Here’s my review of The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey, the book that led me to pick up The Shallows (reviewed in my last post here). It’s an interesting and practical book. Really glad I picked it up.

The vlog is still going well. Still fun. I’m not posting all of the videos here (maybe I should), but I’m trying to post every Tuesday. Next week’s will be a bit longer, as I had a couple of related questions that readers asked.

If you have ideas for what you’d like to see me do a video (or blog post here) on, let me know! I’m always open to suggestions.

Just going to copy and paste my Goodreads review. You guys know how I struggle with distractedness/attention issues… I may be on my way to fixing some of that.

 Really fascinating read! Well… the chapters on the history of how technology has influenced the human mind/culture were engrossing. The ones on the potential future of reading were terrifying for me as an author who does not want to write multimedia books in tweetable snippets that people can bounce in and out of without deep reading and engaging with the content. I mean, that was all interesting, too. Just in a less pleasant way than the bits about maps and clocks and printing presses. 🙂

I picked this book up because I feel the effects of what the internet/social media/constant connectedness are doing to my brain. I have no attention span. I’m constantly distracted, as though my brain is searching for diversions when I try to work, eager for any notification or excuse to bounce off and do some research instead of becoming engrossed in what I should be doing. I can only read for extended periods if I haven’t touched my phone/computer that day. If I have, I’m primed for distraction and can’t get into a book (especially fiction). And this book mentions all of those symptoms. I was basically just looking for the science behind it, not to be convinced. I was already there, just from my own experience.

Unfortunately, this book doesn’t tell us what to do about it. The author acknowledges that there are many advantages to our new technology (obviously, and the book is definitely not all gloom and doom, as the title suggests), and points out that it’s far too late to close the gates on this progress and its effects, positive and negative. He outlines in detail how computer and internet use affect our brains. He does not address practical ways to curtail the effects while maintaining our connection to the benefits.

So while this was a really interesting read, I can only recommend it to those looking for information on the problems we face, not those looking for practical solutions. I’d love to see a book on that. For now, I’m experimenting. “Social Media Sabbaths” are becoming a regular thing here on Sundays for me, and I’m actually getting some reading done. I’ve already got all notifications turned off on my phone, as absolutely none of them are necessary and all of them derail me from real life and important tasks. And I’m going to start leaving my wifi off/ leaving my phone outside the office until after my work is done for the day. My short experiments have shown that my concentration on reading does improve when the internet is off-limits… we’ll see what happens for my writing.

So there we go. I got on this book via another book that I’ll review on my YouTube channel: “The Productivity Project.” That one was less in-depth, but more helpful in practical ways.

Hey, everyone! Yes, it’s time again for a cover reveal–this time for Emily Witt, who you may remember as the current host of WIPpet Wednesday (and if you’re perusing the links for that weekly event, you’ve probably read a few snippets of her work). This is the book that Emily was posting snippets from way back when I joined WIPpet Wednesday, so it’s wonderful to see its release date approaching.

Take it away, Emily!

Title: A More Complicated Fairytale
Author: Emily Witt

Release day: April 02, 2016

 Blurb:

Most of the young women in Nardowyn swoon over Crown Prince Felipe, but Caitlin has never seen the appeal. When she catches his eye during a royal festival, she has little choice but to begrudgingly go along with his attempts to form a friendship between them, and soon learns that there is more to him than meets the eye.

When Felipe goes to war to avenge the death of his brother, Cait enlists as a nurse to be nearer to him. Here, Cait’s connection to the prince will put her in more danger than she can imagine. But Cait’s never been one to take the easy way out, so if her life is going to turn into some sort of fairy tale, with a prince and a happily ever after, it’s no surprise it will be a more complicated one.

Author Bio:

Emily has been writing since the age of six, but only recently developed the skill of finishing the projects that she starts (and even then, only sometimes). She is currently studying for a Masters in Museum and Heritage Studies and works at the National Library of Australia. In her spare time she can be found watching Doctor Who or curled up on the couch with a hot chocolate and a good book.

You can visit her blog for more information::

http://keysandopenmind.wordpress.com

And also her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/keysandopenmind

Cover design:

Thanks to the very awesome K. L. Schwengel – http://klschwengel.com

Excerpt:

Towards the middle of the afternoon, they came across a wooden stage with a banner across the top bearing the words ‘Alfonso the Magnificent, Grand Illusionist’. On the stage, a man was describing the great feats of illusion that the crowds would witness when the show started in ten minutes. Neither Cait nor Ava had ever seen a magic show before, so they bought tickets and found themselves good seats.

 

For the next three-quarters of an hour, they witnessed mind-reading, card tricks and even a woman being sawn in half! Even Cait had been on the edge of her seat for that finale.

 

When Alfonso the Magnificent had taken his final bows and disappeared from the stage, Cait turned to Ava. “What did you think?” she asked.

 

“That was spectacular!” Ava replied. “How do you think he did that last one?”

 

“There were two women in the box,” said a hooded man who had been sitting on Cait’s other side. “That’s the only way it could be done.”

 

“Do you think so?” Ava leaned across Cait a little to speak to the man and in doing so, recognised the face under the hood. She sat back again, quickly. “Cait, it’s -”

 

The cloaked man held up a finger to quickly quiet her. “Please don’t give me away. I’m trying to avoid my guards at the moment.”

 

He lowered his hood and Cait realised why Ava had been so surprised. She looked at Ava. “Well, won’t Ginny and Bridget be jealous?” She looked back to Prince Felipe with a wry smile. “Our younger sisters are big fans of yours, your Highness. We tried telling them it was unlikely any of us would see you here, but they kept their hopes up. I’m sure they’re going to be frightfully upset about this.”

 

“Well, I suppose you were right to discourage them. I’m not supposed to be spending my time at magic shows designed to entertain the masses. In fact, I believe I should be dining with the Princess Royal of Brellalan at this very moment.”

 

“Then why aren’t you?”

 

Cait didn’t mean to ask such a direct – and perhaps slightly accusatory – question, not to the prince, but it was out of her mouth before she could remind herself who she was talking to.

 

The prince did not seem too perturbed, though. “Have you ever had to spend time with women who have been raised only to aspire to one day marry a prince?”

 

“I can’t say that I have, Your Highness.”

 

“Then count yourself lucky. I would much rather spend my time at magic shows in the company of such charming ladies as you and your friend, than dining with any of them.”

 

As he spoke the words, a yell was heard behind them, and the prince looked up with a start. Someone shouted “There!” and a group of red-uniformed men of the palace guard pointed towards Cait, Ava and Prince Felipe.

 

Glancing back at Cait and Ava, the prince quickly stood and replaced his hood over his head. “It’s been lovely,” he said with a nod, and then leapt across three benches and off in the opposite direction to the guards. They shouted again and ran after him, but Cait saw him quickly blend in with the crowds and silently wished the guards luck. They were probably going to need it.