Books!

One of my favorite loves----reading! I read several new books over the past month. One was THE NOTICER, by Andy Andrews. It "had" me from the cover. The quote on the front that read "This is the best book I have ever read in my life." just dared me to read it just to see if that could really be true. And, we could all use "a little perspective", or a new perspective at times in our lives. The writing is very clean and succinct and naturally leads one on to the next thought, page, or chapter. As the story progresses from the opening description of Jones, "just Jones", the reader is given a fresh outlook on seeing things with a different perspective than they may have had before. Jones, a seemingly itinerant person who knows everyone but whom everyone in town knows very little about appears at just the exact crucial time in different peoples lives. Through each interaction he has with the town's people we are shown how our perspective on life and how to lead it may be hindering our achievement of success and happiness. The situations he encounters and the people who are touched by Jones are all very believable. Jones always has great advice on how to make life better, from finding a life partner, keeping the one we have, getting a job, making friends, or figuring out what we want to do with our life. One of my favorite parts of the book is the one in which he explains the four dialects used to convey love. As a "self-help" book, it is far above any other that I have read. Jones imparts his knowledge by being a careful listener, a consummate "Noticer" and a skillful conversationalist. The author has created a wonderfully inspirational and intriguing way to make the messages flow. Throughout the book I often thought about parallels between Jones and Jesus but never felt that religion was a dominating issue. Spirituality maybe, but not religion. The book, for me, though, read more like a novel than a self help book, all the while presenting thoughtful, probing pointers on how to gain new perspectives. It was both an enjoyable and helpful read. The study guide at the back of the book would be very useful for group discussion but is also a good self study guide. It is a book that I will read again and refer back to when I feel "stuck" and need to change my perceptions and perspectives.