Book Reviews

I thought I'd take some time and share my thoughts on the books I've been reading. So here they are:

Leap of Faith
I started reading this book in September, about a month before I traveled to Jordan. I really enjoyed the perspective it gave me. It did feel a little bit like a piece put out by Jordan's Minister of Tourism and/or Information, but I didn't expect a queen to be critical of her people or nation. The neatest part about reading the book before and during my Jordan trip was seeing the things that she talks about in real life. There's a main road named after her brother-in-law, and the eco-tourism projects that she was instrumental in are up and running.

Type Talk
While in Jordan, our host had a book called Types at Work and is about how personality types function in the workplace. I read quite a bit while there, and wanted to follow up once I got home. On Tuesday I checked Type Talk out from the library and finished in a day (it was much of the same material as the authors' other book).

This book, and the whole idea of personality types, is fascinating. The authors use the Myers-Briggs personality indicators (or whatever it's called) as the basis for their work. I'm an ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging). It turns out only 25% of the population is Introverted, and only 33% of Thinkers are women. Lucky me.

All week I've been aware of how my personality influences my behaviors. The book's description of my type is disturbingly accurate; right down to my ability to act like and be mistaken for an Extravert (my Jordan host thought I was an E). It also described my roommate's personality - even as far as her occupation (nurse). It'd be fun for all of you readers to take a free online test and post your results as a comment! Test 1 or Test 2 (I like Test 2 better because it gives percentages)

Sixty-One Weeks
This is an unpublished manuscript by my friend, Joel (see link on right). It is very thought-provoking and I will be writing more about the thoughts provoked later. Here's the background: Joel travelled from Beijing to Istanbul in 61 weeks and wrote about it.

The Peacemaker
See my post called "Conflict and Resolution" for a review of this book.

Left to Tell
I read this for my book club. Even though I picked it, I wasn't terribly impressed. It felt a little simplistic and pedantic. Too bad, because the author's story is worth hearing.