Weekly Round-Up 7/14

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty plus All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior. I'm listening to Chronicles of the Red King: The Stones of Ravenglass by Jenny Nimmo, read by John Keating.

Last week I reviewed The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo and Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene.

This week on Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose, narrated by Channie Waites (Brilliance Audio) and While the World Watched by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George, narrated by Felicia Bullock (Oasis Audio). Downloads are free till Wednesday.
Thursday the new downloads are The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Recorded Books) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by David Timson (Naxos AudioBooks).

The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

Confidence. We want it. We need it. But it can be maddeningly enigmatic and out of reach. The authors of the New York Times bestseller Womenomics deconstruct this essential, elusive, and misunderstood quality and offer a blueprint for bringing more of it into our lives.

Is confidence hardwired into the DNA of a lucky few—or can anyone learn it? Is it best expressed by bravado, or is there another way to show confidence? Which is more important: confidence or competence? Why do so many women, even the most successful, struggle with feelings of self-doubt? Is there a secret to channeling our inner confidence?

In The Confidence Code, journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman travel to the frontiers of neuroscience on a hunt for the confidence gene and reveal surprising new research on its roots in our brains. They visit the world's leading psychologists who explain how we can all chose to become more confident simply by taking action and courting risk, and how those actions change our physical wiring. They interview women leaders from the worlds of politics, sports, the military, and the arts to learn how they have tapped into this elemental resource. They examine how a lack of confidence impacts our leadership, success, and fulfillment.

Ultimately, they argue, while confidence is partly influenced by genetics, it is not a fixed psychological state. That's the good news. You won't discover it by thinking positive thoughts or by telling yourself (or your children) that you are perfect as you are. You also won't find it by simply squaring your shoulders and faking it. But it does require a choice: less people pleasing and perfectionism and more action, risk taking, and fast failure.

Inspiring, insightful, and persuasive, The Confidence Code shows that by acting on our best instincts and by daring to be authentic, women can feel the transformative power of a life on confidence.

The Stones of Ravenglass by Jenny Nimmo (Chronicles of the Red King #2), read by John Keating

The second book in NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Jenny Nimmo's new series chronicling the origin and the adventures of Charlie Bone's magical ancestor, the Red King!
Timoken, a magician king, has found a new home in a castle in Britain. But when an evil steward takes control of the castle, he imprisons Timoken and wreaks havoc on surrounding villages. With the help of Gabar, the talking camel, Timoken escapes and embarks on a quest to find and rescue his friends, and build himself a kingdom to call home for good.
In this brand-new series, bestselling author Jenny Nimmo takes readers on an extraordinary quest with one of her most powerful and mysterious characters, the one who started it all for Charlie Bone.