Autumn is in the Air... and a Book Review

There is something different this year, the year of 2012, than any other year of my entire life.  Every year, with the closing and farewell of August I have felt sorrow.  I've always loved the long summer days and warm evenings.  The road trips and multitudes of hikes.  The picnics and fireworks and all things summer.  However, the past couple of weeks while I've been prepping myself to not get depressed with the end of summer something bizarre has occurred...I've kind of been looking forward to it.  What?  Does this mean I'm getting old?  It could have to do with the fact that our swamp cooler cuts out when temperatures rise above 95 degrees.  Since we've had triple digits at least a dozen times this year, our house has been mighty toasty some evenings.  Or perhaps while I've been on some adventures this summer, I have a few more up my sleeve before a blanket of snow smothers us for months at a time here in Utah.  Upcoming adventures always do get me excited.  Or maybe it is because my fall decorations are way cuter than my summer decorations, which are lacking.  I was practically skipping through the house adding pumpkins and fake fall leaves in abundance to table tops and shelves.  Here a couple pictures to show the transformation of fall indoors.

The shelves in the kitchen. I think the stuffed scarecrow
 is my favorite.

The entryway and fireplace.

So, I guess, welcome Autumn.  It is pleasant to see you again...

Also, I recently read the book Outliers:  The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.  For someone like myself who loves random studies, this book is a dream.  It has multiple studies and stories concerning success, which I found extremely intriguing.  Gladwell debates that the common success story of someone rising from rags to riches because of their amazing talent really just isn't true. There are more factors than that.  This book is a bit of a double-edged sword.  There are some aspects that are encouraging for those (which I would think is almost all of us) who would like to be successful.  For example, Gladwell discusses a study that claims it takes 10,000 hours of work and practice to become and expert at something.  Therefore, anyone can be successful if they put 10,000 hours of hard work into something.  Also, he points out IQ or even amazing talent isn't necessarily everything.  The ability to communicate, persuade and get along with people actually has a lot more to do with your chances of becoming super successful. 

However, the discouraging side is, well, money matters.  Those in the higher lifestyle brackets, they tend to get more opportunities at a younger age.  Since they don't have to worry about survival, unlike their lower income classmates, they have more time and means to put towards a talent and ability.  Also, Gladwell discusses a lot about culture and your heritage.  His claim is what your great, great grandparents did can and will effect your chances at success.  Opportunities and abilities are dictated by the past, depending on your ancestors decisions.  He also mentions that really, there is such thing as just getting lucky, when other deserving individuals just aren't.

I wouldn't say this book was mind blowing or anything.  I don't feel like it was shared any big secrets I've been missing all my life.  It was also a little repetitive at times; however, I still found it really interesting.  It was a fun read and does give you something to think about.

Jan's Rating:




I should also mentioned I started reading Enchantment:  The Life of Audrey Hepburn by Donald Spoto.  The beginning was interesting and sad.  Audrey lived during the WWII in Holland when the Nazis had occupied her homeland.  As a teenager, she was part of the underground Dutch resistance.  She would carry messages to different members of the resistance, which was extremely dangerous and perform as a ballerina to raise money for the resistance.  She also shares how she almost starved to death during the war.  The story of her youth and how she got into show business was fascinating.  However, the author put Hepburn up on a pedestal too much.  If a movie she was in failed, it was always the director's or costar's fault.  If she had an affair, it was her husband's fault.  I like Audrey and all, but she is no where near perfect.  It felt a disservice to her, because without meaning to the author constantly put Hepburn as the victim.  Plus, there was way too much detail I didn't care to know.  I don't care what type of make up had to be used when filming Roman Holiday.  It became too much for me, so I stopped reading halfway through.