The Coffee Bean by Jon Gordon and Damon West

The Coffee Bean by Jon Gordon and Damon West is an uplifting little book written to light a fire in those people seeking positive change in their lives.
The book deals with one boy's story and how a fable about a carrot, an egg and a coffee bean are placed in boiling water and how the result changes his outlook for life. His end result shows us how to approach our own lives and make them better. Needless to say, based on the title, the coffee bean approach is the way to go.
Earlier when I said this is a little book, that was no exaggeration. Small in stature and page count, The Coffee Bean is about a 15 to 30 minute read depending on how much of a speed reader you are. There are also a lot of illustrations that help in moving you along through the tale.
If you read Amazon, and other reviews, don't let the negative ones steer you away from this book. Some people feel The Coffee Bean is too light of a read and doesn't address the subject in enough seriousness and detail.  To me, that is why the book works. A simple fable that can be read by all ages, can then be applied to the lives of all ages of people. How you make the story work for you is the magic of it. The beauty of it is the tale is not technical, but easy to grasp and live by.
A lot of Jon Gordon fans were also mad this book cost $17 dollars and went by so fast. Now it is priced around $7, but don't forget, you can check it out free from your Pella Public Library. See what The Coffee Bean can do for you.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

This was one of my favorite books that I read in 2019.  Gottlieb is a therapist who decides to go to therapy herself after her boyfriend breaks up with her (when she was expecting a proposal).  She chooses Wendell, a cardigan wearing older man whose therapy techniques are sometimes unconventional.

     While Gottlieb is sharing her therapy journey with us, she also shares stories about some of her patients: the newlywed diagnosed with terminal cancer, a seemingly self absorbed TV producer, a single woman threatening suicide on her birthday, and a young woman who is attracted to the wrong men again and again.  Lori begins to realize that the problems that she can see in her patients are the same ones that Wendell sees in her, although she didn’t see them in herself. 

     The general insights she shares about therapy and therapists are interesting, and I came to care about the patients she was describing.  And I was reminded that you don’t know what “that abrasive person” is going through.  Yes, maybe that’s just their personality, but maybe they are deeply hurting.  Like I said, one of my favorite books last year.   5 Stars!