"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie

This is a classic read by a classic author. Although probably not as good as 'How to win friends and influence people' it is still a very useful book. The style of writing is a bit antiquated and it seems that 85% of the book are stories of different people, but the gist is there, and it is useful. The book is wonderfully organized, with chapter summaries and bullet points, which can be read in one breath when one wants to refresh his knowledge of the material.

I like Dales common sense advice, which might be obvious when read in a book, but it is very hard to remember when you are actually engrossed in worry. I also like very much his approach to religion and prayer, which he as a former atheist, doesn't see as a primarily religious duty and ritual, but more of a psychologically beneficial process where one can relinquish control over problems, in which case help often comes from the most unexpected places. Much of the moder worry habit comes from perfectionism and insistence on having control of all the circumstances in ones life, and constant pondering and worrying until one finds a solution, when the best way sometimes is to relinquish control, let go of the problem and admit that there is nothing one can do about it, and then, usually in a most amazing way, something comes along that helps the problem, solves it or makes it irrelevant. Whether this relinquishing of control should be done through belief in God and prayer, or through some other methods, is completely irrelevant, but the prayer has proven its positive psychological benefits for many centuries now.

The writing down of the worries might be an obvious thing to do today, and many psychologists recommend it as a way to organize the thoughts and separate the real concerns from the 'worry noise' in the head, but in the 1930s when Dale wrote this book must have been absolutely revolutionary. Recommendation for one hour nap in the afternoon of each day is probably one of the best ways to extend longevity, and has been long practiced on the Iberian peninsula under the name of Siesta. Not only the body and mind need rest mid-day, but by the very act of relaxing enough to fall asleep we reduce stress and induce a meditative state for stress relief and regeneration.

This is a wonderful book full of 'common sense' advice that is not common at all. The chapter summaries and bullet points should be re-read constantly and used to live by.

"Why Do I Love These People?" by Po Bronson

Since I read his other book I thought I should give it another chance and read this one as well. It was more entertaining than the first, although most reviewers said the first one looks like pulitzer material compared to this one. I was mostly attracted by the story of the woman who has near death experience which changed her life and made her a better person. This story is an outlier compared to the other stories of the book, and although I was not offended by his preaching that everyone should procreate, nor I thought that he has no credentials to preach parenting after only a few years of having a child, but I really did not get the significance of most stories in the book. Don't get me wrong they are nice stories, and nicely written, very sweet and cozy and leave you with a good feeling, but I really did not get anything life changing out of it.

If anything I was immensely grateful that Po did not do the reading on the audio book like on his previous book 'What should I do with my life' because his voice doesn't have the quality for the audio book narration, and sounds squeaky, paltry and distracting.

"What Should I Do with My Life?" by Po Bronson

I read this book an a recommendation of a friend who's opinion I value, however I was disappointed with its contents. The title is completely inappropriate for the book as it is more of a career change advice and examples than anything about the meaning of life itself. Many reviewers at amazon pointed out that the book is mostly concerned with over-privileged, over-educated, reasonably wealthy elite of the Bay Area and West Coast in general. I tend to somewhat agree with this opinion, although I don't want to downgrade their troubles, efforts and pains.

The book tells short bios of 55 people who have made more or less unconventional career change choices. I liked the story about the Harvard graduate turned catfish farmer. Most of the stories are fairly forgettable. I did not get much out of this book, both from advice and insight points of view. Many reviewers at amazon are right about saying that most of the people reviewed in the book never had any real troubles in life and did not have to take any big risks or make really hard choices.

The book is an entertaining read. The only distracting thing are Bronson's ramblings and musings about life, meaning, etc. where he overdoes it in driving some very obvious and common sense points home. One has to wonder about the quality of his spiritual and social life if such simple points impress him so much. Also I found the ever-present parallels he makes with his own life, and how things apply to him, distracting and plain annoying.

Other than that, a good, entertaining and forgettable book.