The PMA Method, 14 Days to a Stronger, Healthier, Happier You by Faisal Abdalla

The PMA Method, 14 Days to a Stronger, Healthier, Happier You

Faisal Abdalla

I think I must have picked this up from a thrift store. I am always looking for new workouts and recipes, so why not? This trainer bases his wellness around the idea of Positive Mental Attitude, and I can agree with that. Retraining your mind to think positively, to find the positive in negative situations and do away with negativity as a default setting can definitely make a huge impact to your emotional, mental, and physical health. 

Faisal provides 12 different workout programs, or two weeks worth, taking you step by step with photos and instructions so you know how to do each exercise. He also provides 50 recipes for healthy eating.

Unfortunately for me, his cooking style is just not my cup of tea and I won't eat the recipes he has included. 

His workouts look pretty good, but with my foot problems and also arthritis in my feet, many of these HIIT exercises just are a no go for me. If I do them, and I am not saying I can't, but I will either be unable to walk without pain, or my hands will be in excruciating pain for weeks. I have just gotten to a point where they don't hurt all the time, scaling back on certain types of exercise, and I dread that pain. So this book, I think would be great for someone without those physical issues, I just know my body and I have to do other things for my workouts.

This one is going into my Little Free Library.

 

On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership, Alison Levine

On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership

Alison Levine

One morning I was at the gym working out, listening to podcasts while I keep busy. I was listening to The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes, and his guest was Alison Levine, who has completed the Adventure Grand Slam, which includes climbing to the top of the highest peak on each of the continents, and including Mount Everest. She was sharing her stories from her adventures and how they correlate to leadership and teamwork. I think this was one of the best podcast episodes I have ever listened to. Each story was fascinating to listen to, and how she brought a lesson out of each one that can be applied in life and leadership, was amazing and eye opening. So of course I had to go home and look up her book and order it, and I am glad I did.

Whether or not you are in any kind of leadership or management, this book is a great read and can be applied to life, if you are a parent, a volunteer, or just have to work or live with other people, which is most of us. She blends storytelling and lessons so expertly, that they will stick in your mind for a long time after you read them. 

 

Images of America: Historic Baker City, Baker County Friends of the Library

Images of America: Historic Baker City, Oregon

Baker County Friends of the Library

I have been collecting locally-written books about Baker City and Baker County, where I live. I have a project I hope to start on soon based on Baker's history, so I am reading these as research. This particular book was produced about 20 years ago by the Baker County Friends of the Library and starts out with how the library was formed, and the different changes and locations of the library over the decades. It then shows many photos of the beginnings of Baker City and its buildings, along with current, or 20 years ago current views of the buildings and locations. It also gives a little history on areas outside Baker City, such as Sumpter, Auburn, Halfway, Richland, etc.

I think this is a good book to start with if you want an overview of Baker's history and buildings. I am thankful for the group of people in Baker dedicated to preserving our history.

 

The Little White House, by Odille Ousley and David H. Russell

The Little White House, by Odille Ousley and David H. Russell

If you have followed my blog for long, you will know that I really like vintage primers and readers, especially the "Dick and Jane" types. This one, The Little White House, was printed in 1953 by Ginn and Company, and was illustrated by Ruth Steed and Ellen Segner.

This book is full of easy to read stories about siblings Tom, Betty, and Susan, their parents, their dog and cat, and also extended family that live out on a farm. We learn about their house, their pony, visits to the toy store, birthdays, and much more. I just love the illustrations in this book, very appropriate for the time period in which it was published, and lovely use of colors. This one will be going into my collection.

 

Apprentice to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Apprentice to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This is the second book in this series, the first being Assistant to the Villain, which is about a young woman who finds herself in the employment of a dashing villain, who may not be as evil as he lets on. This book picks up where the last one left off, with Evie, the assistant, going to rescue Trystan from the clutches of King Benedict, and we learn more about his wicked plans for the magical country of Rennedawn. 

We also get a deeper look into Evie's family members, as well as the uptight secretary to the villain, Becky, which I enjoyed getting to learn more about what made her the way she is.

This book was a fun one to read. I did notice the F word being used quite a bit more in this one, I don't really remember it as much as the last one. Just something I noticed...

This book is one my daughter got for Christmas, and she loaned it to me along with the Villain bookmark. I was really excited to find a bunch of Assistant to the Villain merchandise for sale at Barnes and Noble over the Christmas season...so of course I had to get it for her!

The third book, at the time I write this review, has just been written and is not yet published, but I have heard it will be called Accomplice to the Villain. I can't wait! 

 

The Interior, Lisa See

The Interior, Lisa See

This is the second book in the Red Princess Mystery series, about Liu Hulan, a Chinese investigator in 1990s China. This book deals with murders, coverups, American corporations outsourcing to China and sweatshop conditions, using sex as a means to get what one wants, land grabs, and betrayal. 

Liu Hulan receives a call from an old friend who lives out in the country on a farm, she knew her in their young Communist days. But this friend's daughter was murdered and called a suicide. She was pregnant, and she also had some interesting information that could incriminate the American company she worked for. 

Meanwhile, Liu's American boyfriend, David, a lawyer in the States, receives a new job and upon digging into his first case, calls upon an old friend, also a lawyer, for some information. His friend is killed in front of him, and he narrowly escapes death. David is sent to China, and it is discovered that there are ties between the two murders. Hulan and David both look into it, while also trying to protect client privacy, which makes things even more difficult. Both of them are put in danger as they get closer to revealing the truth about each case and the way they intertwine.

Lisa See is one of my favorite authors right now. I am really fascinated with Asian cultures and learning about them in story form. I appreciate the lengths she has gone to in order to make a great story and let us peek into the culture of another way of life.

 

Books I have Read in 2025

The Great Wide Somewhere, altered art oil painting by me

prints available in my Etsy shop, AmyVanGaasbeckArtist

I thought I was doing alright with reading last year, then the last couple months all reading came to a halt, as we were working (still are) on renovating a room in our house, and I also started working on a mural for a local museum, which between those things and a portrait commission, have been taking a good chunk of time. So new year, time to start over again.

JANUARY:

The Interior, Lisa See

Apprentice to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

The Little White House, Odille Ousley and David H. Russell

Images of America: Historic Baker City, Baker County Friends of the Library

On the Edge, The Art of High Impact Leadership, Alison Levine

FEBRUARY

The PMA Method, Faisal Abdalla

The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan

Historic Baker City Walking Driving Tour, Historic Baker City, Inc.

Peter's Family, Paul Hanna, and Genevieve Anderson

Historic Homes of Baker City, Volume 1 The Baker's Dozen, Crossroads and HBC

MARCH

Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah

APRIL

1984, George Orwell

SEPTEMBER

Sons, Pearl S. Buck