My Dancing Bookworm Studio

MY THOUGHTS ON JOHN GRAY’S “MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS: THE CLASSIC GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE OPPOSITE SEX”

Book cover

Originally published in 1992 – this book is only a year older than me. According to the internet, its author Dr. John Gray, Ph.D. is “an American relationship counselor, lecturer and author.” 

Okay. So, I started reading this book during a time when I am not romantically interested in anyone – but would love to be in a distant future.  I figured it would be nice to learn…

So, it's Friday which means more time to read. Yey! 💃Today I'll share the books I am currently reading. I read many books at the same time just to keep the excitement and variety and to continue learning about many things within a limited time. I sincerely feel the "too many books, too little time" thing.

1. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

I have been reading this book for months now. It took me a long time because I don't want to rush it. I want to internalize and really absorb what the book teaches so I only read it bit by bit. For instance, I'll just read one or two chapters a week. Then I'll try to ponder on it for the rest of the week. This is a self-help book which I highly recommend. Everyone of us should strive for continuous learning. It doesn't mean to think lowly of ourselves or that we're never going to be good enough. What I'm saying is HUMILITY is a very important trait that allows you to be realistic and to acknowledge the areas you need to work on about yourself. Knowing and accepting your need for improvement helps your mind to be open for more ideas, therefore making you a better version of yourself. 👍 It tells you to focus more on others rather than always being selfish and in the process it's a win-win for everyone. 😊 I didn't set any timeline as to when I should finish reading because I read for passion not just for the sake of finishing it. I can't say exactly when I'm going to finally finish this but don't worry you're sure to know because I'll post about it.

2. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray.

Of course, there is a struggle between the sexes. I am enhancing my knowledge on the male psyche by learning more about their way of thinking and behavior. So next time I know better how to interpret them. 😅 Same with the above mentioned book, I read this chapter by chapter so as not to go through information overload. I haven't finished it yet, but it has already enlightened me on some topics that are quite confusing to us females. I hope more couples read this together and share their opinions about it. If only men would be interested to read a book like this. 🙄 Oh well. Let's jump to #3.

3. The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton.

Okayyyy. This is a biography written by a Western lady based on early biographers of Muhammad. Obviously, he is the first Muslim ever. This tells in detail about the Prophet Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) life story. I am glad it mentions the differences in versions as told by his early biographers. We all know during early times, people only pass stories by word of mouth. Therefore there is a high probability of inaccuracy. It also depends on how each witness perceived the situation. As of today, I am reading on the part where Muhammad and his early followers left Mecca to live in Medina because the Meccan elite can't accept what Muhammad is teaching, which is Islam. During that time his followers were not yet called Muslim, but believers. The problem is the Meccans are very traditional they don't want to dishonor their fathers by abandoning the tradition so they had to either kill or kick Muhammad out of their lives. Muhammad's followers raided the Meccan caravans to earn a living for themselves even though they are welcome in Medina. It's just that one day, his followers killed someone. "Blood vengeance" is strictly practiced during those times. Muhammad strove for non violence. Unfortunately, some things didn't go as planned. You can't control people even if you're a prophet. I haven't read yet what happened next, maybe a war will begin because of it. 🤔

4. Daddy's Little Earner by Maria Landon.

Ugh. Breaks my heart. This is about a very toxic father and husband. The author is the little girl. I am so sad for her childhood. I can understand how very little she thinks of herself because her dad kept telling her mean things. I wish I could help her during those times to be her friend, keep her neat, feed her, and tell her she is worthy of love. I hope no child ever does feel this way anywhere in the world. I am currently reading on the part where her dad is already using her for sex at the age of 9. 😭 She's too scared to fight. 😢 I am hoping for a happy ending to her story. I dooooo hope she grew up to be confident, to feel loved, to feel important, and to be happy.

That's it for today. Not sure when to post again but I'll try to post soon. Don't forget to thank God even when it's not Friday. 😅 - Reygel 🌈

For a long time, I've been contemplating setting up a website wherein I could freely express my thoughts. The name of this website is based on two things I love doing the most - dancing and reading. I think it's nice to call this the "Dancing Bookworm Studio". I love reading. I read a lot. I used to read classics only, but then I always have this fascination with human behavior and relationships. Unfortunately for me, none of my friends are interested in the books I read so I have all of this information deep within me with no one to share it to. That's what led me to create this website. Who knows? Maybe somewhere, someone shares the same passion and interests I have. When I started reading biographies, I became hooked! It's been months now. I already finished several books, some within a day or two. It helps feed my curiosity to understand other people in relation to their religion, tradition, custom, race, language and political situation. I long to travel and reading is my way of transportation into another world. Please enjoy the journey. It's my first time to write a blog. I'd be posting soon about book reviews. 😊 Love, Reygel