I don’t often sign up for a WOW-Women-on-Writing book blog tour. Not because I don’t read much but because I do read so much that’s work-related, whether it’s mentor texts or books on the writing craft or blog posts or newsletters or webinars—whew! It’s all focused, intentional reading and sometimes, it makes my head hurt. So my non-work reading is rest for my weary mind, usually pure entertainment or meditative. Honestly, those books have to earn their place in the limited space of my brain.
Then I saw Walk Your Way to Better by Joyce Shulman and it called to me. And here is what it said, “You’re already walking and you’re all for being better so here’s a book you need to take the time to read.” And so I read and contemplated as I walked; I made some notes, too. But I must confess that I haven’t finished this book yet. And I think Joyce would be fine with that because this is not the kind of book you speed read; this is a book where you read and walk and think and journal. Maybe you skip one of the 99 walks that doesn’t pertain to you or maybe you spend a whole week thinking about one particular topic. Or maybe you don’t walk so much as relax for a few minutes while you’re on the lounge chair on your back deck and getting your vitamin D when a sudden realization from Walk #27 hits you.
The point is, Walk Your Way to Better is an individual experience. For you, it could be a speedy jaunt, while for me, it was—and is—more of a wandering ramble. But I’m far enough through the journey to share a review:
What I enjoy most about Joyce Shulman’s Walk Your Way to Better is her voice; she shares her life experiences, introducing us to her foibles, her ups and downs, and where and what she’s learned along her journey, often learning it the hard way. But despite her hard lessons learned, there’s no whining here. Instead, you’ll find someone who picks herself up, admits her mistakes, and moves on. She’s all about progress, not perfection, and not too preachy, either. And she genuinely wants you to move on to bigger and better, too, so she’s come up with this format:
Each of the walks examines a particular topic to help you be better, whether it’s physically better (she’s a huge proponent of healthy eating, particularly breakfast), emotionally better (she drills down more than once on goals, dreams, and what brings you joy) or intellectually better (decision fatigue—it’s a real thing, y’all). These are short, conversational meditations that usually end with an expectation of an actionable response from the reader.
Not every topic will resonate with every reader and some of the topics may be all too-familiar. Many of Shulman’s suggestions are already a part of my daily, weekly, or yearly routine. But here’s the thing: I more often than not found a gem that made me think a bit differently, maybe for just a moment or two. But that’s how we change our lives, how we get better, right? It’s usually the little things that make a difference, the small steps we take every day that eventually get us where we want to go.
Just like a daily walk.
You can find Walk Your Way to Better on Amazon, and you can find more reviews on Goodreads, too. Plus, you can find Joyce Shulman online here:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/joyceshulman
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH-NR50srbDzKdUBx5BPgQQ
https://twitter.com/joycershulman
https://www.instagram.com/joyce.r.shulman/
AND, her book blog tour is still going on! So don’t just take my word about Walk Your Way to Better. Take a look around:
Fiona Ingram’s latest book in the middle grade series, The Chronicles of the Stone, follows the intrepid adventurers to Mexico and The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper. Adam, Justin, and Kim are searching now for the third stone of power, and as always, they must find the stone before the villainous Dr. Khalid can get his hands on it–and them. But there’s an added twist to this tale, a warlord who believes himself the incarnation of an Aztec god. And he’s right in the thick of this adventure!
Cathy C. Hall Writes 