October 6, 2009 by shishnit
Obstacles Welcome – How to Turn Adversity into Advantage in Business and in Life – Ralph de la Vega
(motivation and self improvement)
I just have to give this one two thumbs up!! I expected one of those relatively mundane business management books, and what I got was pure and utter inspiration and a whole new way of looking at what most of us commonly refer to as roadblocks, problems, or as Mr. de la Vega refers to, obstacles. I now see obstacles as opportunities to outshine competition at work as well as in my personal life. Obstacles are now not bad, they are actually exciting. I encounter an obstacle now equals “I can overcome, learn and become better!†That’s a massive shift in viewpoint for sure.
Mr. de la Vega’s personal story inspires. He was an immigrant from Cuba and arrived on US soil a few years prior to his own parents. What he learned from those experiences served him well as he saw his own life obstacles as opportunities for personal growth.
This book is engaging rather than boring. At the end of each of the chapters is a page of takeaway messages. I think those pages alone out value the price of this book. I learned so many things and had quite a few moments where I felt that I had learned more about how to approach my own obstacles in the workplace. C’mon we all have them, or will. Those moments of self doubt and self examination are opportunities to excel once you have read through these easy to read 262 pages. It should be noted that Mr. de la Vega is the President and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. I used to have a management leadership crush on Jeff Bezo’s, the CEO of Amazon, my leadership crush just shifted a bit to make room for Mr. de la Vega. Thanks must go out to him for the fantastic and inspiring look at how the day to day mundane and exasperating life at work can really be the foundation to greater things personally and professionally.
If you’re a manager of people, time, family events or you just want to take advantage of life’s obstacles instead of fearing them, then you too can benefit from this book.
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September 9, 2009 by shishnit
Sometimes you are so excited for a book to be released that the actual reading of said book is a letdown. Or perhaps it’s that some authors are better short story authors than they are long novel writers? I cannot decide, but in the interest of being fair, I can only say that I didn’t care for this one nearly as much as I anticipated or hoped for. The build up was more exciting than the reading.
The main protagonist Tassie Keltjin is 20. While this book was touted as a “coming of age†I saw it more of a broaching adulthood book rather than a coming of age. Tassie goes off to college and lands a job as a babysitter. This job is working for a well knit together character, Sarah Brink. Some of the dialogue between Tassie and Sarah was so well written it made me wish I had written those sentences myself. Moore has a way with the written language. If you enjoy poetry, you’ll love the language contained within the walls of this novel. Tassies father is a potato farmer and some of the information given on this topic is fascinating, I did not know these detailed things about potatoes prior to reading this one.
One aspect of this book that is done well entails her job as a Nanny. If you are a Nanny, want to be a Nanny or just fancy hiring a Nanny, these scenes are worth the price of this one. And, if you are a true fan of Moore’s then you must read it, how can a true fan pass it up? However, if you’re not you might want to skip this one. I cannot lie about novels. They either are fantastic for me or they fall short. This one kept having brief spurts of brilliance and they kept me going. I’m not sorry I read it. I did expect it to be more about September 11th and the events and emotions that surrounded that event as it was advertised, but it was mentioned in a few sentences and then quickly abandoned. However, having said all of this Moore is a fantastic writer and her wit with the word often made me overlook this books drawbacks. She can spin a wonderful sentence.
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August 27, 2009 by shishnit
Red is a character that made me want to dye my hair red. She’s sweet but has had a past full of worthless men. Then enter her grandchildren and new boyfriend and they break through her rough exterior. Its a sweet story but not so sweet to make you roll your eyes or ever question anything. One thing I really adored about this book was the conversations. Many books are great but then the writer doesn’t know how to write realistic dialogue and then you’re left thinking “who talks liket this?â€Â This writer writes her characters conversaions seemlessly and very realistically.
I adored this one, absolutely adored it. Do you like books that are character driven, where the characters are fleshed out so well you can just imagine the person walking through your front door and speaking to you. Do you love the type of book that has great characters that you’ll never forget involved in realistic life events that put them to the task?Â
If you answered yes to all of the above, then you have to get this one. Red is forty “something†year old woman dating a much younger man in Cam. Cam is every women’s dream guy but this is not apparent to Red or you the reader at first. As pages turn and characters develop and life situations are written into the mix, you are hooked. This one kept me up two nights in a row as I smiled along with the story and nodded my proverbial head along with Red’s trials and tribulations. And Cam, who could ask for a guy with more patience? Not I say I.
Then there’s not just Red and Cam, there’s her grandchildren and they are interesting as well. In an ongoing series of emails that her granddaughter writes to her mother we get to know Olivia from her own perspective. This viewpoint into more than one character is fantastic.
Lastly, I’ve never been to San Antonio, the town this novel is set in, but now I want to go!
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August 27, 2009 by shishnit
Summer is a sweet girl you get to know through two womens diary style entries. I thought it was a great read, albeit a bit sad. Almost too sad. I think the focus got lost somewhere in the middle of this novel and while I trudged on, because I’m used to reading this style of writing because I spend hours reading blogs, if you don’t like short chapters (in the form of diary entries) this may be a consideration on whether or not you will like this one.
I am a mother and this one hit a bit too close to the mother bone within me. Thankfully my son is 16 and not 4 like the victim in this novel. The lost child. It’s tough to read at times.
While I would not call this a beach read, but I read it while sitting in on a teleconference between Tampa and Phoenix. That long 3 hour conference flew by because I was so thoroughly engaged in this novel. I look forward to more from this author. I wasn’t fully thrilled by this one, but it was able to entertain me.
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August 26, 2009 by shishnit
I’m pleased to announce that I am now a member of Amazon’s Vine program and will be cross-posting my book reviews for your reading pleasure. My reviews will remain honest, that’s the only way I can be regarding books I read.
Veronica is a character that feels all too real. I feel as though I could pick up my phone and call her up and discus her experiences with her. I realize I cannot do this but the line between reality and fiction is very blurry because Moriarty does such a fantastic job painting her life for me.  Veronica is in college, a pre-med student struggling with Chemistry. That’s all she should be worried about at her age. But then her mother screws up and her parents are headed for divorce. Before it’s all over her mother’s situation will turn the tables on Veronica, who is the child, to place her in a position of providing for her own mother.Â
The details of this story are so dead on. I’ve been in some of these situations and this author seems to have been as well, or she’s just a damn fine writer of real life scenario’s. Either way, she’s got largely likable characters sprinkled throughout this story. Save for one creepy dude with an even creepier disposition. But that guy balances out all the other nicer characters well. Another reviewer stated that this would make a good movie, and they are right. I could totally see this up on the movie screen. This book does a fine job of detailing what divorce does to the entire family and how even the worse events make us stronger, better, more aware of who we really are. I read this one in two day’s because I just couldn’t stop thinking about Veronica and her dog loving Mother and the nature of their interactions. I could also appreciate that these characters made mistakes, but then again don’t we all. This is not a “problem happens†and then “problem solved†story. It’s more of a life story. One that makes a lot of sense and touches on a lot of the harsh realities of life but does so with humour and the truth of humanity as well. I loved these characters and hated for this story to end. Â
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