis for experiencing happiness. Ultimately, the reminder “You are the joy you seek” becomes the book’s vibrant mantra—one that many readers will no doubt find helpful.

A clear, detailed plan to seize joy in life that offers some familiar tips.

Pub Date: May 21, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-578-46685-9

Page Count: 142

Publisher: Alodia Offbeat Creative, LLC

Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2019

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.