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Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
BATB score: 7/10 💊 Best to: know that Matthew Perry is no Chandler Bing; what we saw was perfect acting that everything is alright and that’s how addiction is epic scary because you never truly know what any of us is really going through BATB lingering thought: I really hope that Matthew Perry finds a glimpse of joy of being enough and gets to experience simple happiness in his retired years; you know how you are known for that one thing? even though you have done many thing


The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely
BATB score: 9/10 ⭐️ Reader disclaimer: BATB loves Dan Ariely #fangirl love his writing style, his quirky experiments, and his natural curiosity to the oddest things; so would a picture of flowers 🌸 or of eyeballs 👀 make you more honest? Like what? Best to: so how do we cheat without feeling too bad about cheating when not cheating at all is just stupid Best as: so the extent of cheating increases when you believe you are Robin Hood “we cheat because we are good people who c


The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
BATB score: 9/10 🙏 Best as: it’s a holocaust survivor’s memoir plus a self-help guide to happiness - a 2-in-1 combo! so this book does not end once he has escaped Auschwitz but continues on with how he doesn’t hate Hitler and how his biggest revenge is “to be the happiest man on earth” Best to: check out Eddie Jaku’s 11-minutes TedX Talk “A Holocaust survivor’s blueprint for happiness” it is pretty much what the whole book is about BATB lingering thought: so Eddie Jaku wrote


I Am Not Fine, Thanks by Wil Anderson
BATB score: 7/10 🤣 Likeas any stand-up comedy shows, really just for laughs. Best to: ah, so this is what Australian jokes are about - Apple Cider Vinegar Best for: knowing who Wil Anderson is helps make this book a little bit more humorous Best as: check out the audiobook read by Wil Anderson - it’s like watching his stand-up performance with your eyes closed; not bad I would have to say BATB lingering thought: this book cover though, so epic!


High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict's Double Life by Tiffany Jenkins
BATB score: 9/10 💉💊❤️🩹 Best to: wow wow wow what a story! I have never heard anything like this before and never would have been able to predict what would happen next; definitely a page turner! Best as: boy, I think about it every night and day. I’m addicted wanna drown inside your love. I wouldn’t wanna have it any other way, I’m addicted and I just can’t get enough Best for: you know how you still have a moral compass but yet things just spiraled for the worst? BATB li


While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector's Search for Freedom in America by Yeonmi Park
BATB score: 2/10 💔 please allow me to kill you with kindness Best to: the thing is, you had every right and all the merits to write your previous book “In Order to Live” [BATB score: 8/10] in sharing your personal account of life of and escape from North Korea; but then, you have low to zero merits to write this book “While Time Remains” in analyzing American culture and events from a point of view of an immigrant / new joiner Best as: or is this your academic thesis? Best f


I May Be Wrong: And Other Wisdoms From Life as a Forest Monk by Bjōrn Natthiko Lindeblad
BATB score: 10/10 🧘♀️ 🧘♂️ 🧘 Best to: a very approachable sharing of monk spirituality and life wisdom that will make you think Best as: an introduction to monkshood for the corporate rats written in a friendly mood and tone for the average joe Best for: you know how other spiritual book can be very wordy, redundant, and boring? This book is legit good not sleepy 💯 BATB lingering thought: what would have to be the key trigger for me to quit my corporate job, my high clim


Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
BATB score: 9/10 💚 Best for: almost a 10/10! It’s just that he wrote this book truly for himself to remember the past and to grateful for the future. “Can we live in a way where we look forward to looking back?” Nothing wrong with that. It’s just like I am that sneaky nosey neighbor reading this personal book of his. Best to: a very fun and casual read about the life of Matthew McConaughey Best as: for sure, Matthew McConaughey is extremely talented in acting and writing 💯


Seriously.. I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres
BATB score: 4/10 🫤 Ellen DeGeneres’ jokes are so predictable (since this book published in 2011).� Best as: let me break down Ellen’s joke structure - superficial topic about day-to-day stuff, tangent talk to other random thoughts that comes to mind, and ending by making no sense at all and making a fool out of herself; e.g. I love the Spice Girls. I love spices too. But not all spices. Some spice makes me sick. What was I talking about? The end. Best to: unfortunately it’s


ฉันไม่ใช้ผู้ใหญ่ ฉันแค่อายุ 30
BATB score: 8/10 💛 Best as: the most adorable gift you can give to anyone in their 30s; it’s about a typical thirties-year-old version of a mid-life crisis Best to: key takeaways - give less furck about work or quits 9 to 5, loves drinking still and will diet tomorrow, bff is pet cat/dog, learns to live happily alone while being jealous of everybody else 💯 Best for: could 30s be the new midlife? BATB lingering thought: fried chicken with beer is a global meaning of life ❤️


