REVIEW: The Daring Female's Guide to Ecstatic Living

"The Daring Female's Guide to Ecstatic Living: 30 Dares for a More Gutsy and Fulfilling Life" by Natasha Kogan

I found this book while browsing in my local library, the other evening... hadn't ever heard of it, or the author. I hesitantly brought it home, fearing it would be "too much" for me.

Well, I couldn't put it down! There are 30 ideas for "Dares"... ways you can make your life more "gutsy and fulfilling". ;o)

Each "dare" is only a couple of pages long, and there are spots after each for you to journal your own ideas.

Mixed in with each of the dares, you learn about Ms. Kogan's personal story of how she "dared" to start her own publishing company with her husband. This adds to the "inspiration". ;o)

Some of the Dares I liked best were:

• dare to be the kind of person you dream of being


• dare to love your quirks and imperfections


• dare to NOT label yourself!


• dare to take life detours


• dare to UN-intimidate yourself

A Daring Female...

- does awesome, risky, outrageous, gutsy, unique, and creative things

- worries little about others' perceptions

- always stays true to her guts and instincts

- knows what she wants and has the guts to try and make it happen

Quote from page 163:

"There's no way of knowing where you'll end up every time you take on a new challenge or pursue a new opportunity. And that's the absolutely great thing about living a Daring Female life! It allows you to be surprised, to experience success as well as failure, and to learn something from each situation that guides your future choices and brings you closer to filling your life with things you care about and want to be doing."

I loved this book (obviously), and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a dose of "kick-in-the-butt" inspiration. ;o)

REVIEW: Hidden in Plain Sight

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: The Secret of More
by Mark Buchanan




Built on the Bible verse 2 Peter 1:1-9, Buchanan outlines the seven virtues listed by the apostle Peter, and then goes into depth explaining how they unlock the "secret of more" in our lives if we learn to have these qualities "in increasing measure".

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he's nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he as been cleansed from his past sins." - 2 Peter 1:1-9

I really soaked this book up. I've read this verse in the past, and had a sense of it's importance, but I never really went on with it from there. It got forgotten. But now I don't think I'll look at it the same way ever again! This book was just chock-full of quotes that I'm going to take away from it, and really mull over. ;o)

Some favorite quotes:

p.118 - "Learn to pray before you react..."

p.147-8 - "Real love loves us, not just as we are, but so that we can become what we are meant to be."

p.212 - "The only way from here to there is 'a long obedience in the same direction'. It's by making our acts intentional until they become habitual and instinctual."

Rated: B+