Up: [[Efforts that Interest Me]] Created: 2022-06-01 Updated: 2022-07-31 **Note** - I read these in June and July of 2022 to look at structure when Joanne and I were considering a ‘year of’ style book about tarot. #### *MWF Seeking BFF: My yearlong search for a new best friend* Rachel Bertsche Couldn’t start, never mind get through, this book. An obsessive, navel gazing search for connection that felt like being around (an acquaintance who shall remain nameless) 24/7. 2011, Ballantine (Random House), 353 pages TOC — intro, Winter — Setups and Long-Lost acquaintances, Spring — taking out a want ad, Summer — clubs, classes and online friending, Fall - the art of the pickup. Acknowledgements, Friend-Dates: the needs, recommended reading Journalist, former editor at O, definitely for the young market #### *Year of No Clutter: A memoir* Eve O. Schaub Humour, sometimes forced, starting with this warning sign: “Reading, perusing, or glancing at this book may be disturbing or traumatic to those with fastidious constitutions, those with meticulous sensibilities, and/or Martha Stewart.” Combination of personal story with side trips into topics like hoarding, definition of clutter, objects as autobiography. Not organized according to time; a project that drags on and on and isn’t worked on consistently TOC written to emphasize humour — A Note from the Husband, Introduction, then 20 chapters with titles like Welcome to Hell, and Problem? What Problem? 20 chapters. 2017, Sourcebooks, 290 pages Calls herself a serial memoirist. Lives in Vermont with family and chickens #### *My Year with Eleanor: a memoir* Noelle Hancock Loses job as celebrity blogger, sees sign in coffee shop about doing one thing every day that scares you, takes a year off work and tries to reconnect with her lost self by following Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice. Does big things, like climbing Kilimanjaro, going into a shark cage, trapeze school, stand-up comedy, but also lots of small things. Has a psychologist, Dr. Bob, who provides lots of pithy advice about fear, worry and anxiety. Also seamlessly weaves in relevant bits of Eleanor’s fear experiences and has a quote from her as an epigraph for each chapter. No TOC, 15 chapters plus epilogue 2011, Harper Collins, 290 pages plus 1 page recommended reading about Eleanor Journalist, Manhattan, turning 30 at time of memoir #### *A Year to Live: How to live this year as if it were your last* Stephen Levine Elderly Buddhist who, after 20 years of helping people transition to death, decides he’s going to spend a year pretending it’s the last year of his life so that he can get right with all of the things he feels need to be resolved before a good death. The kinds of things he is talking about are mostly inner acceptance. It’s a small book. TOC, 39 chapters plus introduction and epilogue 1997, Crown a division of Random House, 168 pages plus a 7 page group practice of what to do in each month of a year Chapter titles are things like — Practice Dying, Fear of Dying, Fear of Death, The Moment of Death, The Act of Dying. Each chapter 5 or 6 pages. Had a best selling book titled ‘Who Dies?’ #### *The Year of Living Virtuously (Weekends Off): One Woman’s Search for Meaning in an Ordinary Life* Teresa Jordan Benjamin Franklin wanted to be perfect so he made a list of virtues and tried to live by them. Teresa Jordan said she wanted to do the same, although if she did it was on her blog, not in this book. In the book she has a short essay or meditation for each of the virtues. In each she talks minimally about Ben Franklin and she also tells interesting stories either about her own life or the life of someone known (Terry Waite) or unknown (a 97 year old friend). TOC with introduction and 45 chapters of virtues plus the seven deadly sins, 276 pages before acknowledgments, chapter based bibliography, permissions, index Chapter titles are things like — Silence (Making Space for Conversation) 2014, Counterpoint Press [Teresa Jordan](https://teresajordan.com) is both a writer and a visual artist. She has multiple published books that she has either written or edited. All are about the American West and ranch women. She also had an interesting project that inspires me to create something similar. Every day for an entire year during the pandemic, she either [drew or painted a bird](https://sketchbook.gallery). Watch this video again and explore the rest of Teresa’s work to fill the well. And consider that this might be a way to create pieces that will share my thoughts on life’s third act with others. #Aware <iframe width="716" height="403" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rdYsLSB3S3k" title="Birds of Praise" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> #### *All Roads Lead to Austen: A yearlong journey with Jane* Amy Elizabeth Smith College instructor of Austen books takes her sabbatical year to travel to six Latin American countries and have book club conversations with women in each country who are reading various Austen books in Spanish. I only read a chapter or so of this book. I’m not interested in Jane Austen nor in Latin American countries and her cutesy adventures in them petting iguanas or meeting the love of her life. TOC with Getting Started, Six chapters one for each country, the end and the beginning, reading group guide, acknowledgments. 361 pages plus a three page reading group guide which is questions per chapter. Chapter titles are things like Guatemala: Girls’ Night Out 2012, Sourcebooks Author is university teacher of writing and literature; lifetime member of Jane Austen Society; wrote scholarly articles but this is first travel writing #### *My Year of Running Dangerously: A dad, a daughter, and a ridiculous plan* Tom Foreman 51 year old CNN reporter, who was naturally gifted at running when he was young, but who hadn’t done it for decades, agrees to run a marathon with his college-age daughter in 16 weeks. He gets obsessed and in a single year does four half marathons, three full marathons, a 55-mile ultramarathon, and 2000 miles of training. No TOC, a prologue, 26 numbered chapters, and then a final chapter titled 26.2. Then acknowledgements. 271 pages before acknowledgements. 2015, Blue Rider Press which is a division of Penguin Random House Author is a big deal — Emmy winning journalist, anchor and reporter for CNN. Funny as all get out. A really good read with universal implications even though it’s about running which I have zero interest in doing! #### *The Year of Reading Dangerously: How fifty great books (and two not-so-great ones) saved my life* Andy Miller Former bookseller, now editor and writer decides to return to his lifelong love of reading instead of spending his time on the commuter train filling in Sudoko boxes. At first he’s only going to read until December, maybe a half-dozen books, but has caught the bug, keeps reading, quits his job to go freelance and write this book. No TOC, a prologue titled A Word of Explanation A pile of chapters divided across 3 or 4 sections. First section is of books he was going to read until the end of the year. I’m not sure how the other sections are determined and realize I don’t actually care. There’s an epilogue, acknowledgements, an appendix of the books he read (titled The List of Betterment),an appendix of the 100 books that influenced him the most in his life, an appendix of books he still intends to read, a bibliography, and book club questions. Everything is super funny, with loads of lengthy footnotes that are mostly humorous. He’s got images throughout, black and white, sometimes related to the book being discussed, sometimes weird things like skeletons to make one of his funny points. At times the humour gets a bit thick and at times the guy rambles a bit. I skimmed big chunks. 295 pages before endmatter, 322 with. 2014, Fourth Estate (imprint of HarperCollins), London. Author is British.