What My Bone Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
BATB score: 10/10 ❤️🩹 wow just wow. 👏👏👏 Best to: a very important read for our generation about complex-PTSD from our upbringings, to adulthood dark clouds, to cutting ties (the frown upon / non-asian way) to heal, to finding numerous alternative help, and just surviving day by day 🥹 Best for: anyone who resonates with this statement “the stress of not meeting their elders’ expectations in a culture where they have to please their elders is real” Best as: “the three P’s


It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End The Cycle
BATB score: 7/10 🥹 epic deep deep stuff about forgiving your mom and dad ❤️🩹 Best as: it’s a research textbook proposing, justifying, and dissecting the sole premise that “maybe the trauma we’re experiencing may not be ours but rather our parent’s, our grandparent’s, and/or our great-grandparent’s trauma (that is left unsolved)”. Best to: an extremely debatable premise that needs further research and exploration but definitely a great initial effort by Mark Wolynn 👏 [2016


The Half Known Life In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer
BATB score: 2/10 🙏🏻 oiiii such a waste of brain cells Best to: you know that one uncle who went solo travelling around the world with his retirement money, then came back to every family gathering and could not shut up about it? yeah, Pico Iyer is that uncle. Best as: "The struggle of your life is your paradise." - my struggle right now is uncle's travel diary BATB lingering thought: better to watch travel vlogs on YouTube; okay, thank you uncle for reminding all of us to t


Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life by Amy E. Herman
BATB score: 3/10 🙈 This book covers only one premise: pay attention to details / look objectively and carefully (that's about it) 👀 Best to: a thick-ass book with numerous examples repeating the same premise above; this whole book can be summarized into a one-pager or a 18-mins TedTalk BATB lingering thought: I hate the way this book is written. Reminds me of school where the teacher asks the class the extremely obvious annoying question "can anyone tell me what is in this


Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
BATB score: 6.6/10 🌸 I truly admire the effort in writing this comprehensive, thoroughly researched book, must have taken ages! kudos kudos 👏 Best to: this book is a great opening, pinpointing all the gender gaps and its implications, data-driven, fully-backed, completely-supported; yet, my only problem is that there are no next steps; what can I do? what difference can I make (other than being super aware - 300-pages of awareness)? Best for: iPhones are too heavy for women


The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller
BATB score: 6.6/10 👰♀️ oh my god! sorry, can not use god’s name in vain, oh my goodness! what is this book!?! Book is saying: A. “[…] know […] of the Spirit in your life, [and] you will have enough love ‘in the bank’ to be generous to your spouse even when you are not getting much affection or kindness at the moment” B. “Your spouse and your marriage must be the number one priority in your life.” C. “Sex is god’s appointed way for two people to reciprocally say to one anoth


Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
BATB score: 10/10 🧢 Best to: just be there and do nothing - rental person’s pro bono story with request like can you watch me work on lazy WFH, walk with me home on a bad day, sit with me at a cafe while I order a girly beverage of apple soda, listen to me and only say “aha”, watch me play on the swing, stand and wave at me at the marathon finish line, etc is so interesting! Best as: the human need for a new type of relationship that is in between strangers and friends; the


PAGEBOY by Elliot Page
BATB score: 2/10🧃 not all famous actors/actresses can be a worthwhile author - extremely non-captivating Best as: anger-inducing book due to 29 chapters of the same content over and over again; extremely monotone with the most boring, insignificant anecdotal stories that do nothing for the readers BATB lingering thought: so when you write a memoir at least it should be in chronological order from childhood to yesterday, include a few unseen pictures - photo book stuff, have


The Well-Lived Life: a 102-Year-Old Doctor's Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age by Dr Gladys McGarey
BATB score: 10/10 🥹 words of wisdom from a 102-years-old grandma about the meaning of life, joy, and love #sobeautiful p.s. she is still alive! now at 103-years-old living happily in Arizona; yes, I googled 👵 Best to: because being alive is not the same as truly living; truly six secrets to health and happiness at every age - crisp, clear, sincere, no further questions Best as: a grandma’s warm embrace and reminder that all is well with you and the world ❤️🩹 BATB lingerin


Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
BATB score: 7/10 💚💙 BATB reading level: advanced - strong discipline and determination required to finish reading this book Best to: know that there are three types of people: takers, matchers, and givers; “being a giver is not good for a 100-yard dash, but it’s valuable in a marathon” yet, we are all three / tri-polar depending on the circumstances Best as: better to just take the quiz https://adamgrant.net/quizzes/give-and-take-quiz/ , acknowledge that you are a selfish p
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