By Edward de Bono300 page paperback reissued edition (2015). Published by HARPER PERRENIALISBN: 978-0-06-090325-1 I recently visited my parents in the Philippines. The year was 2020, and this was just at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. We were talking in their living room, my Dad pointed out a book by Edward de de Bono…
Developing Story Ideas
Developing Story Ideas: The Power and Purpose of Story Telling 3rd EditionBy Michael Rabiger288 pages printed in paperback. ISBN 978-1-138-95623-0Published by: Focal Press I was drawn to this book by the prospect of learning how to develop story ideas. It seemed like an excellent complement to the book I just finished reading “20 Master Plots”….
20 Master Plots and How To Build Them
20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias279 pages in paperback. Published by Writer’s Digest BOOKS ISBN 978-1-59963-537-8 As a “wanna-be-writer”, getting my hands around the concept of plot has been troublesome. What is a plot? Is it a summary of the story, a description of what the story is? How…
Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult455 pages printed on paperback, excluding the Readers’ Club Guide. Published by Washington Square Press. ISBN 978-0-7434-9673-5. All stories start slow. And Nineteen Minutes is no exception. I picked up this book from my daughter; she loves the author’s books. I was hesitant because the cover screamed “Female teen/tween romantic book”. But then, why…
The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver 564 paperback published by HARPERPERRENIAL ISBN 978-0-06-078650-2 My daughter has had a copy of The Poisonwood Bible since highschool, and I have never taken the time to even open it. On first glance, and reading the summary, this was not a book I would normally consider reading. My curiosity was picked when I…
THE DIABETES CODE
By Dr Jason Fung Paperback, 265 pages including 41 pages of endnotes. ISBN 978-1-77164-265-1 The author of The Diabetes Code, Dr. Jason Fung is a Nephrologist, Author and a leading expert in using intermittent fasting and low carb to treat obesity and type-2 diabetes. In this book, Dr. Fung makes an easy-to-understand argument why current…
Table Topics Ideas
What is Table Topics? A typical Toastmaster club meeting can be broken into two sections. The prepared speech where a member goes through a series of planned speeches. Then there is the Table Topics section. In the Table Topics section, each club member, and guests, volunteer and give a 1-2 minute impromptu speech. This is where…
HOW TO SET A FIRE AND WHY
By Jesse Ball283 pages in hard cover. Published by PANTHEON BOOKSISBN 978-1-101-87057-0 HOW TO SET A FIRE AND WHY. I assume that this book is one of those teen or early adult themed book that deals with the emotional and social issues they encounter. Setting fire to wood, paper is, admitted, one of those relaxing…
What’s Next?
I’ve received my CC certificate, now what? Well, I just attended a club meeting. The first in two months. It has been a busy two months with attending to visitors, going to Doctor’s appointments. Then there are the times you just feel lazy to attend. At the beginning of the meeting we had an election…
Competent Communicator Certificate
I finally became eligible for the Competent Communicator certificate. It took over 3 years, but it is done. I filed for the certificate, received it and promptly kept it in a file. No need to hang it out for display but I am attaching a copy of the certificate here. One argument for joining Toastmasters is…