Daily Archives: July 3, 2013

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The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Finished reading this today.  I’ve been reading bits and pieces of it for the last 3 or 4 days.  Fascinating study of habits, controlling them and changing them.  The author presents a multitude of examples, everything from alcoholism to gambling and from the military to Starbucks.  For my purposes,  tackling some bad habits of my own, it was almost too much information.

For practical application, the Appendix contains a section called aptly enough:  A Reader’s Guide to Using These Ideas.  This is a very brief section that explains how to apply the research based methods to your own habits.  Great synopsis of the Cue, Routine, Reward model and guide to using it.

 

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The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

Finished this tonight.  I loved this book.  The character of Les was so believable and I could relate to her so well.  The other people in her world, Wes, Harlan, her children, all seemed like real people. They have flaws, hopes and dreams.  They exhibited change over time as they came to terms with their situations. Excellent characterizations.

The plot is that Les has been married for 30 years and has finally decided that she has had enough and needs to do something  for herself.  The story is told from her perspective and her husband’s.  There are current time visits to the marriage therapists and then reminiscences from Les and Wes’s life.

Wonderful story with themes of family, change, friendship, and love.  I will definitely read more by this author.