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Rachel Smith

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Average rating: 5.0 · 5 ratings · 2 reviews · 1 distinct work

King of Kings: Portraits of a Prince

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings

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The Art of Stopping Time: Practical Mindfulness for Busy People

by Pedram Shojai OMD

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Rachel Smith said: " Disclaimer: I didn't finish this book.

As someone with executive function struggles who is helped by guided meditations, I was expecting from the title that this book would have similar benefits. I also expected that its suggestions would be achievabl Disclaimer: I didn't finish this book.

As someone with executive function struggles who is helped by guided meditations, I was expecting from the title that this book would have similar benefits. I also expected that its suggestions would be achievable for busy people.

The book is split up into 100 daily readings; perhaps a bit of a challenge for a busy reader, but not that out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that each daily reading contains a task or chore, and each prompt is either:
* a task that takes extensive time to complete
(list each demand in your life and pick only 5-10 which you'll keep doing; plan, and then go on, a week long vacation; list all the self care you want to be doing and add it all to your schedule),
* a task that doing only once would have very limited benefits
(sit outside and do some deep breathing, smell your food for 20 seconds before eating it, notice when you're feeling anxious and follow this list of steps), or
* a task which the author explicitly instructs you to repeat daily
(pick a 30-60 minute time slot EVERY MORNING *AND* EVERY AFTERNOON in which to respond to emails).
As you're probably imagining, the demands stack pretty quickly. Many of them require significant financial resources. Some of them, if all perfectly followed, conflict with each other. The reader is also expected to remember and complete all of these accumulating tasks repeatedly with no assistance; the book contains no reminders or check-ins.

It's possible I'm simply not the target audience for this book; that it's meant only for readers with great memories, strong willpower, and perfect focus. But someone that gifted would likely have figured out and implemented much of this book already. The author seems blissfully unaware of how dysfunctional many of his readers are likely to be, and has instead directed his advice to people who are doing quite well for themselves and simply want to fine tune things. Most people who are desperate for this book's help are not going to be able to go to a park and do a set of pushups, sprinting, and then 50 jumping jacks (yes, 50) SEVERAL TIMES on a given day just because an author told them to. In spite of the approachable title, the author seems completely out of touch with how swamped many people are, and how further overwhelmed they will become after only a few days of following his suggestions - let alone all 100 of them.

In short, this book is not, in my opinion, "practical mindfulness for busy people". It is an intense 100-day spiritual retreat in book form that, if you actually follow all its advice, will monopolize the rest of your life. I cannot imagine having the arrogance this author seems to possess, to propose dominating someone else's time so completely under the premise of a little "practical mindfulness". ...more "

Aug 20, 2023 01:22PM · see review

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Rachel Smith and 6 other people liked Kaitlyn Hermansen's review of You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight: "The first 60% of this book was great- I thought it was fun and scary and seemed to be setting up a really good story. And then the plot twist happens. And things get weird. And stupid. The plot that this was setting up is not what you get- and this w" Read more of this review »
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I really wanted to like this book. And for the first half, I did, which is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one. It's possible I'm simply not the target audience or that I'm missing something, but I feel this book has an intense tonal problem. T ...more
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Rachel Smith rated a book it was amazing Don't they know it's the end of the world by Ehud Lavski (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Rachel Smith rated a book it was amazing Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth by Daniel Kibblesmith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Unexpectedly earnest and heartwarming.
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Rachel Smith rated a book really liked it As I Enfold You in Petals (The Spirit of Denendeh, Volume 2) by Richard Van Camp (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I checked this out from the library without realizing it was the second volume of the series, but still enjoyed it. I especially appreciated how coherent the plot was and how visually distinct the characters were so I didn't mix any of them up, as ma ...more
Mar 14, 2024 02:27PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of As I Enfold You in Petals by Richard Van Camp. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — As I Enfold You in Petals by Richard Van Camp <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">