The Monk who sold his Ferrari

Author: Robin Sharma
Pages: 200
Genre: Self-Help/Inspiration
Rating: 2.5 stars (on a scale of 5)

Challenges: Orbis Terrarum Challenge 2009 ; Country - Canada (Author's Origin)

I've been wanting to read this book for more than 3 years. I remember it had generated so much hype when it was released and I was quite intrigued by the title as well. As per the statistics, more than a million copies of it are sold; wanted to figure out why?!

Even when I picked up the book I had absolutely no idea that it was a self-help!! I thought it was more philosophical. Anyways, since I am open to reading all kind of genres, I started this with an open mind...

As you can see my rating, I've given it only 2.5 stars. To me that means it's quite an average read and I wouldn't probably recommend it to anyone. The book actually starts off quite well. I was quite inspired reading the first few chapters! I was hoping that it would continue throughout, but half way through, it proved to be quite pedantic. Though the author has a valid point to make, he drags on and on about the same concept which is a real put off. Rather than emphasizing the importance of those principles, it actually bored me to death. I agree, emphasizing the facts repeatedly with various instances and examples is a good way to create a lasting impression on the reader's mind but it shouldn't look artificial or forced. Though Robin Sharma has used a dialogue approach between Julian (the Monk) and John to explain the 7 key concepts, it just fails to look natural. Every question that John asks seems like a rehearsed script in a reality show!! It just doesn't fit in....Probably a different style of writing would have helped here, is my opinion!

Even the 7 concepts discussed seem to be very cliched and I have read many books explaining the same concepts in a better way, holding the reader's interest. The book really disappointed me. I would not recommend this unless you are in desperate need of self-help.

However, I still liked a few quotes in the book which I made a note of, while reading.

"Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson.I have realized that failure whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and whole host of psychic rewards.Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is".

"Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you"

"It's only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others. It's only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the heart of others. When you feel centered and alive, you are in a much better position to be a better person"

"By controlling the thoughts that you think and the way you respond to the events of you life, you begin to control your destiny"

Everybody Wins

Author: Gary Chapman

Pages:128 (Hardcover)

Genre: Non-fiction/Self-Help

Rating: 4.5/5

I had read a lot about Gary Chapman off late and his book 'The Five Love Languages' has been on the NewYork Times Bestsellers list for quite a while. Since I like expermenting with different genres in my reading, I was quite keen on picking up one his books and that's how I ended up reading this.

"Conflicts are inevitable. Arguing is a Choice" is the message conveyed by the author in his book 'Everybody Wins'. A simple yet very useful guide to resolving conflicts in relationships. Dr.Chapman (director of Marriage and FamilyLife Consultants) provides a blueprint to help couples to achieve a win-win solution to their everyday conflicts and disagreements. He explains what's so bad about arguing and why it is very essential to resolve conflicts, however small they are, rather than build resentments and end up in a failed marriage/relationship.

Drawing examples from his own personal interactions with various couples as a counsellor, Chapman presents a set of stories which anyone can relate to and incorporate the learnings in their own life, to resolve the issues. Each chapter ends with a set of "Principles to Practice" which you can reflect on. Overall, the book is very simple and brief yet extremely useful and can serve as a quick reference guide.

Keys to Living Joyfully

Author: Sheri Kaye Hoff

Pages: 160

Genre: Self-Help/Inspiration

Rating: 4.5/5

It had been ages since I read a book in this genre of self help. So it was a refreshing change and it came to me at a time when certain things in life looked very gloomy and I so wanted to see and appreciate the bright side of life. Sometimes a book like this is all you'll need to pep you up and put you back on track! Thanks to Dorothy from PumpUpYourBookPromotions for sending a review copy to me!! I would always preserve a copy of this book in my shelf...

Who wouldn't want to live a life filled with joy? Who wouldn't want to experience that inner happiness and a carefree, cheerful, chirpy feeling deep within ? Am sure all of us want to be in this state, no matter what the situation is, but very few people can actually do it. More often than not, we succumb to life's pressures and circumstances. We blame the external world - friends, family, spouses, colleagues and other situations in life for our unhappiness. We fail to realize that our happiness is completely in our control. It's within US. That's exactly what the author Sheri talks about in her book - how you can claim that joy, passion, zest and energy in your life.
She says -
"Whatever you think about and internalize in your heart, is what you become"...
"If you truly wrap your arms around this idea of how we shape our lives based on our thoughts, you hold the key to unlocking amazing transformative power in your life"


I have always heard about the power of positive thinking and how it can influence our life to a great extent. But some of the books I have read so far have had very high level theories which I could not relate to. Sheri, in her book talks about how each of us can use positive affirmations effectively to overcome difficulties and even change our personality traits. It's all about training your mind to think in a certain way. Just by repeating a statement a few times can change your outlook in life. It's that simple! That's why they say - You are what you think you are. We just have to be aware of how to program our mind and what thoughts to feed in...

Sheri writes through her experiences on how she has used simple positive affirmation statements in her daily life to overcome tragedies and embrace that true inner joy. As soon I as read a few chapters , I mailed Sheri about my thoughts and she was very sweet and promptly replied to me on how to go about using this technique effectively. I could relate to her ideas to a great extent and that's why I found this book to be very healing. The best part is that the book does not give you any complicated theories but very simple things that you can implement in your day to day life and see the changes in your personality and the quality of life!

I just strongly believe in Sheri's approach and her ideas and thats why I loved the book. But I also realize that thought its simple, it's not been very easy to make these changes and I can see that it takes genuine effort!

If you are feeling low, looking to change some aspects in your life and want to know how to tap into that inner joy or if you are just looking to read something very inspirational, I highly recommend it..