Book 18: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard

Why do some changes "stick" and some don't? This book aims to explain that.

Chip and Dan Heath use a memorable metaphor to explain what it's like to make a change in one's personal life or in an organization's behavior. The authors elaborate on their metaphor (riding an elephant) in three ways: examining the rider, the elephant, and the path that the elephant is on. In real life, those elements overlap somewhat, so the metaphor is not so tidy, and I sometimes found myself wondering which element a particular section was discussing.

Though not perfect, it was definitely worth reading, and I've thought about riding an elephant as I've thought about change.

Book 6: My Year with Eleanor

I am done with the yearlong project books. That's it. I'm not reading any more of them.

However, since I'm writing this blog post several months after finishing this book, I know that I have just told you a big fat lie.

It's not that this is a bad book; it actually was pretty interesting. But I'm weary of the trope.

Book 69: Alone Together

This was a fascinating exploration of robots (I know, that sounds kind of silly) and networks and how they affect us.



I don't encounter very many robots in my day-to-day existence, particularly not those that are trying to appear human. But the author describes a robotic baby seal named Paro that is being marketed to nursing homes as a companion for the elderly. Other robotic toys like My Real Baby have been used in similar situations. The author expresses some concern that we are shortchanging ourselves and our elders by thinking we are actually having relationships with robots. One of the most enlightening quotes in this section comes from a child who says of these robotic companions, "Don't we have people for these jobs?" (Well, yes, we probably do, Susie, but we don't value those jobs enough to pay people very well for them, and they are generally overworked and quite low status. So Grandma will have to talk to a cute robotic seal instead of having a relationship with a reasonably-paid, not-overworked human caregiver.)

The more interesting section of the book was the second, about networking and social media and how we use it to mediate our relationships. This I can (sadly) relate to: we have many superficial relationships that we tune into and out of as it is convenient for us.

Book 60: Feeling Good

I officially started this book almost a year ago, though I had really started reading it many, many years ago. I am glad to have actually finished it!



This is a great book--a very accessible and user-friendly explanation of cognitive behavioral therapy.