Dino’s Journal 📖

BookReview

The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra

Finished reading The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease — and the Statin-Free Plan that Will by Jonny Bowden, PH.D. and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. Here are my thoughts on what I think is a must-read book for everyone.


Why did I pick up this book?

My primary care physician was getting worried about my rising cholesterol numbers. She was worried enough that she wanted me to start taking statin medications to lower my cholesterol. I, on the other hand, was concerned about having to take said medications. And this was before I even knew of the scary side effects mentioned in the book. Also, I was getting frustrated at not being able to lower my cholesterol on my own, without having to take medications.

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An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington

Finished reading the book An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington a few weeks ago, here are my thoughts on it.

Why did I pick up this book?

This is the second book in the Licanius Trilogy. The first book ended in such a crazy cliffhanger that I couldn't not pick up this second book.


What did I like about this book?

It continues the story of Caeden, Davian and the rest of the crew. A good part of the second book is Caeden uncovering his memories of the past. At first it starts out slow, but once it picked up, I couldn't wait to read more of his flashbacks.

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Discipline Equals Freedom Front Finished reading the book Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink a few weeks ago, so I thought I'll share my thoughts on it.

Why did I pick up this book?

I cannot remember where I saw it. It could have been on the Good Books website, or a recommendation on Amazon. Either way, I found a link to the book and checked it out. The book seemed interesting as I've been trying to find ways to instill more discipline in myself. Specifically, discipline in my diet and exercise. I read a review that mentioned how Part 2 of the book focused on fitness and health. It also mentioned that the author gets up everyday at 4:30am to workout. And that he proves this by posting a photo on Instagram every morning. I checked out his Instagram account and it was true. So, I was like, I need to know how he does it every day. So, I bought the book.

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Finished reading the book A Little Book of Japanese Contentments: Ikigai, Forest Bathing, Wabi-sabi, and More by Erin Niimi Longhurst, Ryo Takemasa (Illustrator) a few weeks ago, so I thought I'll share my thoughts on it.

Why did I pick up this book?

I did not pick up this book on my own since it was a Christmas gift. That said, it was on my “to-read” list, which is how my sister figured out what to give me for Christmas.

I first saw this book while browsing at Barnes and Nobles. The word “Contentments” in the title caught my eye. I have been looking for books that can help me understand how to be happy with what I currently have, how to be content with the life I have. This book seemed to fit the bill, so I added it to my list. Plus, it is a beautiful book, what with its hardcover and full colored pages.

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Finished reading The Simple Path to Wealth a few days ago, so I thought I'll share my thoughts on it.

Why did I pick up this book? I don't exactly remember how I heard about JL Collins' book, but somehow I did and that lead me to reading the first few pages of his book. I liked what I read and decided to purchase the book. Before picking this up, I was looking for another book on personal finance that is mainly focused on getting out of debt. That wasn't exactly what this book focused on, but I liked it nonetheless.

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Finished reading this book this morning, so I thought I'll share my thoughts on it.

Why did I pick up this book? I was browsing for books at Target and saw this one with a big 30% off sticker on it. I was mainly looking for books about contentment. A book that can teach me how to be content and appreciate what I already have. When I saw this one I thought it might be an interesting read. I honestly did not think much of the book, but was pleasantly surprised once I started reading.

What did I like about this book? The lessons and principles that the author shares in this book are awesome. They all sound like common sense advice once you read it, however if it was that easy, everyone would be living their best life. It is not that easy and this book reminds you why and what you can do about it.

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Finished reading this book last night and I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.

Why did I pick up this book? Months ago, I was at the bookstore looking for An Echo of Things to Come and King of Thorns, but I couldn't find either of those two books. So I started looking for another one to buy. I've read Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October and really liked it, so I thought I'd get another one of his books. I'm also a fan of military themed novels so this was right up my alley.

What did I like about this book? Tom Clancy can describe scenes so well with his writing. The firefight at the start of the story for instance, was very descriptive. I could picture Jack Ryan going through the motions, as if I was watching a TV show or movie.

The investigative work of law enforcement personnel was also an interesting read. Years before I saw ballistics being used in CSI, Tom Clancy has already described the process in his book that was published in 1987.

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