Books Read in March 2019

B”H

March reading hasn’t been as exciting as February. In fact, it has been more of a choppy month. I’ve jumped around a few books, which is unusual for me. Even though I have yet to finish any of them, I was at the bookstore in Brooklyn, New York about to purchase three books! I bought books for my kids, but surely I will end up bring something home for myself. In the mean time, here are the books that I have been working on over the month of March.

1- The Ultimate Jew by Professor Herman Branover

I get it. I better finish it already. 🤦‍♀️I hope to report next month that indeed I finished it and tell you what I thought.

2- Make Money Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever by Jean Chatzky

Ok so the reason I ended up grabbing this book is because I was decluttering my house, and part of that process involved selling books at the second hand bookstore (I don’t keep every book I read!). When I’m there handing over books, I always browse the personal finance section (and Interior Design section, btw!) and see if they have something interesting. I knew that Jean’s new book was about to come out, and that I wanted to read it. So, when I saw one of her previous books on the shelf (which I hadn’t read), I grabbed it and used my store credit to pay for it.

Make Money Not Excuses is a bit dated, in terms of “hey, we’re not using Blackberries and we ALL do electronic banking by now.” But, the principles in the book are not dated at all. However, I didn’t finish it.  I left to New York and I felt like I only have a few pages left so it wasn’t worth shlepping. Plus, to be honest, I don’t feel like I need to finish the book because thank G-d I already implement much of what Jean presents in the book. I wish I had read it ten or fifteen years ago, though!  But, hey, since I enjoyed what I read of it, I might go ahead and read her new book, which just came out: Women With Money: The Judgement Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life that You Deserve. Hey, maybe I should bring Jean in for an interview at Jewish Latin Princess Podcast. That would be fun!

3- The Guilded Cage: Queen Esther’s Untold Story (Purim) by Sorele Brownstein

Instead of bringing Make Money Not Excuses on my trip, I brought this lovely book, which my friend lent me right after Purim. It’s a nice enjoyable read based on many of the Midrashim and Torah Commentaries on Megillat Esther. I should be done with it by now but I’ve been so busy in New York and getting to bed so late that I’m only halfway through the book. But, I’m definitely enjoying it.

4- Tapping into Wealth: How Emotional Freedom Techniques Can Help You Clear the Path to Making More Money by Margaret M. Lynch

Are you familiar with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Tapping? I was even before I picked up this book. But here’s the story with this book. I got it months ago because was very intrigued by the combination of EFT and Personal Finance. But, I never finished it. I got kind of bored of doing EFT by myself and so I kind of gave up on it. Plus, because I was reading without implementing the tapping exercises, it felt kind of silly to keep reading. A friend had even asked me if we would do it together and we never really followed through. But, I had heard that one of the most effective ways to do EFT is with a coach. And I get it. It’s kind of hard to do by yourself.

So, when Certified Financial Planner and Money Coach, Debbie Sassen, started getting training in EFT, I began to pay attention. (She was my guest on Jewish Latin Princess Podcast Episode 33 and Episode 8.) When Debbie offered EFT sessions with her, I signed up and I absolutely LOVED it! After that session I was able to better understand the impact of EFT because I actually felt it – unlike the times when I had done EFT by myself. So, I decided to start reading the book again. And I have to say that for some reason I have been doing the exercises with a lot more effectiveness. Whatever it is, this time around I’m totally into the book and I’m enjoying just going through the exercises and the reading at a slow pace. I still think that EFT can be more effective if done with a coach, but this book can be really helpful. Definitely enjoying it and benefiting more from it this time around!

5- In G-d We Trust: A Handbook of Values for Americans

I picked up this book at my friend’s house one Shabbat afternoon and I was really enjoying it. I should have borrowed it! This only means that now I have to pick it up here in New York because I kind of don’t want to wait till I go back to Houston to get my hands on it again, although my friend won’t mind if I borrow it then. Not sure why I hadn’t read this before, but I’m glad I found it on her bookcase!

So, there you go, a total mishmash of unfinished books, but hey, at least I’ve been reading, right?

Also, my Podcast guest this week, Adina Soclof, just published her first book, Parenting Simply, which I just spotted at the bookstore here in Brooklyn! So happy for her! Guess it’s coming back home with me too! :-)

What about you? Anything interesting?

Have a beautiful week!

Related Posts:

Books Read in February 2019

Books Read in January 2018