Category Archives: Writing

An Honest Review of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

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We live in a world that practically runs on hyper-criticism. If we aren’t judging someone else’s choices on a screen, we’re usually doing a number on ourselves for not being productive enough, calm enough, or successful enough. Recently, I’ve been reading many books about Buddhism, and they’ve been resonating with me. When I heard about the concept of lovingkindness, I knew I wanted to get a copy of Sharon Salzberg’s Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness because many consider it the best book on the topic ever written.

The term lovingkindness can sound a bit soft, maybe even passive, in a world that feels like it requires a harder edge just to get through the day. But within the first two chapters, you’ll realize it’s not. Salzberg isn’t teaching passive sentimentality; she’s teaching a psychological martial art.

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The Beautiful Paradox of Being Absolutely Nothing (and Everything All at Once)

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Have you ever stood outside on a completely clear night, looked up at a sky thick with stars, and felt yourself shrink?

It’s that distinct, dizzying sensation of realizing just how microscopic we are. In the grand timeline of the universe, our entire lives are less than a blink. Our daily anxieties, our unanswered emails, our minor embarrassments—they don’t even register on the cosmic scale.

It can feel a little cold at first. But if you sit with it, it actually feels like a massive exhale.

There is a gorgeous quote by the mid-century spiritual teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj that captures this exact tension perfectly:

“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. Between the two, my life flows.”

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The Gordian Knot Review: Gritty, Authentic Crime Fiction

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As a massive fan of procedural crime fiction, psychological thrillers, and gritty detective stories, I’m always on the lookout for something that feels authentic. I stumbled upon The Gordian Knot by David O. Thomas, and let me tell you—if you love True Detective, Mindhunter, or old-school crime procedurals, you need to add this to your reading list immediately.

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The Million-View Milestone: 14 Years of Global Perspectives

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Fourteen years, 145 countries, and now, over one million views. If you told me back in 2012 when I launched this site that it would eventually cross the one-million mark and reach readers all over the globe, I’m not sure I would have believed you. But here we are. This month marks the 14th anniversary of this website, and hitting these milestones at the exact same time has me feeling incredibly grateful—and a little reflective.

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Shifting Focus From Career Titles to Family Relationships

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Every now and then, you revisit a book you read decades ago and realize that while the words on the page haven’t changed, you completely have. That was exactly my experience picking up Arlie Hochschild’s classic text, The Second Shift.

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Look, If You Love a Good Thriller, You Need to Put This on Your Radar Immediately

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I’ll admit, when I first saw that James Patterson had a new one out, I figured I knew exactly what I was getting: short chapters, plenty of cliffhangers, and a fast weekend read. But Rocket’s Red Glare hits totally differently, and a huge part of that comes down to who he wrote it with.

Patterson teamed up with Matt Eversmann—the retired Army Sergeant Major whose real-life actions in Somalia were the basis for Black Hawk Down. When you pair a master of suspense with a guy who actually knows what it feels like to lead elite operators under heavy fire, the result is an absolute powerhouse of a book.

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Turning Lemons into Lemonade: A Review of Dr. Akinyemi’s New Autobiography

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If you are looking for an inspiring, deeply personal read that will completely reframe how you view the challenges of growing older, Dr. John Ayoola Akinyemi’s autobiography, PRAISE THE LORD, I AM 84 YEARS “YOUNG,” is a must-read. This heartwarming memoir chronicles an incredible journey spanning over eight decades, tracing the author’s path from a disciplined Christian upbringing in Abeokuta, Nigeria, to his arrival in the United States in 1963 as a young college student navigating profound culture shock.

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Fighting the Freezing North in Challenge of the Ice

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Every now and then, you pick up an adventure memoir that makes you want to pack a bag and head into the wild—or, conversely, curl up even tighter under your blanket and thank your lucky stars you’re safe at home. Fred Nelson’s Challenge of the Ice: A Canoeing Adventure in the Wilderness of Northern Canada manages to do both at the exact same time. If you are a fan of raw, unvarnished wilderness survival stories, this indie release belongs on your radar.

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From Martial Arts to Mindfulness: Inside Jet Li’s New Memoir

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I had been looking forward to Jet Li’s new memoir, Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom, for months, and I can confidently say it did not disappoint. In fact, it completely exceeded my expectations. I consume a substantial amount of literature each year, regularly shifting between graphic novels, thrillers, and other biographies, but this stands out as one of the greatest books I have ever read.

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26 Beauties by James Patterson: Initial Thoughts on the New Thriller

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Right now, I am in the middle of James Patterson’s latest release, 26 Beauties—the twenty-sixth installment in the Women’s Murder Club series—and I am really enjoying it. The trademark pacing makes it incredibly difficult to set aside.

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